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Best Buy has just announced that they are the exclusive retailer for the HTC Thunderbolt. Awesome, but I was really looking for a date and pricing information, Best Buy. How do you expect people to spend $50 on something that could come out in 2012? The world will have ended by then, you know. Anyway, if you don’t fancy having to deal with Verizon, then Best Buy is seemingly your only alternative, online or otherwise. Press details ahead.
Best Buy® Announces National Retail Exclusive and Pre-Sale Availability of the HTC ThunderBolt
HTC ThunderBolt is the nation’s first 4G LTE smart phoneMINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 7, 2011 – Best Buy today announced the immediate pre-sale availability of the HTC ThunderBolt at Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile standalone stores nationwide. The HTC ThunderBolt, which will launch in mid-February as a national retail exclusive for Best Buy, is the first smart phone on the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network.
“The HTC ThunderBolt is a groundbreaking smart phone and Best Buy couldn’t think of a better way to kick off 2011 than by offering it as a national retail exclusive to our customers,” said Scott Anderson, head of merchandising for Best Buy Mobile. “We have worked hard to provide our customers with a great selection of smart phones which now includes the HTC ThunderBolt, both versions of the iPhone 4, Samsung Nexus S, HTC EVO™ 4G and many more options.”
The HTC ThunderBolt offers a rich web browsing experience and the ability for users to easily generate and share their own video experiences. Other key features of the HTC ThunderBolt include the ability to:
- Download a song in less than 4 seconds
- Download 20 photos in a minute
- Stream TV shows from your computer
Best Buy Mobile offers an array of services aimed at improving customers’ experience, including Walk Out Working, Upgrade Checker, Happy24, Buy Back and a full array of accessories for customers to protect and personalize their device.
About Best Buy Mobile
Best Buy Mobile was founded in 2006 with a goal of changing the way consumers shop for and purchase mobile phones in America. Today, Best Buy Mobile is in every Best Buy store and also has 158 Best Buy Mobile specialty stores around the country. Best Mobile features one of the largest selections of carriers, handsets and accessories available anywhere. Employees undergo at least 80 hours of intensive training, as well as continuing education on mobile phone technology and trends to help customers get the most of their mobile phones. For more information about Best Buy Mobile, visit www.bestbuy.com/mobile or www.bestbuymobile.com.
About Best Buy Co., Inc.
With operations in the United States, Canada, Europe, China, Mexico and Turkey, Best Buy is a multinational retailer of technology and entertainment products and services with a commitment to growth and innovation. The Best Buy family of brands and partnerships collectively generates more than $49 billion in annual revenue and includes brands such as Best Buy; Best Buy Mobile; Audiovisions; The Carphone Warehouse; Future Shop; Geek Squad, Jiangsu Five Star; Magnolia Audio Video; Napster; Pacific Sales; and The Phone House. Approximately 180,000 employees apply their talents to help bring the benefits of these brands to life for customers through retail locations, multiple call centers and Web sites, in-home solutions, product delivery and activities in our communities. Community partnership is central to the way Best Buy does business. In fiscal 2010, Best Buy donated a combined $25.2 million to improve the vitality of the communities where their employees and customers live and work. For more information about Best Buy, visit www.bestbuy.com.
Best Buy, although I do appreciate you doing the “No Mail In rebate” thing, I HATE you for not letting Wirefly have any ability to sell this phone. Wirefly > Best Buy Mobile
Just preordered mine. Hoping for the 14th of February. That’s what the BB people told me:-)
Best buy stop getting this exclusive deals. We won’t see any kind of competition if they keep on doing this.
@son, thats exactly what they want. They could give a crap about competition as long as they are getting all of the dough.
Already preordered. I hope there will ne a Feb 14 release.
Just pre-ordered here in Denver. BB employee said it will be in stock on Monday, February 14th. Also said it will be $250 with 2 year contract renewal. Woot!
I already said all this, and the release date+pricing in the Thunderbolt article published earlier today. Keep up!
Best Buy is misrepresenting things. Wirefly.com confirmed on their Facebook page this morning that they will have the Thunderbolt on the first day of commercial availability and will start taking preorders as early as this week.
“National Retail Exclusive” is an industry term that very narrowly defines which of Best Buy’s competitors can’t have it. So you won’t find it at Radio Shack or WalMart.
Will they do a 1 year contract? That’s the only way I’m going to pre-order from them.
i dnt get it..wats the difference between getting it at best buy or at the verizon store (2 yr contract)..is there a price difference at all
> i dnt get it..wats the difference between getting it at best buy or at the verizon store (2 yr contract)..is there a price difference at all
The contract costs are the same but Best Buy’s phone prices are typically lower than verizon’s for the same phone.
The difference is also the fact you are buying a phone via an indirect store. Issues/returns are through them and get little support from VZW. Also, you sign two contracts. One for VZW and one for Best Buy….if you break one, you may break the other…gets costly…read what you sign!
You know, up till now I was extremely excited about this device, but there is only one thing that is giving me the biggest hesitation. Coming from sprint and the EVO I can tell you, while it was a beautiful device, the battery life was abysmal. So much so that I wanted to return it outright. I see that they are even going with a lower capacity battery 1400 mAh?! what is the logic here? Am I missing something? Someone please tell me that this will automagically have better battery performance while having a lower capacity.
> One for VZW and one for Best Buy….if you break one, you may break the other…gets costly…read what you sign!
I work at Best Buy Mobile; The only contract you sign is the carrier’s contract. Best Buy asks you to acknowledge our 30 day return policy; but there is no contract to sign.
The phone is not the same as the Evo, that’s why it doesn’t have the same battery. I’ve. Had the incredible, and that battery life sucked. The thunderbolt is supposed to have better battery life with a smaller battery. Although I always get the higher capacity battery from seideo with the same form factor so I don’t need a honking cover.
larry,
Can you do a 1-year contract if you buy through Best Buy?
@ctd – Since the TB is not released yet, I cant say for sure. If history is any indication, BB does only 2 year contracts (with the subsidized price), or outright full price.