sprint

Sprint in no hurry to raise stakes for MetroPCS merger

Sprint appears to be taking a wait-and-see approach on a possible acquisition bid for MetroPCS.

The No. 3 wireless carrier is delaying a counteroffer in an effort to examine Deutsche Telekom's plan to merge the prepaid carrier with T-Mobile, sources tell Bloomberg. The company is reportedly holding its counteroffer for a chance to see Deutsche Telekom's proxy filing to examine details of the German communications giant's negotiations.

CNET has contacted Sprint for comment and will update this report when we learn more.

Deutsche Telekom, which owns T-Mobile, announced a plan last week to buy MetroPCS and combine it with T-Mobile. … Read more

eBay gives the world another Groupon

Thursday's CNET Update wants to make a deal:

eBay made headlines Wednesday with a dramatic redesign, but it's not out of the spotlight yet. Today's tech news roundup looks at eBay's Lifestyle Deals, a service similar to Groupon. It's being tested now in a few markets, including New York. Can you handle (or want) another Groupon clone? Is there room in this space for eBay? Share your daily deal experiences and thoughts with us via e-mail or in a 15-second Tout video.

This holiday, Fab expects you to flock to its mobile shopping app. The … Read more

Sprint to sell LG Optimus G, LG Mach, Galaxy Tab 2 10.1

Sprint Nextel expanded its lineup of 4G LTE devices, nabbing the LG Optimus G quad-core smartphone, the LG Mach QWERTY slider, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 tablet, and a 4G USB stick.

Apart from the previously announced LG Optimus G, Sprint announced the new devices at the MobileCon wireless trade show today. No pricing or availability information was available.

The brand-new LG Mach features a full QWERTY keyboard and is expected to be a more affordable device. The smartphone runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, has a 5-megapixel rear camera and VGA front-facing camera, and is … Read more

Sprint network snafu causes major flight delays

If you're a Sprint customer in Minnesota, Washington, and Oregon, you may be experiencing a significant wireless network outage. Several reports including TechCrunch and the Seattle Times have said Sprint's data service is inoperable.

The computer system of regional Alaska Airlines looks to have been hit by the glitch, too, causing the company to list flight delays. Apparently the trouble started when a key fiber optic cable was cut earlier this morning.

Judging from Sprint's response to CNET, the problem has still not been resolved. See below to see exactly what Sprint had to say.

Earlier this … Read more

Sprint eyes vanity numbers with $3-a-month StarStar initiative

Sprint customers will now be able to have their own vanity numbers.

The mobile carrier has announced a partnership with Zoove that will now allow its customers to have their own StarStar numbers. According to Sprint, customers can choose their names, personal handles, or other tags, and set them as their StarStar Me numbers.

StarStar is run by Zoove, which has heretofore delivered its services to companies. Zoove's CEO Joe Gillespie previously served as executive vice president of CBS Interactive, CNET's parent company.

Upon picking a handle, a company's customers can text or call it by entering … Read more

Sprint will have the Optimus G, too

Turns out AT&T won't be alone in selling LG's flagship Optimus G phone. Sprint, the nation's third-largest carrier, will also be offering the device.

The Optimus G is one of the first phones to run Qualcomm's quad-core Snapdragon processor, allowing it to handle complex tasks such as pinch-to-zooming a high-definition video clip as it's running, or working in a second application with video playing in the background.

LG has struggled to make a mark in the U.S. with its smartphones, and the Optimus G has a rough road ahead of it. While … Read more

Sprint mulls outbidding T-Mobile for MetroPCS

Sprint may want MetroPCS for itself.

Bloomberg reports that the number-three U.S. wireless carrier is considering its own offer for prepaid provider MetroPCS, which yesterday announced a deal with Deutsche Telekom to merge with the U.S. wireless provider T-Mobile.

The news service says that Sprint, which had been close to its own deal to buy MetroPCS earlier this year, is talking to advisers about whether it should offer a higher price to buy the company. Sprint had been re-evaluating a play for MetroPCS a few weeks ago before T-Mobile announced its deal, unnamed sources told Bloomberg.

On Wednesday, … Read more

T-Mobile, MetroPCS look to eat Sprint's prepaid lunch

A combining of T-Mobile USA and MetroPCS could make for a potent player in the rough-and-tumble prepaid business.

T-Mobile has over the past few years expanded its no-contract options for consumers, giving it a badly needed source of customer growth. MetroPCS, meanwhile, has long been an aggressive -- albeit small -- provider of prepaid services with experience in running a low-cost business.

Together, the companies could present a challenge to Sprint Nextel, long the biggest champion of no-contract services with multiple prepaid brands under its umbrella. T-Mobile and MetroPCS today touted the establishment of the "leading value-focused wireless carrier&… Read more

iPhone 5 or Samsung Galaxy S3? And why Sprint LTE isn't enough

There are so many factors to consider when buying a new smartphone and choosing a wireless service. The truth is that what's good for one consumer may not satisfy the needs of another.

In this edition of Ask Maggie, I offer some buying advice for a consumer considering the iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S3. It's not an easy decision. These devices are both excellent choices. I also explain to a different reader why I didn't even consider Sprint's network when buying my iPhone 5. And I talk about the importance of network coverage in … Read more

Apple's iPhone 5 said to be coming to Virgin Mobile

A question that has been lingering since the launch of the iPhone 5 is where is Virgin Mobile?

Over the summer, Sprint's prepaid Virgin Mobile unit began offering, the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4, but word has been mum on the newest version of Apple's smartphone. Until today, that is.

According to MacRumors, Apple confirmed that it has readied Virgin-specific CDMA iPhone 5 units. Apparently, Virgin Mobile USA iPhone 5 models will come in both black and white and in 16, 32, and 64 GB. Virgin Mobile has yet to confirm this, however.

Several carriers, including AT&… Read more