Roger Cheng

Boost Mobile overhauls prepaid plans to stay in competitive mix

The ZTE Boost Max for Boost Mobile. Josh Miller/CNET Boost Mobile radically shook up its phone service plans on Monday as it looks to keep pace with amped-up rivals. The provider of prepaid wireless service, which is a unit of Sprint, rolled out three new plans: a $40 plan that includes 500 megabytes of data; …

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Samsung, Sony carve out own ‘Experience’ spaces at Best Buy

A Sony Experience area in a Best Buy in Rochester, Minn. Sony Sony and Samsung are doubling down on their retail presence. Both companies said on Thursday that it would open its own “Experience” space Best Buy locations around the country. Sony would be in 350 locations, while Samsung would be in 500. The spaces are designed to better promote …

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T-Mobile CEO John Legere at CES 2014 James Martin/CNET T-Mobile posted its best-ever quarter for subscriber growth, but those gains came at a steep cost. Riding the wave of an aggressive program in which the carrier covered the early termination fees of customers willing to make the switch, T-Mobile added a net 2.4 million new customers in the first quarter …

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T-Mobile CEO John Legere. T-Mobile The “Uncarrier” remains unprofitable, but T-Mobile’s executives believe they are setting the foundation for change. T-Mobile has already proven it can add new customers — in a spectacular fashion. The nation’s fourth-largest wireless carrier by subscribers pummeled its larger competitors, gaining 2.4 million net new customers, or more than the other three combined and roughly …

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LG’s Android Wear smartwatch may arrive in June

LG’s G Watch looks to have a more traditional square-type display, but a similar UI to other Android Wear devices. LG Google’s first Android Wear smartwatch may just be around the corner. Google and LG’s G Watch could launch in June for 199 euros ($274.50), according to French news site Les Numeriques, which got confirmation from LG’s arm in France. …

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HTC says One M8 momentum still strong

From left, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek, Sprint CEO Dan Hesse, Harman CEO Dinesh Paliwal, and HTC CEO Peter Chou. Sarah Tew/CNET HTC is still on a roll. That’s according to HTC President Jason MacKenzie, who said activations of its HTC One M8 remained strong going into the third and fourth week of sales. Those weeks outperformed every week of sales …

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Sprint’s bleeding continues: Loss narrows even as more customers defect

Lynn La/CNET Sprint’s painful transition continues. The long slog of improving its network continues to take a toll on Sprint’s customer base, with nearly half a million net customers leaving the carrier in the first quarter of 2014, a 12 percent higher level of defection than a year ago. The Overland Park, Kan., wireless provider on Tuesday posted a first-quarter …

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Framily’s a hit? Sprint CEO calls it fastest growing plan ever

Lynn La/CNET Sprint’s Framily plan may sound funny, but the company was quite serious when discussing its potential. Framily is the wireless carrier’s friends and family program, in which the discount increases with each additional member. It is also Sprint’s best weapon against the aggressive pricing and promotional offers doled out by the likes of AT&T and T-Mobile, which caused …

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Sprint’s music bonanza: Everything you need to know (FAQ)

The HTC One M8 Harman Kardon edition. We know, it’s a mouthful. Sarah Tew/CNET Sprint has something it thinks is worth a listen. On Tuesday, the carrier announced a deal with Spotify to bring six months of free premium service to customers who sign up for its Framily friends and family program. It also pulled the wraps off the HTC …

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Microsoft’s Elop: Nokia brand soon to vanish from smartphones

Microsoft’s new head of devices, Stephen Elop. James Martin/CNET Former Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, starting his new job as head of Microsoft’s devices group Monday, doesn’t see the Nokia name sticking around for long at Microsoft. “Nokia as a brand will not be used for long going forward for smartphones,” Elop said in a Q&A on its Conversations blog (recently …

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