$19 iPhone 3G (Refurb) from AT&T

$19 iPhone 3G... why don't they just do one of those $0.01 deals or give it away as a free phone with contract... go nuts!

Get your Garmin nuvifone for $99 at Amazon

Source: Engadget

Amazon is probably one of my favorite location to find smartphone deals (locked or unlocked). Here we have Garmin's GPS nuvifone down to $99 with a new contract. If you've been holding out for a GPS phone, here is your chance.

Is the $99 worthy of this phone, you'll have to be the judge on that one.

AT&T Insider Sales Event 9/9/09

If you are an AT&T customer, keep an eye out for your inbox, I just got an email informing me about an "Insider Sales Event" which comes with a unique barcode that I can take it to a store in NYC to get $50 off a phone (if I sign up for another 2 years of service). I am not sure if this allows me to upgrade my iPhone 3G to iPhone 3GS. My email says its only good for the NY area so I am not sure if its a nationwide promo. Promo also includes a 25% off accessories and a chance to enter a drawing for Yankees tickets.

Costco getting in the Unlocked Cell Phone Biz?

Just noticed an offering from a Costco email tonight, apparently they've started to sell unlocked Nokia smartphones. Clicking through the email link, the page pulled up four smartphones:
N97 ($599)
E75 ($419)
5800 ($299)
E63 ($229)
The deals are not bad but certainly not the best price we've seen.

Evening Smartphone Deals: BlackBerry 8520, Pre, Bold, E71x

Some mobile deals for this evening brought to you by Amazon:

BlackBerry 8520 ($0.01) HOT! This phone literally was released yesterday! Available to new T-Mobile Customers only featuring the latest BlackBerry OS and a unique touchpad (no more trackball)

It seems like lots of deals are taking place on slightly older smartphones, of course you can always checkup on the right side of my blog for future updates on smartphone bargains!

Nokia E71x (WiFi, GPS, 3.2MP) - $FREE
BlackBerry Storm 9530 (WiFi, Touch) - $49
BlackBerry Bold (3G, WiFi) - $49 Shipped
T-Mobile G1 (Android, 3G, WiFi) - $97 Shipped
HTC FUZE (WM 6.1, 3G, WiFi) - $99 Shipped

Unlocked Nokia E63 Bargain $149 Shipped

What if I told you that for $149, you can have a pretty darn good smartphone w/ 3G US, WiFi and GPS support along with a full QWERTY keyboard. I'll even toss in the good name of Nokia along with A2DP stereo Bluetooth support, quad-band world phone, 18 day standby and has the look to impress in your next boardroom meeting?

Take your pick, $149 after a $50 rebate. Free Shipping included!

Nokia E63 Ruby Red or Nokia E63 Ultra Marine Blue

Nokia N96 for $449 at Amazon (Hot!)

This one won't last, I just got an email from Amazon for their deal of the day with Nokia N96 smartphone at $449 shipped. Better hurry my Symbian S60 loving friends!

The Nokia N96 normally goes for $800 retail. Featuring 16GB internal storage and MicroSDHC expansion support. Plus 3G data, aGPS, Wifi and full web browser and lots more. Amazon could be clearing up some shelve space for the high anticipated N97 smartphone.

Have fun!

Nokia E71x for Free on Amazon

Nokia E71x finally made its way to AT&T. The news hasn't even cooled off yet, and I found it on Amazon for $0.01. Yes... its practically free for a 2 year contract (as opposed to AT&T's price of $99 with the same 2 year contract). Other than its robust features as a business smartphone (WiFi, aGPS, MicroSDHC, 3.2MP cam, etc...), I was really surprised to see how thin it is considering it has a massive 1500mAh battery. Of course, you can always buy an unlocked E71 for a little of 3 bills.

$150 AT&T iPhone 3G Refurb Deal

Remember those refurbished iPhone deals AT&T used to have? Well... they are back and this time its $150 for an iPhone 3G 8GB or $250 for its 16GB big bro. Unlike the previous offer, you'll have to checkout with a lousy phone/data plan rendering today's other good news useless.

Our 2-cents: Why would anyone want to get a refurb unit for a mere $50 savings knowing AT&T and Apple is only honoring a 90-day warranty this time. Also, remember in the last round, the 1 year warranty was also in question?

My AT&T Refurbished 1st Gen. iPhone 1Yr Warranty in Question

A while ago, I reported a couple of times that AT&T was clearing out their refurbished first generation iPhone inventory online and I secured a unit at an amazing $250. This was back in May. When the phone arrived, it came with a sticker on the box saying that my refurbished iPhone has 1 year warranty and to be honored by Apple, so go through Apple store for any issues.

I remembered around that time, one of my favorite blog - TUAW also reported an article about how some of the refurbished iPhones do not have correct 1 year warranty reflected when you look up the warranty yourself.

Well, that is exactly what happened to me. That same refurbished iPhone just completely gave up on its multi-touchscreen one day (no drop, no water damage, just quits on its own). When I took it in, the Apple employee at first gave me an expression that he's never seen the refurbished warranty from AT&T, even after I showed him the label from the refurbished iPhone box I got from AT&T. Secondly, he looked up my phone's record which still shows the returned date of the original owner (last year around October) and tells me that is the starting mark of the 1 year warranty. I proceeded to explain and showed him my receipt of May 2008 is when I got the iPhone, he kept on saying it doesn't work that way.

Long story short, the guy at the Genius Bar was cool enough to swap out another unit for me at the end even though he said he was doing me a favor. I am not sure if this replacement is a new unit or another refurbished, but its in much better physical condition than the AT&T refurb unit which had minor scratches throughout (hard to see but its there) and the serial number actually comes up with zero history as opposed to my ATT refurb iPhone unit which had the original owners warranty date tied to the serial no. The Genius Bar guy also said this replacement unit now has another 90 days of warranty from today which I guess would almost make it a full year in my case (this gives me protection into Feb '09 as opposed to the real 1 year term would have been May '09).

Either way, I am happy that atleast Apple stepped up to replace the broken refurbed iPhone for me, but not very cool that AT&T and Apple didn't work out the details between the two.

Palm Treo Refurb Sale at AT&T

Nothing too special here, but it must be the end of product life cycle for some early Treos (750 and 680). AT&T is offering the refurb units for FREE. Check them out here.

Amazon Smartphone Deals Today Only

Got an email this morning from Amazon.com saying that they have a 1-day only sale on Smartphones(ie. Gold Box offer). Just like last year, when the whole iPhone frenzy was at its peak, Amazon drastically reduced its pricing on a lot of smartphones as well. Giving the iPhone 3G is a major rip-off in terms of monthly pricing, you may end up with a better ROI the phones from this offer. Get the LG Vu for a mere $99 and AT&T Tilt for $79 after rebate!

Launching “the mobile experience” aStore on Amazon.com

As a big fan of mobile devices, I am always in search of the best deals where I can pickup the next gadget. I’ve been sharing some of those sweet deals with my readers as I come across them. A while ago, I’ve decided to dedicate a spot (right hand corner) on my blog to permanently list out some of the best unlocked and contracted smartphone bargains. It has proven to be quite a task to keep the pricing posted correctly, so I’ve decided to put together an “aStore” on Amazon.com for your convenience. So far, I’ve got two categories listed, “contracted deals” and “unlocked deals” for smartphones. In the future, I plan to add other cool findings like accessories, headsets, SD cards and more… all of which will satisfy my personal taste for design and price.

I hope you find this useful and the small commission I make from this store can help me afford more gadgets and toys to review for you. the mobile experience staff are contributing their review on their personal time, because we are not influenced by any corporation, we try to come up with the most practical reviews that are unbiased and no-holds-barred. Thank you for your support and we hope to find more ways to enhance your mobile experience!

Visit "the mobile experience" aStore here!

Refurbished iPhone $249 Back in Stock at AT&T Website

Well, AT&T has gotten more stock of the refurbished iPhones once again. Same price as before 8GB ($249) and 16GB ($349). They are ZiPhone friendly so have fun with it! (Source: BensBargains)

Refurbished iPhone is Back $249 and $349

Most tech affiliate marketing sites have picked up this offer: AT&T Wireless store has the refurbished iPhones 8GB and 16GB back in stock for $249 and $349 respectively. The last time this was available, I remembered the stock was cleared out within hours. Truth is, at $249, you are to picking up a state-of-the-art music/media player/phone/internet appliance. This is a pretty good deal. Even a Nokia N800 is going to set you back a cool $200 with less to offer. I also remembered that Apple Store online used to sell refurb 8GB iPhone for $349.

Anyone who's interested in unlocking this phone, stop by ZiPhone to pick up an unlocking software of your choice (available for both PC and Mac). With a simple to use GUI, you can unlock this within minutes. Considering the retail price of a decent smartphone will run you $400-600, you can now have some guilt-free fun at this price.

AT&T Tilt Cost on the Rise? $249 on Amazon

I've always given AT&T Tilt great appraisal for its loaded functionality and spec (3.5G Asia + Europe and US, Wifi, GPS, WM6, etc...). I've seen its price on Amazon fluctuate from as low as $49 to $99 to $174 after rebates. As of this morning, they are going for $249after rebate on Amazon.com. Its still a deal considering that the phone itself is priced at $600.

It is unusual to the cost of a subsidized phone that is going on its 7 month on the market to go up when all other phones are being lowered. If you are seriously considering this phone, you might want to see a limited discount of the N95-4 8GB US editionfor a mere $579 (MSRP $799).

8GB Apple iPhone for $250 (Refurb)

Instead of paying Apple $350 for a refurbished iPhone. You can now buy a refurbished unit for $250 directly from AT&T (source). Not a bad deal considering it’s the 8GB unit that once cost $600. AT&T is, of course, expecting you to sign up legitimately for a 2-year contract. Which I am sure you are going to obey… : )

HP iPaq 510 now $229 Shipped Amazon.com

HP's iPaq 510 is a WM6-packing, EDGE-running and WiFi-boasting little wonder. This candy bar styled phone usually goes for $279-$300 has now been reduced to $229 and is sold by Amazon.com directly (not a 3rd party vendor). I noticed Amazon will come down in price occasionally to compete with its own 3rd party resellers and this seems to be one of those opportunities. Its a pretty good price for any unlocked phone and the deal is sweeter considering this to be a full-fledged smartphone. Enjoy!

Buy a Smartphone and Get Cash

Years ago, only basic cell phones qualify for cashback/rebate offers to help lessen the pain of 1 or 2 year contract. The limited smartphones offerings back then almost always sell for full price at premium. The times have changed my friend. We are now in a very competitive pricing war amongst the best of breeds in smartphones. Hard to believe even Palm has gotten off its high horse and begin to offer rebates.

Amazon.com has the following offers where you'll receive cashback for getting a cool smartphone, up to $100!

BlackBerry 8100 Sapphire Pearl myFaves Phone (T-Mobile) -$100 Cashback
Motorola Q Phone (Sprint) -$100 Cashback
BlackBerry 8310 Curve Titanium Smartphone (AT&T) -$75 Cashback
BlackBerry 8310 Curve Red Smartphone (AT&T) -$75 Cashback
T-Mobile Dash myFaves Smartphone (T-Mobile) -$50 Cashback
Nokia 5300 XpressMusic myFaves Black Phone (T-Mobile) -$50
Nokia 5300 XpressMusic myFaves Lilac Phone (T-Mobile) -$50
palm Treo 680 Smartphone (AT&T) -$25
palm Treo 680 Crimson Smartphone (AT&T) -$25

AT&T Tilt now $49

AT&T Tilt, one of the most competent phones out there is now $49 after rebate on Amazon.com. Here is a phone that will stack up against the N95 at 1/10th the cost. With US 3G support, GPS-integrated, WM6, Wi-Fi and more, I am shocked at this amazing value. Of course, two year contract is required, but this phone will easily eBay for $300 giving you the fund to buy something fancier if you should decide. (Unlock it first for its full potential!)

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