Summer And Nature Scenery

A new report suggests that prepaid smartphones are becoming more popular among consumers. According to research from NPD Group, 32% of all smartphones sold in the first quarter were prepaid devices, up from 21% during the same period in 2012. Samsung was found to be the most popular vendor of prepaid smartphones, accounting for 32% of sales in the first quarter. Handsets from LG made up 22%, Huawei 11%, and Apple and HTC tied at 8%. Prepaid iPhone sales were found to have increased fourfold in Q1 though, while sales of LG smartphones doubled year-over-year. “Prepaid has proven to be a real winner for national retailers,” said Baker. “The easy purchase cycle and grab-and-go nature of the product play into the strength

The Cannes celebration of its opening-night film The Great Gatsby went into the early-morning hours despite a monsoon-like downpour that had some guests with flimsy umbrellas wondering how they were going to get back to their hotels. When I left around 2 AM, though, there was no sign of winding down despite the horrid elements caused by Mother Nature. In an understandable party mood thanks to the strong U.S. opening last weekend, Gatsby director Baz Luhrmann pronounced himself pleased with the way everything went down for certainly one of the most elaborate afterparties Cannes has seen since Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge premiered here in 2001. In fact, I asked Luhrmann how this party compared to that. “I love it. It’s far more chaotic because of the rain and all,” he said. “I think Jay Gatsby would have loved it too. ‘Screw the rain,’ he would have said.” Luhrmann was frequently out on the dance floor whooping it up with the likes of Warner Bros Marketing topper Sue Kroll, co-star Isla Fisher, his agent Robert Newman (Yes!) and even Cannes programming wizard Thierry Fremaux, who told me that “so far” he is very pleased with the way the festival is going. Of course, it just got started. The first film Fremaux ever programmed ... Read More »