Mobile messaging service WhatsApp is going from strength to strength and now has more active monthly users than Twitter, according to the company’s CEO Jan Koum.

Speaking in a mobile conference in New York last week Koum revealed that the mobile app now has more than 200 million users claiming that it carries an average of 20 billion messages per day – more than double the number of messages carried by Facebook.


The company will not go down the same route as Facebook and Twitter by introducing advertising, however. Currently the app charges a 99 cents annual subscription fee on Android, but Koum admits that the company is against advertising.

“We’re bombarded with ads so much in our daily lives and we feel that smartphones aren’t the place for that,” said Koum. “Putting advertising on a device like that is a bad idea. You don’t want to be interrupted by ads when you’re chatting with your loved ones.

“Our monetization strategy is simple; one dollar a year. If we did something besides that, it would just get in the way.”

Koum added that the company has yet to see any reduction in user numbers since they introduced the charge meaning that WhatsApp is in a better condition than other apps with continued user growth, user activity and inbound revenue.

Despite all this positive news the firm has denied the rumours that it is in talks to sell up to Google or any other large tech company. Watch this space to see where this success story goes.

For more information on the world of mobile apps head down to next year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, 24-27 February. For all your accommodation needs in the city look to EAS, your friendly local travel agent. We have rooms in all the best Barcelona hotels and most centrally located apartments. We’ll organise your transportation, nightly entertainment and make sure your stay is as stress free as it is unforgettable. Click on this link to fill in our request form.

Despite the recent economic downturn, the overseas luxury property market is growing, according to two companies in the high-end sector.

According to the analysis carried out by Luxuryestate.com, one of the biggest online sources of the high-end properties that list 50,000 homes in 50 countries, the interest in luxury properties has increased by an average of 2% during the last year.

From the individuals of countries like Italy and Greece, where the economic situation is extremely instable, peaks of 10% more sales enquires for high-end residences have been recorded.

Engel & Volkers, the 35-year-veteran high-end real estate agent, in its latest-press release has said that they have experienced their best-ever quarter year profit.

The Luxury Estate has identified the trends in demand of luxury properties through analysis of buyer activity on over 25,000 listings, spread across more than 30 countries, with UK leading the chart of countries with the largest demand from individuals.

Greece, Russia and Italy, which all have a massive number of high-net-worth individuals as residents, have emerged as countries with largest increases in demand after witnessing increase of 8%, 6%, and 5% respectively.

The data about most high-end residences for sale is quite interesting as in the economically stable countries; the number of luxury villas, castles and mansions has remained constant on the market or even dwindled.

In contrast, the less economically stable countries like France and Spain, have witnessed a whopping increase in luxury properties on the market during the last 12 months.

For more information on the global property market, head to MIPIM 2014 at the Palais des Festivals, Cannes. Contact EAS for the best in high quality accommodation, marketing and event management.  EAS is also a licensed travel agency and member of ACAV and ASTA. For further information, click here.

Millions of Nokia fans have their pulses racing since company’s announcement that it is going to launch “something new” on Wednesday. Though the company hasn’t reveled anything further about the announcement, a teaser image has prompted many to believe that the product set to be launched is a new Smartphone with a physical, QWERTY keyboard.



Ian Delany, the Nokia’s chief editor of Conversations blog, on Sunday took twitter to proclaim that the company will be unveiling something new on Wednesday, April 24 in morning UK time. The tweet further stated that the product announcement will be followed by Q&A session with company’s Technology Marketing Director Neil Broadley and a “special guest”, whose name has been kept in anonymity.

The teaser included in the entry displaying two curved corners of a yellow-colored device with a polycarbonate shell resembling the designs of Nokia’s Lumia range of Windows Phone Smartphone. Two keys of the assumed Smartphone are visible, one is a Z key indicating that it is a QWERTY keypad and the other is the arrow key.

A flood of rumors have hit the internet since the announcement with majority suggesting that the device would be the highly-anticipated Lumia-inspired Asha phone 501. Asha 501 is a multitouch S40 phone with 3.5 inch display. It has 1 GHz processor, five mega pixel rear and VGA front facing camera.  Some other sources have suggested that the yellow device in the teaser could be Lumia 928.

Nokia, which sold over 9.3 million Asha handsets across the globe in the last quarter of 2012, is facing strong competition from Samsung that recently released its low-cost REX series in a bid to overpower the Finland-based company.  At this stage, raising the bar for its Asha devices has become indispensible for Nokia.

The launch of the Asha handset with enhanced features at a competitive price will not only enable the company to counter Samsung and revitalize its place in the feature phone segment in Asia, but will also help it to shore itself up before Mobile World Congress 2014.

Planning to head to Fira de Barcelona Gran Via for next year’s Mobile World Congress? Make your trip memorable with EAS. Contact us today for the best in high quality accommodation, marketing and event management.  EAS, also a licensed travel agency and member of ACAV and ASTA. in the heart of city. For further information, click here.

Paris has become the most popular place in Europe for property investment according to a list released by leading estate agent CBRE. The French capital overtook London during the second half of 2011 thanks to deals worth €7.9 billion as opposed to €7.8 billion in the UK capital.  A busy second half of the year saw Paris snapping up 14.2% of international deals as investors rushed to complete transactions before the end of the year and ahead of the closing of some property tax breaks.

In addition to being the most popular place for property investment, Paris is now the most expensive capital in which to rent accommodation after rental prices increased by 4.7% during the year.

The 20 arrondissements of Paris escaped the bombing of the Second World War, which means that new-build developments are rare and property supply is limited forcing up rental prices. The City of London, which has far more new-build properties, has seen rents fall to a 25-year low, although the West End market is still buoyant. New York also saw a healthy rise in rental costs as prices increased by 6.5% during the first half of 2011 and 6.2% during the second half.

However it was not all good news as rental growth slowed in many new world cities such as Hong Kong, Shanghai and Moscow during the second half of 2011.

Foreign investors in 2011 were made up mostly of US and Canadian buyers who provided 28% of cross-border transactions, with the US accounting for €9 billion worth of deals. Germany was the next most active buyer taking a 12% market share, while UK buyers came in third place making 9% of property transactions.

If you’re interested in all the latest property developments in Paris, head to MIPIM in Cannes in 2014. For the best hotel rooms, rented apartments and even private yachts look to EAS for all your accommodation needs. We can also help you with restaurant bookings, nightly entertainment and all your transportation requirements. Click on this link to fill in our request form.

The Cannes Film Festival on Thursday announced its 2013 Official Selections, with Steven Soderbergh’s Liberace biopic and Drive partnership Ryan Gosling and Nicolas Winding Refn’s second film Only God Forgives emerging as the frontrunners for the coveted Palme d’Or.

Other films in the running for the top-price include Inside Llewyn Davis, directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, and Roman Polanski’s Venus In Fur.

The 66th annual Cannes Film Festival is scheduled to be run from May 15-26, with Oscar winning US director Steven Spielberg, whose latest film Lincoln has been nominated for a dozen awards at the Academy Awards ceremony recently, heading the panel of jury. Actress Tautou will host the event.

Soderbergh, who hit the jackpot in 1989 for his film Sex, Lies and Videotape, has made a stunning comeback in the competition with his hotly-anticipated movie Behind the Candelabra. The movie is starred by Michael Douglas, who will be seen as swashbuckling entertainer Liberace and veiling his homosexuality publically. His gay role in the movie, set to be aired on HBO later this month, is played by Matt Damon.

Directed by James Gray and starred by Oscar-winner Marion Cotillard. Joaquin Phoenix and Jeremy Renner,The Immigrant is also expected to take the center-stage. The story of film rotates around a young girl, who snared into the life of vaudeville and burlesque.

American auteur director Alexandra Payne will present his comedy movie Nebraska, about a son and father, rambling from the Montana to Nebraska to get some money.

Another movie nominated for Palme d’Or was The violent thriller but it was vanquished by Terence Malick’sThe Tree of Life. However, the movie helped director Refn to fall in best director category.

Iranian director Asghar Farhadi – who claimed Best Foreign-Language Oscar in last year for his Persian FilmA Separation, is also in the competition with his new film, The Past while contentious Japanese director Takashi Miike’s is also in contention with his crime-thriller Straw Shield.

The only British film featuring in the event is Stephen Frears’ Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight.

Last year Michael Haneke’s Amour had won Palme d’Or while Grand Prix had went to Matteo Garrone.

Films in the competition:

• Tian Zhu Ding directed by Zhangke Jia
• The Great Beauty (La Grande Bellezza) directed by Paolo Sorrentino
  
• Like Father Like Son (Soshite Chichi Ni Naru) directed by Kore-Eda Hirokazu
  
• Only God Forgives directed by Nicolas Winding Refn
  
• Borgman directed by Alex Van Warmerdam
  
• Behind the Candelabra directed by Steven Soderbergh
  
• Jimmy P (Un Indien des Plaines) directed by Arnaud Desplechin
  
• Inside Llewyn Davis directed by Joel and Ethan Coen
  
• Venus in Fur (La Venua a la Fourrure) directed by Roman Polanski
  
• Un Chateau en Italie directed by Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi
  
• Just 17 (Jeune & Jolie) directed by Francois Ozon
  
• Straw Shield (Wara No Tate) directed by Takashi Miike
  
• Michael Kohlhaas directed by Arnaud des Pallières
  
• The Past (Le Passé) directed by Asghar Farhadi
  
• Heli directed by Amat Escalante
  
• The Immigrant directed by James Gray
  
• Grisgris directed by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
  
• Nebraska directed by Alexander Payne
  
• La Vie D’Adele directed by Abdellatif Kechiche
  

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The first quarter of 2013 has seen increased demand for Dubai’s office and retail space, leading experts at Cluttons to say that the improved situation will encourage stalled developments in the Gulf city to restart.

This new confidence is being led by Dubai Mall’s huge pull as a global shopping destination. However, despite the good news, Dubai’s office market continues to be very fragmented with some submarkets struggling to attract tenants.

Rents have increased over the past six months in Jumeirah Lake Towers (JLT), Tecom C, Al Barsha and Business Bay, all areas that had been hit particularly hard by the 2008 property collapse. Rents in these areas fell by as much as 50 percent in 2009.

Cluttons reported that rents were now up by 10 to 15 percent in better quality and completed projects.

Retail also saw increased activity during the first quarter of 2013, according to Cluttons, thanks to increased visitor numbers, high wealth levels in the city and increased consumer confidence. In February, Emaar Properties revealed that visitor numbers to the Emirate had risen by 20 percent in 2012 leading to a retail sales increase of 24 percent.

Annual footfall in Dubai’s malls remained strong, especially in Deira City Centre, Mall of the Emirates and Mirdiff Mall, which all target mid to high level income residents and tourists. Their continued success, says Cluttons, is revealed by low to zero vacancy rates.

The property consultancy also noted strong recent interest in community retail units located in high-density residential districts such as the Marina, JLT and Al Barsha.

For more information on the global property market and construction industry head down to MIPIM 2014, at the Palais des Festivals, Cannes. Here at EAS we can promise you the best hotel rooms, the most sought-after rented apartments and even the odd luxury yacht or two. With our expert knowledge we’ll make sure your stay will be one you don’t forget. Click on this link to fill in our request form.

French actress Audrey Tautou, who starred in the hit film Amélie, will host this year’s Cannes Film Festival presenting both the opening and closing ceremonies.

The event takes places between 15th -26th May and the actress will follow on from Bérénice  Béjo who hosted the festival last year.

Audrey is known for her famous role in the film Amélie, in addition to major parts in The Da Vinci Code andCoco Before Chanel.

Proceedings will open at 7.15pm on 15th May and close at 7pm on 26th May.

Thierry Fremaux, the festival’s director, is keeping the list of festival contenders under wraps until 18th April. However, we do know that Baz Luhrmann’s film The Great Gatsby will feature as the opening movie bringing big names like Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire and Carey Mulligan to the event’s red carpet.

Meanwhile New Zealand filmmaker Jane Campion will be presented with the Carrosse d’Or from the Society of Film Directors at the festival. The director won the coveted Palme d’Or – or best film prize – for her movie The Piano back in 1993, and remains the only woman to have won the award.

Last year’s winner of the award was Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan – whose film Once Upon a Time in Anatolia was selected as Turkey’s official entry for the best foreign language film at the Oscars.

To experience the very best of this year’s international film releases make your way down to the Cannes Film Festival, 15-26 May. For the best in rented apartments, 5-star hotels, and even luxury yachts contact EAS, the local travel agent you can trust. We’ll make your stay as relaxing as possible, organising not only your accommodation needs, but transport and nightly entertainment too. Click on this link for more information.

Qatar-based news network Al Jazeera, which has struggled to gain a foothold in the US cable market has bought Current TV, the left-leaning political channel owned by former US vice-president Al Gore.

Al Jazeera’s international English language channel can currently only be viewed in a few large US metropolitan areas such as New York and Washington DC, where 4.7 million homes have access to the network. The new move will give Al Jazeera greater reach boosting its penetration to around 40 million households, 40 percent of the total number with cable or satellite services.

Current TV will close to make way for a new network, Al Jazeera America, which will add five new US bureaus beyond the five it already has, as well as add a host of new journalists to its workforce. The new channel will provide national and international news for its US audience.

However, it won’t be all plane sailing for Al Jazeera, which has faced hurdles with US distributers and viewers in the past. Distributor Time Warner Cable, which would have accounted for 12 million homes, has already revealed that it will be terminating its carriage deal with Current following Al Jazeera’s purchase.

Back in 2010 the network’s managing director, Tony Burman, blamed overly aggressive hostility from the Bush administration for reluctance among cable and satellite companies to show the network.

Gore deflected criticism from many quarters about selling Current TV to an Arab buyer, saying: “Current Media was built based on a few key goals: To give voice to those who are not typically heard; to speak truth to power; to provide independent and diverse points of view; and to tell the stories that no one else is telling. Al Jazeera, like Current, believes that facts and truth lead to a better understanding of the world around us.”

Founded in 2005, Current TV is expected to post $114 million in revenue in 2013, according to research firm SNL Kagan.

For more information on large network purchases such as this don’t miss out on the chance to participate in next year’s MIPCOM, held at the Palais des Festivals, Cannes, October 7-10. If you’re looking for accommodation, then book through EAS now. With our expert knowledge of Cannes we’ll find you the best hotels, rented apartments and even luxury yachts right in the heart of the city. We can also organise nightly entertainment, take care of your transportation needs and reserve you tables at the best restaurants. Click on this link to fill in our request form.

In a bid to curb record property price rises Hong Kong’s government has announced it will supply land for the construction of 3,000 new apartments in the coming quarter.

Asia’s financial powerhouse has seen house prices explode in 2012, with record rises of 20 percent over the last 12 months. Earlier this week the government revealed plans to tender six plots of residential land for the creation of 3,000 apartments.

Hong Kong has done much over the past couple of years to curb its red-hot property market, which has outpriced many local residents. Measures have included increasing stamp duty for short-term transactions, taxing international buyers and increasing land supply.

Paul Chan, Hong Kong’s secretary for development stressed the government’s desire to increase the supply of housing saying that it had already sold 18 sites for 5,100 apartments in the first three quarters of the current fiscal year.

The latest move by the Hong Kong government follows stern advice from the International Monetary Fund that Hong Kong could be in the midst of a property bubble and needs to do more to calm the situation. The fund noted that half of the outstanding loans in the city are currently from the property sector, but added that the probability of a price correction large enough to generate major macroeconomic and financial consequences is “fairly low” in the short term.

Two of the six plots, which are to be supplied in the final quarter, are to be reserved for the apartments of local residents. “Given that land resources is a scarce commodity in Hong Kong, the priority is to always give the top priority to Hong Kong citizens,” Chan said.

For more information on the world’s real estate markets make sure you don’t miss out on the chance to mix with the movers and shakers of the global property and construction industries at MIPIM 2014 in Cannes. If you’re after the best hotel rooms, rented apartments and even luxury, private yachts in the heart of the city, look to EAS for all your accommodation needs. We can also help you with restaurant bookings, nightly entertainment and will organise all your transportation requirements. Click on this link to fill in our request form.

It seems that some people really have had enough of traditional TV, the 100-plus array of channels and the $100 bill at the end of each month.

More and more families in the US are choosing not to gather around together to watch TV and many have even stopped paying for cable and satellite TV services altogether. The Nielsen Co, which calculates television ratings, has dubbed such households “Zero TV” households and today there are 5 million such residences in the US, up from 2 million in 2007.

The problem with such households is that broadcast TV won’t get any money from them until they learn to adapt to this changing environment. This is why many broadcasters are now working on getting live content broadcasts to tablets and even smartphones.

“Getting broadcast programming on all the gizmos and gadgets – like tablets, the backseats of cars and laptops – is hugely important,” says Dennis Wharton, a spokesman for the National Association of Broadcasters.

Even those people who have decided to part ways with their cable or satellite providers still use their TVs to play video games or watch movies on home video. Roughly 67 percent of those who fit this classification still watch video content. Online video subscriptions from the likes of Netflix and Amazon allow this group to keep up to date with a range of different television series.

For the first time Nielsen, the TV ratings company is looking into the viewing habits of Zero TVers with a view to incorporating the results into the formula used to calculate ad rates. Instead of specific ratings, the company will track what people are watching and what platforms they are using. The first batch of data is expected to surface later this year.

According to the American firm, this group of viewers tend to be younger, single and without children, but Nielsen is keen to monitor them to see if their viewing habits change with age.

But why have these homes unplugged from traditional TV? Nielsen says 36 percent have done so because of cost and 31 percent due to lack of interest.

Whatever the reason it is trend that broadcast TV will have to overcome or adapt to if it is to gain revenue from this increasingly large group of consumers. To see how the broadcast industry is coping with this new demographic head down to MIPTV 2013 at the Palais des Festivals, April 8-11. Here at EAS we’ll provide you with all your accommodation needs including rooms in the best and most centrally located hotels, private apartments, and even the odd luxury yacht or two. In addition we’ll organise all your transportation needs, book nightly entertainment and reserve tables at the city’s best restaurants. Clink on this link for more information.