Icahn to Apple: You need to start buying back more stock

Apple CEO Tim Cook unveils the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus during an event last month. James Martin/CNET Carl Icahn is again calling for Apple to buy back its own stock, arguing that the iPhone maker’s shares should be worth twice as much as their current trading level. The billionaire activist investor on Thursday published …

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Leaked Motorola Droid Turbo tips specs and software features

Verizon is expected to introduce the Droid Turbo later this month. motofirmware.com A newly discovered Motorola Droid Turbo user manual has found its way online, tipping Verizon’s hand for an upcoming exclusive. Assuming it’s the real McCoy, we should soon look for powerful device that features some of the Moto X’s (2014) best software touches. Related Links Alleged Droid Turbo …

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PanelPress straightens out your bent iPhone 6… if you dare

Squeeze your iPhone 6 back to flat. gTool/Video screenshot by Amanda Kooser/CNET The last we heard from Apple, only nine new iPhone users have complained about bent smartphones to the company. Those folks (and any others who haven’t lodged official complaints yet) may have a new recourse for getting the bends out of their expensive phones. The PanelPress from gTool, …

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Apocalypse Survival Training: Get fit, fight an alien invasion

Imaginactive If you need a bit of a boost to get up and at them, your imagination can be a powerful tool. Developer Six to Start has collected quite a following with its apps that encourage you to work out — by offering you scenarios for make-believe: a zombie outbreak (jogging) and superhero training (strength workout). Apocalypse Survival Training is …

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No, Microsoft’s Surface Pro tablets aren’t dead

Sarah Tew/CNET Microsoft officials seldom deny publicly rumors about product futures, even when they are from some sites with less-than-stellar Microsoft-prediction track records. But on October 9, Microsoft execs broke that rule (at least indirectly) and posted on the Microsoft Surface blog that “Businesses can buy with confidence. We are here to stay.” Digitimes published a report on October 9 …

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EA’s Dragon Age: Origins is on the house

Free? Free! EA In recent months, EA’s On the House promotion has netted gamers such goodies as Dead Space, Wing Commander 3, and Bejeweled — all free for the price of setting up (or signing into) an Origin account. This week brings arguably the best giveaway to date: Dragon Age: Origins (Win) is free for a limited time. To clarify, …

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Sony seeks first US hit with Xperia Z3v on Verizon

The Sony Xperia Z3v smartphone, exclusively offered by Verizon. Sarah Tew/CNET Sony on Thursday revealed the Xperia Z3v smartphone , a customized version of its flagship Xperia Z3 exclusively for Verizon Wireless. The announcement could prove to be a big win for Sony — which has struggled to break into the US smartphone market — by bringing its flagship smartphone …

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Facebook has no near

If Facebook has a plan for WhatsApp, it’s not telling just yet. Facebook is in no rush to monetize WhatsApp and see a return on its whopping investment, according to a new report. Speaking in India on Thursday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that the company has no near-term plans for how to make money off WhatsApp, according to Reuters, …

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Nokia’s Here app comes to Android but only for Samsung devices

Nokia Here Nokia Nokia’s Here maps and navigation app is now available on Samsung devices. Nokia announced the expansion Wednesday, saying that, for now, the app is in beta and exclusively for Samsung devices — not all Android-based device. It can be found in Samsung’s application marketplace. Nokia Here was once part of the broader Nokia. However, when Microsoft acquired …

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​Toshiba Glass betters Google Glass display tech, but you can’t buy it

Toshiba Glass ditches the big plastic prism. Tim Stevens/CNET TOKYO — Google Glass has a lot of things going for it, but then it has a lot of things going against it, too. Among those is a design that, while not exactly bulky, is quite obtrusive. It’s difficult to have a conversation with someone wearing Glass because there’s this big …

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How to set up Chromecast’s new Backdrop feature

Jason Cipriani/CNET Jason Cipriani/CNET Chromecast users will be happy to hear Google has enabled the Backdrop feature we first heard about in June at Google I/O. For those unfamiliar, Backdrop uses a dormant Chromecast to display popular photos, or photos from your own Google+ albums, along with current news headlines and weather stats. The update is slowly rolling out to …

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The Grid hopes polished publishing will rekindle website creation

The Grid It’s time to reclaim your corner of the Internet. So believe those behind The Grid, a startup that launched Wednesday with a service designed to generate slick and easily updated sites out of the text and photos customers upload. Customers start by picking preferred layouts, along with priorities such as social engagement or e-commerce, then The Grid handles …

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US spying scandal will ‘break the Internet,’ says Google’s Schmidt

Sen. Ron Wyden moderated a discussion between top tech firm leaders on the impact of the US spying scandal on the Internet economy. Prognosis: It’s going to get worse before it gets better. Seth Rosenblatt/CNET PALO ALTO, Calif. — The impact of US government surveillance on tech firms and the economy is going to get worse before it gets better, …

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