Category: Technology

Islamabad (Muhammad Yasir) Huawei Pakistan held a Microfilm Premiere recently at Serena Hotel. The Microfilms followed the stories of three Pakistani’s who ventured out of their country, to make a better life for themselves, their loved ones, and their family. Although these might just be films, this is the truth for millions of Pakistanis worldwide who have only a few ways to stay connected to their loved ones, and Huawei Pakistan has vowed to stand behind these people.

The Premiere was attended by the Federal Minister of Information and Broadcasting of Pakistan, Mr. Fawad Chaudhary, Federal Secretary for IT and Telecommunications, Dr. Sohail Rajput, Ambassador of People’s Republic of China to Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Mr. Nong Rong, Deputy CEO Huawei Pakistan, Mr. Ahmed Bilal Masud and Mr. Wuhan, along with other distinguished guests.

Each of the microfilms depicted the life of different individuals; a construction worker working in the UAE to help send monetary support for his ailing mother. A salon girl, the eldest sibling in the house, breaking stereotypes to lend her father a helping hand to financially support their family, and a taxi driver, who dreamed of becoming the first engineer in his family but sacrificed that dream to make sure that he could give his son that future instead.

Federal Minister of Information and Broadcasting of Pakistan, Mr. Fawad Chaudhary stated at the event, “I would like to thank Huawei for making these emotionally evoking films that show the truth for many Pakistanis. With their help, we’ve accomplished a lot in the past in the realms of ICT and we are counting on Huawei’s continued support in different collaborations in the future. The way things are going, and with Huawei’s unwavering support, we are sure that Pakistan will fulfill its goal of becoming ‘Digital Pakistan’ quite soon.

Federal Secretary for IT and Telecommunications, Dr Sohail Rajput resonated the same sentiment, saying, “On the front of Digital Transformation, Huawei is helping the Government of Pakistan in helping 1000 government officers in the field of digital technologies. We hope that in the future we can enhance this scope and engage in more partnerships in further training our youth as well.”

Ambassador of People’s Republic of China to Islamic Republic of Pakistan，Mr Nong Rong also added, “By perfecting Huawei’s technical support, product supply and other services, strengthening technical exchange and local talent training, as well as seriously implementing social responsibilities, they can, together with their Pakistani partners, make incessant contribution of wisdom and force to the implementation of “Digital Pakistan Initiative”, to the economic and social development of Pakistan, and to the building of a closer China-Pakistan community.”

Deputy CEO Huawei Pakistan Mr ABM also remarked, “We will continue to work together, we all need to treat the improvement of digital skills as a priority and tackle the challenges facing governments, enterprises, and even technology firms themselves to be able to bring the benefits of digitization to more people, homes, and organizations than ever before.”

Additionally, the winning Pakistani team that grabbed the first prize in the 2020-2021 Huawei Middle East ICT Competition was awarded a prize of 20,000 USD.

The films were highly emotional and depicted Huawei’s quiet but strong support in showing that #TechBringsUsCloser.Furthermore, by providing HCIA and HCIP certifications to bridge the gap between industry and academia, the company is giving Pakistan’s youth the ICT skills it needs to ensure the vision of Digital Pakistan.

Lahore (NUT-Technology)

Today, a whole new world of infotainment is available online, instantly accessible for every smartphone user, nurturing a prolific new lifestyle. While the smart-devices industry is experiencing unprecedented progress at an enormous scale and speed, Pakistan must take maximum advantage of this revolution, to unleash the enormous potential of its youth at this critical juncture, to overcome the major challenges faced by this resilient nation.

In 2020, the telecom sector in Pakistan contributed 278 billion rupees to the economy – 129% higher than the previous year, while the country’s tele-density has reached well over 84%, with more than 184 million cellular subscribers. Thus, it is promising big revenue-opportunities for the investors. Due to this robust performance, almost all the global manufacturers of mobile-devices are planning to enter Pakistan, while ‘Infinix’ – a resourceful multi-national, has already pioneered the manufacturing of hi-tech devices in Karachi.

‘Infinix’ is surely the No. 1 smartphone brand in Pakistan, with the fastest business growth. It is showing complete confidence in the ability of this nation to progress, despite major crises like the Covid-19 pandemic. Infinix is proud to be the only manufacturer of smartphones, which has established 3 smartphone-factories in Pakistan, operating for more than a year now. Hence, the robust investments and advanced telecom technologies from Infinix are already gaining great recognition and reputation in this key Asian market.

These 3 state-of-the-art production plants installed by Infinix in Karachi, have provided employment for more than 6,000 people, with a capacity to manufacture the most sophisticated technologies for high-quality smart-devices sought by various consumer-segments. Local manufacturing of such high-tech products in Pakistan has enabled valuable savings in the import-bills and foreign-exchange. These valuable contributions of Infinix are enriching the national economy, while also promoting the ‘Made in Pakistan’ brand, all over the world.

Speaking at a forum, as the Chief Executive Officer of Infinix, I – Joe Hu, had recently promised to all our consumers and stakeholders that our company will pursue a new vision to achieve “Progress through innovation”, with a powerful strategy to introduce the best technology products in Pakistan. Nearly 70 percent of Infinix workforce in Pakistan are women. This clearly reflects our strong commitment for “Women’s Empowerment” and global best-practices, along with other social-development initiatives to improve quality of life, Public-Health and Education for the masses.

Infinix Mobile is a subsidiary of Transsion – a globally leading Chinese company that achieved the highest market share (47%) during the 2nd quarter of 2021. It also achieved 409% growth as a smartphone vendor in Pakistan. In the same period, ‘Vivo Mobile’ achieved 23% unit-share, while Xiaomi was ranked 3rd with 11% unit share. Samsung was 4th on the list with 9% share and Oppo came 5th with 7% share in Pakistan’s smartphones market.

In future, Infinix plans to focus on bringing cutting-edge technologies into Pakistan. One of its spectacular innovations is the Concept Phone 2021 that boasts a 160W fast-charging, to fully charge a 4,000 mAh battery in just 10 minutes. It is also working on other revolutionary features like; Color-changing technology to liven up the rear panel. Meanwhile, Infinix is also developing a sustainable technological ecosystem that will nurture the support industries for local-manufacturing of devices in Pakistan.

Currently, all three Infinix plants in Pakistan are based on Semi Knocked Down (SKD) components only. However, Infinix is now striving to enable ‘Completely Knocked Down’ (CKD) manufacturing in the country, to significantly reduce the cost of production, and achieve higher efficiencies. The CKD production-model will create a lot more room for local manufacturers to improve their quality-standards and build-capacity to produce more sophisticated technologies, indigenously. Infinix is thus enabling Pakistani industries to gain self-sufficiency in producing smart-devices. This game-changing development will soon bring tremendous opportunities for the mobile sector, leading to a brighter future for the nation.

 

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

Clubhouse, an audio-only chat app, said  it will launch a spatial audio feature to make voices sound as if they’re coming from different directions, helping conversations and virtual performances feel more life-like.

The app, which is backed by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, jumpstarted the social audio trend last year and became known for chatrooms of thousands that included chief executives and celebrities. However, it faces increasing competition from larger tech giants like Facebook, Twitter and Spotify, which have all introduced their own social audio chat features.

The new surround-sound-like feature will help Clubhouse lean into performances and entertainment rooms that have proliferated on the app.

Depending on how many speakers are in a Clubhouse room and a variety of other factors, the app’s technology will assign users a spatial positioning, so that the listener will hear the voices surround them in their headphones, said Justin Uberti, Clubhouse’s head of streaming technology.

In comedy rooms for instance, Clubhouse’s technology will detect the main speaker and place that person’s voice in the “front,” while the laughter of other people could sound as if they’re coming from a listener’s left and right sides, he said.

“I could hear people laughing and the room erupts around me,” Uberti said. “You can imagine in music … there’s a lot of potential.”

The spatial technology also makes it easier to detect when different users are speaking, whereas people previously might have to pay attention to the speakers’ cadence and vocal timbre, he added. Clubhouse, which started as an invite-only app and recently was opened to all users, said more than 700,000 rooms are now created each day, up from 300,000 in May. Spatial audio will roll out first to iOS users and then Android users soon after, Clubhouse said.

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

Google is seemingly adamant in its decision to maintain the coveted role of default search engine on iOS, a strategy that could generate nearly $15 billion for Apple in 2021, according to one industry analyst.

The analysts drew out two potential risks for Google’s payment to Apple, regulatory risk and Google deciding the deal is no longer worth it. Google may end the deal or it may try to renegotiate terms and decrease the amount it pays. The regulatory risk is a 4-5% impact to Apple’s gross profits in case of an adverse ruling.

Apple has been criticized for retaining Google as a search engine over the years, but the company’s senior director of global privacy, Jane Horvath, provided reasons in an interview, that Google was the most popular search engine. Google payments to the company account for Services segment, which helps showcase to its investors that it has more ways to grow revenue and profit.

While Google continues to pay hefty amounts to Apple to retain its search engine in Safari browsers, analysts predict the amount may increase over the years, leaving Google to stop payments or renegotiate the price to be paid with Apple.

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

The upcoming iPhone 13 series is expected to be a lot more pricey than previously expected as leaks indicate Apple might sell the smartphone at a higher price to prepare itself for the upcoming chip shortage. Apple is going to launch the much-touted iPhone 13 series soon and there are rumours it would be a lot pricier than previously expected as US technological company might sell the smartphone at a higher price to prepare itself for the upcoming chip shortage.

According to a report by Digitimes, TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company), one of the leading Apple suppliers for SoC is expected to increase its costs of chip production by a whopping 20 percent, which would result in a domino effect that would impact TSMC customers (which includes Apple) and by extension, us.

The new pricing is expected to go into effect in January 2022, however, to prevent itself from spiking its pricing again, Apple could price their phones in a way that would factor this price hike, and try to minimize its impact on the profits.

The spike in cost is due to TSMC’s adoption of more advanced and mature manufacturing processes. The report also highlights that these price adjustments would be also seen on orders scheduled to be fulfilled starting December this year.

According to new leaks, it has been revealed that Apple has created a new Face ID hardware, which basically will allow you to unlock the iPhone even if you wear a mask or glasses.

This has been tested by the company’s employees in various scenarios. Even after that, they are needed to set up the Face ID without a mask or glasses.

The iPhone 13 is expected to have improved cameras, bigger batteries, a small notch, an A15 Bionic chip, iOS 15, and other exciting features. Its launch is expected to be followed by more Apple products, including the AirPods 3, new Macs, and more.

OPPO Reno6 Series To Launch in September – Will The Reno6 also be a technological Marvel Like its Predecessors?

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Global smart device brand OPPO is all set to expand its smartphone line-up in Pakistan. The company has confirmed that it will launch the Reno6 series on the 8^th of September. OPPO has never been one to skimp on style, technology, and performance; the Reno series is a testament to this fact.

The Reno series has always been well received in Pakistan and everywhere in the world. This is because this series has it all! Whatever your desire, whether design, usability, or the tech, you are bound to find something that caters to you in the OPPO Reno device family line-up.  The OPPO Reno series has always brought something revolutionary to the market. The first Reno featured the 10X Zoom where OPPO introduced the periscopic lens for the first time. OPPO Reno2 boasted the ultra-steady mode, 20X hybrid zoom whereas the Reno2F had the Ultra Night Mode and Ultra Wide Angle camera. With the Reno3, OPPO redefined picture clarity with its brilliant camera allowing you to capture every tiny detail. Reno4 featured the AI Color Portrait while the Reno4 Pro came with the 65W SuperVOOC 2.0 Flash Charge! This year, OPPO launched the Reno5 and Reno5 Pro showcasing a plethora of features. Every Reno series phone featured elegant design, incredibly fast processors and unique imaging features.

OPPO is known as a fashionable smart device brand and continues to redefine the standards of sleek and stylish smartphones.  The Reno6 is rumoured to have its famous Reno Glow design, featuring a tapestry of light and color inspired by the wildest depths of our imagination. The company will be sharing more information about their soon-to-be-launched smartphone. Stay tuned for more inspiring news coming soon from OPPO.

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

YouTube revealed that it has removed more than one million videos with “dangerous coronavirus misinformation” since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The statement by the Google-owned video platform comes as social media platforms are under fire from political leaders for failing to stem the spread of false and harmful misinformation and disinformation about the virus and other topics.

YouTube said in a blog post it relies on “expert consensus from health organizations,” including the US Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization, but noted that, in some cases, “misinformation is less clear-cut” as new facts emerge.

“Our policies center on the removal of any videos that can directly lead to egregious real world harm,” chief product officer Neal Mohan wrote.

“Since February of 2020, we’ve removed over one million videos related to dangerous coronavirus information, like false cures or claims of a hoax,” he said.

“In the midst of a global pandemic, everyone should be armed with absolutely the best information available to keep themselves and their families safe.”

YouTube said it was working to accelerate the process for removing videos with misinformation while simultaneously delivering those from authoritative sources.

Mohan said the platform currently removes close to 10 million videos per quarter and that the majority of them have been watched less than 10 times.

“Speedy removals will always be important but we know they’re not nearly enough… The most important thing we can do is increase the good and decrease the bad,” he said.

“When people now search for news or information, they get results optimized for quality, not for how sensational the content might be.”

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

Google is helping users from Data theft Under the law ‘right to be forgotten’ — first introduced in 2014 by the European Union (EU) — citizens of the EU and UK can fill a simple form with details of the information they want to be removed from Google search listings.

According to Google, since the law was introduced the technology company has received more than 4.4 million delisting requests. However, the tech giant only processed 47% of requests. If Google denies a request, the applicants are informed through email.

The requests were denied due to several reasons; mostly the requests were turned down because they considered the information to be in the public interest. For example, any information related to someone’s professional life, criminal records, etc.

The information that the tech giant removes is only personal information for instance names, family information and addresses. With the help of data broker sites, fraudsters could collect this sort of information and then change passwords and engineer a fake profile of that person.

Nonetheless, the key risk area identified by the tech giant is social media. According to the company, most of the removal requests they receive are URLs from social media websites. However, it is pertinent to mention that if a URL is delisted from Google search, it does not mean that the site itself has removed the data.

To protect your privacy and data, the self-audit of your online presence is very important. To begin with, search about yourself on Google to see what information is publically available. Once you have built up a picture of your web presence, you identify information that you can and cannot have removed. Then, you can request removal from search engines or web privacy companies to secure your online identity.

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

Facebook-owned messaging giant WhatsApp is reportedly working on a new feature called “message reactions.”

According to WABetainfo, the feature in itself is not new as it’s available on popular messaging apps like Messenger, iMessage, Twitter and Instagram. Message reactions on WhatsApp are expected to work similarly. to other apps like Messenger and Twitter. You can react to a message with emoji and the ones usually available are heart, laugh, angry, smile, like or dislike

“You already know what is a reaction: it’s usually an emoji that you can place on a message to express emotions. Instagram, Twitter, iMessage already support message reactions and today we can start to discover the progress of their development,” read a post on WABetainfo.

A screenshot provided by the blog showed a message that reads, “You received a reaction. Update your version of WhatsApp to see reactions.”

The Facebook-owned messaging app is working on introducing a message to present when the user is using an outdated version of the app that does not support receiving reactions.In this case, the user can not see the reaction but WhatsApp will present a different message, asking to update WhatsApp to see the reaction.

WhatsApp will obviously implement this feature on WhatsApp for iOS and Web/Desktop as the screenshot taken above is from a WhatsApp beta for Android.