
Google has lowered the price of the Nexus 4 by $100 - shuzchen
https://play.google.com/store/devices/details/Nexus_4_16GB?id=nexus_4_16gb
======
h4pless
If you buy this phone, get a case for it. The thing slides off of pretty much
anything, including apparently flat counter tops. Screen replacements are $130
and take 2 weeks. You won't get the awesome feel of the beveled edges, or the
nice solid feeling of a thin but reasonably weighted piece of equipment, but
definitely get a case lest you watch in horror as your shiny new phone crashes
onto your hard tile bathroom floor after sliding off the granite counter top
like a magical hovercraft.

~~~
andrenotgiant
Also DONT BUY THE WIRELESS CHARGER.

It is a joke, the phone might stick to it the first time you use it, if you're
lucky. The only thing keeping the above mentioned slippery phone on the un-
necessarily slanted charger is some slick rubber material. The rubber holds
dust like a pro, but alas cannot grip the phone.

If you don't believe me read Amazon reviews: [http://www.amazon.com/Google-
Nexus-4-Wireless-Charger/dp/B00...](http://www.amazon.com/Google-
Nexus-4-Wireless-
Charger/dp/B00BGSPIP2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1377660795&sr=8-2&keywords=nexus+4+wireless)

~~~
tinkerer
^^ truth. one thing that fixes this, though, is having a diztronic tpu case.
with the case on the phone no longer slips off the orb and is protected to
boot (an absolute must for this phone -- and i _hate_ cases)

~~~
h4pless
Carets are risky comment selectors aren't they? Who knows whose truth you'll
be supporting next...

------
LandoCalrissian
Honestly if you haven't tried Android yet this is the device to do it with.
Really shows off what the system is capable of.

~~~
Legion
Is it really preferable, hardware-wise, to something like the HTC One?

That is, assuming the user is capable of flashing the HTC One with a third-
party firmware to get a vanilla Android experience. Is there a draw to the
Nexus in comparison to the likes of the One other than being vanilla out of
the box?

~~~
RoryH
The One still has the bs hardware buttons. Nothing is ever vanilla Android
these days with hardware buttons IMO.

~~~
jordanthoms
At least it doesn't have a menu key... (looking at you, samsung!)

------
martin_bech
Sorry! Devices on Google Play is not available in your country yet. We're
working to bring devices to more countries as quickly as possible. Please
check back again soon.

Im in Denmark, we usually get the newest iPhone a couple of weeks after the
US. Availability is one of the reasons the Nexus brand isn't as big as it
could be.

~~~
kijin
Availability == whether or not local carriers are willing to carry, or at
least tolerate, the phone in question. This can be especially problematic with
unusually cheap phones like Nexus 4 that aren't even tied to anybody's
contract. Unfortunately, Google doesn't have much control over telecoms around
the world.

Even in Korea, where the phone's manufacturer (LG) is based, it took several
months for Nexus 4 to become officially available. Lots of hurdles, including
LG not wanting to cannibalize sales of its other phones.

~~~
rplnt
I really don't think carriers have any say whatsoever to what phones are sold
within specific area.

edit: Also, the phone is sold here (from regular stores, or through carriers),
just Google Play doesn't sell it. So only Google is to blame here.

~~~
lucaspiller
It's the same here in Ireland. Which is ironic, as Google's European HQ is
here.

------
zenlinux
I upgraded to the Nexus 4 after owning a Galaxy Nexus and I have to say I feel
mixed about the changes. As an Android device, the N4 is definitely faster and
nicer to use. But as a phone, I found two important issues were a step back -
the max volume of the earpiece and the strength of the vibration. The latter,
in particular, is so weak on the N4 that I usually miss texts and other
notifications. Instead I get to be yet another obnoxious person with a loud
ringtone to avoid missing calls and texts. :(

~~~
Kiro
That's why you need a Pebble. My phone is always on silent (no vibration) and
I haven't missed a call or text since.

------
jacquesm
Sorry! Devices on Google Play is not available in your country yet. We're
working to bring devices to more countries as quickly as possible. Please
check back again soon.

~~~
markdown
[http://www.priceusa.com.au/](http://www.priceusa.com.au/)

I'm not even in/from Australia, but have used them a couple of times,
including for 2 macs and a nexus 4. Highly recommended.

~~~
lostsock
You can buy it from the play store in Australia. The price discount is there
in AUD too

~~~
markdown
Did you read the original post? It's by someone from somewhere in the world
where the Play store isn't available.

I provided an option for those people.

~~~
bobbles
He did read it, but you singled out Australia, which has this available (and
in stock)!

He was just clarifying this.

------
eliben
Oh wow, the N4 was already the best value on the market - very powerful device
for a very low price. Now the price is ridiculous... I have my N4 since the
beginning of the year and I love it.

~~~
light3
If you want value go for something more recently released, like the Lenovo
A820: [http://www.alibaba.com/product-
gs/814529232/2013_Newest_andr...](http://www.alibaba.com/product-
gs/814529232/2013_Newest_android_mobile_phone_lenovo.html)

~~~
lhl
I sincerely hope that no one follows your advice.

The phone you point to might be a few bucks cheaper, but it has 1/2 the RAM,
1/2-1/4 internal storage, and while the MTK6589 performs surprisingly well for
a Mediatek chip, it still performs below the Nexus 4's S4Pros both for CPU and
GPU. The screen is also much lower res and 245ppi vs 320ppi. It doesn't have
any support for LTE (Nexus 4 is flashable to Band 4) and doesn't appear to
support NFC, or, probably more importantly, BT4/BTLE. There's also no front
camera or a flash (!) on the back camera.

Of course, the worst thing is that it's already running an outdated (4.1.2)
version of Android and is unlikely to be updated. There's a small community
working on ROMs but it's sketchy (no dedicated forum on XDA, no CM port, much
less an official build).

If you buy the A820, and almost all the other Shanzai'd devices, you
effectively get a dead product, while w/ the Nexus 4 you'll get better
hardware and both official and community support for years.

Seems like a no-brainer for a $50-100 difference.

------
jareds
I’m now thinking of getting the Nexus 4 as a device to learn Android
programming instead of the Nexus 7. Since I’m blind I actually prefer a
smaller screen since there’s less blank space in between icons and it’s easier
to keep track of where things are. Is it possible to use the Nexus 4 without a
cell plan? I assume this would just involve putting in a deactivated sim. Is
there any prior experience to guess at how long Google will support both the
Nexus 4 and the new Nexus 7 with Android updates? If the Nexus 4 may only get
one more update but the Nexus 7 will get 3 that would change my decision.

~~~
cko
Sorry for my ignorance, and I'm sure you've answered this question many times
before, but: how do you type and reply to comments and go about your daily
routine while blind? Are there any links to articles you have written
describing this?

The reason I ask is because I enjoy being in possession of very few things,
and those that I own should preferably be pocket-sized. I read about
developers daisy-chaining multiple hi-res displays and developers who use 11"
ultrabooks and presumably Alt-Tab to get to other windows.

~~~
jareds
I'm the author of the top voted answer on this stackoverflow question.
[http://stackoverflow.com/questions/118984/how-can-you-
progra...](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/118984/how-can-you-program-if-
youre-blind) I think I'm going to buy a 11 inch MacBook Air with maxed ram and
processor based on the fact that I don't need a big screen and like
portability.

------
deerpig
It would be nice if Google would actually let people who aren't using a US ip
address to be able to view the site. I have an account and mailing address in
the States, but I live outside of the States. So even though I can buy, they
won't let me see it outside of the States.... Way to go Google!

~~~
fpgeek
If you're logged in and you have a "US" Google account (credit card and
shipping address, not sure if there are other requirements) you should be able
to see it (at least I can, but only when logged in).

------
junto
I'd like to thank @shuzchen for posting this. I bought a new Google Nexus 4
from MediaMarkt here in Germany on Saturday for 329 EUR and had luckily not
yet opened the box (waiting for a Micro SIM to turn up from my provider).

I managed to take the phone back this morning after reading this, and get a
full refund, and have now just ordered the phone direct from Google Play for
249 EUR (plus 9.99 EU shipping).

As a mental note I should always order online. In the EU you automatically get
14 days grace to return something for ANY reason (EU law). My spontaneous
purchase on Saturday could have cost me 70 EUR more than it had to!

~~~
mcpoulet
Google has a program in place to refund you the price difference if you bought
a Nexus 4 in the past two weeks
[https://support.google.com/googleplay/contact/nexus_price](https://support.google.com/googleplay/contact/nexus_price)

~~~
junto
This program is only for customers who have bought the phone via Google Play.
It doesn't include orders placed via distribution (as far as I can tell).

------
cheald
Grabbed one for my wife. She's been tottering along on an old phone for a
while, and we've been hemming and hawing over getting an N4 for her, but at
that price, it's a no-brainer.

------
xsace
Don't want to influence people who are going to order this but last week I
order a Nexus 4 but I sent it back the next day it arrived. The internal ear
speaker didn't work, apparently a very frequent defect. (see
[http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!msg/mobile/2eVRjUXPS...](http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!msg/mobile/2eVRjUXPS-A/yAknId9q5G8J)
)

The hassle was some of the people had the issue originated from a radio
firmware (software). So I spent my evening unlocking the bootloader, rooting
and flashing various rom without success to understand it was a hardware issue
in my case (half the people complaining have software defect, the other half
hardware).

Ended up buying an iPhone instead (my first).

------
NatW
I can confirm/attest that in France, they lowered the price by 100€. That's
bigger news than the headline since 100€ = $133.51 (at this moment).

Google Play shows: 8GB: 199€ (+9.99€ shipping) = 208.99€ 16GB: 249€ (+9.99€
shipping) = 258.98€

Personally, I'm going to hold off to see if they release something new,
though. I wish the battery life on the Nexus 4 was better.

~~~
Jhsto
How weird, still 500€ for the 16GB version in Finland.

------
mrbill
I bought an 8G N4 when they first came available last year (upgrading from a
GSM Galaxy Nexus, which was an upgrade from a CDMA Galaxy Nexus), and it's
never been away from me for more than an hour or two at a time since then. I
bought a 16G about a month later, but haven't had the need just yet to move my
stuff to the bigger model. Glass screen protector, Diztronic TPU case, and
this is the best phone I've ever owned (so far).

~~~
tracker1
I got my 16gb N4 ordered pretty soon after release (finally delivered early
January). It's actually the first Android phone I liked out of the box,
without feeling slow/sluggish. It's now my fourth android phone (first was the
G1). Each one seemed like if it were just a little faster, I'd be happy with
it.

It's actually a little more responsive than my 2012 model Nexus 7 tablet.
Which is why I've been considering getting a new N7.

I've also played with both using the Chromecast, and have to say it's pretty
nice and works smoother for Netflix than my typical pattern in the past, which
was queue up stuff on my tablet/phone, then use my roku (bedroom) or the tv's
built in player (living room).

Can't say enough positive about this phone.

~~~
mgcross
I went from a Nexus One to an N4, so obviously it was fast to me! Also had a
2012 N7 (JB prompted me to buy the N4). I just picked up a new N7 and so far
it's perfect (none of the reported problems), but a little harder to hold. I
bought B&M so that I could return it easily if necessary, and hand-picked the
only July manufacture date out of 8 other Junes.

------
bane
Best guess is to get the N4 into the pipeline before Apple's next iPhone
5whatever announcement in a month-ish.

~~~
phaus
I'd guess that's the case, but most of the estimates for the iPhone 5c are
like 450-500, which is a slap in the fucking face for anyone that's expecting
an affordable device. IMO, if it's a penny over 300, then it's going to be too
expensive.

~~~
coolnow
The sad thing is, i don't know if you mean $ or £.

------
thezach
could this mean Nexus 5 is around the corner and they have to clear inventory?

~~~
veemjeem
A cousin who works at Qualcomm confirms this.

~~~
VeejayRampay
Do you have more information about any release date for the next generation
Nexus 4? I'm looking to buy a phone "by Google" and wouldn't want to be buying
the Nexus 4 just when the new one is about to be released. Thanks.

~~~
veemjeem
All he said was "soon" and that was about a month ago, so it's hard to extract
what he actually meant by that. I'm guessing he doesn't want to be the leak
for any info. I also asked about the hardware and all he said was "it's gonna
be great". Sorry to be a let down, but I guess he wants to keep his job.

~~~
VeejayRampay
No worries, I'll stay tuned in.

------
mseebach
What has the price been lowered to? (The price is not shown outside the US)

~~~
codeulike
£159 for 8Gb, £199 for 16Gb

------
bobbles
Wowzers, this just dropped the N4 (8GB) directly into my impulse buy
territory.

I'm currently on the iPhone 4S so it'll be interesting to try this out while I
wait for the latest iPhone announcements

------
Douwd
And this is why I love living in a 3rd world country (Sweden):

Sorry! Devices on Google Play is not available in your country yet. We're
working to bring devices to more countries as quickly as possible. Please
check back again soon.

~~~
rikelmens
Sweden's a 3rd world country? I would gladly switch countries with you... I
live in CA, USA btw.

~~~
inovator
sarcasm my friend...

------
netcan
The Nexus 4 is completely baffling to me from a pricing /market strategy
perspective.

There are ends to the pricing strategy spectrum take: low price, high volume
(aka market penetration) or higher price lower volume (aka differentiation).
The former is about matching specs and winning on price (eg, last years's
Galaxy S model). The latter is about making something a little different that
some people are willing to pay a little more for, usually at the cost of
volume (eg, Samsung Galaxy S note).

The Nexus 4 was squarely in the category of large screen Android phones that
all major manufacturers have been selling like crazy as their flagship
products for the last year. They all compete with similar prices and specs.
Nexus 4 matches the spec, priced 30% lower!

Great, cut price market penetration strategy!

Accept that the product hasn't been available. It's not in phone/electronics
stores. Its not on Amazon. Its not available in most countries. Its not
available from carriers (I like this, but if you are taking this position,
find other distribution channels) etc. etc.

Whats the point of that? They could have been selling this as a niche product
at a higher margin and made some good money. Alternatively, they could have
gotten it into stores at the $300 price they were supposedly selling it at and
outsold the S3, especially in Europe where other manufacturers add a big
markup over US prices.

~~~
devx
What I don't really get is to what end are they doing this? Does this _help_
Google, or _hurt_ them - especially now that they have Motorola? Is the bigger
over-arching goal here to go around the carriers, no matter what?

~~~
netcan
I think the first/early of a kind nexus models worked well.

They set a standard price/spec range for a high end android. The first couple
of nexus phones led to the current generation flagship Androids. The first
couple of nexus tablets led to the current generation of Android tablets and
discovered a great opening.: 7-8" @ ~$200-$250. They even forced Apple to play
catch-up.

The Nexus 4 doesn't make sense. What are they trying to do here? Sell phones?
Maybe you should put them in shops where people can buy them. Concept phone?
That doesn't make sense either. Nexus 4 is pretty similar to the top selling
androids that already exist.

~~~
jff
I look at the Nexus 4 as Google's way of saying, "We're sick of your shit,
Motorola, Samsung, et al. Your OS 'customizations' make Android look bad, and
your phones are too expensive. Fuck you, here's how it should be done."

My Nexus 4 is a hell of a lot more responsive than my girlfriend's Galaxy S4

------
BlakePetersen
Get this for that -->
[http://www.ubuntu.com/phone](http://www.ubuntu.com/phone)

------
fchollet
Right after I buy one, awesome.

~~~
what_ever
You should probably check this:
[https://support.google.com/googleplay/contact/nexus_price](https://support.google.com/googleplay/contact/nexus_price)

~~~
dougbright
Ha, wish I had seen this link first. My Nexus 4 arrived last Thursday so I was
well within the 15 day window. I just called their customer service
([https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/3053039](https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/3053039))
and they processed a refund for the difference. They're a bit swamped right
now so you may have to hang on for 10-15 minutes before you can talk to
someone.

------
kgabis

      Sorry! Devices on Google Play is not available in your   country yet.
      We're working to bring devices to more countries as quickly as possible.
      Please check back again soon.
    

It would be better if they finally released it outside US. I can't even see
the site.

~~~
sidcool
It's available in India, not from Google play store, but otherwise available.
I own one. It's a wonderful device.

~~~
pekru
Well, it is being sold at around 24-25K INR. (~ 400 USD) And that puts it way
above the reach of commonfolk.

------
arikrak
How are they able to sell it this cheap? Similar smartphones often cost
$500-$800 unlocked and this is only $200! I understand the unlocked price is
heavily marked up, but still...

~~~
vidarh
The going rate for similarly spec'ed smartphone on Alibaba/Aliexpress is well
below $200 now in quantities of 1 and have been for a while.

For the most expensive phones, you pay a large premium for the newest models,
and you pay a large premium for brand names, and a bit extra for better build
quality in some cases (but not always - a lot of the reasonably unknown
Chinese brands deliver very solid phones), and it adds up quickly.

------
pilooch
yeah right, and my bill looks like this:
[http://i.imgur.com/WxZCFrH.png](http://i.imgur.com/WxZCFrH.png)

Thanks to Google maths I presume!!

~~~
blisterpeanuts
My God, the tax! What country are you in?

~~~
Ives
Countries like Norway and Sweden have 25% VAT. 24% for Finland, 21% for
Belgium and the Netherlands.

There's plenty of choice really.

------
jstalin
Man, I just bought the ZTE Open to play around with Firefox OS for $80. I
should have just waited and bought the Nexus 4 for $200...

------
wavesounds
This might make me finally switch from Verizon.

------
devnetfx
I screamed after seeing this headline in hacker news!

I knew my colleague is looking for a mobile as he lost his one last weekend.
He wants a mid range one as he keeps losing/breaking his mobile! I told him
about this one but he had already ordered one yesterday. Well, he cancelled
his order and has now placed the order for Nexus 4!

~~~
dtf
I've gone through two 8GB models in the last two months. Lost the first one
(slid out my pocket), then had to buy a replacement at a jacked up price from
a different supplier as I was starting work on an Android job the next day.

At least I know that the next time I lose it, a replacement will be cheaper
:-)

------
wldlyinaccurate
I've been considering getting a Nexus 4 for _months_ now, but my Galaxy SII
still mostly works (with Cyanogenmod) so I didn't have much of a reason to
spend the money. But this new price is right in my impulse buy range, so it
looks like I'll get one after all!

------
bdcravens
So when did they start actually have these things in stock? I know a few
months ago whenever I'd check they were unavailable.

With this price reduction, I guess Apple should cancel their 5S/5C event, no
need since the phones will flop due to everyone with their shiny Nexus 4's.

~~~
pearjuice
Apple will not cancel anything as the cheap iPhone 5 and the one in the higher
segment will outsell the Nexus 4. Even if they have lower specs or worse
performance.

~~~
blisterpeanuts
I think it's two different markets. iPhone users are rather a different
category from Nexus users; they're almost polar opposites. Mind you, I'm not
knocking iPhones; they're excellent products. It's just a different way of
purchasing, a different price point, and a different target audience.

~~~
foobarbazqux
They're only polar opposites within the space of smartphone users. Within the
space of people who would like to use the phone, they're bunched very close
together at the "wants to use a smartphone" end of the spectrum, the other end
being "doesn't want to use the phone".

------
Amadou
Why I would buy a N4: Wireless charging, after getting a tablet with it the
convenience is now mandatory.

Why I would not buy a N4: No removable storage. I don't trust my data in the
hands of a cloud provider, I want it on my phone where it is completely under
my control.

~~~
rohitnair
Wireless charging was one of the reasons why I got a Nexus 4. It's a shame the
stock wireless charger is so terribly designed though (no adhesion and
unnecessary angle). Judging by the reviews it's gotten, looks like I'm not the
only one who hates it.

~~~
jrockway
Why is it a shame that you dislike the "official" charger? The N4 uses the
standard Qi charging protocol, so you can get pretty much any charger you
want.

I've tried a bunch of Qi chargers. Samsung's official S3/S4 charger is my
favorite. They cheap out and don't include a USB cable or power supply,
though, so you have to buy those separately. (Anker sells one on Amazon that
does include a power supply that works great with the N4. Works very poorly
with the S4, though, which just goes to show you how flaky random Chinese
imports can be, even if you pay $50 for them.)

------
marcamillion
This would OBVIOUSLY happen 1 week after I bought the S4 Mini. I was seriously
considering the Nexus 4, but couldn't justify the $350 price range when
compared to the Mini for only $400.

Go figure, I couldn't wait any longer and Google couldn't do this any sooner.

Just my luck!

~~~
coolnow
I'm curious, just why did you go with the S4 mini instead of the Nexus in the
first place, especially when (if i'm understanding correctly), it was cheaper?
The SD card?

~~~
marcamillion
Well the Camera for one, and the reviews I read just kept coming up with an
analysis like...The Nexus is a great 'Android starter' phone...but if you can
plump for the S4, do it.

The only reason I didn't want to get an S4 was because of the form factor.

Once the mini came out, at only $50 - $100 more, it was a no-brainer.

Now, though, I would make a different purchasing decision.

Although, experience tells me that with the price recently dropped, that
probably means they are trying to empty shelves and clear our their backlog to
make way for a new unit coming in the next few months.

Soo......I am not sure what I would do - to be honest.

Overall, am happy with my S4 Mini :)

~~~
coolnow
You do realise that the S4 and the S4 Mini are quite different? When reviews
talk about the S4, you cannot extrapolate to the Mini due to different
chipsets (quad core vs dual core), differing amount of RAM, resolution etc.
I'm sure you know now.

Also, the only features of the Nexus 4 i would class as "starter" is the price
(really cheap, accessible to a lot of peopl) and maybe the fast updates.
That's about it. The camera is good, not the best, but more than good enough
for casual stuff like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

------
Ellipsis753
Did anyone else notice that they still offer the same item with half the
memory for £40 more?

------
mattholtom
Dang, I bought one like a month ago. Poor timing. Have been very happy with it
though.

------
brandonheato
Despite Google's global presence and all the smart and capable people they
have, are still unable to offer international purchasing/shipping for one
device almost one year after it's launch?

------
chenster
It's actually a good price for a decent piece of equipment out of contract. At
the same time, for only $199 and $249, you get what you pay for. So don't
complain it doesn't make sandwich.

~~~
hyperbovine
Not even an ice cream sandwich?

------
pekru
_sigh_

I would be very grateful if anyone traveling to India could get one for me,
since Google doesn't sell it in India (and local dealers sell it around 400
USD)

------
jessaustin
After reading so many tales of the device's slipperiness and fragility, a
price drop does not surprise.

------
Ackley
I don't see any advantages going from 8gb to 16gb (16gb isn't enough to fit
all my stuff anyways)

~~~
blisterpeanuts
I would recommend the 16gb model if it fits your budget. The extra gigs make a
difference in this era of 1+ gig apps and 1080p video cameras, I have found.

If they offered a 64 gig model, I'd buy it. Obviously, a microSD slot would be
ideal, but that would go against Google's current religious crusade to rid the
world of local storage :)

------
infinite_snoop
Is the missing micro SD slot due to price or to encourage you to move your
data to the cloud I wonder?

~~~
pauljohncleary
The latter- removable SD cards aren't always a great proposition for non-
technical users, and google doesn't sell them.

------
mcv
Now if only they actually start selling this thing in my country, I might
consider buying it.

------
Ackley
Only wished it was waterproof...

------
Sarkie
I'm still on my Nexus One, running Jelly Bean now... But this is very
tempting...

------
keepkalm
They must be getting ready to release the next model of Nexus phone.

------
shmerl
Good. Now with Freedreno getting ready, this will be very useful.

------
hekoru
And the 16GB version is gone in the UK. Good lord, that was fast

------
ausjke
shoot, I just bought one last night, can I get $100 back? I'm checking if I
can cancel that order now then reissue a new order.

~~~
ausjke
[https://support.google.com/googleplay/contact/nexus_price](https://support.google.com/googleplay/contact/nexus_price)
not sure if my purchase yesterday qualifies the price protection, i.e. google
will refund me $100? it sucks when you buy something one day ahead of a big
price drop.

------
giulianob
If only Sprint had gotten this device

------
jay_kyburz
OMG I bought one last week!

------
smitec
well damn. I placed my order, and was charged, yesterday.

~~~
smitec
Update: for anyone else in this boat (bought in < 15 days) see here
[https://support.google.com/googleplay/contact/nexus_price](https://support.google.com/googleplay/contact/nexus_price)

------
sayanchowdhury
High time to buy a N4

------
mrmondo
No LTE? No Buy.

------
barista
and this is a top news on HN because?

------
induscreep
It was 299, now its 249...so 50 bucks?

~~~
yohui
The 16GB model went from $349 to $249, the 8GB model from $299 to $199.

------
baggachipz
Yoink!

------
PaulHoule
The tablet price wars are heating up.

I bought my first tablet, a Nook HD+, last week, because I wanted something I
could use to read technical docs when I do cardio. I wanted something bargain
basement cheap because I don't want to feel bad if it gets smashed.

Barnes and Noble has made the decision to deliver the most possible value per
$ for customers by making the Nook HD+ compatible with Google Play and Kindle.
The device isn't the most powerful and doesn't have a camera or GPS, but the
screen is great.

Other tablet vendors are going to be rushing to deliver products that appeal
to different market segments. Quite exciting!

~~~
bdg
I'm very anxious to see what will happen when FoxOS hits the market. Presently
developer preview phones are going for less than $150 (including shipping and
taxes) entirely unlocked and without bloatware (ie, uninstallable freecell
junk). Prices like that for the specs they're talking about are nearly unheard
of here in Canada. I'll have a more informed opinion about it once it ships
next month.

~~~
LukeShu
The ZTE Open (which is not a developer preview) hit in the US a couple of
weeks ago for $80. Unfortunately, it is now sold out.

[http://stores.ebay.com/ztemobileus](http://stores.ebay.com/ztemobileus)

~~~
arthulia
Hold on, the phone itself was $80?

~~~
eco
Yeah. It's an extremely low end phone (Cortex A5 processor, 3.5-inch HVGA
display). Specs are about something you'd see on a high end phone 4 years ago.
Appears to be mostly targeting emerging markets where it's a good fit (as
cheap as a feature phone but with full smartphone capabilities).

