G1 price drop: Wal-Mart to sell Android for less
T-Mobile's G1 Android phone is about to get cheaper -- at least, if you look in the right place. Wal-Mart will start selling the Google-powered device at a discounted rate this week, the company has confirmed.
Attention Wal-Mart Shoppers...
The G1 will become available Wednesday in select Wal-Mart stores for US$148.88, with a two-year agreement. That's $31.11, or about 17 percent, less than the T-Mobile pricetag of $179.99. The offer will be available to all new T-Mobile customers and to any existing customers who qualify for upgrades. As of now, about 550 locations are slated to participate.
"They will launch in top markets where consumer interest is expected to be very high and where the T-Mobile 3G coverage area is available," says Wal-Mart spokesperson Melissa O'Brien.
Most major metropolitan areas will be included, O'Brien says, though specific locations aren't yet being revealed -- so you may want to make some calls before you make the drive. More stores are expected to be added as the phone becomes more readily available.
Cost Comparison
The Wal-Mart distribution deal gives G1 added bragging rights when it comes to comparative sticker price. The iPhone 3G, available through AT&T and Apple, starts at $199. A $20 difference, as originally established with T-Mobile's G1 price, may not sound like much. Savings of $50, though, could be a stronger selling point.
Mobile Math
G1's manufacturer, HTC, is now projecting sales of 600,000 devices by the end of the year, according to a published interview with its chief executive last week.
"It will be more than what we originally planned," CEO Peter Chou told The Mercury News . "I'm saying we will ship more than 600,000."
Early estimates had placed G1 pre-order sales alone at 1.5 million, though those figures were later called into question. As for future sales, Chou declined to provide any specific numbers but said he expects to "do more next year."
"We are confident about our competitiveness," he stated.
» posted by ITworld staff
PC World
Sign up for ITworld's Daily newsletter
Follow ITworld on Twitter @IT_world
On Twitter now
jfruh
Apple syncing patent can't come soon enough
pasmith
New Twitter features borrow from 3rd party clients
Esther Schindler
Open Source Changes the Software Acquisition Process
mikelgan
How to set up continuous podcast play on the new iTunes
David Strom
Five important Windows 7 mobility features
sjvn
Guard your Wi-Fi for your own sake
Sandra Henry-Stocker
Grepping on Whole Words
Sidekick: The Good News & the Bad News
Either way you look at it Microsoft Data Center management did not follow standards or best practices in this failure. In which case it makes me wonder more about the outsourcing of corporate data much less personal data.
- mburton325
Join the conversation here
Quick, practical advice for IT pros. Made fresh daily.
Want to cash in on your IT savvy? Send your tip to tips@itworld.com. If we post it, we'll send you a $25 Amazon e-gift card.












