MPx220 Advertised For $249 In Best Buy Weekly Flyer

[Kris Kumar]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.phonemag.com/index.php/weblog/10102004_motorola_mpx220_at_best_buy_for_24999/' target='_blank'>http://www.phonemag.com/index.php/weblog/10102004_motorola_mpx220_at_best_buy_for_24999/</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Best Buy in southern California included the MPx200 in their Sunday ad for $249.99. What’s the catch? The $100 mail-in rebate requires 2-year agreement!"</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/images/MPx220Rebate.jpg" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/> <br /><br />Initial reports had stated that Best Buy is selling the MPx220 for $349 with the 2 year contract rebate. Now <a href="http://www.phonemag.com/index.php/weblog/10102004_motorola_mpx220_at_best_buy_for_24999/">PhoneMag.com</a> and our reader <i>kidshyleen</i> are reporting that the price after the rebate is $249. :-) I would have never expected the phone to be <i>launched</i> with this price. Wish all the Best Buy stores were carrying this phone. For many of us the waiting game continues. :-( I am still confused what the price is; when the phone is bought along with the Cingular service but without the 2 year contract, and what the price is when just the phone is purchased without the Cingular service. Is it $349 and $499 respectively?

[phonemag]

To answer your question below:

" I am still confused what the price is; when the phone is bought along with the Cingular service but without the 2 year contract, and what the price is when just the phone is purchased without the Cingular service. Is it $349 and $499 respectively?"

---

The price with activation on Cingular is $349. The MPx220 is sold "unlocked" so it can be used on any GSM network. As a result, Best Buy/Cingular will charge an extra $150 fee. THEN, if you really want to save $100 off of the $349 price, you will need to "activate" and sign a two year contract through Cingular.

I hope this helps.

Vincent

[kennyg]

Where is this being sold? I was unable to hunt it down in Bestbuy's online version of the circular:

http://bestbuy.dailyshopper.com/

[phonemag]

Where is this being sold? I was unable to hunt it down in Bestbuy's online version of the circular:

http://bestbuy.dailyshopper.com/

I believe the inclusion of the MPx200 in the weekly ad is targeted to specific markets that are dominated by Cingular.

[Kris Kumar]

Where is this being sold? I was unable to hunt it down in Bestbuy's online version of the circular:

http://bestbuy.dailyshopper.com/

I used the San Marcos, CA (ZIP 92096) store's weekly ad to pull out the graphic for the post.

[Kris Kumar]

The price with activation on Cingular is $349. The MPx220 is sold "unlocked" so it can be used on any GSM network. As a result, Best Buy/Cingular will charge an extra $150 fee. THEN, if you really want to save $100 off of the $349 price, you will need to "activate" and sign a two year contract through Cingular.

Thanks Vincent.

$249 : Phone + Cingular Service + 2 Year Contract
$349 : Phone + Cingular Service
$499 : Only Phone

[gcherian]

Best Buy has stocked MPX220 in Florida and California this week and we will see more widespread distribution in the coming weeks.

If you are like me and get only 1 year contracts at a time, then you get only 50 dollar rebate making the price 299.00 - still not bad in my opinion.

[phonemag]

I wouldn't mind getting the contract, but I'm really sold on T-Mobile's unlimited data plan for $19.99 per month.

Best Buy has stocked MPX220 in Florida and California this week and we will see more widespread distribution in the coming weeks.

If you are like me and get only 1 year contracts at a time, then you get only 50 dollar rebate making the price 299.00 - still not bad in my opinion.

[encece]

AT&T's Unlimited plan is only $24.99 now. Maybe Cingular will soon follow suit. Their unlimited plan is still $79.99.

[lurch]

I used the San Marcos, CA (ZIP 92096) store's weekly ad to pull out the graphic for the post.

Does anybody suspect that the $249 is a special grand-opening price? That specific store is having a grand opening...

Maybe Cingular will soon follow suit. Their unlimited plan is still $79.99.

I never realized Cingular even HAD a data plan!! Every time I call them and ask about it, it appears their only plan is one that allows extremely limited WAP access (to a certain subset of sites only).

[elvisv]

AT&T's Unlimited plan is only $24.99 now. Maybe Cingular will soon follow suit. Their unlimited plan is still $79.99.

What about their MEdia Works package at 19.99 a month?
https://www.cingular.com/media/media_purchase

[lurch]

What about their MEdia Works package at 19.99 a month?
https://www.cingular.com/media/media_purchase

That's the one that's limited in what it can access.. and even if it's not limited in what sites you can visit (I'm not 100% positive), it's not truely "unlimited" like T-Mobile because you can't use VPN, or SSL. That I know for sure.

[elvisv]

That's the one that's limited in what it can access.. and even if it's not limited in what sites you can visit (I'm not 100% positive), it's not truely "unlimited" like T-Mobile because you can't use VPN, or SSL. That I know for sure.

Ugh. Just ugh. I've been going back and forth for a month now about who to switch to from Sprint for a month now. Since TMobile isn't in my area, I guess it's ATTW.

[Beowulf]

Don't get Cingular's $80 data plan confused with the data plans for the phones. Their $80 data plan is intended for laptops and devices with compatible wireless modems; its independent of your phone service.

The data plans for the phones are called Wireless Internet Express plans. Its $2.99 a month for 500k and $9.99 for 2mb. This info was buried in their website. I unfortunately did not see a unlimited plan for "Wireless Internet Express."

Wireless Internet Express
Available with GPRS phones only.

Wireless Internet Express allows you to customize the information you want to see through the My Wireless Window portal. Also, provides GPRS Internet browsing, so you can enjoy faster speeds. Plus, you don't pay for the time you use the service, just for the amount of data you send and receive. No more logging off the Internet to answer your calls. Now, you can switch between data and voice sessions without losing your connection. Access specific wireless internet websites, directories and search engines with Wireless Internet Express!

At best buy they had two rebates going on a $100 one and a $50 one. They told me all existing cingular customers are ineligible for these rebates. They said the best price I would get would be $350 if I got a waiver from Cingular for the $150 up-charge. They will charge me $18 to get this waiver and end up slapping an extension on my existing contract or I will end up having to pay the $150. :roll: I'm starting to feel like one of those kids on the swim team in that Sprint commercial.

[encece]

I went to BestBuy in Mount Laurel, NJ today at lunch.
They are actually more clueless than the Network CSR's.

The guy didnt know anything about the phone but tried to tell me that since they are "the" largest selling BestBuy store in the US that they would have gotten it first if it was "truely" coming out. I asked when they get their shipments in. He said on Tuesday nights after hours so anything they got in would be displayed on wednesday. The guy on the phone the night before said they got their shipments in on Mondays.

Although he knew nothing about the phone...he still tried to sell me an SD card for it in advance. he also told me that I could switch from AT&T to Cingular without any cancellation fees.

There is a Cingular store right next door. This new stooge there told me that BestBuy would NEVER get the phone in before them. EVER! He also told me that you can not switch from AT&T to Cingular without cancellation fees. (Which I assume is true at this time.)

But I still have yet to see a glimpse of the phone "in the flesh" though I will still probably wait for the US version of the C500.

IDIOTS! Why do we know more than those actually selling these things. Shouldnt they be educated so they could educate the consumer? And why do they get sooooo mad when you tell them that they are wrong. Sheeesh!

[lurch]

I went to BestBuy in Mount Laurel, NJ today at lunch
...
IDIOTS! Why do we know more than those actually selling these things. Shouldnt they be educated so they could educate the consumer? And why do they get sooooo mad when you tell them that they are wrong. Sheeesh!

Preface: I don't disagree with you :)

BUT...

a) who do you know likes to be told they're wrong? (even if they are)
b) Look at it as the difference between a family practice doctor and a specialist -- the Best Buy folks have to keep up with a lot of different things, and we tend to specialize into a few select products

Well those are the things I keep telling myself anyway. There MUST be an explanation! :)

[encece]

I wasnt asking the guy in the stereo department. It was the guy that works at the phone center. Also, I really hope I wasn't pointing fingers and saying YOU'RE WRONG!!!! It was more of them spewing wrong information as if it were correct, when I know they are just making it up on the spot. Now, I kinda know what I'm talking about (on this particular matter) so imagine the crap that they are selling to the clueless consumer who is looking to them for answers and help....just like on the commercials! :)

[Beowulf]

Its the general ignorance of these employees. I blame corporate. They have a shady policy with the release of this phone for whatever reason. They should inform their employees of what is going on as things are leaked to the public.

Sony is the only company I have seen sucessfully handle this for some of their products. They have PR people scour the internet for the hot spots, and respond with the real facts. As they do this they copy their postings to the associated customer service employees. Therefore no one is left behind.

[sullivanpt]

I followed up on an earlier posting here, and purchased mine last night at Emeryville, CA. The phone was NOT on display anywhere that I could see, but the boxed items were visible in the glass case under the counter. It also took 4 store employees (all VERY curteous an apologetic, thumbs up from me!) to put my "no contract, $499" sale through the computer.

But I have it in my hands now and I'm quite pleased with it. (Volume is anemic, as posted earlier. Otherwise no issues yet).

[Ben]

Quick change of subject: Does the Mpx220 have the licensed RIM/blackberry "push" technology we have heard so much about? I recall that the Mpx and Mpx220 were both supposed to support "push." Is that the case? Now that the Mpx220 is on shelves and in the hands of some of you lucky people out there, maybe someone can update me on this promised and important feature . . .

[sullivanpt]

There's a buy "Cingular XPress Mail" now notice both on the home page and in the box. Is this the "push" technology you are asking about?

I haven't looked into it, as I don't want to up my already high wireless fees.

[Kris Kumar]

Quick change of subject: Does the Mpx220 have the licensed RIM/blackberry "push" technology we have heard so much about? I recall that the Mpx and Mpx220 were both supposed to support "push." Is that the case? Now that the Mpx220 is on shelves and in the hands of some of you lucky people out there, maybe someone can update me on this promised and important feature . . .

Good Question Ben. I thought Moto had said that it will be separate download. Wonder if there is a small pamphlet in the package that points to the download site. I hope it is not carrier specific.

[aristoBrat]

This is the last I've heard of it (from July):

http://www.blackberry.com/news/press/2004/pr-27_07_2004.shtml

The BlackBerry Connect solution for the Motorola MPx and MPx220 is expected to be available separately via download in Q4. Further details will be available at a later date.

Maybe now that the MPx220 is hitting the streets, RIM release more info?

[me]

IDIOTS! Why do we know more than those actually selling these things. Shouldnt they be educated so they could educate the consumer? And why do they get sooooo mad when you tell them that they are wrong. Sheeesh!

I don't expect store clerks to know anything about products these days, although they pretend to. They are minimum wage clerks, not experts on the products. (Exceptions--small specialty stores, etc. Not in a large discount store like BB.)

Because someone is not so familiar with this stuff as the geeks who write here, doesn't mean they are an "idiot". They just don't know this stuff. One shouldn't be surprised that a reader here would know more about smartphones than a Best Buy clerk.

You shop at a discount store like Best Buy in order to get low prices. To give you low prices, they try to keep down their costs. That wouldn't included hiring telephony and computer experts to sell phones. They pay someone minimum wage to work there,, give them a quick "training", etc. You get what you pay for.

[Kris Kumar]

My friend who lives in CA went in to Best Buy to buy me a phone. Since I had asked him to just pick up just the phone - no service. Apparently the store guy told him that the phones are locked. It will not work with anything other than Cingular. And also that the phone cannot be bought without Cingular service. :-(

We all know the truth don't we? ;-)

[phonemag]

Nah...the Grand Opening is for the "Best Buy For Business". They also have a special where you buy the MPx220 and HS810 Bluetooth wireless headset together and save a total of $130. Of course this does require signing your life to Cingular for 2 years.

I used the San Marcos, CA (ZIP 92096) store's weekly ad to pull out the graphic for the post.

Does anybody suspect that the $249 is a special grand-opening price? That specific store is having a grand opening...

Maybe Cingular will soon follow suit. Their unlimited plan is still $79.99.

I never realized Cingular even HAD a data plan!! Every time I call them and ask about it, it appears their only plan is one that allows extremely limited WAP access (to a certain subset of sites only).

[phonemag]

The RIM/Blackberry "push" technology on the MPx220 would be nice. However, the MPx220 does have support for IMAP/POP and lets you setup whether you want it to fetch emails from the server every 15min, 30min, hour, 2 hours, 6 hours, or once a day.

I have it to fetch my emails every 15 minutes :)

Quick change of subject: Does the Mpx220 have the licensed RIM/blackberry "push" technology we have heard so much about? I recall that the Mpx and Mpx220 were both supposed to support "push." Is that the case? Now that the Mpx220 is on shelves and in the hands of some of you lucky people out there, maybe someone can update me on this promised and important feature . . .

Good Question Ben. I thought Moto had said that it will be separate download. Wonder if there is a small pamphlet in the package that points to the download site. I hope it is not carrier specific.

[encece]

Not that I want to keep on going with this...but from what I understand, they are paid commission. The commercials tout that they are the experts...there to help and recommend. Not there to fill a void behind the counter. And when someone wells me I'm wrong about something they are obviously wrong about because "there is no way this stupid customer knows more than me about the store I work in"...then I have an extra right to call them idiots. This goes for the BB salesman (saleskid) AND the Cingular sales staff.


IDIOTS! Why do we know more than those actually selling these things. Shouldnt they be educated so they could educate the consumer? And why do they get sooooo mad when you tell them that they are wrong. Sheeesh!

I don't expect store clerks to know anything about products these days, although they pretend to. They are minimum wage clerks, not experts on the products. (Exceptions--small specialty stores, etc. Not in a large discount store like BB.)

Because someone is not so familiar with this stuff as the geeks who write here, doesn't mean they are an "idiot". They just don't know this stuff. One shouldn't be surprised that a reader here would know more about smartphones than a Best Buy clerk.

You shop at a discount store like Best Buy in order to get low prices. To give you low prices, they try to keep down their costs. That wouldn't included hiring telephony and computer experts to sell phones. They pay someone minimum wage to work there,, give them a quick "training", etc. You get what you pay for.

[PPCMD]

I was under the belief that BB staff was non comissioned but the phone dept may be different than the rest. They most likely do get some kind of spiff based on selling a certain # of something though.

[Mike Temporale]

The RIM/Blackberry "push" technology on the MPx220 would be nice. However, the MPx220 does have support for IMAP/POP and lets you setup whether you want it to fetch emails from the server every 15min, 30min, hour, 2 hours, 6 hours, or once a day.

Ya, but all the Smartphones have that... (not that I have a BB Connect server to use with this device :( )

[Mike Temporale]

I was under the belief that BB staff was non comissioned but the phone dept may be different than the rest. They most likely do get some kind of spiff based on selling a certain # of something though.

I'm not sure about the US, but in Canada they are not on commision. However, I do have to agree with encece. They are labeled as experts, and when you show them that you know more, they typically go on the offensive and can get nasty. However, you can't expect them to know everything about everything. I would prefer them to say, "I'm not 100% on that, let me check with a specialist".

I've had a number of BB employees thank me for helping customers in the PDA and phone section. Usually I'm just browsing around and over hear the sales guy fumbling around for an answer. Then I just jump in and save the day! :lol:

[encece]

I was under the belief that BB staff was non comissioned but the phone dept may be different than the rest. They most likely do get some kind of spiff based on selling a certain # of something though.That may be true, I'm certainly no expert...I know they make something on their sales as I heard two employees saying that they needed one needed to sell a couple more TVs to make a certain amount of money or a quota or something.

[windmiller]

BB are only commissioned on sale of warranties

[PPCMD]

The warranty's are cheap insurance especially since they replace the product with a store credit towards something else.

[phonemag]

I’m sad to announce that the honeymoon is over and it’s time to face reality. Aggressive users will not make it through a twenty-four hour period without a charge. Over the last 18 hours, I put the MPx220 through a lot of different tasks such as Bluetooth synchronization, taking a lot of pictures and recording 10-15 second video clips. The device is also setup to check email accounts every 15 minutes. I’ve surfed the web for a total of about thirty minutes. I made four phone calls ranging from two minutes to 15 minutes. Oh yes, I’ve also made entries into the calendar and task list. I also have msn messenger up throughout the night and most of the day with about an hour and half worth of chat time. I used the “silent” profile meaning that all alerts will vibrate. I think this contributes to faster battery drainage....

Read the rest here...
http://www.phonemag.com/index.php/weblog/read_more/10122004_mpx220_battery_usage_report/

[me]

Not that I want to keep on going with this...but from what I understand, they are paid commission.


Well, that would give less reason to listen to what they say. I would never listen to "advice" from a sales person on commission. They have an obvious interest in selling you the product, and will say anything to get the sale. Doesn't mean that they know anything about it. Yes, they will pretend to know about it, because they want people to buy it, they want people to think that they know what they are talking about, even if they don't.

I wouldn't really blame them for that though. They're just trying to make a living, and probably don't make much. I just wouldn't try get information on a product through a salesman. Get the informreation beforehand in places like this forum, and go in to the store knowing what you want. (Just not a surprise at all to me to read that a salesman in Best Buy might not know as much about smartphones as people who read and write to Smartphonethoughts.com. :wink:

[encece]

Believe me...I was just venting at the amount of misinformation. Nothing more.

[PPCMD]

I was a bit disappointed in the $249 ad, since its really $349 with a mail in rebate. I know splash the price and get them in but, its cool since I got mine today.