Samsung all Set to Launch its Smartwatch on September 4

Confirming the rumours circulating around the web for a long time, Samsung has revealed that it will out its next smartwatch in its Unpacked 2 event scheduled for the 4th of September.

The company will also launch its Note III smartphone there.

While it won’t be the first time that Samsung will be launching such a device, the new product is by far the most anticipated. Putting life to all the hopes, Samsung Mobile executive, Lee Young-Hee has herself confirmed the so-called Galaxy Gear smartwatch in an interview to Korean times. She also confirmed that the display of the watch won’t be flexible.

“We have intellectual properties for patents related to the next wearable devices”, she says. Those are the concepts for future products”. Here she might’ve also hinted that it won’t be cheap either.

Right now, most of the smartwatches available pair tightly with your phone for content integration and syncing. It will be interesting whether Samsung will be able to achieve more in this category without sacrificing on the user interface and efficiency.

KFC Pakistan Website Gets Suspended Again for Exceeding Bandwidth Limits

The official website of KFC Pakistan, a fast-food chain with 68 outlets in 19 cities throughout Pakistan, today got suspended after it exceeded its bandwidth limit for the ongoing month.

Users opening KFCPakistan.com are greeted with a system message saying that server can’t show you website because the website owner has exceeded his/her bandwidth limit.

Bandwidth Limit Exceeded

The server is temporarily unable to service your request due to the site owner reaching his/her bandwidth limit. Please try again later.

Its a shame that multinational companies like KFC go for a shared hosting plans with such limited resources just to save few bucks. And this is how such greed ends up with a suspended website just for exceeding bandwidth limit.

This is not the first time that KFC website was taken offline by its service provider. Previously, in July 2012 the website was taken down for similar reasons. It appears that fried chicken experts didn’t learn the lesson or probably they don’t care much for their online audience, despite the fact that they spend millions in online advertisements.

FIA Seeks Instant and Direct Access of Mobile Phone Records

Federal Investigation Agency has requested the home ministry to give the agency the direct access to mobile phone records of over 125 million subscribers.

If granted, FIA will be able to track the call-records, location of cell phone users and other similar details that are held with telecom operators of the country.

Currently only 2 agencies have direct access to these records, while other law enforcement agencies, such as Police and FIA requests the approved agencies for any information required regarding mobile phone subscribers.

FIA said that crime rate in the country is all time high and it is imperative for the agency to have direct and instant access of mobile phone records of the alleged criminals for quick and timely investigation.

FIA said that most of the criminals are easily tracked through their mobile phone records. Access to the records also make is easy for them to track the network of criminals who use mobile phones as their primary communication medium. FIA said that agency registered over 15,000 cases in last two years.

Police had made similar requests in the past but it were not entertained.

It is likely that FIA might not get the required approvals and they will keep following in-practice protocol for getting mobile record details of the users.

LG Announces the Optimus L9 II

LG has announced a new Android upper-midrange smartphone in the Optimus series. The Optimus L9 II has a 4.7 inch HD display and a dual-core processor under the hood.

At the back, it has an 8 megapixel camera with Full HD video. For connectivity, it uses Bluetooth 3.0, microUSB 2.0, NFC, IR Blaster, Wi-Fi and 3G.

On the software side, it runs on customized Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean. Here are the full specs:

• Customized Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean
• 4.7 inch True HD IPS display with Full HD resolution
• 1.4Ghz dual-core Qualcomm SnapDragon 400 processor
• 1 GB RAM with 8 GB expandable storage
• 8 megapixel rear-camera with Full HD 1080p video recording
• 1.3 megapixel front-camera
• Bluetooth 3.0, microUSB 2.0, NFC, IR Blaster, Wi-Fi
• 2150 mAh battery
• Available in White and Black

The phone is expected to go on sale in the coming 2 months. Pricing details are unknown as of now but if priced competitively, the L9 II has the potential to be a bestseller.

Microsoft Pakistan Clarifies Allegations of Bribing Punjab Government Official for Rs. 1 Billion Deal

Microsoft Pakistan has said that that business visit of Punjab Government official to Egypt was reasonable and necessary for the procurement of a deal between Microsoft Pakistan and Punjab Government.

Microsoft clarified this after a news report, published in Wall Street Journal, alleged the company for bribing the Punjab Government official by arranging his visit to Egypt along with his wife on business class airfare and a stay at a luxurious hotel.

According to Wall Street Journal, a tipster had emailed Microsoft in January 2013 alleging officials at Microsoft’s Pakistan paying for the said trip of Punjab Government Official to win a three-year contract – worth Rs. 1 billion – to supply the government with its Microsoft Office software.

Microsoft exclusively shared this clarification with ProPakistani and admitted that company investigated the visit of Punjab Government official and all the details regarding the trip.

After investigation, Microsoft Pakistan found that the visit in question was a reference visit. Company – after closely looking at all the details – concluded that the visit of the Punjab government official was necessary and expenses were reasonable.

Microsoft Pakistan said that company takes such cases very seriously and all reported instances of bribery are properly investigated by compliance experts.

Microsoft said that it directly signed Enterprise License Agreement with Punjab Government and that no reseller, distributor or any third-party was involved in the agreement.

Raiding Illegal International Incoming Traffic After Increasing it

I am sure you have watched one of those movies in which Hero himself gets his girl attacked by some gangsters and then he pops up out of no-where to save the girl to become her hero.

This is exactly what has happed in the case of international illegal traffic in Pakistan. The stake holders, i.e. Ministry of IT and Telecom, PTA and LDI operators first paved the way for illegal traffickers and now they are raiding the exchanges to make headlines.

Yes, I am hinting the notorious International Clearing Hours or ICH, authorized by Ministry of IT and Telecom and executed by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority. This ICH hiked the tariffs for international incoming calls by 300% to 800% since October 1st, 2012.

This irrational increase in tariffs for international incoming calls forced the Pakistanis abroad to use illegal means to make calls to their FnF on discounted rates. And hence the business for illegal international incoming traffic grew by many folds.

Interestingly, CCP had communicated its fears for possible increase in illegal traffic through its policy directive to MoIT. But apparently no one listened them then.

Same had happened in April 2008 when PTA had increased ASR (a part of international incoming call charges) and subsequently the international incoming call prices grew. So did the illegal voice traffic. There are evidences that this increase in ASR was without authority approval and decision was to benefit a single person.

Now here comes the million dollar question: Who is responsible for increase in illegal traffic?

• MoIT and PTA? Who are now winning laurels for making efforts to stop the illegal exchanges?
• LDI Operators? Who are now complaining against the increase in illegal traffic?
• All three of these?

Even worse, government is going to spend million of taxpayers’ dollars to setup system to block illegal traffic. Hence, there becomes another vendor that will get benefited from ICH saga.

So many beneficiaries through a single approval of ICH from Ministry of IT and Telecom, on expense of pockets of common man.

I am wondering what is stopping the authorities to question the person who approved ICH or lobbied for ICH. And why he (or they) is/are not put on trial. Yes, you get it right: That’s only if authorities are involved.

Mobilink Introduces Exclusive Offers on Nokia Asha 501 and Nokia Asha 210

Mobilink has introduced Nokia Asha 501 and Nokia Asha 210, the two latest affordable smartphones from Nokia that offer best value for money for SMS and instant-messaging.  Mobilink customers can now enjoy exclusive offers on these new Nokia phones which come with Mobi Music Free Trial for 3 months and Free 300 MB Mobilink Mobile Internet for 6 months.

The Nokia Asha 501 provides instant access to your favorite apps, social networks and contacts. The ‘Fastlane’ shortcut shows a collection of important applications onto a single screen for easy access.

The swipe motion makes switching between apps and tasks fast and easy. The Nokia Asha 501’s battery gives a 48 days of stand-by time. The phone comes with the latest Nokia Xpress Browser that compresses data by up to 90% allowing quick access to the internet with minimum resources.

The Nokia Asha 501 comes with changeable covers and is available in bright red and green, cyan, yellow, white and black. For Maximum protection, the phone comes with scratch-resistant glass screen.

The new Nokia Asha 210 offers a smarter way to interact on social networks. The QWERTY keyboard, Wi-Fi and a dedicated button that can be set-up for instant access to popular social apps like WhatsApp. The phone has a distinctive Nokia design and bold colors and is available in yellow, cyan, black, magenta and white.

Commenting on the launch of the two phones, Moied Javeed, Director Marketing Mobilink said, ‘We have launched the Nokia 501 and Nokia Asha 201 with Mobilink’s Mobile Internet exclusively for Mobilink customers. We are sure that this offer will provide our customers with the best internet experience and value for money at the same time. We hope that our customers will make the most out of the offer to connect and interact with their friends and families.’’

• The Nokia Asha 501 is available for PKR 10,100 and Nokia Asha 210 for PKR 7,800 from authorized Nokia distributors and retailers.
• Both mobile phones come with a Mobi Music Free Trial for 3 months and Free 300 MB Mobilink Mobile Internet for 6 months.
• The offer applies to prepaid customers only and will become effective as soon as you insert your Mobilink prepaid SIM in the phone on or before August 31, 2013.

Warid Offers Unlimited Facebook and WhatsApp Bundle for Rs. 0.99 Per Day

Warid has announced this new Mobile Internet Bundle with which you can use unlimited Facebook and WhatsApp for just Rs. 0.99 per day. Yes, its so simple and inexpensive.

Access Facebook & Whatsapp on your mobile! No need to download any third party applications or fiddling with your mobile settings. It’s as easy as sending an SMS and enjoy truly unlimited access to Facebook and Whatsapp.

Perform all activities on Facebook and Facebook Messenger like status updates, view News Feed, like pictures, comment on posts, send and reply to messages, write on friends’ Walls, view or share photos and videos. This is not all, you get Whatsapp absolutely free as to connected with all your friends all the time.

Mechanics:

• SMS FW in an SMS to 7777 and enjoy Unlimited access to both Facebook and Whatsapp

Charges:

• Warid Prepaid Customers: Rs. 0.99 per day
• Rs. 1+t will apply on all SMS sent to 7777

Terms & Conditions:

• Going on external links to view articles, photos and videos will be charged as per your data plan
• This offer is limited to all Glow and Warid Prepaid Subscribers only
• Use of any proxies or mobile browsers which by default are proxy browsers (for example Nokia Xpress) may result in data charging
• Subscriber may get charged for other mobile phone applications consuming data in the background. This can be controlled by turning off such applications.

47,000 Apps on BlackBerry World Are From One Developer

Every new OS which comes out in the market faces a major issue in the form of low apps. This is something which somewhat plagues the sales of Windows Phone and other smaller operating systems but BlackBerry seems to have found a way.

A new report tells us that over one-third of the apps in the BlackBerry World come from a single developer called S4BB. When it comes to larger apps from the developer, it’s fine but when you come down to the less popular one, that’s where the real problem starts.

The apps (out of 47,000 from this developer) vary from audiobooks to ebooks, and from cityguides to what not. In a nutshell, most of them actually aren’t apps at all.

If you take out these 47,000 apps from a total no. of 120,000 apps on the store, you’re left with only 73,000 apps. This figure alone tells us that for BlackBerry, quantity means much more than quality.

You may not like Microsoft for some wrong things they’ve been doing lately but the approach they’ve taken for Windows Phone Marketplace is miles better. Not every store is safe from the wrath of poor, useless apps but Windows Phone is way better, this, in a time when the platform is gulping for breath and desperately lacking vital apps.

It’s sad to see sometimes how renowned companies are so madly attracted to being in the numbers race.

What the World Will Remember Steve Ballmer For?

Microsoft’s sprightly and outspoken CEO announced his retirement on Friday but the news arrived to mixed reception. While some applauded him for taking Microsoft to the place where it currently is, critics panned him for the lack of innovation and virtually no future-proofing.

During his tenure, the company’s revenues increased threefolds to $77 billion while its profits to $23 billion. Most of the money was made through the Office and Windows divisions which peaked during his 13-year long tenure as the CEO. But while the company has undoubtedly been successful, there have been some darker sides to the picture too.

You see, unlike companies like Google and Apple, Microsoft has been completely ignorant to the flourishing aspects of technologies in the world today. The list of missed opportunities is huge, you name it: Search engine? Check. Music Industry? Check. Social Networking? Check. Smartphones? Almost. Tablets? Forget about it. Given the declining state of the PC industry, they’ll need a miracle to survive.

And while the whole industry amended its fundamental rules, Ballmer and co. remained in denial and laughed off at the most successful product of his era including the iPhone and Android. Who said that “There’s no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance.” and “You don’t need to be a computer scientist to use a Windows Phone and you do to use an Android phone … It is hard for me to be excited about the Android phones.”? You guessed it right. Years later, both the products are giving the company a run for its money.

Still, not giving him credit for Xbox will be unfair which started during his tenure. The product which started at a time when its competitors were in strong position but Microsoft ended up beating them all. But unlike Xbox, Zune didn’t fared too well. It had huge untapped potential and at one time, seemed the only product which could’ve challenged Apple’s invincible iPod. Also he must be blamed for screwing up products repeatedly, as in the case of Windows Vista, the Xbox One and Windows 8.

Shares price remained stagnant as well. Rising to $60 during Bill Gates’ golden era, they have remained at $20s and $30s during Ballmer’s rule. They nonetheless rose by 12% at the news of his resignation.

Ballmer wasn’t a total con man, but his lack of creativity and future-proofing tarnishes his image to a lot of extent. Why is it that Windows tablets and smartphones are facing such difficulty in the industry’s golden era, who is to be held accountable for the failure for Windows’ biggest OEMs, and will Steve Ballmer acknowledge the fact that he himself brought a lot of wrong to the entire industry? These questions remain unanswered but perhaps his legacy would’ve been better preserved had he retired a lot earlier.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to Retire Within a Year

After 13 years of taking charge of Microsoft, CEO Steve Ballmer has finally called it a day at the company. He’ll resign from his post within 12 months as the company takes its time to find someone to replace him.

Ballmer took over from Bill Gates more than a decade ago in January 2000 and during his reign, the company’s revenues grew from $25 billion a year to whooping $70 billion a year.

Joining the company in 1980 when it was still in its early stages, he took it to its peak by the end. The Office and Windows divisions became the most successful in their history while the Xbox revolution was triggered, despite some serious competition.

Microsoft did take some ugly blows in the shape of Windows Vista, Windows 8 and Zune which probably won’t make many proud, but it was undoubtedly its era of productivity.

The decision, then, isn’t as big a surprise given the declining state of the PC market and the struggles the company is facing in its transition towards the latest trends of the consumer industry.

Here’s his internal email to his colleagues at Microsoft:

I am writing to let you know that I will retire as CEO of Microsoft within the next 12 months, after a successor is chosen. There is never a perfect time for this type of transition, but now is the right time.

My original thoughts on timing would have had my retirement happen in the middle of our transformation to a devices and services company focused on empowering customers in the activities they value most. We need a CEO who will be here longer term for this new direction. You can read the press release on Microsoft News Center.

This is a time of important transformation for Microsoft. Our new Senior Leadership team is amazing. The strategy we have generated is first class. Our new organization, which is centered on functions and engineering areas, is right for the opportunities and challenges ahead.

Microsoft is an amazing place. I love this company. I love the way we helped invent and popularize computing and the PC. I love the bigness and boldness of our bets. I love our people and their talent and our willingness to accept and embrace their range of capabilities, including their quirks. I love the way we embrace and work with other companies to change the world and succeed together.

I love the breadth and diversity of our customers, from consumer to enterprise, across industries, countries, and people of all backgrounds and age groups.

I am proud of what we have achieved. We have grown from $7.5 million to nearly $78 billion since I joined Microsoft, and we have grown from employing just over 30 people to almost 100,000. I feel good about playing a role in that success and having committed 100 percent emotionally all the way. We have more than 1 billion users and earn a great profit for our shareholders. We have delivered more profit and cash return to shareholders than virtually any other company in history.

I am excited by our mission of empowering the world and believe in our future success. I cherish my Microsoft ownership, and look forward to continuing as one of Microsoft’s largest owners.

This is an emotional and difficult thing for me to do. I take this step in the best interests of the company I love; it is the thing outside of my family and closest friends that matters to me most.
Microsoft has all its best days ahead. Know you are part of the best team in the industry and have the right technology assets. We cannot and will not miss a beat in these transitions.

I am focused and driving hard and know I can count on all of you to do the same. Let’s do ourselves proud.

Steve

It’s much speculated as to who would succeed him but a person with a history in technology and not in marketing would unarguably be a better choice. Still, regardless of anything, you have to agree that those will be a huge pair of boots to fill.

Lenovo to Bring the Start Menu in its PCs Itself

So far, the lack of a proper Start Menu is one of Windows 8′s biggest drawback. Microsoft has planned to bring it back in version 8.1 later this year but it won’t be doing its job the conventional way, directing you instead onto the Start Screen.

Well, atleast Lenovo has found the solution and it’s no rocket science.

You see, the list of third-party Start Menus is huge by all means and the world’s largest PC maker has teamed up with one of them, SweetLabs, to bring the start menu button themselves. The company’s “Pokki” offering was already available through its website since 2011 and boasts 1 million monthly active users & 3 million overall downloads.

“Our collaboration with SweetLabs strikes the perfect balance between providing our customers great apps, and growing Lenovo’s business around app distribution,” says Lenovo executive Peter Gaucher, “The Pokki software suite complements the Windows experience, and we’re excited to work with SweetLabs to open up new distribution opportunities for app developers across our devices worldwide”.

The Pokki also comes with its own Software Library which competes with Microsoft’s counterpart. Being one of the most popular Start Menu alternatives around, the software can really boost efficiency for users who aren’t keen on learning new stuff of techology.

Canon Unveils PowerShot N camera That has a Dedicated Facebook Button

How many cameras are there which are built after keeping speedy sharing in mind? Not many? Thankfully, the Canon PowerShot N isn’t one of them. The camera comes with its own Facebook button and Wi-Fi so sharing photos and videos instantly shouldn’t be an issue.

The key is placed at the side of the device. Apart from that, it has taken another cue from the current technology trends in the form of a 2.8 inch movable touchscreen. On the “camera” side, it comes with a 12 megapixel CMOS sensor and a 28-224mm wide-angle lens with 8X optical zoom lens. It also uses Canon’s DIGIC 5 Image processor.

So far, we’ve already seen phones with Facebook utilities and services built-in in phones such as the HTC Salsa, ChaCha and the First (none were successful though), but its one of the first times ever that we’re seeing such tech in cameras.

The PowerShot N will be available in white from September for $299. That’s a lot of money but how many times have we seen a camera with a Facebook button after all?

Digital Punjab Conference: E-inclusivity Must for Socio-Economic Development

(left to right): Farooq Iftikhar, President, LCCI; Muhammad Aslam Hayat Khan, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Telenor Pakistan; Dr. Farrukh Javed, Punjab Agriculture Minister; Irfan Wahab Khan, Chief Marketing Officer, Telenor Pakistan and Badar Khushnood (1st right), Country Consultant, Google Pakistan

The Digital Punjab Conference, organized by the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) and supported by Telenor Pakistan, was recently held at the Expo Center Punjab. Dignitaries from Ministry of Information Technology & Telecom; Punjab Board of Information Technology; Board of Investment; Ministry of Finance; Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Education were present on this occasion.

During his presentation, Irfan Wahab Khan, Chief Marketing Officer, Telenor Pakistan, congratulated LCCI for organizing the conference and lauded the various initiatives of Punjab Government to further strengthen the ICT framework in the province.

He said, “Telenor Pakistan aims to play a pivotal role in government’s efforts to promote e-inclusivity for all to foster socio-economic transformation of Pakistan. Telenor Pakistan has always been at the forefront for bringing people into the communication loop and boosting the social economy with accessible and much needed services. The next spurt of telecom growth worldwide is expected from data rather than voice and in this regard we have been actively promoting safe and responsible use of mobile internet. More than 50 percent of all internet usage in Pakistan is on mobile therefore we feel that it can be a useful catalyst for sustainably changing lives and supporting socioeconomic development.”

He further said that improved accessibility, effective content and appropriate devices may help deliver full benefits of Internet to the entire Pakistani nation including government sector, business community and general public especially youth – which can only be achieved through mutual cooperation of the government and telecom companies.

On this occasion, Muhammad Aslam Hayat Khan, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer highlighted the four areas that may help develop an effective digital infrastructure in Punjab including expanding the access of ICT education, capitalizing on global outsourcing opportunities, facilitating ICT industry and increasing the scope of e-governance – which will not only ensure more access to information but also help in creating innovative opportunities and building a corruption free and prosperous nation.

He expects that the government of Punjab will have a holistic view of the ICT sector, take ownership at the highest level and prepare comprehensive ICT framework. We can support the government in developing technological platforms, providing support on content development, expanding the outreach of services in areas where it is currently not available, developing mobile internet channel to facilitate online transactions, offering immediate connectivity by EDGE/GPRS and later on through mobile broadband.

Earlier, Farooq Iftikhar, President, LCCI delivered the welcome note and highlighted the role of Lahore Shopping Festival-2013 in expediting economic and commercial activities. He further said that all citizens should have access to, and be able to reap the benefits of mobile technology and the internet. This will not only boost socio-economic development, but will also transform the quality of lives.

He lauded some of Telenor Pakistan’s pioneering initiatives including; Easypaisa for establishing an eco-system for mobile financial services in Pakistan aimed at providing financial inclusion to unbanked population; ‘Agriculture Commodity Trade’ enabling farmers to use the Easypaisa platform along with ICT services to perform trade transactions and ‘Telenor TalkShawk Internet Champion’ for educating over 632,000 students all over Pakistan on the safe and responsible use of Internet.

As technology develops, mobile services have the potential to impact economic development further through the provision of high value broadband and telecommunications services. As per a global study, 10% increase in mobile penetration increases Total Factor Productivity (a measure of economic productivity) in the long run by 4.2%.