AT&T has finally gotten off their butts and started getting the Nokia E71x into stores, complete with that sexy black color scheme and S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 2. It’s not quite for sale yet, though we’re hoping for a full availability on March 24, just next week. According to Boy Genius Report, AT&T’s got this bad boy priced at $199.99 after a 2-year commitment and mail-in rebate, which isn’t really all that great, considering you can pick up the unbranded variant for $319 from Amazon, without the contract or mail-in rebate hassle.
However, I’ve heard reports that Radio Shack might be carrying this bad boy for a further discounted $149 with a 2-year commitment and no mail-in rebate to bother with, which would make it an awesome deal. In exchange for the contract, AT&T has slapped S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2 on the E71x, which brings native access point prioritization, along with a handful of other nice little enhancements. The phone will also have AT&T’s Telenav GPS solution loaded, which is $10/mo, and actually works really well, so it’s not a complete bust. You will be stuck with AT&T’s otherwise garbage branding setup.
Considering the unbranded E71 NAM launched over 9 months ago, I can’t help but think that AT&T will see lackluster sales on this phone, as anyone who wants one has already given up and purchased the unbranded variant. What do you think?
