Kindle
The cover Amazon's electronic book device, the iPad of reading-only, immediately made its mark when it debuted in 2007 and still sets the pace in the market it more or less created. It features a high-contrast grey-and-white "e-ink" screen (meaning it relies on reflected light just like paper books, unlike computers or tablets with backlit screens). The new Pearl design, with a six-inch screen is 21 per cent smaller than the original Kindle.
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The library Kindle users have access to a wide selection of books (950,000) that are downloadable over its 3G network. However, the item cannot be shipped directly from amazon.com to the UAE, making the device more suited to travellers or expats who maintain foreign addresses.
The spine The Kindle, which has a text-to-speech feature and can play MP3 audio files, comes in two screen sizes (six-inch and 9.7-inch) and varying price points, the cheapest being ad-supported.
Dh418-Dh1,400
Kobo eReader Touch Edition
The cover This utilitarian, if not feature-rich, e-reader offers a six-inch e-ink screen and weighs less than 200 grams. It comes in several colours, from black to lavender, and also has an SD card slot if you want more space to hold more than 2GB of digital books. And, like most e-readers, international access to content and retailers can be hit or miss, but somewhat oddly, models can be found at amazon.com.
The library The Touch comes with a built-in bookstore with titles available for download via WiFi. Like its higher-end competitors, it also comes with a basic Web browser and a built-in dictionary, but it lacks text-to-speech or other audio features.
The spine The Touch is an affordable Kindle substitute for thrifty bookworms, although the interface can be a bit slow and sluggish at times.
Dh390
Barnes & Noble Nook Color
The cover For readers who prefer more variety in their visual spectrum, the Nook Color offers a full-colour, seven-inch backlit LCD touchscreen, which makes it seem as much a tablet computer as an e-book reader. It also comes with a microSD expansion slot for all your literary, digital pack rat needs.
The library The Nook's built-in WiFi can access the Barnes & Noble Nookbook store and also comes with a surprisingly useful Web browser that even has Flash support. However, all this packed-in functionality makes the Nook rather heavy for an e-reader - it weighs in at about 400 grams.
The spine Readers who like to multitask will find the Nook Color a great device for reading, and a very useful device for Web browsing if they get bored. However, it's not as well app-supported as Android or iPad devices, so it's best to think of the Nook Color as an e-reader with benefits.
Dh1,065
Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
Best Foreign Language Film nominees
Capernaum (Lebanon)
Cold War (Poland)
Never Look Away (Germany)
Roma (Mexico)
Shoplifters (Japan)
Manchester City 4
Otamendi (52) Sterling (59) Stones (67) Brahim Diaz (81)
Real Madrid 1
Oscar (90)
Day 3 stumps
New Zealand 153 & 249
Pakistan 227 & 37-0 (target 176)
Pakistan require another 139 runs with 10 wickets remaining
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cargoz%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Premlal%20Pullisserry%20and%20Lijo%20Antony%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2030%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Sustainable Development Goals
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development