MetroPCS mimics landline with family ‘groupline’

MetroPCS mimics landline with family ‘groupline’

NEW YORK — Regional wireless carrier MetroPCS Communications Inc. has a new feature designed to lure families getting rid of their landlines. The new service gives families one number that rings all their cell phones at once.

Family members that pick up a call to this “GroupLINE” number are all placed into conference, much like the way people can pick up landline phones all over a house to participate in a call. When one family member picks up the call, the phones of the others will keep ringing a few times to give them the chance to join, said Roger Linquist, MetroPCS’s chief executive.

Users will also be able to call the number for quick conferencing with the rest of the family.

More music prices change

NEW YORK — Apple’s iTunes Store isn’t the only one that has adjusted prices for its digital song downloads recently: Changes are showing up at Amazon’s and Wal-Mart’s online music stores, too.

Apple Inc., the dominant digital music retailer on the Internet, shifted last week from selling all songs for 99 cents apiece to a tiered pricing model where songs cost 69 cents, 99 cents and $1.29 each.

On the same day Apple made its changes, Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s online music store began selling tunes for $1.24, 94 cents and 64 cents apiece. Previously, they cost 74 cents and 94 cents apiece.

Elsewhere, Seattle-based online retailer Amazon.com Inc. is also selling individual song downloads for as much as $1.29. Most songs currently cost $1.29, 99 cents, 89 cents or 69 cents each. Amazon did not say when it began selling songs for $1.29; when the store first opened in September 2007, songs sold for 89 cents and 99 cents.

Associated Press