The offer would be 35 cents per share higher than the $13.65 offered by CEO Michael Dell and the private equity firm Silver Lake Partners.

Icahn also disclosed that he has purchased more than 72 million Dell shares from Southeastern Asset management, the Memphis-based investment fund that is Dell’s largest outside shareholder. That purchase makes Icahn Dell’s largest shareholder, with 152 million shares, amounting to about 8.7 percent of shares outstanding, and second only to Michael Dell himself.

Dell shares rose slightly to $13.46 a share.

Icahn was reported last week to be close to taking his chips off the table and walking away from the fight. He and Southeastern had previously proposed a plan to recapitalize Dell, leave some of the company trading publicly in a so-called stub, and offering shareholders a special $12-per-share dividend financed by existing cash and new debt.

The special committee of Dell’s board has criticized the Icahn plan, saying it suffers from a liquidity gap of about $4 billion.

In his latest letter, Icahn says that funding for the tender offer would be provided from $5.2 billion in debt financing plus $7.5 billion in cash that Dell has on hand, combined with $2.9 billion that would come from the sale of Dell receivables.

This would, he argues, leave $4.9 billion worth of cash to fund Dell’s ongoing operations.

He also said: “We are proceeding to obtain commitments for $5.2 billion of senior debt financing to be made available to Dell as a bridge loan to guaranty the tender offer and believe that we are on target to achieve that result. A major investment bank has indicated its willingness to make available $1.6 billion and Carl Icahn and his affiliates would make available $2 billion if necessary to facilitate this commitment.”

Update: CNBC just reported that the investment bank behind the $1.6 billion in financing is Jeffries.

The proxy vote is now exactly 30 days away, and it’s worth remembering that proxy advisory firms Institutional Shareholders Services and Glass Lewis have yet to weigh in on the deal, because, as I argued on Sunday, their opinions will carry a lot of weight with institutional shareholders.

Here’s the statement I just received from Southeastern:

“Southeastern Asset Management continues to believe that the Michael Dell / Silver Lake management buyout proposal undervalues the company and its prospects going forward.

“Southeastern and Icahn Associates have been working diligently to provide a better alternative for shareholders. Southeastern has determined that Icahn is in the best position to lead the development of an alternative transaction and to generate a better outcome for shareholders. Southeastern has therefore agreed to sell approximately 72,010,328 shares to Icahn, making Icahn the largest outside shareholder of Dell.

“Southeastern intends to vote its approximately 72,010,328 remaining shares of Dell stock against the $13.65 Michael Dell / Silver Lake management buyout proposal. Furthermore, Southeastern intends to vote its shares at Dell’s Annual Meeting in favor of the slate of highly qualified director candidates it and Icahn submitted to the Company. Icahn has Southeastern’s full support as it leads the proxy fight in the interest of all shareholders against the undervalued management buyout proposal. Southeastern will continue to participate in the proxy contest with Icahn to defeat the Michael Dell / Silver Lake management buyout proposal.”

Sources familiar with the situation and thinking behind the move tell AllThingsD that Bradley has told HP CEO Meg Whitman, “firmly and emphatically,” that he has not been contacted by Dell.

This view has been confirmed by sources at Dell, who say there is “no job” for Bradley at that company.

The speculation is understandable. Bradley is a respected senior executive who was once CEO of Palm and has been considered a favored candidate for HP’s top job no fewer than three times. During the period when former CEO Léo Apotheker was planning to spin out HP’s PC operations, it was hard to find people betting that Bradley wouldn’t be its CEO. At one time, he was even on the list of candidates to replace Paul Otellini at Intel. The challenging business conditions at Dell — on its way to a $24.4 billion leveraged buyout on which shareholders will vote next month — might represent, some would argue, the perfect opportunity.

Here’s how the rumor — presented now only because, even untrue, it makes a certain amount of sense — breaks down: Bradley might have been in line to be CEO of a newly private Dell, while Michael Dell would return to his role as chairman, which he held from 2004 to 2007. Bradley’s new title at HP — executive VP for Strategic Growth Initiatives — is the sort of nebulous post that occasionally is given to an executive who is short-timing it. It might appear to be something along the lines of the “iffy” product-innovation role that Jon Rubinstein had after he stepped back from running HP’s now-defunct webOS unit, the job he held until he left HP for good last year.

But, on its face, there is nothing “iffy” about Bradley’s new gig, sources tell AllThingsD. HP’s channel relationships — the business it does through a global network of resellers, who in turn sell HP products and services directly to businesses — have been badly frayed in recent years.

It’s a crucial segment, making up as much as 70 percent of HP’s business overall. Channel sales account for about 80 percent of HP’s sales in the Printing and Personal Systems Group, and about 60 percent of sales in the Enterprise Group. Bradley’s brief will be to repair those relationships, especially in China. “Frankly, Bradley has relationships there that Whitman doesn’t have,” said one source familiar with HP’s operations. “If there’s anyone who can do the work to get the channel back on track, it’s Bradley.”

Yet there’s another potentially important clue: HP’s announcement doesn’t name any executives reporting to Bradley in his new role — only that he will be reporting directly to and working with Whitman.

One source familiar with the company’s plans said that will change soon, and Bradley will name key lieutenants in the new effort in the coming weeks. “He will be able to reach across the organization,” one person said. “He doesn’t need many folks to accomplish anything.”

The source also described growing pressure on Bradley and other executives within the Printing and PC unit to show results, despite what has turned out to be a historically bad period for PC sales in particular, one that will eventually lead to a significant retrenchment. In its most recently quarterly filings, HP’s PC unit reported a 21 percent year-on-year decline in sales, from $9.2 billion to $7.3 billion, and saw its profit margin drop from 5.6 percent to 3.3 percent.

“The pressure on Bradley from Meg has been at an all-time high,” one source said.

Bradley didn’t immediately respond to messages.

Whitman said in an interview with AllThingsD last week that she’s happy about the stabilization that has taken place in the printing business in the last year. Printing revenue, at $6 billion, was essentially flat versus last year, while profit margin rose from 13 percent last year to nearly 16 percent. Bradley took over printing from its previous head, Vyomesh “VJ” Joshi, as the result of a significant restructuring in March of 2012.

Whitman is said by sources to want a set of “fresh eyes” on the personal computer business. That’s where Dion Weisler comes in. Currently heading up HP’s printer and PC sales for the Asia, Pacific and Japan region, he has 23 years of IT industry experience running Asian business units for Acer and Lenovo. However, despite that history, he’s considered a bit of an unknown, and has been suddenly elevated to the very top of HP’s operating structure. His role will include a seat on HP’s Executive Council, the most powerful and senior set of executives within the company.

Midasplayer International Holding Co., the publisher of online and mobile games including the popular Candy Crush Saga, has hired banks to pursue a U.S. initial public offering, according to people familiar with the move.

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Today, T-Mobile announced that it would be the exclusive carrier for Sony’s flagship Android smartphone. It should be available in the coming weeks with T-Mobile’s Simple Choice plan, but an exact release date and pricing were not disclosed at this time.

First introduced at Mobile World Congress, the Xperia Z features a five-inch, 1080p HD touchscreen, a rear 13-megapixel camera, and is water-resistant. The smartphone will also support T-Mobile’s 4G LTE network, which just went live in seven markets, including Washington, D.C., Las Vegas, Phoenix and Houston.

On paper, the Xperia Z compares nicely to other high-end Android smartphones on the market, like the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4. But Sony faces an uphill challenge, particularly in the U.S., where it has struggled to make a name for itself in the mobile phone business — something Hirai readily admitted at D11.

“We still have a lot of stuff to do here in the market. There is no question about it,” said Hirai.

Part of the problem is that many of Sony’s smartphones haven’t been available through a U.S. carrier, so customers have had to pay a few hundred dollars for an unlocked version. Bringing the Xperia Z to T-Mobile is a step in the right direction, but keeping it an exclusive will limit its reach. The Galaxy S4 and HTC One are available from multiple carriers.

Hirai said that the company is increasing marketing efforts around the phone, and believes that Sony’s history in making top products in other parts of the electronics business can help it make better phones. The Xperia Z, for example, uses technology found in Sony’s TVs and cameras.

“I firmly believe the DNA is there to be back in that position,” said Hirai.

We’ll update you as soon as we have more information about release date and pricing. Till then, customers can sign up for email updates here.

The company, which covers less than half the U.S. population with high-speed mobile Internet service, has teetered on the brink of bankruptcy. Now, both Dish Network Corp. and SoftBank Corp. are showing keen interest in Clearwire’s huge stockpile of spectrum even as they battle for control of Sprint Nextel Corp., a majority owner of Clearwire.

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So Farb has left her career in investment banking with Goldman Sachs to start Darby Smart, a San Francisco-based company that hopes to upend the crafts industry by selling fun, easy-to-follow crafting kits for amateur do-it-yourselfers. The kits — which will range from $24 to $44, including shipping — will be thought up by designers and crafters with large followings on blogs and Pinterest. Those creators will get a cut of sales.

To get off the ground, Darby Smart has raised a $1 million seed round led by Forerunner Ventures, REI Capital and Maveron. Warby Parker co-founder Dave Gilboa is one of several individual investors in the round.

When evaluating the market opportunity, Farb said she was shocked to find that giant arts-and-crafts retailers like Michaels and Hobby Lobby don’t do more online to appeal to aspiring crafters looking for some guidance.

“There are two sides to the problem,” Farb told me in an interview. “Consumers like me who are in the store and are so frustrated. And on the other side, influencers who have huge readerships or followings on Pinterest or blogs, and who are not making any money in commerce.”

Darby Smart’s first offering will be a $29 kit for crafting a clutch purse out of a magazine — recently, Farb pointed out, Kate Spade sold a “book clutch” for more than $300. New kits will go on sale every three days.

The startup is going to have some competition. Brit + Co., for example, also sells DIY craft kits, but Farb said she views the company as more of a potential partner than anything else right now, since its focus is more on media.

One trend Farb won’t be jumping on? Subscription commerce.

“My take is, if we build an amazing delightful product,” she said, “people will come back because it’s amazing and addictive, not because we have their credit card on file.”

Maybe you can get into the endorsement business.

And Adam Winnick says he can help. Backed by $500,000 in angel money, he is launching Subblime, a site he’s describing as “a social hub for YouTube influencers.” A more practical way of describing the site would be “a place where YouTube celebrities can list stuff they like or have been paid to like.”

Those celebrities have their own pages of lists; here’s one from “WhatsUpElle,” who Winnick lists as a cofounder:

Right now, the money part is embryonic, but Winnick imagines a mix of different ways for YouTubers to profit, from basic affiliate links to more sophisticated cost-per-action ad campaigns. At some point, he thinks he’ll take a 50 percent split of revenue that video celebrities make from his site; for now, the talent keeps 100 percent.

So, all of that makes sense, in a Pinterest-meets-Web-video way. The only question is whether people who are famous on YouTube, who are already figuring out how to sell stuff, want to aggregate on another place to do that.

Winnick says he’ll have embeddable widgets so YouTubers can also sell/endorse stuff on their Tumblrs and other properties. But he argues that there’s a benefit to hanging out with other people who make popular videos, because fans of one video star are likely fans of another: “I give them a platform where they can engage the audience.”

That new role will be executive vice president, Strategic Growth Initiatives. The change comes, notably, after Bradley was mentioned on the list of favored potential CEO candidates to run Dell, by the activist investor Carl Icahn.

HP named Dion Weisler, head of its printing and personal systems in Asia, to run the global unit.

Here’s HP’s announcement:

HP Announces Leadership Change in Printing and Personal Systems

PALO ALTO, Calif., June 18, 2013 — HP today announced that Todd Bradley will step out of his role as executive vice president, Printing and Personal Systems (PPS), HP, to assume a new position at the company—executive vice president, Strategic Growth Initiatives.

In this newly created position, Bradley will work directly with Meg Whitman, HP’s president and chief executive officer, on enhancing HP’s business in China and extending the company’s critical channel partner relationships around the world. Bradley also will work with Whitman on identifying potential partnership opportunities with early-stage companies that can contribute to HP’s long-term growth.

“There’s nothing more important to HP than our channel partners and the future of our business in China,” said Whitman. “I’ve asked Todd to use his expertise to focus on these areas. I’ve also asked him to study the landscape of small companies and startups that could partner with HP to spur growth.”

Under Bradley’s leadership, HP firmly established itself as the No. 1 PC vendor in the world and expanded its worldwide commercial channel partner organization. Bradley also is deeply familiar with HP’s China operations and global supply chain. He received the prestigious Friendship Award from China in 2009, the highest accolade presented to foreign citizens who have made outstanding contributions to China’s development.

Dion Weisler, currently senior vice president for HP PPS in Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ), will step in to Bradley’s role as executive vice president, PPS, HP. He will report to Whitman and join the company’s executive council.

Weisler joined HP in January 2012. He has more than 23 years of experience in the IT industry. Prior to joining HP, Weisler was vice president and chief operating officer of Lenovo’s Product and Mobile Internet Digital Home Groups. Before that, he ran Lenovo’s businesses in Korea, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and Australia and New Zealand (ANZ). Weisler also enjoyed a successful 11-year career at Acer, where he served as managing director of Acer UK and also helped build Acer’s business in Central and Eastern Europe.

HP also appointed Nick Lazaridis to lead HP PPS—APJ on an acting basis until a permanent replacement is named. Lazaridis is currently chief operating officer of HP PPS—APJ, and is also responsible for the Personal Systems division in the region.

“Dion is one of our very best executives and his background is perfect given the challenges we face in the marketplace,” said Whitman. “Todd has left Dion a great legacy to build on. Today’s announcement is about putting our best qualified leaders into roles focused on restarting HP’s growth. HP is extremely fortunate to have a strong bench to draw on as we rebuild and restore the company.”

In February, Motif started letting individuals, professional financial advisers and big brands create their own motifs. Today, the startup is organizing those portfolios into a public catalog, and is announcing that it will start paying at least $1 to the advisers and brands every time a Motif user invests in their motifs.

Perhaps more interestingly, the startup should get regulatory approval within six months to start paying nonprofessional individual investors when someone purchases a motif they create, Motif CEO Hardeep Walia said in an interview.

“If you have good ideas, you’ll have the chance to get paid for them,” Walia said.

While startups such as Betterment and Wealthfront aim in many ways to help replace financial advisers, Motif is hoping to create a catalog of thematic investment ideas that even professional investors find useful.

The company has raised $51 million from Goldman Sachs, Norwest Venture Partners, Ignition Partners and Foundation Capital.