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State Department revokes $16.5M Kindle contract offer

What once seemed like a dream scenario for Amazon has officially become nonexistent.

Two months ago, the U.S. State Department asked the company to negotiate a no-bid contract that would essentially earn Amazon up to $16.5 million to pass out Kindle Touches to the country's embassies overseas.

Today, the government announced that plan has officially been canceled.

Here's what the State Department posted on its Web site today:

U.S. Department of State solicitation (Request for Proposals) SAQMMA12R0272 for Amazon e-Readers, Content Management, and Logistics is cancelled and the Justification and Approval (J&A) to … Read more

Ceglia ordered to produce lawyer's Facebook 'fraud' letter

A federal judge has ordered Paul Ceglia, the man who claims he's entitled to half ownership of Facebook, to produce a letter that appears to support the social network's claim that his alleged contract is a fabrication.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Leslie G. Foschio today ordered the release of the letter, in which one of Ceglia's former law firms advises two other former Ceglia law firms that it had determined that the purported contract with Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg was a fraud. Foschio also reprimanded Ceglia and his current lawyer, Dean Boland, for failing to produce the … Read more

Get a no-contract HTC Evo V 4G for $239.99

Feeling the smartphone blues? You know the kind I mean: the gloom of paying ungodly sums of money to your carrier for the duration of that inevitable two-year contract?

Maybe it's not so inevitable -- and maybe the sums aren't so ungodly. By opting for a no-contract phone from a carrier with decent monthly rates, you can banish those blues.

To wit: Virgin Mobile has the HTC Evo V 4G Android smartphone for $239.99 shipped (add it to your cart to get that price). It normally sells for $299.99, so right off the bat you're … Read more

Virgin Mobile adds $80 PCD Chaser to Android roster

Virgin Mobile USA has added another Android smartphone to its lineup, today unveiling the PCD Chaser. Priced at just $79.99 without a contract, the handset has plenty of hardware for folks ready to make the jump from a feature phone to a smartphone.

Powered by Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread, the Chaser has a 3.2-inch display, a 3-megapixel camera, and an 800MHz processor. There's also 512MB RAM and the same amount of ROM. In addition, the 3G smartphone features a 2GB microSD card (but it supports up to 32GB), Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and GPS. It has a 1,450mAh battery and comes with an assortment of preloaded applications, such as Virgin Mobile Live, Virgin Mobile ID Packs, Facebook, and Twitter.… Read more

State Department offers Amazon up to $16.5M to hand out Kindles

The only e-reader fit enough to meet the U.S. State Department's needs is the Kindle Touch. The iPad and Nook simply won't do. The government has asked Amazon to negotiate a no-bid contract of up to $16.5 million to pass out Kindles to the country's embassies overseas. This was first reported by Nextgov.

If Amazon proposes a contract based on the State Department's needs, it would theoretically provide at least 2,500 Kindle Touches preloaded with 50 titles each to the State Department; but this number could grow because the government is looking to … Read more

Virgin Mobile's no-contract iPhone brings savings -- at a cost

It's time to pony up for prepaid iPhones, avoid password scams and drop that mayor obsession:

The iPhone is coming to Virgin Mobile at the end of June. But you'll have to drop a hefty $650 to get the iPhone 4S, since there's no two-year contract. Plans start at $30 a month. It's cheaper in the long run to go prepaid with this plan instead of spending $200 upfront and paying for a more expensive monthly bill for two years (but you'll be limited with talk minutes). Virgin is on the Sprint network.

If Android … Read more

iPhone makes the 'Leap' into the prepaid zone

We're dropping down from space, getting touchy with Windows 8 and leaping over a new iPhone carrier:

The iPhone has taken a leap into the prepaid, no-contract world. Beginning in late June, the prepaid carrier Leap Wireless will sell Apple's iPhone under the Cricket service. This makes it the first carrier to sell the iPhone without a contract. But don't expect the iPhone to come cheap. The 16 GB iPhone 4s will be priced at $500 dollars.

So that leaves T-Mobile in the corner, just tapping its foot waiting for its turn to dance with Apple. With … Read more

TSA wants to buy $3 million worth of Macs and iDevices

The Transportation Security administration wants to spend up to $3 million on 1,000 Apple computers and 1,000 Apple handheld devices over the next three years to support its counter-terriorsim efforts.

The agency filed contract documents (see below), as noted by Nextgov, to explain why it would only pursue contracts with Apple instead of inviting other manufactures to bid. The devices would be used to boost a "widening secure mobile computing pilot" program specifically calling for the use of iOS, the Apple operating system.

The document describes several uses for the products -- which also includes AppleTV, … Read more

T-Mobile tempts with no-contract mobile broadband

Having fast 4G access wherever you roam has a particularly sweet and succulent taste all its own. Committing to an onerous monthly contract, though, is a bitter pill to swallow. T-Mobile, with its new prepaid data plans, thinks it has an attractive alternative. … Read more

Lockheed to head up Pentagon's Cyber Crime Center

Lockheed Martin announced today it received millions of dollars to begin heading up the Pentagon's Cyber Crime Center. According to Reuters, the company won a $454 million contract from the government to help the military facility investigate the increasing number of cyber threats.

"Because of its size and importance, the [Department of Defense] is targeted by cyber criminals ranging from terrorists to spies to identity thieves," Lockheed told Reuters.

The security company's team of experts plans to assist the government in dealing with cyberattacks and crime by providing technical, functional, and managerial support to the center. … Read more