4 insights to help marketers connect with the event’s 1.2 million visitors: FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022

The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is just around the corner, with the opening match kicking off on November 20. Around 1.2 million excited football fans are ready to descend on Qatar to watch the tournament.

To help marketers get a better understanding of who these in-person visitors are and what they’re looking for, Euromonitor and Google conducted a study featuring 1,500 leisure travellers from 13 countries, including the U.K., the U.S., Brazil, China, and more.
FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022: 4 insights to help marketers connect with the event’s 1.2 million visitors - Inline 01 v2

About half of the 1,500 respondents plan to attend this year’s event in-person, with Middle Easterners topping that list at 81%, and Asia Pacific and Latin American participants coming in second and third.2

Below are four stand-out findings from the study to help marketers better connect with the Qatar World Cup’s unique in-person visitors:
1. Visiting travellers want to shop on the sidelines

This year’s FIFA World Cup takes place over November and December for the first time, coinciding with a number of end-of-year shopping moments. Think Black Friday, Cyber Monday, American Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

Our research shows that 83% of respondents would be interested in taking advantage of shopping sales during the Black Friday season. In fact, 86% are researching before shopping, and 59% are turning to search engines to do so.

As for where they’ll be shopping, 55% of respondents said they plan to shop online, or online and in-store. And of course the burning question: what are they interested in buying? Seventy seven per cent are keen on fashion products, 64% on beauty and health, and 54% on small consumer electronics.4

With global consumers researching future purchases well before they arrive,5 marketers have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to connect with a large audience as they search online.
2. They’re budget-flexible, with different buying styles

Our study suggests that the average global leisure traveller’s budget is $3,500 USD. To get more specific, leisure travellers from the Asia-Pacific region tend to spend around $4,300 USD, North Americans $3,900 USD, and Middle Easterners $3,400 USD. But our results also suggest that most markets are willing to shell out a little extra.6

This is great news for brands who may have missed out on connecting with consumers during the planning phase. They’ll still have an opportunity to capture shoppers’ attention in-country by offering add-on purchases and last-minute deals.

Once their budgets are set, travellers scope out their bigger holiday picture. Thirty seven per cent of European and 31% of Latin American travellers prefer to stay seven or more nights in a foreign country, while 49% of Asia Pacific travellers and 37% of North Americans choose a shorter stay of around three to four nights.7

Ticket purchases are next on the list. Fifty five per cent of leisure travellers say they always buy flight, transport, and entry tickets separately from other trip arrangements. Meanwhile 36% are less sure, saying they sometimes buy separate tickets, and sometimes purchase packages.8

What this suggests is that consumers want to be able to choose how to buy as they go. Marketers can meet this need by offering shoppers flexible purchase options.
3. They’re open to exploration, from cultures to countries

While researching a destination, 66% of respondents are interested in tourist attractions.9 We see this carrying through in searches, with a 1.3X increase in search interest for “places to visit in Qatar”. When they finally arrive, 65% usually visit one to two tourist attractions per day.

But tourists are also looking to peel back the layers and get to know a country on a deeper level, with search interest for “Qatar history” on the rise by 45%.

The World Cup is taking place during a Middle Eastern winter for the first time, making climate one of the biggest considerations for respondents. Fifty seven per cent of leisure travellers want to understand the region's weather, with a 60% increase in search interest for “Qatar weather” backing this up.10

While Qatar is the star of the show, it isn’t the only hot topic. Nearby countries also feature heavily on travellers’ bucket lists.

Our study shows that 38% of respondents are willing to explore neighbouring countries, with geographic proximity and affordability being key deciding factors.11 A 50% rise in search interest for “distance from UAE to Qatar” confirms nearby travel is a possible consideration for people visiting for the World Cup.
4. As the tournament unfolds, FOMO kicks in

When stadium selfies start streaming in and football teams advance to the final, those who didn’t originally plan to travel to the tournament experience a fear of missing out (FOMO).

We saw search interest for “World Cup tickets” grow by 40% as the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and finals unfolded at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. “Last minute flights” search interest grew by 35% as the tournament ramped up, with “last minute hotel” increasing by 90% as the event’s end neared. Interestingly, that figure peaked on July 15, the date of the final match.

Excited last-minute consumers offer marketers an unexpected extra layer in which to showcase offerings. But to ensure success with these FOMO fans, it’s important that communication is simple, accessible, action-driven, and visible on a variety of platforms.
How to connect with the Qatar World Cup’s unique in-person visitors:

1. Find your perfect audience

As World Cup excitement hits overdrive, it’s time to find your ideal audience. YouTube’s Football and Sports audiences can help you tap into users specifically related to the moment. Custom Audiences, meanwhile, chooses users that best fit the needs of your campaign to capture people outside of your usual audience. Think visitors searching for hotels, restaurants, or even SIM cards in Qatar.

2. Activate automation to communicate better

Harness the power of machine learning and Search to drive scale and efficiency. Broad Match paired with conversion-based bidding can help you reach relevant and emerging queries during the World Cup season. This not only helps you meet your performance objectives, but also saves you time to focus on planning.

3. Personalise ads to appeal to one-of-a-kind audiences

Discovery and video action campaigns are simple and cost-effective, driving more conversions in your automated campaigns. They add a layer of personalisation to creatives, ensuring they appeal to every traveller.

4. Get your message out on as many platforms as possible

Performance Max uses automation to help you meet interested World Cup customers across all Google channels from a single campaign. It delivers conversions and value by optimising in real-time, based on your specified goals.

source: www.thinkwithgoogle.com

This is the XFL, again: Controversial football league set to return in 2020

Nearly two decades after it flamed out, the XFL will be returning to a playing field near you

As if 2017 was not crazy enough, 2018 has fired its opening salvo as the return of the XFL, a controversial football league originally founded by Vince McMahon in 1999, was officially announced on Thursday.

CBS Sports first reported the nature of the announcement earlier in the day and that the league is not planning to start up again until 2020. McMahon, who rushed the original XFL into existence without so much as a full slate of offseason practices to prepare for the league's inaugural year, said he learned his lesson from one of the XFL's biggest initial mistakes.

"The new XFL is an exciting opportunity to reimagine America's favorite sport," said McMahon in a statement. "As we move towards kickoff, we look forward to listening and implementing innovative ideas from players, coaches, medical experts, technology executives, the media and most importantly football fans."

There had been unsubstantiated talk about the XFL making a return late in 2017, but Brad Shepard first reported in mid-December that McMahon, WWE's chairman, was planning to make such an announcement on Jan. 25.

WWE clarified at that time of the initial reports that it was not going back into the football business but McMahon will rather be doing so on his own. McMahon, who will continue in his role as chairman and CEO of WWE, has created Alpha Entertainment separate from WWE and recently sold 3.34 million shares of WWE stock (about $100 million worth) in order to help fund the company. Alpha Entertainment also acquired five XFL trademarks that WWE abandoned between 2002 and 2005.

McMahon confirmed Thursday that he would solely fund the venture with the aforementioned $100 million. Furthermore, the new XFL will not have any attachment to WWE financially or otherwise, unlike the previous incarnation of the league which featured WWE superstars promoting the product and even WWE announcers calling the action.

The company released this mission statement following the announcement.

    This is the future. This is not the past. This is the future. And the future moves fast. This is quicker, simpler. Rules, reformed. This is your game safer. This is football reborn. This is gaming and fantasy, this is padded roulette. Make a trade, make a team, make a move, make a bet. This is fans above all. This is maximum action. Less stall more ball. Fewer infractions. This begins in 2020. The future is near. More access. More everyone. More everything here. This is our moment, our story to tell. This is history begun. This is the XFL.

Though details were scarce, McMahon confirmed the XFL would be a single-entity structure consisting of eight league-owned teams in cities that have not yet been determined. He does not plan to play a front-and-center role with the league as a figurehead or otherwise. Current plans account for a 10-game regular season beginning in late January or early February followed by a postseason consisting of two semifinal games and a championship game. Active rosters will consist of approximately 40 players with winning incentivized.

Furthermore, he wants games to be sped up and played perhaps in as quick as two hours. "Sitting and watching a three, three-and-a-half hour game is laborious sometimes," McMahon said, a statement that surely made WWE fans that have to sit through a three-hour Monday Night Raw each week smile.

McMahon also made it clear he does not want any political affiliation or social controversy to surround the league, which he said will have rules put in place that everyone must abide by. He wants fan input and integration to be a major part of developing the league over the next two years, from rules and team locations to everything in between. 

The original incarnation of the XFL was a joint venture between WWE (then-WWF) and NBC with McMahon and former NBC executive Dick Ebersol spearheading the project. ESPN produced a fantastic "30 for 30" documentary on the successes and failures of the XFL that is a must-watch for any sports fan, but the long and short of it is that the league attempted to do too much -- too extreme -- too fast. NBC got uncomfortable, and once it pulled its support, McMahon's baby was dead in the water. (Ironically enough, the end of the doc features McMahon and Ebersol musing about whether the XFL would work today and lessons learned from the venture.)

I've long maintained that the XFL has actually received too much grief from those looking back on its failures years later. It had some ratings successes, the football improved drastically as the season went on (it was rushed into existence and teams did not get an opportunity to truly practice ahead of the season), and some of the game's innovations (sky cam) still used to this day were adopted by the NFL and other networks. The XFL failed in large part due to a confluence of misfortunes including technical difficulties, miscast announcers, changing the rules during the season, and McMahon's decision to go to the extreme by bringing adult themes into the game -- such as overtly sexualizing the cheerleaders.

The XFL of old would have been tough for any network to stomach in 2018 and beyond, which is why McMahon and Alpha Entertainment will take the new league in a family-friendly direction. Aside from the concept surrounding the cheerleaders, the old XFL placed a heavy emphasis on old-school, no-holds-barred football. Considering CTE concerns and increasing attention to other health risks players face, that's an obvious issue to centering a league around such an extreme brand of football. Back in the day, the XFL even trashed the opening coin toss for the "opening scramble," which featured players running and diving for a football at midfield. One player famously separated his shoulder on the first scramble of the season and missed the rest of the year.

McMahon promises toned-down version of the XFL more akin to the NFL and college football but with enough unique elements that will set it apart from the pack.

It will be instrumental for McMahon to find a broadcast partner from the get go, and it will be interesting to see if he went straight for a popular streaming service considering the success he's had with the WWE Network.

Source : cbssports.com

Zika Virus Spreads In U.S.: Here Are The Symptoms You Should Look For

The number of Zika virus infections in Florida is on the rise, with the possibility of the virus spreading to other areas in the U.S. But as scary as that is, there ARE ways to protect yourself — starting with recognizing if you’ve been infected. Check out our list of the warning signs you need to look out for!

At least 10 additional Zika cases were identified in the Miami area as of Aug. 1, which marked the virus’ first known outbreak through the spread of mosquitos in the continental U.S. And while federal investigators have been trying their best to trace the transmission and contain the virus, it IS a scary thing for a lot of people.

As of right now, people — especially pregnant women — have even been advised to avoid traveling to the Miami area! But while Zika does pose a real threat, knowing the symptoms to look out for is one of the best ways to avoid spreading the virus to others. And knowing these symptoms is super important — especially because they imitate a flu or cold.
Those who are infected with Zika may not have any obvious symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But those who DO have symptoms typically experience mild fevers, rash, joint or muscle pain, itchy red eyes, or headaches — much like the flu. The CDC warns that symptoms can last for several days to a week, however, those who have been infected are usually not sick enough to go to the hospital.

If your symptoms continue after a few days, it’s recommended that you seek a doctor or health care provider to rule out Zika, which is done through blood tests and examination. If tests come back positive, the CDC recommends getting plenty of rest, preventing dehydration by drinking fluids, taking a fever reducer like acetaminophen, and abstaining from sex and travel.

Zika is most dangerous for pregnant women as the virus can cause severe birth defects in infants. And although death is very rare, the virus CAN cause death in certain circumstances when people do not realize they’ve become infected. After all, the virus does remains in an infected person’s blood for approximately one week, and because most people won’t even know they have it, they may continue to travel, and engage in sexual intercourse — ultimately worsening the spread of the virus. To protect yourself from the virus in the first place, use insect repellents and avoid infested areas.

Source : hollywoodlife.com

Xbox One S review

here’s no way to talk about the Xbox One S without talking about the console it’s replacing, the Xbox One. So I will just start by saying the really obvious thing: the Xbox One S is what the original Xbox One should have been.

That assessment is both totally fair and wildly unfair. It’s unfair because it’s been three years since Microsoft first announced the original Xbox One — and so the relentless progress of technology means that it can be made smaller, faster, and better. We usually see these mid-cycle game console refreshes do that, and the Xbox One S does it really well.

But it’s also fair: the original Xbox One came out with big, crazy dreams to take over your living room. It wanted to be more than a games console, it wanted to be the thing that handled everything connected to your television: Cable TV, streaming video, sports, and games. From its announcement, it felt as if games truly were last on Microsoft’s list — the Xbox One hasn’t fared so well because of it. It didn’t help that the original hardware looked like a VCR from 1987 and kicked out heat like a diesel truck from the same era. Or that it came with Kinect.

While Microsoft still wants the Xbox to be the first thing you turn on in your living room, it’s simplified and reprioritized that list. It’s working on getting more and better games. It’s cleaned up the software interface with a new update that applies to all Xbox Ones. And it’s released this new, smaller Xbox One S to essentially replace the big, old one — without Kinect.

The Xbox One S is available this month for $299, $349, or $399 — depending on your storage preference. It adds support for HDR, 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, and 4K streaming video. It’s actually svelte and good-looking. Which leads me to say the other obvious thing: the Xbox One S is a stupendous console and stupendously little. The only question is whether it’s too little, too late.
Microsoft says the Xbox One S is 40 percent smaller than the original, and it shows. Instead of a hulking monster of a machine squatting under your TV, you have this slim, white box. I really like the clean, squarish look of the thing, a matte white block on a black base. Microsoft calls the color "Robot White," because no consumer electronics device is allowed to have an unbranded Pantone.

But the 40 percent size difference doesn’t capture how much more comfortably this One S fits in a living room, because it integrates the power supply right into the console itself. The old Xbox needed a power adapter that so closely approximated the size and heft of a literal brick that I half-thought that was the design inspiration. No more: a simple cable is all it takes to power this new box.
The old Xbox required a copious amount of space to ensure it could stay well-ventilated. The One S also seems to kick off a noticeable amount of heat (don’t set anything on top of it, that’s where the fan exhaust goes), but since the case is so much smaller I feel better about enclosing it in the cabinet underneath my TV.

The One S can also be stood up vertically on a simple stand that clicks in a satisfying, sturdy way. The stand comes gratis in the 2TB model, but costs $20 extra for the 1TB or 500GB models.

It plays all the same games and does all the same things as the original Xbox One and — importantly — vice versa. Microsoft isn’t breaking any compatibility, which is an important calculus for current owners. If you have an Xbox One now, you won’t need to upgrade to get access to new games coming out in the next year. So for current owners, the decision to upgrade comes down to other factors: the look, and support for better video quality.

Yes, the Xbox One S will support High Dynamic Range and 4K video. Note that we’re talking about 4K video here, not games. Support for 4K games (and virtual reality) will come with next year’s Xbox, currently known by the codename "Project Scorpio." Chalk another point up to the "don’t upgrade if you have an Xbox One" column, because something much better is coming along in 2017.

There will be games for the Xbox One S that will support HDR, though I wasn’t able to test any. Why not? Well — for whatever reason, none of them are available for the launch of the console. That’s kind of a miss. The other reason is that Microsoft opted for the HDR 10 standard, and my TV (a Vizio P-Series) doesn’t support it quite yet. More and more TVs will support it soon, but if you’re going out and making a purchase, double check that your TV will work with this version of HDR and not just Dolby Vision (hooray for format wars :/ ).

Even though I wasn’t able to get HDR going on my set, I did enjoy watching 4K video both on Blu-ray and in Netflix. The difference from 1080p is noticeable, but as you’ve no doubt heard by now it’s not the eye-opening revelation that HD was when it first came out. Still, perhaps the best thing the Xbox One S has going for it is that it’s an affordable 4K video box, something that’s actually rarer than you might expect right now.

The Xbox One S is one of the cheapest Blu-ray players to support 4K UHD discs, making the console a sort of generation hop — not quite a full leap. Quite a few PlayStation 2s were sold thanks to its support for DVDs back in the day, and no doubt Microsoft is hoping that the same could happen with the Xbox One S in the 4K UHD Blu-ray era — but somehow I don’t think people are as eager to upgrade to 4K Blu-rays as they were to DVDs back in the day. Especially when 4K streaming boxes can be purchased for much less.

I should make it very clear that in a few days of testing, the One S didn’t feel significantly faster than my old Xbox. The hard drive isn’t an SSD, so load times can vary from acceptable to interminable. If, like me, you die a lot in games like Mirror’s Edge, don’t think that the One S is going to magically make things load faster. Technically, as our friends at Polygon note, the One S is more powerful than the older Xbox One. That won’t mean massive improvements, but Gears of War may have an easier time maintaining frame rate during intense parts of the game.

One of the reasons the Xbox One S is able to hit the prices it’s selling at is that Microsoft isn’t including the Kinect sensor. Most people, myself included, won’t miss it. The number of games that actually use Kinect is tiny. If you do love Kinect, you can buy an adapter (or order one for free, if you’re a current Xbox One owner) that will allow it to work with the One S. Fair warning: it’s a hilarious set of an adapter box and a power box, which means having four more cables snaking around behind your entertainment setup.

If there’s any downside to losing the Kinect, it’s that you won’t be able to holler commands at your Xbox. That’s no great loss to me, and it’s mitigated by the fact that the new controller comes with a standard 3.5mm jack at the bottom, so you can still ask Cortana to do things for you if you have a headset plugged in there.

Yes, you say "Hey Cortana" instead of "Xbox" now; it is part of the "summer update" going out to all Xbox Ones. To my mind, the update puts the focus on the things that a games console like the Xbox is good at: easily finding games and streaming video. I’m not going to delve too deeply into the software here other than to say that it’s an improvement overall and I’ll be curious to see how much effort Microsoft continues to put into getting Windows 10 apps running on the Xbox.

I briefly mentioned the controller above but we should get into it: it’s really good. Besides the headset jack (which we’ve seen on previous controllers), the other notable feature is that it supports Bluetooth. That gives the controller better range, Microsoft says. I didn’t notice a huge difference, but then again I’m not often using a games controller from the other room. Bluetooth is more important because it lets you pair this controller directly to a PC without needing an adapter — and so the Xbox Anywhere games that let you play directly on your PC will be easier to play.

The controller is the same "Robot White" as the Xbox One S and there’s a slightly tweaked finish to the plastic to help make it a little grippier. Otherwise it’s the classic Xbox One shape and size you’re already used to — one I still prefer to the PlayStation controller (but not so strongly that I want to start a fight about it in the comments, please).
The Xbox One S scraps nearly everything I hated about the original Xbox. It’s good-looking, reasonably sized, and also reasonably priced. You can still use it as the center of your home entertainment universe if you really want to — there is an IR blaster right on the console if that’s your jam. But it doesn’t feel like Microsoft is trying to force that issue anymore; the Xbox One’s audacious plan to control your cable box is now essentially a buried option for AV junkies who want to try to figure it out.

Instead, the One S is simply a very, very good console that works like a modern streaming and gaming box should: you can stream video from a multitude of apps and play high-quality games. But despite that, I don’t know who should buy it. Every time I try to come to a final conclusion about the One S, I end up in a logic loop:

One: If you already have an Xbox One, I doubt there’s enough here to justify the upgrade. You can probably just hang on to your current big, black box until at least next year because...

Two: Microsoft is releasing another Xbox next year that will be way more powerful. Project Scorpio will support 4K gaming and virtual reality. Whether you have an Xbox One or not, you probably can stand to wait until that comes out.

Three: Let’s say you don’t have an Xbox One (the sales numbers imply you probably don’t). The thing to think about is the reason you'd buy any console: games. How much do you love Halo, Gears of War, and Forza? If your answer is "a lot," well, it's obvious you should get this Xbox One S instead of the original, no matter how marked down the old one is. But if you love those games, you probably already have an Xbox, so… go back to step one.

There’s only one thing that breaks this logic loop: this is a console for people who just can’t wait. Maybe you just can’t wait for 4K Blu-ray. Or maybe your new HDR-ready TV won’t feel worthwhile until it’s playing HDR games. Or maybe you just can’t wait to get rid of that ugly black box under your TV.

If you can wait, do. If you can’t, well, I think you’ll be happy with the Xbox One S.

Source ; theverge.com

Meet the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 -- a phone you can unlock with your eyes

The new Note 7 smartphone

Samsung wants to keep it simple. The company is cleaning up its line of flagship smartphones so users now have three choices: a Galaxy, a Galaxy Edge or a Galaxy Note.

That's why the new Note 7, which was announced on stage at event on Tuesday, looks a lot like Samsung's previous plus-sized smartphones, the Note 5 and S6 Edge+. Coming in with a 5.7-inch Quad HD resolution display, the Note 7 is Samsung's answer to best the 5.5-inch iPhone 6S Plus.

Samsung says it skipped over the Note 6 in favor of the Note 7 name to "unify [its] product portfolio" and "minimize confusion."

With a curved, waterproof metal and glass body, the Note 7 borrows some designs and features from the popular 5.5-inch Samsung Galaxy 7 Edge, including the always-on display and "edge" panel of apps.

Related: Samsung shows off Galaxy S7, S7 Edge

But under the hood, the Note 7 includes several unique features such as an iris scanner, which allows users to unlock the phone with their eyes. It also comes with a waterproof stylus, a built-in program to make GIFs and a series of features which make the device super secure. It comes in four flavors, too: black, gold, silver and blue coral.

CNN Money got an early look at the Note 7 ahead of the announcement. Can another plus-sized smartphone stand out in an extremely saturated market? Let's take a closer look at what you can expect:

Iris scanner

The iris scanner is probably the most buzzed-about feature to land on the Note 7, but Samsung isn't the first to use it as a biometric security. Fujitsu, Alcatel and Chinese manufacturer ZTE already make phones with similar technology.

So how does it work? Samsung has added a new infrared camera that scans your eyes using infrared light emitted from the LED on the front of the phone.
 You'll want to hold it about a foot away from your face, and the phone will show how to line it up your eyes. (Don't worry, you won't be surprised with a flash of light.) The data collected from the scan is saved and encrypted on the phone, and you can opt to unlock your phone or a specific app that way moving forward.

Samsung says glasses and contact lenses (particularly colored ones) can get in the way at times, but we weren't wearing either when the scanner experienced issues during our brief testing.

"Secure Folder"

Like BlackBerry (BBRY, Tech30) and other device manufacturers this year, Samsung is placing an emphasis on security. In addition to the iris scanner, the company also created a separate folder on the Note 7 for sensitive files.

The new "Secure Folder" is protected by Samsung's hardware-level KNOX security, and can be unlocked with an additional layer of protection by using a passcode, fingerprint or iris scan.

"Symmetrical" design

Compared to its predecessor (the Note 5), the Note 7 is an unquestionable upgrade in design. The front edges of the phone are curved like the Galaxy S7 Edge, but so are the back edges.

While this may seem like a minor adjustment, it does make the Note 7 slightly more comfortable to hold. But that difference is hard to notice because the Note 7 is also slightly bigger and heavier than the S7 Edge.

Related: Samsung's Gear IconX are cordless earbuds you might actually want to buy

Compared to the Galaxy S6 Edge+ and Galaxy S7 Edge
The Note 7's 5.7-inch screen sits inside a body that's slightly smaller but thicker and heavier than the Galaxy S6 Edge+.

It's noticeably larger and heavier than the Galaxy S7 Edge, which has a 5.5-inch screen, but not by much.

The Note 7 comes with a standard base of 64 GB of expandable storage -- unlike the Galaxy S6 Edge+, which only came with 32 GB or 64 GB of fixed storage. The Galaxy S7 Edge currently only comes with 32 GB of expandable storage. Meanwhile, the latest smartphone features a 3500 mAh battery, compared to 3600 on the S7 Edge and 3000 mAh on the S6 Edge+ and Note 5.

GIF-maker

Samsung has a knack for taking popular digital habits and baking them into its phones. Last year, it made it easier for people to launch live-streams from their Note 5 via a feature directly through the camera and this year, the focus is on GIFs.

With a Note 7, users will be able to take clips from YouTube or their own videos to create shareable GIFs without downloading any extra software. This will require users to use the "Smart Select" feature through the S Pen stylus.

Waterproof writing

 Just like the Galaxy S7 Edge, the Note 7 is waterproof for about a half an hour in up to 5 feet of water. And yes, because the Note 7 features Samsung's S Pen, the stylus is just as waterproof.

The combination means that if you ever need to, you could write notes underwater and pin it to your lock screen.

Pricing and availability

Pre-orders for the Note 7 begin Wednesday. Carriers expected to start selling on August 19.

T-Mobile customers can buy the device for $850, while AT&T has it priced at $880, spread over its payment plans.

Source : money.cnn.com

The Declaration Of Independence, 240 Years Later

pendence, is shown placing the document before John Hancock, president of the Congress, in this painting by John Trumbull.

Twenty-eight years ago, Morning Edition launched what has become an Independence Day tradition: hosts, reporters, newscasters and commentators reading the Declaration of Independence.

It was on this date 240 years ago that church bells rang out over Philadelphia, as the Continental Congress adopted Thomas Jefferson's draft of the Declaration of Independence.

Below is the original text of the Declaration, alongside photos of the NPR staff members and contributors who performed the reading.

Source : npr.org