Samsung increased its profits by 25% last quarter

Samsung have elapsed between 85 and 89 million smartphones in the third quarter. Despite the decline in margins in the mobile, it publishes new record results.

Samsung Electronics, the world leader in mobile phones, has generated new record profits in the third quarter despite a decline in performance in smartphones due to saturated market, partially offset by sales of memory cards. 

New record

The net profit for the period July to September emerged in up 25.6% to 8.24 trillion won (5.6 billion euros) against 6.56 trillion a year earlier, a slower growth rate of almost twice that 'the previous quarter. "Despite unfavorable exchange rates in emerging markets, increased competition on prices and economic uncertainty around the world, we were able to generate record profits", welcomed the Vice President Robert Group Yi, without commenting further slowing the growth of operational Samsung.

The turnover has increased by 13.2% to 59.000 trillion won (40.2 billion) and an operating profit of 10.160 billion, up 26% over one year when he was jumped 47.5% in the second quarter. These results are consistent with the predictions of group facing a saturated market of high-end smartphones.

Margins are shrinking in the mobile

The margins of his division are also growing more rapidly as a result of lower sales of its flagship device, the Galaxy S4 , while South Korea has spent a fortune on marketing to promote the latest range. "We expect an increase in demand in the next quarter due to favorable seasonal conditions (shopping season), but the persistence of macroeconomic instability and increased competition continue to weigh", warned, however, Robert Yi.

The Samsung share, which represents half of the market capitalization in Seoul, was unchanged at 1.449 million won.

The global leader in portable electronic chips and flat screens does not publish its reports sales but analysts said it sold between 85 and 89 million smartphones during the period under review. Samsung manages to maintain its number one spot in this sector because, unlike his great rival, the American Apple, its range of smartphones also includes medium-end devices at more affordable prices. The downside, these phones lessen the overall performance of the group and the mobile division whose operating margin is displayed down to 18.3% against 18.8% a year, yet up from the second quarter when it was established at 17.7%.

Demand for memory cards

For Oh Young-Bo, an analyst at Securities Hanmag, results are generally "positive" and herald a new record quarter for the period from October to December with an operating profit that could cross the 11,000 billion won.

In total, the group has limited costs through price increases and sales of memory chips and semiconductors . The turnover of the division increased by 12% to 9.74 trillion won and an operating profit multiplied by two, or more than 20% of total operating income.

Most of the revenues from this segment comes from memory cards which represent two-thirds. "The demand for memory cards will remain strong with the release of several smartphones low and high-end approach the holiday season" year-end, according to Samsung. Oh Young-Bo said that "the price of memory cards will also remain high and sales of graphics cards will increase when released the new Sony Playstation ".

The division of consumer electronics, the second group in terms of revenue, is struggling with margins at half (2.9% in the third quarter) and a market very active screen TV. Robert Yi said during a conference call that Samsung should receive 1.5 trillion won from the sale of the participation of its subsidiary Samsung Display (screens) in a joint venture with the U.S. company Corning Inc.

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Personal data and telecommunications: the new European legal framework planned for 2015

At the EU summit, member states have agreed on the reform agenda. The telecoms package and directive protecting the privacy of advantages are given to 2015.

At the EU summit, which brought together the heads of member states Thursday, October 24, in Brussels, the Council agreed on a timetable for the digital projects of the Union.

The Telecoms Package and the draft revision of the directive on personal data will curly was in 2015 . More broadly, 2015 was also the time horizon for achieving harmonization and coordination of educational efforts in digital and training for careers in computer science, computer security or investment in the cloud.

The completion of the copyright in the digital age is itself scheduled for spring 2014 .

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Twitter is valued at $ 11 billion Exchange

Twitter finally encrypted Thursday its draft IPO , which in the most optimistic scenario would allow him to raise $ 1.61 billion and would value totaling 11 billion . In an updated version of the project published on the website of the U.S. stock gendarme (SEC), Twitter announced that it intends to market 70 million shares for a price range between 17 and 20 dollars .

As usual in this kind of operation, the final price will be set on the eve of the operation itself, after a roadshow ("roadshow") to potential investors.

Between 9.3 and 11.1 billion valuation

Twitter still does not say what date he plans to take his first steps on the market, but the Wall Street Journal talks about the Nov. 7 on the basis of sources familiar with the matter.

Twitter expected if significant demand over-allotment option on 10.5 million additional shares, bringing the total number of ordinary shares outstanding after the operation about 555 million if one includes actions that are not placed on the market. On this basis, it is therefore estimated to total between 9.3 and 11.1 billion dollars, a relatively low level compared to the figures circulating in the media, and sometimes amounted to 15 or 20 billion.

For Michael Pachter, "the company intends to create a lot of demand, and they intentionally keep the volume low to ensure that the demand will exceed supply. This should happen at that price."

"This initial range leaves the possibility of raising the eventual IPO price, which would reinforce the idea that the market demand is high, and still leaves room for a nice progression on the first day of trading," Judge as Lou Kerner, founder of Internet investment fund Social Fund.

1.2 to 1.6 billion raised

The IPO of Twitter is one of the most anticipated of the year. The company plans to list its shares, which carry the symbol "TWTR" on another marketplace that Facebook , the New York Stock Exchange. He also chose a more modest entry into Exchange as his rival where Facebook had raised $ 16 billion last year, Twitter does not provide, on the basis of figures Thursday between 1.19 billion revenue if the lowest price is accepted, and 1.61 billion if it is fixed in the upper range and the over-allotment option is exercised.

Twitter says in its paper stock that will use the proceeds to fund its operating and investment activities, but said that the operation is primarily intended to "increase our capitalization and financial flexibility, create a public market for our securities and give us access to equity markets. "

Even if the two networks are often opposed, Twitter has not at all the same scale as Facebook. He claimed 231.7 million users in late September, against 1.15 billion for its rival. Twitter is also deficient , with a net loss of $ 134 million in the first nine months of 2013, despite a strong growth in revenue, more than doubled over the same period to 422 million.

His ability to become profitable is uncertain, although it has increased in recent months efforts to increase its advertising revenue, inter alia with the offers for the TV networks . Twitter has also announced earlier Thursday recruitment activities responsible for digital television group NBC News, Vivian Schiller, to handle its media partnerships.

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Pinterest valued $ 3.8 billion

The social network for sharing photos by interest raised $ 225 million in its last round, which values ​​the now $ 3.8 billion.

The platform Pinterest , which allows users to post their interests through photos "pinned" on the internet centers, has seen its value rise to $ 3.8 billion at the time of a new round according to the specialized site AllThingsD.

Pinterest, citing several people familiar with the matter, on this occasion raised $ 225 million . Many of the current shareholders of the site, whose investment fund Andreessen Horowitz, FirstMark Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners and Valiant Capital Management, participated in the new round of the table. But it was not for the Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten, which has invested in the past $ 100 million in Pinterest.

The development of the site is experiencing explosive growth, as it was still worth 2.5 billion in February, during his previous fundraising.

Pinterest announced in June the launch of a French version created in Paris, his first dive in the non-English speaking world.

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Samsung has passed 40 million Galaxy S4

The flagship smartphone brand has sold 40 million copies since its launch in April. It took two times faster than the S3.

The co-CEO of Samsung support mobile business, JK Shin said that Samsung had sold 40 million smartphones Galaxy S4 to time, reports the Korean press. The flagship phone of the brand was launched in April 2013.

After a flying start with 10 million units in the first month passed , the sales have slowed , which has raised concerns about the true success of the model.

However, the predecessor of the S4, the Galaxy S3, had reached 41 million copies in one year, ie two times longer around.

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Battlefield 5: developer promises more destruction

Already in "Battlefield 4" it crashes properly. Nevertheless wants developers Dice in "Battlefield 5" go one better

like the " Call of Duty "series" Battlefield "does not appear in an annual cycle. Nevertheless developer Dice has been a week before the release of " Battlefield 4 "ideas about what the sequel could do better than the current title. On the question of what can players of "Battlefield 5" expect, answered Dice boss Patrick Bach a U.S. newspaper succinctly: "More functions, more extras and more destruction." Each new part had to be the next big thing. On a possible story Bach did not comment. The play second fiddle anyway. During the meeting, Bach pointed out that the "Battlefield" series mainly live from their game mechanics. EA vice president Patrick Söderlund confirmed this view and acknowledges that the series was designed to playfully entertain and not to tell stories.

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Disney makes electricity with paper

Disney Research revisits the use of a single sheet of paper by giving a nice feature. Transforming it into electricity generator, it creates enough energy to power a LED light or an e-ink screen and it just friction.

The method does not require batteries or batteries to operate. Indeed, the generator itself is actually a thin Teflon sheet sandwiched between two conductive adhesives as an electrode. All, cleverly integrated into the paper. But the system also works on printed with conductive ink paper.When the user rubs on this specific part of the sheet, it creates electrical charges which will then produce an alternating current. Result: you can turn one or more LEDs, create animations on a screen e-ink or activate a built-in buzzer.
In its application, this paper generator could equip children's books or interactive posters in the future. Disney has collaborated with scientists from the Carnegie-Melon University to develop prototypes.

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