Best Buy will hire fewer temporary workers for the 2011 holiday season compared to last year, Reuters reported on Wednesday. The nationwide electronics retail chain will take on 15,000 new temporary employees, compared to the 29,000 it hired in 2010. Best Buy is not alone in its decision. Research from the management consulting firm Hay Group suggests that about 25% of U.S. retailers will hire fewer temporary employees this holiday season. “The consumer is being really careful about where he or she is spending the dollars, and I think that will continue through the holidays,” Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn told Reuters. Dunn said his company will carry the iPhone 5 and noted Best Buy expects tablets, smartphones and accessories for both to be a sales catalyst this holiday season.

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Amazon’s wireless division announced on Friday that it will provide a $50 gift card with the purchase of any Verizon Wireless device between Friday and Monday, September 26th. The card can be used anywhere on Amazon.com or can be used for wireless accessories on the AmazonWireless website. The HTC ThunderBolt 4G is currently priced at just $0.01, which means you’re basically getting paid $49.99 to pick one up. AmazonWireless is also selling new devices such as the Motorola DROID BIONIC, one of Verizon Wireless’ newest LTE phones, and other 4G devices such as the Samsung SCH-LC11 4G Mobile Hotspot and Novatel MiFi 2200 Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot.

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In an effort to edge in on MetroPCS and Sprint-owned Boost and Virgin Mobile, Verizon Wireless will introduce a brand new $50 monthly prepaid this week that includes unlimited text, talk and web, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday. The new plan, which first launched back in April as “Unleashed” in limited markets, will be available to customers in Verizon stores, Walmart, Target and Best Buy. The new plan is much cheaper than Verizon’s current unlimited talk and text prepaid option, which currently costs $94.99 per month. “This is a very competitive market, and we want to make sure we have a price portfolio to fit a greater number of customers,” Verizon Wireless spokeswoman Brenda Raney said. “In these times there are some people who would prefer living on a prepaid plan.” Read on for more.

Here’s what Verizon’s competitors charge: AT&T’s GoPhone service offers the same unlimited options and costs $50 per month. Virgin Mobile’s service costs $55 per month although there are cheaper options for customers who want fewer minutes. MetroPCS offers a nationwide unlimited plan for $45 per month but customers can also opt for more expensive 4G prepaid packages. Boost Mobile’s service costs $50 per month but can drop as low as $35 per month as part of its “monthly shrinkage” perk for making on-time payments.

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HP began rolling out the webOS 3.0.2 update to its TouchPad tablet on Monday evening. The software update is expected to improve the performance and stability of the device and also includes a number of enhancements. According to HP’s change log, webOS 3.0.2 offers improvements to the calendar, email, music, photos and videos, and web browser applications. Users should now see faster scrolling inside email with improved message content and image display. In addition, HP has reduced audio skipping while the TouchPad is multitasking and has improved the speed and accuracy of text assist. The company has also dropped the price of the TouchPad by $50 until September 10th, which means you can pick up a 16GB model for $449 or a 32GB model for $549. Read on for a full list of the webOS 3.0.2 changes.

Calendar

• Quicker Just Type event search and event creation
• Improved handling of meeting cancellations

Email:

Faster scrolling

Improved message content and image display

Improved management of multiple emails in Draft and Outbox views

Music

• Reduced audio skipping when the device is running other applications
• Better display of album art

Photos & Videos

• Added ability to set wallpapers
• Faster and more reliable handling of individual photos and albums

Text Assist

• Improved speed and accuracy of auto-corrections

Web

• Increased scrolling support compatibility within web pages
• Improved performance of remote HTML5 video playback
• Improved responsiveness of auto correction within the browser

webOS System

• Fixed issues with oversensitive screen rotation

Security

This release addresses a number of security issues with HP webOS software.

RIM officially revealed the BlackBerry Bold 9900 earlier this year during its annual BlackBerry World tradeshow and now it appears carriers are finally preparing to launch the phone. PhoneArena has obtained a leaked internal T-Mobile screenshot that suggests the phone will become available on August 31st. It also mentions that there will be a $50 mail-in rebate but does not confirm the subsidized price of the Bold 9900. BlackBerry fans will appreciate the device’s thinner design, more powerful hardware, and revamped BlackBerry 7 operating system, but this device doesn’t stray far from those that came before it. We expect we’ll hear more of a confirmation on its official launch date in the coming weeks.

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If you’ve been waiting for HP’s highly anticipated TouchPad tablet, the company just sweetened the deal a bit more for you. HP recently announced that anyone who purchases the 32GB TouchPad before July 31st will get a $50 mail-in rebate off of the purchase price. The catch? You’ll have to prove that you already own a Palm Pre, Pre Plus, Pixi, or Pixi Plus smartphone. The TouchPad offers a 9.7-inch display, NFC capabilities for unique interactions with HP webOS phones, and a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. It’s available in two capacities, 16GB ($499.99) and 32GB ($599.99). AT&T will offer a 3G version of the device later this summer, but pricing and an exact launch date have not been detailed.

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We’re big fans of Verizon Wireless’ Novatel Mi-Fi 4510L 4G LTE hotspot, and now you can pick one up for just $49.99 with a new two-year contract — a $50 savings over the original launch price. If a hotspot isn’t quite your style, Verizon is also offering Novatel’s USB551L 4G LTE USB modem for just $19.99 with a new two-year contract. We’ve been blown away by Verizon’s 4G speeds, and we’re told the sale will only last until July 18th, so be sure to check these out if you’re in the market for a new mobile broadband product.

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Last week T-Mobile said that the high demand for the G2x had resulted in “inventory constraints,”and that it was working with LG to get the device back on shelves as quickly as possible. As a result of those constraints, however, the carrier has increased the price of the G2x to $249.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate —a $50 boost from its debut price of $199. Hopefully T-Mobile drops the cost back down after LG increases its production volume, but the carrier has given no indication that will be the case.

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Trying to save a few bucks for your summer vacation? Today, Verizon Wireless officially launched “Unleashed,” the carrier’s own unlimited prepaid service. A spokesperson told Fierce Wireless that the service is available in parts of Florida and Southern California, to start. Customers can choose between four different plans — including daily and by-the-minute — but the most attractive offering is a $50 monthly option that provides unlimited calling, texting, and web browsing. There are only three feature phones available from Unleashed right now, including the LG Accolade ($39.99), the LG Cosmos ($99.99), and the Pantech Caper ($79.99). By contrast, Boost Mobile, which offers a similar $50 monthly unlimited plan, has 18 different phones including a few that are powered by Android. If you’re looking to save some cold hard cash without sacrificing cell phone minutes or text messages — or Verizon’s coverage — then Unleashed should do the trick.

[Via CNET]

Read [Verizon Wireless] Read [Fierce Wireless]

U.S. wireless carrier Sprint has launched a new promotion that aims to ease the financial pain of cellular defectors. Through April 16th, the company will offer a $125 service credit to users that port their number to Sprint from another carrier and sign a two-year smartphone contract. If a smartphone is not in your future, Sprint will offer a $50 service credit to those users porting to a non-smartphone plan. After moving your number over, apply for the credit, and 60 days later an service credit will appear on your wireless statement. The offer is available to those that migrate a line of service from another carrier via Sprint’s online store, phone sales team, or retail locations.

[Via Engadget]

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In a move that smacks convention right in the face with the back of its hand, T-Mobile has raised the prices of two old smartphones. Rumors of such a move have been circulating for a while but logic and reason made it hard for us to believe such a move would ever be carried out. But alas. The gray-haired T-Mobile myTouch 4G and T-Mobile G2 have both been bumped from $199.99 to $249.99 on contract. $250 is a steep price for last year’s gear, especially considering how fast Android evolves. We’re now looking at dual-core demons and T-Mobile wants a premium for old wares? Luckily, some other phones have seen price adjustments in the proper direction, including the myTouch 3G Slide ($99.99), the Samsung Gravity T ($29.99), the Gravity 3 ($19.99) and the Smiley (free).

[Via Tmonews]

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On our second spin through the Samsung booth, we noticed something we — in our excitement to see the Galaxy S II and Tab 10.1 — missed yesterday: two Wi-Fi only Galaxy S devices. Dubbed the Galaxy S 4.0 and 5.0, Samsung has set it sights on a popular smaller tablet-alternative, Apple’s iPod touch. Let’s go over the specs…

The smaller of the two, non-cellular Galaxy S models — the 4.0 — sports a 4-inch LCD TFT display, 1GHz Hummingbird processor, front-facing VGA camera, 3.2 megapixel rear-facing camera with 720p video recording (no flash), Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 1200 mAh battery, micro-SD card slot (with support for up to a 32 GB card), and Android 2.2.

The 4.0′s big brother — the 5.0 — boasts a 5-inch WVGA display with an 800 x 480-pixel resolution, 1GHz Humming bird processor, front-facing VGA camera, rear-facing 5 megapixel camera with 720p video recording, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 2,500mAh battery, micro-SD card slot (support for 32GB cards), and Android 2.2.

Sammy was pretty cheeky when we asked about a price point for the new devices, but company reps were not shy about saying that it would be extremely competitive with the iPod touch. Expect to see the Galaxy S 4.0 and 5.0 in the coming months; until then, have a look at our hands on gallery and let us know what you think.

We have just been informed that as of February 15th, Telus in Canada will be offering SIM unlocking options on almost all handsets and devices. To qualify, you will need to be an active post-paid customer with an account that has been open for a minimum of 90 days. Telus will charge $50 for the unlock code and will unlock both iDEN and GSM devices. Not a bad offering, right?

Yesterday, we told you about a tasty little rumor we’ve been hearing about a February 24th launch date for the HTC Thunderbolt. Now, it looks like the LTE handset has made a cameo in a weekly Best Buy circular — complete with pre-order instructions and the tagline “coming soon.” For a $50 deposit, BB will allow you to reserve one of the latest and greatest Android offerings from VZW. No word on when, specifically, “soon” is, but if the February 24th release date proves to be accurate… you can expect pre-orders to begin in the next week or so.

Thanks, BestBuyBoy!

According to a new report from Android enthusiast blog Android Central, Verizon Wireless will eliminate rebates on all smartphones priced $150 and higher. Smartphones priced at $149.99 and lower will still have associated rebates, which are typically $50 and require proof of purchase to be mailed into a processing center. Rebates will now be applied instantly on Verizon’s high-end devices, so customers will no longer have to wait for reimbursement by mail. A screen shot of what is presumed to be an internal Verizon Wireless document states that the policy change will go into effect at the end of this month. The new move, which comes just ahead of Verizon Wireless’ iPhone 4 launch, is likely a result of the imminent release of Apple’s smartphone as the carrier will not require a rebate with iPhone purchases.

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