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The coronavirus pandemic has added to the uncertainty and anguish many of us already had about job security and the state of the economy. In this climate, where the return on every dirham spent needs to be carefully weighed up, car shoppers – those who are still out there – are looking more closely at the value equation, rather than being swayed solely by their emotions.
Depreciation: 'The silent thief'
It’s no secret that the biggest depreciation hit to a new car – barring a major accident – occurs the moment it’s driven out of the showroom. Depreciation is sometimes referred to as “the silent thief”, as it eats away at the value of your car over time. There’s a general rule of thumb that suggests cars lose 20 to 30 per cent of their new value in the first year, and 10 per cent per year thereafter, but this varies greatly depending on mileage, condition and the make and model of the car.
The depreciation curve has been further exacerbated under the gloom cast by Covid-19, with car dealerships dishing up attractive incentives in an attempt to reignite sales in a virtually stagnant market. There are also distress sales on offer from private sellers who have lost their jobs but still have bills to pay and, potentially, loans to service. With movement restrictions in the UAE now appreciably eased, there’s nothing to prevent you from perusing the stock at one of the many used-car dealerships – most of which are open for business – or checking out a privately advertised car on one of the many online used-car platforms.
In regular times, there are a number of factors that affect a car’s value. For example, a vehicle that’s covered 40,000 kilometres after two years will obviously be worth less than a similar example that’s done half the mileage over the same duration. The same goes for a vehicle with an incomplete service history versus a car that’s backed by a solid maintenance record.
Another factor that has a significant bearing on resale value is if the car has been superseded by a replacement model, especially if it’s an all-new generation that represents a major advance over the former. It’s important to research whether a successor model is imminent whenever you’re shopping for a new or near-new vehicle, but it’s not particularly relevant if you’re looking at older or classic vehicles as they’ve already been replaced in the market by newer generations (perhaps many times over).
Be careful when choosing your model
It’s also important to note that certain marques and models tend to hold their value better than others. For example, a three-year-old Toyota LandCruiser or Mercedes C-Class can typically recoup about 60 to 70 per cent of its new purchase price – provided the vehicle has been well maintained and doesn’t have above-average mileage on the odometer. On the other hand, there are the “depreciation disasters”, where resale values sink like a stone. In some cases, this is down to a perception of unreliability or expensive maintenance bills for the make or model in question.
In the past, Alfa Romeos have had a reputation for being notoriously temperamental and alarmingly rust-prone. This is an area the company has addressed in recent years, but that old perception still lingers in the minds of many, which might help explain why the Italian marque’s offerings don’t have especially good residual values.
This may not be pleasant reading if you bought one new, but it’s potentially great news for those in the market for a second-hand Alfa. For example, a quick scan of the classifieds revealed a two-year-old, low-mileage Giulia Quadrifoglio being offered at 40 per cent below the new price – with a little bargaining likely to further reduce the asking price.
Jaguars also don’t fare particularly well in terms of residual values and, again, this is largely down to the brand’s past reputation when it was under the stewardship of British Leyland. During this era, build quality ranged from appalling to mediocre, but this aspect improved dramatically after the company was taken over by Ford in 1990 and Tata Motors in 2008. Even so, it’s now possible save money when buying a used Jag.
Another key trend to note is that cars in the ultra-premium segments tend to drop a big chunk of value in a short space of time. Some examples are the Audi A8, BMW 7 Series, Porsche Panamera and McLaren 650S. None of these cars are cheap to maintain, but there’s nothing inherently wrong with any of them, so they potentially represent decent second-hand buys.
Is it better to buy second-hand?
Overall, when you calculate the total ownership costs, it makes better financial sense to go down the pre-owned route. This view is endorsed by Craig Stevens, chief executive at online automotive sales portal Dubicars.com. "Over the last 12 months, we have been analysing transactional data, and our research shows that the used-car market has surpassed the new-car market," he tells The National.
The new-car market in the UAE has been on the decline for the past four years, he adds. “We can see from RTA data that UAE's vehicle fleet is getting older, and the average age of a car on Dubai roads is eight years. People are holding onto their cars for longer, and we are seeing a real shift in the cars people want to buy.
"There is more willingness to buy a used car, so people can effectively get more car for their money. It is worth noting that even through the worst recessions, there is evidence that demand for used cars remains resilient.”
There is one aberration among used vehicles, however, and that is the niche of collectible cars, which actually gain in value with the passage of time. You’d have every reason to gloat if you had snapped up an air-cooled (pre-1998) Porsche 911 a decade or two ago, as these have soared in value – especially the low-volume Turbo, RS and Clubsport variants. You’ve missed that boat now, but a few affordable future collectibles are the E90/E92 generation BMW M3 (the only V8 model), 2012-13 Ford Mustang Boss 302, Mercedes SL500 (R129 generation) and Porsche 928 (especially the GTS).
Overall, however, by buying a used car it means someone else is taking that depreciation hit, Stevens explains. “You are going to spend less to buy it, extended warranties should shield you from having to buy expensive parts, and the great driving conditions here mean you will likely not have to spend a great deal on maintenance.”


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From OTT platforms to interactive viewing: top paid TV industry predictions this year
Towards the end of 2018, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had released a list of rules that TV channels and broadcasters had to implement by February 1, 2019. This could have been the start to the flurry of changes that could be expected from the direct-to-home (DTH) sector, owing to this enforcement.
With newer technologies such as VR, MR, AI, and so on coming in, along with the increasing levels of TV and internet penetration in India, the paid TV industry is bound to see changes this year.
As per the new TRAI rules, consumers have to pay a fixed monthly fee (Rs 130 for 100 channels) to their service providers, which is called the “Network Capacity Fee”. It is meant to be viewed as compensation for the distributors for their investments in network infrastructure. The 100 channels (Basic Service Tier) are composed of mandatory channels as well as other Free-to-Air (FTA) channels. Additionally, customers can choose individual channels for a higher fee or select it as part of a network pack for a lower fee.
Some of the trends that could be seen by the end of the year are:
Individual channels and bouquet channel packs
With the new TRAI rules, customers will now have to pay for individual channels or network/bouquet channel packages to their broadcasters in an attempt to lower costs and create a more structured industry. Customers had to pick and choose their preferred channels and pay for them along with a base price to avoid unnecessary channels cluttering the network.
Flexible channel payment options
Over the top (OTT) platforms are also offering different pricing options depending on the quality of definition, the content available, premium original content, and the availability of the latest movies. It could be possible that in the future, we would be able to pay for the content we are interested in for a specified time limit.
Inter-operability of STBs
By the end of 2019, TRAI plans to introduce inter-operable set top boxes (STB) that will allow customers to change their operators without the hassle of having to invest in a new STB. Though questions of the feasibility of this have risen due to the proprietary software of a particular company loaded into the STB, the agency is working with the government and external consultants to make this possible. Another challenge would be the management of DVR content, because encryption schemes are currently tied to particular STB vendors.
Increase in cord cutting and OTT platforms
Cord-cutting is the process of eliminating Direct-to-Home (DTH) cable or satellite TV services and replacing them with online streaming services. With more people being on-the-go, anytime anywhere content cannot be achieved very conveniently through DTH connections. OTT platforms, however, offer the option for viewers to watch their content on their choice of device - be it phones, computers, tablets, or laptops, at any time. Some of the OTT apps also allow people to download content on the app and consume it at their convenience and have video continuity between devices.
Currently, there are over 250 million OTT users in India, and the market is valued at over $500 million. By 2023, the Indian OTT market is expected to reach $5 billion. Though the shift is not likely to happen in the near future due to limited internet penetration in India, and not having enough quality service on all available networks, it may be a possibility, especially with the arrival of 5G.
Another phenomenon that has been noticed is that production houses are now looking at creating their own streaming platforms as opposed to allowing third party OTT platforms to access them. With advancing technology, a plethora of opportunities will be available for OTT platforms to grow and forge new paths to enhance customers’ viewing experience.
Rise in the cost of content
The TRAI rules, though meant to be easy on the customers’ pockets and get rid of unwatched channels, is amounting to a more expensive ordeal, compared to the earlier scheme. This could arise due to the presence of the network capacity fee, plus tax that is increasing the final amount customers are required to pay for. By offering network packs, the problem of unwatched channels is being repeated.
While it is effective for channels catering to a similar profile, however, choosing channels from multiple profiles may result in a less cost-effective affair. There is also an option for consumers to replace basic service tier channels with the ones of their choice, but many people find the process cumbersome.
Recently, an OTT platform raised its pricing across the US and Latin America to invest in entertainment and better user experience. While India managed to escape the price hike due to the stiff competition here, there is a possibility of the increase in pricing in the future.
Growth of interactive viewing
The end of the previous year saw a boom in the interactive viewing segment and discussions on whether it would be the future of television watching. This avenue enables viewers to decide how a story will progress as per their preferences. Another method of interactive viewing is camera selection, wherein the viewer has the liberty to choose the angle or shoot from where a scene was shot, through 360-degree viewing.
While these are still in the nascent stage and relatively untapped, with the growth of AI and VR, it may soon turn into a mainstream type of viewing option for a more immersive experience.
OTT platforms on-boarding channels
OTT platforms may soon allow viewers to access other television channels, apart from the content that is already available, from their own streaming services. For an extra cost, OTT platforms will let their customers watch regular television channels, further increasing the cord-cutting phenomenon. Customers will not be required to buy bundles and can opt for individual channels to pay for.
2019 will be the year that determines the fate of paid platforms with the steady expansion of internet penetration and the effect of the newly imposed government regulations.
Despite the booming OTT space, the paid TV industry is bound to still stick around for a while, leading to a harmonious combination of the two in the entertainment space.
(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)

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Software Alliance Roils Some With Aggressive Stance
By MICHAEL THURESSON
The Business Software Alliance’s most recent sweep through California netted the trade group more than $1 million in fines for unauthorized software duplication.
It also has raised hackles at a number of firms.
The complaints reflect wider concerns that the alliance has been a heavy-handed instrument of its constituents, which include software powerhouses Microsoft Corp., Adobe Corp. and Apple Computer Inc.
“The fines can be overwhelming, and there’s a culture of fear in getting involved with them,” said Scott Lundstrom, chief technology officer at AMR Research, a technology research firm in Boston. “The guilty-until-proven-innocent-by-audit approach is what companies object to.”
Still, said Brian McPhail, vice president of corporate development and strategy at Macrovision Corp., a Santa Clara-based provider of anti-piracy technology for software manufacturers, the group has helped protect intellectual property rights.
“The Business Software Alliance has been instrumental in promoting a safe and legal digital world,” he said.
Among the local companies hit with fines were Fresh Enterprises Inc., the Thousand Oaks-based operator of the Baja Fresh fast-food restaurant chain, which paid $50,000; Youbet.com Inc., an online wagering operation based in Woodland Hills ($228,000); and Calabasas-based Innovative Merchant Solutions, a bank card processing company ($90,000).
“These are good, reputable companies that bought software and kept installing it without buying any more,” said Jenny Blank, director of enforcement at the BSA. “Our goal is to encourage companies to be proactive and get legal.”
While those companies settled out of court, Pacific Advance Civil Engineering, a landscaping company in Huntington Beach, was taken to court before settling for $80,000 earlier this month, according to the BSA.
Several of the fined firms acknowledged the violations.
“We had a new IT director come in and solve the problem,” said Gene Cameron, vice president of marketing at Fresh Enterprises. He declined to elaborate.
Victor Gallo, Youbet.com’s general counsel, blamed the piracy on the company’s former management and questioned the timing of the software alliance’s Aug. 5 press release that identified Youbet.com. The company shook up its management team in 2002 and disclosed the penalty in an SEC filing in November that year.
“I’ve taken my medicine, and they chose to do the press release this many months later. I didn’t really appreciate that,” Gallo said.
Gallo said Youbet.com was unaware of the piracy until the BSA contacted it. The auditing process that followed involved three employees doing a company-wide check of the software installed on its computers. Based on the audit, the BSA proposed to settle with Youbet.com for $824,000, twice the alleged value of the unauthorized software installed. The company eventually settled for $228,000.
“It wasn’t something where we were upset with the Business Software Alliance. We’re a software company too and would appreciate them if they were there for us,” said Gallo. “We need to be upset with the people who let this happen in the first place.”
The Washington trade group, representing some of the largest software companies, was founded as a non-profit organization in 1988 and has been collecting the penalties ever since.


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Over the previous week, the conversion standard of one bitcoin has kept on holding over the US$1,200 range, keeping up a normal of $1,215-1,235 for each BTC. As bitcoin’s cost has combined, cryptocurrency showcases all in all have expanded in volume essentially. As of now, 24-hour cryptocurrency trading volume now surpasses $1 billion in exchanges for every day achieving another development.
Cryptocurrency Trade Volume Increases
The cost of a bitcoin has been very steady over the seven-day time frame since the rejected ETF choice last Friday. At first, bitcoin markets responded with a value rise while sitting tight for the choice on March 10 and after the SEC’s declaration showcase costs declined. From that point forward bitcoin’s esteem has recouped from the downturn and expanded in an incentive to a high of $1,260 on March 15. Bitcoin volume has been extraordinarily high, achieving a normal of over $500 million USD worth of volume every day.
On the distributed level, bitcoin trade volumes like Local bitcoins have additionally achieved unsurpassed highs this week. Worldwide Local bitcoins volumes are as of now $32 million with nations like China, the U.S., and Canada driving the race. Other shared trade platforms like Paxful and Bitsquare are seeing record volumes also.
When taking a gander at general cryptocurrency advertises all inclusive, there has been a gigantic deluge of volume while including altcoin volumes into the condition. Day by day cryptocurrency volume has outperformed $1 billion USD in exchanges because of noteworthy cost increments from different altcoins. Adding to bitcoin’s huge day by day trade volume, altcoins like Ethereum, Dash, Tether and Monero have supported the general market volumes
Moreover: Altcoin Markets Are Running
The four altcoins specified above have expanded their market capitalization values exponentially in the course of the most recent month. Ethereum is right now exchanging at over $39 per ether with a record advertise top surpassing $3.5 billion USD. Another altcoin that has been ascending in esteem quick has been Dash which is exchanging at $85 at the season of composing. In the interim, Monero has likewise observed a noteworthy cost increment achieving an unsurpassed high of $21. These especially quick market increments have prompted to a reduction in bitcoin’s general market capitalization dominance, which has hit a low of 76 percent. .
Bitcoin Price Moving Regular
Specialized pointers indicates that Bitcoin’s positively trending market has decreased for the minute as the market moves gradual sideways. There’s been huge resistance pushing ahead over the $1,260 check, and the 100-200 Simple Moving Average (SMA) recommend a slower uptrend. At the season of composing the Relative Strength Index (RSI) pointer demonstrate dealers appear to be in charge for the moment, yet order books and profundity demonstrate a solid floor at $1,190-1,200. Around two days after the SEC declaration instability has reduced a considerable amount, leaving littler crevices for day trading procedures.
Dealers may have enjoyed a reprieve from bitcoin markets to attempt and receive the rewards of the previous month’s altcoin pumps. The cost of bitcoin has found real success despite the fact that additions have been slower than different markets. Solidness has been bewildering as the cost of bitcoin has stayed over the 4-digit extend for over a month up to this point. Over the previous week, the group appeared to have disregarded the ETF choice and have concentrated the majority of their consideration on themes like scaling.


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Valentine’s Day in 2015 is a bit unique – it is cursed. Or at least many people might believe it is cursed, especially those who either suffer from triskaidekaphobia (fear of the number 13) or paraskavedekatriaphobia (fear of Friday the 13th), because this year the national celebrations of love on Saturday, Feb. 14, will immediately follow our national celebrations of superstition on Friday, Feb. 13.
And while it is easy to just dismiss fear of the 13th as a ridiculous holdover belief from the time when people thought the world was flat – it would actually explain why Boston seems to be setting up for yet another blizzard on Saturday! Yes, those of us who live in Boston do believe we are cursed.
It also might start to explain the somewhat strange week Apple Pay is having. Cupertino’s favorite company has gotten its share of love notes this week – from JetBlue, its investors, and its CEO – but it’s also gotten some fairly surprising “Dear John” style break-up notes.
Want to know what happened? We’ve got you covered. And we even included the Valentine’s sentiments that we think go along with all of this news.
“Oh Apple Pay, as a mobile platform,
you have no equal in our eyes,
You are the only one with whom,
we’d want to fly the friendly skies
We dumped our legacy payments systems,
because they just didn’t compare,
‘cuz we think there’s just no better way to pay
when you’re hurtling through the air.
Apple Pay is hitting the stratosphere. Literally.
Starting next week, passengers on some JetBlue Airways flights will be able to use Apple Pay to buy food and drinks once cruising altitude is reached. Users will also be able to use Apple Pay to upgrade their seats (though not while inflight)
This move makes JetBlue the first airline to fly the friendly skies with Apple. The airline will also allow customers to make payments from their Apple Watches when that tech debuts later this year.
“The sky is definitely not the limit when it comes to mobile payments with Apple Pay,” said Marty St. George, a senior vice president at JetBlue.
To make the payments possible, JetBlue has replaced its old mPay system, using instead custom outfitted iPad Minis with NFC-capable cases. 3,500 inflight crew members will be receiving the new devices.
You’ll remember that United was the first airline, however, to give its flight attendants Apple iPhone 6’s so…maybe there’s an Apple Pay moment in their future soon, as well.
Roses are red
Violets are blue
Apple Pay Rules!
(And We Love Solar Power Too.)
On the day that Apple became the first U.S. company to end its business day with a market capitalization above $700 billion, CEO Tim Cook told an investment-conference audience that Apple Pay is rolling out “much faster” than he expected, and that was in April.
During the April earnings call, Cook also said Apple would announce its plans to distribute some of the $180 billion it’s holding in cash and securities to shareholders.
The company has been under pressure from Carl Icahn to return that money to investors (see later love note), although the large bank balance hasn’t hurt Apple’s share price.
And – true to Apple form – there’s one more thing: Apple has cut an $848 million deal to become the solar-energy industry’s largest commercial user.
Love with other’s mWallet’s,
hasn’t always worked out in the past,
We thought we loved Square
But we couldn’t make it last,
But Apple Pay, you’re so sexy we have to give you a try,
But this time we’ll go slow, because we’re just a little shy.
Starbucks announced this week that it will start taking Apple Pay.
Sort of. A little bit. They’re still casually dating.
Caffeine enthusiasts cannot use Apple Pay to purchase good and services from Starbucks directly. What customers can now do is reload their Starbucks cards using Apple’s payments service.
Those gift cards are then used within Starbucks’ own very successful mobile wallet.
Starbucks was listed as an Apple Pay app partner when Apple Pay launched in October, but not as retail partner. Starbucks remains committed to its current bar code-based system for in-store purchases.
America’s coffee shop is not currently equipped with the NFC technology that would enable Apple Pay. Currently, Starbucks has not announced plans to implement NFC any time soon.
Oh Apple how I love thee,
let me count the [billion] ways,
The thing I love most about you,
is how well your shareholders get paid.
– Carl Icahn
Carl Icahn may be a living testament to the concept of the squeaky wheel getting the grease. It seems he has brought Apple CEO Tim Cook around to his opinion that Apple should redistribute some of its massive ($180 billion) pile of cash to its shareholders.
Apple, generated an astonishing $33.7 billion in cash from operations in the last three months of 2014 alone. To put Apple’s cash holding in context – Cuppertino could pay off the entirety of the New York State’s annual budget (New York has the largest budget of any U.S. state) and still have over $50 billion left in cash. Treasury only has $49 billion to hand to keep the government working.
Icahn for his part was clearly pleased with Cook’s announcement, writing on his own blog:
“It is now plainly obvious to us that there will be no stopping Apple’s peerless innovation track record and best-in-class ecosystem of services, software, and hardware, and that Apple will continue dominating the premium smartphone market by continuing to take premium market share from Google’s Android operating system (and Android-device manufacturers) while at the same time maintaining or growing average selling prices and gross margins. We look forward to the introduction of the Apple Watch in April, as well as the launch of other new products in new categories.”
Dear John Letters
You were the wings beneath our wings,
together we launched a thousand (or more) mPOS things
One of these really thought
We might even exchange rings
But now you’re pushing Apple Pay,
And that breaks our heart – dagnabit.
You’ve really left us just no choice,
We might just build our own tablet.
Though speculating as to whether or not Apple is going to acquire Square has essentially been the payment’s ecosystem’s favorite pastime for the last several years, it seems that for its part, Square is looking to put distance between itself and Cupertino.
Square is allegedly working on a modified Android tablet of its own that would step in to replace the Square Register powered by iPad. Reports also indicate this particular project is in its early development phase and could still quite possibly never see the light of day.
So why now?
Analysts speculate that the move is defensive on Square’s part. By developing this alternative now, Square could possible avoid future complications if Apple should decided to block the current compatibility with Square Register.
NFC, oh NFC,
We pledged our allegiance to you
But Apple’s mWallet is out there
and everyone says it is unequaled?
Looks like it’s time for us to be moving on.
And start seeing other people.
It seems Google might be considering moving beyond NFC in its quest to compete with Apple Pay, according to new data published in The Information.
The search-giant has reportedly been quietly testing a contextually-aware mobile, bluetooth-based payment system codenamed “Plaso” both in-house and with some select retailers like Papa John’s and Panera Bread.
So how does Google’s new “contextually aware” payments system work? Details are sparse, but it seems that the basic idea is to allow a customer to either select an object in store (or potentially pre-select an item online in advance of arrival) and present themselves to the cashier with their purchase and initials.
The cashier locates said initials from a list of Plaso-enabled devices within Bluetooth range of the retail clerk’s device, which ensures the customer is actually present in the store.
Instead of pitching toward NFC, it seems Google Wallet 2.0 is investing its faith in Bluetooth and its potential to be a mobile proximity identifier.
Some details remain sketchy, namely how exactly the clerk bills the consumer. The TI report does not explain how exactly Plaso payments are processed, though sources said to be knowledgeable on the matter have affirmed that only a smartphone is necessary to conduct transactions.
One possible answer is that this new system will allow the initial transaction to go through Google, with the vendor’s payment processor completing the business end of the deal.
Finally, it is not clear from the report if Google will be offering the Plaso service in place of the NFC-based Google Wallet, or as an addition to it. Google has struggled with the NFC wallet through various iterations and has failed to capture significant consumer or merchant interest thus far. Though the service has seen some recent gains, those gains seem to be unfortunately linked to the rising popularity of of Google’s direct competitor in the mobile wallet space – the also NFC-backed Apple Pay.
We had a good thing,
you guys and me.
And Apple Pay’s success
I would have liked to see.
But the grass is always greener, that’s what people say
So, I’m on my way to check it out with those nice folks at eBay.
– Bora Chung
Online payments expert Bora Chung will reportedly leave Apple for eBay, marking the second such instance of eBay recruiting away from Apple to boost its own payment technologies. Reports indicate that eBay Chief Product Officer RJ Pittman, himself once a member of the Apple e-commerce team, was responsible for nabbing Chung.
Chung’s hire is part of Pittman’s plan to boost the new division, which focuses on payments technology innovation in preparation for PayPal’s independence day. Experts see PayPal’s spin-off as a fork in the road for eBay: While the two could theoretically continue a partnership, most likely eBay will have to launch its own, new payments platform to stay in the game, especially as Apple Pay threatens a retail revolution.
Reports note that Chung had already spent time at PayPal as chief of staff to Dana Stalder, the company’s senior vice president of global consumer and merchandise services. While at PayPal, Chung served as senior director for its Branded Checkout unit. While Chung’s return to eBay could spark a new mobile payments race with Apple, reports say the hire is also part of eBay’s efforts to remain competitive in the e-commerce world as new competition creeps closer. China’s Alibaba, especially, is a looming threat to eBay as the firm readies to bring its e-commerce prowess to the U.S.


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Telecommunications company, Amaysim, has launched its new Unlimited 1GB plan in Australia for $24.90. The company said, in a statement, that this new plan was launched with the budget conscious consumer in mind.
It's the biggest week in payment technology since Apple Pay was introduced last year, and the changes could have a long-term impact on how you buy goods and services in stores.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said Tuesday that the most successful businesses will be those that use mobile devices the best moving forward.
Rain, hail or shine (in the case of Sydney non-stop torrential rain and bellowing wind) the iLovers camped outside Sydney’s Apple store on George Street to nab what’s known as one of the world’s most popular devices.
Blackberry placed rivalries aside and purchased Good Technology as the phone maker moves further into the mobile security market.
The hottest smartwatches at IFA in Berlin are Motorola's Moto 360s and the Gear S2s from Samsung Electronics. Here is how they compare.
Security company G Data has identified more than 20 mobile phones that have malware installed despite being marketed as new, according to a research report.
It's for Android devices and available currently in four languages: Bengali, Brazilian Portuguese, English and Indonesian
Wireless charging is starting to make headlines, with companies like Samsung pushing the technology in its Galaxy line of smartphones. But did you know wireless charging goes back as far as the early 1900s?
If it ain't broke, don't fix it. If it breaks, buy a replacement part on eBay and stubbornly refuse to upgrade.
Telstra has released a 4G mobile broadband hotspot intended for use in cars.
Eight years since its debut, Apple's iPhone has changed and conquered the smartphone market. Here are some interesting facts you might not know about the iPhone.
Telecommunications vendor, Telstra (ASX:TLS), has made public its network investment plans for the financial years 2016 and 2017. They include spending an extra $500 million on improving its mobile network in the next two years.
Whether you want to lower your cell phone bill or find true love, there's usually a way around your problems
We scour the F500 list to home in on the largest tech companies gracing the list.
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The spoiler, of course, is the fact that Nokia doesn't want to announce when it will go on sale. Unless they have a shocking surprise in store, that would be well after the new Iphone is out with larger screen and millions of pre-orders, making the Lumia announcement as exciting and fresh as candidate John McCain's concession speech.
And let us also not forget, anyone that spent money on the 900 and see it wasted as Microsoft and Nokia together abandon their existing users chasing new ones, is NOT going to spend money again and buy another Nokia. So they likely have to look for Iphone/Android camp defectors. Perhaps they have a chance if the new Iphone launch is goofed up big time by Apple. Either in terms of features or execution (delayed supplies, initial teething defects etc). Even then Nokia may be too late to capture Apple loyals
Let us not forget that HTC will announce a new flagship on Sept. 19th and Motorola has been busy too. Samsung too is not going to keep quiet. So it would be a safe bet to say if someone defects from Android camp, that would not be for lack of choice.
But Nokia has a few things going for it this time around
- The new windows OS is similar across phones, tablets, notebooks and desktops. So for the first time, Microsoft's enormous market share in non-phone arena can help Nokia.
- Nokia has managed to attract unprecedented buzz, something to do with its nearly-dead hospice status and of course, to its beautiful new designs.
- There are still a lot of users out there with fond memories of great Nokia phones
- There are lots of new buyers out there that are buying their first smartphone and feel Microsoft is the way to go.
- Other vendors don't seem to take Windows phone seriously enough, despite Android's legal woes. That means if someone wants to buy Windows, he is likely going to buy Nokia. I am saying this despite that fact that Samsung sold more Windows phones than Nokia in the US!
To summarise, a great product spoiled by bad execution and timing.


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Wow, this week flew by! Already time for the weekly round up of comms news curated via @CisionUK.
“However, for the consumer brands and FMCGs on the list having a strong social media presence is an important marketing consideration.
Go-Gulf.com has put together the infographic below to highlight the key social media statistics for the big corporate players.”
“ust as Kleenex became a stand-in for “tissue” years ago, is “Tumblr” on its way to replacing “blog”?
Google search results show that may be the case. By the end of 2012, there will be more people searching “Tumblr” than “blog,” according to Google’s data.!”
Google Drive set to kill Dropbox with desktop folders and 5GB free storage by Polly Becker via @TheWallUK via The Wall
“Google Drive is – in theory – days away from a big unveiling and the cloud storage system looks like it will take on rivals like Dropbox, iCloud and SkyDrive in the free space fight.”
“Do you stream content illegally? Take our quiz to find out where you stand in the open v closed debate.”
“Ever wanted more data from your Facebook ads? Well the time has come – Facebook have released several changes that will have a huge impact on the performance of your brand page and ads. By improving these analytics Facebook are looking for increased investment by brands, allowing them to compete with Google Adwords. No doubt this increased ad spend is to coincide with the expected IPO on the 17th May.”


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Friday, July 11, 2008
high global food prices, conflict in the north and the onset of the
lean season which lasts from July to September, the food security
situation in the north and elsewhere, looks positive this year in Mali.
"[Food] prices are going up, but it's normal; stocks are good
and the cereal is available. We think overall, the harvest will be
good," said Alice Martin-Diahirou, director of the World Food Programme
(WFP) in Mali.
"There are pockets of concern for us around the
towns of Bourem and Ansongo, near Gao, but the situation this year is
not serious like in previous years," she said.
The positive outlook for food security in the north comes despite the insecurity that has recently gripped the region.
A number of violent raids and clashes have caused more than 50 deaths
over the past few months as the Touareg rebellion has escalated.
1,200km north of the capital, Bamako, is currently under an unofficial
curfew, and many people fear the rebels have laid landmines on the road
up to Kidal.
However, aid agencies said so far this was having
little effect on their ability to operate. "Although Gao is classified
by the UN as facing a security threat, we are not seeing any
interruptions to our work here," said Mohammed Ag Hamalouta, from WFP
in Gao. "This year is quite a normal one for us."
Rains good so far
rainy season in the Malian Sahel appears to have started well.
"Although we have to treat first predictions with caution, it seems
like the rainy season in the Gao and Timbuktu regions will be good,"
Dirama Diarra, head of research and the development of rainfall
prediction at the National Meteorological Office, told IRIN. "We think
it will be humid with more rains than normal."
This is welcome
news for farmers in and around Gao which lies deep in the Sahelian
belt. Mostly they rely on rain-fed agriculture. Even in a good year, it
only rains about 10 times in Gao.
Self-sufficient in millet, sorghum
has been more protected than some of its neighbours by global food
price rises because it is self-sufficient in millet and sorghum, the
staple food of 80 percent of its population, and it exports these
grains to its West African neighbours, including Mauritania, Senegal
and Burkina Faso.
But the country has not been entirely
insulated from global food price rises, particularly when it comes to
rice. Mali produces on average half of its total annual rice
consumption, importing the rest mostly from Asia. "We have seen some
rises in the price of local rice," said Christian Bren from the
non-governmental organisation Action contre la Faim in Gao, "but Mali
has better managed the high prices than the other countries."
rice prices mainly affect urban residents who prefer to eat it rather
than traditional grains. Consumer rice prices in Bamako were 27 percent
higher than the five-year average in March 2008, according to the
Ministry of Agriculture.
cushion the blow, the government has levied import taxes on rice, and
heavily subsidises fuel costs, making them among the lowest in West
Africa. The ministries of economy and finance also introduced
additional regulations for imported rice in March: "Any businessman who
benefits from tax exemptions on rice imports has to sell it at a fixed
price to consumers," said Mahaman Assouma Touré, the national director
Because of these measures the government has so
far succeeded in stabilising the price of rice at about 70 US cents per
The government has also adopted the 2008-2009 Rice
Initiative, in which it commits to setting aside land and providing
agricultural equipment to increase its rice paddy fields by half,
bringing production up to 1.6 million tonnes per year.
next step, according to Touré, is for Mali to increase its
self-sufficiency in other basic products. Mali is still heavily reliant
on imports of basic necessities, importing 70 percent of products such
as cooking oil and dairy products, but there are as yet no concrete
schemes in place to improve yields for any of these products.
to a World Bank official who preferred anonymity, with the right
investment Mali could go even further - moving beyond self-sufficiency
to becoming a major exporter.
"Mali has to get over its
addiction to rice and start growing other crops in higher quantities -
sesame seeds, dates, potatoes, bananas, and mangoes," the official told
IRIN. "Mali could become a major bread-basket in West Africa if it
plays its cards right."
Source: IRIN NEWS http://irinnews.org


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Sindh High Court orders to include Custom authorities in QMobile smartphone case
Karachi, Pakistan: Sindh High Court has ordered to include Custom authorities of Pakistan and the Federation of Pakistan in QMobile smartphone case.
According to 92 News channel of Pakistan, Sindh High Court while releasing written order said that QMobile has to satisfy court that every set of QMobile has International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number.
It may be mentioned that Supreme Court of Pakistan in past directed Custom authorities of Pakistan that no cell phone set would be imported to Pakistan without IMEI number because tracking phone become impossible if there is no IMEI number and terrorists and criminals could use such phones to conducting their activities.
It may be mentioned that QMobile is allegedly involved in selling phones without having a valid IMEI number and 92 News reported that QMobile Company is allegedly selling smartphones that have no IMEI numbers on them.
It may be mentioned that it is the legal responsibility of mobile manufacturers to allocate IMEI numbers to every single unit of handset before selling it in the market.
“It is an offence in Pakistan to use cell phones without having IMEI identity. If you do not have IMEI number then security agencies cannot track cell phone if user changes service provider and criminals usually have more than one SIM and they keep changing their cell number. The only thing that can ensure tracking such terrorist or criminal is IMEI identity of phone set. If agencies have IMEI number then they can track the smartphone and even block it”, said a former official dealing with counterterrorism department in Pakistan.


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Urbanspoon: Chick-fil-A sees drop in page views following gay marriage controversy
What happens when companies decide to publicly oppose gay marriage? Turns out, it could be bad for business.
Last week, the Puget Sound Business Journal took a look at how Washington businesses are supporting and opposing Referendum 74, the question on this November’s ballot that would make same-sex marriage legal in the state. Seattle apartment management company Breier-Scheetz Properties donated $20,000 to the group opposing R74 and has seen a large online backlash against its properties, while companies such as Amazon.com Inc. and Microsoft Corp. that have donated money to the group supporting R74 have seen local and national media praise.
This summer, fast-food chain Chick-fil-A’s president, Dan Cathy, said the company opposes gay marriage and supports “traditional families.” Cathy recently doubled down on that remark, saying that he and his Atlanta, Ga.-based company support “Biblical families.”
While some conservative political groups had a national “Support Chick-fil-A Day” this summer to celebrate the chicken sandwich maker’s stance, the company also saw a huge backlash online and in the media attacking its position.
But does that really affect a company’s bottom line?
Seattle-based restaurant review and location company UrbanSpoon might have an answer.
According to Conrad Saam, UrbanSpoon’s director of marketing, during the controversy, searches for the fast-food chain on UrbanSpoon went up 1,192 percent.
However, in the months since then, traffic has dropped significantly below the pre-controversy numbers. In fact, according to UrbanSpoon’s data, Chick-fil-A page views are down 45 percent over pre-controversy page views.
Emily Parkhurst covers the technology industry for the Puget Sound Business Journal/TechFlash.
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Twinkle town at Bradley farms to open Friday
Elmira, NY (WENY) -- Twinkle town at Bradley farms is set to unveil its Christmas lights tour.
The owner and others have spent nearly a months putting up around a million led Christmas lights. There's a number of different exhibits like 20 ft. trees and a brontosaurus. In total the drive around the town is about a mile long. Owner Dan Hurley said a Christmas tour like this is one of kind. The closest Christmas light trail like the one in Elmira is in Syracuse. Hurley says no matter what age you are there's certainly something for everyone.
“The closest one to us is up in Syracuse and they do a wonderful job. I think this is their 30th year. A lot of people have gone up there and we just wanted to try the concept. And we wanted to give a little back. We're sharing some of the proceeds with Meals on Wheels. They really need the help.” said Hurley.
Twinkle town at Bradley farms is set to open at 5:00pm Friday night.


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, a hair styling place with a mechanic's garage motif, held a ribbon cutting ceremony Tuesday. Recognizing the shop's year-and-half in business was the Woodland Hills-Tarzana Chamber of Commerce, and various elected officials.
Diana Williams and Jen Svejda of the Chamber were in attendance and presented a plaque to Jazz Monroe, owner of Outlaw by Jazz; Fred Flores, director of community relations for Congressman Howard Berman, and Erik Rodriguez, field representive for State Assemblyman Bob Blumenfield, presented certificates to Monroe.
Before the ribbon cutting ceremony, Monroe addressed the attendees and gave some history about how the Tarzana shop got its start, and explained why things like mechanic's tool boxes, license plates and objects that resemble car interiors or auto body parts decorate the Ventura Boulevard location.
"We opened up a year-and-a-half ago," Monroe said. "We're doing good, because we're still here!"
Cheers and whistles erupted from the crowd, and Monroe acknowledged her staff and shop manager.
Monroe told the audience she chose Tarzana because it was close to her son's school, and the shop's location allowed her to "be a business owner, and be a mom."
Monroe said the business concept is to be a place where "the entire family can get their hair needs met. Kids, moms, husbands, teenagers."
Monroe then told the crowd, "If you look at Yelp (a crowd-sourced business rating website), we're not disappointing. We're five stars."
Monroe said that her business emanated from a chance moment in Studio City. She was driving past the Floyd's barber shop on Moorpark Street, and a "blonde in a little polka-dotted dress" cutting hair in the window, caught her eye. "I said, turn around! I want to know what that place is!" At the time, Monroe was looking for a job.
She eventually was hired at the Studio City Floyd's, where she honed her skills in cutting hair, and worked for them for almost five years.
Monroe told the audience that although she respects the Floyd's owners very much, they declined to offer her a franchise in their business.
Monroe said, "They told me, you want to franchise? You're a woman... maybe you should think about running my shop. And I said, shame on you! I'm going to take you out."
Outlaw by Jazz is now a competitor of Floyd's, but Monroe acknowledges that "the brothers of Floyd's taught her a lot, even though they didn't want to bring her on board."
Monroe was asked where the nickname "Outlaw" came from. She said she got the name from her father, because he told her "he couldn't control her."
Monroe pointed out the motorcycle displayed in the window. "That's Mom's Harley in the window," she said. She also mentioned that her mother, father and brother all passed away, and within a short span of time from each other.
Monroe said her father taught her a lot about business.
"My Dad told me, Jazz, you better open up your own business," Monroe said. "Because you're going to get fired from evey job you get!" The crowd broke out in laughter.
19307 Ventura Blvd Tarzana, CA 91356 818-342-5299


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Sprint posted an operating loss of $629 million during its fiscal second quarter, largely related to expenses incurred in the closure of its Nextel network. But the carrier also had plenty of good news to report. For one, its bet on the Apple iPhone is paying off.
Sprint sold nearly 1.5 million iPhones during the quarter. Verizon Wireless, the nation’s largest carrier, sold 2.7 million iPhones during its second quarter, announced July 19, and AT&T, during its July 24 earnings call, shared that it sold 3.6 million of the Apple devices. The coup for Sprint, however, was that 40 percent of those iPhones went to customers brand-new to the network, versus 22 percent in the case of AT&T.
Additionally, AT&T’s 3.6 million iPhones were down from 4.3 million the quarter before, just as Verizon’s 2.7 million were down from 3.2 million during the first quarter. Sprint, however, stayed consistent at 1.5 million units, though 44 percent of its first-quarter iPhones went to new subscribers.
“Early-life churnand again, it’s earlyis better than on other smartphones, calls to care are significantly lower than on other devices, service and repair and returns are all lower than on other devices,” Sprint CEO Dan Hesse said during the earnings call, listing the benefits of the iPhone. “All the important early metrics tell us we made the right decision.”
During the second quarter, Sprint also enjoyed its best-ever platform postpaid churn, at 1.69 percent, and reported that its service revenue increased by more than 8 percent during the quarter to $7.3 billion, primarily driven by a growth of $4.31 in its average revenue per user (ARPU). This was, Sprint said in a statement, “the largest quarterly year-over-year increase on record for the U.S. wireless industry.”
More good news: Its adjusted OIBDA (operating income before depreciation and amortization), an income metric, was its highest in more than five years, and it expects more good news ahead, in terms of sales.
Sprint is expecting an increase in activity at the back end of the year, said a Sprint executive, carefully prefacing his remarks by saying that Sprint “does not know when or if a new iPhone is coming,” and that the uptick is due to normal seasonal increases and many users becoming eligible for upgrades.
Though a new iPhone certainly wouldn’t hurt.
Neither would new growth in Sprint’s Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network, which is now in “five major markets and 15 cities” and is on-track for a nearly full rollout by the end of 2013. Before Labor Day, Sprint plans to bring LTE to Baltimore; Gainesville, Ga.; Manhattan/Junction City, Kansas; and Sherman-Denison, Texas.
Sprint also shared that its efforts to sign on Nextel customers as it closes that network are going swimmingly60 percent of postpaid subscribers leaving Nextel have been “recaptured” by Sprint. Its customer satisfaction rating, as determined by a third party, is the best of all national carriersa major turnaround from four years ago, when it rated last.
Even its $629 million loss was an improvement over the first quarter’s $863 million loss.
With success in its ability to generate cash, build customer experience and build the Sprint brandthree areas that Hesse said are his primary focusas well as finally an iPhone and a budding LTE networktwo areas in which it has played catch-up to Verizon and AT&Tthings are certainly looking up since those darker days four years ago.
“The Sprint platform achieved [its] best-ever postpaid customer churn that, combined with disciplined customer acquisition and cost management, contributed to our adjusted OIBDA of $1.45 billion,” Hesse said in a July 26 statement. “Based on this performance, we are raising the 2012 adjusted OIBDA forecast to between $4.5 billion and $4.6 billion.”


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The various channels through which organizations connect with leads and clients these days offers a huge measure of data about their purchasing inclinations. Yet, even seasoned marketers frequently battle to take into consideration information since it is regularly spread out between dissimilar frameworks, an issue that Segment Inc., has embarked on understanding and solving.
Recently, the company conducted a Series C funding round and raised $64 million. They made this announcement in a blog post. Here is an excerpt from the post:
“We’re excited to share that Segment has raised $64 million in Series C funding, led by Y Combinator Continuity and joined by GV. Our existing investors at Accel, Thrive, NEA, and Ron Conway’s SV Angel also participated.
We’re also thrilled to welcome Ali Rowghani, CEO of YC Continuity, to our board of directors. Ali helped build two iconic Silicon Valley companies — at Pixar as CFO and SVP of Strategic Planning, and at Twitter, as CFO then COO. There’s so much we can learn from him and we’re excited to continue building Segment with guidance from him and our other board members, Vas Natarajan from Accel and Will Gaybrick from Stripe (previously lead investor at Thrive.)
Series C 2017: The standard for customer data infrastructure in 2017 (and beyond!)
But we’re still just getting started, and there’s so much to build. Today more than 15,000 companies rely on Segment to process 80 billion end-user actions a month. We serve companies of all sizes across the world: half the startups in the Andreesen Horowitz portfolio, and a growing chunk of the Fortune 500 including enterprises like Intuit, Reuters, IBM, and Gap.
With each new (daily) release, we’re building a more complete customer data platform to help our customers unify their customer data in a single place. We’re incredibly excited for the product launches coming later this year, and we’re even more excited to see what our customers and partners build on top. Today’s funding will be a key part of making this happen.”
Megha Shah for TechFunnel.com


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Marui, a large department store chain in Japan just partnered with Bitflyer (a bitcoin exchange) to accept bitcoin payments starting on August 7. It is the first major department store chain in Japan to accept bitcoin.
“Marui is a major department store chain with stores in Tokyo and other large Japanese cities. […] Marui targets a young, stylish audience between the ages of 20-35.”
Marui Group announced their partnership with Bitflyer on friday. At first only one of its location will support the new payment method, but they have the intention of expanding to more stores if the trial goes well.
This just adds to the current trend; an increasing number of merchants around the world are starting to adopt the modern payment method. This is can only be good for the price of cryptocurrencies as adoption rate is key to price appreciation.
It’s simple, give people ways to spend their bitcoin and their perceived value will go up. Japan is just one of the countries that’s really starting to appreciate the blockain technology. The Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, India, China and many others are also bitcoin friendly countries where cryptocurrencies are becoming increasingly popular for both merchants and consumers.
Good reads on the topic:
- Rollout of 260,000+ Bitcoin-Accepting Stores in Japan Begins
- Media Frenzy in Japan as Bic Camera Starts Accepting Bitcoin
- BitFlyer Deal Brings Bitcoin Option to 48,000 Online Stores in Japan
- 7 COUNTRIES THAT LOVE BITCOIN (AND HOW THEY SHOW IT)


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Car makers are racing the put the mobile in automobile as they connect our vehicles to the cloud and increasingly blur the line between cars and consumer electronics »
The newest development in car-industry tech is not alternative power sources or safety systems. It’s apps »
iTunes 8.2.1 breaks Palm Pre’s ability to sync with Apple’s music software, which is not too surprising given the recent skirmishes between Apple and Palm »
Samsung's Galaxy S4 uses a new eight-core CPU. It's faster but the new chip's architecture also brings a few interesting things to the table. Let's take a look »
Here's Syria's three-year-old civil war -- mapped in all its morbid chaos »
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Mercedes Concept EV Travels Almost 750 Miles on One Charge
In April, the company’s stab at “the silver bullet to the electric road trip” completed a 626-mile trip on a single charge. Its latest trip tacked on another 100+ miles.
New EV Battery Reaches 98 Percent Capacity in Less Than Ten Minutes
This doesn't appear to come at the cost of longevity—Enovix estimates its battery will last at least a decade.
Volvo to Use Unreal Engine For 'Photorealistic' EV Displays
Volvo is the latest company to announce plans to use the Unreal Engine for an upcoming fleet of EVs. This begs the question: can passengers play a round of Facing Worlds when stuck in traffic?
By Josh Norem
Dyson Dumps Its EV Project After Spending $3.2B, Blames Commercial Viability
Dyson is pulling out of the vehicle market before it even began production. After four years and $3.1B, the company has cancelled plans to bring its own BEV to market.
Tesla Reverses Course on Store Closures, Raises Prices to Compensate
Tesla has reversed course on its plan to close stores and now claims it will only close underperforming locations. Prices are going up to compensate.
Tesla Stock Drops as Company Slashes Vehicle Prices
Tesla's stock was hammered on Wednesday after the company cut prices and slightly missed Wall Street sales targets.
In China, Electric Vehicles Log Precise Location Data With the Government
In China, electric vehicles constantly report their exact real-time position -- and a great deal of additional information besides -- to the Chinese government.
Queensland Gets the World's Longest 'Electric Highway'
Australia is building the longest single-highway run of EV chargers in one state. Right now, there are just 700 EVs on the roads in Queensland, and the state wants to change that.
By Jessica Hall


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A federal judge on Sunday blocked a Trump administration ban on downloads of the popular video app TikTok — just hours before it was due to go into effect, according to reports.
US District Judge Carl Nichols issued a temporary injunction in federal court in Washington, DC, putting the brakes on President Trump’s move to shut down the Chinese-owned app over claims that it may compromise national security.
The decision allows companies like Google and Apple to continue offering downloads of TikTok on their app stores — something that would have been banned as of midnight.
But the ruling does not address wider restrictions sought by the administration to shut down the app in the US in November.
Trump has given his preliminary endorsement for a sale of TikTok’s US operations to Oracle and Walmart, who would own 20 percent of the app under the name TikTok Global, Bloomberg Law reported
The president has set a November deadline for that sale to happen — although the two corporate giants are feuding over their potential shares.
However, Chinese state media has denounced the deal.
“What the United States has done to TikTok is almost the same as a gangster forcing an unreasonable and unfair business deal on a legitimate company,” the government-controlled China Daily wrote last week.
In court Sunday, a lawyer for the app called the administration’s move against the company “irrational,” according to Bloomberg.
“How does it make sense to impose this app-store ban tonight when there are negotiations underway that might make it unnecessary?” attorney John Hall argued during a virtual court hearing in the case.
TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, filed a court challenge to the pending ban on Wednesday, calling the proposed ban a “pretext for furthering the president’s broader campaign of anti-China rhetoric in the run-up to the US election.”
But Trump has argued that the app has direct ties to officials in Beijing and could be used to siphon personal information from American TikTok users that could then be used against the country.
With Post wires


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Las Vegas Sun
Double taxation must be ended.
Letter to the Editor from Sophia Romero, Nevada State Chair for the National Association of Consumer Advocates: “With so many people out of work and struggling, we can expect the plague of predatory lending, abusive debt collection, unfair credit reporting and more to get even worse. When that happens, consumers should be able to turn to laws that protect us. But to do that, we need Congress to lift an obscure and unfair tax penalty.”


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Canon’s PSA Will ‘Protect’ You From Counterfeit Batteries
After Canon’s Play it Safe initiative to detect knock-offs of the company’s products, they’re back again with another PSA to help consumers avoid 3rd party batteries. This ‘ consumer-safety’ video is aimed at creating awareness about the increasing ersatz batteries in the name of the brand, now even more rampant due to online shopping.
In their initial initiative press release, they state that replicas may ‘overheat, smoke, melt, ignite and may cause bodily injury and property damage.’ While this certainly is a good scheme, is Canon taking the consternation a bit too far?
The video still states that one can use a 3rd party battery at their own risk but some features wouldn’t work. So maybe they might just be putting this PSA up for the viewer’s well-being.
But as an argument, a Youtube comment states that, “Next thing you know, they will tell you that Tokina, Sigma, Zeiss, and other lenses are dangerous counterfeits too. As in, dangerous to their margins.”
So we leave it to you to watch the video and decide whether this is an act of kindness or an act of enterprise. It’s probably both.Tags: Canon, PSA, third party battery, counterfeit, initiative, canon play it safe


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Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) and MGM have reached a take care of Amazon Freevee (formerly IMDb TV) to convey 23 free ad-supported TV (FAST) channels to the streaming service, the businesses introduced Monday.
The brand new settlement will assist Amazon attain its objective of rising Freevee’s slate of FAST channels by 75% in 2023. There are at the moment over 280 channels accessible on the platform.
Over the following few months, Freevee will launch 11 WBD channels, akin to “Cake Boss,” “Say Sure to the Gown,” “Excessive Couponing,” “Ghost Brothers,” “Paranormal Lockdown” and extra. The “Cake Boss” and “Say Sure to the Gown” channels have already been accessible on Roku and Tubi, two streaming providers that struck related offers with WBD again in January.
Freevee may also add 12 MGM FAST channels, together with “The Pink Panther,” “Stargate,” “MGM Presents” and “The Outer Limits.” When Amazon acquired MGM in 2022, the corporate acquired entry to over 21,000 titles. Lately, the corporate launched Amazon MGM Studios Distribution, marking the primary time that Amazon has licensed authentic content material like “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” to 3rd events.
Amazon’s announcement of the brand new FAST channels comes on the heels of the corporate adding more than 100 Amazon Original series to Freevee, together with hit exhibits like “Reacher,” “Add,” “The Terminal Listing,” “Goliath” and “The Wheel of Time,” amongst others.
Freevee additionally not too long ago launched 10 channels from Lionsgate, which embody “Are We There But?,” “Anger Administration” and “Nashville. A “Ghost Hunters” FAST channel will arrive on the service in just a few weeks.


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Category: Tech News
Google Is 'Pretty Sure' Your Data Is Secure
Eric Schmidt SXSW Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google Inc., speaks during a featured session called The New Digital Age, at the South By Southwest Interactive Festival in Austin, Texas, March 7, 2014. David Paul Morris--Bloomberg/Getty Images ...
Google's Eric Schmidt sees robots everywhere
Google's Eric Schmidt Believes They're Sufficiently Protected From Government ...
Google's Schmidt Says Inequality Will Be Number One Issue For Democracies
Pebble appstore for Android version now available, ready for download
The Pebble Android app has been delayed for quite sometime. Remember that Pebble engineer Kean Wong said the Android version was more complicated than he thought and only a few people were working on the Android app. No need to wait long ...
Pebble adds eBay, Evernote & Time Warner as latest smart watch app partners
It's time: Pebble smartwatch gets its Android app store, new software partners
Pebble Appstore Comes To Android, Alongside New Partner Apps From eBay ...
Voice of America
Hubble telescope captures rare photos of crumbling asteroid
The Hubble telescope has captured some stunning images showcasing the early stages of an asteroid breaking apart. The crumbling asteroid, officially known as P/2013 R3, was first noticed in September. A follow-up observation on with the Keck Telescope ...
Never-before-seen asteroid disintegration stuns astronomers
NASA Zooms Into Stunning Hubble Photo to Show You a Galaxy that's Falling ...
Hubble Catches a Crumbling Asteroid
For iPhone, Android a good start to the year
Data from ComScore shows Apple as the top US smartphone maker for the start for 2014, while Android was the top US mobile platform. Don Reisinger. by Don Reisinger. March 7, 2014 12:58 PM PST. (Credit: Apple). Apple and Google are tops in the mobile ...
comScore: Apple and Samsung gain while Android and Motorola drop
Apple takes largest U.S. smartphone share
Report Shows Increase in Apple's US Smartphone Market Share
The world's biggest smartphone maker, Samsung, launches a free music streaming service called Milk Music.
Wall Street Journal
Studies show Sprint and T-Mobile need to expand US coverage
Computerworld - Two major studies released this week of the nation's largest wireless networks put Verizon Wireless on top in nearly every technical network measurement, with AT&T close behind and Sprint and T-Mobile trailing. The studies by JDPower ...
Sprint's New Owner SoftBank Wants To Change 'Loser' Mentality
Sprint Chairman Shouting and Firing His Way to the Top
T MOBILE US INC (TMUS) news: Pursuing T-Mobile Could Be Risky For Sprint ...
Privacy groups ask FTC to block Facebook-Whatsapp deal
Last month, Facebook acquired the world's most popular instant messaging service. And it seems not everyone is delighted with the move. Fearing that the social networking giant might use Whatsapp's user data for advertising purposes, two consumer ...
FTC To Investigate Facebook after WhatsApp Purchase?
Groups seek privacy review of Facebook-WhatsApp tie-up
Privacy groups' pushback over WhatsApp deal
This Week's Apple Rumors, Ranked From Dumbest to Most Plausible
It looks like the Retina MacBook Pro could become the only MacBook Pro. Photo: Christina Bonnington/WIRED. Each week, there are dozens of Apple rumors, reports, and patent filings that hint at what's coming out of Cupertino next. Some are legit, but many ...
Next OS X Update Will Bring Retina Support to 4K Monitors
OS X 10.9.3 beta features native Retina resolution for 4K displays, and other ...
OS X 10.9.3 to Include Retina Support for 4K Displays
Facebook's purchase of WhatsApp - one of the biggest ever tech acquisitions - runs into trouble over privacy concerns.
Turkey's Prime Minister Erdogan says his government could ban Facebook and YouTube, amid leaks suggesting government corruption.


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Amazon is now offering the Fitbit Charge 5 Advanced Fitness Tracker for $129.95 shipped in all three styles. Normally fetching $180, today’s offer marks a return to the Amazon all-time low for only the third time and also marks the savings we saw over Black Friday. So if you missed out on the discount last month, now is your chance to take advantage of the best price yet ahead of all those New Year’s resolutions. Sporting an always-on OLED display, Fitbit Charge 5 is the brand’s latest fitness tracker and delivers a series of specs to back that up. Alongside heart rate and sleep tracking, there’s also SpO2, a new Daily Readiness Score, skin temperature, and the just-released ECG monitoring. There’s also 7-day battery life to round out the package alongside a refreshed and premium design. Dive into our launch coverage and then head below for more.
At $10 less, going with the slightly more affordable Fitbit Luxe is worth checking into for some additional savings. Also on sale right now, it has been marked down to $120 in various styles for delivering another way to get in on the fitness tracking features. While this one isn’t quite as premium as the latest and great from Fitbit, this is still one of the brand’s more recent additions and you’ll find a series of features that make the sale price even more compelling. Though some will likely find that the $10 upsell is worth the upgrade.
Also on sale as we start off the week, Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4 Classic is currently beating the pricing we saw over Black Friday with a new all-time low. Delivering an added $7 in savings from the holiday shopping event last month, you can now bring home Samsung’s most recent wearable for $323.
Fitbit Charge 5 features:
Fitbit Charge 5 + Premium connects the dots between your activity, sleep and stress so you can make the best decisions for your body, mind and health. It all starts with your 6-month Premium membership and Daily Readiness, a score based on activity, sleep and heart rate variability (HRV) that helps you optimize your workout routine.
FTC: 9to5Toys is reader supported, we may earn income on affiliate links


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Greenwich Village celebrates the 100th birthday of our leading lady, Jane Jacobs.
WIN a tote bag full of all the ingredients, worth $130, needed to make this months featured recipe from Agata & Valentina, Lobster Rolls with Baked Sweet Potato chips.
How to celebrate the moms in your life in your favorite neighborhood.
Village Alliance Executive Director, William Kelley, gave an exclusive wide ranging interview to the Villager Newspaper on 2016 initiatives.
Il Bambino, the legendary Astoria panini concept restaurant by Darren Lawless recently opened on historic West 8th Street.


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Smaller, faster music devices revealed at conference
CANNES, France Its a bit disorienting: Slip on a set of headphones, turn up the volume and, while you move about the room, the music stays put as if coming out of five speakers stuck on a wall.
Software engineers in Germany who developed the widely used MP3 audio file format have taken the technology to a higher level with a next-generation format that delivers cinema-like multichannel audio.
The headsets dazzled attendees at the Midem music conference in this French Riviera town, where goateed singers, sharply dressed executives and software designers in tennis shoes have been meeting this week to map out how music reaches ears in the future.
Tech gizmos are but a small part of the conference, now in its 39th year and typically devoted to the tough negotiations that go into record deals.
But technology is an increasing part of the business, especially as consumers show an unquenchable appetite for on-demand and on-the-go music.
The cutting-edge, but disorienting, surround-sound headphones wont be commercially available for some time. But music fans can hear the new MP3 Surround technology, developed by Germanys Fraunhofer Institute, on personal computers provided they have special 5.1 channel sound cards and multiple speakers.
A free test version of the software, which encodes and plays audio in the new multi-channel format, is available for download.
The MP3 Surround Evaluation Software 1.0 is backwards compatible, so it will also play the regular stereo MP3 files already sitting on tens of millions of computers worldwide.
"We simulate a virtual room so that you get the impression of listening to Surround sound even if you have only stereo headphones," said Fraunhofers Oliver Baum.
Among other high-tech offerings, Chinas Zhejiang Huahong Optronics Group showed off a flash-memory portable video player tentatively called the MTV Player, which is to go on sale in China in March though no export date has been set. The palm-sized gadget has 2 gigabytes of storage space and could be just the thing for consumers willing to see dazzling dancers on a 2-inch screen.
Music videos are just the start. "The plan is for people to download movies from their computers or from the Web," said company president Wang Yuan Long.
China was making its first big splash at the conference this year, hoping to strike deals for Western music that young Chinese crave and assuage concerns that Beijing has not done enough against the black market in pirated CDs.
The undercurrent of the six-day show, which kicked off with a concert featuring big-name stars including Anastacia and Jennifer Lopez, has been the rebounding fortunes of recording companies.
After a four-year slump, global sales of recorded music increased last year largely through the success of fee-charging online services and the expansion of portable music devices like Apple Computer Inc.s iPod.
Now, music industry honchos hope gadget makers, software powerhouses like Microsoft and cell phone companies will help deliver tunes to a fee-paying public.
Perhaps the biggest debate is how listeners will receive their music. With digitized music increasingly delivered through the Internet or mobile phone, the CD could one day go the way of the 8-track.
Apples a-la-carte offering through its popular iTunes portal lets users pay to download songs to their iPods but only iPods, not competing MP3 players.
Microsoft Corp. is fighting back with its PlaysForSure certification program, which helps consumers quickly recognize that a particular portable player supports files encoded in its Windows Media format.
When it comes to on-the-go music gadgetry, mobile phone companies like Vodafone Group PLC, Orange PLC, T-Mobile Ltd. in Europe or Verizon Communications Inc., Cingular Wireless and Sprint Corp. in the United States could also become serious players.
Mobile operators offer downloads of songs directly into handsets, though the fees have typically been higher than the per-track prices for portable music players such as the iPod.
Motorola Inc. will soon let people play on its cell phones the songs they buy through Apples iTunes Music Store. Music fans in Japan already enjoy an over-the-cellular-network service offered by KDDI.
Online music distributor Napster, meantime, is pushing a new subscription service that will offer music lovers unlimited access to a catalog of 1 million songs transferrable to portable players until their subscriptions lapse, that is. The songs are "rented", encoded with Microsoft copy-protection software.
Whatever strategy ultimately becomes dominant, the competition to deliver show tunes, jazz riffs, operatic arias or hip-hip rhymes to the music lover continues to inject hope into the embattled music business.
As Napster president Brad Duea said, "We have to encourage people to listen more."


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30,000 expected to surf into Internet show
SOME 30,000 people are expected to attend an Internet exhibition in the RDS next month.The Irish Internet Show, which will be the largest event of its kind held in Ireland, is being sponsored by the Irish Independent and Telecom Eireann.
Speakers will include Rob Raisch, who has worked with computer networks for 19 years, John Audette, founder of the first online advertising agency, Ivan Pope, who started the first internet magazine W3, and Gerry McGovern of Internet development consultancy Nua.
The show will run from Friday, November 21, to Sunday, November 23, and will include a one day business conference on advertising, commerce, security and legal issues on the Net.
There will be exhibits from IBM and Compaq and local Irish companies that offer a solutions to using the Web.
Consumers will also be offered a chance to learn about the Internet. The show includes a ``Telecom Internet Surf Zone'' featuring a hundred computers where Web novices will be introduced to the Internet.
Research has shown that the number now using the Net in Ireland is 150,000, and this figure is set to reach 250,000 by the year 2000.
A study by the Irish Internet Association has shown that the average Internet user was well off, well educated and male (75pc).
Almost two-thirds, or 61pc, of users accessed the Web from home and 35pc from the office. Some 78pc of respondents were professionals and 24pc worked in computer related jobs.


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Last summer customers waited in line to buy Cadillac's hot XLR. Now dealers are waiting to sell them.
GM has reduced XLR production at its Bowling Green, Ky., plant from 23 vehicles a day to 12, union officials say.
As of Feb. 1, Cadillac had a 200-day supply of the $76,200 vehicle -- about 1,700 units.
Cadillac once hoped to sell 6,000 XLRs annually. But through 18 months, Cadillac has sold just 4,744.
As recently as last August, Cadillac executives wanted to increase production of the XLR -- Cadillac's halo car -- because the division couldn't meet demand. David Leone, chief engineer for the Cadillac Sigma prestige vehicle architecture team, said then that dealer orders were "five times what we can build."
Leone said production would increase before the 2006 model year. But those plans have changed.
Says GM spokesman Stefan Weinmann: "We're very careful to make sure that on a brand like Cadillac, the inventory levels are more closely managed than some other brands in order to maintain its cachet." GM has never offered sales incentives on the XLR and has no plans to do so.
Eldon Renaud, president of UAW Local 2164, says there will be no layoffs at the Bowling Green plant, which employs 1,015 workers. He said GM trimmed production Feb. 8. Output of the Chevrolet Corvette, built at the same plant, will remain unchanged.
The cutback could be painful to some suppliers.
Meridian Automotive Systems Inc. of Dearborn, Mich., will build just half of the molded door panels it expected for the XLR. Idle capacity is expensive, but Meridian cannot use that equipment for other customers because at some point GM may resume higher XLR production.
Production slowdowns also make it tough for suppliers to recoup their costs.
In December 1999, HP Pelzer Automotive Systems Group of Troy, Mich., won the contract to supply acoustic and flooring material for the Chevrolet Malibu and Pontiac Grand AM -- on the condition that it also take on the much smaller XLR and Corvette programs.
"It's a pain in the neck," says an industry executive familiar with that contract. "The tools you put in place cost more than the parts you sell" for the smaller programs, the executive said.
Adds the CEO of one XLR supplier, "We're all in the doldrums."
Jacques Moore, owner of Moore Cadillac in Richmond, Va., admits XLR demand has slowed, but adds: "It's important to remember it's a seasonal product."
Moore says an oversupply of XLRs is not good.
"The last thing we want to do is have a couple of dealers with three, four or five on the ground and then they need to have a sale," says Moore. "That would be the wrong idea."


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Industry Veteran to Oversee Platform Deployment, Training, Ongoing Support
NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - Sep 22, 2016) - Dynamic Yield, the Unified Customer Engagement Platform, today announced that it has hired Kevin English as VP, Customer Success.
English and his team will ensure smooth onboarding, training, and ongoing product and technical support for Dynamic Yield's global clients. English has more than 15 years' experience as a leader in the SaaS, data and analytics space, and is passionate about applying data and technology to real-world business problems. Prior to his work at Dynamic Yield, Kevin was VP of Client Services at Qubit; he has also held leadership roles at Virtusa and IBM.
"Personalization technology is no longer a nice-to-have," said Liad Agmon, CEO of Dynamic Yield. "As our platform becomes critical in the enterprise technology stack, customers are looking to us to provide world-class service and share global best practices in personalization. Kevin is a thought leader with deep domain expertise in customer analytics, which is the building block for successful personalization. I am very happy to have him join our team, and look forward to scaling our global customer success team."
Recent press coverage highlight the way Dynamic Yield has increased revenue for leading retailers like LaModa (http://dyo.io/pr-lamoda), Junique (http://dyo.io/pr-juniqe) and MakerBot (http://dyo.io/pr-makerbot).
"I couldn't be more excited to join Dynamic Yield," said English. "I am extremely impressed with the deep capabilities of the platform, and the breadth of industry leaders who have already chosen Dynamic Yield. I look forward to making each and every one of our customers even more successful."
About Dynamic Yield
Dynamic Yield's unified customer engagement platform helps marketers increase revenue by automatically personalizing each customer interaction across the web, mobile web, mobile apps and email. The company's advanced customer segmentation engine uses machine learning to build actionable customer segments in real time, enabling marketers to take instant action via personalization, product/content recommendations, automatic optimization & real-time messaging. Dynamic Yield personalizes the experiences of more than 500 million users globally and counts industry leaders like The New York Times, Europe's fashion leader LaModa, MakerBot & Liverpool Football Club among its many customers. Based in New York, the company has more than 100 employees in six offices worldwide.


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Turkish immigrant who 'invented' the doner kebab at his market stall in West Berlin over 40 years ago dies aged 80
- Kadir Nurman was widely credited as 'inventor' of the fast food snack
- Doner kebab has since become one of Britain's most reviled food creations
- Mr Nurman passed away in Berlin at the age of 80
The Turkish immigrant who 'invented' the doner kebab at his market stall in West Berlin has died at the age of 80.
Kadir Nurman, widely credited as inventor of the popular fast food meal, passed away in Berlin.
He set up the stall at a train station in 1972 - selling grilled meat and mixed salad inside a flatbread.
'Inventor': Kadir Nurman, who was widely credited as inventor of the doner kebab, has died at the age of 80
He later claimed to have noticed the increasingly fast pace of city life - believing busy Berliners might like a meal they could eat on the go.
The doner kebab, which features juicy meat sliced from a rotating skewer - with all the trimmings and optional chilli or garlic sauce - has since become one of Britain's most reviled food creations.
It is now a firm fast food favourite across the world - particularly with late-night revellers and students.
Its success even prompted the launch of a doner kebab-flavoured Pot Noodle in 2009.
Popular: The doner kebab, which features juicy meat sliced from a rotating skewer, has become one of Britain's most reviled food creations. Above, a mixed doner shawerma kebab
While there have been many other possible 'inventors' of the kebab, Mr Nurman's contribution was recognised by the Association of Turkish Doner Manufacturers in 2011, according to the BBC.
The entrepreneur was born in Istanbul, Turkey, before emigrating to Germany in 1960 at the age of 26.
Entrepreneurial: Mr Nurman's contribution to the fast food snack was formally recognised in 2011
As he did not patent his invention, he was not able to profit from the doner kebab's subsequent success.
However, in a 2011 interview with German magazine Frankfurter Rundschau, Mr Nurman said he was happy that millions of people across the world ate the fast food meal.
He added that the kebab's success meant that thousands of Turkish people could make a living selling it.
There are now more than 15,000 doner kebab outlets in Germany - including at least 1,000 in Berlin alone.
In Scotland, the kebabs are popular with both late-night drinkers and people looking for a cheap and different meal out - with the doner meat often coated in batter and deep fried.
However, despite the popularity of the fast food snack, a study has revealed that it contains 'sky-high' levels of salt, fat and calories.
A particularly large and greasy specimen can contain up to 2,000 calories - as many as a woman should eat in a whole day.
The average kebab also provides 98 per cent of the daily salt quota and 148 per cent of the daily saturated fat limit for an adult, according to the study, carried out in the UK in 2009.
And one in three doner kebabs include meat from several different species of animal - including sheep, cows, chickens and pigs.
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Comment: Felicitas Weber of the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre says while there has been some progress on addressing modern slavery by electronics companies, implementation lags policy
“I even have had to pay [my employer] money at the end of the month instead of getting money.” That’s a quote from Batsa, a 25-year-old Nepalese worker in an electronics factory in Malaysia. As non-profit research centre Danwatch notes, Batsa had around $1,800 deducted from his salary over the course of 18 months, the equivalent of eight months’ wages, allegedly to fund a new work permit.
Many workers in electronics supply chains who make the phones and laptops we rely on during the Covid-19 pandemic face exploitative working conditions. While our electronic devices have become essential, the workers who make them are not treated as such. In fact, the risk of exploitative working conditions is being exacerbated by the pandemic, with some workers facing loss of wages, or conversely, being asked to stay at or return to work despite health and safety concerns. In the case of Indian electronics workers, this is coupled with the threat of non-payment of wages.
The electronics manufacturing company Jabil, a supplier to many of the largest tech companies, laid off 190 workers at the end of May, “despite a support package from the Italian government that bans layoffs until mid-August”, according to Danwatch. A migrant worker in Vietnam reports that, rather than being able to support their families, workers are having to ask their families to send them food.
The right to freely associate is a prerequisite for eliminating forced labour as it allows workers to challenge abusive conditions
KnowTheChain, a collaboration between the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, Humanity United, Sustainalytics, and Verité, assessed the efforts of the largest 49 global companies in this sector to address forced labour risks in their supply chains. Our third assessment (after 2016 and 2018) finds that most companies have improved, with policies against passport retention and worker-paid recruitment fees, (which can leave workers in debt bondage), becoming the norm.
Yet implementation lags behind policy. Only 13 out of 49 companies (27%) disclose evidence that fees have been repaid to workers in their supply chains, and no company sets out a comprehensive process to stop workers being charged such fees in the first place. In fact, companies reported finding that supply chain workers were having to pay fees of up to 200% of their monthly wages in order to obtain a job.
With exploitative recruitment persisting in electronics supply chains, and companies so far unable to prevent this exploitation, one could argue workers should turn to another solution: forming unions and collectively bargain with their employers. Why? The right to freely associate is a prerequisite for eliminating forced labour as it allows workers to challenge abusive conditions. Representatives of the International Labour Organization note that “in industries with strong trade union representation there are lower levels of labour exploitation, child labour, trafficking and forced labour”.
Where workers can exercise their right to freely associate and bargain collectively, strong improvements in wages and working conditions have been recorded across sectors and sourcing countries. For example, in April it was announced that 1.5 million workers across Tunisia’s private sector, covering industries such as agriculture, construction, and metal and garment manufacturing, will not lose their jobs and will be paid during Covid-19-related closures. This was thanks to an agreement between a local union, a trade confederation, and the government. In the same month in Japan, 56 unions secured wage increases for metal workers as well as minimum wage agreements.
Despite this, KnowTheChain found that none of the world’s 49 largest ICT companies discloses working with local or global trade unions to support freedom of association in its supply chains. And no company provides concrete examples of how it improved freedom of association for its suppliers’ workers, such as migrant workers.
This is all the more worrisome as the top three sourcing countries for US electronics – China, Mexico, and Vietnam – are currently awarded the worst or second-worst grades by the International Trade Union Confederation. Further, workers are currently facing new challenges, with companies using the Covid-19 crisis as a pretext to dismiss or clamp down on unionised workers.
As the Covid-19 crisis makes our electronic devices ever more important, companies in the ICT sector need to take a more worker-centric approach
After three rounds of benchmarks, is there no hope for workers in electronics supply chains exposed to or in conditions of forced labour?
While much progress is needed, there are positive signs: Hewlett Packard Enterprise updated its supplier code of conduct in January 2020 to align with international labour standards. HPE is the first US-based company in the benchmark to no longer limit its freedom of association requirements for suppliers to local standards. Meanwhile, Intel discloses that it “shared suggestions with officials in Malaysia and Vietnam on procedures to protect employees’ freedom of association rights, as each country considered labour law reforms”.
Buyers such as the UK government describe working with Electronics Watch, an organisation focused on monitoring undertaken by independent organisations, such as local worker-led organisations, unions, or local civil society partners. Further, while remedy remains a rare sight, the KnowTheChain benchmark has identified an increasing number of good practices, ranging from companies engaging with affected stakeholders, to providing evidence that remedy is satisfactory to the victims, and working with suppliers in the second and third tier of the supply chain to ensure remediation.
In addition, companies such as HP provided evidence of having put workers more at the centre of its approach by disclosing outcomes for workers in its supply chains, such as a decrease of working hours from 12 to eight hours a day, and a transition of workers from temporary hires to direct hires to avoid discrimination and unfair treatment.
Further, the Responsible Business Alliance, the largest business association in the electronics sector, is growing its membership and engagement with companies across sectors, including from sectors such as the automotive and apparel sectors, where it is more common to engage with unions.
As the Covid-19 crisis makes our electronic devices ever more important, companies in the ICT sector need to step up and take a more worker-centric approach, and in particular enable workers in their supply chains to exercise their right to associate and bargain collectively. After all, workers are the ones who best understand both the conditions on the ground and the solutions needed to eradicate abuse.
Felicitas Weber is KnowTheChain project director at the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre


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The Walt Disney Company has reported another good set of results for the third quarter ending July 2nd 2011.
Overall, the firm reported revenues of $10,675 million for the period (2010: $10,002 million), with segment operating income standing at $2,731 million (2010: $2,537).
Within the consumer products division, revenues for the quarter increased 13 per cent to $685 million, while segment operating income was up 32 per cent to $155 million, driven by an increase in merchandise licensing.
A strong performance from the Cars franchise, plus higher revenue from Marvel properties, were attributed to the increase.
"Our third quarter demonstrates the continued strength of our media networks, including ESPN, parks and resorts and consumer products," said Robert Iger, president and CEO of The Walt Disney Company.
"In these turbulent times, our company and its array of strong brands are well positioned to deliver long-term shareholder value."