US musician and entrepreneur Will.i.am has teamed up with industrial company Honeywell to produce a high-tech face mask, which costs $299.
The mask, called Xupermask, will be launched on Thursday and will have features such as noise-cancellation earbuds, microphones, Bluetooth support, replaceable filtration systems, LED lights and multi-function button controls.
Xupermask allows users to answer phone calls, play music and they have a tight seal over the nose to prevent glasses from fogging.
“We created Xupermask to change the game of our new normal,” said Will.i.am, whose full name is William Adams.
“In this new age of style and security, Xupermask is an uncompromising face mask design with high-tech performance for the modern lifestyle ... we have engineered a state-of-the-art smart mask to provide function with style.”
Powered by a rechargeable battery that lasts up to seven hours on a single charge, Xupermasks are made of silicone and they have an elastic strap for users’ comfort and equipment’s high performance.
Masks currently available in the market do not always work well for many, Will.i.am said.
"Your eyeglasses fog up ... masks are hot and stuffy ... talking on your phone is muffled ... your earpods get dislodged or tangled up," he said.
Xupermasks are easily adjustable to a variety of face shapes and one mask can be used for up to a year in any weather condition, Honeywell said.
“We are proud to have partnered with Will.i.am on this unique and innovative project,” Darius Adamczyk, chairman and chief executive of Honeywell, said.
Xupermask offers “wearers cutting-edge design and functionality … its blend of fashion, technology and function is unparalleled”, he added
The high-end masks are designed by Hollywood designer Jose Fernandez, who made the SpaceX suits for billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk and worked on projects such as Black Panther, The Avengers and X-Men 2.
Xupermasks, which come in two adjustable sizes – small/medium and medium/large - will be initially available to consumers in the US, Canada, the UK and Europe, Honeywell said.
Last May, Honeywell joined with Abu Dhabi’s strategic investment arm, Mubadala Investment Company, to produce N95 face masks in the country.
The North Carolina company set up a new production line with Strata, Mubadala’s wholly owned aerospace manufacturing subsidiary, at its Al Ain facility. It produces about 90,000 masks a day and have an annual output capacity of more than 30 million masks.
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Normal People
Sally Rooney, Faber & Faber
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
ETFs explained
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, second leg:
Liverpool (0) v Barcelona (3), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Game is on BeIN Sports
