Android and Me » sale

Unlocked Galaxy Nexus on sale for $459, but buyer beware

Taylor Wimberly — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 14:55:34 +0000

If you have been saving up for the GSM version of the Galaxy Nexus, internet deals site Daily Steals has it on sale today for only $459.99. That’s one of the lowest prices we have ever seen, but Daily Steals doesn’t exactly have the best reputation.

The unlocked GSM version of the Galaxy Nexus has penta-band support (850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100MHz) and will operate on both AT&T’s and T-Mobile’s 4G HSPA+ networks.

Browsing through the reviews on Reseller Ratings, we can see that Daily Steals has a 6-month rating of 5.9/10. Some of the reviews are positive, but others are scary. One customers recently said, “This is by far the worst company I have ever dealt with. They do not even have a phone number for customer service.”

If you don’t feel safe ordering from Daily Steals, we should also note that Amazon has lowered their price for the GSM Galaxy Nexus to $527.99, down $100 from a month ago. Recent rumors also suggest that Google might eventually sell the unlocked Galaxy Nexus on their own web site, but we don’t know how soon that could happen.

I still use the Galaxy Nexus as my daily device and I think it’s the best Android phone available. HTC and Samsung might lure me away with their upcoming devices, but I need to play with their new models before making a decision. I would say the Galaxy Nexus is still a safe bet, but the Samsung Galaxy S III could make it obsolete in just a couple months.

Dozens of Android apps go on sale to celebrate Google Play

Taylor Wimberly — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 19:04:33 +0000

To celebrate the new Google Play store, dozens of Android applications and games have gone on sale for only $0.49. This is a limited promotion, so go take advantage of the low prices while you can. Let us know your favorite pics in the comments below.

My top pics include Shadowgun, Osmos HD, Asphalt 6, Dead Space, and NOVA 2.

Update: This sale spans all types of content. From the Google blog: “To celebrate, we’ll be offering a different album, book, video rental and Android app at a special price each day for the next week in our “7 Days to Play” sale. In the U.S., today’s titles include the collection of top 40 hits Now That’s What I Call Music 41, the popular game Where’s My Water, the novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and the movie Puncture for just 25 cents each. In addition, you’ll find great collections of hip-hop, rock and country albums for $3.99 all week, detective novels from $2.99, some of our editorial team’s favorite movies from 99 cents, and our favorite apps from 49 cents.”

Gameloft’s New Year’s sale, all their games for only $0.99

Taylor Wimberly — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 20:18:45 +0000

Over the holidays Gameloft announced that all their games in the Android Market will be going on sale for $0.99 as part of a special New Years promotion. Starting Thursday Dec. 29th (10:00AM PST) until Thursday Jan. 5th (10:00AM PST) all paid titles on the Android Market will be reduced to $0.99. The only exception is the newly released Modern Combat 3 that will only be on sale for a single day.

Follow us to find out when you can grab ALL of our games, including Modern Combat 3, for $0.99 on the #Android Market!

— Gameloft (@gameloft) December 26, 2011

Games to be included in the sale include titles such as Asphalt 6: Adrenaline, 9mm, NFL Pro 2012, N.O.V.A. 2 HD, Order & Chaos Online, The Adventures of Tintin, and many more. In order to find out when Modern Combat 3 will go on sale, you will need to follow Gameloft on Twitter, Facebook or Google+.

Expect 2012 to be another blockbuster year for Gameloft. They have now fully embraced the official Android Market and support a wide range of devices. Check out the Gameloft video podcast below to see what they have in the pipe for the coming months. Dungeon Hunter III is expected to release in January and should be their next big launch.

Google’s 10 cent deals – Day 8

Taylor Wimberly — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 13:42:36 +0000

The previous seven days have showed us you guys love 10 cent apps, so we’re back with day 8 of Google’s 10 Billion Apps promo. Today we have three new apps for sale and the return of seven apps that were previously on sale. Read on for the full list.

People were complaining that the last couple days were dominated by games, so hopefully you’ll enjoy the functional apps that are on sale. As always, let us know which ones are your favorites in the comments below. Did you buy all 10 again?

[Thank you Gabriel for the tip!]

Amazon Wireless is having a penny sale on all AT&T, Verizon and Sprint phones

Sean Riley — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 15:38:24 +0000

Amazon Wireless is definitely playing hardball of late in the sales department, and today’s deal is probably the best yet. Every smartphone that they have available for AT&T, Verizon and Sprint is on sale for just a penny with a new 2-year contract.

Obviously that last bit is the catch as you can’t take advantage of this deal if you are just looking to upgrade, although I’d still recommend you take a look as they often have better pricing than the carriers even on an upgrade.

You can also get a $100 Amazon.com gift card if you buy a phone with hotspot and activate that feature, which is a nice deal if you need to do tethering and aren’t willing to go the root route.

I’ll do a quick rundown of the best available handsets through this deal on each carrier.

Verizon

Sprint

AT&T

Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket 4G

These are the highlights for each carrier in my opinion, but there are a grand total of 97 devices that are included in the sale, so if I didn’t name the device that you have your heart set on above just hit the source link below to peruse the full catalog.

Happy saving!

Amazon Wireless drops all Verizon phones to a penny, including the Droid Bionic

Sean Riley — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 17:27:12 +0000

Amazon Wireless has a pretty fantastic deal going for new Verizon customers right now. You can get any handset you want on Big Red for just a penny with a new 2-year contract, including free 2-day shipping.

To be clear, when they say everything, they mean everything. The Motorola Droid Bionic, Samsung Droid Charge, HTC ThunderBolt, HTC Droid Incredible 2, Motorola Droid 3, etc….

Obviously the Bionic is the real steal here, as it launched just a month ago for a considerably less palatable $299 with contract. Anthony gave the Bionic an 8.5/10 in our review with the main complaint resting on battery life.

Now if you’re concerned about having the absolute latest and greatest handset and aren’t particularly hurting for cash at the moment, then you should exercise patience. You know full well there are some amazing new phones from Motorola, HTC and, of course, Samsung on deck to launch in the next month.

With that said, there are some great phones available in Verizon’s lineup right now. And you can’t argue with the price.

Logitech offering 50% off any single item. Except not really.

Clark Wimberly — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 03:58:29 +0000

In a world of unlimited meaning unlimited until we limit it, most of us have gotten used to reading the small text. But when a bunch of users received a Logitech mailer simply claiming 50% off a single Logitech.com item. That’s right, no exclusions!, they believed it. I did. I went to logitech.com and tried to buy a Logitech Revue. Access denied!

I double-checked the mailer found the small type disclaiming Offer not valid on Logitech Revue. There was no asterisk in the large text, no mention of a disclaimer, just the original claim touting No exclusions! If you’d like to see the complete original mailer, you can do so here.

I know it’s a little gripey to make a blog post complaining about misleading marketing speak, we’re just tired of companies making big text claims with tiny text disclaimers. We did a quick poll on Twitter and found dozens of you were trying to use the discount code on the Revue. We even had reports of some of you succeeding. Did anyone here score a half price Revue? If you’d received the mailer as pictured, would you think you were entitled to one?

Maybe I’ll use the discount on this $50 tablet mouse that scrolls up and down…

Get the best Android phone for free today at Best Buy

Taylor Wimberly — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 04:45:42 +0000

The Nexus S doesn’t have a dual-core processor. It doesn’t feature a 3D display. There is no HDMI port, microSD card slot, or even a notification light. However, ask any Nexus S owner what they think about the phone and they are likely to tell you that it is the best Android has to offer.

So why does a smartphone that was released in 2010 rank among the best that you can buy right now? It all comes down to software.

As most of you know, the Nexus series offers a pure Google experience which means no bloatware or funky skins. Best of all, the updates are managed by Google so the Nexus devices are always the first to receive the latest Android software.

I’ve owned the T-Mobile version of the Nexus S since it was launched last year and I can easily say it’s still my favorite Android phone. Even though it doesn’t have a dual-core processor, the overall experience just feels smoother than any other device I’ve used.

The other major advantage of the Nexus series is that they are fully unlocked, which allows you to easily load a custom ROM like CyanogenMod.

Best Buy Mobile Offers All Versions of Nexus S from Google for Free on August 3

Today Best Buy announced an exclusive one-day sale on Nexus S phones valid on all carriers who support the device - AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile. Customers can pick up a free Nexus S, either as a new phone or an upgrade purchase, with two-year activation. The deal is available at all Best Buy, Best Buy Mobile specialty stores, and online at BestBuy.com/Mobile. If you want to order online, the deal is live right now.

Isn’t the Nexus 3 coming out later this year?

Yes, it’s true that we are expecting another Nexus smartphone to be available by Christmas, so please consider this before you buy. I seriously doubt the Nexus 3 will be offered for free, so I’d still take advantage of this special Best Buy offer if you are in need of a phone right now. If you want to upgrade to the next Nexus later this year, you can always pass your Nexus S along to a family member or resell the device on a site like Swappa or Gazelle.

Best of all, you can be sure that when Ice Cream Sandwich (the next version of Android) is available that Google will release it for the Nexus S. It probably won’t happen on day one, but the Nexus S should be the first existing device to receive the update.

If you own the Nexus S, please sound off and let the potential buyers know what you think of the device.

Android tee blowout, five tees at $15

Clark Wimberly — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 19:00:00 +0000

I haven’t figured out at which point we decided it was necessary to display our choice of phone operating system proudly across our chest, but for those of you so inclined (and that includes myself), I’ve got some good news. I got a message last night that an old friend of the site is having an inventory blowout sale on a handful of the best selling Android tees of all time.

All total there are five different designs on the block, with all tees for sale at $15 (originally $19). If you’re looking to snag a hoodie (in case you’re still living in some horrible climate), they are down to $22. All designs are printed on high quality American Apparel stock.

You can find each tee on its own domain: http://explodedandy.com, http://unstoppableandy.com, http://andyversus.com, http://isteamandy.com, and http://androidstuff.com.

If you’re curious, this is the same guy that printed our shirts (Exploded Andy Limited Edition, the entire And Me Artist Series), so the quality is impeccable. Like I said, I know a smartphone themed tee isn’t exactly everybody’s bag, I just thought the super nerds amongst us would appreciate notice.

All Gameloft HD games are 60% off this Valentine’s Day weekend

Taylor Wimberly — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 18:43:02 +0000

Starting today and running through February 15th, all Gameloft HD titles for Android are 60% off. This means you can now download some of the best games that Android has to offer for only $1.99, but you will have to do so through Gameloft’s web store. It’s unfortunate that Gameloft still does not offer their best games through the Android Market, but we have a feeling that could be changing soon.

If this is your first time purchasing a game from Gameloft, we have a few tips to share. The easiest way to complete a purchase is by visiting Gameloft.com on your Android phone. It will provide a list of games that are optimized for your device. If no games are listed for your device, you can also trick their web store to send you a download link by selecting a comparable phone on their desktop site (Example: Pick Epic 4G if you have a Nexus S).

Gameloft updated their policy to allow you to re-download the games you purchase, but they are still limited to the original device that you installed them on. Some users have reported that Gameloft allowed them to transfer their purchased game library to a new device, but you might have to contact customer service for that to occur.

If you need some suggestions on which titles to get, my favorite Gameloft games right now include Modern Combat 2, Brothers in Arms 2, Spiderman, and Fishing Kings. I haven’t had the chance to play all their new titles yet, but at only $1.99 I might have to buy a couple more before my long flight to Mobile World Congress.

Please let us know if you take advantage of this special offer. I’m curious to hear your feedback on the checkout experience. Did everything install correctly or did you run into any problems?