SoftBank reportedly closing in on purchase of T-Mobile
Watch out, AT&T and Verizon: Japanese telecom SoftBank could soon a close deal to buy T-Mobile, according to the Nikkei news service. SoftBank apparently hopes to acquire a majority of T-Mobile’s shares via its own US subsidiary, Sprint, as soon as next spring. The estimated price tag? More than two trillion yen, or some $19 billion. Of course, there will be several legal hoops to jump through, including approval from the FCC and the Department of Justice. If the deal gets the green light, though, the top four mobile carriers in the US will shrink to three, with the combined might of Sprint and T-Mobile posing a bigger threat to heavyweights AT&T and Verizon Wireless. Stay tuned!
Filed under: Networking, Mobile, T-Mobile
Source: Nikkei
Cydia update courts iOS 7 jailbreakers with a new interface (video)
The availability of an iOS 7 jailbreak may have caught the Cydia team off-guard, but not for long. Jay Freeman and fellow developers have just updated their unofficial app platform to match Apple’s minimalist look. It’s more than just a cosmetic upgrade, too, as it includes iOS 7′s swipe-based navigation and appears to run faster. Individual app writers will still have to update their code for everything to run smoothly, but jailbreak users who’ve just been waiting for an OS-native Cydia will want to check for the update today.
[Image credit: iOS Hacker]
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile, Apple
Via: iOS Hacker, 9to5 Mac
Source: Jay Freeman (Twitter)
First Mac Pros Begin Arriving Ahead of Christmas
Yesterday, Apple began shipping its Mac Pros to waiting customers, with many shipments carrying an estimated delivery date of December 30. As it turns out, Mac Pros are shipping early and are already making it into the hands of customers, with one MacRumors forum user receiving his Mac Pro today.
The 6-core stock Mac Pro was ordered on the West Coast with Next Day Shipping and had a listed delivery date of December 26, but it was delivered early, just ahead of tomorrow’s Christmas holiday.
With Mac Pros already reaching customers just a few days after orders initially began, Apple has successfully met its promised December release date for the professional desktop computer.
It appears that all Mac Pros shipped thus far have been the stock configurations, as customized Mac Pros ordered on the computer’s release date carried a non-specific “January” shipping estimate.
According to Apple, demand for the new Mac Pro has been “great” and the company expects that “it will take time before supply catches up with demand.” Mac Pros ordered today, both stock and custom, have an estimated ship date of February.
Apple’s Mac Pro starts at $2,999 for the low-end model, but can be customized with a wide variety of upgrades including additional memory, flash storage, enhanced graphics, and an improved CPU.
A fully loaded 12-core Mac Pro with 64GB of RAM, dual AMD FirePro D700 GPUs and 1TB of PCI-e based flash storage retails for $9599 in the United States.
(Thanks, Tom!)
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New website launched by Plex, direct casting to Chromecast Supported
Ples certainly has responded pretty quickly when it comes to updating apps and services to play nicer with the things we buy. Not long ago their Plex Pass app updated giving everyone with a Plex Pass account the ability to cast to their Chromecast devices. It had an issue, but they quickly jumped in resolved it with a media server update. Now they have gone and launched a brand new website that not only looks dramatically better than the previous interface, but also offers in direct casting as well.
The new design also comes with a new domain. You will definitely want to bookmark www.plex.tv . It loads much faster than the old online version. The sidebar lists out the various servers you have been granted access to by your friends and family and lists the titles of what is shared. Once inside it will have a very familiar look if you have a Google TV. With all the menu options hidden just off screen. You will also find a slick little “cast” button up at the top right.
A great new site design and one that was a little overdue really. While I adore my Chromecast and Plex partnership, being locked in with my phone wasn’t always ideal. I am very happy to see the web version get a big revamp. If you have Plex, again, be sure to check out the new site at www.plex.tv.
Via: Derek Ross
Samsung Galaxy Gear up on eBay Daily Deals for $199.95
If you were holding off on picking up the Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch for that lovable geek in the family, you might want to not wait any longer. The Samsung Galaxy Gear (refurbished) is up on eBays daily deals for the next 18 hours or so for just $199.95. That is just over $100 off. 118 of them have already been sold, and quantities are said to be limited. Heck, they even threw in free shipping too. It won’t make it to you in time for Christmas, but you can always print the order confirmation and stuff it in a stocking.
Looking over what is left, we see white, black and rose gold. Pretty sure they wont last too long. So get going over to the Galaxy Gear eBay Deals Page. If you need my address just shoot me an email.
Via: Droid-Life
AIVAnet 