customization

commentary The vice is just starting to clamp down on Sprint Nextel.

In a clear indication of increasing competitive pressure, the wireless carrier stepped up its spending on promotions in the second quarter, including an instant rebate and cash-back programs to lure in customers from rival carriers.

On a conference call today to discuss its quarterly results, executives attempted to reassure investors and analysts that those additional costs weren't a lingering trend, and that the first full quarter of the Verizon Wireless iPhone and a heavily discounted iPhone 3GS from AT&T warranted the special action.

"We … Read more

Chief Executive Michael Dell, who has been spending a lot of time in the Google+ video chat rooms called "hangouts," has raised the possibility that Google+ might be useful for customer service.

"I am thinking about hangouts for business," Dell said on Google+. "Would you like to be able to connect with your Dell service and sale teams via video directly from Dell.com?"

It's hardly the first time somebody has considered the idea of using technology to improve sales and support, with phone support now augmented by text chat windows and remote … Read more

Beautiful Widgets outfits your Android OS with exactly what its name promises. It gives you the power to customize your Home screen with various-size clocks and weather widgets, plus smaller Toggle widgets that activate Wi-Fi, vibrate, plane mode, brightness, and more. The app also lets you customize appearance settings like widget text color and background transparency.

The free Beautiful Widgets Lite is bare bones. It comes with different clocks and weather widgets, but no Toggle widgets, Battery widget, or Accuweather services. And most importantly, it lacks access to skins, which could be something of a deal breaker, considering the skins … Read more

Tonight is the All-Star Game, a time when rich people gather together to celebrate the fact that they are rich and can hit a ball with a broom handle.

It's a world away from being, say, a Verizon salesman. It's not easy being a Verizon salesman. Yes, you can now sell the iPhone. But you also have to be a tolerant, cheery person, especially in the face of some customers whose sense of decorum and language can leave them in the twitch of a nostril.

When you hit a ball with a broom handle, you can ignore every … Read more

There's no line, so you figure you'll try it. You put your shopping basket down, then you begin to scan the items. That part generally works fine. But then there's the bananas. How much do they weigh? How much are they per pound? Which button are you supposed to press?

No, you're not reading a hacked cell phone conversation between myself and my mother. I'm just describing the irritating technological phenomenon known as the self-checkout, an idea which, it seems, may have already had its glimpse of notoriety.

In a move that might stun those … Read more

A federal judge will hear arguments today in a lawsuit challenging the Obama administration's claim that it can search travelers' laptops, cell phones, and other electronic devices at the border and seize them indefinitely.

Civil liberties groups filed the suit in September, which challenges the Department of Homeland Security's policies on constitutional grounds and asks a federal district court in New York City to bar the agency from continuing its current practices.

In August 2009, Homeland Security announced that it would continue a Bush administration policy that allows laptops and electronic gear to be seized and held indefinitely … Read more

Perhaps some of you are still bathing in the pride you felt when Microsoft accepted your ideas for Windows 7. Several of you seem, indeed, to have appeared in the company's advertising (played, perhaps, by slightly more photogenic humans).

However, I may have some bad news for you with respect to Windows 8. It seems as if the company might not care so much about receiving your ideas this time.

At least that is the impression gained by former IT Manager Chris Carlucci from Hopedale, Mass. when he approached Microsoft with an idea for Windows 8. I won't … Read more

My notebook is getting much less use now that I rely more on my iPad when I'm computing on the road. And I'm getting more work done on my iPad now that I'm using these helpful techniques to enter and edit text, and open and manage apps and files.

Speed up text entry with these handy keyboard tricks Tablets were not designed for heavy-duty data entry. That's why so many road warriors buy an add-on keyboard for their iPads. (You'll find John Scott Lewinski's review of five iPad keyboards on the CNET Crave site.)… Read more

PhotoWall creates custom live wallpapers for your Android OS using your gallery photos, Facebook photos, Picasa photos, or any combination of the three.

After installing, go to your Home screen settings, choose Wallpaper, then Live wallpapers. From there, choose PhotoWall and hit Settings to customize. If you're using the free version, there's unfortunately only one layout option--Polaroid--which displays your photos in a Polaroid-themed collage. Upgrade and you'll get access to Wall, Puzzle, and Fade layouts. You can also choose a photo effect to apply to your pics. Black & White and Sepia come standard, though again, you … Read more