Michelle Maisto

The Federal Communications Commission, weeks ahead of Chairman Julius Genachowski’s planned departure, has submitted its 2014 budget, which requests $359.3 million to “carry out the FCC’s functions and meet the expectations of Congress.” In the 132-page document, the FCC details eight “strategic goals” for the year. Each strategic goal has identified outcomes, and each of […]

Deutsche Telekom has made a concession to MetroPCS shareholders, ahead of their April 12 vote on whether to agree on a merger with Deutsche Telekom’s T-Mobile USA brand. The shareholders are now all that stands in the way of a finalized deal. The merger between what is currently the nation’s fourth- and fifth-largest carriers has […]

The global PC market, during the first quarter of this year, had its “worst-ever quarter” since IDC began tracking quarterly PC sales in 1994, the research firm announced April 10. While a middling economic climate could take some heat for the results, as could consumer interests shifting to smartphones and tablets, IDC analysts more than […]

Tablet Ownership in the United States According to the Mojiva study, which was conducted in January and included 1,000 respondents, roughly two-thirds of which were women, tablet adoption is growing at a pace set to exceed that of smartphones. One in four Americans now owns a tablet. No Slowing Down In January 2012, 45 million […]

T-Mobile will begin selling the Apple iPhone 5 Friday, April 12, and now it’s offering a new incentive for current iPhone owners to switch to its new-and-improving network. Through Father’s Day, June 16, “well-qualified customers” can bring in an iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S and receive an iPhone 5 for no money down, but with […]

Yahoo and Apple would make for excellent bedfellows. They just need to figure out how to get together. Apple wants to kick Google’s software off its devices. It’s been working to nudge YouTube and Google Maps off its iPhone and iPad, but when it comes to search, Google’s is the best, and the best is […]

Shodan is a little-known search engine that—unlike Google, which looks through Websites—searches for online content that’s not created for public viewing. This includes “servers, webcams, printers, routers and all the other stuff that is connected to and makes up the Internet,” CNN Money reported April 8, calling Shodan “the scariest search engine on the Internet.” […]

According to a new report from research firm NPD Group, 87 percent of U.S. entertainment consumers say they use at least one second-screen device while watching television. These consumers, says the report—which adds that 88 percent of households have a device that can be used as a second screen—are splitting their attention between TVs and […]

Virgin Mobile is trying to make itself heard over all the talking that T-Mobile, its reinvigorated and slightly larger rival, has been doing of late. T-Mobile’s very untraditional CEO, John Legere, has been repositioning T-Mobile as the “un-carrier” and marketing a new way of selling devices that he says does away with all that’s unclear […]

What are the most popular mobile applications in the world? That depends on the mobile platform and whether it’s free or not. Distimo today published its lists of top apps for March 2013, and the various lists make the suggestions about the users behind them. The number-one free-app list in the Apple App Store for […]

Unified Patents is a new San Francisco startup focused on undermining the business plan of nonpracticing entities (NPEs), The Wall Street Journal reported April 7. NPEs are often referred to as “patent trolls” by their critics, which they have no shortage of. NPEs own patents but nothing else and turn profits by suing companies that […]

Apple’s foiled attempt to trademark the “iPad Mini” has been reconsidered by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), MacRumors first reported April 7. “Upon further review of the application, the examining attorney has determined that the following refusals issued in the initial Office action should be withdrawn. The examining attorney apologizes for any […]