contracting

Early-termination fees got you down? ETFs are fees that phone carriers charge customers in case they want to cancel their contracts early. Agreements usually last two years, but if you want to leave a carrier before then, the company uses ETFs as a way to recuperate money from selling you a subsidized phone. Some argue, however, that these fees are grossly expensive and exploitative. Our main advice is to read the terms of your agreement carefully and drum up a lot of attention with your carrier if things aren't going exactly the way you think they should be. For … Read more

Virgin Mobile has begun taking preorders for its next smartphone, the Gingerbread-powered PCD Venture.

The Venture is an affordable option for customers looking to scoop up their first Android device; it features a 2.8-inch display, a 600MHz processor, 512MB of RAM, and microSD expansion slot (for cards up to a 2GB). Taking a peek at the user manual reveals that the internal storage is 512MB and the digital camera 2 megapixels. While seasoned users might not get excited over the hardware, I suspect that both will matter little to the target user base.

Additional details for the Venture include … Read more

Subsidies, which allow the iPhone 4S or Galaxy S II to sell for $200, are actually hurting the industry and artificially devaluing the sophisticated hardware that's out in the market.

That's the read from T-Mobile USA Chief Marketing Officer Cole Brodman, who spoke yesterday at an event hosted by Geekwire. It's a surprising statement because T-Mobile--along with rivals such as AT&T and Verizon Wireless--still relies heavily on subsidies to drive customer growth.

But T-Mobile, more than its rivals, has experimented with no-contract, no-subsidy options, including a monthly payment plan for phones. Currently, the company's … Read more

The U.S. Air Force plans to replace some of its paper manuals with digital editions in the cockpit, and has just laid down the funds to make that happen.

Bloomberg reports that Phoenix-based Executive Technology was awarded a $9.36 million contract from the Air Force today, which it plans to use to purchase iPads that will then be loaded up with flight manuals and navigation software.

The move follows a request for proposals put out by the Air Mobility Command last month, asking for digital replacements for in-flight materials.

In an interview with Bloomberg, a military spokeswoman said … Read more

The second largest wireless carrier--and only official iPhone carrier--in China is offering the iPhone 4S for free when customers sign up for a multiyear contract.

According to a report by Bloomberg, China United Network Communications Group (China Unicom) is offering monthly rates for as low as $45 USD in an attempt to get customers locked in to a three-year service commitment.

Of course, adding iPhone users is no walk in the park; recall the issues experienced by AT&T after the release of the original iPhone stymied its network on a regular basis.

China Unicom found that adding iPhone … Read more

A breach-of-contract lawsuit filed yesterday against Grooveshark means that all the major recording labels are suing the popular music streaming service.

EMI Music Publishing's lawsuit against Grooveshark parent Escape Media Group accuses the company of paying no royalties on a music licensing pact signed in 2009. The lawsuit, filed in New York State Supreme Court, alleges that the company has "made not a single royalty payment to EMI, nor provided a single accounting statement," according to a New York Times report.

In a statement to the Times, Grooveshark said: "This is a contract dispute that we … Read more

Verizon Communications has fired 40 employees involved in this summer's bitter labor strike for behavior the company said ranged from physical violence to making racial threats.

The company informed the employees by mail over the weekend of their terminations for violating the company's code of conduct while picketing a new contract, according to a Boston Globe report. More than 45,000 Verizon workers in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states walked off the job to protest contract reduction offered by the company.

"We respect the rights of our employees to peacefully picket and protest during a strike. However, … Read more

The paper contract that marked the legal beginnings of Apple goes on sale next month.

Bloomberg reported today that Sotheby's is selling the document at its Fine Books and Manuscripts auction on December 13. The item is estimated to sell for anywhere between $100,000 and $150,000, Sotheby's said in a release (PDF) announcing the sale.

The three-page document is signed by Steve Wozniak, Steve Jobs, and Ronald Wayne. Wayne famously decided to walk away from his 10 percent share of the company in return for $2,300 split up between two payments. Before that happened though, … Read more

It was just last week that I wrote about the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7-inch tablet with 3G for $249.99. Now, all of a sudden, you can get the same model for $29.99 shipped. Today only.

What's the catch? Actually, there are two. First, this is a refurbished Tab with a 90-day warranty. Second, to get the tablet at that price, you must sign up for a two-year data contract with AT&T.

Now, if you were planning to do that anyway, this is just about the tablet deal of the decade. (Granted, the decade's barely … Read more