PC shipments may finally play second fiddle to those of tablets before the year is over, at least according to one analyst. In one scenario outlined today by Sameer Singh, head analyst at technology incubator BitChemy Ventures, PC shipments will fall to between 70 million and 75 million in the fourth quarter, while tablet shipments …

CNET Tablets and touch-screen notebooks will give a helping hand to the PC industry in the coming years, according to NPD DisplaySearch. Shipments of mobile PCs are forecast to reach 762.7 million globally by 2017, up from 367.6 million last year, according to an NPD report released Monday. Most of that growth will come about as tablets replace traditional notebooks …

Samsung is launching a new Android smartphone this month with lower-end features but with a dual-SIM option that lets users access two different SIM cards. The new Galaxy Core will be available in two versions — a single-SIM model that won’t be available until July and the dual-SIM model that will debut this month in certain markets. Powered by a …

Many parents apparently still aren’t getting the message about the dangers of distracted driving. Among 618 parents surveyed for a study out today from the American Academy of Pediatrics, almost 90 percent of them admitted to chatting on the phone, texting, fiddling with the GPS, or doing other things while driving with their children in the car. The parents who …

Those of you looking to snare the LG Optimus Pro can now preorder one through AT&T. Normally $549.99 off contract, the phone costs $199.99 with the standard two-year agreement. That price includes an LG black folio case. AT&T promises a ship date of May 7, a few days ahead of the phone’s official launch date of May 10. Related stories …

Samsung is now clear to start pitching its new flagship phone to the government. The handset maker announced Friday that its Knox-enabled mobile devices have been approved by the Pentagon for government use. Samsung’s Knox software offers high-level encryption, a VPN feature, and a way to separate personal data from work data. The software also enables IT administrators to manage …

Those of you who pick up the HTC One smartphone could get cash back if you trade in your current phone. Kicking off Thursday, the offer rewards buyers of the HTC One with as little as $100 or as much as $375 for trading it any one of a number of phones. The trade-in promo page lists the following phones: …

T-Mobile USA and MetroPCS have made it official and joined forces as one company. Known as T-Mobile US as of Wednesday, the new combined company will bring together the networks, subscribers, and other assets. The newly united carriers together hold around 43 million subscribers as of March 31. T-Mobile US’s total coverage reaches around 301 million people. A full 228 …

LG Electronics achieved a record number of smartphone shipments for the first quarter of 2013. The mobile phone maker shipped 10.3 million smartphones for the quarter ended in March, its highest level since jumping onto the smartphone bandwagon. Revenues in LG’s mobile business reached 3.21 trillion won ($2.96 billion), a rise of 28.5 percent from the year-ago quarter. The company …

T-Mobile USA and MetroPCS can become one now that the merger deal has received the thumbs-up from MetroPCs shareholders. MetroPCS shareholder approval, announced Wednesday, was the final step needed after the deal received approval from the boards of MetroPCS and T-Mobile USA parent Deutsche Telekom, as well as legal nods from the Federal Communications Commission and U.S. Justice Department. The …