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Official Release Date Rumor Thread

Mr. Ed said:
yeah, on a new release phone maybe....

I got my infuse for $30 out of pocket...buy back on it is $300 until December....
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True ... so you get $300 buyback which sounds exciting but it is a BB gift card per their fine print (not cash) and now you need to buy a replacement for full retail (+tax) and you still have a 2yr agreement to fulfill. Does BB even sell devices without contract?

The math is (using your example): you get $300 for which you paid $40-$80 for the privilege - $30 for what you oiginally paid for the device leaving you with around net $220 or LESS depending on tax (because some states charge tax on the full $600 retail even if the phone is free which BB does not refund) to spend on a new "better" device which will cost around $600+ tax if BB will even sell you one. I know they wouldn't sell the iPhone 4 w/o contract when it came out.

So lets say you buy the SGS2 for $600 + $42 tax = $642 and your "buyback" was $220.

Such a deal!

Best Buy is one of the worst retail stores in the county anyway. I'd tell you my "microwave" story (with protection plan) but won't bore you. But it did get me removed from the store by the local PD, and it got them a lawsuit, and it got me a nice settlement and I was able to buy a whole bunch of microwaves. ;)
 
shark974 said:
Wow is that right? There's something on my online account about I "may be eligible for upgrades in March" which is about the 20 month mark. I always assumed that was the full upgrade and have been counting the days.

If it's only some partial thing where I still have to pay 350-400 for a phone, I'd rather just pay 600 and get it over with I think. Once the "perfect" phone comes along anyway. That way, I'll be satisfied, and can run off contract for a while, so I can keep that upgrade in my pocket so to speak.

I have a question though, I was reading on some website that if the cell carriers change some fees, you can get out of your contract earlier, because it's in the fine print that if they raise fees you can get out early. I carry the insurance (as Mr Ed says, bad idea I'm going to cancel it). Right now it is 5 a month they are raising it to 7 a month in Oct. My question is, doesnt that constitute a change of fees by which I can get out of my contract early?
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You can usually get a full upgrade 4 months early without extra fee. I never had a problem with that. Going IPHONE3->new IPHONE4 they would in the past give you an upgrade in 1yr but charge you more for the phone. Also, ff your single highest line CELL BILL is a net of $100 or more (not inc insurance etc but your minute plan) you can usually full upgrade at 12 months. I have always been full upgrade eligible in 20 months and my monthly bill is only $75 before my discount. I was full upgrade available in early Feb and my contract date early June.

As for getting out of contract .... not sure if insurance fee will get you out of it. It usually needs to be a "required fee" and part of the basic plan (minutes, additional or new tax, data plan increase if the plan is mandatory etc). Besides, wouldn't they grandfather you in at the old insurance rate and only charge the new rate to new people?
 
MisterEd said:
True ... so you get $300 buyback which sounds exciting but it is a BB gift card per their fine print (not cash) and now you need to buy a replacement for full retail (+tax) and you still have a 2yr agreement to fulfill. Does BB even sell devices without contract?

The math is (using your example): you get $300 for which you paid $40-$80 for the privilege - $30 for what you oiginally paid for the device leaving you with around net $220 or LESS depending on tax (because some states charge tax on the full $600 retail even if the phone is free which BB does not refund) to spend on a new "better" device which will cost around $600+ tax if BB will even sell you one. I know they wouldn't sell the iPhone 4 w/o contract when it came out.
T
So lets say you buy the SGS2 for $600 + $42 tax = $642 and your "buyback" was $220.

Such a deal!

Best Buy is one of the worst retail stores in the county anyway. I'd tell you my "microwave" story (with protection plan) but won't bore you. But it did get me removed from the store by the local PD, and it got them a lawsuit, and it got me a nice settlement and I was able to buy a whole bunch of microwaves. ;)
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again.....i am biased.....we not only spend around 4k at best buy /year.. but we also rotate upgrades across 6 lines. we will use the card for sure.

not all phones hold their street value well. while the infuse has been selling for 350ish....i suspect that resale price will drop significantly in october

taxes are negated by best buy reward bucks earned when buying the phone (typically 1000-2500 points)

the buyback and and black tie can be beneficial...but it is pick and choose

hey did you get widgetlocker working right?
 
MisterEd said:
If you are foolish enough to take your phone to the beach and near or in the highly corrosive salt water & sand you absolutely deserve to be ripped off by purchasing the insurance and paying 1/3rd the price of the phone for it. That's the main reason I stick with GSM providers, when I go somewhere "dangerous" I put the SIM in my 7 year old Moto Razr and don't worry one bit. You are a Best Buy salesperson's dream customer. Electronics equipment "insurance" purchases are the absolute worst money spent.
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remrem said:
I'm a yacht salesman, so I have no choice but to be "foolish" MisterEd.
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MisterEd said:
LOL. Assuming that is true, than you would be an exception to the general rule. Had you stated that initially I would have qualified my comment somewhat but it's still a waste of money.
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It is true, and if you think I'm an exception to the rule, consider this disconcerting piece of trivia: 19% of young adult U.S. phone owners have dropped their phone in a toilet!

See this link: Microsoft: 19% of young adult U.S. phone owners have dropped their phone in a toilet | WinRumors

What does this say about our youth? :confused:

What does this say about those phones we buy second hand on Ebay? :eek:

For me, I'm keeping my AT&T insurance because it covers such nasty disasters, albeit with a high deductible. As for the Best Buy coverage, the more I hear all of you discussing it, the more persuaded I become to decline it.
 
shark974 said:
Wow is that right? There's something on my online account about I "may be eligible for upgrades in March" which is about the 20 month mark. I always assumed that was the full upgrade and have been counting the days.
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maerlim said:
No it's not correct. AT&T's website is correct. If it says you'll be available to upgrade in March, that's that.
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AT&T Upgrade Advantage - Wireless from AT&T

AT&T confirms early upgrade price changes for iPhone 4, other smartphones

excuse me say what? did you actually read what he wrote? he said that march would be around month 20 for him and that's when he'd be allowed to upgrade early. that in no way contradicts what i said.

on the plus side it looks like it may only be an extra $50 instead of the $150 or so i thought.
 
remrem said:
It is true, and if you think I'm an exception to the rule, consider this disconcerting piece of trivia: 19% of young adult U.S. phone owners have dropped their phone in a toilet!
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THAT'S NOT TRUE AT ALL!

i didn't drop my phone into a toilet until i was 32.
 
Boondoc said:
AT&T Upgrade Advantage - Wireless from AT&T

AT&T confirms early upgrade price changes for iPhone 4, other smartphones

excuse me say what? did you actually read what he wrote? he said that march would be around month 20 for him and that's when he'd be allowed to upgrade early. that in no way contradicts what i said.

on the plus side it looks like it may only be an extra $50 instead of the $150 or so i thought.
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I know what he said and I know what you said. And I also know that the AT&T website reflects the time when you can upgrade for free. If it says he can upgrade in march, that's a full upgrade. The website showed me eligible to upgrade after 12 months, which was the policy when I got my Captivate last year, and I was able to upgrade to the Thrill with no additional charge.

In fact I would recommend checking the AT&T website periodically a few months earlier than they say you can upgrade. Sometimes they pull the trigger early.
 
Just called my AT&T local store and they have the SG2 in but only 10 units were delivered (maybe more will come later, next day and half). She said get there early...which i plan to.
 
TMass said:
Just called my AT&T local store and they have the SG2 in but only 10 units were delivered (maybe more will come later, next day and half). She said get there early...which i plan to.
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I called mine yesterday and I talked to the laziest creature ever. She mumbled something like: "we don't know when/if we get that phone". I got pissed and I'm gonna buy from them.
Off-topic: ICE CREAM SANDWICH ANDROID PHONE, A SECRET LOOK AHEAD COURTESY OF AN eBAY BUYER
How about that?
 
remrem said:
It is true, and if you think I'm an exception to the rule, consider this disconcerting piece of trivia: 19% of young adult U.S. phone owners have dropped their phone in a toilet!

See this link: Microsoft: 19% of young adult U.S. phone owners have dropped their phone in a toilet | WinRumors

What does this say about our youth? :confused:

What does this say about those phones we buy second hand on Ebay? :eek:

For me, I'm keeping my AT&T insurance because it covers such nasty disasters, albeit with a high deductible. As for the Best Buy coverage, the more I hear all of you discussing it, the more persuaded I become to decline it.
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That's a load of crap. <!!PUN!!> But I do find it hard to believe. I'd love to see the REAL raw data they used to arrive at that statistic.

What does it say about our youth? They've definitely gone down the crapper. :D
 
Mr. Ed said:
again.....i am biased.....we not only spend around 4k at best buy /year.. but we also rotate upgrades across 6 lines. we will use the card for sure.

not all phones hold their street value well. while the infuse has been selling for 350ish....i suspect that resale price will drop significantly in october

taxes are negated by best buy reward bucks earned when buying the phone (typically 1000-2500 points)

the buyback and and black tie can be beneficial...but it is pick and choose

hey did you get widgetlocker working right?
Click to expand...


Best Buy is the Devil's first cousin. :mad: They can burn in hell and I can't wait for the day they go out of business, which, from what I have been reading, is not far off so you better make sure all your polices are backed up by a major insurance company.

If you want to keep them around keep buying their ripoff insurance because it seems most of their profits come from that. :) I'll have to find the article (WSJ I think) that discussed their probable demise.

Yes, thank you, I got W.L. working but ended up going back to just using NO LOCK because it was much easier for what I needed. It was much easier for me and my problematic fingers tapping the "wake" button than hitting the relatively small UNLOCK ICON.
 
I stopped by a ata&t store in Va today and they were nice they even had a model for me to see. They confirmed a Sunday release. I truly believe we will be the only ones super hyped for this one on launch day. Everyone seems to want the free phone. LOL

My Best Buy said I was the first preorder and all the at&t stores I talked to seemed like they will have plenty of units.
 
I have been lurking here for quite a while and I thank everyone for all the information. I am really excited to get my first Android phone on Sunday. I have been using an original iphone since it first came out, and it has become unbearable to use lately. I have been jealous of all my friends at work with slick and beautiful Android phones, but thankfully that will be over soon.
 
dowlf said:
I have been lurking here for quite a while and I thank everyone for all the information. I am really excited to get my first Android phone on Sunday. I have been using an original iphone since it first came out, and it has become unbearable to use lately. I have been jealous of all my friends at work with slick and beautiful Android phones, but thankfully that will be over soon.
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You're going to love it :D

I'm really excited as well, returned my Samsung Infuse over a month ago! I've been phone-less! :p I can't take it much longer.

Also, I might have a problem...

"Have I visited this web site prior to today? Yes, 3,323 times"
 
gepeto said:
I stopped by a ata&t store in Va today and they were nice they even had a model for me to see. They confirmed a Sunday release. I truly believe we will be the only ones super hyped for this one on launch day. Everyone seems to want the free phone. LOL

My Best Buy said I was the first preorder and all the at&t stores I talked to seemed like they will have plenty of units.
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Just out of curiousity, what VA store did you stop in? I am in VA also and my local corporate store doesn't have sqwat in. They told me that if they receive their shipment in, it would be sometime after 2:00 tomorrow. If they don't receive it, then they will not have it available for sale on Sunday in which it wouldn't surprise me because it was the same way with the Xperia Play. Went to the store the day it was released to check it out for my son, and they didn't have it.

Update: My store just informed me that they have 5 for tomorrow's release.
 
MisterEd said:
Best Buy is the Devil's first cousin. :mad: They can burn in hell and I can't wait for the day they go out of business, which, from what I have been reading, is not far off so you better make sure all your polices are backed up by a major insurance company.

If you want to keep them around keep buying their ripoff insurance because it seems most of their profits come from that. :) I'll have to find the article (WSJ I think) that discussed their probable demise.

Yes, thank you, I got W.L. working but ended up going back to just using NO LOCK because it was much easier for what I needed. It was much easier for me and my problematic fingers tapping the "wake" button than hitting the relatively small UNLOCK ICON.
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Best Buy just seems like they run a lot of essentially, scams to increase their margins. If you're smart enough to know they're scams, you can easily enough avoid them, they cant force them on you. Cant say I've ever had huge problems.

I just dont understand why places cant charge slightly higher prices in the first place instead. I know the margins on cheapo laptops and stuff are low, but still.

Good to hear about the 20 month upgrade, sounds like a go. Much as I hate waiting, I'm also a bit poor nowdays and could def use the money savings. I've always been kind of unhappy with my Captivate's "only" 4" screen (really wish I had got a 4.3 phone back then now). This next phone, I really want to knock it out of the park. So March might work out, because it seems like 4.65"+, 720P, etc are right around the corner. "Settling" for a 800X480, 4.5" or less phone right now wont do for me. Yeah if I was rich I'd keep my phone constantly upgraded, sure no problem, but I'm not.

About all these toilet stories, they are def true. My sister dropped her phone in the toilet once I recall, and I've nearly done it. In my case I have an excuse though, I work in a warehouse and the rules strictly require cell phones have to be off except for breaks. So if I say want to check some sports scores on my phone, best place to sneak it is a locked bathroom stall (on the odd chance a boss walks into the restroom), which leaves me standing over the toilet reading my phone... I've nearly dropped it before.
 
Just got back from checking out 2 different ATT stores and a BB. 1 store had 2 phones to sell tomorrow, the other just said he had plenty. BB was trying to tell me this phone had a 4.5 inch screen and he said he didn't know how many or if they would have any tomorrow morning ... the guy was clueless. Even if they had one to sell me right then and there, I would have walked away. The dude would have probably jacked up my unlimited plan beyond recognition!
 
Does any one know if the cases for the international S2 will work with at&t's s2? i know that they are the most similar but the sizes are slightly different.
 
Yay! Ready for tomorrow! I hope this turns out well for me because it doesn't seem that any one store is getting a significant amount of devices. My store will only have 5 (they are not taking any down payments either - first come, first serve), and as per t90's post, one store he was at will only have 2.
 
North San Diego
Best Buy: I have a pre-sale order here. I asked if they had them in. She said "we will have them". You will have them or you do have them? She said they got a few in. I asked enough to cover all the pre-sales? She said yes. They only did two or three pre-sales.

AT&T: My Best Buy backup. She said they got them. I asked about quantity. She went in the back and said they have "plenty". That must be what they were trained on as I see someone else had their ATT store say plenty also.

With a good handle on getting a GS2 full price, I then went to Walmart. None there. She actually knew what they were and I watched her look under the cabinet. There was a T-Mobile rep there that I was talking to while waiting. He didn't know that T-Mobile had a release date for their GS2. Then I called costco. She said they didn't have any and didn't know when they would come in.
 
ginab1981 said:
Yay! Ready for tomorrow! I hope this turns out well for me because it doesn't seem that any one store is getting a significant amount of devices. My store will only have 5 (they are not taking any down payments either - first come, first serve), and as per t90's post, one store he was at will only have 2.
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that's better than my luck, all of south texas is not getting any, I have to drive 2 hours to a store that is holding one for me :P Granted I could probably buy from best buy or something, but I don't like all that fine print
 
My Best Buy has like 8 in stock above and beyond pre-orders, and I just got my email saying mine is ready to pickup tomorrow!!!
 
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