Discount Razr phones on the horizon?

Itsme · 11-03-2005, 01:51 PM

Discount Razr phones on the horizon?
By Michael Kanellos
Staff Writer, CNET News.com

Published: November 3, 2005, 10:34 AM PST

Motorola's upscale Razr phone could be coming to the masses.

Retail giant Wal-Mart Stores will likely start selling the Razr this Thanksgiving shopping season for $88.73, according to Web site Black Friday 2005, which posts information about retail deals. Currently, the phone typically sells for $199 at various retailers. The phone will likely be offered through a bundle with service from Cingular.

The phone is part of an anticipated Black Friday electronics cavalcade by Wal-Mart. Other expected bargains include a $398 Hewlett-Packard laptop, a Hitachi video camera that records directly onto DVDs for $300 and a 15-inch LCD TV for $194.

For the last two years, Wal-Mart has come out with somewhat pedestrian offers for the holiday season, said Steve Baker, an analyst at NPD Techworld. As a result, the retailer did not experience a huge bump in electronics sales at the holidays.

The sleek Razr, introduced last year, has been a crucial element in Motorola's turnaround, helping the hoary electronics giant to turn back a surge from rival Samsung. Last year, Samsung bumped Motorola from the No. 2 spot in cell phone shipments worldwide, but Schaumburg, Ill.-based Motorola bounced back, in large part through sales of the Razr.

A pink version of the Razr will come out during the holiday season. Motorola has already seeded the phone among celebrities like tennis star Maria Sharapova.

"My only problem is that I can't make these fast enough," Motorola CEO Ed Zander said during a speech in September.

Wal-Mart also has begun to carry the Ojo, a video conferencing phone for consumers unveiled last year by Motorola.

The Black Friday 2005 site receives advance copies of advertisements expected to be included in newspapers on the Thanksgiving weekend and republishes the information contained in the ads. The site does not reveal its sources and warns that the deals can change or be cancelled before they come out. Nonetheless, the site noted that it has a good probability of success.

Analysts have also said that the prices listed on some products in the advance ads match their expectations. Many, for instance, said earlier in the year that PC makers would try to reduce the price of notebooks and make them almost equal in price to desktops.

Motorola and Wal-Mart could not be reached for comment but typically, neither company comments on unannounced deals.

Butch · 11-03-2005, 02:11 PM

RAZRs are already often given free with contract here in Europe.

When I signed my contract 6 months ago, both the black & silver ones were 50 Euros. Now, they're often free.

mcs328 · 11-03-2005, 02:28 PM

My next phone will be candybar or slider. I'm tired of clamshells. I look forward to a Moto SLVR form factor for Sprint (I'd be dead by then).

bachviet · 11-03-2005, 08:12 PM

The Rarz sucks ball anyway. I prefer Nokia and Samsung over Motorola. The interface is slow. I'm waiting for the Samsung SGH-T809 for T-Mobile, which comes out later this month.

cheapchinese · 11-04-2005, 04:05 AM

isn't samsung phone always expensive

bachviet · 11-04-2005, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheapchinese

isn't samsung phone always expensive

Not really. I could get either the Rarz or the Samsung D500 phone for free with contract (T-Mobile). I used the D500 briefly (2 weeks) and I like it hell a lot better. Currently I use the Nokia 6230i and it rocks.

11-03-2005, 01:51 PM	#1
Itsme Vice Admiral Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Southern California Posts: 4,813	Discount Razr phones on the horizon? Discount Razr phones on the horizon? By Michael Kanellos Staff Writer, CNET News.com Published: November 3, 2005, 10:34 AM PST Motorola's upscale Razr phone could be coming to the masses. Retail giant Wal-Mart Stores will likely start selling the Razr this Thanksgiving shopping season for $88.73, according to Web site Black Friday 2005, which posts information about retail deals. Currently, the phone typically sells for $199 at various retailers. The phone will likely be offered through a bundle with service from Cingular. The phone is part of an anticipated Black Friday electronics cavalcade by Wal-Mart. Other expected bargains include a $398 Hewlett-Packard laptop, a Hitachi video camera that records directly onto DVDs for $300 and a 15-inch LCD TV for $194. For the last two years, Wal-Mart has come out with somewhat pedestrian offers for the holiday season, said Steve Baker, an analyst at NPD Techworld. As a result, the retailer did not experience a huge bump in electronics sales at the holidays. The sleek Razr, introduced last year, has been a crucial element in Motorola's turnaround, helping the hoary electronics giant to turn back a surge from rival Samsung. Last year, Samsung bumped Motorola from the No. 2 spot in cell phone shipments worldwide, but Schaumburg, Ill.-based Motorola bounced back, in large part through sales of the Razr. A pink version of the Razr will come out during the holiday season. Motorola has already seeded the phone among celebrities like tennis star Maria Sharapova. "My only problem is that I can't make these fast enough," Motorola CEO Ed Zander said during a speech in September. Wal-Mart also has begun to carry the Ojo, a video conferencing phone for consumers unveiled last year by Motorola. The Black Friday 2005 site receives advance copies of advertisements expected to be included in newspapers on the Thanksgiving weekend and republishes the information contained in the ads. The site does not reveal its sources and warns that the deals can change or be cancelled before they come out. Nonetheless, the site noted that it has a good probability of success. Analysts have also said that the prices listed on some products in the advance ads match their expectations. Many, for instance, said earlier in the year that PC makers would try to reduce the price of notebooks and make them almost equal in price to desktops. Motorola and Wal-Mart could not be reached for comment but typically, neither company comments on unannounced deals.

11-03-2005, 02:11 PM	#2
Butch Rear Admiral Lower Half Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: New York, NY Posts: 2,915	RAZRs are already often given free with contract here in Europe. When I signed my contract 6 months ago, both the black & silver ones were 50 Euros. Now, they're often free. __________________ I used to be into sadism, necrophilia and beastiality, but then I realized I was just beating a dead horse

11-03-2005, 02:28 PM	#3
mcs328 Admiral Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Maryland Posts: 6,578	My next phone will be candybar or slider. I'm tired of clamshells. I look forward to a Moto SLVR form factor for Sprint (I'd be dead by then). __________________

11-03-2005, 08:12 PM	#4
bachviet What's Da Pho*? Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: SoCal (714) Posts: 13,296	The Rarz sucks ball anyway. I prefer Nokia and Samsung over Motorola. The interface is slow. I'm waiting for the Samsung SGH-T809 for T-Mobile, which comes out later this month. __________________ Dell Dimension 9200 \| Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (2.4GHz) \| 4x1GB DDR2 \| 256MB nVidia GeForce 8800GT Dell Studio 17 \| Intel Core i7-720QM (1.6GHz) \| 2x2GB DDR3 1066MHz \| 1GHz ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650 Intel P4-C 3.0GHz \| ECS 865PE-A \| 3x512MB PC3200 \| 128MB PNY GeForce 6600GT

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11-04-2005, 04:05 AM	#5
cheapchinese I love free! Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: LA, California Posts: 2,998	isn't samsung phone always expensive

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