The rise of mid-tier smartphones in Canada

For years, Canadian consumers have been able to buy high-end smartphones at highly subsidized prices. Carriers have been happy to slash hundreds of dollars off the price of a new iPhone from Apple Inc. or Galaxy from Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., as long as the customer agreed to a long-term contract, which allowed the carrier to make more than the amount of the subsidy in fees. If a customer wants out of the contract, a hefty penalty is charged.

But in June, the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission issued a ruling that lets customers opt out of their contracts after two years without any penalty.wholesale fashion shoes The new rules go into effect in December.

As a result, carriers have less incentive to offer high-end phones at significant discounts – and evidence suggests many Canadians are not willing to pay anything close to the full price for such phones, which can often cost more than $700.

“We see it in other markets too, but in Canada we’re much more price sensitive,” Kaan Yigit, head of Solutions Research Group, said. “People are upgrading or getting second or family units. But people don’t necessarily want to pay significant upfront costs.”

Virtually all the major carriers have indicated the CRTC ruling will have an impact on phone subsidies. In some cases, carriers may choose to hike the up-front cost of buying a high-end phone. Others have chosen to keep the up-front subsidies, but increase the monthly costs.

“We have been offering customers mid-tier devices on two-year contracts for quite some time,” said Patricia Trott of Rogers. “As the industry moves to two-year contracts across all device categories, we expect to see a larger volume of customers migrating to mid-tier devices.”

Telus Corp. announced details of its new “SharePlus” pricing scheme for smartphones on Tuesday. Instead of raising the up-front price of its phones, the carrier is still offering subsidies of up to $500 on some high-end devices. However the cost of paying back those subsidies is now amortized over two years, rather than three, making for higher monthly fees. Customers will pay $55 a month on a two-year contract for unlimited talk and text for a subsidized high-end phone, $45 a month for a low-end phone and $35 a month if they bring their own device.

“Overall, we take our cues from the market and what our customers are demanding when it comes to our device selection,” Telus spokeswoman Donna Ramirez said. “We are committed to offering our customers a wide range of smartphones and tablets to choose from both at the high end, mid and low-end of the spectrum based on their different needs and that’s something that we’ll continue to do despite changes in the industry.”

The rise of mid-tier smartphones in Canada was perhaps inevitable, given the shrinking functionality gap between high-end and low-end devices. During quarterly earnings announcements earlier this month, the smartphone industry’s two biggest players, Samsung and Apple, both indicated that average selling prices are starting to slip, even as both companies continue to sell a healthy number of units. That decline is at least partially due to the fact that lower-priced offerings from both companies are starting to make up a larger portion of overall sales.
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Pressing the Home button upon unlock would

Apple is hedging its bets with the A8 chip set to power next year’s iPhone 6. Longtime partner and recent enemy Samsung is still handling production duties for Apple’s A7 chip set to go into the iPhone 5S this fall, but Apple has found itself increasingly eager to get out from any reliance on Samsung or any arrangement which places revenue in Samsung’s pocket, as relations between the two tech giants continue to deteriorate and the two dissolve into what could charitably be described as frenemies. Apple has already shifted iPhone 6 screen production to Sharp but has been reluctant to pull the plug on the final remaining Samsung component in the iPhone. Which direction Apple goes with the A8 depends on how it’ll impact the iPhone 6 itself.

Apple designs iPhone and iPad microprocessors in house. But lacking factories of its own, Apple must rely on an outside manufacturer to build the chips on its behalf. Samsung was an obvious choice to build those chips as it’s already accustomed to doing such work. But Apple is looking to put a stop to that partnership as of the A8 chip and the iPhone 6 because it considers Samsung to be a counterfeit artist who has been stealing its iPhone and iPad designs and technologies for use in its own Galaxy branded products. Apple has taken Samsung to court worldwide to bring a halt to the copycat products, and succeeded in the majority of nations where it’s taken legal action. But Apple is looking to drop the hammer further by taking all of its manufacturing business away from Samsung. Apple’s quandary is whether it can find another manufacturer who can produce its iPhone 6 chip in a timely and satisfactory manner.

As a last resort Apple could opt to acquire or build its own factories so as to bring A8 processor manufacturing fully in house,women shoes manufacturer cutting Samsung out of the picture while also taking total control over the iPhone 6 manufacturing process. But such a move would be expensive and could take years to full bring up to speed, leaving Apple more pragmatically looking for a new A8 partner for the iPhone 6.

Widespread rumors have the iPhone 6 including a fingerprint sensor embedded into the Home button which will act as an unlock function and also carry website and app passwords of a user’s choice. Pressing the Home button upon unlock would prove the user’s identity and obviate the need to enter passwords for iTunes, Facebook, bank accounts, or any other account information which the user opts to embed into the fingerprint sensor database.

Housing for the iPhone 6 has been rumored to include various materials. Those include a return to the aluminum of the original iPhone 1; sapphire, which has dropped rapidly in price and would be more sturdy than the current Gorilla Glass 3 Apple uses on current iPhones; or the new Gorilla Glass 4 which is said to be both glare proof and antibacterial in nature. None of these rumors have been strongly substantiated.

Apple has already demoed large chunks of the iOS 7 system software and on-screen interface which will power the iPhone 6. It includes changes large and small. Fundamental changes include new app management and a new form of multitasking, while superficial changes include fully redesigned app icons and new cleaner fonts. Apple traditionally holds back at least one major software feature of the new iPhone until it’s ready to launch, and has given no firm indication of what that’ll be with the iPhone 6.

After three iPhone generations in a row which have each used the same styling, Apple is under pressure to deliver a full stylistic redesign for the iPhone 6. During the iOS 7 presentation Apple used the image above to show off new software features, a thin white iPhone-like device with curved sides (see above) which does not resemble any current Apple product. There has been debate as to whether Apple unintentionally outed the styling of the iPhone 6 with this image, or whether it was merely a generic placeholder for presentation purposes.
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The app also allows shooters to video

The Inteliscope is a hardware attachment coupled with a corresponding app on the App Store. The Inteliscope hardware attaches to any Weaver rail on a firearm. For those unfamiliar, the Weaver rail system is found on most guns from major manufacturers, and allows users to easily attach accessories like new optics, laser sights, flashlights,ladies shoes wholesale or other accessories. The entire piece is made with plastic, keeping it lightweight when attached to your firearm or in your case. The piece attaches to any Weaver rail system easily with a simple wingnut in the front to tighten it onto the Weaver rail. The piece is long, and clearly designed with rifle usage in mind more than use on a handgun.

The Inteliscope includes three additional smartphone cases that attach to the main attachment. The current model ships with a case to fit an iPhone 5, iPhone 4/4S, and an fourth-generation iPod Touch. Users will have to remove their existing cases on their device to fit their iPhone or iPod Touch into the Inteliscope case. The case itself is attached to the main piece by plastic tabs that fit into holes on the backside of the device case. Overall, both the smartphone case and main attachment secured easily and quickly to our AR-15, making it easy to swap in and out when at the range. The inclusion of three different cases ensures that any modern iPhone user should be able to use the Inteliscope.

The Inteliscope app is the ultimate shooter’s eye candy. The app uses your iPhone’s camera as your new optics, and gives the ultimate heads-up display to you. Using the iPhone’s GPS sensor, the Inteliscope app displays wind direction and speed, latitude and longitude, compass heading, date and time, and a targeting reticule. The accelerometer ensures that your stance is level before pulling the trigger, and the phone allows users to pick the distance to their target as well as the zoom up to 5X.

The app also allows shooters to video their marksmanship while shooting. Pressing the video button will record your shooting seamlessly. A Loadout option allows shooters to enter their firearm model, and the number of rounds they have. There’s also a Sight In Mode for, as the name implies, sighting in. Since the iPhone will be off center from the barrel with the Inteliscope, Sight In mode is crucial to compensate or else you may find yourself a few inches off bull.

Overall, the Inteliscope is a wonderful idea, and anyone who can combine my love for phones with one of my favorite relaxing activities surely gets credit in my book. However, there are some flaws to the Inteliscope that will drive any shooter nuts.

With any firearm, the purpose of sights is to be able to increase your accuracy beyond what the naked eye can see. The Inteliscope would do a great job of this if it could stay on the weapon. The piece that attaches to the rail itself held steady enough, however, the iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S used for reviewing the Inteliscope broke away and fell off the weapon after each shot fired. A .223 projectile is certainly going to have some kickback, but it isn’t the strongest caliber in town. However, after each round fired on the Smith & Wesson M&P AR-15, the phone and its special case would become dislodged from the Inteliscope bracket and fall to the floor. Thankfully I was at an outdoor area and the iPhone fell onto grass, but if that had been a concrete firing range, things could’ve gotten ugly fast.

It appears the small plastic tabs that fit into the rear of the iPhone case don’t have enough grip to distribute the force of each round firing. Inteliscope was probably gunning for (no pun intended) lightweight when deciding to use plastic, but there’s a reason most gun parts are made with metal or at minimum polycarbonate. It’s hard to recommend the Inteliscope for any high-caliber weapon. It may be able to withstand your .22 rifle, but even then we would caution shooters to be mindful of their fragile iPhone.

Another design flaw is the way the mount attaches to the firearm. While it seems secure enough, the use of plastics again doesn’t give it the same sense of security other sights and optics provide. There’s no real way to lock it in super-tight, and while we weren’t able to test the Inteliscope for long (since the iPhone kept dislodging), one would have to consider how many jolts the piece will take before starting to move.
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Whereas this sort of device is likely to be of more interest

The augmentation of organic life with artificial technology is a perpetual favourite of both movie-makers and scientists alike, and it's in this field that many people in healthcare are becoming excited.

One of the companies leading the way in this technological field is Cambridge Consultants, a product development company working in the UK and US to create innovative tools to help other firms find new ways to support their work.

Dr Robert Milner (pictured), who is a senior consultant at Cambridge Consultants, discussed the issue at Digitas Health's ThinkDigital 2013 forum last month, which explored how the rise of mobile technology is affecting healthcare and improving patient adherence and outcomes.

Although never quite reaching the realm of science fiction, Dr Milner discussed examples of how low-cost, wireless devices can connect healthcare products with smartphones in very exciting ways. These included the simple but elegant and incredibly useful potential for a pill bottle connected to wireless capabilities to contact a patient's smartphone if they happen to leave the house without taking their medication with them.

But where this technology can truly shine is in chronic diseases, for example in the ability to connect an asthma inhaler with a phone or PC and get data straight from the device and create active patient health records. How this technology can help the huge number of people who suffer from asthma - half of whom are thought to be non-adherent – is still to be seen, although the technology adds a dimension that was previously missing and could bring patients closer to their disease.

This use of data to support better patient outcomes is already being seen in diabetes, according to Dr Milner, where there is a strong community of patients sharing information on how they are handling their own condition. By communicating this data in a public setting, people with diabetes can support other people with the  condition and share tips on how to live more healthily and avoid the many side effects.

But the potential for wireless technology in diabetes doesn't stop at information tracking and sharing, and Dr Milner revealed one of Cambridge Consultants' most exciting projects – the artificial pancreas.

Working with the Institute of Metabolic Science (IMS) at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge Consultants is developing an application that will allow a continuous glucose meter to autonomously communicate with a smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth and then link to an insulin pump attached to someone with diabetes.

This would effectively create an artificial pancreas that the company hopes can be worn by people with type 1 diabetes at home without nurse supervision. “It's a really exciting area and it is at the forefront at the adoption of this use of smartphone in the treatment of disease,” Dr Milner told the ThinkDigital audience.

Greater use of the iPhone's ability to connect with devices is likely to increase too, with the addition of Bluetooth Smart to the iPhone 4s. Despite receiving little fanfair as part of the phone's launch,Electricity monitor this technology allows smartphone accessories to go beyond Bluetooth headsets, branching out to activity monitors, including Nike's development of a shoe to track running performance that connects directly with an iPhone app.

Whereas this sort of device is likely to be of more interest to consumers, explained Dr Milner, its potential in healthcare is a spectrum that stretches from fitness monitoring devices to ones more directly related to health, such as weight tracking, all the way through to device/app combinations that can help people diagnosed with a disease manage their condition.

And development in the more clinical end of the spectrum is being accelerated by developments in the consumer side, according to Dr Milner.

“People are seeing things coming out the consumer end of the spectrum and they are expecting that to be available for them as a medical product,” he said.

But there are challenges for the tool-makers behind such 'quantified self' products, with Dr Milner explaining that the regulation of apps is becoming a reality, making it harder for new products to come to market.

The fast pace of mobile technology can also be a hindrance as well as a boon. Phones can come out with a new phone operating every six months, meaning there is a constant need for all tools to update and adapt.

On top of this, few patients ever just have one chronic disease, and co-morbidities pose a major challenge in this area. Going forward, any company considering making an app for diabetes, for example, needs to think about how that app interacts with one for another chronic condition, such as depression or cardiovascular problems.

“How do you make that tech work together in way that's safe?” asked Dr Milner of the ThinkDigital audience. “Those are the areas where there is uncertainty and people are looking at how they can solve it,” he concluded.
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when it signed on to carry the iPhone

The LA Times reports that Verizon Wireless may end up owing $14 billion to Apple. That's because the company must sell $23.5 billion worth of iPhone units this year to meet a commitment it made with Apple back in 2010. To do this, Verizon must double its iPhone sales of last year. Unfortunately, iPhone sales just aren't all that great thanks to larger, zippier Android phones dominating the market.

"It is likely that Apple would be reluctant to simply ignore these commitments, since many other carriers around the world are probably in a similar situation, and a simple amnesty would set an unwanted precedent," Moffett Research said in a report released this week. "It is therefore unrealistic to think that Apple won’t extract some consideration for renegotiating these shortfalls."

Vodafone, the parent company of Verizon Wireless, reported at the end of 2010 that Verizon had $45 billion in purchase commitments over a three-year period. According to Moffett Research,women shoes manufacturer this commitment is likely to Apple, as the Big Red began selling its first iPhone in 2011.

"Few if any other handset suppliers require purchase commitments of this kind, and, again, it is noteworthy that the total commitment was almost zero until Verizon contracted with Apple for the iPhone for the first time," the report stated.

Nomura analyst Stuart Jeffrey is reportedly saying the same thing, that Verizon is going to owe Apple's $23.5 billion this year as part of its agreement to carry the iPhone. But due to slowing sales of Apple's flagship phone, Verizon may not make enough to cover the $23.5 billion bill. The Big Red has likely sold only 7.2 million units in the first half of 2013, and may sell up to 10.8 million units in the second half. That leaves 19 million units unaccounted for.

The kicker is that Verizon must pay for all iPhone units even if they don't actually sell them, and why Verizon is predicted to owe $12 billion to $14 billion.

"We certainly don’t expect that Verizon will have to write a check to Apple for $12 billion or so to make good on its seemingly inevitable shortfall,” Moffett said in its report. "However, it seems likely that Apple will extract at least some consideration for a contract shortfall of this apparent magnitude."

Forbes speculates that Verizon may have jumped the gun when it signed on to carry the iPhone. AT&T's exclusivity had ended, thus allowing Apple to demand stiff commitments in terms of future volumes that in turn wireless carriers had to guarantee. Thus here's this massive commitment Verizon must honor while Samsung and Android eat away at iPhone sales.

That said, should Verizon be left with the tab when consumers aren't eating iPhones like they were in 2011? The Moffett report stated that other wireless carriers around the world may be experiencing iPhone deficits as well. Analysts project that Apple will report a 22 percent decline in net income to $6.87 billion in the third fiscal quarter.

If anything, Verizon may be forced to pay a percentage of what's owed to Apple in order to continue to sell the iPhone in 2014.

The game, by developer WemoLab, stars an eco-warrior pufferfish as it avoids natural predators like tiger sharks. It was launched in May on iPad as a free-to-play but was tweaked and re-released at 0.99 cents in June.

"It's a whimsical underwater, character-driven adventure that makes people smile, " said WemoLab's Ben Miller. "What also makes it stand out is the fact that it's not in set in a magical alien world, it's modeled after real undersea environments." The game was animated by Andy Jones, who worked on the movie Avatar, with ocean science narrated by National Geographic's Dr. Sylvia Earle.
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which includes everyone looking to buy a camera

Since then, the digital-SLR (DSLR) has evolved to become the platform of choice for many pros and prosumers as developments in digital photography have also improved with each successive generation, such as pixel density and sensor size, faster autofocus motors, stabilized lenses and more advanced signal processing chips, as well as the ability to shoot video.

However, the introduction of the smartphone has exposed a huge weakness in the DSLR's armor, and that is convenience and size in a world that has prized mobility over everything else.

While there will always almost certainly be a niche market for professional grade cameras for specific applications and works of significant artistic merit, the DSLR's bread and butter market — the consumer, the prosumer, and photography enthusiast — no longer needs or even wants to carry these beasts around anymore.

They already carry powerful smartphones that are increasingly adopting more advanced camera technology, originally pioneered in the DSLR.

We obviously have a very passionate group of hardcore photography enthusiasts who have made it known that under no uncertain terms that they'll only let go of their DSLR when it is pried out of their cold, dead hands. While I took the unpopular side of this argument in the Great Debate, you can also include me in this crowd of DSLR adherents as well.

However, in a debate, one of us has to take an opposing or unpopular viewpoint. In the context of this discussion, thinking about the evolution of the photography equipment industry — as a former employee and continuing loyal customer of Canon — I examined it from the perspective of industry maturation, the DSLR's relevancy in current market conditions, current customer use cases, and also whether or not smartphones have been and still are a disruptive influence on that market.

My conclusion is that the health of the DSLR and dedicated prosumer camera market is analogous to the "post-PC" situation that the computer industry is experiencing. We are now, like it or not, in the "post-DSLR" age of digital photography.

While the DSLR or similar interchangeable lens and body systems will always be the camera of choice for true professionals, it really is no longer needed for the balance of its original target market, which includes everyone looking to buy a camera. The same could be said of the powerful desktop PC workstation and "homebrews" where tablets and ultrabooks are eating away the balance of PC market share.

Yes, many amateur photographers used to buy SLRs. But how many of them really bought a full complement of lenses, external flash accessories, etcetera, or even used these to their full capabilities?

I think we can all agree that not many did and many still do not, where a smartphone like an iPhone 5, a Lumia 920 or a Samsung Galaxy S4 will do far more than an adequate job at a substantially lower price point. And consumers with stressed wallets have now wholly realized this.

One thing we have to understand about the DSLR is that it was designed in an age where film was still the prevalent photography technology. As such, unless we are talking about the latest mirrorless camera bodies,ladies shoes wholesale it retains significant baggage from the film-based SLR design, and that is the use of a mirror and a pentaprism to reproduce the image coming through the lens into an optical viewfinder.

They also still use electro-mechanical shutters which do wear out over time and need periodic replacement. However, mechanical shutters for the most part are still technically superior to their electronic counterparts. (Although this gap is closing quickly and it is expected that there will be pro or prosumer digital cameras available in 2014 with purely electronic shutter systems which is what smartphones currently use.) And there will also be smartphones with mechanical shutters as well.

Additional negatives are the bulkiness, lack of mobility and diminished stealthiness in candid or impromptu situations and obviously cost of entry compared to a smartphone. You also often don't have the ability to share directly with photo sharing services in the field without special accessories and laptop or 4G tethered smartphone in tow. And, there are also the time and money investments required to do post-processing of the shots in software packages like Aperture and Photoshop.

There is also the issue of your substantial investment in things like lenses designed for a specific camera system not being interoperable with another vendor's camera system — should you decide for whatever reason to switch manufacturer allegiance. There is also the possibility of your lens system being orphaned when your pro camera manufacturer makes major revisions to its body designs and you want to upgrade just your body, as the value of your lenses and other accessories typically far exceed that of the body.
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while simplifying management and deployment

VPS hosting company The Host Group enters the top tier of providers with a combination of reliable performance and unqualified value. With a commitment to cutting edge technologies and expansion into markets around the world, The Host Group is setting new service standards in the hosting industry.

An experienced provider of un-managed virtual private server (VPS) hosting, announced today that it is expanding operations and offering its premium services to clients around the world. VPS hosting is the preferred hosting option for most businesses: combining the power and control of dedicated server hosting with the attractive pricing of shared hosting. This compromise offers the best in value and performance.

The heart of The Host Group’s operations is located in Fredericksburg Virginia with a hosting center that is well respected in the industry.

The Host Group has expanded its service to encompass the entire world. According to The Host Group CEO Doug Davis, clients in the United States and Canada have quickly embraced the opportunity to have reliable, professional Windows VPS and Linux VPS hosting solutions at affordable prices. “US and Canadian businesses have previously been limited in their choices: only a handful of providers offer dedicated servers, and the pricing has been extremely aggressive,” says Davis. “The Host Group is the first provider to bring them affordable prices and top-tier reliable service, including dedicated servers with virtually unlimited bandwidth.”

The Host Group is positioned to build on its reputation for providing unmatched customer service.

Founded in 1998, The Host Group has steadily earned their reputation as a reliable provider of outstanding Linux VPS and Windows VPS solutions. women shoes manufacturer The company is based in Virginia, but it has expanded several other facilities to provide services for businesses located across the globe.

Dell Cloud Client Computing today announced the release of version 6 of Dell Wyse WSM desktop and application virtualization software. This new release adds server streaming capability to help organizations harness the benefits of virtualization and cloud computing, while simplifying management and deployment processes and helping to reduce costs. By adding on-demand delivery of server OS images to Dell's reliable and secure end-user computing portfolio, Dell Wyse WSM 6 offers another powerful computing alternative that helps organizations quickly stand up new servers where and when needed, and gives employees and students secured access to content regardless of location.

Dell Wyse WSM delivers operating systems and applications separately to stateless, diskless clients on demand, providing a manageable, reliable and scalable PC computing experience from the cloud. Unlike traditional VDI, Dell Wyse WSM enables the desktop OS and applications to execute locally on the client, giving that client the same look, performance, feel and function of a traditional desktop PC, but storing all OS, applications, and data in the datacenter. With no OS residing on the client, management, support and updates, including Windows XP and Windows 7 migrations, are done centrally and take considerably less time than with a traditional distributed environment.

In addition to powerful and secure desktop and application virtualization, Dell Wyse WSM 6 now also enables rapid and efficient server image delivery to physical or virtual machines. This new feature allows for more agile deployment, configuration and management of virtual servers than existing methods - processes that previously took hours are reduced to minutes.

 Dell Wyse WSM is designed for large or small customers with demanding user or server management requirements, looking to optimize IT efficiency and cut costs. By reducing hardware needs and administration demands, Dell Wyse WSM helps customers achieve their system reliability, security and compliance goals.

"We have had a very successful beta testing period using Dell Wyse WSM's new features and are looking forward to continuing to work with them," said JP Gagne, president at Baremetalcloud. "Being able to manage and pool together our physical servers as if they were virtual is an entirely new capability in the market and it has the potential to increase IT efficiency by leaps and bounds."
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When artist Salva Rasool met with jeweller

After a six-hour search on Friday at the residence of film and television actress Sonika Gill for her husband Mitesh Rughani, the Khar police had almost given up their hunt; Rughani, accused of duping a jeweller to the tune of Rs 81 lakh, could not be found anywhere in the flat.

As the police were about to leave, Inspector Chagan Jadhav realised that the toilet too could not be found anywhere in the flat. High drama was to follow at the MHADA flat in Versova after this. The inspector questioned Gill about the missing toilet, but she responded with silence.

Jadhav’s suspicious gaze then fell on a cupboard placed near the kitchen. He asked Gill to open it but she refused to, saying the police would destroy her expensive wardrobe. With the police persisting, she finally opened the cupboard but would not allow the cops to touch anything inside.

As she would not budge, the Khar police asked the Versova police to send in more female staff to deal with Gill. The women police forced Gill to move away from the cupboard while the police searched it. To their surprise they found a door in the back of the cupboard. This led to a passage that in turn led to a toilet where Rughani was found hiding.

This was not all; police found that Rughani had built many secret passages and cavities in his flat where he could hide. Inspector Jadhav of the Khar police said: “We have arrested Rughani in a case of cheating, and jewellery worth Rs 20 lakh has also been recovered. He tried a lot to dodge us and evade arrest but could not succeed.”

According to the police, 38-yearold Rughani, a builder, had married Gill three months ago, and was residing with her in the MHADA apartment in Versova. In March he had taken gold and diamond jewellery worth Rs. 81 lakh from Adi Jewellers of Khar, promising to return it after showing it to his first wife Kinjal Rughani, a co-accused in the case.

The complainant Dilip Ranka, owner of the jewellery store, was at first reluctant to hand over the jewellery, but did so on the insistence of his cousin Praveen Ranka. Rughani later disappeared with the jewellery. Two days ago, Dilip Ranka registered a complaint with the Khar police against Rughani and his wife Kinjal.

The police got to know that Rughani stayed with his third wife Gill and immediately raided her flat. At first, Gill, refused to let cops in. It was after negotiating with her for a long while and after threatening her with arrest that she finally opened the door.

When artist Salva Rasool met with jeweller Aneel Gajaria a few months back, she was sceptical about her paintings being incorporated into jewellery. But Gajaria has been in the jewellery business since the age of 17 and foresaw creative possibilities in Rasool’s work.

“I first wasn’t interested in the project because I couldn’t imagine working on a cloth of two to three inches,” says Rasool, miming with two fingers how tiny the support was. “My paintings are colourful and powerful because I apply vibrant textures on a large canvas.”

But Gajaria insisted on meeting the artist. “When he showed me his creations, I was very impressed and had to take on the challenge,” the 49-year-old artist recalls.

Four years ago, Gajaria got the idea of introducing painting in statement jewellery when he met with local artists during a pilgrimage to Rajasthan. The quality and precision of their paintings, which displayed romantic and devotional Indian scenes, left him awe-struck. He imagined using a miniature canvas of these traditional scenes in necklaces.

“But I knew my clients from the Gulf wouldn’t wear jewellery with human forms,” explains Gajaria, who lived in Dubai as a child and was trained by a Muslim mentor. “So I was looking for an artist who would offer something unique in the field of Islamic art.”

An alumna of Sir JJ School of Art, Rasool has won worldwide appreciation for her modern approach to Arabic calligraphy with an Indian spirit. Her paintings have been displayed from Toronto to Jakarta, including the art hubs of New York, London, Tehran and Mumbai.

“The ‘Allah’ pendant has been traditionally worn by many Muslims, but this is the first time Islamic art has been made contemporary for fashion and jewellery,” says Gajaria.

Convinced by the jewellery’s potential and appeal, he commissioned five artworks from Rasool last January. To paint on a canvas of 3x2 inches, the artist creates her own tools such as small metal pieces, cut nibs and shaped opposite-ends of brushes, among others. In the coming months, two necklaces will be exhibited at an art show in the US, and three new creations will be unveiled by Gajaria.

Every miniature is customised, signed and certified by Rasool, making each necklace a work of art. The price depends on the precious metal and pearls Gajaria uses,wholesale fashion shoes and each piece is estimated between Rs40,000 and one lakh.

Although most of her work includes Koranic verses or letters of the Arabic alphabet, Rasool’s audience is broad, and her clients are mostly based in the West. The use of earthy colour and abstract elements in her paintings has even appealed to Indian lovers of contemporary art.

In pushing the traditional boundaries of Arabic calligraphy, Rasool aims at reaching out to a cosmopolitan crowd and dispelling misconceptions of Islam through art.

Just back from Toronto where she had her fourth solo show, Rasool is working on her upcoming exhibition in South Africa where her paintings will be displayed at the end of this year. And these neckpieces might also seduce some trendsetting South Africans.
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There will be several mega events

Sri Lanka’s gem, diamond and jewellery export sector has recorded an overall growth of more than 50 percent as at end of 2012. Revenue has increased significantly in comparison to the corresponding year’s figure of Rs.24,459 million in 2011.Therefore, Sri Lanka could be promoted as a gem and jewellery hub in the region, a senior official said.

The export of gemstones brought in revenue of Rs 1,635 million recording a 39 percent growth while jewellery exports generated revenue of Rs 301 million showing an impressive 121 percent growth. The service cutting industry showed signs of recovery by recording an Rs 26 million income with a 50 percent growth.

“Sri Lanka is exporting gems to several countries which have shown a keen interest in fine quality blue sapphires of large sizes and the prices fetched by unheated sapphires were unprecedented.

Therefore participating for an event like “Singapore International Jewellery Show” for the seventh consecutive year would help to promote our gem and jewellery products internationally” National Gem and Jewellery Authority (NGJA) Director General R.M.Janaka Udaya Kumara Daily News Business. Sri Lanka retains a world market position as a producer of fine quality gems and has some of the greatest varieties of gems in the world.

Therefore, Singapore being the fourth largest importer of Sri Lankan gems has given the country partner status at this exhibition from its inception, which is one of the big opportunities to strengthen trade links, he said.

In the export market promotion programme this year, the NGJA intends to organize “Sri Lankan Pavilions” in a number of international gem and jewellery events including this event “Gem and Jewellery Show Singapore 2013.In this event we got a very spacious pavilion to exhibit our gem and jewellery, he said.

According to Janaka Udaya Kumara ten countries and 200 exhibitors are participating in the event,wholesale fashion shoes which is a good opportunity for Sri Lanka to enhance trade links and promote our gem and jewellery in order to position Sri Lanka as a gem hub in the region. Further, the government has identified the gem and jewellery industry as one of the thrust areas of development, which has given unprecedented incentives to the sector through the last budget, which helps the country to promote itself as a hub in the region in future, he said.

The Director General said with this development they are now in the process of promoting eco friendly mining practices among local gem miners, which was the need of the hour to promote this sector in a more sustainable way.

The U.S.A., Thailand, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Italy, France, India, Malaysia, Singapore, China, Canada and Germany are among the top export destinations for Sri Lankan gems and Jewellery.

Today we are promoting our products in world class trade fairs and exhibitions held in many countries such as the U.S.A., Japan, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, China, India and France, he said.

There will be several mega events such as the Jewellery Shanghai Show, Hyderabad Jewellery, Pearl and Gem Fair, Hong Kong International Jewellery Show, Malaysia International Jewelex, China International Jewellery Show (Beijing) and China International Gold, Jewllery and Gem Fair (Shanghai) during this year.
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Not ruling out a terror funding angle

MUMBAI A courier consignment of cash, gold and diamond jewellery, estimated to be worth Rs2 billion was seized here late on Monday by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Income- Tax Department, an official said.

It is being billed as the biggest operation of its kind and the sources and destinations of the consignment are being probed.

Income-Tax Director General Swatantra Kumar told reporters on Tuesday morning that the consignment, intercepted near the busy Mumbai Central terminus around 9:30pm on Monday, was bound from Mumbai to Ahmedabad and other destinations by the Gujarat Mail train.

It was brought in four trucks carrying around 150 bags chock-full with cash and jewellery, stumping the investigators who suspect a terror angle, a top I-T official requesting anonymity said on Tuesday.

At least 47 people, including personal couriers, locally known as ‘angadiyas’, were detained and 20 were let off after initial questioning by the two agencies on Tuesday.

The operation was carried out following a tip-off received by the NIA at least a week ago.

NIA roped in the I-T Department for help as a huge amount of cash was involved.

Not ruling out a terror funding angle, at least a dozen of those detained are being questioned separately by the NIA.

Counting of the cash and valuation of the jewellery is currently on at the I-T headquarters in Mumbai and the true value of the consignment is expected to be known only within another day or so, the official said.

Swatantra Kumar, while declining to peg a value to the seizure, said that a team of officials is busy counting the seized cash and ascertaining the value of the jewellery which is expected to be known by Wednesday.

Replying to a query on whether a terror angle was suspected, Swatantra Kumar said that whatever is the outcome of the I-T probe, it will be shared with NIA.

Philippa Mannagh, a new resident in Onerahi, said she was impressed with the passion of people living in the community and wanted to bring all the vibrant parts together in one place. And what better place than online and on Facebook.

The Onerahi Community Facebook page has been operating for two months now and is gaining momentum with Onerahi police using the page as a place to help fight crime.

"I kept coming across people with a passion for Onerahi and thought a Facebook page would be great. It's developed faster than I thought," Mrs Mannagh said. "Now there is a real awareness of community and safety. People are sending photos and sharing events - it's awesome. We are getting thousands of hits every week."

Local police constable Aaron Furze has also tapped into the online community in a bid to solve a spate of burglaries in the area.

In a post on the Onerahi Facebook page, Mr Furze said jewellery seemed to be the main item targeted in recent burglaries. Over a two-week period he estimated around 10 home burglaries, particularly in the Ross and Church Sts and Raurimu areas. He advised those following the page to photograph jewellery and keep a description. He also asked people to keep an eye out for suspicious behaviour and report it to police.

Mr Furze was working on establishing an Onerahi Police Facebook page.

Earlier this year the most northern police officer in New Zealand Senior Constable Tracey Knowler set up the first Facebook page in the Northland police district and has found it a great tool.

"Certainly the Far North community has thrown themselves into the Facebook option as a way of communicating with me," she said. "When it comes to local knowledge and finger on the pulse, local people are my greatest asset."
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