prices

DOJ: Apple colluded with publishers to raise e-book prices

Apple violated antitrust laws by colluding with book publishers to raise the price of e-books in an effort "to strip retailers of pricing authority," federal prosecutors said in a court filing released Tuesday, according to Bloomberg.

In an antitrust lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice in April 2012, the government accused Apple and five book publishers of conspiring to illegally fix e-book prices to boost profits and force e-book rival Amazon to abandon its discount pricing. All five of the publishers involved -- Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, Simon & Schuster (owned by CBS, which … Read more

Verizon pricing for shared plan won't change, CFO says

Verizon Wireless may be looking at new phone pricing options, but that won't affect service plan pricing, Verizon's financial chief said Tuesday.

Fran Shammo, speaking at the J.P. Morgan tech conference, said the company has looked at T-Mobile's new phone and service plan options "a number of times," but Verizon won't change the service pricing on its "Share Everything" plans.

"We may give users more options to buy phones, but it won't affect the service pricing," he said.

T-Mobile earlier this year killed its contract plans and subsidies … Read more

Where and when to buy the Samsung Galaxy S4

The release of Samsung's next super smartphone, the Galaxy S4, is just days away. Sporting an improved design over the Galaxy S3 and packed with a ton of high-end features and specialized software, the Galaxy S4 already is an Android powerhouse. And even better, it will land at all major U.S. carriers plus a few smaller, regional providers.

Note, however, that the carriers aren't following the same release schedule. T-Mobile, for example, will begin selling the phone this week, but U.S. Cellular customers will have to wait until next month. Meanwhile, C Spire and Cricket have … Read more

Penguin reaches pact with EU to end e-book price-fixing probe

Penguin has vowed to change its pricing strategy for digital books, including terminating an e-book pricing pact with Apple, to resolve an antitrust probe by the European Union.

As part of the deal, Penguin has agreed to terminate existing agency agreements -- those pacts that allow a publisher, not a retailer, to set prices -- and will refrain from adopting "most favored nation" pricing clauses for five years. Those had prevented retailers such as Amazon from undercutting Apple's e-book prices.

If Penguin does enter into new agency agreements, retailers would be free to set the retail price … Read more

Amazon Studios debuts 14 pilots for free viewing

After evaluating more than 4,000 submissions and commissioning more than a dozen half-hour pilots, Amazon Studios is ready to roll. The "Hollywood" division of the online shopping giant is making 14 pilots available on Amazon Instant Video in the U.S, and the Amazon subscription services Lovefilm UK and Lovefilm Germany, to watch for free and rate and review them.

The pilots include shows from established talent and studios, as well as up and comers who cut their teeth online.

The lineup includes a big slate of comedies, led by "Alpha House," starring John Goodman … Read more

Gold/Silver Spot Price Widget 1.0 Review

Though gold may not fluctuate as much as the dollar, it's nice to keep track of how prices are doing. Gold/Silver Spot Price Widget delivers updates right to your home screen for both gold, platinum, and silver. It doesn't let you customize much about its appearance, but the prices are updated often and prove to be pretty accurate.

Gold/Silver Spot Price Widget features a simple, 2X2 whiteboard with the prices for gold, silver, and platinum. The price appears to be price per ounce, but it doesn't tell you how it's measuring the price or … Read more

How low can the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro go? $1,299

The 13.3-inch Retina MacBook Pro has plunged to $1,299 at one retailer, a whopping $400 off its original price.

The model debuted at $1,699 in October. But it didn't take long for Apple to cut the price to $1,499 in February after widespread discounting from retailers such as Best Buy, Fry's Electronics, and MacMall.

Today we have new low, courtesy of MacConnection: $1,299.

It's obvious now that the original pricing on the Retina MBP was a miscalculation by Apple. And the additional $200 discount at MacConnection may indicate that $1,499 may … Read more

Apple, Adobe, Microsoft try to justify higher prices in Australia

Australian buyers of digital products from Apple, Adobe, and Microsoft shell out higher prices than do those in other countries. Just why is a question all three companies were finally forced to answer.

Executives from the three tech players appeared today before an Australian Parliamentary committee investigating charges of price gouging on software and other digital products.

The committee is looking into the charges based on a 2011 report that found a huge difference in the prices charged in Australia versus those in other countries.

Last month, Apple, Adobe, and Microsoft were summoned to address the complaints over higher prices … Read more

T-Mobile's possible no-contract pricing details divulged

T-Mobile announced in December that it would eliminate subsidies on cell phones this year, hinting that it would also switch up its mobile plans and go no-contract. Now, it's expected that the carrier will debut its new plans at an event scheduled for March 26.

However, TMoNews seems to have gotten its hands on at least some of the pricing information a week in advance.

According to a TMoNews, T-Mobile will be offering two types of plans: the "Uncarrier classic," which will be offered by national retailers like Target and Best Buy, and "Value" plans … Read more