World Briefing

A "Female Phone" --For Asia Only

You've come a long way, baby and that's affecting your choice of cell phones. Consider the Samsung SGH-T500, introduced earlier this year in Asian markets and selling for the equivalent of $500. Samsung bills it as "a female-centric mobile phone." Why? It's so pretty, for one thing, available in four colors, including Sapphire Blue and Topaz Gold, and featuring a ring of synthetic diamonds around the exterior display. It also offers "multiple female features," including a biorhythm calculator, a calorie counter, and a calendar that tracks the owner's menstrual cycles. Samsung says the T500 "completes communication for all the descendants of Eve." Except the American ones, apparently. The company says it has no plans to release the phone in the U.S. But visit samsung.com.sg to buy one through sales locations in Singapore. --By Bill Barol

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Beware the Clio

Remember that ad? The one with the expensive car winding down a scenic road in some exotic location? Terrific imagery, stunning visuals. It might even have won an award. But it's a waste, writes Mark Stevens, president of MSCO, a consultancy based in Purchase, N.Y., and author of Your Marketing Sucks, which hits stores in July. "Find me one single human being who bought a car as a result of one of those ads," he implores in the book's first chapter. Stevens knocks the Clio awards and praises the effectiveness of tacky infomercials and "extreme marketing" like personalized birthday discounts, which he believes lead directly to profits. The author's metaphors suck: Stevens tells marketers to be "bulldogs," not "golden retrievers." But the book provides clear, sensible suggestions for making money through marketing.

Babes in Toyland

Johnny may soon clutch Mom's leg, begging to be taken to Saks. No, he's crying not for the Bruno Magli shoes or credit-card points toward a Disney vacation but for fancy train sets and the latest Legos. In May, Saks the Birmingham, Ala.--based owner of Saks Fifth Avenue, Parisian and other regional department stores bought a $5 million stake in upscale toy retailer FAO. Saks plans to add an FAO boutique to 22 of its stores by September and FAO displays in 245 of its locations for the holidays. "FAO should have done this long ago," says Jeffrey Van Sinderen, a specialty retail analyst for B. Riley & Co. Leveraging another chain's infrastructure, he says, could have reduced the high costs that helped drive the retailer into the bankruptcy from which it emerged in April. And the partnership could yield new customers moms as well as kids for Saks.

Want to Rent Part of My Horse?

Even the equestrian set is tightening its belt; many horse owners are renting their mounts for part of each month. The trend, often called share boarding, is on the rise as owners look to cut spending or get too busy to ride, says Marlene Schrader, co-owner of Beech Hill Farm in Pleasantville, N.Y. Her stables board 40 horses, 80% of which are shared, up from 50% in 2000. Riders say horse sharing is a relatively inexpensive way for a young person to move from a once-a-week lesson to a bigger commitment, and it works for owners too. Computer consultant Kate Bushman, 40, of Boylston, Mass., will half-lease her aging Thoroughbred to a thrice-weekly rider and buy a horse suitable for jumping competitions. After a layoff eliminated her six-figure salary, she says, "I can't justify paying for two horses." A stall and food at a stable with a winterproof indoor ring cost $600 to $1,000 a month not including shoes, shots, worming and insurance. --By Marjorie Backman

UPDATE
An Entrepreneur Checks Out Iraq

In October, TIME Global Business profiled Mazin Ramadan, 35, CEO of a Seattle-based software start-up, 4thpass, which had recently been sold to Motorola for more than $20 million. Ramadan, left, examined the Baghdad business climate during a weeklong trip in May, and although he relished meeting two uncles and a dozen cousins for the first time, he's doing more studying than investing in the Iraq market. What's hot? Satellite-phone guys roam the streets, charging a buck per minute of chatter. Satellite-dish salesmen line the highways from Jordan, hawking devices banned by Saddam. And some SUVs, pronounced "Jim-ses" (think GMCs), are coming in from Kuwait and selling at a discount. "Everything is a bit hectic right now," Ramadan says. But he and brother Zeyad, 31, plan to open a computer-training business in Baghdad by the end of the year.