Asia's trend-setters feeling iPhone fatigue

4 hrs.

Reuters

SINGAPORE?? Apple's iconic iPhone is losing some of its luster among Asia's well-heeled consumers in Singapore and Hong Kong, a victim of changing mobile habits and its own runaway success.

Driven by a combination of iPhone fatigue, a desire to be different and a plethora of competing devices, users are turning to other brands, notably those from Samsung Electronics, eating into Apple's market share.

In Singapore, Apple's products were so dominant in 2010 that more devices here ran its iOS operating system per capita than anywhere else in the world.

But StatCounter, which measures traffic collected across a network of 3 million websites, calculates that Apple's share of mobile devices in Singapore ? iPad and iPhone ? declined sharply last year. From a peak of 72 percent in January 2012, its share fell to 50 percent this month, while Android devices now account for 43 percent of the market, up from 20 percent in the same month last year.

In Hong Kong, devices running Apple's iOS now account for about 30 percent of the total, down from about 45 percent a year ago. Android accounts for nearly two-thirds.

"Apple is still viewed as a prestigious brand, but there are just so many other cool smartphones out there now that the competition is just much stiffer," said Tom Clayton, chief executive of Singapore-based Bubble Motion, which develops a popular regional social media app called Bubbly.

Leading indicators
Where Hong Kong and Singapore lead, other key markets across fast-growing Asia usually follow.

"Singapore and Hong Kong tend to be, from an electronics perspective, leading indicators on what is going to be hot in Western Europe and North America, as well as what is going to take off in the region," said Jim Wagstaff, who runs a Singapore-based company called Jam Factory?that's developing mobile apps for enterprises.

Southeast Asia is adopting smartphones fast ? consumers spent 78 percent more on smartphones in the 12 months up to September 2012 than they did the year before, according to research company GfK.

Android rising
Anecdotal evidence of iPhone fatigue isn't hard to find: Where a year ago iPhones swamped other devices on the subways of Hong Kong and Singapore, they are now outnumbered by Samsung and HTC smartphones.

While this is partly explained by the proliferation of Android devices, from the cheap to the fancy, there are other signs that Apple has lost followers.

Singapore entrepreneur Aileen Sim recently launched an app for splitting bills called BillPin, settling on an iOS version because that was the dominant platform in the three countries she was targeting ? Singapore, India and the United States.

"But what surprised us was how strong the call for Android was when we launched our app," she said.

Indeed, 70 percent of their target users ? 20-something college students and fresh graduates ? said they were either already on Android or planned to switch over.

"Android is becoming really hard to ignore, around the region and in the U.S. for sure, but surprisingly even in Singapore," she said. "Even my younger early-20s cousins are mostly on Android now."

BillPin launched an Android version this month.

Standing out from the crowd
Napoleon Biggs, chief strategy officer at Gravitas Group, a Hong Kong-based mobile marketing company, said that while Apple and the iPhone remained premium brands there, Samsung's promotional efforts were playing to an increasingly receptive audience.

For some, it is a matter of wanting to stand out from the iPhone-carrying crowd. Others find the higher-powered, bigger-screened Android devices better suited to their changing habits ? watching video, writing Chinese characters ? while the cost of switching devices is lower than they expected, given that most popular social and gaming apps are available for both platforms.

"Hong Kong is a very fickle place," Biggs said.

Janet Chan, a 25-year-old Hong Kong advertising executive, has an iPhone 5, ?but its fast-draining battery and the appeal of a bigger screen for watching movies is prodding her to switch to a Samsung Galaxy Note II.

"After Steve Jobs died, it seems the element of surprise in product launches isn't that great anymore," she said.

Shifting trends
To be sure, there are still plenty of people buying Apple devices. Stores selling their products in places such as Indonesia were full over the Christmas holidays, and the company's new official store in Hong Kong's Causeway Bay has queues snaking out of the door most days.

But the iPhone's drop in popularity in trendy Hong Kong and Singapore is mirrored in the upmarket malls of the region.

"IPhones are like Louis Vuitton handbags," said marketing manager Narisara Konglua in Bangkok, who uses a Galaxy SIII. "It's become so commonplace to see people with iPads and iPhones so you lose your cool edge having one."

In the Indonesian capital Jakarta, an assistant manager at Coca Cola's local venture, Gatot Hadipratomo, agrees. The iPhone "used to be a cool gadget, but now more and more people use it," Hadipratomo said.

There is another influence at play: hip Korea. Korean pop music, movies and TV are hugely popular around the region, and Samsung is riding that wave. And while the impact is more visible in Hong Kong and Singapore, it also translates directly to places like Thailand.

"Thais are not very brand-loyal," says Akkaradert Bumrungmuang, 24, a student at Mahidol University in Bangkok. "That's why whatever is hot or the in-thing to have is adopted quickly here. We follow Korea, so whatever is fashionable in Korea will be a big hit."

This report was written by Jeremy Wagstaff in Singapore, with additional reporting by Lee Chyen Yee in Hong Kong, Khettiya Jittapong and Amy Sawitta Lefevre in Bangkok, and Andjarsari Paramaditha in Jakarta.

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/gadgetbox/android-rises-asias-trend-setters-show-signs-iphone-fatigue-1C8137474

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'Downton Abbey' is hit with tragedy

By Gael Fashingbauer Cooper , TODAY

Don't think for a minute that "Downton Abbey" isn't as soapy as "The Young and the Restless," or that any characters are safe. In a heart-wrenching turn on Sunday's episode, Sybil's childbirth at Downton went horribly, horribly wrong. While her childhood doctor Dr. Clarkson fought to have her taken to the hospital for a new-fangled C-section, the new doctor Robert brought in, Sir Philip Tapsell, insisted she would be fine.

Joss Barratt / Carnival Films

Lady Sybil and Tom hold their newborn daughter, for the family's one short moment of happiness.

She was not. After delivering a healthy daughter, Sybil went into eclampsia-prompted seizures and died while her family begged for someone, anyone, to do something. Cora blamed Robert, Robert blamed himself, and everyone is devastated, especially new widower Tom.

Sybil's death was agonizing to watch, especially the frustration of how the family's social class affected their decision-making. Robert wanted Sir Philip -- who'd delivered the children of duchesses -- to deliver his grandchild, and poor Dr. Clarkson's past work with Matthew and Lavinia didn't exactly help his cause. And Cora being on Clarkson's side -- "I would have taken her (to the hospital) an hour ago" -- didn't help, as she deferred to her husband, as was expected.

The death shook the massive house. Seeing the white-faced staff in nightclothes hearing the news and watching tough guy Thomas break down was a brilliant example of how much Sybil, the "sweetest spirit under this roof," was loved. And other moments nailed it as well -- the motherless baby's cry just as Sybil passed away, and the Dowager Countess' suddenly unsteady legs as she entered the house after hearing the news. "We've seen some troubles, you and I," she told Carson. "Nothing worse than this."

But darn it, Mary and Edith, can't you just get along? With Sybil's dead body lying before them, Edith tried again to get her oldest sister to say they'll try and pull together but Mary just can't do it.

The other plots couldn't help but be completely buried under the weight of Sybil's death. Isobel may regret hiring clumsy Ethel as her cook, but at least it's respectable work. New footman Jimmy's attractive to the female servants, but it's Thomas' interest in him that rattled him. Matthew was worried that he's infertile, even though he and Mary have only been wed a few months. Mary's furious that Matthew was tentatively questioning her father's business acumen. And Edith got an offer for a regular newspaper column, sparked by her letter to the Times about women's suffrage.

Joss Barratt / Carnival Films

Ladies Mary and Edith were thrilled to gain a niece, but later, even the loss of their sister couldn't pull them together.

Bates and Anna's plot received the most screen time after poor Sybil, but is there anyone out there who's not sick of this one yet? Vera Bates' best friend, Mrs. Bartlett, let slip to Anna that she saw Vera scrubbing pastry out from under her nails, which means that Vera herself made the poisoned pie that killed her. Getting Mrs. Bartlett to admit what she saw is going to be a challenge, but she'd better admit it soon, because time just stops when the cameras travel to Bates' dreary prison.

Rest in peace, Lady Sybil. Like Melanie in "Gone With the Wind," you were the quiet glue that held the Crawleys together, and with you gone, more cracks will emerge in the family facade.

Best Dowager Countess quotes:

• "When may she expect an offer to appear on the London stage?" ?-- Because obviously that's Edith's next step after a newspaper column.
• "If there is one thing that I am quite indifferent to it is Sir Philip Tapsell's feelings." -- If only Robert had felt the same way about Sybil's snooty doctor.
• "A woman of my age can face reality far better than most men." -- So Robert, you needn't protect her from the word "urine."
• "Don't look at me. Cora is right. The decision lies with the chauffeur." ?-- Tom may be Sybil's husband, but he still once drove cars at Downton, and no one will ever let him forget it.

What will you miss most about Sybil? Tell us on our Facebook page.

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Source: http://theclicker.today.com/_news/2013/01/18/16586844-downton-abbey-is-hit-with-tragedy?lite

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UFC on Fox 6 results: Demetrious Johnson retains title, ?Rampage? loses in Octagon finale

CHICAGO -- The UFC's stop in the Windy City had two great knockouts, a champion holding onto his belt, and the last fight of a one-time champ.

Despite a strong start by John Dodson, Demetrious Johnson held onto his championship belt with a unanimous decision. The judges saw it 48-47, 49-46, 48-47 for Johnson.

Unsurprisingly, Johnson and Dodson fought a fast-paced first two rounds. Johnson tried to slow things down in the first round with a takedown. While he did get Dodson to to the ground, the challenger popped back to his feet quickly.

Dodson dropped Johnson twice in the second round, and shook off Johnson's take down attempts with a great sprawl. Johnson seemed to have a hard time even getting close to Dodson to land a punch.

[Related: T.J. Grant and Ryan Bader shine at UFC on Fox 6]

A Johnson knee in the fourth round caused a small fight stoppage. Dodson's hand was on the ground as Johnson threw a knee to Dodson's head, which is an illegal strike. The bout was stopped as doctors checked Dodson's eye and Johnson was warned. The fight went on, but not without plenty of boos from the crowd in Chicago.

When the fight restarted, it was all Johnson. He controlled Dodson against the cage, and threw knees that busted up Dodson's face. Johnson was able to get a takedown at the beginning of the fifth round, too. Though boos rained down, Johnson kept the fight against the cage.

Later, the crowd got behind him as Johnson elevated, tightened his legs around Dodson's torso and threw elbows. It was a creative move that likely could only happen in the flyweight division. Johnson finished the round with Dodson against the cage, and knee after knee after knee to the body and face.

Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson vs. Glover Teixeira

If this really was Quinton "Rampage" Jackson's last fight in the UFC, it wasn't one to remember. He was outstruck and outwrestled by Glover Teixeira throughout their bout. Teixeira took the fight 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 on the judges' cards.

Teixeira's first round was his best, as he was able to take Jackson down early and mount him and take his back. Late in the round, Teixeira knocked Jackson down with a punch and looked close to finishing, but wasn't able to end the fight.

The rest of the fight featured a worn out Jackson trying to avoid Teixeira's takedown attempts unsuccessfully. Jackson threw some big punches, and even jawed at Teixeira during the bout, but he wasn't able to score any big offense.

While this fight will be remembered for being Jackson's last UFC bout, Teixeira scored his third straight UFC win on Saturday night. He looked impressive against the former champ.

Anthony Pettis vs. Donald Cerrone

Anthony Pettis won his much anticipated bout with Donald Cerrone by landing big, memorable strikes. Pettis was getting the better of their striking exchanges early, which set him up for a big finish. Pettis threw a kick that landed hard on Cerrone's body, then finished with a punch. Cerrone fell to the ground in a heap, and the fight was stopped at 2:35 in the first round.

Pettis lost his first fight in the UFC after coming from the WEC as the champ, but he's been winning ever since. He has wins over Joe Lauzon, Jeremy Stephens and now Cerrone. After the fight, he made a pitch to UFC president Dana White.

"I want my title shot. I should have had it years ago. People say I can?t wrestle because of the Guida fight, but I had a serious shoulder injury. Now I am 100 percent. No one can do in the Octagon what I can do."

While lightweight champion Benson Henderson has a fight set up with Gilbert Melendez, a shot for Pettis isn't unwarranted. It would be a rematch of their WEC title fight, which Pettis won in the promotion's final fight.

Ricardo Lamas vs. Erik Koch

Lamas won the first round by constantly pressuring Koch against the cage. It wasn't exactly the most thrilling round to have start a card on network television, but it led to a thrilling second round. Lamas took advantage of Koch's slip, and then finished the fight with nasty, nasty ground and pound. Lamas started with elbows, then started with strikes that cut open Koch's face. Koch had no answer for Lamas' relentless strikes, and the bout was stopped at 2:32 in the second round.

Lamas thought his performance warranted a title shot.

"I?ve beat Cub Swanson, I?ve beat Hioki and now I?ve beat Koch. All those guys were supposed to be fighting for the title at one point. I beat them all. We?re all here to be world champ and I am no different. I want the winner of Aldo vs Edgar next week. I don?t care who wins, I want the winner."

Related UFC video from Yahoo! Sports:

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ufc-fox-6-results-demetrious-johnson-retains-title-032827859--mma.html

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Long road ahead in Dreamliner probe

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. safety regulators are nowhere near finishing an investigation into a battery fire on the Boeing Co 787 Dreamliner, a top official said on Thursday, raising the prospect of a prolonged grounding for the plane.

Airlines have canceled hundreds of flights in the eight days since the plane was grounded, and Boeing has stopped deliveries of newly built jets.

The full financial impact on the planemaker is still not clear. Still, Boeing shares are actually up 1.3 percent since regulators said the plane - full of high-tech innovations that are supposed to be a model for future aviation - could not fly.

Deborah Hersman, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, made clear that investigators have found a series of "symptoms" in the battery damaged in a January 7 fire in Boston, but not the underlying cause of the problem.

"We are early in our investigation, we have a lot of activities to undertake," Hersman told a news conference.

"This is an unprecedented event. We are very concerned. We do not expect to see fire events on board aircraft. This is a very serious air safety concern."

She rebuffed multiple questions on how long the investigation would take, making clear it could be weeks or more. She also would not say when the 787 would fly again, which is in the hands of the Federal Aviation Administration.

Former NTSB Chairman Mark Rosenker said the briefing made it clear that the investigators had come up short in their hunt for the cause of the battery fire.

"It's going to take them longer," he said in an interview. "Weeks, not days."

Boeing and its regulators have said they do not know when the 787 will fly again. It has been grounded worldwide since a plane by All Nippon Airways made an emergency landing in Japan on January 16 after a battery incident, which Hersman said may or may not have been a fire.

That emergency landing came after a fire occurred on a Japan Airlines Co Ltd 787 on the tarmac in Boston.

Boeing was not immediately available to comment on the latest NTSB statement. France's Thales, which makes the 787 battery system, declined to comment.

Other new planes had problems when they were introduced, but not fires, which makes this situation stand out, Rosenker said.

"Fire is something you don't fool with," he said. "You've got to understand that, particularly given the short period of time the aircraft has been flying."

DELAYS PERSIST

The NTSB and its Japanese equivalent are working together on their probes, though Hersman again insisted the work was still in the early stages.

"It is really very hard to tell at this point how long this investigation will take. We have all hands on deck," she said. "We're working as hard as we can to identify what the failure mode is here and what corrective actions need to be taken."

The 787 program was already years behind schedule before last week's grounding, which means Boeing cannot deliver newly manufactured planes to customers.

That means customers like United Continental Holdings Inc may have to wait even longer for planes on order. The company's United Airlines already flies six Dreamliners.

"History teaches us that all new aircraft types have issues and the 787 is no different," United Continental Chairman and Chief Executive Jeff Smisek said during the carrier's earnings conference call. "We continue to have confidence in the aircraft and in Boeing's ability to fix the issues, just as they have done on every other new aircraft model they've produced."

Smisek said Thursday the carrier still expects to take delivery of two more 787s in the second half of the year.

Boeing has already delivered 50 of the 787s. Around half have been in operation in Japan, but airlines in India, South America, Poland, Qatar and Ethiopia are also flying the planes, as is U.S. carrier United.

The grounding of the Dreamliner, an advanced carbon-composite plane with a list price of $207 million, has already forced hundreds of flight cancellations worldwide.

AIRBUS IMPACTS

The head of Boeing's European rival Airbus said it would study the 787 Dreamliner design review and make any changes to its future A350 jetliner that may be needed as a result of the U.S. findings.

"We believe so far we have a robust design, however we will draw the lessons from the 787," Airbus Chief Executive Fabrice Bregier told Reuters Television at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

"We will look at the recommendations and guidelines of the FAA and if by chance we need to change it we have plenty of time because this aircraft, the 350, will be delivered to our first customers not before the second half of 2014 ? so it is not a challenge and it is not a burden for us."

Billed as Europe's response to the Dreamliner, the A350 is due to enter service next year using lithium-ion batteries but without the same reliance on electrical systems as the 787, something Airbus says will put less burden on the batteries.

However, Airbus has so far declined to comment on how it would tackle a battery fire if one did break out on board.

One industry veteran said airline customers need absolute certainty that Boeing and regulators have solved the problem.

"You don't need details here to understand why people are terrified about the possibility of these batteries catching fire," Virginia-based consultant Loren Thompson said.

(Additional reporting by Karen Jacobs in Atlanta, Tim Hepher in Paris and Axel Threlfall in Davos; Writing by Ben Berkowitz; Editing by David Gregorio)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/still-no-timetable-returning-boeing-787-flight-004814458--finance.html

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Logix9 gives insight on domain name selections

When it comes to selecting a domain name, there are still a lot of open options. Digital marketing firm Logix9 weighs in on a couple points that may make the difference between success and failure.

It may seem like every domain name that can possibly be thought of is gone, but new websites pop up every minute. There are plenty of decent names to pick from, and it?s not always the first one that comes to mind.

Logix9, a digital marketing firm, offers training on how to pick the perfect domain name for a website. Here are a few of its top tips.

First, make the domain name the same as the name of the web site. It is usually assumed that they are the same, so anything less will be difficult for customers to remember and won?t be as easy to find. Don?t have people looking for a site named XYZ have to type in XYB.com to get there.

The second step is just as important as the first. Logix9 says the domain name has to be short and to the point. Don?t leave a whole lot of room for typos and don?t use dashes or underscores. Throwing a dash in there might be the only way to get the name that seems perfect, but chances are most customers won?t use the dash and the other company will make that sale. Domain names with anything other than letters isn?t just confusing for some, it can look like spam and turn off potential visitors.

Also, pick top-level domains. Many Americans won?t even know that a website can end in anything other than .com, .net, .org or .edu. Websites will try to sell some top-level domains like .co, .biz, .info and more. The name that may seem perfect will probably be available with one of those endings, but choosing anything other than the standard could be bad for business. This depends heavily on what the business is, however. A business reaching out to a tech-savvy audience may not be turned off by a domain name that ends with .co.

Finally, make sure to use keywords. Use the keywords that will be frequented on the website as well. For example, if the website is all about selling pasta, pasta should really be one of the first words in the domain name. Ignoring keywords could really hurt a website?s search ranking.

Logix9 helps customers succeed in marketing their businesses online daily.

Source: http://www.indyposted.com/192092/logix9-gives-insight-domain-name-selections/

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Residual Income Formula, Good For Any Business? | Ethics ...

With the roll-out of information technology and the change of traditional opinion of jobs, there are many people hunting for a residual income formula that works well. But do you consider it?s possible to achieve your online career? Is it possible to get satisfaction from your internet business? I really do think so, to achieve this goal, you should utilize a residual income formula using a quality training system that you can succeed. The way to get the correct formula? First, you need no shocks with regards to you. Precisely what are you efficient at? Think you?re learn new concepts? Are your interests in some recoverable format, selling products, web-designing or implementing personal wellness? When you?re at ease a notion, the next thing is to examine the best business models currently on the internet. Getting good results with any residual income formula, you ought to apply commitment in to a quality education system.

When you set your internet business, you ought to try taking some factors under consideration: how many hours the different options are on your web business on a daily basis? If starting part-time, are you able to increase the risk for same or more benefit from web business than your family job? I know many are not just it for cash if they?re creating an internet business. But apart from the enjoyment an internet business brings you, some practical things should be considered. I cannot go web business when it consumes me a long time understanding that only gives me a few bucks that could not cover my cost of living.

Once you create your online business, you?ll want to consider: what do you expect from your business, some pocket money or a full-time income? Try to find something you might be proficient at so that you can make a nice income at the same time, get satisfaction from having your own business.

This entry was posted in general and tagged residual income, residual income formula. Bookmark the permalink.

Source: http://scottjack.4ove.com/residual-income-formula-good-for-any-business/

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'American Horror Story' finale leaves a survivor

By Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter

Frank Ockenfels / FX

The cast of "American Horror Story: Asylum."

When all was said and done, only one person was left standing in FX's "American Horror Story: Asylum."

The season that has featured aliens, Nazis, serial killers, demented doctors, a nun possessed by Satan, the worst insane asylum ever and?Jessica Lange?singing "The Name Game" came to a whirlwind, time-jumping conclusion when?Sarah Paulson's aspiring reporter Lana was the one to survive.

"I always thought [Lana] was the smartest cookie in the jar," co-creator/executive producer?Ryan Murphy?told reporters at a recent screening of the episode. "I liked that the hero of this season was a heroine. I like that she was a lesbian. I like that she had an arc to her sexuality. I like that she went through a lot of different things. And I like that she got a happy ending. I like that she was in a loving, accepting relationship at the end."

After jumping to the present day, the openly gay Lana is a successful reporter, best-selling author and documentarian for her work in having uncovered the misdeeds inside Briarcliff. While she's being interviewed for a Kennedy Center Honor, her son (by rape) Johnny (Dylan McDermott) is nearby awaiting an epic confrontation with his mother -- who lied that her baby with Threadson (Zachary Quinto) never survived.

Photos from THR: 'American Horror Story': The spookiest set on TV

What comes is a showdown for the ages when she reveals -- on camera -- that she lied about his death, with the duo ultimately coming face to face after the crew clears out. Revealing that he wants his late father to be proud of him, Johnny holds his mother at gunpoint. Being the smooth-talking reporter she is, Lana talks him down and reveals that Johnny isn't the monster Threadson was and then proceeds to kill the guy who posed as Bloody Face and cut off Leo's (Adam Levine) arm in the series opener.

"The thing we were most interested in writing about this season was the stuff in the last episode and the documentary series Lana made about shutting down Briarcliff. That's one of the first things when the writers landed on the idea of 'Asylum,' that period of time, those documentaries that were made," Murphy said, pointing to efforts from ?and the feature "Prophecy"?as inspiration. "It also was about the unraveling health care system in our country and how so many people were dumped there and left to rot there and all those abuses that you see. ? That was our jumping-off point. We knew we were going to have that character go in there, become a prisoner ... and go back to tear the joint down. That was the ending, which we had from the very beginning."?

More from THR: Jessica Lange: Sister Jude is descending into madness

Source: http://theclicker.today.com/_news/2013/01/24/16681556-american-horror-story-finale-leaves-one-left-standing?lite

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