Boost

MetroPCS and Leap Wireless' growth in the fourth quarter could be summed up with one word: meh.

Both prepaid wireless providers offered up an early look at their customer growth and the results were mixed. Leap Wireless, which sells service under its Cricket Wireless subsidiary, released its figures yesterday and narrowly beat expectations. MetroPCS reported its customer growth today, which fell slightly below analysts' expectations.

The results were neither tragically bad or particularly impressive. But given that the fourth quarter is the largest sales period for the prepaid players, that itself makes the results somewhat disappointing. That MetroPCS and Leap … Read more

Last year, when Ford announced its smallest EcoBoost engine yet, we fully expected the new mill to find its way under the hood of a Ford Fiesta. Turns out that we were only partially correct.

Today, Ford announced that it would be unveiling the all-new Ford EcoSport at the New Delhi Auto Expo. This small crossover--which looks like a ruggedized, upright version of the Fiesta hatchback--will be powered by the smallest of the EcoBoost family, the turbocharged and direct-injected, 1.0-liter, three-cylinder engine.

Ford claims that with an output of about 118 converted horsepower (120 PS), this mighty mite of … Read more

If Ford engineers had their way, Santa Claus would be delivering packages to all the good girls and boys on Christmas Eve in a Ford sleigh concept.

The muscle car-inspired, bright-red, concept sleigh is powered by a 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine and boasts 125 horsepower, with 170Nm peak torque (with 200Nm overboost)--giving it the highest power density of any Ford production engine to date.

Ford engineers apparently presented the concept sleigh design to Santa and Mrs. Claus, along with its environmental and cost-saving advantages.

Each Christmas Eve, Jolly Old St. Nick reportedly circumnavigates the globe--124,421,727 miles--in a … Read more

LOS ANGELES--Lincoln hits the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show with a one-two punch, unveiling the 2013 MKS sedan and MKT crossover simultaneously.

The most prominent change to these two 2013 Lincolns is the new design language. Lincoln has simplified and restyled the waterfall grille into something that can only really be described as a windswept mustache. Twin grilles with vertical bars sweep back into integrated headlamps. Meanwhile, the front fenders and hood have been simplified with fewer creases and kinks. I think the MKS wears the look better, partially due to its more compact size. In either case, the result … Read more

Boost Mobile is showing Android lots of love these days, most of them for candy bar form factors. This week's announcement of the ZTE Warp is a perfect example. Luckily, Boost has one "Gingerbread man" QWERTY for Android fans who like a good keyboard: the Samsung Transform Ultra.… Read more

Just a day before Boost Mobile puts the Android-powered Samsung Transform Ultra on the market, it's bumping up the price of its all-in-one data plan for Android phones by $5 a month, from $50 to $55 per month.

While nobody likes rate hikes, Boost will continue to sweeten the deal with its Shrinkage Plan, which lowers customers' monthly plans by $5 for every six on-time payments (not necessarily consecutive), down to a minimum of $40 per month.

As of October 6, Boost's existing Android owners will get their $50 monthly rate grandfathered in until they upgrade to a new handset, after which they'll see the $5 rate hike but won't lose their Shrinkage standing.

Rate hikes are a fact of life with carriers, especially as market pressures to maintain and expand their data networks strain their own bottom line. Timing the rate increase with the Samsung Transform Ultra release hints at Boost Mobile's sales expectations for the device. The more new Android users it has, the more all-you-can-eat data its customers will use.… Read more

After impressing us with the higher-end Samsung Galaxy Prevail, Boost Mobile and Samsung are angling for a second success with the prepaid Samsung Transform Ultra.

A reboot of the ho-hum Samsung Transform that parent company Sprint debuted a year ago, Boost's Transform Ultra features Android 2.3 Gingerbread as its up-to-date operating system. It also has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, and a 1GHz processor to keep it humming along. For multimedia needs, the Transform Ultra is home to a 3MP rear-facing camera, and a VGA front-facing camera. The smartphone comes with a 2GB microSD card included, and takes up … Read more

Verizon Wireless plans to launch a cheaper contract-free plan nationally this week, allowing it to better compete for bargain-seeking consumers.

The nation's largest wireless carrier will offer the plan, which includes unlimited calling, text messages and Internet use for $50 a month and is known as "Unleashed," on Thursday, according to the Dow Jones Newswires. The offer will be available in Verizon stores, Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Target.

Verizon's move underscores the growing allure of the prepaid business as one of the last areas of growth in the wireless industry. Verizon has long held a lackluster … Read more

Just as our houses require regular cleaning to get rid of the messes of daily living, so, too, do computers require cleaning to get rid of the messes of downloading, installing, uninstalling, and Internet surfing. System Boost Elite is a full-featured program that can tidy up your Registry, junk files, and more. Unfortunately, the free version can only fix three problems at a time, which could be a drawback if you haven't been staying on top of your housekeeping.

The program's interface is attractive and easy to navigate, with check boxes that let users select Registry Clean, Privacy … Read more