metro

T-Mobile, MetroPCS clear final regulatory hurdle

T-Mobile USA and MetroPCS, the fourth and fifth largest cellular networks in the U.S., are set to merge after the third and final regulator gave its thumbs-up to the deal.

First reported by Bloomberg, the three regulators involved in the scrutiny process have now completed their inspection, allowing the deal to close before the fiscal second quarter, as planned.

Now that the Committee on Foreign Investment has given its approval, only a vote among MetroPCS shareholders to sign off on the deal is holding up the merger, which is set to be voted upon on April 12.

The two … Read more

Feds approve T-Mobile merger with MetroPCS

The Federal Communications Commission today officially approved the merger between T-Mobile USA and MetroPCS. The Department of Justice also gave a green light for the deal.

In a statement, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said that the merger will strengthen the U.S. wireless market by "moving toward robust competition and revitalized competitors."

The Justice Department, meanwhile, said in its statement that because MetroPCS is a regional provider and T-Mobile is a nationwide carrier, competition should not be harmed at a national level by allowing the companies to combine. And because MetroPCS competes in markets where all four nationwide … Read more

Four months in, Windows 8 needs help

After four months of tepid Windows 8 PC sales, maybe it's time for Microsoft to make a few changes.

During a conversation I had this week with IDC analyst Bob O'Donnell, he volunteered the following statement, which sounded strangely like my experience.

There were certain decisions that Microsoft made that were in retrospect flawed. Notably not allowing people to boot into desktop mode and taking away the start button. Those two things have come up consistently. We've done some research and people miss that.

And there are a lot of people that as soon as they boot … Read more

T-Mobile reportedly plans layoffs ahead of MetroPCS merger

Thanks to T-Mobile USA's expected closure of its merger with MetroPCS, the newly combined company is going to find itself with more employees than it knows what to do with.

Actually, it seems the No. 4 U.S. wireless carrier already has a pretty good idea what it will do with some of them, and it involves pink slips. T-Mobile is expected to begin layoffs at its Bellevue, Wash., headquarters as early as tomorrow that could result in the elimination of more than 100 jobs in marketing and other departments, according to The Seattle Times, which first reported on … Read more

Verizon explores merger with Vodafone, report says

Verizon and Vodafone want to square away their long-standing relationship -- tied together by Verizon Wireless -- this year, according a report from Bloomberg.

Verizon Wireless, which is jointly owned by Verizon and Vodafone, has long been a source of questions over when the two telco giants would resolve the arrangement. Verizon has for years sought to buy out Vodafone's stake in Verizon Wireless, while Vodafone has agitated for a better return from the fast-growing asset.

Verizon and Vodafone now are exploring a range of options, from ending the joint venture to merging the two companies. The two have … Read more

Firefox adapts to Windows 8 touch-first interface

Mozilla is catching its browser up to Windows 8.

The Firefox Nightly version -- the precursor to Aurora, beta, and final releases -- now supports the touch-oriented, no-menu interface of Windows 8 formerly known as Metro, according to a tweet from Mozilla about the development.

Mozilla developer Paul Rouget posted several screenshots of the Metro version of the early Firefox build.

The early build features a number of Metro features, including a no-menu-bar look that relies instead on actions triggered by swiping in from the edges of the screen. That includes the access to search engines, downloaded files, and tab … Read more

Let the LG Spirit 4G descend

Save for one handset (the LG Motion 4G), all of MetroPCS' LG handsets have been stuck on Gingerbread.

So when the LG Spirit 4G was released on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (yes, it's not the latest Jelly Bean version, but I'll take what I can get), I was pleased. Not only was the update refreshing, the phone will also be the only other LG device to feature LG's Optimus 3.0 user interface.

On top of that, its current $199 price tag renders it oddly less expensive than some of MetroPCS' midrange Gingerbread phones (like … Read more

Five usability tips for Microsoft's Surface RT

Most of the time, if something tries to be good at two things it ends up being not-so-good at either one.

Microsoft's Surface can be used like a laptop or like a touch-screen tablet. You can also switch between the Metro touch interface and the conventional Windows desktop, which was designed with a hardware keyboard in mind.

One of the downsides of the Surface as a tablet is Metro's learning curve. Pinching, swiping, and tapping are all part of opening apps, files, and settings in Metro. Unfortunately, it isn't always clear where an application's settings are … Read more

Sprint flirted with others before partnering with SoftBank

Sprint Nextel played the field a bit before committing to a merger with SoftBank, according to a merger proxy document filed by Sprint this week with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The nation's third-largest wireless carrier had discussions with at least four companies, though the specific names weren't revealed.

The wheeling and dealing underscores the trend toward industry consolidation, spurred partly by competition, as well as by the need for more wireless spectrum. Sprint, in particular, was in both a financial and spectrum bind prior to the SoftBank deal.

Before the SoftBank deal, Sprint had discussions with "… Read more