Apple rejects Carl Icahn’s dividend and share buyback plan

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The board of directors of Apple Inc. is recommending that shareholders reject a proposal led by activist investor Carl Icahn that would see the technology company spend most of its huge cash hoard buying back its own shares and paying extra dividends to investors.

In a proxy statement released late last week, Apple’s board responded to a proposal led by Icahn that called on the company to spend “not less than $50 billion US” to buy back Apple shares, which would pump up the value of those that remain for shareholders.

Thanks to the popularity of its landmark iPhones and iPads, Apple has more than $147 billion in cash sitting in various bank accounts around the world, and the company has yet to lay out how it plans to spend that money to increase shareholder value.

Major share buyback

Icahn’s original plan was for Apple to spend up to $150 billion on a combination of dividends and share buybacks, but he watered down that proposal to the new $50 billion minimum.

Icahn’s plan centres on the notion that there is nothing the company could invest in that would provide a greater return to shareholders over the long run than simply giving them a one-time dividend and reducing the number of the company’s shares.

In the proxy, the board lays out the reasons why they don’t support that plan.

“The company’s success stems from the company’s unique ability to combine world-class skills in hardware, software and services to deliver innovative products that create new markets and delight hundreds of millions of customers,” Apple said. “This success has created tremendous value for the company’s shareholders.”

That’s the company’s way of telling investors they’ll get a better deal on their dollar if they let the company invest that money in creating new devices that will give them a greater return on their investment down the line.

Apple already gave shareholders a bonus in April, when it announced it plans to spend up to $100 billion on dividends and up to $60 billion on share buybacks in the next few years. The company has already spent $43 billion on those plans, but Icahn’s proposal calls for Apple to pick up the pace even more.

“While the board and management oppose this shareholder proposal, they are fully committed to returning cash to shareholders,” Apple said. “The board and management team believe that capital should be returned to shareholders on an efficient and sustained basis and that the evaluation of capital return should be performed regularly and carefully with the best long-term interest of the business and shareholders in mind.”

SAMSUNG TEASES NEW EXYNOS CHIP FOR CES, COULD BE A RIVAL TO APPLE’S 64-BIT A7

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Samsung has started tweeting about its plans for CES 2014, ensuring we’re all ready for announcements made during the Las Vegas show. However, while its sure to start mentioning new mobile hardware soon, it has first begun to talk about what’s inside those devices. Tweeting from the account dedicated to the Exynos processor, Samsung reminded us that, “CES is right around the corner,” and added, “Are you ready to unlock Exynos?” This was accompanied by a picture showing butterflies in flight with the caption, “Flying ever higher in 2014.”

The Exynos processor was a prominent feature of Samsung’s CES 2013 presentation, where the eight-core Exynos 5 Octa made its debut. At the time, the processor was unique on the market, and even 12 months later, only has one notable competitor. So, does this mean Samsung aims to top the allure of an eight-core mobile processor at CES 2014? If so, how?

Unsurprisingly, it’s not saying, but that doesn’t stop us from making a few guesses. At the top of the list has to be the introduction of a 64-bit challenger to Apple’s A7 chip, which is fitted to the iPhone 5S. Following the announcement of the A7, Samsung was quick to point out it was working on something similar. However, Android is still a 32-bit operating system, and unable to make the most of 64-bit architecture.

This is sure to come in the future, and Samsung may not let that little point stand in its way of wheeling out a 64-bit chip of its own. After all, the eight-core Exynos 5 Octa never turned up in a phone until several months after its announcement, and it still hasn’t had an international release. If a 64-bit chip isn’t on the CES menu, the announcement may be linked to Samsung’s new low power mobile RAM, which could mean we see phones with 4GB of RAM over the coming year.

We’re only speculating though, and Samsung may have something completely different to show us on the day. We’ll bring you all the news from the event on January 7.

 

Apple Files A Patent That Hints At Voice-Based Photo Searching With Siri

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According to a new application the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published this week, Applemay be working on bringing voice-based photo search to Siri. The patent, “Voice-Based Image Tagging and Searching,” describes the ability of searching photographs on a device via text strings associated, such as tags, said AppleInsider, which discovered the filing this week (the patent was submitted back in March, but only just published by the USPTO).

Apple has already implemented a new way for users to sort photos in iOS 7 based on info such as date and location. The patent suggests that Siri will be able to search through that information for photos, but also that photo tagging in iOS 7 could become more advanced in the future updates, such as searching by activity or voice tagging, or tagging similar photos based on face or object recognition.

“The proposed invention could even automatically tag corresponding photos, based on the time and location at which they were snapped, to make it easier for users to sort their pictures and not require them to individually tag each picture,” AppleInsider wrote.

As with all patents, there’s no ETA on when it would show up, nor does it suggest it would show up at all. But it gives a glimpse on how photos and Siri could evolve in future versions of iOS.

Micromax to reportedly release Android 4.4 KitKat update for Canvas series

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Micromax might be one of the most popular domestic handset makers; however the company has not regularly been releasing software updates for its smartphones.Now a tweet by MMXNewscaster, a source of leaks related to Micromax mobiles, has claimed that the company is working on Android 4.4 KitKat update for its Canvas series smartphones. The tipster has revealed the model numbers of the Canvas smartphones, which include high-end as well as budget Android Canvas devices also.

According to MMXNewscaster, Micromax is working on Android 4.4 KitKat updates for the following smartphones: Micromax A110 Canvas 2, Micromax A110Q Canvas 2 Plus, Micromax A111 Canvas Doodle, Micromax A116 Canvas HD, Micromax A117 Canvas Magnus, Micromax A116i Canvas HD,Micromax A210 Canvas 4, Micromax A114 Canvas 2.2, Micromax A240 Canvas Doodle 2 andMicromax A250 Canvas Turbo.

Notably, the tipster also claims that Micromax would also release the Android 4.4 KitKat update for the yet-to-be-announced Micromax A200 smartphone, which was leaked recently. However, there is no word from the tipster on rollout of the Android 4.4 KitKat update for Canvas smartphones.

MMXNewscaster’s tweet reads, “New Year KitKat Surprise! ETA unspecified.” The tweet is accompanied by hashtag ‘surprise can gift happiness’ tagline, hinting that the company might announce the new Android upgrade for its customers as a New Year gift.

In addition, a new report has claimed that Micromax’s rumoured A200 would be dubbed Canvas Mini.DroidExtra in a report has leaked some of the specifications of the alleged Micromax A200 which include a MediaTek MT6582 chipset, Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, and a HD (720x1280p) display.

Earlier leaked specifications suggested that the alleged Micromax A200 smartphone would come with a 4.7-inch HD display with Corning Gorilla Glass 2 protection; 1.3GHz quad-core processor; 1GB of RAM; 4GB of ROM, with no word on the inbuilt storage and an 8-megapixel rear camera, along with a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. Other specifications leaked include an 1800mAh battery, while the leak claimed that the alleged Micromax A200 will boast a 7.9mm sleek profile.

Not too long ago, Wicked Leak, the brand that launches Wammy series smartphones in India, announced the Android 4.4 KitKat update for its Wammy Passion Z+ smartphone, due on January 14.

 

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Android phones are amongst the hottest on the market, currently accounting for around 70% of the European mobile market. Headlined by flagship handsets such as theHTC One, Samsung Galaxy S4 and LG G2, and supported with the strong range of cheaper devices such as theSamsung Galaxy S4 Mini and uber cheap LG Optimus L5 2, there is more demand for the Android market than ever.

Whether you’ve just purchased a new Android device, or whether your 23 months into a 24 month contract, you’re going to want to make sure that you are getting the most out of your tech. Fortunately, there are a variety of different messaging apps available on the app store, to complement the variety of apps that come preinstalled.

Google is famed for its Gmail service, one that has an amazing array of features such as labels and filters, as well as massive storage meaning you never have to delete anything. The search giant also throws Hangouts, its own IM and SMS service, into Android so that you can message all your Google (and non-Google) buddies quickly.

Most Android smartphones also come with a separate SMS app (the Nexus devices just have Hangouts), although each manufacturer throws in varying levels of customisation, so there are too many offerings for us to comment specifically. What each app will do, though, is send a text.

Below you’ll find our list to the best apps out there, to help you stay in contact with all your friends and colleagues.

WhatsApp (First year free, $0.99 per year thereafter)

We can’t have a list of best messaging apps without WhatsApp thrown in there somewhere, so we’ve put it right at the top.

WhatsApp is probably the most popular and well known cross OS messaging app out there, sending messages over your Wi-Fi or mobile internet signal.

No longer completely free, although it’s only $0.99 per year with the first year free, WhatsApp covers all your basic needs from a messaging service. The sending of text, pictures, video and voice messages are all supported, as is group chat.

Working with your mobile number, WhatsApp also doesn’t require usernames, passwords and pins, and using the web rather than the mobile network means that there are no pesky international charges.

In all, WhatsApp is popular for a reason. Its highly customisable, and very easy to use to message others on the service as it connects via your mobile number.

Still don’t want to use WhatsApp, why not try Samsung’s ChatON? ChatON is a well designed, comprehensive (now cross OS) messaging app that even features a built in translator.

Kik (Free)

With over 80 million users, Kik is another app that can’t be ignored. Like WhatsApp, it is cross OS and features many nifty features.

There are many similarities to WhatsApp, such as the ability to send photos, have group chats, as well as being able to search for YouTube links, images and self drawn sketches. More interesting features include downloadable emoticons, our favourites being Rage Memes and South Park characters.

You can also create and send different memes from within Kik, or “Photobomb” your friends. The latter is Kik’s answer to SnapChat, which we will cover later.

Kik also prides itself on being personal and private, not having to share your mobile number or email address, rather a username that you can create.

If Kik doesn’t take your fancy, why not try BBM? BBM uses another private way of connecting, the same way it always has, taking a pin rather than username. It too supports both group and image messaging.

Skype (Free)

First gaining prominence on the desktop, and gaining a lot of publicity following its sale to Microsoft, Skype is possibly the best known and overall best video calling app out there.

It is also more than just a video and voice calling service, however. IM is fully supported, with Skype’s custom array of smileys making their way over, albeit without the ‘cute’ little animations that we are so fond of.

Again, group messaging is supported, as is the sending of media files and video messages.

Connection to Skype can be done through a dedicated username and password or through an existing Microsoft account, something you might have created to use Windows Live or Windows 8. Since the merge with Microsoft, the Redmond based firm is pushing to connect any existing Skype accounts to your Windows account.

In the way of video calling alternatives, why not try ooVoo? Also free to download, ooVoo features video chat at its heart, whilst also supporting group messaging, video statuses and a speed dial.

SnapChat (Free)

Chances are that you have heard of SnapChat, not least because of what you can use it for. It is becoming ever popular as a way to share images quickly and privately, with the added bonus that they don’t hang around.

SnapChat gained popularity because of the temporary nature of the images sent. Images are captured and then sent immediately, to select SnapChat compatriots, with a self destruct timer built in.

Images, or videos, can be sent for anything up to ten seconds, and then wipe themselves off the receivers phone. Whilst there is nothing to stop a screenshot, senders are notified if this occurs. Image editing is also possible, but only to a narrow degree.

A small level of text can be added, and images can be sketched over, so you can show your friends what you look like with a bright red cartoon afro. You can also save your own images.

Not your thing though? Clipchat works on a very similar basis, though shows a pixellated preview of the image to receivers, so they have a rough idea of what they’re opening.

Facebook Messenger (Free)

We have had to put this on the list of best apps to download, although there is a chance that it came preinstalled on your new device. Many OEMs are still omitting dedicated Facebook apps, but the Facebook Messenger app is available off the Google Play store.

The two biggest draws of the Facebook Messenger app are the connection to Facebook, where we expect you will have the majority of your closest friends, family and colleagues, and Chat Heads, a feature we first saw on Facebook Home.

The former of the two advantages is self explanatory. It connects directly to Facebook’s chat and messages feature, allowing you to send messages instantly to all your Facebook contacts. Messenger also supports sending of photos, searched images and voice messages.

Facebook’s custom mobile smileys are also available, as well as the new ‘stickers’ featuring massive smileys and cute kittys.

When it comes to Chat Heads, new Facebook messages bring up a little round floating profile picture that sits above all other apps that are running, bar things like full screen video. We have to say we are a little glad there, as we can imagine having a random chat head pop up during Insidious to be pretty scary. Chat Heads can also be removed by swiping them to the bottom of the screen.

If Facebook Messenger just isn’t enough for your needs, you can always tryFacebook Home. Replacing your existing home launcher with a dedicated Facebook launcher. Facebook Home brings Facebook messaging right to the heart of your device.

Twitter (Free)

Another app that is included by some OEMs and not others is Twitter. The ever popular, 140 character social media site has a dedicated app for reading and sending tweets available from the Play Store, should you not have it.

Its inclusion in a list of best messaging apps might seem a little strange, given that it is at heart a social media site. Then again, what is social media for if not for communicating with your nearest and dearest, and in Twitters case, everyone else as well.

Twitter’s mobile app does everything that the Twitter site does, with direct messages and directed tweets being well managed, although the famous hashtags don’t come with the same highlighting that they do on the site.

Being so popular, there are many alternatives should you decide the native app isn’t enough. TweetCaster packs multiple account support, a well managed splash page and a Zip feature that removes annoying tweets and keywords from your feed, without unfollowing that user.

GO SMS Pro (Free, Paid for version available)

One of the beautiful things that you’ll hear any Android user say about the OS, is the extreme level of customisability that just isn’t present on iOS, Windows Phone OS or even BB OS. This means that there are a variety of custom SMS apps present on the Play Store.

There are so many to choose from, we struggle a little to suggest which one is best, although we’re happy enough to say that GO SMS is a decent and comprehensive SMS app.

Among the many features are a paid version to remove ads, downloadable language packs and themes; think your iPhone is cool, look I can make my Android look the same.

Emoji are available, and custom smileys to use instead of the native offering. Chats threads are laid out in bubbles.

Of the more interesting features are the ability to schedule texts so that you don’t forget something important, or so that you don’t have to wake up at 4am to send THAT text, and the ability to customise notifications. This means that you can have differing icons, tones and vibrate patterns to help you differentiate between contacts without even looking at your phone.

If, however, this isn’t quite the app for you, why not try Chomp SMS orHandcent SMS. All three apps currently sit at 4.4/5 in Play Store reviews, and cover all your basic SMS needs.

IM+ (Free, Paid for version available)

IM+ is not a dedicated messaging service in the way that WhatsApp, Skype or Kik are. Rather, it is an aggregator of various social accounts such as Windows Live Messenger, Skype, Facebook and more.

Packing in multiple accounts can often mean that contacts from varying accounts can become hard to track, although there is the ability to sort by name or account, as well as being able to see or hide all those unsociable offline contacts.

Nifty features such as a master password, favourite contacts and online notifications are also built in, alongside two themes that mean you can go for normal or high contrast mode. Push mode is also available.

Within chats, pictures and audio can be sent. These are uploaded to IM servers with a link then being sent on, rather than sending the file directly. Files can also be resized for those on smaller data allowances.

Should you decide that this isn’t the app for you, why not try eBuddy? Having been around as a desktop aggregator via the web for as long as we can remember, eBuddy also connects to a plethora of messaging services.

Best designed Android apps – Google’s new picks

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The Android Design team from Google HQ published a new list of Android apps that “go above and beyond the guidelines” when it comes to design.

Google first published a Beautiful Design collection in July, praising apps like Pattrn, Pocket, Flipboard, or Pinterest, for their masterfully crafted design elements. Since then, a new batch of beautiful applications have hit the Play Store, while several apps were updated in line with Google’s design guidelines.

The new Beautiful Design Winter 2013 app collection contains apps “with masterfully crafted design details such as beautiful presentation of photos, crisp and meaningful layout and typography, and delightful yet intuitive gestures and transitions”.

In a post on the Android Developers Blog, Marco Paglia from Google’s Android Design team highlighted three apps in particular:

• Timely – this alarm clock app is rich in “liquid smooth” transitions, and using it feels like interacting with a real object. In a few words, Timely makes setting an alarm fun, says Paglia.
• Circa – Google praised this news reading app for its “fast, elegant and full of beautiful design details throughout”. One of the finest design traits of Circa is its sophisticated typography.
• Etsy – a “wonderfully detailed” app, Etsy impressed Paglia and his colleagues with its thoughtfully designed transitions and subtle design elements.

Also making the top are these six apps:

• Airbnb
• The Whole Pantry
• Runtastic Heart Rate Pro
• Tumblr
• Umano
• Yahoo! Weather

Finally, two apps from the previous list are also present in the Winter Collection:

• Grand St.
• Pinterest

What are some of the best designed Android apps in your opinion?

Samsung Galaxy Grand 2: Is It ‘Grander’ Than Its Predecessor?

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It was January this year which saw the release of Samsung Galaxy Grand, a device for those who wanted to enjoy the real estate of a large touch screen, till then reserved for the Galaxy Note series but couldn’t afford to spend much. Samsung’s gambit paid off handsomely and Galaxy Grand went on to become a huge seller, capturing a huge lot of customers who were looking for a phone with big screen, great camera and premium looks in Rs 20K – 25K segment.

Inspired with the success, Samsung has now launched Galaxy Grand 2, a device which is definitely an improvement over its predecessor in all aspects but since the phablet market has grown hotter in the months elapsed in between, we wonder if the new Grand 2 is still the best among the lot? We will get to know soon enough.

Apart from the expected improvements in screen size, resolution, RAM and processor, which can be considered as a minor brush-up in terms of specifications, Samsung has done little to really improve the device, apparently in a bid to keep the price tag of the device under control.

So, instead of a 5 inch screen offering xx resolution in Galaxy Grand, we not have a 5.25 inch screen with 720 x 1280 pixel resolution. The 1GB RAM of Grand has been topped up to 1.5GB and the processor has been swapped from a 1.2GHz dual core to a 1.2GHz quad core one. The chassis has also been spruced up, with a pleather finish added to the back to add a premium look.

While Samsung Galaxy Grand (dual SIM) is available at online stored for Rs 17,449 as of now and Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 being launched in the Rs 22,900 and Rs 24,900 price range, one may wonder if there are better deals available in the market.

Apart from other brands, once challenger which can really hurt Grand 2’s chances is from Samsung’s stable only – the Samsung Galaxy S3. Though launched in 2012 with a price tag of Rs 35,000, the S3 still packs quite a punch when it comes to the built and hardware it offers, especially when online retail stores are currently offering it for as low as around Rs 24,000, which is well with the price range of upcoming Galaxy Grand 2.

Though offering a slightly smaller screen at 4.8 inches as compared to 5.25 inches of Grand 2, the Galaxy S3’s super AMOLED screen offers higher pixel density, resulting in sharper pictures. OS is also not an issue as the S3 is also upgradable to Android Kit Kat v4.3. It also packs better processing power as the device comes armed with a Quad-core 1.4 GHz Cortex-A9 processer as opposed to a 1.2 GHz one on-board the Grand 2. It’s only on the RAM front that Grand 2 comes out as a clear winner by offering 1.5GB, an obvious improvement over 1GB RAM offered by Galaxy S3.

Whatever the case, Samsung Galaxy S3 can still throttle the chances of Galaxy Grand 2 as S3 is a premium built device and the former flagship handset of Korean handset major, still packing a lot of punch. It would be wise if Samsung reconsiders the price of Grand 2, offering it well below the current retail price of Galaxy S3 to avoid clash with its upcoming feature phablet – the Galaxy Grand 2

LG May Release A Smart Watch Alongside Its Next Smartphone

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The smart watch marketisn’t expected to do all that well this holiday season, and for good reason. There’s just not enough options out there yet, and what is there only works with certain hardware. That all may change in 2014, however, as more smartphone manufacturers release companion smart watch devices. In fact, LG may just be the latest company to be planning such a move.

The Korea Herald reports that LG may be planning a smart watch to accompany its new flagship smartphone for 2014 – the LG G3. The latest smartphone from LG is said to feature Android 4.4, a 2.2 GHz octa-core CPU and a fingerprint sensor. If true, it’s aiming to be a powerful piece of hardware and LG may have an equally powerful smart watch to accompany it.

Unfortunately, we know absolutely nothing about the rumored smart watch at this point except that it’s called the G-Arch. When Engadget asked LG about the wearable device, they were only told that the company is working on what it calls a “wearable product.” That certainly sounds like the G-Arch to me, but it could also be referencing the G-Health fitness wristband that LG unveiled earlier this year at CES 2013. If LG gets really adventurous, the “wearable product” in its product pipeline may just be both.

While we may know nothing about the G-Arch, we can at least speculate about a few things. For starters, LG is allegedly positioning the G-Arch as a companion device for the LG G3. This could point to the G-Arch being only usable on LG products, much like how Samsung’s Galaxy Gear can only be used on Samsung smartphones.

It could also be assumed that the G-Arch will feature its own custom operating system, much like the Galaxy Gear. This would allow LG to push both the G-Arch and G3 as complimentary devices making the G-Arch essentially worthless without a smartphone to tether to. That means those looking for a smart watch that runs Android will have to look elsewhere.

Finally, with Google and LG being so friendly these days, it wouldn’t be out of the question to see LG produce a smart watch for Google. We already know that Google is working on an Android-powered wearable device and Google will most likely include it in its Nexus-line of products. Google may just tap LG to help them make it, and it may end up looking a lot like the G-Arch. After all, this year’s Nexus 5 is essentially LG’s G2 without the silly backface buttons.

So, when will be seeing this LG G-Arch and the G3? It looks we’ll have to wait until February for Mobile World Congress 2014. We might see a sneak peek, however, at CES in January.

Image via Pebble

The best and worst of smartphones in 2013: Gearing up for the next big thing

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When it comes to smartphones, 2013 was all about what comes next.

Just look at how long each of the major players have been on the market: Six years for Apple’s iPhone, five years for Android, and three years for Windows Phone. Smartphones are mainstream — gone is the luster of carrying a powerful computer in your pocket. It’s simply something most of us expect now in our everyday lives.

But now that both the tech world and consumers have finally gotten a handle on what smartphones are and how we live with them, all eyes are on the next major mobile innovation.

This year, we’ve seen companies experiment with things like curved displays, extensive voice commands, and ever-bigger screen sizes. Wearable gadgets, which mostly function as mobile accessories, also showed the desire for something new. Not all of those ideas will stick, but they each offer a glimpse at what the future of mobile could be.

The iPhone 5S

Rumor: HP May Release New Smartphones Before Year Is Out

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Hewlett Packard is rumored to be planning a return to the smartphone business in the coming days with a pair of low-priced devices aimed at China and other Asian markets.

The two rumored phablet-sized smartphones would be priced between $200 and $250 as off-contract, unlocked devices and could appear before the end of 2013, according to The Information.

The tech site reported this week that HP CEO Meg Whitman is “taking another stab at the crowded mobile-phone industry as she tries to turn around the company.” The rumored “affordable” smartphones for markets like China, India, and the Philippines are purportedly a 6-inch device and a 7-inch handset that would push the envelope on the line between phablets and full-blown tablets.

Details on these devices are pretty spare, but the assumption is that they would run Google’s Android operating system and sport an ARM-based application processor. HP already has the Android-based Slate 7 $139.99 at Sears tablet powered by a dual-core 1.6GHz Rockchip Cortex-A9 chip in its portfolio.

It could get interesting if the company goes in a different direction—HP plays in the mobile device market with products like its Envy X2 $605.00 at Amazon, which runs Microsoft’s Windows 8 and has an Intel Atom chip under the hood. It seems unlikely that the company would test the waters with its first stab at a smartphone in several years with devices running Windows Phone 8 and/or featuring Intel inside, but you never know.

HP abandoned its last, nascent effort to develop smartphones using the webOS mobile operating system a couple of years ago. In 2011, the computing giant killed its consumer tablet, the Touchpad, and ended support for webOS devices, effectively taking a mulligan on its 2010 acquisition of webOS developer and handset maker Palm.