Ostensibly to make room for new models, Verizon is selling the vast majority of its smartphones for $99.99 or less.
Boy Genius Report spotted the sale prices, and says that all smartphones except the Blackberry Tour and Samsung Saga (both $200) are being offered on the cheap. I've actually found a third phone, the LG Versa, that's selling for $180 after an online discount.
It's worth noting that Blackberry phones are fairly inexpensive overall. The Blackberry Curve, which sells for $100 after rebate through AT&T, costs a mere $50 with Verizon. It's also one of the top 5 smartphones on the market today, according to CNet. Judging from the reviews on Verizon's Web site, you'd also do well with the HTC Ozone, Blackberry-like QWERTY keyboard smartphone that's selling for$50.
For touch screen phones, the somewhat mediocre HTC Touch Pro is available for $99, but you might be better off waiting for the Touch Pro 2, due later this month. As a matter of fact, there aren't really any great touch screen smartphones in the mix. That's been a weak point for Verizon as AT&T offers the iPhone, Sprint has the Palm Pre and T-Mobile has the Android-powered G1. Selling its existing line for cheap is a good way for Verizon to net some extra 2-year contracts before rolling out a hopefully more attractive set of smartphones.
Even so, Verizon's going to have trouble competing with the $99 iPhone 3G unless the company comes up with a top-shelf touch screen smartphone of its own. For now, it's a QWERTY buyer's market.
