ATT cuts BBerry prices in half for promo

RIM hoped to fuel its BlackBerry holiday sales with a major sales promo at AT&T. The deal cuts the price of virtually all BlackBerry handsets in half, even including newer models like the Bold 9700 and Curve 8520. As a result, the smartphones will cost as little as $100 and $50 respectively after both a rebate and a two-year contract.

The discounts should take effect from December 4th but aren't given a fixed end date. Alongside this, the carrier is giving away the Samsung Solstice for free after a $50 rebate as long as it's connected to a $20 data or messaging plan alongside voice.

AT&T's discounts are meant at least partly to help it compete against Verizon's Buy One Get One (BOGO) deal, which provides two BlackBerries at regular pricing, but also appears destined to spur sales in a season of particularly intense competition. Unlike last year, RIM now has to compete against a $99 iPhone that challenges its popular Curve phones and has issued a cautious outlook for the fall that casts doubts on its sales.

RIM has also watched as Verizon has seemingly downplayed all its BlackBerry launches to date, timing the high-profile unveilings of the Motorola Droid and HTC Droid Eris to overlap with considerably less prominent releases for the BlackBerry Storm2 and Curve 8530.

By Electronista Staff