harman house Brings Quincy Jones Signature Line Headphones By AKG To The Middle East

‘harman house’, the leading retail chain in home, professional and car infotainment in the Middle East, has announced that the Quincy Jones signature line of headphones by AKG – a part of HARMAN, is now available across all of their Middle East outlets. The Quincy Jones Signature Line includes three models: the Q701 reference-class premium over-ears, the Q460 high-performance portable on-ear mini headphones and the Q350 in-ear headphones that will boast distinctive AKG-built quality and unrivalled audio engineering in an elegant, portable design.

The premium headphone collection represents a milestone partnership between AKG and Quincy Jones, one of the most accomplished musicians of the 20th century. This partnership isn’t literally something new, as Jones has used AKG headphones exclusively for years, and this reflects the music icon’s confidence in AKG products.

“Music is so much more than notes on a sheet of paper. When it’s created with passion, with soul, we get something that is greater than ourselves – and it can move us deeply. I have trusted only AKG to deliver the highest standard of sound. It’s the same standard I hold myself to when I make my music,” said Quincy Jones.

Quincy Jones is a noted music conductor, record producer, musical arranger, film composer, television producer and trumpeter, in a career that spans more than five decades. He is responsible for producing Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ album and the ‘We are the world’ recording in the mid-1980s.

“Quincy Jones and AKG have shared a long-running passion for quality sound and the infinite power music has to connect people and touch lives. We will continue to introduce products into the Middle East marketplace that shine a light on how important sound quality is when you are experiencing music in all aspects of your life,” concluded Amit Malani, President, Harman Middle East.
 

The Legend Of Shaolin From China Brings Body- And Mind-Bending Stunts To Mirdif City Centre As Part Of DSF 2011

As part of the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF), The Legend of Shaolin comes exclusively to Mirdif City Centre’s Central Galleria from February 2 to 8, 2011. Hailing from an ancient temple in China, the authentic Shaolin martial artists are renowned for their mastery of kung fu and death-defying feats. Watch them tell an age-old legend with performances displaying strength of the body and discipline of the mind which is set to have spectators on the edge of their seats.

This worldwide phenomenon directly from China comes to Mirdif City Centre and is part of the mall’s first-ever participation in the Dubai Shopping Festival 2011. The Legend of Shaolin runs from Feb 2 till 8 with daily shows in the Central Galleria at 6:30 pm, 8:00 pm & 9:00 pm.

Mall timing from 10am to midnight daily during DSF.
 

Galeries Lafayette Brings Paris To Dubai

Galeries Lafayette, the region’s most stylish department store, has just celebrated the success of its Parislicious Fashion Show, which was held at Dubai Mall’s Fashion Alley in front of a delighted audience made up of 200 VIPs, fashionistas and entertainment connoisseurs.

The 25-minute show, held on March 31st 2011, covered three fabulous themes, with brands ranging from Balmais, Reiss, Karen Millen, Versace, Manoush, Manish Arona, Celyn B., Avant Premiere, Lacoste, Smalto and Baldinini; which featured items from Galeries Lafayette’s delectable Spring/Summer 2011 collections. What’s more, visitors were also treated to a peek at Emirati designer Lamya Abdein’s highly-lauded line throughout the show.

To begin with, one of the shop windows on Fashion Alley was transformed into a Live Window, where passers-by and show guests could view Parislicious models having the final touches put to their hair and their makeup applied. This inventive, behind-the-scenes display created the kind of vibrant and energetic buzz that showed visitors that they were in for something truly special

Firing up the evening starting with boisterous Desert Biker show and the strutting sound of rock ‘n’ roll; models showcased a range of fierce and style featuring 10 rebellious looks for women and 4 for men. The crowd was instantly wowed with the flamboyant arrival of the first model, which was brought onstage atop a growling Harley-Davidson motorcycle, wearing stunning pieces of the latest in the world of fashion.

Models then sailed across the catwalk sporting vibrant spectrums of bright blue nail polishes, hats and heels with a beautiful ballerina that opened the Sea of Blue theme, dancing and moving to the flowing music, conjuring up images of the open, blue sea.

The Intense blues made a serious splash for spring/summer 2011 collection. The compilation drenched in oceanic hues, flowed throughout the collections bringing in subtle bold blues and touches of colours making the styles a gorgeous accent shade.

The finale introduced the Rainbow Nation show, showcasing pieces inspired by the bold, popping colours of 1960s artists such as Andy Warhol for the young, brave and lively.

With the Parislicious fashion show, Galeries Lafayette succeeded to be the region’s most stylish department store, bringing a little bit of Paris to the fashion avenues of Dubai, while supremely entertaining show goers in the process.

 

Du Brings More Value To SME Segment: 400% Guaranteed Return With Business Super Plan Offer

Committed to supporting the UAE’s Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) business community, du today enhanced the benefits of its existing Business Super Plan(s) .Business Super Plan(s) now provides customers with an astonishing 400 per cent guaranteed return, along with a number of other attractive benefits.

“We are dedicated to serving the needs of businesses across the UAE, and with the Business Super Plan offer, we are specifically catering to the requirements of SMEs by offering the ultimate value proposition and return on investment. Customers can enjoy an unbelievable 400 per cent guaranteed amongst an array of other benefits including extensive mobile coverage, the fastest network in the UAE, Pay by the Second billing, the most evolving unique propositions, unmatched tariffs, top-of-the-range business solutions, a vast retail network and world-class customer service,” commented Farid Faraidooni, Chief Commercial officer, du.

This offer is available to all customers subscribing to Business Super 200 and Business Super 400 plans. Existing Business Super 200 and Business Super 400 customers will automatically get the extra benefits during offer period.

The Business Super Plan streamlines SMEs’ mobile communications spending and offers excellent value to diverse SME categories. It provides unparalleled flexibility, transparency, price predictability with exceptional benefits such as the freedom to call anywhere in the world, anytime, for effectively less than AED 1 per minute as part of an included international minutes bundle; one rate on all incoming calls while roaming, a 50 per cent discount on calls within their business; and Pay by the Second billing on all outgoing calls from the UAE. Businesses can also choose from a range of the latest smartphones, bundled with unlimited internet, email and more, as well as free access to services such as Voicemail, Return Last Missed Call, Caller Line ID, Call Conferencing, Call Forward and Call Waiting.

Business customers can subscribe to the new plan by simply contacting their du account managers or visiting any du Shop.

Business Super Plan comparison benefits – existing and new

Plan- BSP- 200- Existing BSP 200 during offer- BSP 400 Existing BSP 400 during offer
Monthly Fee- AED 200- AED 200- AED 400- AED 400
National minutes- 250- 300- 500- 600
International minutes- 250- 300- 500- 600
National SMS- 125- 150- 250- 300
International SMS- 125- 150- 250- 300
Included national data (MB)- 250- 300- 500- 600
 

Tamweel Brings Back Baiti To Address Home Finance Needs Of UAE Nationals

Tamweel PJSC, the UAE Islamic home finance provider, announced today the launch of a new product to meet the home finance needs of UAE nationals. “Baiti” is specially designed to help UAE nationals to buy their homes.

Baiti, which means “my house” in Arabic, was first launched by Tamweel in 2006. The home finance provider is bringing the product back following its January Ijara promotion, and its resumption of new business origination on 1st November 2010. Tamweel understands the importance of bringing the Baiti product back to the market and has now developed an exclusive home finance product for addressing the housing needs of UAE nationals.

Tamweel will make home finance available to UAE nationals for up to 85 per cent of the current value of ready residential properties in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The maximum finance value is AED 5 million with a repayment tenure of up to 25 years.

“Baiti makes a welcome return to the UAE’s home finance market,” said Varun Sood, Acting Chief Executive Officer of Tamweel. “Today’s announcement is in line with Tamweel’s commitment to provide innovative solutions to meet the evolving needs of customers. We believe there is a need in the market to address this specific segment, therefore our product is catered to do just that. The demand for housing among the UAE Nationals is on the rise and Tamweel is committed to cater to this segment of the market which is ever growing.”

For further information regarding home finance solutions from Tamweel, customers may visit the company’s branches at Business Avenue building in Deira, Dubai, and at the Marina Mall in Abu Dhabi. Customers may also contact the company by calling its call center on 800-TAMWEEL (8269335) or via its website: www.tamweel.ae
 

Liberty Brings Worlds First Electric Buses To UAE

DesignLine Corporation, USA, the developer and manufacturer of some of the most advanced electric and hybrid vehicles in the world, has appointed Liberty Automobiles as the exclusive dealer for its electric and hybrid buses in UAE.

DesignLine is the world’s first and only manufacturer whose 100 % electric, zero-emission buses are in daily operation. These buses run up to 160 km on a single charge.

The appointment reflects DesignLine’s strategy to market its new-generation electric and hybrid buses in the Middle East, as the region is increasingly looking for eco-friendly public transportation systems, in an effort to reduce carbon footprint and eliminate vehicular pollution.

Sheikh Khalid Bin Abdul Aziz Al Qasimi, Chairman of Liberty Investment Company, holding company of Liberty Automobiles, said: “We are delighted to represent DesignLine, a company that is spearheading a revolution in public transportation through electric and hybrid buses. We share DesignLine’s passion for introducing clean, pollution-free buses, as electric vehicles hold the key to green cities, and recent developments worldwide indicate that governments will increasingly switch to carbon-neutral vehicles sooner than later.”

Duncan Peat, Managing Director of Liberty Automobiles, commented: “We consider it a privilege to be appointed the exclusive dealer for DesignLine’s revolutionary electric and hybrid buses in the UAE. As a major automobile dealer with showrooms, state-of-the-art after-sales facilities and offices across the UAE, we are ideally placed to market the new-concept buses. In the medium term, we will also explore the potential to manufacture these buses in the UAE as demand from the region is expected to grow.”

DesignLine Corporation has supplied two 100% Electric Buses, known as the Eco-Smart I™, to Abu Dhabi’s Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC) and are currently in daily operation on Sir Bani Yas Island.

“The appointment of Liberty Automobiles as the exclusive dealer for UAE reflects DesignLine’s longterm strategy to enter the Gulf region through a company that has successfully represented top US automobile brands for nearly 35 years,” said Brad Glosson, CEO, DesignLine Corporation, USA.

“DesignLine electric vehicles are the world’s only zero-emission vehicles that are deployed for daily passenger service, proving that we don’t make just concept buses,” added Glosson. “Our batteries are easy to charge and fully recyclable at the end of their life, and the Drive-train is based on DesignLine’s proven and proprietary system.”

“DesignLine believes there are abundant opportunities for operational expansion in the Middle East, with potential buyers in the region showing keen interest in our electric and hybrid bus technology. Through the expertise of an award-winning dealership like Liberty Automobiles, we are confident of making new inroads into the promising Middle East markets," said Glosson.

DesignLine Corporation, a U.S. based company with operations in the US and New Zealand, has recently launched a regional subsidiary, DesignLine Middle East, based in Jordan. The DesignLine family of companies prides itself on having a world-wide reputation for quality and service. This reputation, coupled with their recognized technological superiority in bus structure, electric and hybrid offerings, and alternative propulsion systems, resulted in DesignLine buses being selected by premier cities around the globe, like New York, Los Angeles,Tokyo, Hong Kong, Auckland, Melbourne and Abu Dhabi.
 

MMI Travel Brings Innovative Adventure Travel To The Region

MMI Travel has been appointed General Sales Agent for the award-winning company, Gap Adventures, the largest adventure tour operator across the globe.

Exclusively available in the Middle East region through MMI Travel, Gap Adventures offers an exciting array of cultural and soft-adventure packages, ideal for the energetic traveller, from small group safaris to hiking through the wilds of Patagonia.

“With the appointment by Gap, MMI Travel has reaffirmed its position as the region’s leading sports travel and active holidays provider” said Abdulla Tawakul, Senior Vice President, Corporate and Regional Network, Dnata Travel Services.

Bruce Poon Tip, founder of Gap Adventures, will be a keynote speaker at the inaugural World Green Tourism Abu Dhabi conference taking place tomorrow at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC). Canadian Bruce, an award-winning sustainability pioneer, founded Gap Adventures at the age of 23 in 1990 with a desire to create a sustainable travel experience that strived to minimise its environmental impact, to respect local people and cultures, offer economic benefit to local businesses and communities, and provide a memorable experience for travellers while protecting destinations for future generations.

Today with over 850 employees, Gap Adventures now offers more than 1,000 small group experiences, safaris and expeditions on all seven continents, to more than 100,000 travellers a year.

“GAP Adventures is delighted to partner with MMI Travel and we look forward to a long and rewarding partnership. When we looked at who to partner with in the Middle East MMI Travel stood out due to its ability to connect with customers and spread the word about small group adventures in what is a new market for us", said Mr. Poon Tip.

“I launched Gap Adventures with the belief that other travellers would share my desire to experience authentic adventures in a responsible and sustainable manner and I hope that by learning about our journey and success at the Abu Dhabi congress, other industry leaders will also recognise why putting in place measures to make tourism more environmentally and culturally aware can also create growth opportunities,” he concluded.
 

DJ Jose Padilla Brings The Ibiza Sunset Experience To Karma Kafe

Spanish DJ Jose Padilla will play exclusively live at Karma Kafe on 8th October, 2010. His ambient, easy going and enchanting music is sure to offer visitors a relaxed evening.

Karma Kafe, the contemporary Asian bistro in Dubai, brings forth an exclusive performance by DJ Jose Padilla on 8th October, 2010. Known as an international ’chill-out? guru from Ibiza, DJ Jose Padilla will play his trademark Balearic ambient music which will allow the visitors to relax and enjoy the evening at Karma Kafe.

Born in Barcelona, Spanish DJ Jose Padilla is one of the most popular DJ’s in the circuit. He is best known for his work as a DJ at the Café del Mar in the island of Ibiza and is considered responsible for popularizing electronic chill-out music. After being recognized for his first album that featured ’Café del Mar’ compilations, DJ Jose Padilla is now all set to entertain guests at Karma Kafe with his outstanding music tracks.

A Karma Kafe spokesperson says," We are happy that in a year we have developed a solid reputation and a following for our delectable Asian cuisines, unrivaled décor and exuberant vibe. After the huge success of our new lounge launch party which was hosted by famous DJ Claude Challe, we once again bring another celebrity live performance by DJ Jose Padilla on 8th October, 2010. When it comes to music we love to offer variety to our guests and try to deliver maximum entertainment." The music selection of Café del Mar adds to the mood of a beautiful sunset and Jose Padilla is all prepped up to do just that; bringing the Ibiza sunset to Karma Kafe.

Karma Kafe Dubai is a dynamic destination offering their guests with an upscale, funky and exclusive environment to enjoy. Its hip and oriental settings have become one of Dubai?s newest high-end venues that attract slick socialites who love to lounge until the early hours of the mornings. It is not just another restaurant; it’s an elegant lifestyle that you will experience at Karma Kafe.

For reservation: +97144230909 Open: 4 pm till late - Sunday to Saturday. Website: http://www.karma-kafe.com

Location: Souk Al Bahar Old town Burj Khalifa, Old Down Town, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Mirdif City Centre Brings Smiles To Senior Citizens

Mirdif City Centre, in partnership with the Ministry of Social Affairs- Social Development Centre, recently celebrated "Elder’s Day" worldwide, by distributing flowers to their elderly visitors.

A group of local children volunteered to distribute the flowers to the mall’s senior guests, along with a message relating to the special occasion. The initiative aimed to recognise the value of Dubai’s older generation, and thank them for their contribution to our community.

Yousif Al Ali, Vice President of Mirdif City Centre, said: “Mirdif City Centre is committed to giving back to all groups of our community and we were very pleased to work with the Ministry of Social Affairs to recognise the elderly on this special day. We hope that this small token of our appreciation brought much joy and we look forward to welcoming all our senior visitors back to the mall again soon."

Fatima Butti AL Filasi, Manager of the Social Development Centre, commented: "We are thankful for the role that Mirdif City Centre has played in cooperating with the SDC activities. Through their support we have enhanced our community partnership, and together we aim to give back to all parts of society. The Mirdif City Centre management have rallied behind the Elder’s Day campaign, which in turn shows their understanding for community responsibility. "
 

Etisalat Brings The Future Of Telecom To GITEX 2010

Themed under ‘Your Future Starts Here’, Etisalat today unveiled its showcase of futuristic technologies that are tailored to suit its customers’ ever-changing lifestyles. For business customers, Etisalat will demonstrate new age technologies such as Cloud Computing and Machine to Machine (M2M) communications, and industry specific business solutions that will empower businesses of tomorrow. The theme is cohesively reflected in all the three areas of Etisalat’s participation: GulfComms exhibition at the Zabeel Hall (stand ZA1), Gitex Shopper and GulfComms conference.

Commenting on Etisalat’s GITEX participation, Nasser Bin Obood Al Falasi Acting CEO, Etisalat said, “Etisalat’s theme for Gitex 2010 – ‘Your Future Starts Here’ echoes our commitment to develop and to implement futuristic services that apply advanced technologies and focus on customer’s interest to provide them the underlined benefits of maximum convenience, reach and value. As the largest telecom service providers in the region, our participation in GITEX also reinforces our efforts to continuously innovate and customise our services in response to our customers’ ever-changing business environment and customer lifestyles and requirements.”

Focused on enhancing customer experience at all levels, Etisalat’s exhibition stand in Zabeel Hall, has a dedicated zone to showcase a simulated digital home experience through Etisalat’s eLife services, which are based on the advanced FTTH (Fiber-to-the-home) platform. eLife double play (Internet and Landline) and triple play (Internet, Landline and TV) packages, currently being offered to fiber-connected homes across the UAE, open up endless possibilities for household communication and entertainment, through high speed broadband. Etisalat will also demonstrate high definition voice through the new age multi-media phone, a fixed line phone that customers can use to browse the internet and many such ground-breaking and interactive applications.

The mobile broadband zone demonstrates the capabilities of next generation mobile networks including HSPA+ 3.75G technology that will provide users with region’s highest speeds of up to 42MBps, The demonstration of Etisalat’s Long Term Evolution (LTE) 4G technology, designed to increase the capacity and speed of mobile networks to provide downlink speed of 140Mbps and 50Mbps uplink speed is further enhanced with the Middle East’s first ‘LTE Connected Car’. The ngConnect Program’s LTE connected car is an example of how this technology is supporting a new class of vehicle-centric, travel-centric, and entertainment-centric applications and services to transform the end-user experience.

The interactive entertainment zone will feature Etisalat’s mobile gaming, entertainment portal, music store, apps store and more. Etisalat Portal music allows customers to download full track music on their computers and mobile phones from a choice of millions of songs from reputed record labels. The exhibition also features XGames, creating the most comprehensive gaming community in the Middle East; and eBooks service that aims to transform learning and leisure-reading experiences of students, faculty and consumers via personal computers (PC) as well as mobile devices, making it more interactive.

“Etisalat’s focus this year has been on futuristic services, based on advanced technologies that will shape and empower businesses of tomorrow. Our theme “Your Future Starts Here,” is quite applicable for businesses, who not only want to harness ICT as an enabler, but as a key business driver. Towards that endeavor, we have had a twin-fold strategy to concentrate not only on key technologies like cloud computing and M2M, but also conceptualise, develop and implement industry specific applications for healthcare, banking and finance, education, retail, construction, oil and energy and government sectors. This year we will see many customised industry specific solutions being implemented and launched across these industries that will eventually outline the effective use of technology towards gaining business efficiencies," Al Falasi added.

Business visitors to the exhibition will have the opportunity to explore and experience contemporary technologies like cloud computing, public telepresence, Machine to Machine (M2M) communications and Managed Voice application. Moreover, Etisalat is demonstrating many industry specific applications such as mHealth, focusing on healthcare, RFID tracking for Retail, Construction management solutions, and many more.

The enterprise services section will showcase innovative solutions that provide business connectivity, business mobility, managed ICT, security solutions and eBusiness services. These smart solutions are customized for enterprises to help them reduce their cost while increasing efficiency and business productivity.

For e-vision services, Etisalat will showcase the next generation TV entertainment with interactive services, which will transform the TV viewing habits of people in the UAE. The service showcase will include IPTV through eLife triple play services, High Definition (HD)TV, 3D TV services and also interactive TV with personalized video recorder (PVR) service.

Etisalat is also participating in the GulfComms conferences and as the ‘Gold’ sponsor and speaker at the GITEX Cloud Confex, a conference focused on cloud computing and its application for businesses. GITEX conferences bring an eminent mix of government, public and private sector with panel discussions on latest technologies impacting the world.