Samsung Reports Lowest Quarterly Profit in 3 Years on Smartphone Woes

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd saw its July-September quarterly profit fall to the lowest level in more than three years, as a decline in earnings from its smartphone business set the South Korean giant on track for its worst year since 2011.

The global smartphone leader has lost market share in annual terms for the past two quarters, lagging behind Apple Inc in the premium market and overtaken by rivals likeLenovo Group Ltd and Xiaomi Inc at the bottom end.

Samsung on Thursday said its third-quarter operating profit fell by an annual 60.1 percent to 4.1 trillion won ($3.90 billion), matching its guidance issued earlier this month and marking the weakest result since the second quarter of 2011.

Looking ahead to the fourth quarter, Samsung said it "cautiously expects an earnings increase, driven by strong seasonal demand for TVs and continued growth momentum for the memory business".

However it said the mobile division's outlook remained uncertain.

Analysts expect Samsung to record its weakest annual operating profit in three years despite the launch of new gadgets like the Galaxy Note 4 phablet.

(Also see: Samsung Vows Changes After Mobile Profit Plunges)

A mean forecast from a Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S survey of 41 analysts tips 2014 profit at 26.4 trillion won, down from last year's record 36.8 trillion won.

Profit for the mobile division fell to 1.75 trillion won in the third quarter from 6.70 trillion won a year ago, its worst performance since the second quarter of 2011.

Samsung spent most of the quarter without launching a new flagship device and continued to struggle in the mid-to-low tier markets.

While the Galaxy Note 4 launch in September and the expected release of new products in the low end of the market during the October-December quarter are seen lifting smartphone sales slightly, analysts say the days of record mobile profits for Samsung are over.

The firm will likely have to sacrifice margins to ensure it does not lose more market share. Cheaper phones are also expected to drive global smartphone market growth in coming years, meaning a general trend of lower average selling prices.

Samsung's chips division offered support, recording a 2.26 trillion operating profit for the July-September quarter to mark the highest earnings since the third quarter of 2010.

The flat-screen panels business ran a 60 billion won profit during the July-September period, compared with a 980 billion won profit a year earlier.

Comparison: Renault Duster AWD vs 2015 Mahindra Scorpio

SUVs have generated a lot of interest amongst buyers in India recently. The segment has been growing at a rapid pace and this has triggered the interest of the car manufacturers. No wonder we see a whole bunch of cars in this segment - the Renault Duster, Nissan Terrano, Tata Safari Storme and the Mahindra XUV and Scorpio.

Car makers though want to take the experience of driving an SUV to a whole different level and that's when the 4x4 variants come into to the picture and so we look at the two latest cars which have made things exciting. We do a specification comparo between the new Renault Duster AWD and the new Mahindra Scorpio.

Let's be frank here, Renault owes its success in India to the Duster. It is an ideal urban SUV - compact, good ride quality and can be driven with ease. The Renault Duster is on offer with both petrol and diesel engines. But let's talk about the AWD in specific here.

To begin with, it gets a unique set of alterations that sets it apart from the regular car. It gets what Renault calls 'Anthracite' alloy wheels, darkened head-lamp clusters and matte black B-pillars on the RxZ trim. Of course, the company was careful enough to give it some AWD badges at the rear, so there's no scope of confusion. The dimensions of the car too remain the same and the ground clearance of 210mm helps it sit up high enough, so scraping the belly is out of the question (unless you really want to).

Now, to talk about what the car is all about - the AWD system. There's the new electronically controlled 4x4 system, which Renault calls the i-Drive Technology. I am guessing your first thought was 'BMW?', but no, there is no relation. That said, the Duster AWD also receives independent suspension at all four corners.

When I first drove the standard Duster, I felt the clutch was slightly heavy, but the one in the AWD feels different. It is comparatively lighter and hence comfortable to drive. Renault has shortened the gear ratios on the 4x4; especially the first gear, which gives it a significant advantage. You realise how important this is, when you take the car off-road since it is now easier to crawl down steep slopes. Then there is the ESP and Anti-Skid Resistance that help you get out of slippery conditions.

The AWD selector knob: 2WD, Auto and Lock. While '2WD' keeps it permanently front-wheel driven, 'Auto' sends a part of the power to the rear wheels when the system detects that the front wheels are losing traction. 'Lock', on the other hand, keeps the hardware in 4x4 mode up to around 60Km/h, after which, it shifts back to 'Auto' mode.

So, yes, it does a fair bit of off-roading and the 1.5-litre diesel with 109bhp helps it wade through tough terrains but then again, it is up against a formidable off-roader, which for years is at the helm of affairs. Yes, I am talking about the Mahindra Scorpio.

There are already 2 lakh cars on the road and Mahindra has come up with a newer, beefier version. In terms of looks, the Scorpio maintains the meanness that it had. Most people have loved the new look of the Scorpio, however, opinions may differ. The new Scorpio is marginally smaller in size than the Safari Storme but considerably larger in proportions than the Duster, Terrano and the EcoSport. The new Scorpio comes in two diesel engine options - the 2.5-litre four-cylinder m2DiCr which is part of the base variant while the more powerful, tried and tested 2.2-litre mHawk engine powers the rest of the range which churns out 120bhp.

The Scorpio is an off-road machine and making it that is the independent suspension up front and the multi-link coil spring setup at the rear. Don't forget, that Mahindra had developed an all-new chassis for this next-gen model which is lighter and stiffer and then there are the anti-roll bars both front and back.

While the rest of the stats below clearly show that the Scorpio is a bigger car, in the scheme of things it is also a formidable off-roader. The choice is hence a clear one. If you already owned a Scorpio, you would love this one, because there is nothing understated about its looks. It seats 7 while the Duster seats just 5. The Scorpio also comes packed with technology and Mahindra uses that too as its USP. The Duster is new to this game while the Scorpio has a 12-year long fan following and experience.

These figures however, may or may not translate into the way both the cars perform in real world conditions. That review will be up as soon as we get our hands on both the cars but till then the figures are here to compare.

iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus May Be Available on Zero Downpayment

Reliance Communications seems to be gearing up to introduce Zero Plan offers for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in India.

The telecom operator's listing for Zero Plan offers for the new iPhones have been spotted ahead of any official announcement, detailing zero downpayment plans.

According to the official listings on the Reliance's eShop (first spotted by Telecom Talk and now removed), the iPhone 6 will be available at Rs. 3,099 per month for 24 months, while the iPhone 6 Plus will come at Rs. 3,599 per month for 24 months. There are no details about which storage variant available under Rcom's Zero Plan, but the per month pricing translates to a total of Rs. 74,376 over two years for the iPhone 6, and Rs. 86,376 over two years for the iPhone 6 Plus.

To put that in perspective, Apple earlier this month launched the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus smartphones - launching the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 at Rs. 53,500 for the 16GB variant, Rs. 62,500 for the 64GB variant, and Rs. 71,500 for the 128GB variant; and the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus at Rs. 62,500 for the 16GB variant, Rs. 71,500 for the 64GB variant, and Rs. 80,500 for the 128GB variant.

(Also see: iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus: Everything You Need to Know)

While the Reliance Communications listings were still live, the 'Buy Now' buttons at the Rcom's eShop listing for both the new iPhones were not activated; hinting that the telecom operator might be still busy finalising the terms. Further, one of the options below Zero Plan of the iPhone 6 listing still refers iPhone 5s.

Some of the benefits listed by Reliance Communications for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus Zero Plans include zero downpayment on the iPhone; zero bills for next 24 months; zero limits on data, voice, SMS, and roaming, and zero hidden charges.

(Also see: iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus Pre-Orders Reportedly Top 20 Million in China)

Under Reliance's Zero Plan, a consumer can buy the iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus under a 24 months contract, and it won't require consumers to make any downpayment. However, we have to still wait for the official announcement.

It's worth noting that Reliance Communications had last year as well introduced a similar offer where consumers could buy the 16GB iPhone 5s at a monthly fee of Rs. 2,999 and 16GB iPhone 5c at a fee of Rs. 2,599 at zero upfront cost.

The iPhone 6 has a new 4.7-inch 750x1334-pixel screen, while the iPhone 6 Plus's screen measures 5.5 inches and has a resolution of 1080x1920 pixels. The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are 6.9 and 7.1mm thick respectively. Both phones have been upgraded with high-speed Wi-Fi 802.11ac support and support the TD 2300 LTE band used in India. iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus have an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 1.2-megapixel front camera, with improved sensors when compared with the iPhone 5s. The phones feature the new Apple A8 processor and a motion co-processor labelled M8. Apple promises that both devices will provide better battery life than the iPhone 5s.

Stoke v Southampton preview

Stoke welcome high-flying Southampton to the Britannia Stadium for Wednesday's Capital One Cup fourth-round game.
It’ll be the second time in four days the two sides have faced each other, with the Saints winning 1-0 over the Potters at St Mary’s on Saturday.
Stoke have had an inconsistent start to the season, with three wins, two draws and four defeats leaving them in 12th place in the Premier League - but a win over Ronald Koeman’s side will help ease any concerns among the Britannia faithful.
Mark Hughes’ team have beaten Portsmouth and Sunderland to reach this stage, and will be aiming to progress further in the tournament – which they last won in 1972.
Southampton have had a blistering start to the season and are currently second in the Premier League table after winning six of their opening nine league games.
Having never won the Capital One Cup, the Saints will be looking to defy the odds even further by reaching their first quarter-final in the tournament since 2003.
Team news
Stoke assistant manager Mark Bowen has revealed that defender Robert Huth could be out for a few weeks after picking up a calf injury in training.
Midfielder Glenn Whelan (leg) and striker Peter Odemwingie (ACL) are long-term absentees for the home side.
Southampton will be once again be without youngsters Sam Gallagher (knee) and James Ward-Prowse (ankle) for their trip to Staffordshire, while forward Jay Rodriguez is also still out with an ACL injury.
Fringe players Maya Yoshida, Florin Gardos and Victor Wanyama could be in line for a starting berth, with the trio struggling to break into the starting XI in the league due to the Saints' supreme form of late.

 AFCON jeopardy for Nigeria?

AFCON 2015 (Supplied)

Cape Town - Nigeria face another suspension from FIFA that would not be lifted until May, putting the country out of the running for a place at 2015 African Nations Cup finals.
The Jos High Court ruled last Thursday that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) elections on Sept. 30 that elected Amaju Pinnick president be declared null and void, throwing the country's football back into crisis.
After Nigeria were twice suspended this year for government interference in the NFF, FIFA confirmed in a letter to the NFF in the lead-up to their latest elections that more meddling would bring about an automatic suspension to run at least until FIFA's elective congress in May 2015.
Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Issa Hayatou had a meeting with Nigerian officials in Windhoek, Namibia on Saturday ahead of the final of the African Women's Championships that saw the Super Falcons defeat Cameroon.
Nigerian media reported Hayatou told sports minister Tammy Danagogo that unless the latest court order is reversed, FIFA will act on Monday. As yet, there have been no signs of that.
Justice Ambrose Allagoa ruled last week that the elective congress of the NFF on Sept. 30 should not be recognised as the Jos High Court had put in place 11 days earlier an order that the elections could not be held.
This injunction was brought by two members of the previous NFF executive led by Chris Giwa, which was stripped of its authority after elections that took it to power were deemed invalid by FIFA.
The court order was ignored by the NFF, which went ahead with their September 30 congress and the Pinnick-led executive was put in place.
Justice Allagoa has ruled, however, that the original injunction remains in place and therefore the Sept. 30 congress should not be recognised. 

F1 ready to power up in Austin again

F1 ready to power up in Austin again

F1 seeks to rekindle the feel-good factor after losing both Caterham and Marussia; Just eighteen cars on the grid this weekend in Austin

Daniel Ricciardo has hailed this weekend’s United States GP as the most exciting of the year, as the sport prepares to put its off-track angst behind it following a turbulent month that has seen not one but two teams fall by the wayside.
With Marussia joining Caterham in administration, and the sport still waiting anxiously for news of Jules Bianchi following the Frenchman's horror crash at Suzuka four weeks ago, F1's overdue return to sporting matters will be greeted with considerable relief.
Perhaps it's just as well then that the F1 fraternity won't be short of welcome distractions at a venue which has, in the space of three years since it first joined the calendar, already firmly established itself as one of the most popular events of the year. As Ferrari remarked on their website of a venue which only debuted in 2012, ‘The Circuit of the Americas became an instant hit’.
But it’s not just the teams, acutely aware of the potential gains to be garnered from the vast but relatively-untapped American market, who have readily appreciated F1’s return stateside.
"Austin is one of the best weekends of the year,” enthused Lewis Hamilton, the World Championship leader, in Mercedes pre-race preview. Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo, the only driver to beat Mercedes to victory this season, was even more effusive.
  Ted Kravitz claims that the biggest worry for Lewis Hamilton in Austin is not his teammate Nico Rosberg but the reliability of his car.
"Hand on heart, this is probably the date on the calendar I look forward to the most. I've loved every minute of being in Austin: when they picked this place for the US Grand Prix, they absolutely nailed it. The city is awesome. I love listening to live music and this is a great place for that, plus Texas feels like real America, and that's something I've really enjoyed just sinking into the last two seasons.
"And then, there's the important bit. The Circuit of the Americas, in my opinion, is the best of the new breed of circuits.”
While none of the drivers, passionate fans of COTA’s sweeping curves, are likely to quibble with Ricciardo’s assessment, there is another ‘important bit’ to the venue which will remain uppermost in the thoughts of the sport’s money-men this weekend. After suffering an interminable five-year absence as punishment for the PR disaster of Indianapolis 2005, Austin represents a critical foothold in a market that recent events suggest the sport needs to break more than ever.
“The U.S. is the biggest consumer market in the world and the largest global market for Mercedes-Benz; thanks to the race in Austin, we can see that the US is playing a bigger role in our sport, too, with greater interest and investment at many levels,” noted Mercedes boss Toto Wolff. “F1 has a passionate fan-base in the USA, which we can see growing all the time: the crowds at the first two races in Austin were absolutely mega, which is very encouraging for the future.”
The 18-car grid will the smallest entered since the 2005 Monaco GP and is expected to trigger a tweak to the qualifying format, with two sets of four cars dropping out in the first two segments.


At the front, it’s set to be business as usual with the Mercedes pair of Hamilton and Nico Rosberg fighting for victory in the next installment of their season-long battle for the drivers’ title.
“Crossing the line on Sunday in Sochi was a really amazing moment. To win the very first Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix and help the team achieve the first Constructors' Championship for Mercedes-Benz with a one-two finish - it couldn't have got much better,” said Hamilton. “When I went to the factories in Brackley and Brixworth the week afterwards, the atmosphere was just awesome. Everybody has worked so hard to achieve this title and they all deserve to savour the moment.
“Of course, we still have three races left to decide the Drivers' Championship - starting in Austin, which is one of the best weekends of the year. A lot of the American side of my family come to the race, plus I won the first ever Formula One Grand Prix at the circuit back in 2012, so it's a special one for me. I really enjoy going there and I'm looking forward to another great race - hopefully ending up with another Stetson hat on the top step of the podium!”

Djokovic already 'number one'

Novak Djokovic (AFP)

Paris - Novak Djokovic already feels 'number one' after becoming a father last week and says his battle with Roger Federer for the year-end top global ranking is no more than a luxury problem.
The 27-year-old Serb comes to the Paris Masters, which began on Monday, as defending champion but his lead at the top of the ATP rankings has been slashed to less than 500 points as the charging Federer looks to snatch another impressive milestone in an already glorious career.
With 2,500 points on offer at the year-ending tournaments in the French capital, closely followed by the World Tour Finals in London, both players have it all to play for.
However, the mild-mannered Djokovic says becoming a father has been the best moments of his life and while tennis is still a priority, it is now, not the only thing that counts.
"Honestly, the way I feel right now, I feel like I'm already number one with becoming a father last week," Djokovic said on Monday, referring to his wife Jelena giving birth to a baby boy Stefan.
"For me, this is the most important moment in my life. At this stage, for the tennis, of course Roger is playing some great tennis, and he showed that before the US Open and then, of course, winning Shanghai and played a great match against me in the semi-finals and now winning Basel," he added ahead of his opening match against German threat Philipp Kohlschreiber on Tuesday.
"So he's coming close in the rankings, and I'm sure that he's going to be very motivated to fight for number one, it's pretty much open.
"Of course it is, for both of us, the goal of number one, to finish the year as number one of the world. Of course it's a big objective. He has the Davis Cup final, but I'm sure that he would like to be number one as well."
Federer, fresh from his sixth win in Basel on Sunday and 82nd career ATP victory, is the form player on the Tour but a host of pretenders entertain their own hopes of lifting the title in Paris with an intriguing subplot set to develop as to who will book the final tickets to London.
Six players are chasing the final places in the round-robin season-ending finale at the O2 Arena, which begins on November 9.
Djokovic, Federer, Stan Wawrinka and Maric Cilic, as US Open champion, are assured of their spots while world number three Rafael Nadal is out for the season with appendicitis.
If Federer is the man to beat, and Djokovic world number one, Andy Murray, currently fifth in the Race to London, is again knocking on the top three door after a thrilling season-ending run.
The two-time Grand Slam winner saved five match points for the second time in less than a month on Sunday to defeat Spaniard Tommy Robredo and win the Valencia Open, his third title of the year.
Murray now needs to reach the quarter-finals at Bercy to guarantee a seventh straight appearance in the English capital.
"The other guys behind me will need to play extremely well in Paris to knock me out, so I've done everything I could," Murray said.
"I just kept fighting as hard as I could and it's going to stand me in good stead for the end of this year," added Murray.
"I knew I had to win matches at the start of the tournament to get there and I've won some important ones. I've given myself a good opportunity and a good chance.
Japan's Kei Nishikori, Czech Republic number one Thomas Berdych and David Ferrer of Spain hold the remaining places for the eight-man line-up in London, but Canadian Milos Raonic and big-serving Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov can still gatecrash the party.
The odds are stacked against them with Raonic needing to win his first Masters title to guarantee qualification while Dimitrov must at least reach the semi-finals to have a chance.