Instead of giving up, LeEco ramps up US retail efforts at Amazon, Best Buy and Target

Despite recently acknowledged financial difficulties caused by an overly ambitious global expansion, China’s LeEco isn’t ready to slow down its US retail growth efforts just yet. Quite the contrary, as both “ecophones” and “ecotvs” gear up for December 1 launches across Amazon, Best Buy and Target.

Technically, the high-end LeEco LePro 3 and mid-range Le S3 Android handhelds are listed on the company’s official American LeMall website at recommended $400 and $250 prices respectively. But in reality, if you choose your timing carefully, the Snapdragon 821 and 652 5.5-inchers can be yours for 100 bucks less.

They were even available at $279 and $129 respectively on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, with the Le S3 thrown in as a free gift if you purchased costly enough smart TV sets. Hopefully, LeRewards instant rebates bringing the two phones’ price tags down to $300 and $150 tops will also be up for grabs since day one of third-party US retailer availability.

For a limited time, the LeEco Le S3 and LePro 3 should qualify for a complimentary three-month AT&T DirecTV Now subscription as well, and so will the $649 ($449 with rebate) Super4 X43 Pro 4K TV. Meanwhile, the pricier Super4 X55 and X65 earn you six months of DirecTV Now service on the house, and the ultra-premium, gigantic uMax X85 comes with a full year of on-demand video streaming at no extra charge.

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Target discounts Apple products, all mobile tech for Sunday and Monday

Either Target is just being lazy and reckless or it’s participating in retail war. The big box chain store has decided to open up Sunday, November 27, and go through Monday with a storewide 15 percent discount, in-store or online. It’s a flat, automatic, couponless discount applied at checkout that tops off whatever discount is already on whatever you buy.

There has to be a catch, right? Well, here are the products that don’t fall into this discount.

  • Gift and prepaid cards
  • Beauty Advent Calendar
  • Elf on the Shelf
  • LEGO
  • Cards Against Humanity (really?)
  • Joking Hazard
  • Vitamix
  • Simple Human
  • Weber
  • DSLR gear
  • Traeger
  • LG TVs
  • Samsung TVs
  • Google products
  • Bose
  • Sonos
  • GoPro
  • Alcohol
  • Dairy milk
  • Tylenol
  • CVS pharmacy
  • Clinic
  • Target Optical
  • Portrait Studio
  • Company Store purchases

 

Target is explicitly offering discounts on “Apple products,” though. Just to give you a sampler:

  • A pair of Beats Solo3 wireless headphones will cost about $244.99 (regularly $299.99)
  • A 6th-gen iPod Touch will be priced between $135.99 and $203.99 ($159.99-$239.99)
  • A standard Apple Watch Series 2 will cost $314.49 for a 38mm case and $339.99 for a 42mm case ($369.99 and $399.99)
  • An iPad mini 2 with Wi-Fi will cost $229.49 ($269.99)
  • While an iPad Pro 12.9″ with Wi-Fi will cost between $679.99 and $934.99 ($799.99-$1,099.99)
  • A 32GB iPhone 7 for $30.69 per month for two years or $552.49 total ($36.11 per month or $649.99 total)

Mind you, other smartphones and mobile technology are available at 15 percent off, too, like the unlocked Moto G4 Play for $127.49 ($149.99) and, believe it or not, a discontinued BlackBerry Classic S for $280.49 ($329.99).

You think you’ll want to participate in this madness?

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Not just Best Buy: $99 Google Home deal offered across US retailers from November 23

Okay, Google is now outright making fools of those who rushed to purchase the Mountain View search giant’s Amazon Echo “killer” at its $129 introductory price.

Not only is the Google Assistant-powered Google Home slated to cost just $99 at Best Buy starting tomorrow, November 23, but the actual Google Store, plus Target and Walmart, are today confirmed to be prepping $30 “limited-time” discounts of their own.

This way, you can be sure there will be more than a few hundred smart speakers on sale nationwide, though it’s probably still wise to hurry and get your online or offline order in before the major retail quartet runs out of marked-down inventory.

Remember, you’re looking at a voice-activated, two-way conversational home automation hub here, capable of commanding audio services like Google Play Music, Spotify or Pandora, as well as browsing the web for quick answers to your hands-free questions, retrieving flight information, setting alarms and timers, alerting you of unusual traffic on the way to work, and of course, controlling smart light bulbs, plugs, switches, thermostats and so on.

Even at $100, Google Home also comes with six complimentary months of YouTube Red ad-free video streaming. But is all that enough to contend the soon-to-be-$140 Amazon Echo this “gift giving” season?

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Huawei unveils top holiday deals on phones, tablets and wearables at many third-party sellers

With the hot new Mate 9 powerhouse phablet not quite ready for US primetime yet, Huawei gadget enthusiasts are left scrambling for the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday savings on older and/or humbler products like the Honor 8 phone, Fit smartband, Watch, MediaPad M3 tablet and MateBook 2-in-1 laptop.

While the Chinese device manufacturer doesn’t appear to have any plans for looming holiday deals offered directly through its American e-store, we’re happy to bring you a neat collection of third-party retail promos with various start and end dates today.

Already, the recently unveiled Huawei Fit is available on Amazon, Best Buy and Newegg for $99.99, down 30 bucks from its regular $130 price point. The convertible Windows 10-based MateBook tablet is $200 off list over at Microsoft until December 2 with a Portfolio Keyboard bundled in, or $300 off when bought alongside a MatePen and MateDock in addition to the aforementioned keyboard.

Then you have pretty routine discounts of up to $200 on “select” Huawei Watch styles at Amazon, Best Buy, Newegg, Google, Target, and B&H also valid through December 2. Between November 25 and 28 only, the just-launched MediaPad M3 Android slate goes $50 off on Amazon to $249, and last but certainly not least, the already affordable Honor 8 flagship phone will set you back $300 instead of $400 with 32GB storage, or $350 in a 64 gig config at Best Buy, Amazon, Newegg, and B&H.

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Samsung Galaxy S7 and iPhone 7 headline Target’s massive list of Black Friday deals

Following in an arch-rival’s footsteps, America’s second-largest discount retailer has just willingly unveiled its fast-approaching Black Friday 2016 deal bonanza, and while we can’t help but notice a few similarities to what Staples has in the pipeline, Target will cater to a much wider range of bargain hunters.

Without further ado, we’d like to direct your attention to several mobile and wearable must-buys available at their lowest prices in deeply limited quantities starting Thanksgiving Day.

Target lends Samsung a hand with its Note 7 recovery efforts by shining the spotlight on the Korean company’s top replacements. Both the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge activated on Verizon, AT&T or Sprint are to hook you up with free $250 gift cards, Gear VR headsets, and $50 worth of Oculus content.

Meanwhile, the hot new iPhone 7 and 7 Plus on the same three carriers will net you “just” complimentary $250 coupons, though you’ll be able to save good money on some other Apple products too.

Namely, the iPad mini 2, Air 2, Pro 9.7, all Apple TV models still around, Apple Watch Series 1, and yes, even the Series 2. If you want a cheaper wearable, look for the $50 Garmin Vivofit Jr., $60 Vivofit 3, $120 Vivosmart HR+, $90 Fitbit Charge HR, $100 Alta, or $130 Charge 2. Last but not least, don’t forget about obligatory markdowns on latest-generation Chromecast and Fire TV Stick media streamers.

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Google Home starts shipping and retail sales from today

Alexa, buy Google Home.”

If your Amazon Echo were able to take that request, it would ship from the Google Store today. Mountain View’s smart speaker with Google Assistant as its driver is now officially on sale for its $129 price tag.

Google Home comes with metallic and fabric bases, a powerful speaker with voice-isolating microphones to take requests for questions, music and changing the temperature on your smart thermostat.

Deliveries should get around to you in five to seven business days. Retail availability from Best Buy, Walmart and Target should also begin today.

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Select Apple Watch models once again available at $100 off from Target and Best Buy

Tipsters pretty much nailed everything about the iPhone SE and 9.7-inch iPad Pro well in advance of yesterday’s announcement event, but what some of them got wrong was the coming of a rehashed Apple Watch S.Cupertino did have ...

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Save $100 on the Apple Watch with Target’s latest deal

Apple’s rumored March event is just another month away, and word is that the Apple Watch will be taking the spotlight for at least part of the announcements. Some rumors suggest we could be looking at as little as new band hardware, while other reports point to some much more substantial news, including the launch of upgraded versions of the Watch itself. Changes could include improvements to the ...

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Target reboots Apple Watch Black Friday deal, giving out free $100 gift cards again

As expected, Apple Watch discounts were few and far between even during the year’s busiest shopping days, with sales not really requiring promotional boosts and Cupertino as focused on hefty profit margins as always.Still, a handful of third-party US retailers managed to cut prospective “iWatch” buyers some surprisingly attractive deals, one of the most generous ...

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Cyber Monday 2015 deal roundup: there is life after Black Friday

They say holiday shopping is a marathon, not a sprint. They don’t? Well, they should, and we do. Especially nowadays, with many an electronics merchant hell-bent on taking your money before Thanksgiving, as soon as you wrap up your Turkey Day feast, days after, and then on and around Christmas.Forget the biggest shopping day of the year, as stores, chiefly online, are taken by storm practically throughout November and December. Still, December 1, 2014 was responsible all by its lonesome for a record-breaking ...

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Black Friday 2015 deal roundup: cheap phones, tablets, and wearables for all

Purchasing mobile gear of any kind around Turkey Day is always wise. Waiting until the last minute to score the best possible Black Friday deals is the complete opposite. Granted, the temptation may feel irresistible, but unless you want to risk getting body slammed by a fellow desperate bargain hunter for that coveted final discounted Apple Watch, it’s good to know beforehand what to expect from every retailer and how to avoid the holiday shopping frenzy.Luckily, many electronics merchants, actual device manufacturers and carriers included, have either already kicked off early Black ...

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Target will have high-end Samsung phones, iPads and hot wearables on sale this Black Friday

After Sam’s Club and Best Buy, Target’s Black Friday 2015 deal collection has transpired, featuring many of the handhelds, tablets, smartwatches and fitness bands you were likely holding out for. But compared to Best Buy, the looming electronics goods selection is far more limited, and most of the discounts less impressive.As seems to be customary, the promo bash will be kicked off on Thansgiving Day, i.e. Thursday, November 26, at 6 ...

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