Top 5 smart wearable vendors in the world

    Market research company IDC's latest data showed that a total of 21 million smart wearables were shipped in the third quarter of 2015, up by 197.6% year-on-year.

    As a rather new area, market players change positions frequently. China's BBK, owner of a children's phone watch brand Xiaotiancai, outperformed Samsung and broke into the top five clubs, gaining a market share of 3.1 percent.

    Let us have a look at the top 5 vendors.

    No 5 BBK

    Shipment volume: 0.7 million

    Market share: 3.1%

    People can watch a video on the website of Guangdong Xiaotiancai Tech Company Limited to know more about its phone watches.

    No 4 Garmin

    Shipment volume: 0.9 million

    Market share: 4.1%

    Garmin's new fenix 3 multi-sport GPS training watch is displayed at the 2015 International CES, a trade show of consumer electronics, in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jan 7, 2015.

    No 3 Xiaomi

    Shipment volumes: 3.7 million

    Market share: 17.4%

    The Mi Bands, developed by Xiaomi's ecosystem company Huami Co Ltd, has a function to track the user's heart beat while in motion.

    No 2 Apple

    Shipment volume: 3.9 million

    Market share: 18.6%

    Customers try to use an Apple Watch in an Apple retail store in Hangzhou city, East China's Zhejiang province, April 24, 2015. The watch went on sale on April 24 around the world.

    No 1 Fitbit

    Shipmen volume: 4.7 million

    Market share: 22.2%

    Various Fitbit devices were displayed outside the New York Stock Exchange on Jun 18, 2015, when the company got listed.

    Today we talk about a time when half the world is waking from the dark, cold winter months. Spring! We often describe “spring” as a time of rebirth, renewal and awakening. Many trees are blossoming and early flowers are pushing through the earth. Things are coming to life!

    But the word “spring” is not just a season. It is also a verb that means something going on or coming out quickly. When you put “spring” and “life” together, you will get “spring to life”. This expression means something suddenly becomes very active or perhaps seems more alive! You may “spring to life” after hearing that a distant friend will be visiting you. Or maybe your favorite soccer team finally “sprang to life” in the second half, played well and won the match.

    Now, besides being a season and a verb the noun “spring” refers to a metal coil (线圈) that is wound tightly. When the coil unwinds, it often jumps. So, we often say a person “has a spring in his step” if he is lively and active. He might even appear to jump, or bounce a little when he walks.

    There is another way we use “spring” as a description. In the case of a “spring chicken”, “spring” means young. However, “spring chicken” is also an informal, humorous way to refer to someone who isn't young at all. So, we use this expression in the negative form, as in “no spring chicken”. For example, let's say you know an 85-year-old man who decides to run a marathon, even though he has never exercised before. You could say, “That's amazing! After all, he's no spring chicken.”

    But be careful when using this expression. It could be a little disrespectful. Let's say your boss shows you a picture of his wife, and you say, “Wow, she's no spring chicken.” That response would be disrespectful and a bad career move.

    Many years ago, when we first went to Canada, we were driving through Montana to Colorado with our two children. We thought we would find a motel（汽车旅馆）on the way and had not made a booking. As it was getting late, we started looking for a motel, only to find that all were booked.

    Finally, around 9 p.m., we stopped at a gas station to fill up on gas. My husband asked for a phone book and told the woman at the counter that we were trying to find a motel. He tried for 15 minutes. When he was unsuccessful, the woman, Linda, said she and her family lived nearby and would be happy if we spent the night at her home.

    My husband was stunned at her offer. She called her son to direct us, since she had to stay at the gas station till midnight.

    When we reached their home, her husband greeted us. He took out two sleeping bags for the children. He invited us to have coffee and chat while we waited for his wife. When she came back, we asked if we could slip away in the morning so as not to disturb them. They said we were now guests and we would have to have breakfast with them.

    We woke up to a table set for breakfast. They'd made a mountain of pancakes and bacon. We ate breakfast, and when we were leaving, my husband asked if he could offer some payment.

    They insisted we were their guests. We left moved by their spirit of hospitality(好客). We were amazed that they would take in a family of total strangers from a different country. We kept in touch for many years. Over the years, we lost touch, but have never forgotten their kindness.

    You dash through a crowded railway station, tripping over bags, spilling (泼出) your coffee, only to have the doors slide shut in your face, leaving you breathless on the platform as the train pulls away,

    But at least, if you're in France, someone may be playing the piano for you. But it won't be performed by a paid musician, or even a street entertainer playing for coins. It will just be a random passer - by, jamming for the fun of it on one of the pianos that the national railroad company, S. N. C. F., has fixed in nearly 100 stations across France. They are free for anyone to play, and travelers from all walks of life have taken to doing just that.

    Gares & Connexions, the S. N. C. F. division that manages its stations, rents the instruments from the producer, Yamaha: which maintains them and tunes them every month or two. The first one was set up in the Gare Montparnasse in Paris in 2012.

    The music, mixed with the sounds of shouting passengers, screaming trains and rolling suitcases, gives French stations a special soundscape. The amateur musicians have included Irish soccer fans and even babies. In 2014, Gares & Connexions and Yamaha organized a nationwide contest called Your Turn to Play, asking participants to submit videos of themselves using one of the pianos. It drew nearly 900 entries.

    Isn't the railroad company taking a big chance? Apparently not: “None of the instruments has been vandalized to this day, or even merely damaged,” said Claire Foumon, a spokeswoman for Gares & Connexions. “They are shared and respected by all.”

    So if you miss a train in Paris; Bordeaux or Marseille one day, perhaps someone will be playing a favorite piece that will ease your pain. Or perhaps you'll sit down and play your annoyance away yourself.

    In early November of 1942, my geology (地质学)class was supposed to go on a field trip to see the mica mine (云母矿). Although it rained, everyone showed up on time. I was the only girl in the class. We all fit into two cars.

    Near Deary, Mr. Tier, our teacher, went into a store to ask about the direction, while townsmen looked at us with curiosity. On the store owner's advice, we drove out into the hills for a few miles. Then we left the cars. We were afraid they would get stuck in the mud.

    Eventually, we located the mine near the top of the mountain. There was a very small hole, running about two or three hundred feet into the mountainside. The passage (通道) was so narrow that we could touch both sides with our hands, and not tall enough to allow us to stand up straight. The first boy held the torch; we took hold of the backs of each other's coats, in a line, and followed him in, ducking our heads. After getting in, we were disappointed because it was not the mine our teacher was looking for.

    The rain was coming down hard as we started back to the cars to go home. Back at Deary, we went into a drugstore and stood around its big heating stove to dry out. The clerk was a middle­aged lady. Seeing our entirely wet hair and clothes, she handed each of us a cup of hot water immediately and asked if there was anything wrong with any of us.

    Hiking eight miles in the rain had not reduced our interest at all. We all felt we had had a wonderful time, even if we didn't find the mine.

    Bright Side did some research on many places throughout the world where you can buy a house for 1 dollar or for free!

    Roubaix, France

    If you like France, Roubaix located in the north of France is just for you. The local authorities want it to be populated and attractive. You can buy a small house in the industrial district for just $1. The buyer is supposed to live in this house for 3 years.

    Buffalo. USA

    Buffalo offers whoever qualifies to buy a house for $1. All you need is to be a lawful citizen of the city and invest amount of money into its decoration. Doing this, the authorities are hoping to make the city beautiful again without spending money.

    Liverpool, Great Britain

    In Liverpool, most of houses were abandoned by the working class during the years of unemployment. The government is trying to sell the houses for just $1. If you want to buy such a house, it has to be your first deal on buying property (不动产).

    Candela, Italy

    If you still have any doubts about spending SI on a house, you should know: the government will pay you some money, if you move to Candela. In order to be paid, you need to become a permanent citizen and have an income of $7500 per year. If moving a, one, you will get S800, and if you are going with your family, the pay can be four times as much as only one person.

    For more information of other cities, please Click Here.