Technology – Page 154 – Pakistan Tech News

Microsoft Organized an Innovation Center in Peshawar

Microsoft Pakistan is pondering to organize a Microsoft Innovation Center in Peshawar, we have notified with sources in the company.

Officials organized a meeting in this regard between a Microsoft delegation and officials of the KPK IT board where the modalities for the organization of MIC Peshawar were discussed. KPK government will reportedly coordinate for the set-up of MIC Peshawar.

Microsoft Innovation Centers (MICs) are a type of facilities that gives free resources and support for students, entrepreneurs and startups, managing the creation of new companies, jobs, and growth of the local software ecosystem.

Microsoft Pakistan is focusing on two innovation centers in Lahore and Karachi. These dynamic innovation centers are associated with state of the art technologies where freelancers, developers or anyone can move to utilize the facility for their own good.

Microsoft Pakistan utilizes these innovation centers, jump up to get a key to coordinate with provincial governments that are leading sources of commercial profits for the company.

PTCL to Boost Evo and Nitro Limits to Upto 300GB With Improved Prices

PTCL has declared a latest plan for packages for Nitro, Evo and Charji services with improved prices and additional download limit.

The greatly rotating news is that despite a significant rise in taxation, prices have reduced and the bandwidth limits have been raised.

It would not be wrong to say that new packages were something compulsory and visible to be move from PTCL that is emphasized by the revolving market. The developing market share of 3G and 4G subscribers indicates that PTCL was confronting major level competition than before. Higher monthly download limits for 3G and 4G Dongles were also adding more to PTCL’s sufferings.

There was a period when PTCL had monopoly and EVO’s were the second option for connectivity on the go. Now a large number of telcos have prelude their own 3G and 4G powered devices at supportive prices for the very same use cases.

Most significantly the move follows the allotment of more spectrum to PTCL. This has permitted them to make their packages more inspiring by enhancing the bandwidth limitations across the board that also indicates that one can expect than before experience on the EVO and Nitro devices. However these trendy packages have not been updated on PTCL website till now the latest prices and bandwidth limits are in effect quickly.

If you are in mood to update your recent package all you need to do just call the PTCL helpline and inquire to do so. They are valid for all current and new users.

Please note:

New EVO and Nitro packages are available for both new and existing subscribers
New EVO and Nitro packages are in effect from today
Prices mentioned above are including taxes (Both GST and WHT)
Existing users can call helpline to convert their packages; one time package conversion fee may apply!
We are hearing that these plans are valid till Dec 31st, 2015 only, however, we couldn’t get this confirmed.

UBL Funds Introduces the 1st Mobile App in the Asset Management Sector

UBL Fund Managers Limited declares the prelude of the UBL Funds smart savings App, the best of its kind mobile application introduced from the Asset Management Industry in Pakistan. This supportive app is available on iPhone and Android phones and can be accessed from the app store and Google Play as well.

This technical app gives investors access to their investment account on the go. It has simple to use interface and design permitting investors to examine their investment portfolio, make multiple transactions round the clock and update their profile details. Furthermore this application also provides the trendy UBL Fund prices, supporting investors updated for all their investment requirements. One needs to register on the UBL Funds just one time, on the other hand investors can utilize same Login ID and password for the UBL Funds Smart Savings App.

Mir Muhammad Ali, CEO UBL Fund Managers, said:

At UBL Funds we believe innovation is the key. In today’s fast moving technological world, it is imperative to keep up with the changing trends and provide cutting-edge technology based solutions so as to continue to facilitate our clients’ requirements at every step.

He further added that:

The UBL Funds Smart Savings app is a revolutionary addition to the Asset Management Industry in Pakistan. With the upward trend in mobile and internet services in Pakistan, we felt it necessary to bring forth a mobile application that will help make investing easier and more accessible for our clients.

Some additional attributes on the UBL Funds Mobile Application comprises Portfolio Value, Making E-Transactions, downloading Account Statements, Allocation and Analytics, Searching the nearest Investment Center location amongst other features.

PTA banned on BlackBerry Enterprise Server Due to security concerns

In the latest move regarding the security concerns, the telecom department PTA has contacted the cellular operators of Pakistan via notification to shut down BlackBerry Enterprise Server ( BES) before December 1, 2015.

The letter received by the operators states that:

Due to serious concerns expressed by security agencies, Mobilink, Ufone and Telenor are requested to give their BES customers 90 days notice for closing their connections by or before Nov 30, 2015.

BES is company’s well-secured service that encrypts data such as emails and BlackBerry Messenger messages sent between a user’s phone and public networks to enhance user’s privacy level.

Usually these services are preferred by the corporate sector and foreign mission for email sharing an access the internet through a dedicated server that is isolated from the whole world, averting them from scrutiny by police and intelligence agencies.

According to an estimation, “there are nearly 4,000 to 7,000 BES customers in Pakistan who will be affected by this decision of PTA however, the authority is of the view that it is providing enough time to the consumers so that they can convert their communication mechanism to other services”.

According to a spokesperson of PTA, Mr. Khurram Mehran,

the decision to block the BES has been taken on the directives of the Interior Ministry due to security reasons as Blackberry Enterprise Server is hard to be tracked or decoded.

It is positive impact for Pakistan that it is listed one of the countries who has banned the BlackBerry Enterprise Servers as the Company had similar problems in past India, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia.

However, this ban will not affect the BlackBerry’s Internet Services (BIS) in the country and hence Blackberry users in the country will be able to continue using internet, voice and SMS services on their phones.

On the other hand, the operators don’t have any affect by this decision of PTA as a large number of public has switched to smartphones from Blackberry phones.

PTCL Introduces new CharJi Evo LTE Tab with Different Free Goodies

PTCL has introduced new Charji EVO LTE Tab in Pakistan and offering bundle of free goodies that make it good worth of money. The tablet proffers various free goodies that make it good worth of money. The tablet is capable enough to manage the existing PTCL CharJi network and get theoretical speeds of up to 36Mbps.

This CharJi Evo LTE Tab comes with a 7-inch HD screen with a resolution of 1280×720 pixels. The tablet’s design is quite similar to the Galaxy S3 and not like the previous 3G Evo tab which used to have massive bezels.

This is supported by Snapdragon quad-core processor clocked at 1.2GHz coupled with 2GB of RAM. This has special storage capacity that comes at 16GB exclusively extendable via microSD card of up to 64GB. This tablet has Dual-SIM capability where one of the sims is dedicated to PTCL CharJi while the second sim can be used for normal GSM networks. Well its not finalized whether the second SIM powers 3G or 4G GSM networks. It is similar to normal mobile phone and can help to make calls and send text messages.

The tablet has duo of cameras. The front camera is a 2-megapixel unit while the rear camera comes at 8 megapixels. Moreover, it supports GPS car navigation as well. A 3,300-mAh battery under the hood powers the tablet.

PTCL Charji Evo LTE Tab Features:

CPU: Quad-core 1.2 GHz
GPU: Adreno 305
Chipset: Snapdragon 400 MSM8926
OS: Android 4.4 Kitkat
Supported Networks: 2G , 4G (PTCL), Dual-sim
Design:
Dimensions: 183.3mm x 96.8mm x 8.9mm
Weight: 242 grams
Display: 6.98” with 720p resolution
Memory:
RAM: 2 GB RAM
Internal: 16GB
Card slot: expandable by 64 GB via microSD
Camera:
Primary: 8MP with video, LED Flash and Auto focus
Secondary: 2MP
Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, Wi-Fi, Dual sim
Battery: 3,300 mAh
Colours: Black, White
Price: Rs.25,000
Free Goodies
5 GB of CharJi EVO LTE Data valid for 3 Months.
15,000 Ufone On-Net minutes valid for 3 Months.
Car Tablet Holder with 360-degree rotation.
1 Year subscription of Smart TV application [Over 150+ Live TV Channels & Video on Demand]
Car Charger
PTCL SmartLink Application.
Free Screen protector.
A lifetime subscription of turn-by-turn navigation from Sygic
Considering the free goodies, the tablet seems to provide good value for money on paper.

Where Can You Buy It?

You can get this anytime just put your order online from TCSConnect, Daraz.pk, Pakwheels, UMall, PTCL OCS and retail outlets. TCS is giving one hour delivery in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad/Rawalpindi. Customers also have the option of getting the tablet on installments from Bank Alfalah.

Samsung Galaxy Tab E With 9.6-Inch Display Goes Official

Adding crunch to all rumors Samsung has finally announced a new Galaxy Tab-series tablet the Galaxy Tab E, initially in Taiwan. It has just minimal weight of 490 grams, the Wi-Fi only Galaxy Tab E features a 9.6-inch (1280×800 pixels) WXGA TFT display.

This is controlled by a 1.3GHz quad-core processor coupled with 1.5GB of RAM. In terms of storage it has 8GB of built in capacity that is expandable with microSD card (up to 128GB). It runs on Android 4.4 KitKat. Its front camera concentrates on 5-megapixel autofocus rear camera and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. The rear camera can record 720p videos at 30fps.

The tabl connectivity options are so simple as can be connected with Wi-Fi, Micro-USB with OTG, Bluetooth, and Glonass options. You will feel pleasure to know that a healthy 5000mAh battery manages Galaxy Tab E.

There is also rumor that Samsung will introduce a 3G or 4G variant of the tablet as well. This trendy gadget is available by end of June at TWD 6,990 in Taiwan (approximately PKR.29, 000). So far, there has been no update on the global release of the Samsung Galaxy Tab E.

Samsung Galaxy Tab E Specifications:

Display: 9.60-inch

Resolution: 800×1280 pixels

Dimensions: 241.90mm x 149.50mm x 8.50mm

Processor: 1.3GHz quad core

Front Camera: 2-megapixel

RAM: 1.5GB

Operating System: Android KitKat

Internal Storage: 8GB

Expandable Storage: MicroSD storage up to 128 GB

Rear Camera: 5-megapixel

Front Camera: 2 mega Pixel

Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Micro-USB with OTG, Bluetooth and Glonass options.

Battery capacity 5000mAh

LTC Launches Bus Da Pata app to facilitate the commuters of Lahore

Pakistan infrastructure is now improving on everyday, they are introducing some leading changes in the regular patterns of getting things performed and a recent such example has been supported by Lahore Transportation Company who is about to present first of its kind app for the Smartphone users named as ‘Bus Da Pata’.

Using this Bus app one can get the routes details and Bus stops of Lahore and below aspects:

1. Next Bus Arrival Time.

2. Trip Planner.

3. Live Bus Locator

4. Fare Information.

5. Route Information.

The company will further declare its own Public Transportation Smartphone apps on Tuesday 16th June 2015 at 11 AM.

This elegant app named as Bus da Pata is very easy to use with decent interface. You can download it from Google Play store but the company has not announced about its arrival for the iTunes yet.

Pakistan will Present Asia’s First Smartphone Film Festival in Sep 2015

This is the first time in the Asian film industry when Pakistan will be the only country representing the Smartphone Film Festival in September this year. On this platform, audience can see the founder of iPhone Film Festival Mr. Ruben Kazantsev and Hollywood’s filmmaker as both will inaugurate the festival personally. It was declared in a pre-launch ceremony at the Pak American Cultural Center (PACC) in Karachi.

It is organized by iSmart Films with the collaboration of the world’s most popular iPhone Film Festival, Wajood Media, Blems Production and MadJoint Studios, people are looking forward for this Smartphone Film Festival that will feature movies and documentaries as well, produced by local filmmakers utilizing their Smartphone devices.

The basic purpose of the prelaunch ceremony cum press conference was to upgrade the Asia’s first and the world’s 9th Smartphone Film Festival being organized this year in Pakistan. The press conference started with the detailed media comprising details for the prime objectives of the festival including a question & answer session. After this a significant film reviewing session was also arranged presenting the movie making projects produced by the local young film young creators and media students using their mobile devices.

Speaking on the historic occasion, Mr. Kamran Ata, Cofounder iSmart Films, said that the modern telecommunication devices and newly-introduced smart phones and had enabled common men and women to capture thrilling stories and share those videos via social media in a second.

Thanks to these small, pocket-sized mobile phones, Pakistani youth has got a wonderful medium to showcase their hidden talent as potential filmmakers and make a bigger impact in the film making world globally. Considering the growing number of Smartphone users in the country, this mega Smartphone Film Festival renders an equal opportunity to both men and women, especially empowering our local women to rule the roost with the power of Smartphone technology and the vigilant eye for capturing the imagination, added by Mr. Ata, Cofounder iSmart Films.

Mr. Abid Beli, Cofounder iSmart Films, also spoke on the occasion. In his address, he invited local Smartphone users to make the most of this tremendous opportunity by submitting their films and the rest of the video creations in the upcoming mega festival.

Being made with the collaboration of iSmart Films, the audiences were also introduced the filming projects submitted by Ms. Asma Alwaz of Khairpur Sindh and Mr. Faizan Sheikh, a student of Iqra University Karachi, including many other students of media studies. These video concepts received an outstanding applause from the viewers.

The worldly popular iPhone Film Festival gives a platform for young filmmakers giving them support and energizing them to support them create visually attractive masterpieces that have the competency to change the world. Now with millions of film submission in more than 50 countries all over the world the

Breaking: Punjab Government withdraw Taxes Imposed on Internet

A recent news in Lahore confirmed that Punjab Government has decided to withdraw taxes imposed on internet. Taxes withdrawals on internet were declared in today’s budget Speech by Dr Ayesha Ghaus, FINANCE Minister Punjab, in Punjab Assembly. She also added that Punjab government has finalized to not to tax internet in the province.

On 28 May 2015, using an SRO Punjab Government had imposed 19.5% taxes. Taxes were applicable on all kinds of data comprising DSL, 3G, 4G, EVDO, WiMAX, FTTH, etc. from May 29th, 2015. It was scared that other provinces can pursue Punjab by TAXING all kinds of internet, including mobile data.

Punjab’s decision for internet taxing met with great criticism through industry and consumers alike. Stakeholders raised different statements against the taxes and concerned the provincial government of the monetary losses that national economy can face because of internet taxes.

Digital publishers also raised voice against the taxes and blacked out their websites in protest against the said TAXES.

Leading websites including UrduPoint.com, Ilmkidunya.com, Siasat.pk, HamariWeb.com, Comics by Arsalan, The News Tribe, Pak Hungama, NetMag, Pakistan Tech News and dozens of other websites and internet celebrities joined the campaign and kept their home-screens black in protest against internet TAXES. All protesting digital publishers and bloggers declared the quick stoppage of black-out campaign.

CHAIRMAN Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, Dr. Ismail Shah, also rejected the taxes and played a role in convincing Punjab government for taking back the TAXES.

ICT3, a think tank on telecom, through its president Sohaib Sheikh, also played a vital role in raising the concerns of the industry.

Taxes turnaround on internet will act as a catalyst for internet uptake in the country. No need to declare internet users grew 500% during past one year and this development is likely to sustain for at least next three years.

Punjab decision to take back the internet taxes will discourage any future efforts from federal and other provincial governments for taking the internet.

Source