Verizon Wireless drops Samsung Omnia to $99
It’s a buyers market for prospective smartphone owners with prices on mobile phones dropping like a stone. Last weekend, the BlackBerry Storm fell to $99 on Amazon and this weekend the price for Verizon’s Samsung Omnia has fallen to $99.99 directly from its website. This price includes a $70 online-only discount and will of course require a 2-year contract. The Omnia on a 1-year contract has been lowered as well – to $169 – while the full retail price of the phone remains an astonishingly high $559. Those interested in the Omnia should head on over to Verizon’s website sooner rather than later as we do not know if this price reduction is permanent or only temporary. Happy Omnia shopping!
Thanks, Austin!
It’s so cheap because when people wanna shell out money on a phone they are starting to look beyond just the initial price tag of the phone. Verizon and At&ts data plans are nearly identical, so it’s NOT like you are getting a better deal by paying 100 dollars for this over 199 for an iphone. So people are now more likely to just to cave in and get the iphone after they read the fine print… but good idea on VZW’s part, giving people the idea they are getting a better deal
Why do you constantly post Verizon Wireless sale prices? Just seems like advertising.
lol who cares about mandatory data rates ? The majority of people who get smart phones NEED the data plan and will get it anyway. And, quite honestly, if you’re getting a smart phone without unlimited data, something is either very wrong with you, or you already have another phone you use for data services.
Toad
it does seem weird they post a lot of vzw prices, more than other carriers combined. yet it seems like they it mockingly
mike m
might be the smartest post i have seen in awhile. thank you.
@ Esquire0399
the japan, and china omnia don’t run the windows mobile OS, and it runs GREAT. the samsung touch interface is smooth, and runs well. do tell me sir, were are ALL of the windows mobile omnia devices? can you show me them?
were do I get my information?
try searching my users name, you get YOUR information from ME on here form time to time.
better try harder with your own stupidity.
It’s been said many times, yet people still make comments about “why would anyone want a smartphone w/o data?” Look, I’m in a wi-fi zone most of my day. I just need a sweet pda. Verizon/Win mobile has no app store to sweeten the deal, so why should I pay (so much) for data when I have no need for it? Drop the mandatory data, (turn the function off even), and I’ll buy the phone.
It’s like the Ipod touch: does the phone radio in the Iphone really add 300 bucks to the price? Okay, fine, I’ll pay full price. But ATT doesn’t even offer that. You have Iphone, you pay for data; so the subsidy argument is out the window.
I am no fanboy of Verizon, but how many people here complaining about the, “Mandatory data plan” have a smartphone without data?
I’ve been impressed with the Omnia, from the little bit of testing I did @ Circuit City before they closed up the VZW kiosk. My only personal experience for comparison it to is the LG Dare, and the Omnia does everything faster and better than the Dare, and has far more features.
TO answer the question of “who wants a smartphone w/o a data plan?”, the answer is me: the guy who is growing into needing a plan, but really only needs it for the occasional mobile email right now. I can’t see myself using $30 worth of data transfer every month, and with a bill already at $115 after taxes, it puts my total bill over an amount I’m willing to pay.
My guess is there are probably a lot of people like me who would like to have this phone (or some other smartphone), but are turned off by the $720 surcharge ($30/mo x 24 mos.) for doing so.
^If you can’t see using $30/Mo on data, then you have no need for a data phone. If all you want is a PDA with a glitzy UI, get a cheap one and tweak it out. ‘Nuf said.
@ austin
Verizon forum dedicated to Smartphones but a lot of Omnia chatter
http://www.howardforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=297
PPC Geeks thread that has a lot of hacking information
http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/forumdisplay.php?f=69
Nice guide to basic Omina info that has lots of links
http://knguyentu.com/wordpress/2009/01/verizon-samsung-omnia-i900-unleashed/
meh I like the fact that they lowered the price and all. But I’d rather wait for the LTE networks Supposedly in 2009.
Is it ridiculous to want an Omnia without the data plan? I would like a phone without having to pay the extra 30 bucks, which is probably closer to 40 bucks after taxes. I have access to a wireless network all day. I need a new phone. I just as well be able to use it for internet when it is available and a wireless network is almost always available.
the omnia has wifi
Love this phone and I’m glad VZW is pushing it so well.
I have been looking for a smartphone that handles Windows and can access the web and email thru wireless networks without a data plan. I am seriously considering the Omnia but I can’t tell from the many opinions floating on the web whether I can buy one through Verizon (my carrier) and use the free wireless access without purchasing an expensive data plan. Can anyone give me the definitive answer?
The OMNIA sucks! Sorry for being so direct, but upgraded and renewed my contract thinking the OMNIA was the ultimate badass phone. Boy, was I wrong, that this is huge and its quite boring. Not as much personalization and its kind of boring. So I returned it today and am getting the Storm. If you’re old and like boring phones, the OMNIA is for you.
Do you think verizon is going to upgrade to the Samsung Omnia i900 with capabilities than the basic Omnia they are offering at such a low price.
It’s actually pretty remarkable that they would sell the phone at that price. Also, $599.99 is not that astonishing for the full retail price. I contract for a company that sells Verizon products, and each Omnia costs over $560 dollars for our company. On a full retail sale (no contract signed), Verizon doesn’t make any guaranteed data revenue off of the user (they probably will, they just aren’t guaranteed it through a contract), so for the phone to marked up 30 to 40 dollars over cost is not that big of a deal. What’s really astonishing is that big red is willing to take a $460 equipment loss to gain two years worth of data service for a user. They still come out ahead, but good God.
There are A LOT of people interested in a phone/PDA combination. We need something that can carry data (detailed contacts, presentations, documents, pictures, etc) but we don’t need constant access to e-mail/internet. I also use my PDA for Bible study, book reading, music, and games.
I’ve read a lot of reviews on the Omnia (pro and amatuer), tried it out, and have a lot of experience with PDAs. The Omnia is a great device, and even better with a price under $200. I was literally on-line and ready to buy this device until I saw the mandatory $30 data plan. That would bring my one-year total to $640 for device and data. I’d rather stick with a basic phone and a $200 Ipod Touch or other PDA for everything else.
I have heard a lot of complaints about freezing up from various smart phones. Does anyone have that problem with the Omnia? I need the 6.1, but I don’t have to have the data package. The applications that I need can be transferred to my laptop. Heck, at $99 if I didn’t like it, I’m not out much more than a plain cell anyway!
I have looked high and low at the V website and can’t seem to find where the data package is required. Hint???
If you try to purchase the phone online, it will make you choose either a $30 or $45 “PDA/Smartphone Email feature .” You can’t continue with the purchase unless you add one of the two packages. I think its ridiculous. Personally, the reason I want the Omnia is because it is the only touch screen phone that I have found with a 5 megapixel camera. I couldn’t care less about the smartphone features. I would buy this phone today if it weren’t for the mandatory data package.
I talked with the associate at the store yesterday. It is on sale there for $199. She said the phone has a $70 mail in rebate, plus a 25% discount. According to her figures, the phone is cheaper in the store! Also, you can get plans with the data packages included for a reasonable rate.
Can someone correct me if I have this wrong – I was looking at the Family Plan “Connected” and it looks like it adds about $30 or so to the plan, but that there isn’t an additional $30 for each member of the family plan.
When I dropped off one phone service, the price for the entire family dropped $20 bucks so it looks like the price for each addit family member is $20 when you have the connected plan instead of the $9.99 each for the voice only plan. But for 5 phones, it didn’t add around $100 or $150 – it just added on about $30-40.
I got the phone for free, and even free shipping. They do require the data package for $30. After I ordered it online I called and tried to talk them down. So far no luck. I really don’t have a need for the data since most places I go I have wifi access. I do have to say the wifi performance is less then stellar. I’m not sure if Verizon crippled it but it keeps dropping the connection and it is very slow once it is connected. I’d be leery of this if you are going to buy.