pcs

Does it still make sense to build your own computer?

Last summer I asked readers if it still made sense to buy a desktop. After all, laptops now offer more than ample power for most users, plus that whole portability thing. And with tablets starting to take the place of laptops, a desktop seems even farther down the computing food chain.

Then, a couple weeks back, I featured a nicely loaded desktop on my Cheapskate blog -- the first one in a while -- figuring most readers would respond with a yawn.

Quite the opposite. Turns out a lot of computer users still love desktops, and definitely want more deals … Read more

T-Mobile: No iPhone discount lasts forever

Nothing lasts forever, especially iPhone discounts.

T-Mobile on Monday boosted the upfront cost of the iPhone by $50 to $149.99 for the 16GB version, which T-Mobile Financial Chief Braxton Carter said Wednesday was the company's plan the entire time. However, T-Mobile didn't say at launch that the lower price was temporary. And the increase -- which brings the total cost for the phone to $629.99 after two years of $20 a month payments -- comes only a month after the iPhone became available at T-Mobile.

"When we look at the overall landscape, there's no … Read more

TiVo to yank free version of its PC software on June 5

TiVo users who want to install the company's PC software have until June 5 to grab it for free.

The TiVo Desktop for PC program lets you listen to your music and view your photos on your TV. You can also transfer shows recorded on your TiVo box to your PC. But in less than a month, that version will be no more.

Starting June 6, TiVo users will have to pony up $15.99 (down from $24.95) to buy the TiVo Desktop Plus software. The Plus edition offers all of the features of the free version. But … Read more

Tablet shipments to surpass PCs before year's end, says analyst

PC shipments may finally play second fiddle to those of tablets before the year is over, at least according to one analyst.

In one scenario outlined today by Sameer Singh, head analyst at technology incubator BitChemy Ventures, PC shipments will fall to between 70 million and 75 million in the fourth quarter, while tablet shipments would rise to almost 80 million. If so, that would be the first quarter in which tablet shipments outshine those of PCs.

In a second scenario, the crossover could happen even sooner. PC shipments could decline to around 65 million in the third quarter, while … Read more

Acer launches 2 notebooks, tablet that emphasize touch

NEW YORK--Acer on Friday launched two new touch-screen notebooks and a tablet, hoping to attract buyers and stem its steep declines in the PC market.

One notebook, the Aspire R7, features a 15.6-inch touch screen and a hinge that allows users to rotate and flip the screen to convert it in tablet. The company moved the keyboard closer to the edge of the lower tray and shifted the trackpad closer to the screen, which it said should make it easier to use the touch screen. The $1,000 product will be in stores in mid-May, with an exclusive U.… Read more

T-Mobile-compatible phones coming to MetroPCS stores

T-Mobile will begin selling phones compatible with its network at MetroPCS stores later this quarter, according to T-Mobile Chief Marketing Officer Mike Sievert.

The goal is to sell only T-Mobile-compatible phones at MetroPCS stores by the end of the year. The move will help accelerate the migration of customers from the MetroPCS network to that of T-Mobile, Sievert told CNET on Wednesday.

T-Mobile was reborn today, appearing for the first time under the ticker TMUS as an independent and U.S.-based publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange. This follows the company's merger with MetroPCS. The … Read more

T-Mobile, MetroPCS are now one

T-Mobile USA and MetroPCS have made it official and joined forces as one company.

Known as T-Mobile US as of Wednesday, the new combined company will bring together the networks, subscribers, and other assets. The newly united carriers together hold around 43 million subscribers as of March 31.

T-Mobile US's total coverage reaches around 301 million people. A full 228 million have access to 4G, while 200 million are expected to be covered by 4G LTE by the end of the year.

Had they united last year, the combined company's revenues would have reached $24.8 billion. Management … Read more

Android notebooks? Yep, Intel says, and they'll only cost $200

Notebook prices should soon hit $200, but most of those will be Android-based devices, not Windows 8, an Intel executive said.

Intel CEO Paul Otellini last week said touchscreen PCs could debut at prices as low as $200 in the coming months. At the time, he didn't specify what operating system those products would run.

But Dadi Perlmutter, Intel executive vice president and chief product officer, told CNET on Wednesday that notebooks priced at the $200 level will predominantly be Android products running on Intel's Atom mobile processor. Whether Windows 8 PCs hit that price largely depends on … Read more

MetroPCS shareholders approve T-Mobile merger

T-Mobile USA and MetroPCS can become one now that the merger deal has received the thumbs-up from MetroPCs shareholders.

MetroPCS shareholder approval, announced Wednesday, was the final step needed after the deal received approval from the boards of MetroPCS and T-Mobile USA parent Deutsche Telekom, as well as legal nods from the Federal Communications Commission and U.S. Justice Department.

The deal is now expected to close by May 1 at which time the new combined company will officially launch, according to Deutsche Telekom.

"This is a major step for Deutsche Telekom," Deutsche Telekom CEO Rene Obermann said … Read more