Best Buy Says iPhone X Costs $100 Extra at Full Price Because Flexibility Sometimes ‘Has a Cost’

Best Buy began accepting iPhone X pre-orders alongside Apple at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time today, but several customers quickly realized that the electronics retailer is charging an extra $100 for the smartphone at full price.

Apple charges $999 or $1,149 for the iPhone X with 64GB or 256GB of storage in the United States. Best Buy charges $1,099 or $1,249 online and in stores for the equivalent models on a Verizon, AT&T, or Sprint account.

In a statement issued to MacRumors, Best Buy said its prices reflect a customer’s ability to “get a phone the way they want.”

“Our prices reflect the fact that no matter a customer’s desired plan or carrier, or whether a customer is on a business or personal plan, they are able to get a phone the way they want at Best Buy. Our customers have told us they want this flexibility and sometimes that has a cost,” a Best Buy spokesperson told MacRumors.

A customer ordering an iPhone X through Apple also has the flexibility of choosing their desired carrier and plan, so Best Buy’s statement doesn’t really justify why the device costs $100 more at its stores.

Best Buy representatives in stores, on the phone, and on Twitter have provided mixed answers about its price matching policy for the iPhone X. A company spokesperson simply linked us to Best Buy’s price matching policy in general.

Best Buy also charges $100 more for the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus at full retail price in the United States.

Related Roundup: iPhone XTag: Best BuyBuyer’s Guide: iPhone X (Buy Now)
Discuss this article in our forums

iPhone X Models Flooding Craigslist and eBay Amid Six Week Shipping Estimates

It took somewhere around 15 minutes for the iPhone X to begin selling out this morning after pre-orders went live at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time, and for some models, that timeline was much shorter.

Delivery estimates started slipping to one to two weeks within minutes, and by the time 1:00 a.m. rolled around, Apple was listing 5 to 6 week estimates for all models across all carriers in the United States. Orders placed now will not arrive until December.

Unsurprisingly, hundreds of iPhone X models that were purchased via pre-order this morning are flooding Craigslist and eBay at huge markups.

On Craigslist, in the San Francisco Bay Area, for example, people are charging $2000 for a 256GB iPhone X on average, a markup of almost $1,000. Similar high prices are listed for all models and capacities. It’s the same story on eBay.

Thousands of iPhone X models are listed, many that already have tons of bids. An auction ending in an hour for a 256GB iPhone X has a current bid of $1,675, for example, a premium of $500.

With supplies so constrained, it’s no surprise to see hundreds of people who are hoping to make a few bucks from Apple customers who don’t want to wait months to get their hands on a new device, but it’s frustrating. Apple limits iPhone X purchases to two per customer, but with some people willing to pay hundreds extra, that limit doesn’t put a stop to the scalping practice.

Customers who have not already pre-ordered are looking at weeks of waiting, but Apple does plan to have iPhone X models available for purchase in store on launch day, so for those who don’t mind going early and waiting in line, there’s still a chance to get a device on November 3 without paying extra to a scalper.

Apple said in a statement this morning that demand for the iPhone X is “off the charts.” “We’re working hard to get this revolutionary new product into the hands of every customer who wants one, as quickly as possible,” the company added.

Related Roundup: iPhone XBuyer’s Guide: iPhone X (Buy Now)
Discuss this article in our forums

Hopper will now also tell you when to book that hotel for the best rate

Why it matters to you

With an average savings of $34 a night, an eight-night hotel stay could be $272 cheaper.

Booking a hotel is a gamble between getting a good room and getting a good rate — but soon Hopper’s airfare price prediction algorithms will be able to tell you when to book that room for the best deal. This week, Hopper launched Hotels in New York City, a price-prediction program that recommends when to book, alerts users to price tops, and integrates a tool for choosing the right place to stay. Hopper says that the hotel tool will roll out to ten more cities soon, and while the feature is launching first to iOS, Android users will soon have access to the tool, too.

Hopper says that, on average, the hotel tool saves about $34 a night, with some travelers saving as much as $90 a night. The program uses algorithms and past data to estimate the best time to book. And if the app tells you now isn’t the best time, users can set up notifications for when that predicted price drop should actually happen. The app also serves as a tool for comparing prices without using multiple apps and offers in-app booking.

Along with determining when the best time to book is, the new hotel tool inside of Hopper also helps travelers plan their trip. A calendar tool will highlight the cheapest and priciest dates to travel. Integrated maps will show you which hotels in the area have the best rates and what popular destinations are nearby. In-app tips will also recommend the best neighborhood, and once the app learns your travel habits, Hopper will make personalized recommendations.

Hopper is also taking a nod from the popular Stories inside several social media networks with video-focused hotel profiles. Like Stories, Hopper hotel profiles will play a short series of video clips that allow travelers to explore the rooms, the pool, the view, the lobby and more, with taps and swipes to move ahead to the next clip.

The Hotel feature launched for New York City travelers using iOS first, but the company plans to bring the feature to ten more areas soon, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Miami. An Android update with the hotel feature is also expected to launch soon.

“Hotels on Hopper will make planning your trip what it should be – fun! – by taking the stress out of finding the right accommodation for you, whether you value location, price, or vibe the most (or maybe it’s an equal combination of all three),” Hopper wrote in a statement. “Bringing together millions of hotel prices, qualitative and quantitative data on location, and thousands of customer reviews, Hopper has created an algorithm that takes into account what you care about, and will recommend whether you should buy or wait to book that hotel room you’ve been eyeing. And just like with flights, we’ll be sure to alert you when to buy, wait, or if prices are expected to rise.”

The update is now available from the App Store.

Editor’s Recommendations

• Business travelers, Airbnb is about to make it easier to find a workspace
• The 100 best iPad apps for your Apple tablet (October)
• The 100 best iPhone apps (October 2017)
• Beware of hotel Wi-Fi — Russian hackers are stealing information from it
• Turn your phone into a jack-of-all-trades with 100 of the best Android apps

WhatsApp now lets you delete messages so recipients can’t see them

Giving you some protection against drunk texts.

We’ve all been there before: maybe you made a typo, perhaps you sent a text to the wrong person, or maybe an adult beverage encouraged you to send something you shouldn’t have. Whatever the case, there are situations throughout life where being able to recall and delete a message that you sent to someone would be extremely useful. Thankfully, WhatsApp will soon allow you to do just that.

You’ve been able to delete messages in WhatsApp for a while now, but doing so would only delete it on your end. With this latest update, you’ll now have the option to delete a message either just for yourself or for you and the person it was sent to.

With the update, holding onto the message you’d like to delete and tapping the trash icon near the top of your screen will showcase a few different options – Delete For Me, Delete For Everyone, and Cancel. When choosing to delete a message for everyone, the message on your screen will be replaced with “You deleted this message”, whereas your recipient’s screen will show the text “This message was deleted.”

You only have seven minutes to recall a message after you’ve sent it.

This will likely be a very welcome addition for a lot of users, but there are some things to keep in mind. For starters, WhatsApp only gives you seven minutes to delete a message after you’ve sent it. Once those seven minutes are up, the person you sent the message to will be able to see it until the end of eternity. Additionally, WhatsApp doesn’t give you any sort of notification if you were able to successfully delete a message or not.

I’m currently running v2.17.400 of the WhatsApp beta, so it appears that the rollout is a server-side thing. The feature should be making its way to more and more devices over the next couple days, however, so keep checking now and then to see when it lands on your phone.

WhatsApp for Android: The ultimate guide

Save 50% on this Qi Wireless Charging Pad from Neva Tech!

More phones than ever support wireless charging these days as the tech industry does it’s best to reduce the number of wires and cords we need to connect to our phones. But wireless charging pads can also be a bit expensive, especially if you’re looking to keep one at work and maybe a couple conveniently located around your home for the entire family.

That’s where this slick deal from Android Central Digital Offers comes in! For a limited time only you can get a Qi Wireless Charging Pad by NevaTech for just $11. Unlike other wireless charging pads you may have seen before this one is ultra thin with a surface big enough to accommodate nearly any phone.

These come with the specs you’d expect from any charging accessory including built-in charging sensors to prevent your devices from overheating or shorting out, and each comes with a wall charger and USB cable.

Typically these charging pads would cost you at least $22 but you’ll save 50% with this deal. So what are you waiting for? If you’ve got a Qi-compatible phone and have been waiting for a good deal on a wireless charging pad the time is now!

See at Android Central Digital Offers

Nova Launcher’s Dynamic Badges still beat Android Oreo’s Notification Badges

Unread counts are dead. Long live Dynamic Badges!

For a long, long time, I hated unread counts on Android home screens. They were often inaccurate, they didn’t always go away once you acted on them, and above all, they were unforgivably ugly on any home screen theme. These days, notification badges are a little less ugly and a little more consistent, but the notification badges on Android Oreo aren’t the best to be found.

No, no, that honor belongs to Dynamic Badges on Nova Launcher.

You see those dots? Me neither.

Dynamic Badges are exactly that — vibrant, creative, and not boring.

Dynamic Badges came to Nova Launcher this past spring, and they have a few distinct advantages over Android Oreo’s native equivalent. First and foremost, they’re more vibrant. Oreo’s notification badges pick a color for their badges from the icon that it’ll be sitting on top of, which means that most of the time, these dots blend into the icon rather than standing out and reminding you to check your notifications.

Dynamic Badges will pull a color from the app’s notification or pull an image from the notification, such as the profile pic of someone who messages you, allowing them to stand out against most icons, especially if you’re using icon packs with limited color palettes.

This also means that notification badges can offer you information while standing out, by telling you who is pinging you before you open the notification shade or the app. I can see a dynamic badge from my boss and see that I need to reply to him quickly, or I can see a dynamic badge of a creeper I’m trying to avoid and ignore it. Dynamic Badges also work for media apps, giving me the album art of my currently playing song in Google Play Music or the thumbnail of the new video from one of my subscriptions on YouTube.

By being more vibrant and more informative, Dynamic Badges have helped me see the value of unread badges and helped me keep things clean and functional on my many home screen themes. If there is a downside to Dynamic Badges, it’s that if you have multiple badges in a folder, rather than getting the individual pictures or colors, you get a mini-folder of app icons on your folder icon telling you which apps in the folder have notifications. It’s a small flaw, but it’s still far better than boring, basic dots.

Nova Launcher: The best launcher for theming your phone

Meet the BlackBerry Motion in Europe this November at a CrackBerry meetup!

CrackBerry Meetups are going across the Atlantic, so if you’re in London, Frankfurt, Prague, or Paris next month, sign up to see the BlackBerry Motion!

After successful CrackBerry meetups in the U.S. and Barcelona earlier this year, CrackBerry Kevin and his band of misfits are taking their show on the road — or plane — to Europe.

Starting November 10 in London and wrapping up in Paris on the 18th, fans of BlackBerry phones and the culture they produced can check out the BlackBerry Motion, the latest Android phone in the lineup, and make some great friends along the way.

They’ll be starting in London on November 10th, followed by Frankfurt on the 14th, Prague on the 16th and finally Paris on the 18th. Like all of our meetups this year, there’ll be plenty of food, drinks and BlackBerry fans in attendance, along with the latest BlackBerry smartphones for attendees to check out. And there will be swag and prizes to give out, too!

If you’re a longtime CrackBerry reader, a BlackBerry fan or just thinking about picking up a new BlackBerry Motion or BlackBerry KEYone, these are events you won’t want to miss! Hit the links below to jump over to the Meetup page for your city where you can RSVP. Once you’re signed up we’ll be sending out updates as we finalize our venues for each city and the meetup events occur.

Kevin will also be working his BlackBerry Motion and BlackBerry KEYone’s hard on this tour, so you’ll want to be following @crackberrykevin on Instagram.

CrackBerry Meet-up Dates & RSVP

Hit the links below to jump over to official Meetup Page for full details and to RSVP. Once you’re RSVP’d, you’ll receive email updates as we get closer to dates, locking in the location and providing additional info.

• London – Friday, November 10th
• Frankfurt – Tuesday, November 14th
• Prague – Thursday, November 16th
• Paris – Saturday, November 18th

The BlackBerry Motion meetup tour comes to Canada next, so stay tuned!

Picture-in-Picture officially supported by Netflix on Android 8.1

Still no word when Netflix will support picture-in-picture on Android 8.0.

Android Oreo is filled with all sorts of tweaks and changes compared to Nougat, but one of the biggest user-facing features is picture-in-picture. Picture-in-picture allows you to keep watching a video while doing other things on your phone, and we’ve seen it supported by the likes of YouTube, Duo, and even Maps. Following the release of the Android 8.1 Oreo beta, it’s now been discovered that Netflix is the latest app to support this.

If you’re running 8.1 Oreo on your Nexus or Pixel device and want to use Netflix with picture-in-picture, it works just like we’ve seen in other apps that also support it. Just start playing a video within the Netflix app, press the home button, and the video will then shrink down so you can continue watching it while doing other tasks on your device.

Netflix confirmed to Android Police that this is an official feature with its application, but the odd part here is that picture-in-picture is only working with 8.1 and not 8.0. It’s unclear when Netflix will move this feature over to 8.0, but seeing as how it’s already working with 8.1, we’re inclined to believe that it’ll be pushed out sooner rather than later.

Android Oreo

• Android Oreo review!
• Everything new in Android Oreo
• How to get Android Oreo on your Pixel or Nexus
• Oreo will make you love notifications again
• Will my phone get Android Oreo?
• Join the Discussion

How Microsoft is turning Android into the mobile OS for Windows users

With Windows 10 Mobile dying, many former Windows phone users are turning to iOS and Android. But has Microsoft successfully turned Android into a phone for Windows?

The fact that Microsoft didn’t play nice with its major competitors has been in the rear-view mirror for years. With Microsoft apps filling the Google Play Store and Apple’s app store today, it’s easier than ever for users of Microsoft services to jump ship to other mobile OSes. Even Bill Gates is on Android.

While most of Microsoft’s services are available on both iOS and Android, the open nature of the latter means that Microsoft can create strong links between Android phones and Windows 10 PCs in both looks and functionality.

5 tips to help Windows Mobile users switch to Android — via Windows Central

Apps and services

Between customizing the look of an Android device with Microsoft Launcher, continuing to browse a page from your Android phone to your PC on Edge, and a variety of other Microsoft apps and services, Microsoft has a strong presence on Android in the apps department. And with Edge coming to the platform in preview recently, there’s reason to expect Microsoft’s support of Android to continue.

There’s reason to expect Microsoft’s support of Android to continue well into the future.

For users, this means that they don’t have to switch away from products they already are accustomed to using on PC, such as Office, if their work shifts away from Windows hardware. Even if an entire company switched from Windows to Android, they could still use most of Microsoft’s services.

And Microsoft’s support on Android, including specific versions of Android, isn’t half-hearted. When Samsung unveiled the DeX Dock, which provides a Continuum-esque experience, the Office suite was used to show it off. Microsoft has made a concerted effort to have a first-class experience for Microsoft services on Android.

On top of Microsoft’s support for Android, Google’s mobile OS also lets users select default apps for a number of functions. A person used to the Windows 10 ecosystem could use Cortana as their default assistant, Edge as their default browser, and Bing as their default search engine on their Android phone.

Though there are many Microsoft apps available in the Google Play Store, there are some missing services. Two notable exceptions are the Photos app, and Movies and TV. You can view photos and other content in the OneDrive app, but that isn’t the same as using apps built for viewing content.

The best Microsoft apps for Android

Continuing the experience

Plenty of apps work across platforms. And using Microsoft apps arguably makes a device into more of a “Microsoft phone” than a phone that’s specifically for Windows. But Microsoft has pushed the phrase “continue on PC” for a reason. They want users to be able to do a task on one device and then jump over to finish it on another. While this isn’t available in its final form on Windows 10, Timeline is set to be released as part of RS4, but there are already some ways that users can continue their experiences across devices.

The feature is quite literally at the center of Microsoft Edge on Android. You can continue your browsing with the tap of an icon. And Microsoft has also included continue on PC in Microsoft Launcher. It’s clear that as these features are fully fleshed out and Windows 10 continues to be developed, this process will become even more streamlined.

In addition to Timeline, Microsoft is planning to release a Cloud Clipboard that will allow you to copy and paste across devices, including Android phones. That inclusion of Android phones is a trend that’s very apparent in many of Microsoft’s efforts. If a feature can be used on Android, or iOS for that matter, Microsoft seems keen to make it work across as many devices as possible.

These features bridge the gap between a phone running Microsoft services and a phone for Windows by forging a connection between Windows 10 and Android and continuing the user experience across devices.

Samsung Galaxy S8 ‘Microsoft Edition:’ Everything you need to know

A ‘phone for Windows’ isn’t a Windows Phone

All of Microsoft’s work to bring its services to Android, while also continuing the user experience between Windows 10 and Android phones, is very useful for users but that doesn’t make an Android phone into a Windows phone. And it’s not just about Live tiles or user interface, though those are a factor. Windows is about more than Office, apps, transparency, and continuing things on Windows 10.

Windows 10 is about a complete unified experience across devices. It’s about unifying OneCore across devices and bringing a single OS to a variety of form factors through CShell. It’s about UWP apps being able to easily scale between devices with very little extra coding for developers. To a large extent, that vision is being fulfilled with PCs, Windows Mixed Reality, and Xbox One, but without phones, there is a gaping hole.

So while many Windows users can, and do, use Android phones to extend their Windows 10 and Microsoft experiences to their hands, it isn’t the same as having a completely unified experience.

What do users really want?

How much do end users care about the Universal Windows Platform (UWP), OneCore, CShell, and other deeply unified aspects of an OS? It’s likely that many readers of this site appreciate the efforts that Microsoft is making to unify Windows on different form factors but it’s also likely that many users don’t care.

If a user can create a Word document on their personal phone, continue it on their PC at work, embed photos from OneDrive that they had stored on their home PC, share the document through Skype or Microsoft Teams on a work phone, and then check off an item on their to-do list using Cortana or Microsoft Launcher, will they care how many OSes were involved or what code was used?

This scenario is an example of the mobility experience that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella often speaks about. And it’s how a device can be a phone for Windows without actually being a Windows Phone.

Your thoughts

What do you think? Is Microsoft turning Android devices into phones for Windows? Or does Microsoft need to have its own mobile OS to extend the Windows experience to people’s hands?

Take your DSLR gear on the go with the $10 Lowepro Adventura camera bag

Don’t miss your shot!

Is this deal for me?

Need a safe way to carry your camera essentials to your next shoot? Amazon has Lowepro’s Adventura camera shoulder bag on sale for just $9.99. That saves you $11 off its average price. This product does not ship with Prime shipping, though it still has free shipping at least. This deal is also available from Adorama.

The Adventura bag was designed to hold a DSLR with an attached standard lens, or camera accessories. It has a quick-release buckle which helps to keep your bag closed properly while also giving you fast access to anything inside. There’s a shoulder strap which is both adjustable and removable so you can decide to get rid of it if it’s not comfortable enough for you.

This camera bag features a padded interior for a protective, soft surface that won’t scuff any devices or accessories on the inside. It also has a zippered front pocket with organizers so you can store away smaller items like memory cards without worrying about them getting lost.

TL;DR

• What makes this deal worth considering? – While this isn’t its lowest price ever, this is still over 50% off its average pricing. This camera bag will keep your expensive items protected, so in essence, it’s worth way more than just $10.
• Things to know before you buy! – The Adventura 140 bag fits DSLR cameras, including the Canon EOS Rebel T3/T3i/T5/T5i/SL1, Nikon D3200, Nikon D3300, Sony Alpha A5000 and A6000, and more. If you’re still on the lookout for one, Canon is having a “Trick or Treat” sale right now with 15% off DSLRs!

See at Amazon

Happy Thrifting!

More from Thrifter:

• These mobile apps will pay you for doing small tasks
• Sharing your Netflix membership makes it more affordable

For more great deals be sure to check out our friends at Thrifter now!