HP’s slashing the price of their end-of-lifed TouchPad (and giving price adjustments to those who already bought it) has been quite the news story this week. New WebOS users managed to take down perennial WebOS enthusiast site Precentral for a bit yesterday, and any site listed in the massive Slickdeals thread tends to get overrun by traffic shortly after.
What’s not getting as much attention is that HP is also selling off their stock of smartphones. That’s right – if you want to snag an unlocked GSM Pre2, a Verizon Pre2, or an HP Veer on AT&T, then all you have to do is call HP’s Small Business Line at 1-888-728-9985. All three phones are $50 without any sort of contract.
Why buy a product that’s being killed off? Good question. The first answer is that even though the hardware is being discontinued, the software isn’t. Considering that HP switched over to WebOS phones internally some time ago, I doubt it’s going anywhere just yet. Furthermore, the added user base is a great argument for them to continue support. It’s possible that HP may have slightly fewer developers soon, but even what’s out there is fine for most people’s day-to-day use.
There’s a better reason though – even if there’s never another update or app, you’re getting a good deal. One of the reasons phones are so “cheap” is because you’re locking yourself into a contract with a set carrier. Out of contract phones tend to cost a lot more than the $50 HP is charging. With the Pre2 and Veer’s existing features, they are more than serviceable phones and now you can get one without adding to your contract. Even if you only intend to use it for phone calls and texting, you’d be ahead of the game. The unlocked GSM Pre2 is especially a steal, as it is a world phone. Try getting that for $50.
I personally ordered two Verizon Pre2s, which I will be modifying to work on Sprint. I’m fighting the urge to go back and get a Veer “just because”. But then what do you expect from a guy with a column named “On the Cheap”?
How do you cross use a phone? i thought the FCC banned IMEI-swapping like 15 years ago?
Click the link by the word modifying. No IMEI swapping – physical replacement of the comm board.
Also, does the Pre2 have an app/feature for becoming a mobile hotspot that VZW won’t/can’t charge you for? Or does that only work for jailbroken iOS devices on AT&T and T-Mobile?
FreeTether. Works on every Pre.
The $50 deal is no longer available :(