By Reuters
The Samsung Galaxy Tab. (Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty Images)
Sprint Nextel plans to sell its iPad rival, the Galaxy Tab from Samsung Electronics, for a third less than the tablet computer’s price tag at Verizon Wireless. But the offer still comes with a catch that at least one analyst said would limit sales.
On Nov. 14, Sprint will kick off sales for the $400 Tab, seen as the most credible competitor so far to Apple Inc.’s popular iPad, which has been on sale for $630 since earlier this year.
But while Sprint customers will pay less up front, they may end up forking over more cash over time. The discount comes with a two-year contract requiring monthly service fees starting at $29.99 for two gigabytes of data downloads. Get the full story »
Oct. 25, 2010 at 10:54 a.m.
Filed under:
Consumer electronics,
International,
Technology
By Reuters
Sony Corp. said on Monday it would cut the price of its PSPgo portable game player in the United States and Japan this month as game makers enter the crucial year-end shopping period. Get the full story »
Oct. 22, 2010 at 5:31 p.m.
Filed under:
Exchanges,
Investing,
Technology
By Reuters
U.S. stocks could see big swings to the downside next week on any remotely “bad” news since volatility indexes are at levels considered too low.
The Chicago Board of Options Exchange Volatility Index, a gauge widely used to measure investors’ anxiety levels, fell 2.54 percent on Friday to close at 18.78, its lowest level since April. The VIX, which rose to near 50 in May, has been around or under 20 for the past two weeks. Investors also will face a blizzard of earnings, which many analysts believe will continue to support the rally that began early this month. But any disappointments in either earnings or outlooks could, of course, trigger a sharp sell-off. Get the full story »
Oct. 22, 2010 at 4:23 p.m.
Filed under:
Consumer electronics,
Technology
By Reuters
Apple Inc. said on Friday it will on longer ship Mac computers with Adobe Systems’ Flash player pre-installed, as the company continues to erect barriers to the software. Get the full story »
By Reuters
Verizon Communications Inc.’s wireless business lost more ground than expected to AT&T in the third quarter, pushing shares down 2 percent.
Verizon Wireless, its venture with Vodafone Group is widely expected to sell Apple’s iPhone early next year, but for now it is playing catch-up to AT&T, the exclusive U.S. iPhone carrier. Get the full story »
Oct. 22, 2010 at 10:27 a.m.
Filed under:
Consumer electronics,
Technology
By Reuters
Hewlett-Packard unveiled its first product for the fast-growing tablet market, a $799 device running Microsoft Windows that is aimed at business customers.
HP’s Slate 500 attempts to replicate the PC experience in a tablet form, providing a contrast to rivals who have brought more of a smartphone feel to their devices. The Slate runs the same version of Windows 7 used by many companies on their standard PCs. Get the full story »
Oct. 21, 2010 at 10:25 a.m.
Filed under:
Consumer electronics,
Technology
By Reuters
Packages of Windows 7 lined up for purchase on Oct. 22, 2009. (AP Photo/Paul Connors)
Microsoft Corp.’s Windows 7 has sold more than 240 million copies in its first year, the company said on Thursday, making it the fastest-selling operating system, and helping the software giant to record profits despite a recent dip in computer sales growth.
The new software, which costs from $80 for a simple upgrade to $320 for the top-of-the-range edition, was launched a year ago this week to supersede the unpopular Vista.
Although Apple Inc’s OS X and Linux-based operating systems have won some market share in the past few years, Microsoft still controls 90 percent of the world’s 1.4 billion or so personal computers, and is expecting more customers to upgrade or switch to Windows 7. Get the full story »
Oct. 20, 2010 at 4:45 p.m.
Filed under:
Earnings,
Technology
By Reuters
EBay Inc. posted a better-than-expected quarterly profit and forecast stronger earnings for the holiday season as the Internet commerce company strives to reinvigorate its main marketplaces unit. Get the full story »
Oct. 20, 2010 at 4:10 p.m.
Filed under:
Computers,
Software,
Technology,
Updated
By Reuters
Apple's new ultralight MacBook Air laptops will start at $999. (Getty Images)
Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the thinnest, lightest Mac laptop yet with features borrowed from iPhones and iPads, hoping to grab more market share from Microsoft’s Windows PCs.
The new MacBook Air starts at $999, weighs as little as 2.3 pounds (1 kg), and measures 0.11 inches (0.3 cm) at its thinnest to 0.68 inches (1.7 cm) at the rear. It is designed to replicate the versatility of popular devices like the iPhone and iPad on its venerable computer line, and will incorporate Facetime video chats and an apps store.
Running on flash storage like the iPad rather than hard drives like conventional computers, it can power up instantly and store data twice as fast, executive said. Get the full story »
Oct. 20, 2010 at 11:44 a.m.
Filed under:
Consumer electronics,
Technology
By Reuters
Verizon Wireless, the No. 1 U.S. mobile service, plans to sell Samsung Electronics’s Galaxy Tab for $30 less than Apple Inc’s iPad, but analysts say the new tablet computer is priced too high. Get the full story »
Oct. 20, 2010 at 11:38 a.m.
Filed under:
Litigation,
Technology
By Reuters
Waukegan-based slot machine maker WMS Industries Inc. said its gaming unit filed a patent infringement lawsuit against a unit of smaller rival Bally Technologies Inc., seeking injunctive relief and unspecified damages.
Several of Bally Gaming’s products, including its Cash Spin product, infringe WMS patents covering WMS’ Transmissive Reels gaming concept and technology, WMS said in a statement. Get the full story »
By Alejandra Cancino
Want to make a donation to the Salvation Army? Just hit send on your cell phone.
As part of an effort to attract a younger generation of donors, the Salvation Army Chicago Metropolitan Division will soon accept donations via text messages.
After seeing the success of text messaging campaigns for relief efforts after earthquakes devastated Haiti in January — a record $43 million has been collected, according to the Mobile Giving Foundation — nonprofits have been lining up with their own campaigns.
Get the full story »
Oct. 19, 2010 at 11:19 a.m.
Filed under:
Earnings,
Technology
By Reuters
(AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, file)
Apple shares sank as much as 6 percent on Tuesday on disappointing iPad shipments and margins, but most analysts remained bullish on the stock, expecting a buoyant holiday season and sensing a buying opportunity.
Apple’s quarterly results were “solid,” but were “disappointing given the almost giddy investor sentiment heading into earnings and its recent history of trouncing expectations on almost every line,” Oppenheimer said in a client note.
Apple posted a better-than-expected profit helped by iPhone sales, but margins and iPad shipments came in below expectations during the fiscal fourth quarter. Get the full story »
By Reuters
Microsoft Corp said on Monday that chief software architect Ray Ozzie, the man who took over that role from co-founder Bill Gates, would retire and not be replaced.
The move signals a new phase in Microsoft’s shift toward cloud computing, which Ozzie championed, and cements control of the company’s direction under Chief Executive Steve Ballmer. Get the full story »
By Reuters
(Reuters/Robert Galbraith)
Apple Inc. easily surpassed profit and revenue forecasts again but supply bottlenecks curbed iPad sales to below Wall Street’s bullish targets, sending its shares more than 6 percent lower.
Weaker-than-projected gross margins and iPad shipments disappointed investors who had expected more from a company that had smashed Wall Street’s targets in each of the past eight quarters.
Some analysts said sales of the iPad, which began only in April, should ramp up in the current quarter as the company resolves hitches in the supply chain. Get the full story »
