Fiat Considering an Abarthified 500X Crossover

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When the storied red and yellow Abarth shield appeared on the 2012 Fiat 500 at the L.A. auto show, we had high hopes it signaled an upcoming scorpion-led renaissance for the brand. Our initial enthusiasm was quickly tempered, however, with the realization that the 500 was the only car Fiat sold in the U.S. But Fiat has fleshed out its U.S. lineup with the 500L, 500X, and upcoming Fiat 124 Spider—the latter of which already rumored to be receiving an Abarth edition. The next in line? It seems that’s the 500X.

The word comes from Auto Express, where Alfredo Altavilla, Fiat-Chrysler’s chief operating officer, was quoted as saying, “Besides the 124 and 500, we are thinking about an all-new addition to the lineup,” adding, “The 500X is one of the options being considered.” Hoping to assuage any fears that a new Abarth model might be more focused on looks than actual performance, Altavilla was quoted saying: “We went a bit too far with the [European] Punto Abarth,” he said. “Now our customers won’t buy a fake. If the 500X becomes the addition to the Abarth lineup, it will be everything but a family version.”  We reached out to Fiat here in the U.S., but they could not confirm or elaborate on Mr. Altavilla’s remarks.

Should Fiat go ahead with plans to add a hotted-up version of the agreeable 500X, it would set its targeting reticles on the Mini Countryman JCW and Nissan Juke NISMO. To give it a fighting chance, it’s a given that Fiat would run any 500X Abarth through the sporting goods department, adding flares and bulges, a spoiler, and more aggressive front and rear fascias. The interior would also likely get heavily bolstered sport seats and special trim. Should the 500X Abarth send its power to all four wheels, it would give the Italian brand front- (500), rear- (124), and all-wheel-drive high-performance vehicles in its stable. No matter what, though, count on a delightfully aggressive exhaust note.

George Takei: The King of Social Media Takes on Fitness and Trolls

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George Takei may be big on social media, but he’s not so big on other forms of interactive entertainment.

“I am not a gamer,” he admits.

When he finds a few moments to futz around on his iPhone 6, he gravitates more toward Twitter or Facebook than to Angry Birds or Temple Run. And yet he’s agreed to be the public face for a suite of upcoming gaming fitness apps from Fit Entertainment.

Takei, a lifelong fitness enthusiast who has participated in several marathons, will appear as the first celebrity avatar for the apps, which include Fit Go Run and Fit Go Step Challenge. He also plans to release his own fitness apps in the future.

“I was attracted [to this app] by the idea of proselytizing fitness,” he told Yahoo. “That’s something I do every day. And if we can get people to exercise via a video game, I think that’s a good thing.”

Running an online empire

When he isn’t exercising, Takei is lording over a massive online following: He boasts over 10 million fans on Twitter and Facebook. But he doesn’t do it all by himself.

While Takei spends parts of his weekends personally prowling social media, many of the posts on his accounts actually come from his staff.

“I’m not in front of the computer all day long,” he says. “[Takei’s husband] Brad took over, and now we have a whole staff that helps out, and I spend the weekend commenting on them. It used to be a pop-and-pop shop — rather than a mom-and-pop — but we have become a major industry.“

But while Takei enjoys interacting with fans, the legendary Star Trek star is increasingly worried about the mob mentality that’s come to dominate social media. Whether it’s the aggressive tactics of the Gamergate movement, the uproar that followed the death of Cecil the lion or the bullying of school kids, Takei is concerned about how we connect with one another online.

Having a drink with some old friends. (Photo: AP Photo/Bob Galbraith)

“The thing about social media is it’s very democratizing,” he says. “But the dark side can be very hurtful. Initially, the optimistic view was that social media was a chance to expand the town square, to a global town square where we can share ideas. But then the underbelly appeared. When [trolls] organize, they become a real threat to vulnerable people.”

Takei has firsthand knowledge of how quickly social media can turn sour.  

“When I came out as gay in 2005, it was overwhelmingly positive. But then these very cruel and mean-spirited people would write … and you could tell by their vocabulary that they wanted to hurt you.”

“I was strong enough to take it, but I can imagine if you’re a teenager and you’re making decisions about your sexual orientation, it can be devastating. It can be a terribly destructive technology.”

Takei believes that the key to cutting through the noise and the dark stuff, to getting people to pay attention to what he has to say about such serious matters, is to stay entertaining. His seemingly endless stream of memes, jokes and funny photos — while certainly representative of Takei’s warm, lighthearted personality — have given him a huge platform. He’ll occasionally use that position to express his thoughts on issues that are more serious than, say, a kitten cozying up with a squirrel.

Trekking into 2016

As for that other industry Takei’s associated with, he’s got a pretty big year coming up. 2016 marks the 50th anniversary of Star Trek, and he says he’s excited about it, if a bit bemused.

“We’re celebrating 50 years of Star Trek with people who have been there only a few years,” he says, referring to the new cast of the rebooted franchise.

And, despite his Trek origins, Takei says he’s also looking forward to the new Star Wars film this year.

“I’m the Star Trek guy who crossed over the bridge,” he says, noting he voiced the Neimoidian general Lok Durd on the Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV series. “I’ve embraced both worlds … I’m what’s called a Star Peacekeeper!”

Video Storytelling App Flipagram Raises $70 Million Scores Major Music Deals

For the first time since Google GOOGL -0.89%, venture capitalists and billionaires Michael Moritz and John Doerr have just joined the same startup’s board: Flipagram, a storytelling app where users can make music video-like clips with photos and videos.

The free, two-year-old social app announced on Thursday that it raised $70 million in a Series B round, led by Sequoia and joined by Kleiner Perkins Caulfield & Byers and Index Ventures.

Flipagram also said Moritz and Doerr are new additions to its board of directors. The app appears to be making a push to position itself as the social app that is best integrated with music. Flipagram also revealed it has secured deals with several major music labels and publishers, creating what it calls a ”comprehensive catalog” of millions of song clips, which users can include as soundtracks behind videos or buy through the app.

Flipagram, based in Los Angeles, Calif., had more 3o million monthly active users by the end of 2014, although it hasn’t released more recent figures. The app allows you to quickly combine photos, videos, links, text and music into short, edited video clips that are about thirty seconds long on average and can run up to one minute, longer than Vine or Instagram videos, but shorter than Facebook or YouTube videos, which often last several minutes. Flipagram’s goal is to allow users to make videos with narrative and emotional depth, while at the same time being extremely fast and easy to use, Mohit said. Flipagram plans to use its new funding primarily to attract top talent and support the infrastructure required to run the app, cofounder and CEO Farhad Mohit told FORBES.

Comparing Flipagram to other social apps, Mohit said YouTube videos can offer more involved narratives, but are usually more difficult and intimidating to make. On the other side of what Mohit described as a ”deep-to-shallow,” “easy-to-hard” spectrum, Twitter and Instagram are focused on quickly capturing individual moments, or in the case of Snapchat, glimpsing them temporarily. Mohit said Flipagram has a different use-case than all of the above. Flipagram, he said, is geared toward memorializing events — like a wedding, graduation, or party — or making a self-expressive collage that are built to be saved and can be shared with friends or celebrities.

As a result, the creation process on Flipagram is a little bit more involved than sending a tweet or a snap, he said. However, features like the video editor, which automatically breaks down users’ videos into one-second clips that they can quickly string together, make the process easy. Songs and photos can be added with a few taps, and the finished clip, called a Flipagram, can be shared, liked and commented on both within the app and elsewhere online.

Before starting Flipagram, Mohit founded shopping search engines Shopzilla, which was acquired for $525-million in 2005. His intent with Flipagram is to bring it to the masses, both by working around language as a barrier to sharing, and by making the app extremely intuitive, he said.
“We believe that storytelling is the path to deeper connections on social media,” Mohit told FORBES. “We might be onto the narrative object for the billions.”

More than 14 million Flipagrams were created per month in the first quarter of 2015, the company said. The typical user is under the age of 25 and female, and the majority of Flipagrams are made internationally. On Thursday, the Flipagram ranked seventh in the U.S. photo and video app category on iOS, according to app analytics firm AppAnnie.

“The partners really believe that Flipagram will be a major media creation and sharing company, on the order of a Twitter or more,” Doerr told FORBES.

Courtesy Flipagram

Music Deals

Flipagram’s licensing deals involve major players such as Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Musicand and The Orchard, among others. According to Doerr, these deals make Flipagram a unique, competitive player in the social space.

“Farhad, to cut all of the deals and the arrangements with the owners and get these complicated rights is an amazing accomplishment, and you just can’t take it for granted,” Doerr told FORBES.

Mohit argues that for the music companies, the app isn’t a threat but a tool through which musicians can engage more immediately with fans, as well as an opportunity for artists to expose their music to more listeners. A song a friend uses in the background of a yoga or cooking video – how-to videos are popular on the app – might prompt you to pay for the song by following links Flipagram includes within the app to iTunes and Spotify. Flipagrams can also link to other outside sites.

“Universal Music Group has a long track record of working with innovative new digital services like Flipagram to engage fans and provide new commercial opportunities for our artists,” Francis Keeling, global head of digital business at Universal Music Group, said in a statement. “We’re looking forward to watching millions of Flipagram’s users express their creativity in videos set to our artists’ music.”

The Community
In addition to the everyday user, hundreds of celebrities and shakers are on Flipagram. The app said it doesn’t pay stars to join the app, and that their presence on the app grows mostly organically. Deepak Chopra, Jessica Alba, Jamie Foxx, Britney Spears, Garth Brooks and One Direction are among the app’s big names. If an artist or influencer likes a fan’s post, the app puts a badge on the user’s post showing which star liked it. Beyond searching for specific friends or stars, users can also find Flipagrams within a number of channels such as animals, humor, dance and music, selfies and besties, food, art, family, sports, health and fitness.

Famous or not, any user can create a profile where they can save their Flipgrams or share posts to their followers. Companies and brands can also create accounts and Flipagrams.

“The first time you share a Flipagram, the first time you tell a story, you get that thrill of ‘Wow, I’m a storyteller,’” Mohit said. The thrill of being able to quickly make something meaningful could very well be what Flipagram needs to stand apart from the pack.

Correction: A previous version of this article said more than 14 million Flipagrams were created in the first quarter of 2015. In fact, more than 14 million Flipagrams were created per month during that quarter.

Link to original source article - http://www.forbes.com/sites/kathleenchaykowski/2015/07/17/video-storytelling-app-flipagram-raises-70-million-scores-major-music-deals/

Floyd Mayweather Jr defends choice of Berto as his final foe

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Floyd Mayweather Jr. began promoting his final fight by doing what he does best.

Fending off every attack with defense that looks effortless.

The pound-for-pound king of boxing insisted Andre Berto is a worthy opponent for his grand farewell when they made a joint appearance in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday, just over five weeks before they'll meet at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sept. 12.

"I don't know why, but I'm just training a lot harder for this fight," Mayweather said. "I just want to go out with a bang, I guess."

Mayweather also repeated his declaration that this is the last bout of his career, although he grinned broadly while saying it. Mayweather previously retired in 2008, but it barely lasted a year.

"They say they'll offer me a lot of money" to keep fighting, Mayweather said. "I have a lot of money. I'm OK. ... It's the end of my (Showtime) deal. I'm an old man now. I'm 38."

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FILE - In this May 2, 2015, file photo, boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr., celebrates his unanimous decisio …

Three months after Mayweather (48-0, 26 KOs) dominated Manny Pacquiao in the most lucrative fight in boxing history, the welterweight champion was in a noticeably upbeat mood as he began the difficult business of promoting his next bout with Berto. The former 147-pound champion has lost three of his last six fights, including two losses to fighters who have already lost to Mayweather.

Mayweather acknowledged the backlash from his choice of Berto (30-3, 23 KOs), but cited the challenger's aggressive style and his own determination as reasons to buy the fight. Mayweather, who has knocked out one opponent in nine bouts since 2007, even promised an exciting fight to fans who still feel short-changed by his technical display against Pacquiao in May.

"With the way he comes, and with the way I'm going to come, if it's not a knockout, there's going to be some knockdowns," Mayweather said. "A lot. And there's going to be blood. There's going to be knockdowns, and there's going to be blood. A lot."

Mayweather's last bout raised his profile outside boxing to new heights, but also exposed him to unprecedentedly widespread criticism, with his legal history of violence against women spotlighted throughout the run-up to his win.

Contrasting sharply with the contemplative persona he employed in May, Mayweather was playful in his return to public appearances. He even commandeered a selfie stick to take a photo on the dais during the news conference.

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Boxers, Floyd Mayweather, Jr., left, and Andre Berto, right, pose for a photo at a news conference i …

Mayweather only turned serious Thursday when facing off with Berto for a photo opportunity. The fighters stared motionlessly into each other's eyes for an uncomfortably long period of time.

Berto and Mayweather have been casual friends for several years, yet Berto didn't disagree with the assertion that Mayweather is a boring fighter. Berto saw the fan reaction to Mayweather's bloodless brilliance against Pacquiao, and the challenger promised to make Mayweather work harder.

"I know how people feel (after the Pacquiao fight), and it's my luck that I come right behind that," Berto said. "If I would have paid that type of money, I probably would have felt some type of way, too."

Mayweather laughed off Berto's first verbal jabs.

"Well, he's fighting a boring fighter, but he's getting his biggest payday," Mayweather said.

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Floyd Mayweather Jr. takes questions during a news conference in Los Angeles on Thursday, Aug. 6, 20 …

Mayweather also defended his choice to put the fight on pay-per-view, asking an expected $75 to watch in high definition. Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe said that putting the fight on free CBS was "obviously something that we explored," but the promotion didn't have enough time to put together such a deal before Sept. 12.

The bout will complete Mayweather's six-fight contract with Showtime, and he has repeatedly said he will walk away afterward. Yet Mayweather will face many temptations to continue, including the chance to surpass Rocky Marciano's 49-0 record as the headliner in May at the opening of MGM Resorts' $350 million arena on the Las Vegas Strip.

Mayweather previously quit his sport in June 2008, saying he had "decided to permanently retire from boxing" in his news release.

"We know that wasn't nothing but a vacation," Mayweather said with a laugh.

But even if he was returning to the boxing milieu for the final time, Mayweather projected an aura of calm before heading across the street to watch the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks.

"They always tune in," Mayweather said of the haters. "They say one thing, but they do another."

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The World's Billionaires

The Richest People On The Planet 2015

Despite plunging oil prices and a weakened euro, the ranks of the world’s wealthiest defied global economic turmoil and expanded yet again. For our 29th annual guide to the globe’s richest, we found a record 1,826 billionaires with an aggregate net worth of $7.05 trillion, up from $6.4 trillion a year ago. The total includes 290 newcomers, 71 of whom hail from China. Youth are on the rise: A record 46 among the ranks are under age 40. One earthward note: The average net worth of list members came in at $3.86 billion, down $60 million from 2014.

Bill Gates is once again the richest person on the planet, a title he’s held for 16 of the past 21 years. His fortune grew $3.2 billion since last year to $79.2 billion, despite a gift of $1.5 billion in Microsoft MSFT +1.56% shares to The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in November 2014. Carlos Slim Helu of Mexico comes in again at No. 2 while revered American investor Warren Buffett took back the No. 3 spot from Spain’s Amancio Ortega (now No. 4); not even the largest IPO in history was enough to beat the Oracle of Omaha this year. Buffett was the list’s biggest gainer, up $14.5 billion to $72.7 billion, thanks to Berkshire Hathaway’s rising share price. Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg moves up 5 spots to number 16, his first time ranked among the world’s 20 richest. Ma and three other Chinese are among the the biggest gainers and appear among the 50 richest on the list.

Zuckerberg is also the leader in a youth revolution that has minted 46 billionaires under the age of 40. The youngest billionaire on the planet is Evan Spiegel, 24, co-founder of photo- messaging app Snapchat. California, driven by Silicon Valley tech companies, has spawned 23 new billionaires, including cofounders of car-hailing service Uber cofounders Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp, and their first employee Ryan Graves. Elizabeth Holmes, who runs blood-testing firm Theranos, debuts on the global list as the youngest self-made woman at age 31. The state now has 131 individuals with 10-figure net worths, more than any other country besides China and the U.S.

The year’s biggest loser in dollar terms is Aliko Dangote of Nigeria, whose fortune dropped to $14.7 billion from $25 billion last year, propelled downward by a weaker Nigerian currency and shrinking demand for cement, his largest asset. He still retains the title of Africa’s richest man. The country that was lost the most ground by far was Russia, which now has 88 billionaires down from 111, less than not just the U.S. and China but now also Germany and India.

The World’s Billionaires The Youngest Billionaires In The World Full List: The World’s Billionaires Record 290 Newcomers Join Forbes Billionaires List, Including Michael Jordan

One hundred thirty-eight people from the 2014 list dropped out of the ranks altogether including fashion designer Michael Kors, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Zulily’s Mark Vadon and many Russians. Guatemala has a billionaire for the first time, and Iceland returns to the ranks after a five-year absence, the result of a comeback by Thor Bjorgolfsson, who’s now the only billionaire in Iceland’s history.

There’s no doubt that entrepreneurship is thriving globally. Fully 1,191 members of the list are self-made billionaires, while just 230 inherited their wealth. Another 405 inherited at least a portion but are still working to increase their fortunes.

Our estimates show a snapshot of wealth on Feb. 13, when we locked in stock prices and exchange rates from around the world. If a stock market wasn’t open on that day, we used the stock price from the previous trading day.

$65 Million For 25 Cars: The “Pinnacle Portfolio” Sells At Pebble Beach

MarcoR.dellaCavaAutomotiveContributorJuly30,2015

 

$65 Million For 25 Cars: The “Pinnacle Portfolio” Sells At Pebble Beach

You know it’s time for the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance when auction house bosses start talking about setting records as if they’re Olympians training for battle. We’re taking a look at some of the automotive gems that will be offered during that glam Monterey peninsula concours week that culminates with the Best of Show ceremonies Aug. 16. Here’s what’s on offer from RM Sotheby’s:

When you think about Pebble Beach and its wide array of automotive events — concours, historic races, rallies, general schmoozing — it’s easy to crown it the pinnacle of car events.

So no surprise the folks at RM Sotheby’s have dubbed a particularly astounding group of automobiles they’ll be hammering down Aug. 13 at the Portola Hotel and Spa in Monterey, Calif., as the Pinnacle Portfolio.

A car collector who prefers not to be named has decided to slim down and refocus auto-amassing his efforts, and in doing so is letting go of 25 vehicles whose estimated total value is “more than $65 million,” RM Sotheby’s Ian Kelleher says way too calmly. “It’s an enviable collection that bridges the gap between old classics and modern supercars.”

That math again: 25 cars equals $65 million.

Let’s get right down to the highlights: Two Bugatti Veyrons ($1.8 to $3 million), a 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider ($9 to $11 million), 1971 Lamborghini Miura ($2.2 to $2.6 million), 2005 Maserati MC12 ($1.5 to $1.9 million), 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing ($5.5 to $6.5 million) and a 1967 Toyota 2000GT ($1 to $1.3 million). 

And that’s potentially the cheap stuff. A number of lots come tagged with the polite equivalent of “if you have to ask you can’t afford it,” better known as “estimate available upon request.”

Those cars include a 1964 Ferrari 250 LM (RM Sotheby’s sold one last year for $11.5 million and estimates this one could go for $15 million) and a 1998 McLaren F1 LM-Specification (reports indicate a likely selling price between $12 and $15 million).

The undisputed king of this delicious crop is a 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB (short wheel base) Competizione, expected to sell for in excess of $17 million. One of only 45 such alloy-bodied cars prepared for the now fabled North American Racing Team, or NART, this car took top prize in that year’s Nassau and Bridgehampton races.