February 07, 2005
GSM/GPRS Treo 650 - Unlocked $599 or $699? Cingular Complains, Price Goes Up
Demand-based pricing takes another giant leap forward as the much coveted "unlocked" GSM version of the new Treo 650 smart-phone jumps $100 overnight, after Cingular apparently got ticked at the competition... not that there was any.
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The price of the unlocked Treo 650 has increased by a $100, up to $699 from yesterday's price of $599.
According to palmOne Vice President Marlene Somsak, the $599 pricing was "a mistake. For those who got the earlier lower-priced GSM Treo 650's...lucky them!"
Maybe a mistake of anticipated demand?
The unlocked Treo 650 is attractive because it works with almost any GSM/GPRS network worldwide, so you can use it with your existing GSM/GPRS service plan. The unlocked phone also makes it easy to use local SIM cards when traveling internationally.
So, while I was willing to drop $599 on the unlocked version of the quad-band world-phone, $699 somehow seems a little steep. So, I've decided, I'm not going to buy any Treo at all... despite the fact I was going to put Cingular service on that handset anyhow.
So there.
- Arik
Posted by Arik Johnson at February 7, 2005 04:17 PM
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