India to have 771 Million Mobile Connections By 2013

India’s mobile connections are forecast to top 771 million by 2013 after growing at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 14.3 percent from 452 million connections in 2009, research firm Gartner said on Thursday. India is expected to remain the world’s second largest wireless market after China in terms of mobile connections, according to Gartner. A number of multinational mobile service providers including Vodafone, NTT DoCoMo, and Telenor have invested in Indian mobile services joint ventures. Full Story : Cio.com…

People think bottled water is healthy

A small study has shown that people tend to believe that bottled water is somehow healthier than water from the tap. However, the research, published in the open access journal BMC Public Health, also shows that people are unsure exactly what these benefits might be and that they are rarely the main reason for choosing bottled. Bottled water was described as being more ‘pure’ than tap water, and was also described as containing more ‘minerals’. The most commonly cited reason for purchasing bottled water was convenience. Full Story : EurekAlert.org…

Consumers Favor Internet Over Cell Phone and Cable TV According to New Study From Pew Research Center

Americans value broadband more than ever with home broadband adoption rates up 15 percent in 2009 and consumers favoring Internet over cell phone and cable TV, according to new research from the Pew Internet & American Life Project. The new research shows 63 percent of adult Americans surveyed now have broadband Internet connections at home. The growth in broadband adoption indicates that the economic recession has had little effect on decisions about whether to buy or keep a home high-speed Internet connection. Full Story : PRNewswire.com….

Average Cell phone User pays more than $3 per minute

According to a report being issued this week by the Utility Consumers’ Action Network, an average cell phone customer pays $3.02 per minute. The study also finds that the average cellphone customer uses only about a third of “any time minutes” allowed by most wireless plans. The rest are paid for but wasted. This is the time to make sure you’re in a calling plan that fits your needs.

Walmart Worker Died in Black Friday Stampede

A Wal-Mart worker died early Friday after an “out-of-control” mob of frenzied shoppers smashed through the Long Island store’s front doors and trampled him. Even officers who arrived to perform CPR on the trampled worker were stepped on by shoppers. About 2,000 people had gathered outside the store as it prepared to open.

Cyber Monday

The Monday following Black Friday is referred as Cyber Monday. Black Friday is historically one of the busiest retail shopping days of the year in United States. Shop.org which coined the term says it has data to prove this is the day with highest online sales of the year. But other studies contradict this fact and suggest December 12th is the busiest day for online stores. This year Cyber Monday falls on December 1st. Some critics online and in the media have called for a boycott of the term, calling it a useless media buzzword with no basis in fact. Another day worth mentioning at this point is Buy Nothing Day, it is an informal day of protest against consumerism observed by social activists. Typically celebrated the Friday after American Thanksgiving in North America.

Allow Producers to Irradiate Your Vegetables?

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved food producers to irradiate vegetables such as spinach and iceberg lettuce to increase the shelf life and also to limit the growth of pathogens especially Salmonella and E. coli.

Although there are many other effective ways available,  Irradiation is considered to be safe and effective by FDA. But this may contaminate the mass distribution of food. The irradiation is a Band-Aid solution to keep a broken system in place, but not an ultimate solution. Some consumer groups are worried that irradiated vegetables are inferior, contaminated and unhealthy. But studies done by the FDA showed no relationship between radiation and long-term health risks such as cancer.

Rich people use coupons often

A consumer research by CMS Inc. revealed that middle- to upper-class white shoppers are the biggest users of coupons. Coupon use increase with consumer education level, users with Bachelor’s and Master’s degree use coupons a lot. Also households with incomes of $150,000 or more use coupons regularly. In 2007 alone 302 billion coupons offered by manufactures, at an average face value of $1.28 each. Less than 1 percent of them redeemed. Thomas Stanley author of Best seller “The Millionaire Next Door” found that  “being frugal is the cornerstone of wealth-building.”

See Also:
Happiness buys money.

Sadness increase spending

A new research found that sadness can trigger a chain of emotions leading to extravagant tendencies. Sadness leads people to become more focused on themselves and increases willingness to pay more. “This is a phenomenon that occurs without awareness,” says Jennifer Lerner, a Harvard professor. Sad and shopping? Watch your wallet.