RIP Windows Phone 8.1.  Microsoft said Tuesday that it was ending support for Windows Phone 8.1, one of the more notable updates to its troubled mobile operating system.  The writing has been on the wall for a while for Windows Phone, which hasn’t gotten a meaningful update or any new products in two years. While …

For Elon Musk, X marks the spot. Or the domain.  The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX confirmed in a tweet that he had purchased the X.com domain from PayPal. Musk said he didn’t have any plans for the domain, but that it had “great sentimental value to me.” The X.com domain name was originally a financial services company started by …

MetroPCS is putting out the welcome mat to new customers.  The prepaid service, a unit of T-Mobile, said existing customers with a $40 6-gigabyte plan can add new lines for $25 — a $5 discount from the normal price. The company is also offering its unlimited-data plan for $50 a month, or two lines for $80. If you opt for …

Now playing: Watch this: Samsung’s S8 assistant still isn’t ready 1:27 Samsung’s Bixby is still a no-show.  The consumer electronics giant told the Korea Herald on Tuesday that the English version of its digital assistant will be delayed — again — because it lacks enough big data to teach it to work properly. Bixby Voice was supposed to launch in late …

The iPhone really did change everything. Sure, there were smartphones before Apple’s came along in 2007, but BlackBerry and Windows Mobile devices were largely the tools of white-collar workers and productivity beasts who needed to have e-mail all the time. The iPhone was the first smartphone that anyone could easily use — even if the original was expensive and surprisingly …

Qualcomm’s legal battle with the Federal Trade Commission will carry on.  A US federal judge ruled against Qualcomm’s motion to dismiss an antitrust lawsuit filed by the FTC, the Wall Street Journal reported late Monday. The suit alleges that Qualcomm used its power and position in the industry to extract high royalties from phone manufacturers and to weaken rivals. Qualcomm argued that …

Now playing: Watch this: Virgin Mobile’s crazy $1-a-year iPhone plan comes with… 1:52 Virgin Mobile has come out as a total Apple fanboy. Virgin, one of the prepaid arms of Sprint, said at an event in San Francisco on Wednesday that it would stop selling Android phones and exclusively focus on iPhones. To sweeten the deal, Virgin said the first …

Apple is digging in for its legal battle against Qualcomm.  On Tuesday, the Cupertino, California, tech giant filed an update to its complaint against Qualcomm, alleging that the chipmaker stifles innovation. Rather than focus only on itself, Apple is arguing that Qualcomm’s impact is much broader. “Qualcomm’s illegal business practices are harming Apple and the entire industry,” Apple said in …

Now playing: Watch this: Sprint’s free unlimited data offer has some limits 1:53 Sprint’s free offer is an attempt to nab customers away from rivals.  Sprint Sprint must have lost its mind. That’s probably what you’re thinking after hearing that the carrier is offering a year of unlimited data for free. Let that sink in for a moment: FREE. Your …

Apple and Dell may be angling to get in on the flash memory business.  That’s according to China’s Foxconn CEO Terry Gou, who told Reuters in an interview that the two consumer electronic companies have joined its consortium to bid for Toshiba’s chip business. Toshiba is entertaining multiple bids as it looks to unload the unit to ease its financial …