In Asian deals on Friday, the Chinese yuan broke its psychologically important level of 6.50 against the dollar for the first time since 1993 on speculation the central bank will continue to let the yuan strengthen more as a way of battling inflation.
The consumer price inflation in China continued to hover above the government’s target of 4 percent despite several measures taken by the government and the central bank.
The People’s Bank of China has raised interest rates twice this year and hiked the reserve requirement three times in 2011 after raising it six times last year.
In March, consumer price inflation rose to 5.4 percent, the highest since August 2008, from 4.9 percent in February. The inflation also came in above the 5.2 percent forecast by economists. Food prices surged up 11.7 percent, while the increase in non-food prices was a tamer 2.7 percent. However, consumer prices fell 0.2 percent on a monthly basis in March.
Meanwhile, annual inflation for the first quarter came in at 5 percent, with an increase of 4.9 percent in cities and 5.5 percent in rural areas.
The dollar’s slide this week on U.S. Federal Reserve’s commitment to keep rates near zero-levels for an extended period also boosted the Chinese currency.
The yuan rose to a fresh record high of 6.4805 against the dollar at 9:50 pm ET, but it has come off slightly thereafter. The yuan is now worth 6.4907 per dollar.
The People’s Bank of China set today’s central parity rate for the yuan at a fresh record high of 6.4990 per dollar, compared to Thursday’s daily reference rate of 6.5051.
A survey by Markit Economics showed today that China’s manufacturing sector expanded at a steady pace in April, amid relatively lackluster growth of new business and a slower expansion in manufacturing production.
The Markit/HSBC purchasing managers’ index was at 51.8 during the month. The reading was unchanged from the March score and the flash estimate.
Zune and iPod: Most people compare the Zune to the Touch, but after seeing how slim and surprisingly small and light it is, I consider it to be a rather unique hybrid that combines qualities of both the Touch and the Nano. It’s very colorful and lovely OLED screen is slightly smaller than the touch screen, but the player itself feels quite a bit smaller and lighter. It weighs about 2/3 as much, and is noticeably smaller in width and height, while being just a hair thicker.
I’ll gear this review to 2 types of people: current Zune owners who are considering an upgrade, and people trying to decide between a Zune and an iPod. (There are other players worth considering out there, like the Sony Walkman X, but I hope this gives you enough info to make an informed decision of the Zune vs players other than the iPod line as well.)
Between me and my husband we’ve owned more MP3 players over the years than I can count, including Sansas, iRivers, iPods (classic & touch), the Ibiza Rhapsody, etc. But, the last few years I’ve settled down to one line of players. Why? Because I was happy to discover how well-designed and fun to use the underappreciated (and widely mocked) Zunes are.
Thank you so much!
If you’re still on the fence: grab your favorite earphones, head down to a Best Buy and ask to plug them into a Zune then an iPod and see which one sounds better to you, and which interface makes you smile more. Then you’ll know which is right for you.
This is getting a bit more subjective, but I much prefer the Zune Marketplace. The interface is colorful, has more flair, and some cool features like ‘Mixview’ that let you quickly see related albums, songs, or other users related to what you’re listening to. Clicking on one of those will center on that item, and another set of “neighbors” will come into view, allowing you to navigate around exploring by similar artists, songs, or users. Speaking of users, the Zune “Social” is also great fun, letting you find others with shared tastes and becoming friends with them. You then can listen to a playlist created based on an amalgamation of what all your friends are listening to, which is also enjoyable. Those concerned with privacy will be relieved to know you can prevent the public from seeing your personal listening habits if you so choose.
The Zune concentrates on being a Portable Media Player. Not a web browser. Not a game machine. Maybe in the future it’ll do even better in those areas, but for now it’s a fantastic way to organize and listen to your music and videos, and is without peer in that regard. The iPod’s strengths are its web browsing and apps. If those sound more compelling, perhaps it is your best choice.
I’ll gear this review to 2 types of people: current Zune owners who are considering an upgrade, and people trying to decide between a Zune and an iPod. (There are other players worth considering out there, like the Sony Walkman X, but I hope this gives you enough info to make an informed decision of the Zune vs players other than the iPod line as well.)
If you’re still on the fence: grab your favorite earphones, head down to a Best Buy and ask to plug them into a Zune then an iPod and see which one sounds better to you, and which interface makes you smile more. Then you’ll know which is right for you.
Zune and iPod: Most people compare the Zune to the Touch, but after seeing how slim and surprisingly small and light it is, I consider it to be a rather unique hybrid that combines qualities of both the Touch and the Nano. It’s very colorful and lovely OLED screen is slightly smaller than the touch screen, but the player itself feels quite a bit smaller and lighter. It weighs about 2/3 as much, and is noticeably smaller in width and height, while being just a hair thicker.