pcs

Nvidia CEO: People buying tablets instead of cheap PCs

Tablets really are replacing PCs now that the latest version of Windows has launched, graphics- and mobile-chip maker Nvidia said.

But at least right now, Nvidia's mobile business isn't big enough to offset the less-than-merry computer market this holiday season.

It's not exactly shocking that tablets have been eating into sales of PCs. Computer makers have noted the trend, and so have Nvidia chip rivals Intel and Advanced Micro Devices.

But what's interesting is that Nvidia says consumers now realize that a "great tablet is better than a cheap PC." That could signal a … Read more

Lenovo wins record market share thanks to strong PC sales

Lenovo seems to one of the few PC vendors thriving in a weak market.

For its fiscal second quarter that ended September 30, the Hong Kong-based company scooped up record sales of $8.7 billion, a jump of 11 percent from the prior year's quarter. PC shipments rose 10.3 percent, a healthy gain given that shipments for the overall industry fell more than 8 percent.

Based on data from IDC, Lenovo now holds 15.7 percent of the global PC market, its highest market share ever. It's also hot on the heels of No. 1 Hewlett-Packard, which … Read more

T-Mobile USA loses 492,000 contract customers in Q3

T-Mobile USA has lost close to half a million subscribers during the third quarter, according to the company's earnings statement out this morning (PDF).

The network lost a total of 492,000 postpaid contracts -- the lucrative long-term contracts that that bring in regular income for a cellular network -- during the quarter, causing a drop in its average revenue per user (ARPU) to $42.78, a decline of 7 percent on the same quarter a year ago.

The firm also reported a net 287,000 wholesale customers, including machine-to-machine (M2M) agreements and through its resellers.

However, T-Mobile USA … Read more

Top prepaid phones (roundup)

Two years is a long time. In that amount of time you can finish a master's degree or, uh...raise a baby into a 2-year-old child. OK, that latter example wasn't the most illustrative, but what I'm trying to say is that for some mobile phone users out there, two years is too long to be locked down in a carrier agreement. That's why I've gathered a few top-notch, recently released phones on prepaid carriers that are ideal for those who want to be contract-free.

Samsung Galaxy Reverb (Virgin Mobile), September 2012 Though it doesn'… Read more

MetroPCS Q3: 1 million LTE subscribers, strong profit

MetroPCS, the fifth largest cellular network in the U.S., has posted strong third-quarter earnings, along with more than 1 million LTE subscribers on its network.

The cellular network today reported third-quarter net profit of $193 million -- more than double the $69 million profit it recorded a year ago -- on revenue of $1.3 billion, or 52 cents a share. Revenue was up by 4 percent year over year.

Analysts had expected revenue of $1.25 billion for the third quarter.

MetroPCS did have a net loss of 312,000 subscribers during the quarter, dropping its total subscriber … Read more

iPad Mini could hurt PC market, says analyst

Apple's iPad Mini is likely to steal more sales away from the weakening PC market, says J.P. Morgan analyst Mark Moskowitz.

"In our view, the iPad Mini stands to target price-sensitive users and the e-reader crowd," Moskowitz said in an investors note today. "Given the global economic uncertainty, we think price-sensitive users could gravitate toward an iPad Mini instead of making a PC purchase."

In difficult economic times, consumers opt for "feel good" purchases, said the analyst, giving the edge to the iPad Mini and other tablets over PCs. Further, consumers are … Read more

The new PCs specially designed by women for women

It's odd how women are often lumped into one homogenous group.

You know, like men, wolves, or southerners.

We're supposed to believe that all women think alike, act alike, and, of course, emote alike.

Yet it's not as if women are generally seen to be using a different sort of PC from men. They tend to lug around the same equipment.

The vastly sensitive brains at Fujitsu have decided this prejudice must end. Which is why there is now the Floral Kiss.… Read more

MetroPCS gets its Samsung Galaxy S3, too

Samsung is making good on its goal of turning its flagship Samsung Galaxy S3 smartphone into a household name.

Today, prepaid carrier MetroPCS announced that it would sell the Android 4.0 smartphone for $499. The 4.8-inch Galaxy S3 will ride MetroPCS' 4G LTE network at rates ranging from $30 to $70 per month.

The Galaxy S3 continues to sell like hotcakes around the globe. MetroPCS' offering not only brings good tidings to Samsung's bottom line, it also offers customers on the no-contract carrier one of the top phones available today, something that prepaid carriers like Metro often … Read more

Softbank chief: We're open to other deals in U.S.

Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son is ready and willing to entertain other buyout possibilities in the U.S., he has reportedly confirmed.

Speaking to The Wall Street Journal in an interview published yesterday, Son said that he isn't yet willing to rule out other acquisition deals, though he didn't specifically cite any company that might be in his crosshairs. Sprint CEO Dan Hesse, who was also present at the interview, told the Journal that at some point in the future, he could see his company merge with T-Mobile.

Softbank announced earlier this week that it would pay $20.1 billion … Read more