Lies, damned lies

Internet retail giant Amazon.com has announced a pro forma loss for its second quarter of $US28 million ($68 million), compared with an $US89 million loss a year ago. Sales improved 16 per cent to $US668 million, and Amazon says it will be in profit by the fourth quarter. To help reach this goal, Amazon is laying off 15 per cent of its workers, scaling down some operations, closing distribution centres and delaying plans for a new headquarters.

At any time, 3 per cent of American drivers are talking on their mobiles while driving, a survey by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says. That means 500,000 drivers yakking into their phones simultaneously. It estimates driver distraction - from talking to changing radio stations - is involved in 30 per cent of all crashes.

Nikkei Market Access says global production of mobile phones in the second quarter this year fell 16 per cent to 87 million units, well below the 100 million mark for the second straight quarter. For the whole year, the number of phones produced is forecast to drop 12 per cent to 374 million, and the market is not expected to recover until next year.

Links

Amazon

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Nikkei Market Access