NTT DoCoMo to sell iPhone in Apple stronghold Japan: sources

A man walks past the logo of Japan's biggest mobile phone operator NTT Docomo at its shop in Tokyo in this July 3, 2013 file photograph.

Credit: Reuters/Issei Kato/Files

By Sophie Knight

TOKYO | Fri Sep 6, 2013 5:21am EDT

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's biggest mobile carrier NTT DoCoMo Inc is expected to start selling iPhones as soon as autumn, helping Apple Inc extend its reach in a country where it has more than three times the market share of rival Samsung Electronics Co Ltd.

DoCoMo has long resisted offering the iPhone to its 60 million customers due to differences with Apple over branding and sales margins, but has lost market share to smaller rivals Softbank Corp and KDDI Corp, which have been selling Japan's best-selling smartphone since 2008 and 2011, respectively.

DoCoMo is expected to begin selling the iPhone as early as this autumn, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The sources, who declined to be named due to the confidentiality of the discussions, did not detail the conditions of the agreement.

Other sources have said sticking points between the two companies were DoCoMo's requirement that its logo to be imprinted on all the phones it sells, while Apple insists its products are sold unaltered.

Market watchers have also speculated that the U.S. tech giant demands that iPhone sales make up more than 50 percent of a carrier's total handset sales, while DoCoMo has said it is only willing to go up to 20-30 percent.

Asked about the iPhone deal, DoCoMo said in a statement that it had nothing to announce on the matter. Apple could not be immediately reached for comment.

Analysts said both companies had probably struck a mutually beneficial compromise.

"It's possible Apple were more flexible with DoCoMo because obviously it's a large carrier and it's somewhere they could get new unit volumes to come through," said Nathan Ramler, head of Asia telecommunications research at Macquarie Capital Securities in Tokyo.

The Nikkei business daily, which first reported the news, said an announcement was likely to come next week, when Apple unveils the latest version of the iPhone on September 10 in the United States.

Japan is an important market for Apple, which is facing tough competition from Samsung's Galaxy series and other devices that use Google Inc's Android platform.

More than a quarter of all smartphones sold in Japan are iPhones, according to Tokyo-based IT consultancy MMD, while Apple had a 13 percent global market share in the second quarter of this year.

DoCoMo plans to offer winter promotions on handsets made by Sony Corp, Sharp Corp and Fujitsu Ltd.

With Blackberry Ltd having decided not to offer its latest Blackberry 10 and the models that support it in Japan, pressure from corporate clients mulling a switch to the iPhone may have been another factor spurring DoCoMo to make a decision.

"The enterprise customers are definitely important for DoCoMo," said Macquarie Securities analyst Ramler. "And we've seen Apple working hard to improve its corporate solution with the iPhone, so it's possible that was part of the consideration as well."

Shares in Softbank, the first Japanese carrier to offer the iPhone, fell 2.5 percent, while KDDI dipped 0.2 percent. DoCoMo gained 0.5 percent after opening up more than 3 percent. The benchmark Nikkei average fell 1.5 percent.

(Reporting by Maki Shiraki and Nobuhiro Kubo; Editing by Chris Gallagher and Miral Fahmy)

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Japan's DoCoMo to begin selling iPhone as early as autumn: sources

A man walks past the logo of Japan's biggest mobile phone operator NTT Docomo at its shop in Tokyo July 3, 2013.

Credit: Reuters/Issei Kato

By Maki Shiraki and Nobuhiro Kubo

TOKYO | Thu Sep 5, 2013 9:23pm EDT

TOKYO (Reuters) - NTT DoCoMo Inc will begin selling Apple Inc's iPhone as early as this autumn, sources familiar with the matter said on Friday, as it seeks to halt a loss of market share to rivals already offering Japan's most popular smartphone.

DoCoMo, Japan' biggest mobile carrier, had long resisted taking on the iPhone, which remains the most popular smartphone in Japan despite the ascendance of Samsung Electronics Co Ltd's Galaxy series elsewhere.

It has paid heavily for that strategy as it ceded market share to smaller competitors KDDI Corp and Softbank Corp.

DoCoMo, a pioneer in mobile Internet and one of the last of the world's large mobile carriers still not offering the iPhone to its 60 million customers, said in a stock exchange statement that it had nothing to announce on the matter.

Apple is expected to unveil the latest version of its iPhone at an event on September 10. The Nikkei business daily said an announcement that DoCoMo would begin marketing the iPhone is likely to come on the same day.

Shares in Softbank, the first Japanese carrier to offer the iPhone, fell 2.8 percent as of 0115 GMT on Friday, while KDDI dipped 0.1 percent. DoCoMo was 0.5 percent higher after opening up more than 3 percent.

The sources said DoCoMo would continue with its planned winter promotions for handsets made by Sony Corp, Sharp Corp and Fujitsu Ltd.

Fujitsu shares, which had risen on news that it would be included in the winter promotions, fell 1.6 percent. Sony rose 0.5 percent while Sharp fell 1.3 percent. Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei average was down 1.2 percent.

Although DoCoMo's negotiations with Apple had been shrouded in secrecy, it was widely believed that strict contractual obligations typically linked to iPhone sales would have conflicted with the Japanese mobile leader's practices.

The sources said it was not clear exactly when a DoCoMo iPhone would go on sale.

(Reporting by Maki Shiraki and Nobuhiro Kubo; Writing by Edmund Klamann; Editing by Chris Gallagher)

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Winterizing Your Light Sources: Window and Skylight Tips

    FORT MILL, SC, August 03, 2013 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Sunshine and summer go together. Yet when winter arrives with shorter days and cooler temperatures, the amount of sun that enters your home can be more important than at any other time of year.

Inadequate sunlight can influence seasonal mood changes, vitamin D deficiency and even your utility bills. It's important to prepare for winter by taking care of the portals that allow natural light into your home: windows and skylights.

Caulking and weather stripping are the two most common ways to prep windows, and the jobs are easily within the abilities of most do-it-yourselfers. Washing windows should also be part of your winter-preparedness measures; clean windows will allow the maximum amount of room-warming sunlight to enter your home.

Winterizing skylights is also important. Skylight manufacturer Velux America (www.veluxusa.com) offers these tips for preparing your skylights for cooler months as well as for year-round care and maintenance:

* Have your skylights inspected by a qualified professional. Visit the Velux installer locator for a professional close to you. While issues such as damaged claddings or flashings would be obvious, other problems might only be diagnosed through a professional inspection.

* Remove any debris that has accumulated around the exterior of the skylights. Take appropriate care when climbing on the roof and consider hiring a professional if you're not confident of your safety skills.

* Thoroughly clean the glass part of your skylights, inside and out. You'll likely need a ladder to reach them, so be sure to take steps to prevent a fall. Use a mild, non-abrasive glass cleaner and a soft brush or other non-abrasive applicator to clean the glass, and immediately remove the cleaner with a squeegee or lint-free cloth. Never use metal scrapers, knives or blades of any kind to clean large areas of glass.

* Clean interior frames - often pre-painted wood or plastic - with a damp cloth or mild, soapy water for tougher dirt. Remove insect screens in venting skylights, spray with a garden hose and allow them to dry completely before replacing them.

* If your skylight's pre-finished wood frame needs refinishing, thoroughly remove the factory finish. Make sure the surface is clean, then apply a coat of water-based acrylic varnish or paint, following the manufacturer's instructions for application. Be sure to keep all varnish and paint off the skylight gaskets and glass. Velux does not recommend painting over plastic frames and sashes.

* Care for the mechanics of your skylights. Open venting skylights (turn off the power if they're electric) and wipe off the chain using a clean, dry towel and no cleaner or solvent of any kind. For manual skylights, inspect the loop or crank handle to ensure it's secure. Don't add lubrication to your skylight's moving parts; the internal workings of manual and electric operators are considered maintenance-free, and are pre-lubed, so they should require no additional lubrication.

* Consider upgrading your existing skylights to Energy Star-qualified no leak solar powered fresh air skylights - it could be much less expensive than you might imagine. New solar powered fresh air models, as well as solar powered blinds and installations costs for both products, are eligible for a 30 percent federal tax credit.
Skylights that open to the heavens, and that close automatically in case of rain, can help you enjoy not only natural light but also fresh air by providing passive ventilation.

If you happen to be replacing your roof, there is no better time to upgrade skylights since most roofers will charge up to double to come back and replace units versus doing the job while replacing the roof. By upgrading, you can also gain the benefits of a No-Leak warranty plus greater energy efficiency with advanced glass coatings. Finally, if you happen to be replacing a plastic bubble skylight with an Energy Star-qualified glass model, you can save up to $194 per year on your cooling costs according to a Velux study.

* Add blinds. A must-have aesthetic accessory available in over 100 colors and patterns, blinds also provide extra insulation and allow you to control the amount of sunlight that enters through your skylights. They are also particularly effective at retaining heat during cool weather. Studies show that adding a blind to make a complete skylight system can increase energy efficiency by 37 percent. According to Velux, that gain in efficiency jumps to as much as 45 percent with a blackout blind used on a fixed skylight. In addition to saving on month-to-month utility costs, there is the 30 percent federal tax credit available on solar blinds mentioned earlier. Get the details at www.veluxusa.com/consumer/products/blinds.

Winterizing your windows and skylights can help ensure they provide you with the maximum amount of healthful, natural light, and warmth, during the dark, cold months of winter.

Media Contact:
Keith Hobbs - Business Services Associates, Inc. - 9413 Greenfield Drive -
Raleigh, NC 27615-2306 - Phone - 919.844.0064 - E-mail - khobbs@nc.rr.com

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Sources: Bomb suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev took responsibility for Marathon ... - Boston.com

By Maria Cramer, Globe Staff

Just before he was captured last month, Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev scrawled a note inside the boat where he was hiding that seemed to take responsibility for his role in the tragedy, according to two law enforcement officials with knowledge of the note.

After police forced him out of a Watertown resident’s boat, they found the message in which he praised Allah and said he would be joining his dead brother, Tamerlan, soon, according to one of the officials.

“They found a note that took responsibility,” the official said, but did not provide more details.

Still, the official said, the note could help the prosecution prove the suspect’s alleged role in the bombing.

Both officials asked for anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case publicly.

CBS News first reported the note, citing anonymous sources who said Tsarnaev called the Boston victims “collateral damage” in the same way Muslims have been in the American-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. “When you attack one Muslim, you attack all Muslims,” Tsarnaev wrote.

The Tsarnaev brothers allegedly planted the bombs that killed three people and injured more than 260 others at the Boston Marathon finish line on the afternoon of April 15. The brothers also allegedly killed MIT Police Officer Sean Collier.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, is facing federal charges that could bring him the death penalty. Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, was killed after a shootout with police in Watertown several days after the bombings. Authorities say he was also run over by his younger brother who was making a desperate bid to escape police.

Dzokhar was captured later the same day near the shootout scene, hiding in a boat parked in the backyard of a home.

The bombings shook the nation and raised questions about why the brothers turned to terrorism and whether law enforcement and security officials could have prevented the attacks.

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