Hasta La Gadget!

Welcome to Friday, folks. The weekend is here once again, and what better way to kick off the festivities than with a Windows 8 purchase? The new OS went up for pre-order today, while a number of other Windows 8-related stories were popping up all over the place. For instance, we found out that the marketing campaign for Windows 8 cost Microsoft a whopping $1.5 billion, and a collection of HP computers were spotted running Windows 8 on the show floor of one Best Buy store in Minnesota.

Dell is getting in early on the Windows 8 action, opening up pre-orders for a handful of new machines today, and we learned that a staggering 6 billion people around the world are now using a mobile phone of some type. A leaked T-Mobile release roadmap gives us an idea of when the carrier expects to receive a bunch of different devices, including the Windows Phone 8X. We received a rather in-depth look at an LG Nexus prototype today, and LG delivered a brand new Optimus G “product movie” that aims to get us familiar with the new handset’s features. Netflix released a Windows 8-compatible version of its app today, just ahead of the launch of the OS.

Google could be headed for an antitrust case from the FTC, and it seems that the Apple Maps controversy hasn’t done much to damage consumer enthusiasm for the iPhone 5. Speaking of the iPhone 5, Apple’s latest mobile offering has managed to overtake the Samsung Galaxy S III in web traffic despite being available for a much shorter amount of time, and Google is getting the Play Store ready for the holiday rush. SoftBank is looking to secure $23 billion to buy a majority stake in Sprint, and industry insiders are claiming that the long-rumored iPad Mini will be revealed on October 23 – just a couple weeks from now.

Star Citizen has already managed to raise an absurd $500,000 in funding, while Borderlands 2 was seen outshining its predecessor in a pretty significant way. We learned that the games industry is still on the decline, and ASUS unveiled a brand new Windows 8 VivoBook today. Amazon is now posting a disclaimer about the Kindle Paperwhite’s backlighting, YouTube is rethinking the way it ranks videos for search results, and Anonymous has cut ties with Wikileaks after the website started restricting access and asking visitors for donations.

Finally tonight, we have an unboxing and hands-on with the Huawei MediaPad 10 FHD for you to check out, and Chris Burns tells us why every little piece of Apple news seems to matter so much these days. That does it for tonight’s Evening Wrap-Up, here’s hoping that this weekend is a good one!

SlashGear Evening Wrap-Up: October 12, 2012 is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

This week its becoming clear that the Japanese wireless service provider known as SoftBank is ready and willing to take a giant stab at the US marker with Sprint as is readies 23 billion dollars in borrowed cash for a bid. By acquiring Sprint, SoftBank has been tipped to be gaining favor with a variety of hardware manufacturers, this allowing them to grab high-tiered smartphones and tablets for their own brand in Japan. Meanwhile it would appear that the deal is “a must-do deal” for Sprint while for SoftBank it simply isn’t so – this idea coming from Yasuo Sakuma, portfolio manager at Bayview Asset Management in Tokyo, adding “it’s going to be very difficult to turn Sprint around.”

Sakuma of course refers to Sprint’s recent not-so-fabulous showing in the market as US-based Verizon and AT&T continue to grow by leaps and bounds. Meanwhile 4th runner-up T-Mobile continues talks to acquire Metro PCS, they together running up ever closer to Sprint’s third-place standing in the states. Sakuma added that, “the strong yen is probably one of the reasons for SoftBank to acquire overseas assets, but I don’t think this deal will be good for SoftBank.”

With a massive $23 billion in loans to finance this purchase, SoftBank has been warned that they’ll have “unacceptably high” levels of debt – so says a brokerage speaking with Rueters on the matter. This adds to the madness that is Sprint’s market value jumping by $2 billion at news this week of SoftBank’s acquisition talks, this bringing the US-based company up to $17 billion in value altogether.

Sprint also currently has a net debt of around $15 billion while SoftBank’s current net debt sits at $10 billion. Banking business group Societe Generale sent a note out this week on the deal saying that “This deal simply appears to be driven by Masayoshi Son’s belief that Sprint Nextel is too cheap, and little more.” Masayoshi is the current CEO and founder of SoftBank.

SoftBank plans $23 billion for Sprint bid is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The mobile carrier landscape in the US is definitely changing, what with the most recent merger concerning both T-Mobile and MetroPCS, where the latter’s smartphones will soon be able to take advantage of T-Mobile’s network coverage. Well, Japanese carrier Softbank could play a role in reshaping the US wireless landscape too, with talk that the Japanese giant could very well drop a cool $19 billion thereabouts (according to The Nikkei newspaper) for a major stake in Sprint – we’re talking about as much as 75% here. It does help for Softbank to have such a huge war chest, considering how they are currently the only carrier in Japan that offers the iPhone as an exclusive device.

One thing is for sure though – if the deal between Softbank and Sprint goes through, it will be able to disrupt the wireless industry that is slowly shifting towards a Verizon and AT&T duopoly. Do you think Sprint will end up being a Japanese business concern eventually, or is this just a flash in the pan rumor that was cooked up?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Japan’s Softbank reportedly looking to purchase majority stake in Sprint for $12.8 billion, Sprint reportedly holding off on MetroPCS counter-offer for now,

Earlier today we reported on the rumors that Sprint might be holding off on countering T-Mobile’s offer for MetroPCS, and now it seems that according to a report from Reuters, Sprint may very well be bought out themselves, or at least the majority stake. According to one of Reuters’ source, Japan’s third-largest mobile carrier, Softbank, is looking to acquire the majority stake in Sprint in a deal that is purportedly worth more than 1 trillion yen, which is about $12.8 billion. Neither company has come forward to officially acknowledge the report, but according to the Japanese media, one of the reasons why Softbank might be interested in purchasing a majority stake in Sprint is so that it would make it cheaper for Softbank to acquire smartphones and other mobile devices in the future. It is unclear at this point in time as to what this could mean for Sprint customers should the deal go through, but we’ll keep our eyes peeled for more information nonetheless.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Softbank might just purchase a stake in Sprint, Sprint reportedly holding off on MetroPCS counter-offer for now,

Japanese carrier SoftBank is “in advanced talks” to acquire Sprint, insiders claim, with a deal worth potentially $12.81bn apparently on the table. Full details of the negotiations have not been leaked, though the deal would undoubtedly represent a significant risk for SoftBank, the WSJ reports. The carrier currently holds the number three spot in the Japanese network leagues, though revealed a deal to acquire smaller rival eAccess for $1.84bn earlier in October.

According to Reuters, local Japanese media have described the rumored acquisition as a way for SoftBank to strengthen its position in terms of devices. Having the Sprint connection would make it cheaper for SoftBank to buy up new phones and other mobile gadgets, it’s suggested.

The Japanese market has never exactly looked poorly catered for in comparison to devices in other regions, however. One recent device included a 13.1-megapixel camera and integrated radiation-scanning functionality, for instance.

Sprint has made potential-acquisition waves in recent weeks over suggestions that it was weighing a counter-offer for MetroPCS in the US, after Germany’s Deutsche Telekom revealed plans to merge the CDMA network with its own T-Mobile USA.

SoftBank reportedly in “advanced” Sprint $12.8bn acquisition talks is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.