So you missed out on getting the new iPhone 4S when it came out. Worse, all your friends got the new Apple flagship and make fun of your 3GS at every possible opportunity. Plus, all the holiday shopping you’ve been doing has made it nearly impossible to afford the 4S without giving up every shred of financial responsibility.

If that description fits you, even a little bit, then rise up, dear reader, from your sad, Siri-free existence. Because Radio Shack just offered up an excellent way for you to be #winning with regards to your 4S-toting friends.

By combining a few different programs, namely RadioShack’s $30 instant savings promo and its Trade & Save program, you might find yourself walking out of a RadioShack with a free AT&T iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S. Here’s how it works:

Starting yesterday through Sunday, December 17, customers can automatically lop $30 off the price of a new iPhone 4 or 4S. Those are some rather measly savings to start, but when you pair them with savings from RadioShack’s Trade & Save program things get really interesting. RadioShack is offering a guarantee of at least $100 (max $200) for eligible 3GS and iPhone 4 trade-ins.

That means you could actually end up with up to $130 store credit after picking up what would be a $99 iPhone 4 (for you, it’s free of course). Then there’s the 4S. If everything goes as planned concerning your iPhone 4/3GS trade-in, you could nab a 16GB model for free too, with a little store credit left over. Even the mamma-jamma 64GB beast can be had for $169.99 if you play your phones right, which usually goes for $399.99.

Below you can find the pricing chart for savings, along with eligibility rules for trade-ins:

Rules:

‡$200 value only applies to iPhone 4 16GB or 32GB in fully functional, cosmetically excellent condition, and charger must be included in trade. Appraised trade-in value credit may be applied instantly to your purchase. Other Terms: Phone must power on, cannot be PIN locked and must be in fully functional, working condition without any broken components, including, but not limited to, cracked display. In addition, the cell phone housing or casing cannot be cracked or broken, and neither the display nor the housing can exhibit any signs of liquid damage. Limit 1 per customer. All trade-ins are final. Not available where prohibited by local law.

RadioShack has a trade-in program for used gadgets that (circumstances permitting) may just save you quite a bit on an iPhone 4S. Even better, if you trade in a undamaged 32GB iPhone 4 (scratch free, no battery issues, etc.), you’ll get enough store credit back from RadioShack to purchase a 16GB iPhone 4S and still have money to burn. Well, not burn so much as spend on accessories or other RadioShack goodies, but you get the point.

Here’s how it works:

Take your functional smartphone (which doesn’t have to be an iPhone by the way) into a RadioShack and have a store rep appraise it. They’ll tell you just how much it’s worth, which you can use as credit on your next purchase. Since I assume many of you are looking into getting the iPhone 4S, timing really couldn’t be any better. The Trade-In and Save deal only lasts through October 31, reports TechnoBuffalo.

As far as Apple products go, the savings are pretty amazing. Check it out:

RadioShack isn’t allowing for iPhone 4S pre-order online — you’ll have to visit a store to do so. However, you’re going to have to visit a store to get your old device appraised anyway, so you might as well take care of that pre-order and see if someone will hint at the trade-in value of your old phone for you. Then when you head back to RadioShack to pick it up, you can trade in your old device and possibly get a really sweet deal on a brand new iPhone 4S.

If your old device is unfortunately too banged up to get you any store credit, RadioShack will recycle it for you for free. You won’t be walking away with any extra dough, but at least you’ll be saving the planet.

No RadioShack nearby? Wal-Mart and Target have similar programs in place.

The filing also confirms much of what we already knew about the Android smartphone: EVDO, CDMA, WiMAX, WiFi radios, and Bluetooth antennas are all present and accounted for. A dual-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm processor powers the EVO 3D and its glasses-free 3D display. The HTC smartphone is originally priced at $499 off-contract, but if you play your cards right and are looking to renew your contract (or switch carriers), RadioShack will hook you up for $200 with a new (or renewed) two-year agreement.

Oh, and here’s that RadioShack flyer I mentioned:

[via UberGizmo]

Yay for easily-confirmed Internet rumors! MacRumors just posted a photo claiming to come from a RadioShack internal memo, which states 500 retail locations will start selling the iPad 2 on March 29th. That’s tomorrow if you happen to be reading this the day I hit the publish button. This comes as a bit of a surprise as a RadioShack has yet to officially announce iPad 2 plans even though they’re apparently going on sale tomorrow. However, a quick call to two of my local RadioShacks revealed that the memo is real (one lady read me the memo) but these associates were unable to tell if their particular stores were receiving any inventory by tomorrow’s launch.

Still, with iPad 2 inventory understandably low, I wouldn’t start camping your local Shack just yet. I mean if you’re anxiously looking for an iPad 2, for sure pencil in a trip for tomorrow morning. I would first put in a call to a couple of nearby stores to see if they’re getting a shipment.  After all Apple.com still lists the iPad 2 with a 3-4 week shipping window and Verizon is apparently having issues shipping out first round orders. Oh, and while you’re down there, sign up for Dish Network and get a free gun. YMMV on that deal.

We could be looking at the end of RadioShack, boys and girls. The company is said to be exploring a strategic partnership, or outright sale, possibly to Best Buy. I don’t see why Best Buy would be interested: what does RadioShack sell that’s either A) not already available or B) entirely too niche for its Wal-Mart approach to selling consumer electronics?

JPMorgan Chase is supposedly in charge of figuring out how to handle the merger or sale or whatever it ends up being.

The only reason why Best Buy might be interested is because of RadioShack’s success in the cellphone business. I guess RadioShack does a fairly OK job of selling phones and accessories and whatnot, and its small stores could play into Best Buy’s “we need more, smaller stores in malls, people!” modus operandi.

Or, and this is a twist, perhaps rather than selling to Best Buy (or someone else), perhaps RadioShack could use some of the money it has on hand—$900 million—to gobble up some other store! Now that would be unexpected.

I’m trying to think the last time I bought something from RadioShack… it might have been solder for when I hacked my Xbox1 in 2003. So yeah, it’s been a little while. The store always seemed sorta dingy to me, like the lighting was messed up.

Wiki’d

Didja hear that RadioShack is rebranding? The hoopla will of course include some sales to drive traffic. Apparently the Pre will be part of this upcoming sale and will be only $150 for new customers. Nice.

We’ve seen it lower thanks to a Best Buy snafu and one website offering a one day rebate, but this might be the first legitimate price cut on the Pre. Now just to be clear, this is for new Sprint customers. Current subscibers eligable for equipment upgrades will still have to pay $219 for the handset, which is $20 more than what you’ll pay at a Sprint store, natch.

So RadioShack is now the Shack. They’re also going to put a huge laptop in New York and one in San Fran. You’ll be able to chat with people on these laptops. Homeless people will eventually pee on both.

I personally think this is one of the stupidest ideas ever but hey, what do I know. After all, naming your store after a place the guy from Sling Blade would hide out after he killed his momma might be a good idea for some marketing executives and remember. Clearly a ramshackle old cottage that has become a haven for crack fiends and pederasts is exactly what they want me to think about when I’m shopping for TVs. I, for one, probably won’t be going into any Shacks for the next few decades.

via Giz

Good for RadioShack. All 4400 stores are now drop-off locations for the company’s trade-in program, which sounds like a natural fit. Previous gadget trade-in programs generally involve sending your gear away to a random website where you just *know* that you will not get in return what the website advertises. Now you just head to your local ‘Shack and the associate determines the gadget’s value right away and hands you a gift card if you accept. Sounds like a good plan to us as every community has a RadioShack and everyone has old gadgets gathering dust that can now be used to buy new gear.

Stores are now accepting:

•  MP3 players
• Mobile phones
• Cameras
• Camcorders
• GPS receivers
• Gaming Media
• Gaming Consoles

The website accepts all those plus:

• HDTVs
• Car Audio
• Laptops

Starting Sunday, RadioShack will be selling the Acer Aspire One for $99 with a two-year contract from AT&T at $60 per month for 5GB of high speed data.

If $60 sounds like a lot to be paying for 5GB of wireless data each month, it is (if you ask me). Maybe you could wait for future offerings with carriers other than AT&T, right? Wrong. It’s $60 for 5GB of 3G/EVDO data across the board whether you go with AT&T, Verizon, or Sprint unless you go with Verizon’s $39.99/month plan, which gives you a whopping 50MB of data.

My personal suspicions about price-fixing aside, if you’re a potential candidate for the Acer deal, you’ll get an Aspire One with an 8.9-inch screen, 160GB hard drive, 1GB memory, XP Home, built-in 3G, and a travel weight of 2.44 pounds. You’d save around $300 on the computer up-front, so you’ve got that going for you. Maybe someday you’ll be able to get one for free with a two-year contract, eh?

Full press release:

RadioShack Introduces 3G Netbook Utilizing AT&T’s Mobile Broadband Service to Help People Stay Connected

Innovative portable notebook technology for $99.99 when combined with qualifying AT&T mobile broadband service

FORT WORTH, Texas, Dec. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Starting Dec. 14, RadioShack Corporation (NYSE: RSH) becomes the first major U.S. retailer to offer an ultra-lightweight, mobile netbook Internet device with integrated 3G wireless technology. Netbooks, designed to fulfill people’s growing needs for mobile access to Internet applications, are widely expected to be a hot growth area for the computer industry. The unique combination of technologies created for this launch to help people stay connected enhances RadioShack’s reputation for offering innovative solutions at affordable prices.

The Acer Aspire one netbook is priced at $99.99 for customers who sign up for a qualifying two-year AT&T DataConnect mobile broadband service agreement with plans starting at $60 a month. Once activated, this netbook allows people to easily access the Internet anywhere within AT&T’s wireless network. The offer is available in 4,400 RadioShack company-operated stores through Dec. 24. Prices may vary outside the continental U.S. See stores or visit http://www.RadioShack.com for complete offer details.

"Many people internationally are already enjoying the portability, on-the-go connectivity and affordability of this emerging new technology," said Peter Whitsett, RadioShack’s executive vice president – merchandising. "We are proud to introduce this concept in the U.S. by offering a netbook with integrated 3G functionality in addition to full Wi-Fi capability.

"RadioShack is offering this innovative technology solution at a very attractive price through our collaboration with Acer and AT&T," he continued. "Helping people stay connected during these challenging economic times illustrates our continued commitment to meeting their personal technology needs affordably."

The lightweight, 2.44-pound netbook includes 1GB memory, 160GB hard drive, built-in memory card readers and Windows XP software that supports the portable connectivity needs of commuters, students, travellers and mobile professionals. This allows everyone to keep in touch via email, participate in social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter, use the built-in Web cam and crystal-clear LCD screen for video conferencing with family, friends and business associates, conduct online research, and a host of other online functions.

The Acer Aspire one 3G netbook comes equipped with the following features:   

–  Weighs 2.44 pounds
–  Ultra-compact size measuring 9.8" x 6.7" x 1.1" (W x D x H)
–  Stylish piano-black finish
–  Built-in 3G capability
–  802.11b/g wireless (Wi-Fi)
–  8.9-inch LCD screen
–  Built-in Web cam
–  Intel(R) Atom(TM) processor
–  Windows XP(R) Home
–  1GB memory
–  160GB hard drive
–  Built-in memory card readers (dedicated SD and 5-in-1)

Tired of explaining to your friends and family about how they can watch “the big game” in high definition on their new HDTV? My advice is to ignore their questions and send them a link to this video HDTV explainer from Terry Schussler, a RadioShack store manager in California. It’s also a bit of an advertisement for Monster Cables (which you can find at your local RadioShack! I’ve been told they, the stores and online, have some great deals on flat-panel TVs and accessories from now till the Super Bowl).

My favorite part is Schussler explaining (in a bit of a condescending tone) that HD content doesn’t just magically appear on your HDTV simply because you plug your TV into the wall. I’ve been telling people this for years, but they still don’t believe me. Good luck gettin’ through to the masses, Terry. We feel your pain.

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