HANDY: The N97 comes with a slide out Qwerty keyboard.N97
(Nokia)
3G smartphone
Camera: 5-megapixels
Display: 3.5in (640 x 360-pixels)
Messaging: SMS, MMS, e-mail
Connectivity: WLAN, HSDPA, USB, Bluetooth
Memory: 32GB internal memory, MicroSD slot
Standby/talk time: 400 hours/360 minutes
Dimensions: 55.3 x 15.9 x 117.2mm (w x d x h)
Other features: Widgets, A-GPS
Price: RM2,480
SILVER BACK: The E75's got a nice metallic back plate to complete its high-end business phone look.
FREEDOM TO TYPE: The E75 has a full Qwerty keyboard you can use both for text messaging and surfing the web.E75
(Nokia)
Business phone
Camera: 3.2megapixels
Display: 2.4in QVGA LCD (320 x 240pixels)
Messaging: SMS, MMS, e-mail
Connectivity: GSM 900/1800/1900, GPRS, EDGE, Bluetooth, USB 2.0, WiFi 802.11b/g
Internal memory: 50MB
Expansion slot: microSD (up to 16GB)
Standby/ talk time: 280 hours/ 5 hours 20 minutes
Operating system: Symbian OS 9.3
Other features: Music player, organiser, stopwatch, calendar, voice recorder, Adobe PDF reader, Quickoffice, two customisable home screens, integrated A-GPS
Weight: 139g
Dimensions (w x d x h): 111.8 x 50 x 14.4mm
Price: RM1,850
TURN IT AROUND: At the back is where the VGA camera and the excellent built-in speakers are located.
SPEED TEXTER: The built-in Qwerty keyboard is easy to operate even with one hand.BLUEBERRY-i
(CSL)
Dual-band phone Camera: 0.3-megapixels (VGA)
Display: 2.2in QVGA 262,000 colours ( 220 x 176-pixels)
Messaging: MMS, SMS, e-mail
Connectivity: Bluetooth, GPRS
Phone memory: 1MB
Expansion slot: MicroSD
Battery type: 700mAh lithium-ion
Standby/talk time: 180/3 hours
Other features: Dual SIM card slots, Qwerty mini keyboard, FM radio, MP3 player, MPEG4 playback, video and sound recorder, e-book reader, Java applications
Weight: 103g
Dimensions (w x d x h): 110 x 50 x 16mm Price: RM438
HARDLY MINIMALIST: The Magic has quite a few buttons on the front, with a trackball for navigation.
COOL: The W995 comes with a kickstand and stereo speakers on the top and bottom so you can watch videos comfortably. W995
(Sony Ericsson)
3G phone
Camera: 8.1 megapixels with autofocus and LED flash
Display: 2.6in screen (240 x 320 pixels), 256,000 colours
Messaging: SMS, MMS, e-mail
Connectivity: GSM 850/ 900/1800/1900, HSDPA 900 / 2100, Bluetooth, USB, WiFi
Expansion slot: M2 (up to 8 GB)
Phone memory: 118MB internal memory, bundled with 8GB M2 card
Battery Type: 930mAh lithium polymer
Standby/talk time: 360 hours/4 hours
Other features: aGPS, kickstand
Weight: 113g
Dimensions (W x D x H): 49 x 15 x 97mm
Price: RM1,800
KUALA LUMPUR: Asian markets were mostly up at midday Tuesday on improved consumer sentiments on the back of expectations of better than estimated third quarter earnings across the board.
Bloomberg also said in a report on Tuesday that Asian stocks rose lifting the MSCI Asia Pacific Index from a two-week low as the dollar advanced against the yen and Taiwan said it may allow Chinese investors to buy stakes in its flat-panel and computer-chip industries.
At home, the benchmark KLCI was 0.09% higher at 1,207.03 while Singapore’s Straits Times Index added 1.58% to 2,670.70. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 advanced 0.71% to 10,080.20, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index gained 2.25% to 21,051.87, Shanghai’s A share index dropped 0.88% to 2,739.22 and Seoul’s Kospi Index was 0.86% higher at 1,690.02. At Bursa Malaysia, 309 counters were up, 198 were down while 230 others were traded unchanged. There were 306.92 million shares done with a total value of RM317.68 million.
Gainers included BAT, which rose 38 sen to RM44.98, HaiO climbed 20 sen to RM5.62, PetDag advanced 12 sen to RM8.55, Tanjong added 10 sen to RM15 and Pos Malaysia was 10 sen higher at RM2.21. Among plantation stocks, KL Kepong was up 4 sen to RM13.82 while BKawan added 2 sen to RM9.22. Crude palm oil was up RM12 to RM2,115 per tonne.
Nymex crude oil in electronic trade added 1 cents to US$66.85 per barrel. The ringgit was quoted at 3.487 to the US dollar.
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Malaysia Airlines (MAS) (3786) may be considering replacing its order for six Airbus A380 superjumbos with smaller wide-body aircraft such as the A330 or A350, according to a Standard & Poor's (S&P) report.
"We understand that MAS has broached the idea of swapping the A380 for smaller wide-body aircraft such as the A330 and Airbus' upcoming A350 to avoid a massive penalty of up to US$300 million (RM1 billion) if it were to cancel the A380 orders," S&P Asia Equity Research analyst Shukor Yusof said in a report.
According to a source familiar with the situation, MAS is looking to buy as many as 18 A330s, with the option to buy another seven. "MAS recently sent its technical staff to Toulouse (France), where Airbus is headquartered, to evaluate the smaller wide-body aircraft," the source told Business Times. When contacted yesterday, MAS chief executive officer and managing director Datuk Tengku Azmil Zahruddin dismissed the S&P report as unfounded.
"The fact is, we have said that we are planning to replace our wide-body aircraft. Currently, we are evaluating various options to ensure that the aircraft complement our fleet replacement strategy. "At the same time, we need to match the new aircraft to our network growth plans, especially for key markets such as South Asia, China, Australia and the Middle East. For these key areas, we want to offer our customers increased frequencies for added convenience and better connectivity," Tengku Azmil said through e-mail.
"In the meantime, we continue to evaluate our options on the wide-body aircraft," he said. In his report, Shukor said that MAS was having second thoughts on the operational viability of the A380, the first of which is scheduled for delivery in 2011, due to the current economic recession and a decline in air traffic.
Recent reports on launch customer Singapore Airlines' inability to fully maximise the yields on its A380 were also said to have given MAS cold feet in proceeding with the purchase. MAS ordered the A380s in late 2003 through Penerbangan Malaysia Bhd, a leasing company owned by the Ministry of Finance.
MAS currently operates 14 A330-200/300s with an average age of 13 years."If the swap were to take place, MAS would likely phase out its entire fleet of Boeing wide-body aircraft comprising seventeen 777-200s and thirteen 747-400s," said Shukor. MAS already has an order for 35 narrow-body 737-800s, with another 20 on option, delivery of which will start in the fourth quarter of next year. However, these planes are more for regional flights.
"A re-fleeting of its aircraft would be a major step for MAS considering that the 777s and 747s have been the workhorses for MAS and many other successful airlines. MAS will have to carefully consider whether the A330s or A350s can serve the airline as well as the Boeings did," Shukor told Business Times over the telephone from Singapore. He said that while cancelling the A380 orders was an option, it appeared to be the best in the long run, even if costly for MAS.
"It is critically situated, it has strategic plans for high technology, as well as for traditional commodities. Therefore, it is well poised to move ahead in the years ahead," Forbes said.
Forbes is in town with a group of other global captains of industries for the Forbes Global CEO conference, which started yesterday.
"In terms of recovery, Asia will be leading it. US and Europe will be lagging the Asian region," he said.
Minister of International Trade and Industry Datuk Mustapa Mohamed, who was at yesterday's briefing, said the government was looking at liberalising other components of the services sector to attract more investments and improve some of its processes in order to encourage more business
We get down to business and take a closer look at the Nokia E75 smartphone.
THE Nokia E75 is many things wrapped up in one device. You can use it to retrieve your e-mail, surf the Web, check for directions on a map, listen to music, take pictures and, if you want to, make calls. Announced in March, the E75 is the latest in the Nokia’s line of business-centric phones hungry for a piece of the smartphone pie.
The good news is that if there ever was a phone designed for the text message and e-mail obsessed user, this would be it. The E75 sports a rather unique design in that it is a slider phone that slides out from the side, much like the T-Mobile Sidekick available in the United States. The phone comes in two colours: Red and black. We got a red unit for review and while it looks good, it is rather too striking for a business phone. If you want to be more conservative, the black should fit you fine.
Working our way from the front, the E75 has a decent size 2.4in screen (320 x 240pixels) that provides more than enough room to view your text messages and e-mail messages. The phone’s keypad holds an array of closely placed keys. Crammed together with the regular number pad are three shortcut keys that serve to give you easy access to the main menu, calendar and your inbox.
While it makes the phone more aesthetically pleasing, I personally found the placement of the buttons a little cramped and it was easy to accidentally hit the wrong key. For example, I mistakenly pressed the e-mail button by accident many times when I actually wanted to press the red hang-up button.
Another problem is the hang-up button serves as a shortcut for the phone’s various profile modes which also houses the phone’s switch-off option. This means that if you’re impatiently hitting the hang up button to exit an application, you could accidentally cause the phone to switch itself off.
I must say the phone’s metallic backlid is also difficult to remove. Even worse, it was excruciatingly difficult to remove my SIM card which was stuck firmly within the phone.
For typing
What makes the E75 unique is the option to easily swap between using the regular keypad and a full Qwerty keyboard. I have always found using the keypad sufficient for my typing needs though I must say the option to type with a full keyboard is also useful especially for long messages or words that don’t usually turn up in the dictionary.
SILVER BACK: The E75's got a nice metallic back plate to complete its high-end business phone look. The Qwerty keyboard slides out horizontally and screen automatically reorientates itself into landscape mode. Messaging on the E75 in this mode feels comfortable although the keys are on the small side and are relatively flat.
Although I still can’t touch type on the keyboard as well as I can on a regular alphanumeric keypad, the keyboard does make things easier. Since I have small fingers I didn’t have problems typing though a person with larger fingers may require more precision.
On the flipside (pun intended) typing on the keypad proved to be just as easy and smooth. One noticeable change is the T9 dictionary, which behaves differently now. Instead of constantly pressing the star key to run through all possible words, now it displays words in a drop now menu similar to Sony Ericsson phones.
Having tried the new T9 dictionary I found it difficult going back to the old method. It’s a much appreciated improvement and the auto complete function also occasionally helps fill in long words.
Functionality
As a mobile phone, the E75 does a decent job at performing regular phone functions. Call quality is clear though the small ear piece requires you to align it your ear directly. As mentioned above, text messaging is a joy on the E75. Disappointingly though, the speakerphone is pretty soft — while you can hear it clearly in a car, it is inaudible when taken out in a noisy area.
Since the E75 runs on a Symbian operating system, you can install your own applications on it. The phone also comes bundled with a couple of business-centric applications like Quickoffice and a PDF reader. You can also customise your home screen for both work and play, switching between the two whenever you want.
In terms of battery life, the E75 can certainly hold a lot of power — you’re looking at nearly three days of continuous use on a single charge which is pretty impressive by my book. It will definitely come in handy for business users who are constantly on the go or don’t have time to wait for their phone to charge.
Features
There’s no shortage of connectivity options on the E75 as you can connect online either via a WiFi or over a 3G network. This of course, allows you to do a number of things from checking your e-mail, browsing the Web to watching YouTube videos. You can browse the Web either in straight-up portrait view or turn it on its side for a landscape view.
FREEDOM TO TYPE: The E75 has a full Qwerty keyboard you can use both for text messaging and surfing the web. I found browsing the Web on the E75 enjoyable thanks to the Qwerty keyboard which made filling in forms, writing e-mail messages or entering search terms in Google much easier. However, if surfing on the small screen just isn’t your thing, the E75 also serves up as a very capable modem for your notebook PC.
We tried connecting the phone to a Netbook PC and the entire process was relatively simple with the phone automatically installing the necessary drivers and software before establishing an Internet connection. While the phone does come with an onboard GPS and the Nokia Maps application, the screen is still too small to be seen while driving. Still, the E75 can be used to help you navigate your way around while you are walking.
The E75 does all the basic multimedia stuff you would expect it to do like play music, videos and takes pictures. Music playback was clear and crisp although it isn’t very loud. The phone’s 3.2-megapixel camera a very average camera at best. It performs decently when there’s plenty of light but shows considerable noise and grain whenever you try capturing things in the dark.
You need not worry about running out of room to store your files as the phone comes bundled with a 4GB MicroSD card and has 50MB of internal storage to boot.
Conclusion
All in all, the Nokia E75 is an impressive business phone that’s both good looking and practical to use. I was impressed with several of the phone’s features including the option to choose between using the regular keypad and Qwerty keyboard.
Not limited to typing messages, the keyboard also comes in handy while surfing the Web. However, the E75 isn’t a strong multimedia phone, the small speakers aren’t particularly loud and the camera is only good for outdoor shots. Still, given its positioning as business phone, the E75 is a serious contender that you can count on.
Pros: Has a keypad and Qwerty keyboard; smooth web browsing; long battery life.
Cons: Small speakers, Qwerty keyboard keys might be too small for some.
E75
(Nokia)
Business phone
Camera: 3.2megapixels
Display: 2.4in QVGA LCD (320 x 240pixels)
Messaging: SMS, MMS, e-mail
Connectivity: GSM 900/1800/1900, GPRS, EDGE, Bluetooth, USB 2.0, WiFi 802.11b/g
Internal memory: 50MB
Expansion slot: microSD (up to 16GB)
Standby/ talk time: 280 hours/ 5 hours 20 minutes
Operating system: Symbian OS 9.3
Other features: Music player, organiser, stopwatch, calendar, voice recorder, Adobe PDF reader, Quickoffice, two customisable home screens, integrated A-GPS
Weight: 139g
Dimensions (w x d x h): 111.8 x 50 x 14.4mm
Price: RM1,850
Review unit courtesy of Nokia Malaysia, 1-300-88-1600.
We kick the tyres and peek under the hood of the N97 to see if its lives up to its billing as a powerhouse smartphone.
By STEFAN NAIDU
THE Nokia N97 has been keenly awaited since its worldwide introduction late last year as it was touted to be the next big thing in the mobile market by many observers. The phone is laden with features and it is bound to be a Herculean task to condense all the features and functions in one sitting so there is little space to waste.
Sliding tilter?
The first thing you will notice about this model is what Nokia officials call a “sliding-tilt” phone. This means that you push one side forward and it tilts up to give you that mini-desktop look and feel, which I personally think is excellent for all kinds of situations. A Qwerty keyboard has always been a requirement for me as I like to feel buttons beneath my fingertips when I am typing an SMS, e-mail or URL.
HANDY: The N97 comes with a slide out Qwerty keyboard. This particular keyboard is a tad small for my big fingers but after a few days I was typing quite fluently. Beyond the Qwerty keyboard, the sole traditional button is the silver menu button. Side buttons include a lock button, volume control and camera toggle.
I was a little concerned about the wear and tear with the sliding-tilt hinge. Nokia have said that the hinge is made out of extremely sturdy material and that the phone has passed vigorous performance and drop tests.
I can say that it has passed my own accidental drop tests and the hinge does look and feel pretty strong. The only real issue I had with the physical characteristics of the N97 was the back cover and battery, both of which are unrealistically hard to remove and replace.
Having tried this on a variety of people with different finger sizes and varying lengths of fingernails, I have concluded that it is near impossible to take out the battery without a prying mechanism. Tragic.
Online sensation
Built for the Internet, the N97 allocates the majority of its touchable home screen to movable and customisable widgets for quick access to your online needs. Users are able to put their widgets in specific “rows” and there are around five rows in total. It was really useful having a link to online news and social networking sites.
Given the relative speed of fixed line broadband these days, many a time I was able to go online and check for updates faster on my mobile than on my laptop. It is especially useful when you are on the go and need information quickly. Its always easier to prove a point or win an argument when you have Google embedded on the front screen of your phone.
It would be practical to consider a mobile broadband plan to get the most out of the N97 without slowly bleeding your wallet dry paying off the data charges.
Rocket science?
The resistive touch technology coupled with Nokia’s software makes for a very elegant combination. Navigating is by no means second nature, there are some hurdles in figuring out exactly how the web browser works. One example is the zoom. There is a vertical tab that allows you to zoom in and out but, at least initially, you are not sure which part of the webpage it will zoom in to.
I still think that a Nokia phone is the one of the more user-friendly phones you can buy. This model has stayed true to that. However as more and more functions get added to phones like this one, it just takes longer to find what you are looking for.
There were some bugs in the N97’s software post-release and I did experience some hanging and other minor glitches. According to Nokia officials, those imperfections were addressed in the first software update that is now available.
Wait, there is more
I took countless pictures and videos in the short time I had this phone with me. With 32GB of memory on board I never even thought about whether I had enough space for all of it. The camera is just about as good as it gets on a phone and the video quality is quite impressive.
Given this, it was surprising that the voice recorder was not nearly as high end in terms of sound recording quality as I thought it would be. Some recordings turned out quite muffled. The biggest disappointments were the speakers. The music output (specifically the bass) left something to be desired and you could barely make out what the other person is saying when you turn on the speakerphone at full volume.
My guess is that Nokia had packed far too much in this phone already and therefore the speakers were more of an afterthought (much like the removal process for the back cover and battery).
Conclusion
There is an inherent charm in the N97 that is inescapable. From placing it on a table and writing an SMS to surfing on a fantastically long landscape mode, it was all quite memorable as far as phones go. Also, I thought the price was quite reasonable considering the usual trend with new releases of high-end and feature filled devices. That is not to say I consider it cheap though.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the phone and would recommend it to anyone looking for a powerhouse smartphone.
Pros: Unique sliding tilt; great to surf on; excellent fusion of Qwerty keyboard and touch technology.
Cons: Substandard speakers; cumbersome battery cover.
N97
(Nokia)
3G smartphone
Camera: 5-megapixels
Display: 3.5in (640 x 360-pixels)
Messaging: SMS, MMS, e-mail
Connectivity: WLAN, HSDPA, USB, Bluetooth
Memory: 32GB internal memory, MicroSD slot
Standby/talk time: 400 hours/360 minutes
Dimensions: 55.3 x 15.9 x 117.2mm (w x d x h)
Other features: Widgets, A-GPS
Price: RM2,480
Review unit courtesy of Nokia Malaysia, 1-300-88-1600.
Light and phenomenally thin,the MSI X400 is definitely for those on the go who wish to make a statement with their gadgets.
When you first set your eyes on the MSI X400, still unwrapped and unpacked, you will first approve of their choice of a simple black cardboard box rather than a garishly designed box to protect the laptop.
What’s inside the box will take your breath away when you see how beautiful the X400 is. That’s how we felt anyway. The X400 is simple and slim, its corners are gently rounded off and before you turn it on, you will marvel at how white the X400 is. It is very pleasing to the eye aesthetically and its shiny and glossy cover is admirable.
It carries itself with a touch of class, confident that people will take a second glance and definitely does not have an air of serious geek or businessman. No, the MSI X400 is for the style conscious.
The insides
The main selling point of the X400 is its ultra slim design. It is truly thin and its dimensions are reminiscent of an Apple MacBook Air, the other popular slender notebook around. So, if you are looking for a dazzlingly different, fresh and definitely more affordable alternative, then the MSI X-Slim series is a very safe bet. The X400 has pretty good specifications. It comes with an Intel ULV SU350 processor which is powerful yet energy-efficient.
One would expect MSI to have used an Intel Atom processor but this is a much better choice. The laptop comes with a 4-cell battery which may seem lacking compared to other laptops that come with a standard 6-cell battery. The battery lasts approximately two and a half hours.
We did not tweak the laptop to its most minimal power saving settings so the battery life is decent enough. The laptops AC adaptor is quite compact so it matches the MSI X400. The screen is bright and compared to most of our CRT monitors, the colours on the X400’s 14 inch WXGA are vivid and rich. It must be due to the LED Power-Saving Backlight Technology that has been incorporated into the MSI X400.
It also comes with a DVI Port and a HDMI port which makes it a handy and well thought out addition as hooking up to LCD projectors and TVs will not be a problem. Also, it comes with a webcam and a well placed microphone. The MSI X400 does not come with an optical drive but it is catered more for those of us who are mobile and constantly use online tools to complete our tasks.
The hard drive is an ample 320GB, more than enough to store whatever we need on the go. Start up was quite slow compared to my Core 2 Duo laptop but that could be because of the programs installed on this review unit. Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium performed exceedingly well throughout the review. However, we cannot help but think the laptop is still laggy in some form or other.
A few gripes
The MSI X400 has a lot going for it, especially in terms of its minimal design and price. However, the texture of the product may turn some people off because it feels plasticky overall. The materials used are not as sturdy as one would want it to be but it does make the laptop feel relatively solid. Although the keyboard is supposed to be ergonomically designed, somehow the placements of the keys feel a bit cramped as there is no space or divisions between the various keys.
For one, the arrow keys are narrower than the other keys on the keyboard so you are liable to make some mistakes and it will take some adjusting too. And the keyboard feels flimsy because when you type, all the keys bounce slightly so this may be distracting.
The touchpad gives your finger a good grip and is sensitive enough but it is too close to the keyboard and we had the problem where the wrist or palm would lightly graze, just even the corners of the touchpad and the cursor would move and the words would end up somewhere else on the page.
This got quite annoying especially when replying to e-mails or writing documents. The problem clearly is that everything is too close together. The sound on the MSI X400 is tinny and not appealing at all. There is no surround sound feeling and it lacks bass and is lifeless. But you cannot expect the MSI X400 to deliver on all aspects but the sound is a major disappointment since the laptop is so pretty to look at. If only it sounded as good as it looks.
Conclusion
Overall, the MSI X400 is a revolutionarily designed machine and brings the appeal back to laptops considering the flourishing netbook market. The X Slim Series wins because of its weight and portability. The MSI X400 is worth considering for those of you who have problems with small 10in netbooks as the MSI X Slim Series comes in various screen sizes starting from 13in.
Pros: Slim, lightweight and sexy; stable; portable.
Cons: Keys are too close together; touchpad is a little over-sensitive and close to keyboard; bad speakers.
Shareholders keen on monetising the Lotus brand
PETALING JAYA: The establishment of the much-publicised 1Malaysia F1 Team Sdn Bhd (1MF1T) is an attractive business proposition and is expected to turn profitable in the first year of operations. The main revenue drivers include sponsorship, sale of merchandise and share of profits with FOM (Formula One Management, the F1 commercial rights holders).
“We will make money in the first year as we have always done with our other ventures,” said Datuk Kamarudin Meranun, who together with long-time business partner and team principal Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes, will own 60% in 1MF1T via Tune Group. The remaining stake will be held by Naza Group chief executive officer SM Nasarudin SM Nasimudin in his personal capacity.
Datuk Kamarudin Meranun (left) and Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes will own 60% in 1Malaysia F1 Team via Tune Group“It must give good returns even though there are risks ...,” said Nasarudin.
Fernandes pointed out that there was one F1 brand that managed to sell £150mil worth of T-shirts. “We are monetising the Lotus brand. It is one of the greatest racing brands and nothing invokes the same emotion except Ferrari,” he said, adding that other potential revenue sources included technology spin-offs, entertainment, and research and development.
“We are also looking at possible sponsors. Interestingly, a lot of people and corporations have approached us wanting to be part of this team,” he said. One of the firms that have been approached is, not surprisingly, Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas). On the likelihood of the national oil company getting involved in 1MF1T, he replied: “Why not?”
On its part, Petronas would have to evaluate the investment rationale in making such a decision. It currently sponsors the F1 via the BMW Sauber team but the sponsorship will expire this season and it has yet to commit itself to a new team. Other large corporations that would be approached for sponsorship, according to Fernandes, include Malaysia Airlines and Genting Bhd.
He also said that talks were ongoing with a third group, Litespeed UK, to take up a 10% stake in IMF1T. “We are still talking and have not fully worked out the final shareholding structure ...,” he said. In the event the British company steps in, then the shareholding structure will be 55:35:10 among Tune Group, Nasarudin and Litespeed respectively.
Is 1MF1T open to new shareholders? “Of course we are, but the investor has to be one that contributes to the brand and relevant expertise. This is the best time to be in the F1 business as the overall cost has come down,” said Nasarudin. The privately funded 1MF1T will have a start-up capital of RM168mil with an estimated baseline annual budget of RM308mil. The Government will not hold any equity in the project, either directly or indirectly, through any of the government-linked companies.
BEIJING (AP) - Beijing sold government bonds denominated in the mainland's yuan for the first time Monday in Hong Kong, adding to gradual moves to expand the international use of its tightly controlled currency.Bonds from the 6 billion yuan ($875 million) issue were on sale to the public at Hong Kong banks. There was no immediate word on how well they were selling and how many were allocated to institutional investors.
Hong Kong is Chinese territory but has its own currency and regulatory system and often is used by Chinese companies to deal with foreign investors. Beijing is gradually expanding the use abroad of the yuan, which does not trade on global markets. Beijing signed a currency swap deal with Argentina in March and has promised to lend yuan to the central banks of South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia and Belarus in the event of a financial emergency.
Monday's sale should increase the private sector use of the yuan, according to finance analysts. A few mainland institutions, including state-owned China Construction Bank Ltd. and Bank of China Ltd., have issued yuan-denominated bonds in Hong Kong. Hong Kong leaders want to develop the territory as a center for non-mainland trading of the yuan. They hope the business will boost finance industries that have been battered by the global economic crisis.
Premier Wen Jiabao, the mainland's top economic official, has promised to strengthen trade and finance links with Hong Kong. Two banks - London-based HSBC Holdings and Hong Kong-based Bank of East Asia - said in May they had become the first non-mainland companies approved to sell yuan bonds.
SINGAPORE: Malaysia and Thailand are likely to post negative gross domestic product (GDP) growth this year but should see a strong recovery in 2010 as commodity prices and demand revive, according to an article by Standard & Poor’s Asia-Pacific chief economist, Dr Subir Gokarn.
Titled In The Asean Region It’s A Case Of Slow But Steady Improvement, the article discusses the economic outlook for Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia and can be found on RatingsDirect.com.
Dr Subir Gokarn ... ‘The second quarter of 2009 marked the beginning of the recovery. Standard & Poor’s said in a statement it expected Vietnam to outperform the region, “leading the pack” with close to 5% growth in 2009 and more than 6.5% growth in 2010. Gokarn, who was quoted in the statement, said: “Despite the bad news and uncertainties in the United States and Europe, timely policy actions and fundamental strengths in the regional economy have helped Asean countries weather the meltdown better and counter the double-digit plunge in exports.
“The second quarter of 2009 marked the beginning of the recovery, when quarter-on-quarter GDP growth jumped across the board. A shift in demand drivers from export to domestic demand was the primary reason for this bounce back,” he said.
KUALA LUMPUR: Haier Group, China’s largest home appliance company, sees great potential to grow its business in Malaysia, says Asia Pacific president Dr Philip Carmichael. “For a business like ours, opportunities are seen in markets with a growing population and new housing developments.
“This is apparent in Malaysia, where there is an increasing number of families and there are always new homes coming up,” he told StarBiz during a visit to Malaysia last week. Haier has been present in Malaysia since 1998 and currently has five offices and employs some 70 staff. “We are one of the top three most recognised brands in China. In Malaysia, we are not so well known yet. But we are trying to create more confidence among customers in our brand,” said Carmichael.
Dr Philip Carmichael ... ‘Haier is one of the top three most recognisable brands in China.’ One way to achieve that objective was to offer better warranties for its products, he said. “We recently decided to extend the warranty for our flat panel TVs to three years and Malaysia was the first market where we decided to do this.
“We chose Malaysia because we have a strong local team. So far, feedback (on our extended warranty scheme) has been positive,” he said. The group has a production plant in Thailand, which caters to the demand of its Asean markets. During the first quarter of this year, the group expanded its plant to include an air-conditioning facility, said Carmichael.
“Where others are cutting down their base of operations, we continue to invest. We added the (air-conditioning) facility to support our businesses in Asean and to highlight our commitment to this region,” he said. According to reports, the group’s turnover increased by 8% to 122 billion yuan (US$17.8bil) in 2008.
Its biggest market was China, which accounted for 70% of its total turnover, while the balance 30% was from its businesses in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific, said Carmichael. He said it was too early to forecast the impact of the current economic downturn on its topline for 2009. “Everyone has been affected. However, we have taken some proactive actions to counter the impact of the global economic recession and so far, we are heading in the right direction.”
In May, Haier acquired a 20% stake in New Zealand-based appliance company Fisher & Paykel. The alliance confers the companies exclusive distribution rights for each other’s products in their respective home markets. “This partnership will allow us to enhance our respective businesses in terms of marketing and research and development (R&D). It would help introduce Fisher & Paykel’s products to the China market and fast track our business in the Oceania region,” said Carmichael.
According to him, Fisher & Paykel has a 55% and 20% share of the home appliance market in New Zealand and Australia respectively. “We believe this cooperation will help us come out of this crisis stronger than when we went in,” said Carmichael. In China, Haier is capitalising on the central government’s subsidy scheme to spur domestic consumption. The scheme entitles each rural household to a 13% government rebate on one home appliance item.
With 6,000 stores in 2,000 locations in China, Haier was looking to tap the rural market, said Carmichael. “About 65% of the population in China is in the countryside. With our outlets situated in various locations, the people in rural areas need not travel to the city just to purchase home appliances.” He said Haier had also begun to manufacture products suitable for the rural population. For example, the company designed the world’s first “rodent-proof refrigerator”, with a cooler compressor and extra cladding on the wiring.
“The compressors on the back of the refrigerators are warm and a common nesting ground for rats, which are abundant in the countryside. “All these innovations to our products will help create more confidence in our brand, which in turn gives us confidence to survive the economic crisis,” he added. Haier produces a full line of home appliances, ranging from entry level, mid-range to high-end products. It spends about 6% of its annual revenue on research and development each year. Currently, it is the second largest white goods manufacturer in the world.
| Last Updated: Monday ,September 28 2009 12:30 pm | ||
| Bursa Malaysia Summary | ||
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| Top Volume | |||||
| GPACKET-OR | 121068 | 0.255 | 0.010 | 4.08% | |
| KNM | 100745 | 0.775 | -0.010 | -1.27% | |
| JADI | 93039 | 0.210 | 0.005 | 2.44% | |
| SUNWAY-WR | 80445 | 0.130 | 0.015 | 13.04% | |
| ASIAEP-OR | 64103 | 0.095 | -0.005 | -5.00% | |
| LFECORP | 63462 | 0.455 | 0.045 | 10.98% | |
| TA | 60988 | 1.380 | 0.020 | 1.47% | |
| OILCORP | 57952 | 0.165 | -0.010 | -5.71% | |
| HLSCORP | 55372 | 0.440 | 0.000 | 0.00% | |
| HEVEA | 42714 | 0.390 | 0.020 | 5.41% | |
| HUBLINE | 42387 | 0.315 | -0.010 | -3.08% | |
| TALAM | 42045 | 0.085 | 0.000 | 0.00% | |
| NOTION | 41762 | 0.430 | 0.000 | 0.00% | |
| CSCENIC | 41043 | 0.485 | 0.045 | 10.23% | |
| AZRB | 40238 | 0.965 | 0.070 | 7.82% | |
| EDEN | 40012 | 0.495 | 0.005 | 1.02% | |
| UEMLAND | 35949 | 1.570 | -0.040 | -2.48% | |
| HSL | 33317 | 1.120 | 0.125 | 12.56% | |
| SYF | 33070 | 0.300 | 0.045 | 17.65% | |
| AIRASIA | 32135 | 1.380 | -0.010 | -0.72% | |
| GENM | 31883 | 2.790 | 0.000 | 0.00% | |
| PJI | 31761 | 0.080 | 0.000 | 0.00% | |
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