Apple Reportedly Planning for Investor Call Today Ahead of New Bond Sale
Apple is planning to hold an investor call today ahead of a potential bond sale, reports The Wall Street Journal. A banker working on the deal says that Apple may begin issuing bonds in Euros, as Deutsche Bank AG and Goldman Sachs Group are said to be arranging the call.
Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs Inc. are arranging a call for the firm with investors Monday, and a deal, possibly at least partly in euros, could come as soon as this week, according to a person familiar with the matter. The iPhone maker has never issued debt in currencies other than the dollar before.
Apple last entered the bond market in April with a $12 billion sale, which followed last year’s $17 billion sale. The order book for Apple’s bond offerings in April 2013 topped $40 billion, as investors oversubscribed and offered bids for more than twice the amount of debt issued. Apple’s bond offerings are a part of its expanded capital return program, which centers around a major stock buyback program and a quarterly dividend. Apple has pledged to return more than $130 billion to shareholders by the end of 2015.
UK considers forcing phone carriers to allow roaming between networks
Despite carriers pushing back on the idea, a plan to force operators into allowing cross-network roaming is reportedly in the works. Sources for The Telegraph claim that the government may soon put an end to cellular black holes. Culture Secretary Sajid Javid is apparently exploring legislation that would require roaming between British carriers. O2 might have to let you use your EE phone on its towers if it’s the only option, for instance.
Whether or not roaming becomes the law depends on cooperation from the telcos, to some extent. It’s likely the government will attempt to work with the major players in the industry to find a plan everyone is happy with, but a Whitehall source says “if these companies do not change, we might force them to change.” You’ll likely be waiting a while either way, but it looks like the days of losing signal in otherwise connected areas may be numbered.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile
Source: The Telegraph
WWE Network body slams into the UK today
While wrestling fans in 170 countries have been able to enjoy WWE’s standalone streaming service for a number of months, UK addicts have been waiting to be tagged in. The launch of the WWE Network was reportedly delayed due to discussions over TV rights, but those issues have presumably been settled, allowing Brits to get in on the action from 8pm tonight. Users will be able to stream on the web, iOS and Android for free this month, with support for Apple TV, Roku and Amazon Fire TV arriving on November 18th. Once the trial is up, you’ll be charged $9.99 (£6.25) per month — the same amount as US members, suggesting the company will let your bank work out what you pay using the current exchange rate.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, Software, HD
Via: Digital Spy
Source: WWE
Microsoft Launches New Ad Comparing MacBook Air to Lenovo’s Convertible Yoga 3 Pro Laptop
Microsoft today launched a new ad targeting the MacBook Air and comparing the notebook to Lenovo’s Yoga 3 Pro convertible laptop. The latest spot, which is titled “Let’s Dance”, features both laptops side-by-side and highlights the differences between the form and functionality of both.
Microsoft first highlights the thickness of both devices, showing that the MacBook Air is 17mm thick while the Yoga 3 Pro measures in at 13mm thick. Next, both laptops are shown in a “tablet” and “tent” position, showcasing the Yoga 3 Pro’s ability to fold back while the MacBook Air is unable to do the same. Microsoft finally highlights the Yoga 3 Pro’s touchscreen, which is then shown as a non-feature on the MacBook Air.
The new ad comes after Microsoft launched a new round of Surface Pro 3 ads targeting the MacBook Air in August, which showed off the tablet’s versatility and power when compared to Apple’s laptop. Microsoft has also released a number of ads comparing its “Cortana” virtual assistant on its Windows Phone platform to Apple’s Siri virtual assistant on iOS, showing off the former’s ability to integrate with a number of apps and perform contextually-aware tasks.
The Xbox One will get more affordable thanks to a new processor
Microsoft may have already cut the Xbox One’s price to $349 for the holidays, but there are hints that the game console may get a permanent price drop before too long. An AMD chip design manager recently updated his LinkedIn resume (since made private) with word that he worked on a more efficient, “cost-reduced” version of the Xbox One’s processor. There aren’t any clues as to when this spruced-up silicon will arrive, but recent AMD roadmap leaks suggest that its first CPU architecture based on the technology will ship in 2015. In other words, you could be buying a cheaper Xbox by this time next year.
Processor upgrades are nothing new in the console world. They’re crucial for both price cuts and smaller, cooler-running systems that aren’t so noisy. However, there’s added urgency this time around — the PlayStation 4 has been outselling the Xbox One due in part to its initial price advantage, and lower prices should both help Microsoft stay competitive and leave more money in your wallet.
Filed under: Gaming, Microsoft, AMD
Source: Mosen (Beyond3D Forums)
BBM now lets you set a Snapchat-style time limit for messages
BlackBerry isn’t shy about borrowing features to keep BBM relevant in the messaging world; it added stickers to challenge WhatsApp, and now it’s taking a page from Snapchat’s book. The latest version of BBM introduces a timed messaging feature that lets you determine when messages and photos expire, so you don’t have to worry that spies (or just nosy friends) will see what you said. To top it off, you can also retract messages outright — you won’t have to worry about accidentally sexting your boss so long as you delete the evidence in time. The privacy-minded upgrade probably won’t get you to switch to BBM by itself, but it may be worth a look if you’ve wanted a slightly more sophisticated take on disappearing chat services.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Blackberry
Source: Inside BlackBerry
London’s Tube is now home to 150 WiFi-connected stations
While full mobile service on the Underground may still be a pipe dream, Virgin Media has helped connect travellers by serving London’s Tube stations with glorious free WiFi. The company has steadily brought more locations online since it launched the service more than two years ago, but today it took to Twitter to celebrate an important milestone in that rollout: 150 connected stations. Wimbledon, Richmond, Morden, East Ham, Barking and Upminster are the latest terminals to offer free WiFi to Virgin, EE, Vodafone, O2 and Three customers. Passengers can’t get enough, either, with more than 2.5 million devices now registered on the network and more than 3 terabytes of data downloaded each day. Waterloo and Kings Cross are the busiest hubs — no doubt helping overground commuters get their internet fix as they head beneath the streets in order to get to work.
Filed under: Wireless, Networking
Source: VMLoves (Twitter)
Starwood rolls out smartphone-based room keys, starting with 10 of its hotels
Depending on your sensibilities, smart locks might not make much sense in the home — we don’t know, maybe you can’t break your keys habit or something. But we think we can all agree on this: Smart locks make a hell of a lot of sense in hotels. Think about it: Those plastic room keys are easy to lose anyway, and they don’t always work properly on first swipe. Indeed, the hotel giant Starwood is already on it. Following a pilot test earlier this year, the company is rolling out Bluetooth locks in 10 of its hotels, with more to come early next year.
Even by now, you should already have a pretty good idea of how the “keyless” system works, but here’s a more detailed rundown. First, you’ll need to register your phone through a one-time setup and also allow push notifications. Twenty-four hours before your scheduled arrival, you’ll be prompted to opt in to the keyless program, assuming you’re staying at a hotel that offers it. You’ll get a push notification when you’re checked in and when the room is ready, allowing you to bypass the front desk. And, of course, the app knows which room you’re in, so don’t worry about that. Then, just make sure Bluetooth is enabled on your phone, open the Starwood Preferred Guest app, hold the phone to the door lock, wait for a solid green light and, voila, you’re all set.
For the time being, at least, the tech is limited to 10 hotels in New York, LA, Beijing, Hong Kong and Doha, including the Aloft Beijing, Aloft Cancun, Aloft Cupertino, Aloft Harlem, W Doha, W Hollywood, W Hong Kong, W New York-Downtown, W Singapore and Element Times Square. From there, the company hopes to roll it out to 140 more locations by early 2015 (again, these are Aloft, Element and W hotels, specifically). If you get to try it out soon, let us know how it goes — and take extra care not to leave your phone at the hotel bar.
Apple Watch Launching in ‘Spring’ According to Apple Retail Chief Angela Ahrendts
In a video message sent out to retail employees, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Retail and Online Stores Angela Ahrendts revealed that the Apple Watch will be launching in the Spring of next year, reports 9To5Mac. The timeframe given is slightly more specific than Apple’s own launch projection of “early next year”, which was shared during its initial unveil of the Apple Watch back in September.
“So, again, we do – you guys were hired because you’re the best people in the world. And you know how to service customers, but we are sprinting a marathon and it’s not going to stop. Right? We’re going into the holidays, we’ll go into Chinese New Year, and then we’ve got a new watch launch coming in the spring.”
The report also notes that Apple will be training its retail employees on how to introduce customers to the Apple Watch. Apple Retail Stores will allow customers to try on the wearable device and experience the different sizes and bands offered. The Apple Watch’s presence at the company’s retail stores are said to be a big emphasis for Ahrendts, who believes that sales of the device will help deepen relationships with customers.
A source briefed on Apple’s plans for the Apple Watch told The Information in September that the company would be “lucky to ship it by Valentine’s Day.” That report stated that Apple planned to have the watch ready to ship in time for the 2014 holiday season, but had problems finishing software development in time. Hints of a delay on the software side first surfaced shortly after the device’s unveiling, as members of the press who were invited to spend some hands-on time with the devices noted that none of the display units were running the actual Watch OS operating system.
How would you change HP’s Pavilion 14 Chromebook?
In a way, How Would You Change is a bit like archeology, digging back through the gadgets of yesteryear to find out what we think of them now. We sat HP’s Pavilion 14 Chromebook down in front of Myriam Joire, who did not have too many nice things to say about the device. Points of critique included the lackluster display, poor battery life and the fact that the company just hollowed out a Pavilion 14 rather than building something more tailored to Google’s operating system. In fact, the conclusion of the review is just a list of other devices that you can buy instead. But if you disregarded her advice and picked one of these up anyway, why not head over to the forum and tell us what the last year has been like?
Filed under: Laptops, Google, HP
Source: Engadget Product Forums
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