This blog has long been a fan of $20 smartphones as reading devices, and now Walmart has gone one better. News broke yesterday that Walmart is carrying a $10 pay-as-you-go smartphone.
While the Lucky LG16 isn't much of a smartphone (and it's tied to one of the worst MVNOs in the US), it's not bad for the price. Ten dollars will get you a mobile device running Android 4.4 on a dual-core 1.2GHz CPU with 512MB RAM, a 3MP camera, 4GB internal storage, Wifi/BT/3G.
Its 3.8" screen may be small, but it's still larger than the original iPhone (which people thought made a decent reading device way back when). And since the Lucky LG16 runs Android and comes with Google Play, it offers far more reading apps than the early iPhone.
As David detailed last year, a phone this size can be used for reading ebooks, including both Kindle and Epub, following news feeds, web browsing, reading library ebooks, listening to audiobooks, and more.
It won't be the fastest device on the market, but frankly, it will be both cheaper and faster than a dedicated ereader with an E-ink screen.
What's not to love?
Walmart
Well, it’s out of stock.
Too bad, even at half VGA resolution it has its uses as a pure media player and palm sized ereader.
BB will have a 5$ no contract phone on BF (currently 30$) http://www.bestbuy.com/site/net10-zte-paragon-4g-with-4gb-memory-no-contract-cell-phone-black/4297500.p?id=1219740802681&skuId=4297500
That’s even better!
I wonder when you’ll be able to just buy them from vending machines, like those machines that sold Apple devices.
That is nice that Wal-mart must be subsidizing the price of this phone in the hope of getting people to subscribe to the monthly service.
@Nate You misspelled ‘follwoing’.
Black Friday will see a dozen or so of these phones go on sale for $5-$10-$20-$30-$40-$50-$60. Most of them from Best Buy and Walmart.
[…] the Lucky LG16 came to public attention last month, that smartphone's $10 price and middling specs made it […]
[…] the Lucky LG16 came to public attention last month, that smartphone's $10 price and middling specs made it […]