For cell phone users looking to purchase a new Blackberry or smartphone, the time to do it might be now.
Verizon Wireless has aggressively cut retail prices on several models of the Research In Motion Blackberry, as well as smartphones from LG and Samsung (News - Alert) – some by as much as almost 50 percent, according to research by Morgan Keegan’s Tavis McCourt.
McCourt asserts that Verizon (News - Alert) is likely financing the discounts with additional subsidies, “since it would be quite a coincidence if LG, Samsung and RIMM all decided to discount the same week.” He adds that evidence from AT&T (News - Alert) suggests that Curve volumes tend to spike whenever the price point drops to $99.
Morgan Keegan & Company is a regional investment firm, offering full-service investment banking, securities, brokerage, wealth and asset management. The company serves the diverse financial needs of investors in the U.S. and abroad. They have more than 400 offices in 19 states.
McCourt does a weekly check on smartphone pricing, and this week found major price cuts at Verizon, including the Pearl 8130, down from $99 to $79; the Curve 8330, down from $149 to $99; the Blackberry 8830 down from $199 to $149; and the LG enV down from $99 to $79.
In addition, the LG Voyager dropped 33 percent, from $140 to $99; while the Samsung Glyde plummeted 47 percent from $140 to $79.
The price cuts, McCourt says, could be trouble for Palm, with more choices in the sub-$100 tier for the Centro.
McCourt also notes that the cuts are “the latest in a long series of handset and smartphone promotions at carriers in the weeks surrounding the Apple iPhone (News - Alert) 3G launch.”
tmcnet.com
