usa

Confirmed: Virgin Mobile USA and Helio in talks

Virgin Mobile USA and Helio have confirmed that they are in early stages of talks to merge the companies.

On Tuesday Virgin Mobile issued a statement that the two companies were in talks, and a Helio spokesman confirmed the news. The company has been rumored to be in talks over a merger since last week.

"These discussions are in early stages and there are no assurances that any transaction will result," Rick Heineman, a spokesman for Helio said in an email. "We will not have additional comments unless an agreement is reached."

Virgin Mobile USA and … Read more

Virgin Mobile USA and Helio in merger talks?

Virtual cell phone operators Virgin Mobile USA and Helio are rumored to be in merger talks, a move that could bring a lot of benefits to both companies.

The tie-up between the two MVNOs, or mobile virtual network operators, was first reported Thursday by the wireless blog MocoNews. According to the blog, SK Telecom, one of Helio's parent companies, would buy out Virgin Mobile USA and then Virgin Mobile would buy Helio in an all-stock transaction.

As the economy tightens and other larger wireless carriers look to consolidate, it makes sense for these smaller players, who essentially resell service … Read more

Could Sprint ditch Nextel? Makes sense

Is Sprint Nextel getting ready for a fire sale?

It sure looks that way following speculation around Wall Street on Monday of a possible sale or breakup of the beleaguered wireless operator. First, The Wall Street Journal reported that German phone company Deutsche Telekom was considering buying the company. Later the same day, another Wall Street Journal article cited sources who said Sprint Nextel is considering unloading its Nextel assets, a move that might make the $22.3 billion wireless operator more attractive to potential buyers.

While a Deutsche Telekom sale seems like a long shot, it's not surprising … Read more

Wii virtual console releases for this week

Today we get some love from an arcade racing classic along with everyone's favorite caveman boy in distress.

Cruis'n USA (1996, Nintendo 64, 1,000 Wii points): While many would argue that Cruis'n USA doesn't do its arcade counterpart justice, there's still plenty of racing to enjoy without the need for a roll of quarters. Enjoy three difficulty levels as you enjoy scenic races across the country. Wonder Boy (1987, Sega Master System, 500 Wii points): In Wonder Boy, you'll play as Tom-Tom, a caveman child forced to free his kidnapped girlfriend. Collect fruit … Read more

Where we can't show you our tattoos

EPISODE 65

UPDATE: NASA Etsy contest story here.

A.viary.com co-founder Michael Galpert joins us to talk about Adobe's latest online foray into a bad version of Photoshop (on the Web!). Plus a transgendered male is pregnant, and we start a contest (on a completely unrelated note) to create human-animal hybrids. If you want to win the board game Weird USA or just for the Hell of it, send us photos of the 404 host or just some guys as animal hybrids. Listen now: Download today's podcast

Black Hat goes interactive in selecting upcoming speakers

On Wednesday, Black Hat officials opened their Call For Papers (CFP) site to paid attendees registered for this summer's Black Hat USA 2008 Briefings and Trainings.

In February, speaking at Black Hat D.C. 2008, director Jeff Moss said his idea is to make the redesigned Black Hat Web site more interactive between speakers and attendees. The first improvement is to give future attendees a voice in choosing what speakers and presentations they'd like to see. Black Hat USA 2008, to be held August 2-7 at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, is the first conference to offer … Read more

Scrounging for bargains at CompUSA

With the CompUSA liquidation in full swing, some of the deals at closing stores have started to get quite interesting.

The hardware was not necessarily much of a bargain. During a recent stroll through the downtown San Francisco store, I found desktops and notebooks discounted 20 percent, and in many cases there was only a well-used demo model for sale. There were also printers (some new in boxes and some demo machines), but I suspect one can get a PC or printer for a better price just by shopping the weekend circulars.

The real bargains were in the software area. … Read more

Researcher: Be wary of going-out-of-business sales

You might be tempted by the low, low prices, but going-out-of-business sales might come back to haunt you in the form of identity theft, says researcher Neal Krawetz of Hacker Factor. He posted a blog citing concerns over CompUSA closing all of its 103 stores. Bottom line: there currently is no regulation of or accountability for the sale of point-of-sale hardware that could contain credit card information and/or customer and corporate information.

Krawetz, who last year warned of existing vulnerabilities in how large chain stores regularly collect and store credit card information, says that customers need to be wary … Read more

InfoUSA to acquire Direct Media

InfoUSA, which got a boost last year from its Super Bowl ads, is planning to bulk up its marketing database business again, the company said Wednesday.

But this time it's looking to add a little heft to its mass-mailing business with an acquisition of Direct Media, a Connecticut-based direct marketing company. The companies have signed a definitive agreement and expect to close the deal by the end of the month. Terms were not disclosed.

InfoUSA plans to take Direct Media and operate it as a wholly owned subsidiary. And apparently, InfoUSA has run this game plan before. Over the … Read more