Vonage on Wednesday unveiled a new mobile app for the iPhone and Android smartphones that affords free calling and messaging along with cheap international calling rates. Vonage Mobile allows users to make free “high-definition” voice over IP calls among each other over Wi-Fi, 3G or 4G data connections, and low-cost calls can also be placed through the app to any landline or cell phone globally. The New Jersey-based Telco says its international calling rates are 70% lower than rates from major carriers and 30% lower than Skype. ”Vonage Mobile consolidates the best features of our prior applications, while adding important functionality, better value and improved ease of use,” Vonage CEO Marc Lefar said in a statement. “It combines the best of free high-def voice and messaging along with incredible value for traditional international calls, all while using the existing mobile number and address book for unsurpassed ease of use.” Vonage’s full press release follows below.

Vonage Launches New Mobile App Providing Free Calling and Texting to Other App Users around the World

Savings of more than 70 percent on international calls to those without the app

HOLMDEL, N.J., February 8, 2012 – Vonage Holdings Corp. (NYSE: VG) announced the launch of Vonage Mobile^®, the new iPhone^® and Android^™ app that lets users make free high-definition calls and send free texts to all users of the app, worldwide¹. The app works over Wi-Fi, 3G and 4G wireless data networks.

When calling those who have not yet downloaded the app, Vonage Mobile provides ultra low-cost international calling with per-minute rates that are on average 70 percent less than major mobile carriers and 30 percent less than Skype^™2. Users can instantly add calling credit directly from the app through iTunes^® or Android Market^™ in increments of $4.99 and $9.99.

Vonage Mobile uses the phone’s existing mobile number and contact list, eliminating the need for unique user names and duplicate identities for contacts. Users can instantly build a free global calling and texting network using the app’s multi-invite system from their existing contacts.

“Vonage Mobile consolidates the best features of our prior applications, while adding important functionality, better value and improved ease of use,” said Marc Lefar, CEO of Vonage. “It combines the best of free high-def voice and messaging along with incredible value for traditional international calls, all while using the existing mobile number and address book for unsurpassed ease of use.”

In addition, calls to any phone in the United States, Canada or Puerto Rico from anywhere in the world will be free for a limited time³.

Users do NOT need to be a Vonage customer to use the app. However, as an added benefit to all app users, calls to Vonage home or business lines are also free. The Vonage Mobile app can be downloaded to any iPhone or Android device for free; and it also works on the iPad®, iPod Touch® and Android™ Tablets.

For more information on Vonage Mobile, please go to iTunes, Android Market or www.vonagemobile.com.

Apple CEO Tim Cook reportedly said during an Apple Town Hall meeting on Wednesday that Apple employees will receive a generous discount on Apple products in return for their hard work. Employees typically receive a 25% discount off of hardware, but they will soon be able to purchase a new Mac computer at a $500 discount or an iPad with a $250 discount, 9to5Mac reported. Employees must have worked with the company for a minimum of 30 days and can only take advantage of the deal once every three years, and they should be able to take advantage of the new deals beginning this June.

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The world’s first Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich-powered smartphone is currently on sale at a huge discount from retail giant Amazon. The company’s wireless arm is currently offering Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus smartphone for as little as $99.99 with a new Verizon Wireless contract, and Amazon is even throwing in free two-day shipping for good measure. This is the lowest price we’ve seen for Samsung’s sleek pure Google phone, and it is only available while supplies last according to an Amazon spokesperson. BGR reviewed the Galaxy Nexus this past November and we called it our favorite Android device in the world at that time. The handset features a massive 4.65-inch Super AMOLED display with HD 720p resolution, 4G LTE, a 5-megapixel camera and NFC capabilities.

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Nokia’s first Windows Phone-powered smartphone to launch in the United States is already available for free on contract. Nokia and T-Mobile unveiled the Nokia Lumia 710 last month and confirmed that while the handset is certainly not a flagship device, it will play an important role for Nokia as it re-enters the U.S. market. The 710 can’t hold a candle to the Lumia 900 Nokia and AT&T will be launching in March, but at $50, the Lumia 710 is an excellent entry-level smartphone. And at $0 on contract, the price Walmart is currently asking from new customers, the 710 is an unbelievable value. BGR reviewed the Lumia 710 earlier this month and we thought the phone could indeed be a great tool for Nokia and T-Mobile as they tries to convert feature phone users into smartphone customers.

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Research In Motion’s debut tablet has been something of a disappointment for the Waterloo, Ontario-based vendor. While the slate showed promise, it failed to offer potential users a compelling reason to choose it over the iPad or an Android tablet, and RIM would end up taking a $485 million charge in the third fiscal quarter due to unsold PlayBook inventory. Sale pricing ahead of the holidays last year seemingly helped RIM and its distribution partners clear out some stock, however, as the company is once again offering discounts on its QNX-based tablet. While pricing starts at $299 rather than $199 this time around, all three PlayBook models cost $299, which means the 64GB version can be had for a deep $400 discount. RIM’s first major update for its tablet OS set to bring native email and more next month.

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Amazon made a name for itself by undercutting the competition, and the retailer has come through once again to offer the best price we’ve seen so far on Verizon Wireless’s brand new Samsung Galaxy Nexus. BGR reported last night that mobile retailer LetsTalk was offering the Galaxy Nexus for just $154.99 thanks to a $75 coupon. Not to be outdone, AmazonWireless is now selling the sleek Android 4.0 phone for just $149.99 with a new two-year contract, no coupon needed. Amazon is also offering free two-day shipping, though the Galaxy Nexus is currently backordered with new purchases expected to ship in 8 to 9 days. This deal is only available for a limited time and it is only available for new activations — existing customers looking to upgrade will have to pay $249.99, $75 more than LetsTalk is currently charging.

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Verizon Wireless finally announced launch details for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus on Wednesday, revealing that the world’s first 4G LTE-enabled Android 4.0 handset will cost $299.99 on contract beginning on Thursday, December 15th. We reviewed the Galaxy Nexus last month and while the Ice Cream Sandwich-powered smartphone was very impressive, $300 is a lot of money for a device that will likely lose much of its allure in less than a month when the Consumer Electronics Show kicks off on January 10th. At half price however, the Galaxy Nexus is almost irresistible. Starting at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday morning, mobile retailer LetsTalk is offering the new Nexus flagship phone for just $154.99 with a new two-year contract. The phone will retail for $229.99 and a special $75 coupon available on LetsTalk’s Facebook page — simply visit facebook.com/letstalk and click the “Verizon Deals” link in the sidebar to see the coupon — brings the price down to $154.99 with a new contract. Existing subscribers looking to upgrade will pay a $20 premium, bringing the total to $174.99. A link to LetsTalk’s Galaxy Nexus page follows below, and it will go live at 12:01 a.m. Pacific on Thursday.

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BGR has learned that RadioShack will be offering a limited-time sale on all AT&T iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 models beginning Sunday, December 11th. The nationwide retailer will discount each iPhone 4 and 4S model by $29, and the iPhone 3GS will remain free on contract. AT&T’s iPhone 4 8GB and its older iPhone 4 16GB models will each be offered for $69.99 on contract, down from $99, and the carrier’s 32GB model will cost $169.99. BGR has confirmed with multiple RadioShack locations that both older iPhone 4 models are still in stock. Apple’s new iPhone 4S will be available starting at $169.99 for the 16GB AT&T model. The iPhone 4S 32GB will cost $269.99 during the sale and the 64GB model will be discounted to $369.99. All sale pricing requires a new 2-year service contract. It is unclear how long RadioShack’s sale on all AT&T iPhone models will run, and a company spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Research In Motion announced last week that it will take a $485 million charge in the third fiscal quarter due to poor sales of its BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. The Waterloo, Ontario-based vendor shipped 500,000 PlayBook tablets to retail partners during the slate’s first quarter of availability and just 200,000 units in the second fiscal quarter. Last quarter, RIM shipped just 150,000 units into sales channels. A string of big sales ahead of the holidays this year is apparently going a long way to clear unsold inventory however, and one study suggests adoption may have jumped by nearly 50% during Black Friday weekend. Read on for more.

Ad network Chitika on Tuesday published the findings of a traffic monitoring study that focused on impressions served to RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook tablet between November 14th and November 30th. Beginning on November 22nd — and even before that date in Canada — RIM announced that select retail partners would offer the PlayBook tablet at a steep $300 discount, making the entry-level 16GB just $199.99. Starting in the early afternoon on Black Friday, impressions served by Chitika to PlayBook tablets began to climb.

Shortly after noon on Monday, traffic to PlayBook tablets saw a huge spike before leveling off on Tuesday. Even after stabilizing, however, PlayBook traffic was up about 46% over average levels before the holiday shopping weekend.

The BlackBerry PlayBook is the first device from RIM to feature the vendor’s new QNX-based operating system. While RIM’s debut tablet has not fared well in the market for a variety of reasons including a lack of native PIM support, we liked the slate as it compares to competitive offerings and found the UI to be a good fit for a tablet. RIM’s first smartphone to feature the QNX-based OS, now called BBX, is now on schedule to launch in the second half next year.

Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet has been a big seller for the online retailer so far, maintaining the top spot on the Amazon.com best-sellers list for eight weeks running. Despite the slate’s already low price tag, at least two retailers are offering deep discounts on the new tablet at a number of physical locations. Both Walmart and Target have been selling the Kindle Fire for just $123 over the holiday weekend, and some stores may have extended the sale pricing into Monday. Several forum users on Slickdeals also say they have been able to get their local Best Buy and Staples retailer stores to match the sale pricing. The Kindle Fire sale has not been advertised, however, so some retailers will not match the special offer.

UPDATE: Several readers have contacted us claiming the $123 pricing is fake. BGR has not yet been able to confirm these claims.

[Via DroidMatters]

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Brick and mortar shopaholics have so few places to turn for an adrenaline rush these days thanks to the advent of online shopping, but Black Friday always promises to be a battle that tests even the most seasoned shopper’s will. Anxious consumers line up early outside their retailers of choice and prepare to push, shove, crawl and even trample their way to some of the deepest discounts of the year. It’s no holds barred and things are bound to get dirty, but those who plan to work off their Thanksgiving feasts by throwing elbows and sprinting from store to store had better get their game faces on and go in prepared. Following the break, we lay out all the top tech retailers in the country and link you to the tools you need to map out your plan of attack. Good luck, be safe, and Godspeed.

Best Buy Black Friday 2011 sale details

Doors open: 12:00 AM

BJ’s Wholesale Club Black Friday 2011 sale detail

Doors open: 7:00 AM

Costco Black Friday 2011 sale details

Doors open: 9:00 AM

GameStop Black Friday 2011 sale detail

Doors open: 12:00 AM

Kmart Black Friday 2011 sale detail

Doors open: 5:00 AM

RadioShack Black Friday 2011 sale details

Doors Open: 5:30 AM

Sam’s Club Black Friday 2011 sale details

Doors open: 5:00 AM

Staples Black Friday 2011 sale details

Doors open: 6:00 AM

Target Black Friday 2011 sale details

Doors open: 12:00 AM

Walmart Black Friday 2011 sale details

Doors open: 12:00 AM

Bonus

For those who would rather not fight through angry mobs of sale-hungry consumers, feel free to enjoy Amazon’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals from the comfort of your desk or couch.

Amazon Black Friday 2011 sale details

AmazonWireless Black Friday 2011 sale details

Doors open: Always

Details surrounding Apple’s Black Friday sale have reportedly been revealed and as has been the case in the past, the discounts afforded are minimal. 9to5Mac on Wednesday published what appear to be images of a pamphlet outlining all of the deals Apple has in store this coming Friday, November 25th. Sale items this year include the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and iMac, all available for $101 off retail pricing. Discounts on Apple’s iPad 2 will range from $41 for the less expensive models to $61 for the high-end tablets, and Apple is lowering the iPod nano’s price by $11 during its one-day sale. The iPod touch will also see discounts ranging from $21 to $41 depending on capacity, and Apple Stores will offer sale pricing on a host of accessories. Two images of the leaked pamphlet follow below.

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Research In Motion’s debut tablet hasn’t bowled people over like the company had hoped, and now it is pushing a huge sale in hopes of drumming up interest during the holiday shopping season. For a limited time through participating retailers, RIM is offering its BlackBerry PlayBook slate for $300 below MSRP, representing savings of up to 60%. Sale pricing comes in at $199.99 for the 16GB model, $299 for the 32GB version and $399 for the 64GB model, and participating retailers include Best Buy, Walmart RadioShack and more.

After selling 500,000 PlayBooks into channels during the tablet’s first quarter of availability, RIM sold just 200,000 units to distributors last quarter. Analyst checks indicate that sell-through is stalling as well, so a huge sale like this could be a last hurrah for the tablet. Users might enjoy the PlayBook if they give it a test drive, but a lack of apps, no PIM or email support and a lack of compelling features compared to the competition have kept the ball in Apple and Google’s court. Now, with a $199 Kindle Fire and $249 Nook Tablet having been released, the PlayBook’s odds drop even lower.

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Verizon Wireless’ flagship smartphone for the holiday season, the DROID RAZR, will finally become available Friday at 11:11 a.m. local time. The 7.1-millimeter thin smartphone features a 4.3-inch qHD Super AMOLED Advanced display, a dual-core 1.2GHz TI processor, 16GB of internal storage plus an expansion slot, an 8-megapixel primary camera capable of recording 1080p HD video, a front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera that supports 720p HD video chat, a 1,780 mAh battery and the Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread OS. Verizon is offering the device for $299.99 on contract, but AmazonWireless is running a special on the new smartphone: $111.11 on contract for a limited time. There is a catch, however… the DROID RAZR is already back-ordered on Amazon, so those who take advantage of the $189 discount will have to wait an estimated 8-9 days before it ships.

Read [Verizon Wireless] Read [AmazonWireless]

AT&T’s first two 4G LTE-enabled smartphones are now available for purchase, and subscribers looking to be among the first to own these powerful new Android devices are in for a pleasant surprise. Announced just last week, the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket and HTC Vivid feature Google’s Android Gingerbread OS and specs that place them on par with most modern high-end handsets. They were also announced with high-end price points; the Vivid was unveiled at $199.99 and the Skyrocket was given a $249.99 price tag. Both phones are now on sale as promised — they became available a day early on Saturday, in fact — but each smartphone is priced $100 lower than expected on AT&T’s website. Read on for more.

The Vivid is being offered for just $99.99 on contract in black or white, and the Skyrocket costs $149.99 on AT&T’s website, $50 less than the standard version of the Galaxy S II that lacks LTE. It is unclear how long the $100 online discounts will last for these sleek new smartphones, but buyers who were on the fence may have just gotten the push they needed.

BGR went hands-on with both the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket and the HTC Vivid last week, and we found the devices to be excellent jumping-off points for AT&T’s 4G LTE smartphone portfolio.

UPDATE: The plot thickens — apparently, pricing varies by region. Many report seeing the phones listed at their announced prices, while others are still seeing the $100 online discount. The screenshots below were taken at 12:30 p.m. EST using our zip code in New York.