pcs

MetroPCS shareholders sue over T-Mobile merger

With the news of the T-Mobile USA and MetroPCS merger just settling, company shareholders have filed a lawsuit trying to block the deal.

According to the TMONews, MetroPCS shareholders are calling the deal "drastically undervalued" and claiming that MetroPCS' board is "conflicted and serving its own financial interests." The lawsuit was filed in Dallas, Texas against MetroPCS, T-Mobile USA, its German parent company Deutsche Telekom, and MetroPCS' CEO and board of directors.

"The process leading to the proposed acquisition was tainted by conflicts, tilted towards T-Mobile and driven entirely by the board and company management, … Read more

Sprint confirms big-money talks with Softbank

Last update: 8:20 a.m. PT

Sprint Nextel has confirmed that it's holding discussions with Softbank regarding a "substantial investment" by the Japanese mobile carrier.

The confirmation came several hours after a report in the Wall Street Journal said, citing sources, that Softbank is in advanced talks to acquire the U.S.-based carrier for $12.8 billion. Beyond that, details are slim, and there's no telling if the companies might actually arrive at any kind of a deal.

Sprint's statement stopped short of saying that the company would accept a full buyout:

Sprint … Read more

Sprint in no hurry to raise stakes for MetroPCS merger

Sprint appears to be taking a wait-and-see approach on a possible acquisition bid for MetroPCS.

The No. 3 wireless carrier is delaying a counteroffer in an effort to examine Deutsche Telekom's plan to merge the prepaid carrier with T-Mobile, sources tell Bloomberg. The company is reportedly holding its counteroffer for a chance to see Deutsche Telekom's proxy filing to examine details of the German communications giant's negotiations.

CNET has contacted Sprint for comment and will update this report when we learn more.

Deutsche Telekom, which owns T-Mobile, announced a plan last week to buy MetroPCS and combine it with T-Mobile. … Read more

PCs showing 'severe slump' as HP slips to No. 2

It's even uglier than thought in the PC market, new data today shows.

IDC says the global computer market "withdrew sharply" in the third quarter, with shipments falling 8.6 percent from the prior year. The tech research firm had expected a decline of just 3.8 percent -- what it called a relatively quiet quarter as companies prepare for the upcoming Windows 8 launch.

Rival Gartner, meanwhile, said shipments slid 8.3 percent to 87.5 million units, worse than its expectation for a 6.5 percent decline.

Both firms noted that back-to-school promotions weren't … Read more

T-Mobile: Today's 4G LTE is good, but ours will be great

T-Mobile USA may be behind its rivals when it comes to 4G LTE, but that doesn't mean it's mincing words about its ambitions.

AT&T and Verizon Wireless may be able to boast of a super-fast wireless connection now, but T-Mobile believes it can one-up both of them when it finally gets its LTE network rollout going next year.

"LTE today is good, but LTE tomorrow can be great," Ray said in an interview with CNET today. "That's the opportunity we hope to secure and differentiate ourselves with."

The key to T-Mobile'… Read more

PC shipments to decline for first time since dot-com bust

In case we needed any more evidence about a grim PC market, IHS iSuppli has clinched it.

Worldwide computer shipments are set to decline this year for the first time since 2001, the tech research firm says today. That means the market will total about 348.7 million units in 2012, down 1.2 percent from last year.

IHS noted that the year started out promising, with Intel and PC makers touting thin-and-light ultrabooks at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. But quarterly sales have proved to be disappointing, and the usual boost from the key back-to-school season "… Read more

Ultraslim PC shipments to hit 65 million by 2015, researcher says

The ultraslim PC market, which includes ultrabooks and the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro with Retina display, is set for explosive growth in the coming years, according to one researcher.

Last year, just 3.4 million ultraslim PCs were shipped worldwide. By 2015, that figure will grow to 65 million, according to new data from NPD DisplaySearch. By then, ultraslim PCs will account for a quarter of all mobile PC shipments.

As NPD DisplaySearch notes, ultraslim PC adoption has been quite slow. According to the researchers, that has been due to high prices across the line and "a lack … Read more

What T-Mobile's merger with MetroPCS means to you (FAQ)

Deutsche Telekom is doubling down on its U.S. wireless subsidiary T-Mobile USA with a plan to buy the prepaid regional carrier MetroPCS. But what's it mean for wireless subscribers?

Yesterday, Deutsche Telekom announced it had agree to buy MetroPCS and combine it with T-Mobile USA. The move is an indication that T-Mobile's German parent isn't giving up on the wireless carrier, which spent most of last year in a holding pattern while regulators considered AT&T's $39 billion bid to buy the company. Regulators didn't like the idea of the No. 2 AT&… Read more

Sprint mulls outbidding T-Mobile for MetroPCS

Sprint may want MetroPCS for itself.

Bloomberg reports that the number-three U.S. wireless carrier is considering its own offer for prepaid provider MetroPCS, which yesterday announced a deal with Deutsche Telekom to merge with the U.S. wireless provider T-Mobile.

The news service says that Sprint, which had been close to its own deal to buy MetroPCS earlier this year, is talking to advisers about whether it should offer a higher price to buy the company. Sprint had been re-evaluating a play for MetroPCS a few weeks ago before T-Mobile announced its deal, unnamed sources told Bloomberg.

On Wednesday, … Read more