Charter to buy cable operator Bright House for $10.4 billion

Cable operator Charter Communications is gobbling up fellow cable operator Bright House Networks for $10.4 billion in cash and stock, Charter announced Tuesday.

Serving around 2 million customers in Florida, California and other states, Bright House is the sixth-biggest cable company in the US. Currently the nation's fourth-largest cable company, Charter would become the second-largest following the acquisition.

The deal is the latest in a cable industry that's seeing more consolidation.

Comcast is attempting to unite with Time Warner Cable, while AT&T is planning to pick up DirectTV. These mergers are happening at the same time more consumers who don't want to pay for expensive cable TV packages are turning to Internet-based services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime. Even HBO is trying to appeal to cord-cutters by unbundled its service from a traditional cable subscription via its new HBO Now service.

The deal also involves other cable operators. As part of Comcast's $45 billion agreement to buy Time Warner Cable, Charter agreed to pay about $7.3 billion in cash for Time Warner's 1.4 million customers, while it will swap another 1.6 million customers with Comcast, The Wall Street Journal said.

The transaction itself will be conducted through a partnership of which Charter will own 73.7 percent and Bright House parent company Advance/Newhouse will own 26.3 percent. The deal is subject to several conditions, including Charter shareholder approval, the expiration of Time Warner Cable's right of first offer for Bright House, the close of Charter's previously announced transactions with Comcast and the standard regulatory approval.

"Bright House Networks provides Charter with important operating, financial and tax benefits, as well as strategic flexibility," Charter Communications CEO Tom Rutledge said in a statement.

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Apple now accepts trade-ins of Android, other rival phones

Anyone looking to unload an Android or BlackBerry smartphone can now turn to Apple.

The company expanded its trade-in program on Monday to accept certain models of rival phones, including Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone handsets. Your old phone scores you store credit, which you can then use to purchase a new iPhone 5c, iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus, though not an Apple Watch, according to Apple news site 9to5Mac. The program is available in the US, UK, Canada, France, Germany and Italy, an Apple spokesperson told CNET.

Apple is constantly working to gain more traction over Android device makers, most notably Samsung. A report from market researcher Gartner this month showed that Apple inched past Samsung in worldwide smartphone sales in the fourth quarter.

Apple didn't formally announce the expansion of its trade-in plan, aka its Reuse and Recycling Program. But individual Apple Store pages now show the Reuse and Recycling Program section with the following line: "Get credit when you recycle your eligible iPhone, iPad, or select smartphone from another manufacturer."

The program also now accepts PCs from manufacturers other than Apple, allowing you to trade in your Windows computers for store credit that you can apply toward a Mac.

The new trade-ins will be available at Apple retail stores and Apple's online site, the Apple spokesperson confirmed. Apple's UK site has been updated to reflect the changes, but Apple's US site has not yet been updated.

Apple has offered an online trade-in program through a third-party vendor called Brightstar. The Brightstar page for the UK shows several non-iPhone brands that you can trade in, including Samsung, Sony, Nokia, and BlackBerry. But the Brightstar page for the US still shows only iPhones as acceptable trade-in devices.

Similarly, the UK page for Apple's Reuse and Recycling Program says: "Get credit for your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, and eligible smartphones and PCs from other manufacturers. Depending on the device, take it to an Apple Retail Store or get started online." But the US page still displays only Apple devices as eligible for online trade-in.

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WhatsApp for Android now offers voice calling to all users instantly

WhatsApp users on Android can now all tap into the app's new voice-calling feature.

Rolled out in February to a small number of people, the call feature then expanded to invitation-only by those who were able to get the feature. Now it's available to all Android phone users. There's just one catch. You may not be able to get it from the version currently up at the Google Play Store.

WhatsApp version 2.12.19 does include the calling feature, according to Android Police. But that version is available only as an APK file (Android application package), which is not as easy to install as an app you download directly from Google Play. Version 2.12.19 is the latest one available through the APK.

On Google Play, you'll also see WhatsApp version 2.12.5, and according to The Next Web, that older version also enables the feature. However, Android Police said that it's seen reports of the calling feature not working under older versions of WhatsApp.

A WhatsApp support rep told CNET that you should be on the latest version of the app. So if you really want to trade phone calls with a fellow WhatsApp user, your best bet seems to be to download the version 2.12.19 APK file.

Now owned by Facebook, which paid $19 billion to acquire it, WhatsApp started life as a basic text-messaging app but one that also offered the ability to leave voice messages. The company has been promising to add a phone-calling feature, which would give the app the leverage to compete against similar services such as Skype and Viber. At last year's Mobile World Congress, WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum said the voice calling would roll out to Android phones and the iPhone first, and then to Windows Phone and some BlackBerry phones.

So when will the voice-calling feature reach iPhone users?
At Facebook's F8 developers conference last week, WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton seemed to indicate that it could be out within a matter of not too many weeks, according to VentureBeat.


Normally, you should never download an APK file onto your Android device unless you're sure of its source. But in this case, the file comes from WhatsApp, so the source seems legitimate.

First, you'll need to download the actual file, either directly from WhatsApp or from an APK Mirror site. You can then follow the steps in this CNET tutorial on how to install an APK file.

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Amazon's new Dash Buttons let you press push to buy

Nearly two decades ago, Amazon launched one-click ordering, making it easy for customers to buy anything on its site with a simple button-click.

Now it's bringing that technology to the real world.

The Web shopping giant said Tuesday it's launching Dash Buttons, a followup to the Dash remote scanning device it launched last year. The Dash, which is thinner than a typical television remote control, helped people order products from Amazon by letting them scan objects or speak the product's name into its built-in microphone.

With the new Dash Buttons, Amazon says customers can skip the scanner or microphone, and instead order any of more than one dozen products with the click of a button.

The effort could help grab the attention of shoppers who have opted to do their shopping at their local grocery store rather than through Amazon. The company has been steadily introducing features aimed at persuading them to do just that, including item subscriptions, which send products to customers at regular intervals for a discount. It's also expanded the types of products it offers, from books to electronics to groceries, and it's promised to offer delivery by drone sometime in the next few years.

With the Dash Button, Amazon hopes to lure shoppers who use its service to buy items like paper towels and coffee, but also go to the grocery store when items unexpectedly run out. Each button orders a specific item, like Kraft Mac & Cheese, and can be either hung with a hook or stuck with tape on the back near where the item is kept. Amazon said it will offer about 18 buttons to start, including those for baby food, coffee and paper towels.

Amazon is also offering its Dash service to product makers. Brother printers, Brita water filters and Whirlpool clothes washers and dryers will be among the first to integrate automated or easy ordering into the products. Amazon is working with a company called Quirky, which helps people build products like pet food dispensers. The way it works is that if, for instance, the Brita container notices its water filter has reached the end of its life, it can automatically order a new one -- without you needing to do anything.

Amazon said it won't charge for the buttons, and their battery life will last for years. For now, Dash Buttons are only available to customers through an invitation, which the company will start sending to customers Tuesday. The retailer expects to send a maximum of three to each home.

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