price

Is AT&T considering throttling heavy data users?

AT&T may be looking at new ways to control data hogs on its wireless network.

The company is rumored to be considering throttling super-heavy data users and restricting them to slower speeds in an effort to better manage its network and keep up with demand for mobile data, according to the blog 9to5mac.

The new policy could start the first in October, which is right around the time that Apple is expected to launch its next generation iPhone, the blog said.

AT&T wouldn't be the first wireless operator to employ such tactics. T-Mobile USA, which … Read more

3DS owners not totally out of luck, thanks to Nintendo 'Ambassador program'

A bumpy start out of the gate has forced Nintendo to drop the price of the 3DS 32 percent, down to $170 from $250 beginning on August 12. A weak launch lineup, failure to deliver a robust online marketplace on time, a finicky 3D experience, and an overall dearth of compelling software are to blame for disappointing sales.

And what if you were one of the early adopters who paid full price for a 3DS? Fortunately, all is not lost. In an attempt to make good for those loyal few, Nintendo has introduced what the company is calling the "Ambassador program."

Any 3DS unit that connects to the Nintendo eShop before 11:59 p.m. ET on August 11 is automatically registered to receive 20 free titles from the online store. Ten free NES titles, including Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong Jr., Balloon Fight, Ice Climber, and The Legend of Zelda will be released on September 1, and 10 Game Boy Advance games, including Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3, Mario Kart: Super Circuit, Metroid Fusion, WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame, and Mario vs. Donkey Kong will be released before the end of the year. … Read more

Netflix price hike stirs subscriber ire (roundup)

The DVD rental and movie-streaming company changes its pricing structure, prompting an uproar among its legion of users.

Netflix now tone-deaf on public perceptionBig Why not spell out the reasons for the price increase instead of cheering a potential $1 billion payday? Public-relations experts say there's a better way to deliver bad news to subscribers. (Posted in Media Maverick by Greg Sandoval) • Wal-Mart takes another crack at challenging Netflix • What HBO Go can teach Netflix (and vice versa) • Netflix to offer Facebook integration (outside U.S.) • 'Mad Men' makes its way to Netflix streaming … Read more

Study: Prices of top iPhone games keep dropping

As mobile application stores continue to grow in size, pricing among the most popular paid games software is going down, a new study has found.

In a new report by market research firm Distimo covering activity on various mobile app stores during the month of June, the group found that pricing among the top 300 apps in Apple's App Store has dropped 28 percent from averages taken the same time a year ago.

During the month of June last year, Distimo tracked the average price among the top 300 paid games in the App Store at $2.01, with … Read more

Netflix now tone-deaf on public perception

Reed Hastings sure can't be accused of sugarcoating anything.

Yesterday, the Netflix CEO and his company made a few more statements about a planned price increase that has many customers accusing the company of greed and threatening to quit the service.

After Netflix announced the increase on July 12, some had predicted that the blistering customer response would force managers to recognize it had erred and re-evaluate its decision. On the contrary, in the most recent statements, the company sounded full of confidence and even cheerful about the financial benefits the price increase would offer Netflix.

Whether or not Netflix has good reason to raise prices, the company has demonstrated that it doesn't know how to deliver bad news. Two weeks ago, Netflix left it to a little-known manager to announce prices were going up in a blog post. Netflix informed customers that starting in September it would do away with a popular $10-per-month subscription plan that offered DVD rentals as well as unlimited access to the company's streaming-video library. Subscribers will have to pay for streaming and DVDs separately and each costs $7.99 per month, or $15.98 per month for both.

The message was a "a disaster," says Howard Belk, co-CEO and chief creative officer at Siegel + Gale, which advises companies on their brand strategies and customer experience. "The tone was wrong, the quantity of information was too little, and it came out of left field. The message didn't reflect any value to their customer base." … Read more

Netflix 'hates' upsetting customers, but most won't cancel

Netflix said today that it "hates" upsetting customers by raising prices as much as 60 percent and acknowledged that the customer backlash to the rate hike would likely stifle growth and hurt earnings in the short term.

But in the long run, Netflix expects the price hike to yield some important benefits and may help the company hit a key benchmark: generate $1 billion in revenue during a single quarter. No doubt, many Netflix subscribers won't be impressed with that figure since some of that money will be coming out of their pockets. For people who hoped Netflix would reverse its decision on the price increase, the company's remarks suggest that isn't going to happen. … Read more

Don't call Netflix's CEO 'Greed' Hastings just yet

For those Netflix customers who may be thinking about dumping their subscription in September when the company plans to raise rates as much as 60 percent, here's one more thing to consider: to determine where the company is headed, it might help to look at its past.

CEO Reed Hastings has a long, if imperfect, record of serving customers, which no one else renting movies online can match. For a decade, Netflix has created technologies and features that have continuously provided customers with more and more savings and convenience when it comes to renting movies. How can we forget … Read more

Nokia's uphill battle to recovery

Expectations for Nokia's second-quarter earnings couldn't be any lower. But what about the future?

The Finnish company, which is still the No. 1 cell phone manufacturer in the world in terms of volume, has been struggling to keep up with competitors Apple and Google. The company reports its second-quarter earnings tomorrow.

In an effort to jump-start its ailing smartphone business the company announced in February that it will ditch its traditional Symbian operating system for Microsoft's Windows Phone platform. But the transition from Symbian to Windows Phone is proving to be a difficult one. Nokia isn't … Read more

How long can Sprint keep its unlimited plans up?

Sprint Nextel's unlimited data plan will eventually face its limits.

As the only carrier that can now boast of offering an all-you-can-eat buffet of data with no strings attached, Sprint has become a haven for bandwidth hogs. It's a boon to customer growth and gives the company a competitive edge beyond pricing or network quality. Unfortunately, it's also tough for the company to reverse its position.

The growth also comes at a cost. The more heavy users jump on the Sprint ship, the heavier the burden the carrier will start to feel. The company has employed tricks … Read more