So far in this sale week, Apple’s Four-Day Savings Event has been another lame batch of gift cards on select products. Nothing to get too excited over if you’re looking for a real deal. Other retailers, on the other hand, haven’t let you down when it comes to Cyber Monday 2018. Whether it’s Apple AirPods, HomePod, iPad, iPhone or …

AT&T is going all-in on streaming video services.  The telecom giant, in the midst of a transformation into an entertainment powerhouse via its acquisition of Time Warner, offered a business update that included new details on its plans for a subscription video-on-demand service.  The service, planned for the fourth quarter, will have three tiers: a low-end option focused on movies, …

Lawmakers are continuing their push to end robocalls. On Wednesday, Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein of California, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota introduced the REAL PEACE Act, which would expand the Federal Trade Commission’s authority to crack down on telecom companies that facilitate illegal robocalls. (In case you’re wondering, the witty acronym stands for “Robocall Elimination At …

Hey, if you routinely visit the Cheapskate in your desktop browser, check out my fancy new digs! I’ll be using those slots up top to spotlight ongoing deals and featured stories, like the nine best free streaming-movie services and Sprint’s free year of phone service. So bookmark me and hit up the page every now and again. Heck, make me …

Now playing: Watch this: Samsung needs a win with the Galaxy S10 (The 3:59, Ep…. 4:56 On this podcast, we talk about: All the rumors surrounding the anticipated Samsung Galaxy S10. Apple’s word on iPhone XR sales so far. The 3:59 gives you bite-size news and analysis about the top stories of the day, brought to you by the CNET …

T-Mobile is getting back into mobile banking.  The company quietly launched a pilot of a mobile banking service called T-Mobile Money. The service’s website touts no fees for things like over drafting or using an ATM. It’s being rolled out on a limited basis.  T-Mobile Money checking accounts will offer 1 percent annual interest, but T-Mobile wireless customers can get …

Didn’t find exactly what you were looking for during your Cyber Monday/Black Friday shopping? You may have another chance. Best Buy is hosting a 20 Days of Doorbusters promo where it’ll debut a new deal on a specific product each day. Best Buy promises that each deal will be its lowest price of the season, but you’ll only have one …

Microsoft Office is rolling out new app icon designs for the first time in five years. Icons for apps such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint will sport a more simplified look, Microsoft said in a Thursday blog post. The changes will start showing up on mobile in the next few months, and on Windows and Mac in the months following. …

Still in a shopping mood after Cyber Monday? Carriers and retailers have transitioned into “holiday sales”. Discounts apply to top phones such as the Note 9 and Galaxy S9, as well as last year’s Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus. There’s a free gift as well, a daily surprise from AT&T. These post-Cyber Monday promotions range from bill credit-style discounts to a redeemable coupon. The …

Microsoft has been awarded a $480 million contract to supply the US Army with prototype HoloLens augmented reality systems for use in combat missions and training, according to a filing with the General Services Administration. The contract could eventually lead to the military purchasing over 100,000 AR headsets as part of a program to “increase lethality by enhancing the ability …

Casio announced Thursday it expects its Pro Trek Smart WSD-F30 watch to be released on Jan. 18, 2019. The watch, which runs on Google’s Wear OS, was announced in August at the IFA 2018 tech conference in Berlin, where it won eight awards.  The rugged F30 is made for outdoors enthusiasts, with water resistance up to 50 meters, built-in GPS …

The art of haggling is all but lost nowadays. On the internet, the price is the price — take it or leave it. Maybe not. PriceWaiter is a plug-in for Chrome and Firefox that lets you bid on items from various online stores. In other words, instead of paying the listed price, you can offer to pay, well, less. And …

Google sees potential in Southeast Asia, and it’s doing something about it. The internet giant is almost done with its first-ever Indie Game Accelerator program. 32 start-ups from around the region are attending an all-expenses-paid bootcamp where they’re learning about game development, business development and office management. Google chose Southeast Asia, and not Silicon Valley, for the inaugural program because …

Starbucks will reportedly crush customers’ porn viewing habits in 2019. The coffee giant will introduce a tool that’ll stop people from viewing explicit material on its Wi-Fi networks next year, Business Insider reported Tuesday. Watching porn is already banned at Starbucks, but it currently has only has content blockers in place in its UK stores. The change comes after years …

More YouTube creators can share stories now. On Thursday, the popular video-sharing site expanded its Stories feature to “creators” with more than 10,000 subscribers, according to a YouTube blog post. The feature, which was originally called Reels, allows video makers to layer their creations with text, stickers, filters and other items. The feature, which debuted in November 2017, lets creators make …