Category: Technology

Pakistan researchers among winners of Facebook misinformation project

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Lahore (Muhammad Yasir)  Facebook announced the winners of its Foundation Integrity Research: Misinformation and Polarization request for proposals. Among the global list of winners are Agha Ali Raza and Ihsan Ayyub Qazi from Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), whose proposal shone during the competitive selection process.

Misinformation and polarization are fundamental challenges Facebook faces, not just as a company with the mission of bringing people together but also as members of societies dealing with layered challenges ranging from election interference to a global pandemic. At the end of February, Facebook Research launched a request for proposals focusing on these dual challenges. “Our goal is to support independent research that will contribute to the understanding of these phenomena and, in the long term, help us improve our policies, interventions, and tooling,” said Alex Leavitt, Senior Researcher at Facebook.

Agha Ali Raza and Ihsan Ayyub Qazi’s research sets out to measure the role of prior beliefs and analytical reasoning, and how this impacts the beliefs of internet users, as well as to design an educational intervention that uses influential public figures to spread awareness about misinformation in order to reduce polarization, among other goals.

The winning duo shared “We are thrilled to have our research been awarded the grant by Facebook which would serve as a stepping stone for us to take our project forward. Through our research, we aim to understand how non-textual misinformation (e.g. deepfakes) is perceived by internet users with low digital literacy, and the role of pre-conceived notions and analytical reasoning in shaping the beliefs of such users. We are hopeful that by the completion of this project, we will be able to make a substantial contribution towards combating the circulation of false and unverified information on the internet.”

Facebook opened a request for proposals for academic institutions or non-governmental organizations from all over the world in February this year. This resulted in over 1,000 proposals being received from 77 countries altogether. Out of these, 25 awardees have been finalized, who will be investigating issues across 42 countries including Canada, Denmark, Pakistan, Turkey and the UK.

Proposals were evaluated by a selection committee which comprised of members from Facebook’s research and policy teams. The winners’ areas of research will include health, politics, digital literacy, and news, while the research itself is not restricted to Facebook apps and technology.

OPPO F15 with its amazing features is irresistible for all gamers

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(NUT Desk) Gamers are not easily pleased when it comes to playing games on smartphones. These are people who will pay extra just for a mere 10 percent increase in performance. Lucky for them, the OPPO F15 is a dream come true for all gamers and is now available at an amazing price of PKR 39,999. The recently launched OPPO F15 is a mid-range smartphone with high-end features to change the game. From using a speed-binned processor to super VOOC charging, the OPPO F15 is a super-fast beast machine in a pocketable package.

Here are 5 reasons that make OPPO F15 the best phone and the best purchase right now for gamers.

  1. New Price

Lightning-fast – endless fun smartphone is now available at an exciting new price of             PKR 39,999, which was previously available at PKR 44,999. The price change is an added bonus making it the perfect purchase this August.

2. Lightning Fast Speed

The lightning-fast processor of the OPPO F15 enables users to have fast and smooth gaming experience. This means that playing high-end games on the smartphone is not a problem, especially when paired with 8GB RAM + 128GB built-in space allowing the user to fit the gaming world in their palms.

  1. FHD+ AMOLED Screen – 2400×1080 pixels of brilliance

While ignored, the most crucial requirement for a smooth gaming experience is the display. OPPO F15’s 2400X1080 pixel resolution allows an easy viewer experience and the DC Dimming 2.0 protects eyesight while playing games. In addition to this, the Corning Gorilla Glass 5 provides sturdy protection against falls with 80% of tested screens surviving 1.6-meter drops.

4.  Ultra-Thin – Lightness you can feel 

For gamers, ergonomics is an important matter. The OPPO F15 is an ultra-thin device with its weight evenly distributed so that the user does not feel the mass at all. It sits perfectly in the hands as the user maneuver through the controls while playing.

  1. Game Boost 2.0 – Smooth Move

The OPPO F15 comes with a game boost 2.0, allowing the users to conquer new levels and unleash pure performance that examines control issues and latency as well as refresh rates and touch control to deliver a perfectly smooth performance.

  1. 20W VOOC Flash Charge

The battery is another important aspect of gaming. The 20W VOOC Flash Charge allows gamers to charge on the go and have unstoppable gaming experience. With two hours of talk in a five-minute charge or 50% in 30 minutes, VOOC Flash Charge 3.0 and a 4000mAh3 big battery will keep you going all day long.

 Unleash the gamer inside you with the most powerful mid-range smartphone OPPO F15 for the Lightning Fast – Endless Fun gaming experience.

To book online visit: https://www.oppo.com/pk/bookonline/

TPL Trakker’s Location Based Services to Power Bykea’s App

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Lahore (Muhammad Yasir)  TPL Trakker, Pakistan’s leading Telematics Company providing IoT, Tracking, Mapping and Location Based Solutions, has partnered with the country’s leading On-Demand Ride-Hailing and Logistics Service, Bykea to power its all-in-one mobile app.

Following the partnership, Bykea is going to use Location Based Service (LBS) APIs powered by TPL Maps, the mapping arm of TPL Trakker, to power their all-in-one mobile App for transportation, deliveries and cash on delivery payments.

The Karachi-based, homegrown startup accounts for over half of the bike ride-hailing market. Given the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak, Bykea requires an efficient and cost-effective Location Based Services provider that is finely tuned to provide optimal, customized services. With the largest location based dataset covering 400 cities, 4.5 million geocoded addresses and 600,000 km of road network, TPL Trakker is ideally positioned to meet the needs of Bykea; supporting their continued growth and success in the On-Demand Digital space.

A significant number of startups and established businesses alike in Pakistan are testing and choosing TPL Trakker’s LBS APIs to make their assets location-enabled. In the year 2020 alone, TPL Trakker has grown its client base by 400% after partnering with several brands in the Telecommunications sector as well as the On-Demand Delivery Services sector.

The two companies signed an agreement on 24th July, 2020 to finalize this partnership. Speaking on the collaboration, Sarwar Ali Khan, CEO, TPL Trakker said, “Location based Services are the backbone of the On-Demand Services economy. We have seen Bykea grow and succeed over the years and we are proud to support their continued growth through our Location Based Service [LBS] APIs. Our strengths in data, technological performance, cost-efficiency and overall customer support services are driving leading international and domestic brands to choose us as their preferred LBS provider. We are proud to welcome Bykea into our client base and we look forward to a long and fruitful collaboration together. ”

Abdul Mannan, Chief Information Office, Bykea said, “We have chosen TPL Trakker to support our continued success and growth in Pakistan. The team at Bykea anticipates greater improvements to our services by collaborating with a company with local knowledge and expertise. We are excited to see what the future holds by supporting and integrating with Pakistani companies”.

• realme Pakistan announces realme Fan festival. Super Products Hot Sale & Fun Campaigns. Save the Date 20.8

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Lahore (Muhammad Yasir)  With so many exciting activities lined up this whole month of August for realme fans, lifestyle partner of the youth realme Pakistan jumpstarts the realme Fan fest Month with special sales and launch events. In just over a year and a half, realme Pakistan was able to soar because of the overwhelming support it receives from the realme fans. realme is very grateful for the confidence fans gives to their products. This fuels brand to offer more devices that elevate the tech-lifestyle experience of Pakistanis. As gratitude, realme Pakistan bid to spread joy this August through the realme Fan Fest!

realme Pakistan is gearing up for “Super Fan Festival” the biggest online event till now with product launches, brand milestones and exciting giveaways. Amazing discounts will be announced Upto 25% so fans are requested to tune in live on Facebook for updates. realme will be unveiling All new realme C12, Buds Q, Smartwatch, Power bank 2 & back packs for fans this month.

realme fans better get prepared for this August as the brand celebrates its first-ever FanFest month as a way to thank everyone who supported them in the country. For the whole month of August, lots of activities are in store for realme Fans as they have lined up tons of programs and surprises.

The number of realme’s global mobile phone users exceeded 35 million, an increase of 5 million in two months to 40 million. realme sustained its growth in the first half of this year and plans to achieve 100 million mobile phone sales within 2 to 3 years. realme has announced the “mobile phone + AIoT dual-drive” strategy at the beginning of 2020, and is committed to creating a smart and trendsetting lifestyle for young people with all things connected. In six months, realme has released dozens of AIoT products, and plans to release more than 50 AIoT products in 2020 and more than 100 in 2021.

realme will maintain the trend of growing and continue to provide young people with trendy technology products that fit their preferences with superior performance and trendsetting design realme provides superior quality and trendsetting smartphones and AIoT products to the global market. realme users are young, ambitious and globally minded. realme products empower these people to ‘Dare to Leap’ using the latest in technology and design.

Infinix zero 8: Peak mobile performance with G90T is here

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Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Infinix’s new device is closer than ever, as some reports have revealed that the smartphone manufacturer is set to unveil its much awaited flagship the Infinix Zero 8 in coming months. The rumored upgrade to Zero series is one of the most anticipated phones of the year, and there are some solid reasons behind that. 
  
According to sources, the Infinix Zero 8 will be the speed legend and reportedly have the G90T series of system-on-chips (SoCs) that are designed explicitly for gaming phones. Infinix reportedly also has teamed up with tencent to give the users of Zero 8 unmatched gaming experience of PUBG. G90T is one of the most excellent processors in the market, which is equipped with Cat-12 4G LTE World-mode modem, which provides reliable connectivity and smooth experience.
  
Playing game is one of our favorite ways of passing the time, and with G90T experience in your phone, you may not need an Xbox or PlayStation to get stellar graphics and audio. There may also be other considerations such as refresh rates, screen size, gaming modes, cooling systems, and more, which tend to be more directly targeted in phones built with gaming in mind. If rumors are to be believed, this feature will surely provide enhanced gaming experience to users who have gaming as their top priority.
Apart from offering a game-focused feature, the real win may be the phone’s speed and performance. Infinix Zero 8 will supposedly get its juice from a powerful processor. The processors are one of the biggest contributors when it comes to performance. After all, it’s the engine responsible for a wide range of processes from handling calls, texts, or running Facebook to review a PowerPoint presentation, or browsing graphics-heavy websites. That said, the bigger and faster the RAM, storage, battery, and temperature, the smoother the performance will be, especially while multi-tasking. This would surely be a big jump as compared to much acclaimed Infinix Note 7. 
Then, perhaps most importantly, the price is also a consideration. Not everyone can afford a supercar-like handset in their pocket at all times. It’s not certain how much Infinix Zero 8 will cost, going by the leak, the price bracket would be around 35 to 40K.  
With the remarkable success of Note 7 that ticks all the boxes from the user’s perspective, Infinix Zero 8 may take a giant leap forward to enable consumers to stand out in the crowd and show the world they really are.

Huawei and 5G industrial Partners Launched The First Batch Of 5G industrial Application

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Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) At the “5G for Good, Innovate for New Value” summit, Huawei and 5G industrial partners jointly launched the first batch of 5G industrial applications. This initiative accelerates the development of 5G, marking the maturity of the 5G industry ecosystem.

Around 50 partners joined the ecosystem so far, including those specialized in both industry and general equipment domains. The scope spans multiple verticals, including 5G industrial communication modules and terminals, 5G antennas, smart manufacturing, smart logistics, smart coal mining, smart healthcare, new media live broadcast, smart city, and smart power grid.

“Year 2020 will see a scaled global commercial rollout of 5G and nation-wide deployment in China. The era of rapid 5G development has come. An essential part of the digital foundation, 5G will drive the upgrade in five industries: connectivity, AI, cloud, computing, and industrial applications.

5G is set to realize digital transformation across industries to trigger a new round of high-speed development. With the growing maturity of the 5G industry ecosystem, 5G module shipment has started on a massive scale. After half a year of R&D conducted by industry equipment and module vendors, a large number of 5G terminals for industrial applications have advanced to the project testing phase.

Over 100 types of 5G industry terminals are expected to be launched this year. To better support the incubation of the industry ecosystem, Huawei will open up its 5GtoB lab, which will be predominantly used for testing the capabilities of 5G vertical industry terminals. Huawei aims to build a robust platform for developing industrial applications in collaboration with industry organizations, and to promote industry chain development and application promotion together with partners. Our vision is to enable the ecosystem to thrive, explore new fields, and create new value,” said Mr. Xu Weizhong, Wireless Network Chief Strategy Officer of Huawei.

5G drives the digital transformation of industries, facilitating the adoption of 5G network capabilities (from eMBB to URLLC to mMTC) to achieve scaled commercialization of industrial applications. We look forward to working with industry partners to advance 5G across industries toward bigger success.

Files by Google launches privacy-driven ‘safe folder’ Marks 150 million monthly users

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Lahore (Muhammad Yasir)  Today, Google launched a new Safe Folder feature in its Files app that now has over 150 million users worldwide and cleaned more than 1 trillion files since launching in December 2017. This feature will be initially available to more than 2 million users with the rollout gradually expanding to all of Files’ users over the next few weeks.

Safe Folder is a secure 4-digit PIN-encrypted folder that helps people easily store important documents, images, videos and audio files, keeping their personal files safe from being opened or accessed by others. The folder won’t allow users to take screenshots or screen recordings of its contents. It’s also locked as soon as users switch away from the app, so none of its contents can be accessed when the app is in the background, and will ask for their PIN again on reentry.

Files was initially created for people with low phone storage, many of whom live in countries like Pakistan, India, Nigeria and Brazil. The Safe Folder feature has been built as people in these countries also frequently share their device with friends and family members. “The practice of device sharing is universal in places where access to smartphones is more limited, often strengthened by cultural norms around sharing of resources,” said Joris van Mens, Product Manager at Google. “While privacy looks different for each person, this feature is one way we’re providing greater controls for people to manage their personal content, even when sharing devices.”

 Files’ new “Safe Folder” feature enables users to store important files in a
PIN-encrypted private folder and protect them from privacy intrusions

Files continues to help people free up space, manage content and share files. Since launch, the app has helped its users:

  • Delete over 1 trillion files, which would take over 30,000 years if users were to clean a duplicate, old meme or junk file manually every second.
  •  Save 400+ petabytes of space on people’s phones — that’s around 1,400 years of nonstop HD video recording.
  •  Free about 12GB of space every second, equivalent to 5,000 photos per second.

Files is available on the Google Play Store in 80 languages for all phones running Android 5.0 (Lollipop) and higher, while the Safe Folder feature will be available for Android 8.0 (Oreo) and above. For more information, visit files.google.com.

 

 

 

TikTok updates community guidelines in Urdu

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TikTok updates community guidelines in Urdu to help maintain a supportive and welcoming environment for its Pakistan users

Pakistan is amongst one of the top 5 markets with the largest volume of removed videos on TikTok for violating community guidelines or terms of service

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) As the leading global platform for short videos, TikTok has grown increasingly popular in Pakistan by offering a space for fun and creative expression.  While users enjoy creating content on TikTok, with it comes the responsibility to keep users safe on the platform. Addressing this, TikTok has released an updated publication of the Community Guidelines in Urdu that will help and maintain a supportive and welcoming environment on TikTok for users in Pakistan.

The Community Guidelines provide general guidance on what is and what is not allowed on the platform, keeping TikTok a safe place for creativity and joy, and are localized and implemented in accordance with local laws and norms. TikTok’s teams remove content that violates the Community Guidelines , and suspends or bans accounts involved in severe or repeated violations.

Content moderation is performed by deploying  a combination of policies, technologies, and moderation strategies to detect and review problematic content, accounts, and implement appropriate penalties.

Technology: TikTok’s systems automatically flag certain types of content that may violate its Community Guidelines, enabling it to take swift action and reduce potential harm. These systems take into account things like patterns or behavioral signals to flag potentially violative content.

Content moderation: Technology today isn’t so advanced that a platform can solely rely on it to enforce our policies. For instance, context can be important when determining whether certain content, like satire, is violative. As such, TikTok has a team of trained moderators to help review and remove content. In some cases, this team removes evolving or trending violative content, such as dangerous challenges or harmful misinformation. Another way the TikTok team moderates content is based on reports that it  receives from its users. There is a simple in-app reporting feature for users to flag potentially inappropriate content or accounts to TikTok.

In the recent release of its Transparency Report, TikTok shared the global volume of videos removed for violating its Community Guidelines or Terms of Service, which showed that Pakistan is one of the five markets with the largest volume of removed videos. This demonstrates TikTok’s commitment to remove any potentially harmful or inappropriate content reported in Pakistan.

 PUBG MOBILE REVEALS ANCIENT SECRET SPECIAL MODE | NUT

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PUBG MOBILE REVEALS ANCIENT SECRET SPECIAL MODE AND NEW ARENA GAME PLAY IN THE FIRST EVER INDOOR LIBRARY MAP

NUT Desk on Aug. 5, 2020 – PUBG MOBILE unveils a new Ancient Secret Mode, players can see all-new in-game events and exclusive rewards. Likewise, fresh content arrives in the form of the new Arena game play, Team Game weapon and Library map in the hit Arena playlist. Players can go through the new mode and updates starting from today in PUBG MOBILE.

Anicent Secret Special Mode

The new Ancient Secret themed game play can be selected from the main menu via the Mode Selection screen. Players who activate the new mode can observe and explore an ominous “Ancient Secret” building rising on Miramar and Erangel. This massive two-story structure begins each game at ground-level, but then begins to float and follow the play circle.

In addition to the ancient structure, players can experience the following features through the new game mode:

  • New Boss Battle – A secretive boss awaits in a sealed room on the second floor of the structure, hiding rich rewards for players that defeat it in combat
  • Small Ruins Environment – Players can traverse small ruins that spawn randomly throughout the map, concealing crates and puzzles
  • Slate puzzle – Players can now test their merit with a new interactive Ancient Slate puzzle.

To immerse players in the new environment, the cool and stylish Golden Pharaoh X-Suit Outfit set is also available to unlock, alongside additional Warrior of Ra, Warrior of Nut, Underworld Guide, and Mummy costumes. For the first time ever, outfits can be upgraded up to six levels to access additional benefits, including:

  • Outfit appearance upgrade
  • Exclusive entry emotes
  • Outfit-exclusive lobby emotes
  • Teammate interaction emotes and item sharing
  • Spawn Island and kill announcement special effects

Each outfit set includes a unique and exclusive Treasure Create that players can unlock for additional rewards, including Pharaoh Coins to exchange for other outfits, materials to upgrade Golden Pharaoh X-Suit and more. Players can also make lucky draws by using UC or Silver Fragments.

New Arena Game play

The all-new Team Gun Game offers four vs. four game play with Arena mode starting weapons. As players defeat opponents, their weapons are gradually upgraded. The first team to use the final weapon, the notorious pan, claims the Chicken Dinner. Team Gun Game is available to play every weekend, from Friday to Sunday.

Players can also enjoy Team Gun Game on the all-new Library map. As the first-ever indoor map in PUBG MOBILE, Library boasts a symmetrical layout with three assault routes: left, right and center. Unique positions on platforms, in doorways or behind bookshelves offer competitors advantages for strategic positioning, and provides players with weaker weapons a fighting chance.

In addition to the new Team Gun Game mode and Library map, today’s content update delivers several additional features, including:

  • New Arena Attachment – The Barrel Extender muzzle attachment can now be added to most Sniper Rifles, Rifles and Sub-machine Guns. It increases the firearm’s effective range and minimizes damage reduction due to distance
  • Arena Firearm Damage Reduction Adjustment – Firearm damage is now based upon operational distance per weapon class, which are ordered as Shotgun, Sub-machine Gun, Rifle, Sniper Rifle from near to far, respectively.
PUBG MOBILE is available to download for free on the App Store and Google Play. 

ABOUT PUBG MOBILE

PUBG MOBILE is based on PLAYER UNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS, the phenomenon that took the world of interactive entertainment by storm in 2017. Up to 100 players parachute onto a remote island to battle in a winner-takes-all showdown. Players must locate and scavenge their own weapons, vehicles and supplies, and defeat every player in a visually and tactically rich battleground that forces players into a shrinking play zone.

PUBG MOBILE Ancient Secret + New Arena Content | Invision Game Community

For more information, please visit the official PUBG MOBILE accounts on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Huawei urged Telecom Regulators to shared Responsibility for Shared Future in “Better world Summit 2020”

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Lahore (Muhammad Yasir)  Huawei Corporate Senior Vice President and Director of the Board Catherine Chen delivered a keynote speech at the online Better World Summit 2020 today. According to Chen, telecom regulators across many nations and industries must work together to address the shared challenges that have emerged as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and create a more inclusive future for all.
Other speakers at the summit included representatives from the International Telecommunication Union Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSMA), the European Competitive Telecommunications Association (ECTA), the South African Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, Thailand’s Office of the National Digital Economy and Society Commission, China’s Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), the Germany Association of the Internet Industry (ECO), and the ADL.
A better future for all requires joint effort Over the past 30 years, information technologies have advanced rapidly, making people’s lives and work much easier. The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed though that digital infrastructure has not kept pace with technological developments. According to the ITU, over half of the world’s population still does not have Internet access nor access to other digital technologies. As economies across countries slow, governments grow increasingly concerned with economic recovery strategies. “We envision a more connected, intelligent, and innovative future,” said Chen. “Above all else, we must ensure this is an inclusive, sustainable, and better future by all, for all.”
Top-down design; bottom-up creativity and vitality needed for economic recovery
As more countries and regions successfully implement infection control measures to slow the spread of COVID-19, economic activity in certain countries has begun to return to normal. Multiple governments have launched a variety of stimulus plans, and ICT invariably has held a key place in these plans. In China, the New Infrastructure plan has set aside over 140 billion US dollars to be invested in 5G alone over the next five years. This is expected to grow China’s digital economy by more than 2 trillion US dollars and boost domestic economic recovery. The EU has also announced a 1.1-trillion-euro package to enhance economic recovery.
“To revive the economy, we need top-down designs, as well as bottom-up creativity and vitality,” noted Chen. “Supporting government policies coupled with active digital transformation across the industry will bring the benefits of digital technology to all industries, boost their efficiency, and restore growth.”
Seeds for the Future sows hope by leveraging ICT to enable a sustainable future
Referencing the recent World Bank report on the growing gap between the fast-growing global digital economy and a lack of digital skills, Chen said, “Huawei is continuing with its flagship Seeds for the Future program. This program was launched in 2008, and is designed to develop local ICT talent. So far, this program has benefited more than 30,000 students from over 400 universities in 108 countries and regions. Due to the pandemic, we are moving the program online and opening it up to more outstanding students than ever before. As more industries adopt digital technologies, they will drive the United Nation’s 2030 Strategic Development Goals, especially those related to climate change.”
Other speakers also shared their views on how to build a better world in the future at the event.Senior officers from international organizations, including the ITU, GSMA, and ECTA, spoke on building globally unified ICT standards, promoting the digital economy, accelerating digital inclusiveness, and embracing these new economic normals.
National regulators and policy makers at the event focused more on best practices. Regulators from South Africa, Thailand, China, and Germany as well as the senior management of multiple industry associations described current efforts and policy initiatives, they are taking to drive investment in digital infrastructure and digital transformation across multiple industries.
Several senior analysts at the summit also explained at length how spillover from the digital economy will help revive real economies.
The Better World Summit was broadcast live in Chinese, English, Spanish, French, Russian, Korean, Japanese, and Arabic.