upgrades

In the cell phone world, upgrade fees are the root of all evil.

Well, maybe not all evil, but they're responsible for a big portion of it. Apparently, though, carriers don't agree.

Consider that on Friday, AT&T confirmed that it was doubling its upgrade fee from $18 to $36. So now, any AT&T customer who decides to upgrade to a new phone will have to pay a decent chunk of change for the "privilege."

True, AT&T isn't the only carrier to do so and it doesn't charge more … Read more

Sprint is offering select subscribers a chance to upgrade their handset, even if they aren't eligible for the "New for You" pricing.

According to a leaked internal document scooped up by SprintFeed, the carrier is providing prorated upgrade fees that range from the typical $36 on up to $165. Provided the customers meets the criteria, they can renew their plan and pick up a new smartphone at a somewhat reasonable price.

Take, for instance, the Samsung Epic Touch 4G, which Sprint offers for $199.99 with a two-year service agreement. Outright, you would pay a hefty $499.… Read more

There's an Easter Egg in Hyundai's color codes, what's the point of all of this advanced engine tech anyway, and where do we go for our DIY car maintenance needs? We get to the bottom of these questions and more on on this week's episode of CNET Roadside Assistance.

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which we answer questions e-mailed in by our readers.

This week people wrote in with questions about network router firmware upgrades not working, upgrading Mac Pro and iMac systems, and iPhoto refusing to import images after migrating to a new computer. We continually answer e-mail questions, and though we present answers here, we welcome alternative approaches and views from readers and encourage you to post your own suggestions in the comments.

Question: Firmware upgrades on network routers not working MacFixIt reader Alain asks:

Adobe Systems has responded to complaints about its Creative Suite upgrade prices with a new option for customers who bought earlier versions of the software.

The company, which plans to release its CS6 software bundles in the first half of 2012, had offered upgrades only to those who'd bought CS5 or CS5.5. That raised a ruckus, especially after Scott Kelby, president of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals, griped about the upgrade pricing in an open letter.

Adobe's now changed course with an upgrade offer for CS3 and CS4 users, too. That offer, though not yet detailed, … Read more

I get this question all the time, "I just bought a new TV, do I need to buy a HDMI receiver?" The short answer is no.

You can hook up your Blu-ray or cable box's HDMI outputs directly to the TV, and run digital audio cables to your receiver, and live happily ever after. Granted, you won't be able to play Dolby TrueHD or DTS HD Master Audio soundtracks, just standard Dolby Digital and DTS audio you have enjoyed all these years. Some players, like the Oppo BDP-93 or '95 internally decode TrueHD and DTS Master … Read more

We say goodbye to HTC's locked bootloaders and hello to Mr. Android and his cadre of Japanese schoolgirls on this week's episode.

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NEWS:

-Verizon ready to discontinue Droid 3, 4G hot spots, and more

-Asus Transformer Prime ICS upgrade, bugfixes announced

-HTC makes locked bootloaders a thing of the past

-Google Moves To Ensure UI Integrity On All Android 4.0 Devices

-Clockwork Mod tether: USB tethering, no root required

-Meet Mr. Android

-Android gets manga treatment

CES … Read more

Microsoft plans to target inexpensive smartphones with the next release of its mobile operating system, and won't add more advanced features until a software release slated for the fourth quarter of 2012, according to a leaked Windows Phone roadmap obtained by the Web site Wmpoweruser.com.

The next iteration of the software known as Tango will be out the door in the second half of 2012, the leaked plans reportedly indicate. By Q4, Microsoft plans to roll out its next big upgrade, known as Apollo. This update will provide features such as dual-core devices, near-field communications, and HD screens. … Read more

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which we answer questions e-mailed in by our readers.

This week people wrote in with questions on using Disk Utility from a prior version of OS X, whether or not to repair a broken G5 or upgrade, how to recover a missing Downloads folder on the Dock, and the necessity of the Lion recovery partition. We continually answer e-mail questions, and though we present answers here, we welcome alternative approaches and views from readers and encourage you to post your suggestions in the comments.

NOTE: The "contact us" box on the MacFixIt … Read more