The e-ink screen shows battery and signal status, the number of connected devices and a smiley icon to confirm public mode.

ENGADGET: Topic: Mobile

With an unprecedented number of people making more money than ever, the demand for all things that signal an improvement in status is gargantuan.

CNN: Shark fin soup alters an ecosystem

What it seems to boil down to is this: being left out of the loop is perceived as a signal that one has low status or standing in the group.

FORBES: The Hidden Dangers of Leaving Someone Out of the Loop

Obama's first foreign trip of his second term also was his first visit to Israel as president, and aides said he wants to assess the status of the stalled peace process and signal his administration's support for a crucial partner in the volatile region.

CNN: Obama makes first trip to Israel as president

Pfizer has failed to disclose an apparent delay in the approval of a promising new antibiotic, a move that may signal a change in how much the company tells investors about the regulatory status of medicines as they are reviewed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

FORBES: Pfizer Plays A Guessing Game