New Technology 2011 Gadgets, Best Gadgets, Desktop Gadgets

Mark your calendars folks because on Oct 13, Apple has "a little more to show" as per the special media invite that was sent this Tuesday.

The Loop reports that the event is scheduled to take place at 10:00 am PT on Oct 23, at the California Theatre in San Jose. The tagline of the invitation shows an Apple logo with a colorful background and the tagline reads "We've got a little more to show you."

It is widely expected that Apple will use this opportunity to announce a smaller iPad. Some are calling it at the 'iPad Air'. The iPad Mini will be smaller and lighter in size as compared to the current iPad and will feature a smaller 7-8 inch display.

Also some are speculating that Apple might also introduce a new 13-inch retina display Macbook along with a refreshed line of iMac and Mac Mini.

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How good or necessary (or not) was the Start Screen and the move away from Start Orb was for the future of Windows as an operating system, is a rather different debate, but ground reality is that it has been done. It’s out there now, and you can either take it or leave it, but it won’t change. Now, there is a number of tools that will bring back the good old Start Orb and menu for you under Windows 8, and some of them are completely free, too, but if you start using the new Modern UI screen, it begins to grow on you. While it remains a matter of personal aesthetics, it can’t be denied that there is always room for improvement in almost everything, and in that sense, the Metro Start Screen isn’t perfect. That’s what the Start Menu Modifier application aims to target.

The thing with Windows 8 has been that most of the efforts have been focused on bringing back something that’s rather obsolete, and little attention has been paid to making the Start Screen more useful, or its appearance more convenient. With Start Menu Modifier, that’s the goal â€" to improve on the look and feel of the new playground. Since in Windows 8, the said screen is used extensively to quickly launching apps (as a replacement for the Start Menu’s ‘search’ function), it makes sense that it shouldn’t be necessary to pull out the whole screen every time you want to find a setting in your PC. If you agree, try out this free tool to open this screen within the desktop mode itself.

The tool has a few settings for you to play around with, along with the option to set a custom hotkey for toggling the screen itself. You’re free to decide the position of the new screen, the display to flash it on in case of multi-monitor set ups, launching Start Menu (Screen) on toggle, running the application at system start up, and closing the settings panel once parameters are applied. Then, you may define a custom hotkey (or combination) to activate the toggling function.

The result is pretty neat; check out the screenshot.

Start Menu Modifier is a portable app, and can be run without installation. What I don’t understand, however, is the rather curious name. According to the source link below, it’s a Windows 8 utility, so it would’ve made much more sense to label it Start Screen Modifier. I guess we’ll have to try it out on a Windows 7 machine as well, just to be sure.

(Source: Neowin Forums)

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Cyber Monday Deals 2012 Round Up by Apple, Microsoft and Amazon

Cyber Monday Deals for 2012 are here! Find out how you can buy iPads, Macs, Xbox 360, Kindles at great discounted prices from Apple, Microsoft and Amazon!

iThinkDifferent - All things different about Apple, Google, Microsoft and the Internet.

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We are invited to a number of launch events and we have almost attended all of them, and being in Pakistan we have always been part of launch events for devices that are about to be launched in Pakistan.

Thanks to Nokia Pakistan, for the first time ever, a new Nokia phone announcement was made from Pakistan at a global launch event held at Marriott Hotel, Karachi last week.

This was a media event held just for the traditional media, newspapers/magazines and online media (this is where we come in!). Sizzled Core, along with a bunch of other bloggers around Pakistan were invited to be a part of this grand event.

Nokia’s decision to choose Pakistan for the global launch of their upcoming devices was a clear sign of how important Pakistani market is for Nokia. Nokia envisions to connect the next billion people with the newly launched Nokia 110 and Nokia 112. Great presentations, and overview of how strong the telecommunications industry is in Pakistan, dance, music, fireworks… This was all part of the Nokia event.

Nokia has the biggest app store in Pakistan which includes 2,000,000+ weekly downloads on average! Almost all of media fro mPakistan is accessible on the Nokia Store â€" apps include: Geo, Aaj TV, Dawn News, Express Tribune, ARY News, Radio Pakistan etc.

Some really cool local applications are also available, such as Cricket, Ludo, Toffee TV etc. Islamic apps on the App store have millions of downloads. There are over 400 local apps, with 200+ Pakistan developers contributing to the Nokia App store which bring the download count of the Pakistani content to over 17 million!

These statistics and figures were shared by the three key speakers of the main event â€" Imran Khalid Mahmood, Saulo Passos and Calin Turcanu. The event had global and regional spokesperson from Nokia to share their thoughts on emerging markets and the new devices. Let’s take a brief intro to each of these speakers.

Imran Khalid Mahmood

Imran Khalid Mahmood is the VP, Near East, Nokia Corporation. In his line of duty he is responsible for heading the sales strategy for Nokia in this region. He is the frontrunner of all measurable KPIs and maintains a strict vigilance over them which are the main reason for Nokia’s success and popularity in this region.

Saulo Passos

Saulo Passos is the Global Director Mobile Phone Communications at Nokia, based in London, England. As part of the global Mobile Phones leadership team, his main focus targets the Next Billion strategy, a Nokia effort to connect more people to the internet, using a mobile device as the leading path.

Calin Turcanu

Starting from August, 2011, Calin Turcanu is the Head of Mobile Phones Business Unit, Nokia India, Middle East & Africa and overseessales, marketing and business development of Nokia devices in the region. Calin is actively involved in developing business strategies to ensure market success of key Nokia devices and strengthen Nokia’s brand presence in the region at the same time.

Remember the dance and music I mentioned earlier? Check out the photo below.

We’ll try to get a full video coverage for you to watch it as well. This performance was just before the Nokia team unveiled their new Nokia 110 and Nokia 112.

These new devices will be available in Pakistan and soon after into rest of the world, starting from the end of May. Prices of these new Nokia phones were one of them ain concerns by the attendees there. Nokia 110 is priced at Rs. 3800 and Nokia 112 will be available for Rs. 4000. Very affordable, isn’t it?

Nokia is continuously working on making the value rich features affordable to all price points â€" Nokia 110 and Nokia 112 are great examples of how even the entry-level Nokia devices don’t just offer optimized and affordable internet but at the same time flaunt a stylish design that will cater to a variety of lifestyles.

These devices will prove to be a true enabler in providing the people of Pakistan and the consumers from other growing economies with their first internet experience on mobile phone. Having internet on mobile phone opens up doors for new opportunities for the masses and helps them follow their dreams.

Now, we expect Nokia to make a bigger global launch announcement from Pakistan next time!

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(For PCWorld Pakistan)

Ufone Launches Some Good Offers

Ufone has announced an exciting international call offer for its customers. The 1 paisa/second offer will allow users to remain in touch with family and friends more often and at affordable prices also.

The call rate is very low and more affordable than local call rates within the country. Akbar Khan, Chief Marketing Officer at Ufone said, “The call rates are the lowest and the most affordable to every Pakistani.” The rates apply to all calls made on landline phone services and mobile phone networks in Canada and USA only. To subscribe users must dial *2288# or send ‘sub’ to 2288 via SMS. Subscription charges are PKR 10 plus tax.

On the other hand, Ufone also launched a Selfcare Android App. Free of cost, this app will allow subscribers to actually check their balance and call history for the last seven days. Once installed, customers who have Android OS installed on their Smartphones will no longer need to send an SMS to find out how much credit they have spent. The offer is available for both Pre-paid and Post-paid customers.

LHC Orders PTA to Substantiate Withdrawal of Additional Tax

The Lahore High Court has ordered the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to present a copy of a notification about the withdrawal of an additional tax on incoming international telephone calls.

Earlier, the Counsel of PTA informed the court that the tax challenged by Brain Telecommunication had been withdrawn and asked for the dismissal of the petition. Contrary to PTA’s statement, the petitioner’s counsel alleged that the tax was still being collected on incoming international calls and Pakistanis living abroad were facing problems.

Based on these statements, the LHC ordered PTA lawyer to submit a copy of the notification at the next hearing. The stay order against the recovery of the tax has been extended by the court till December 13, which is the next date of hearing.

Nokia Partners with China Mobile 

Nokia has partnered with China Mobile to launch a version of its Lumia Smartphone in China, in order to gain market share against rival iPhone in the country.

Nokia said in a media statement that China Mobile will start selling its Lumia 920T, the first Windows 8 Phone. The Smartphone will be the first to run on China Mobile’s Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA) network. It will be available in the Chinese market by the end of this year at the price of 4599 Yuan.

China Mobile has a subscribers’ base of more than 700 million, the largest in the world and is dominant in China’s Smartphone market.

Apple Shares Hit a New Low 

Apple’s shares hit the lowest in four years, with a decline of more than 6 percent on a single day. The news followed concerns from investors and analysts over a number of preceding factors, including earlier forecasting by a research firm and the Nokia-China Mobile deal.

Earlier, an influential research firm foretold that the mobile market would be dominated by Android gadgets in future. Furthermore, a Nokia deal with China Mobile over selling of Lumia Smartphone in the country has endangered Apple’s position in the Chinese market.

The company’s shares have been on a slight decline since September, due to increasing competition in the mobile market where it once stood out as sole ruler.

UN Web Conference Triggers Criticism

As had been predicted by experts and Internet gurus, the 12-days UN Web conference, held by the International Telecommunication Union, has already offset criticism from many quarters. The conference that began in Dubai on December 3, 2012 has already led the US Congress to pass a resolution stating that they will support and “promote a global Internet free from government control and preserve and advance the successful multi-stakeholder model that governs the Internet today.”

The International Telecommunication Union, ITU, meanwhile says the International Telecommunications Regulations, which are undergoing review, will allow different countries and organizations to connect and operate along side each other.

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Glow Presents LUMS Sports Fest 2012

By Mehwish Khan · Tuesday, Dec 18, 2012 0 Comments

Glow by Warid Telecom has been continuously supporting the sports society of LUMS for the past three years. All the sports at LUMS are carried under the umbrella of Glow brand which helps the university organize tournaments and activities including Baseball, Squash, Tennis, Football, Hockey, Cricket & Volleyball etc.

This year a triangular series between LUMS â€" FAST â€" LSE was held at LUMS in which Mr. Amer Aman, Director Sales Warid Telecom presented prizes to the winners. While speaking on the occasion he announced that Warid will continue its support to LUMS for the year 2013 as well.

Related Stories

• Warid to Continue Supporting LUMS Sports Society
• Warid Sponsors LUMS Sports Society For Year 2010
• Warid Telecom Helps Deserving GC University Lahore Students
• Glow Sponsors 3rd Inter School & Inter Collegiate Games
• Warid Rewards its Retailers
• Warid Announces All Pakistan Tape Ball GLOW Kricket Tournament 2011
• Warid Organizes Prize Distribution Ceremony for Retailers

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Mark your calendars folks because on Oct 13, Apple has "a little more to show" as per the special media invite that was sent this Tuesday.

The Loop reports that the event is scheduled to take place at 10:00 am PT on Oct 23, at the California Theatre in San Jose. The tagline of the invitation shows an Apple logo with a colorful background and the tagline reads "We've got a little more to show you."

It is widely expected that Apple will use this opportunity to announce a smaller iPad. Some are calling it at the 'iPad Air'. The iPad Mini will be smaller and lighter in size as compared to the current iPad and will feature a smaller 7-8 inch display.

Also some are speculating that Apple might also introduce a new 13-inch retina display Macbook along with a refreshed line of iMac and Mac Mini.

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Google’s Nexus brand of smartphones had been a huge success in the run-up to the Nexus 7 slate released earlier this year, and the 7-inch device proved to be a huge hit with consumers. Not only was it powerful, but it ran on the buttery smooth Android 4.1, and priced a great deal more economically than others out there, has since sold in the millions. Things might be about to get even more interesting, though, because the $99 Nexus 7 we’ve been hearing about has shown up on benchmarks, and although these things can be faked, shows as packing a microSD slot, as well as 8GB of standard memory.

A new GLBenchmark for a tablet, which has been identified as “ME172V,” is significant in that it’s built by ASUS â€" the company behind the Nexus 7. The GLBenchmark reading shows a 7-inch display (1024 x 600 res.), a 1GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of basic on-board storage, and a 4270mAh battery.

The unspecified device is running on Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean, and with reasonable specs allied to the proven track record of Jelly Bean, this could be one high-selling customer. The one qualm many have had with the Nexus 7 is the lack of support for expandable memory, but in offering this with the entry-level version, consumers could score themselves a real bargain with this particular tablet.

If it does materialize, it will certainly throw down the gauntlet to the rest of the tablet market. Apple’s iPad mini, for example, is modern-day extortion, and although it has finesse â€" as do most Apple products â€" consumers will be less inclined to spend three times as much for a device that’s scarcely that much better.

Of course, before we get too carried away, this is all speculation, and moreover, we’re simply assuming this benchmark â€" if not the brainchild of a fabricator â€" is actually the $99 model we’ve all hoped and dreamed about. With specs like that, though, it’s hardly going to be a high-ender, and despite ASUS denying it was working on a low-end slab back in September, it’s standard protocol for large companies to keep schtum when it comes to future products â€" particularly when those products are branded under the Google umbrella.

(via BGR)

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Cyber Monday Deals 2012 Round Up by Apple, Microsoft and Amazon

Cyber Monday Deals for 2012 are here! Find out how you can buy iPads, Macs, Xbox 360, Kindles at great discounted prices from Apple, Microsoft and Amazon!

iThinkDifferent - All things different about Apple, Google, Microsoft and the Internet.

]]>

We are invited to a number of launch events and we have almost attended all of them, and being in Pakistan we have always been part of launch events for devices that are about to be launched in Pakistan.

Thanks to Nokia Pakistan, for the first time ever, a new Nokia phone announcement was made from Pakistan at a global launch event held at Marriott Hotel, Karachi last week.

This was a media event held just for the traditional media, newspapers/magazines and online media (this is where we come in!). Sizzled Core, along with a bunch of other bloggers around Pakistan were invited to be a part of this grand event.

Nokia’s decision to choose Pakistan for the global launch of their upcoming devices was a clear sign of how important Pakistani market is for Nokia. Nokia envisions to connect the next billion people with the newly launched Nokia 110 and Nokia 112. Great presentations, and overview of how strong the telecommunications industry is in Pakistan, dance, music, fireworks… This was all part of the Nokia event.

Nokia has the biggest app store in Pakistan which includes 2,000,000+ weekly downloads on average! Almost all of media fro mPakistan is accessible on the Nokia Store â€" apps include: Geo, Aaj TV, Dawn News, Express Tribune, ARY News, Radio Pakistan etc.

Some really cool local applications are also available, such as Cricket, Ludo, Toffee TV etc. Islamic apps on the App store have millions of downloads. There are over 400 local apps, with 200+ Pakistan developers contributing to the Nokia App store which bring the download count of the Pakistani content to over 17 million!

These statistics and figures were shared by the three key speakers of the main event â€" Imran Khalid Mahmood, Saulo Passos and Calin Turcanu. The event had global and regional spokesperson from Nokia to share their thoughts on emerging markets and the new devices. Let’s take a brief intro to each of these speakers.

Imran Khalid Mahmood

Imran Khalid Mahmood is the VP, Near East, Nokia Corporation. In his line of duty he is responsible for heading the sales strategy for Nokia in this region. He is the frontrunner of all measurable KPIs and maintains a strict vigilance over them which are the main reason for Nokia’s success and popularity in this region.

Saulo Passos

Saulo Passos is the Global Director Mobile Phone Communications at Nokia, based in London, England. As part of the global Mobile Phones leadership team, his main focus targets the Next Billion strategy, a Nokia effort to connect more people to the internet, using a mobile device as the leading path.

Calin Turcanu

Starting from August, 2011, Calin Turcanu is the Head of Mobile Phones Business Unit, Nokia India, Middle East & Africa and overseessales, marketing and business development of Nokia devices in the region. Calin is actively involved in developing business strategies to ensure market success of key Nokia devices and strengthen Nokia’s brand presence in the region at the same time.

Remember the dance and music I mentioned earlier? Check out the photo below.

We’ll try to get a full video coverage for you to watch it as well. This performance was just before the Nokia team unveiled their new Nokia 110 and Nokia 112.

These new devices will be available in Pakistan and soon after into rest of the world, starting from the end of May. Prices of these new Nokia phones were one of them ain concerns by the attendees there. Nokia 110 is priced at Rs. 3800 and Nokia 112 will be available for Rs. 4000. Very affordable, isn’t it?

Nokia is continuously working on making the value rich features affordable to all price points â€" Nokia 110 and Nokia 112 are great examples of how even the entry-level Nokia devices don’t just offer optimized and affordable internet but at the same time flaunt a stylish design that will cater to a variety of lifestyles.

These devices will prove to be a true enabler in providing the people of Pakistan and the consumers from other growing economies with their first internet experience on mobile phone. Having internet on mobile phone opens up doors for new opportunities for the masses and helps them follow their dreams.

Now, we expect Nokia to make a bigger global launch announcement from Pakistan next time!

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Raju S Bhupatiraju is Sales Director, South Asia Growth Economies for the Technology Business Unit at Oracle Corporation. CIO Pakistan caught up with Raju during his recent trip to Pakistan to gain his insights into Big Data, Exadata and the impact of  the Oracle Open World announcements  on Pakistan. Check it out!

CIO Insights: Raju S Bhupatiraju, Sales… by ciopakistan

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Telcos Waiting for PTA Notification: No Sale of SIM, Re-Issuance of SIMs, MNP Today

By Aamir Attaa · Saturday, Dec 1, 2012 0 Comments

First time In the history of Pakistani Telecom Industry, mobile phone operators are not selling any new SIMs, re-issuing SIMs or porting customers through Mobile Number Portability today.

789 service is down as well.

Mobile phone operators told ProPakistani, just minutes ago, that they are waiting for notification from Pakistan Telecommunication Authority to nullify its earlier directive, according to which mobile phone companies were asked to not to sell SIMs on franchises, service centres and at retail shops from December 1st, 2012 (i.e. today).

Furthermore, ban on MNP is still upheld because no notification has been issued by PTA, despite the clear announcement made by Raja Pervez Ashraf, the Prime Minister of Pakistan for lifting the ban on MNP and cancelling other SIM rules that were notified by PTA on November 13th, 2012.

Cellular companies said they are not selling anything on their service centres and franchises. They said that they aren’t communicated with any process for selling SIMs and hence they are clueless and are left without making new sales today. Cellular companies are also waiting for policy regarding the stock available at retail stores.

Mobile companies are hoping that PTA will issue notification today, after which they will start selling SIMs again.

PTA’s spokesperson wasn’t available for comment due to holiday today.

Industry experts were aggrieved to witness the situation, where PTA didn’t notify the cellular operators about cancellation of its earlier directive, despite very clear and loud orders issued by Prime Minister of Pakistan. They said, the immature behaviour from PTA is going to impact industry in many ways.

Related Stories

• PM Disapproves Sale of SIMs through Home Delivery, Ban on MNP Lifted [Updated]
• Telcos are Selling SIMs Vigorously and Freely Before December 1st Deadline
• PTA Reports Massive Violations by Telcos in Selling SIMs
• Directive Issued to Allow Maximum of 5 SIMs Against One CNIC
• Breaking: Mobile Services to Remain Blocked in 15 Cities Today
• Rehman Malik Gets in Action Against Cellular Operators
• Telcos, Come Out of Decency and Strike Back Against Government Policies

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Mark your calendars folks because on Oct 13, Apple has "a little more to show" as per the special media invite that was sent this Tuesday.

The Loop reports that the event is scheduled to take place at 10:00 am PT on Oct 23, at the California Theatre in San Jose. The tagline of the invitation shows an Apple logo with a colorful background and the tagline reads "We've got a little more to show you."

It is widely expected that Apple will use this opportunity to announce a smaller iPad. Some are calling it at the 'iPad Air'. The iPad Mini will be smaller and lighter in size as compared to the current iPad and will feature a smaller 7-8 inch display.

Also some are speculating that Apple might also introduce a new 13-inch retina display Macbook along with a refreshed line of iMac and Mac Mini.

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It should be common knowledge by now that Apple has recently added iPad mini to their iPad lineup, and the unexpected addition of the fourth-generation iPad, coming only seven months after the introduction of the iPad 3. All of the signs point to the new miniature iPad being an extremely successful addition to the company’s tablet range, and with LTE variants of the iPad mini beginning to ship this week, Apple has ramped up their promotional campaign with the launch of two new iPad mini commercials.

Tim Cook and his executive team seem to take great pride in introducing the first commercial for the new iPads that featured the wonderful and catchy Heart and Soul being played on a piano within the GarageBand app. Although pre-order stocks of the iPad mini were immediately depleted, and a large portion of Apple Stores are having inventory issues due to high demand, it hasn’t stopped Apple from releasing the new Books and Photos adverts to raise excitement levels in time for the holiday shopping season.

Apple and their media partners have obviously chosen to take a particular path with these promotional campaigns that are being launched to increase the hype around the two new iPads. The first new commercial that has been launched has been given the title ‘Books’ and focuses heavily on the iBooks app that has recently received a v3 update. The Cupertino company has been keen on giving iBooks a big push recently in the hope of gaining some traction in the education sector. As we have seen with the original Piano ad, both the Books and Photo creations feature the same visual approach by sitting the full-sized iPad and the iPad mini next to one another.

The iPhoto app also gets a good run out in the third commercial to be showcased. The well known Two of a Kind song by Bobby Darin is belting out in the background as the iPad mini and the fourth-generation iPad are shown using the iPhoto app. Both of the tablets are used to perfection, with photographs being displayed on each screen that perfectly compliment each other. The three adverts that we have seen so far may follow Apple’s extremely simplistic style but they have clearly been extremely well though out in an attempt to push both new iPads.

These two new Apple TV ads can be viewed by heading over to the following link: apple.com/ipad/videos/

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Nov 10, 2012By Qasim in News No Comments Tags: Games, Linux, Steam

Linux gamers have something to rejoice about as Valve has launched a limited access beta of its popular gaming platform, Steam. For those who don’t know, Steam is a leading platform for the delivery and management of PC and Mac games with over 50 million accounts around the world and over 2,000 titles offered.

“This is a huge milestone in the development of PC gaming. Steam users have been asking us to support gaming on Linux. We’re happy to bring rich forms of entertainment and our community of users to this open, customer-friendly platform.” Gabe Newell, Valve President.

Currently supporting over 24 titles, including some big free titles like Team Fortress 2, Frozen Synapse, and Serious Sam 3, the number of games for Steam for Linux are bound to grown as it reaches its final release. The beta is currently compatible with Ubuntu 12.04 and features Big Picture mode allowing users to connect their Linux PC to a TV and then browse, purchase, and play all Steam games optionally with a controller.

Since it is available as limited access beta, invites will be going out to a small number of users who have registered for it and once the beta becomes stable, it will be available to all Linux gamers.

For more details about the beta release, head over to the official Steam for Linux community page.

Related posts:

Microsoft going the Steam distribution way for games

Left 4 Dead 2 For Mac OS X Releasing Tomorrow On Steam

Google Chrome Beta for Mac OS X and Linux released

Unbelievable claims by Linux Foundation CEO

Valve releases ‘Left 4 Dead’ for Mac OS X on Halloween

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We are invited to a number of launch events and we have almost attended all of them, and being in Pakistan we have always been part of launch events for devices that are about to be launched in Pakistan.

Thanks to Nokia Pakistan, for the first time ever, a new Nokia phone announcement was made from Pakistan at a global launch event held at Marriott Hotel, Karachi last week.

This was a media event held just for the traditional media, newspapers/magazines and online media (this is where we come in!). Sizzled Core, along with a bunch of other bloggers around Pakistan were invited to be a part of this grand event.

Nokia’s decision to choose Pakistan for the global launch of their upcoming devices was a clear sign of how important Pakistani market is for Nokia. Nokia envisions to connect the next billion people with the newly launched Nokia 110 and Nokia 112. Great presentations, and overview of how strong the telecommunications industry is in Pakistan, dance, music, fireworks… This was all part of the Nokia event.

Nokia has the biggest app store in Pakistan which includes 2,000,000+ weekly downloads on average! Almost all of media fro mPakistan is accessible on the Nokia Store â€" apps include: Geo, Aaj TV, Dawn News, Express Tribune, ARY News, Radio Pakistan etc.

Some really cool local applications are also available, such as Cricket, Ludo, Toffee TV etc. Islamic apps on the App store have millions of downloads. There are over 400 local apps, with 200+ Pakistan developers contributing to the Nokia App store which bring the download count of the Pakistani content to over 17 million!

These statistics and figures were shared by the three key speakers of the main event â€" Imran Khalid Mahmood, Saulo Passos and Calin Turcanu. The event had global and regional spokesperson from Nokia to share their thoughts on emerging markets and the new devices. Let’s take a brief intro to each of these speakers.

Imran Khalid Mahmood

Imran Khalid Mahmood is the VP, Near East, Nokia Corporation. In his line of duty he is responsible for heading the sales strategy for Nokia in this region. He is the frontrunner of all measurable KPIs and maintains a strict vigilance over them which are the main reason for Nokia’s success and popularity in this region.

Saulo Passos

Saulo Passos is the Global Director Mobile Phone Communications at Nokia, based in London, England. As part of the global Mobile Phones leadership team, his main focus targets the Next Billion strategy, a Nokia effort to connect more people to the internet, using a mobile device as the leading path.

Calin Turcanu

Starting from August, 2011, Calin Turcanu is the Head of Mobile Phones Business Unit, Nokia India, Middle East & Africa and overseessales, marketing and business development of Nokia devices in the region. Calin is actively involved in developing business strategies to ensure market success of key Nokia devices and strengthen Nokia’s brand presence in the region at the same time.

Remember the dance and music I mentioned earlier? Check out the photo below.

We’ll try to get a full video coverage for you to watch it as well. This performance was just before the Nokia team unveiled their new Nokia 110 and Nokia 112.

These new devices will be available in Pakistan and soon after into rest of the world, starting from the end of May. Prices of these new Nokia phones were one of them ain concerns by the attendees there. Nokia 110 is priced at Rs. 3800 and Nokia 112 will be available for Rs. 4000. Very affordable, isn’t it?

Nokia is continuously working on making the value rich features affordable to all price points â€" Nokia 110 and Nokia 112 are great examples of how even the entry-level Nokia devices don’t just offer optimized and affordable internet but at the same time flaunt a stylish design that will cater to a variety of lifestyles.

These devices will prove to be a true enabler in providing the people of Pakistan and the consumers from other growing economies with their first internet experience on mobile phone. Having internet on mobile phone opens up doors for new opportunities for the masses and helps them follow their dreams.

Now, we expect Nokia to make a bigger global launch announcement from Pakistan next time!

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(For PCWorld Pakistan)

National Assembly Calls for a Ban on Prepaid SIMs

The National Assembly’s selected committee will soon finalize the draft for Electronic Crime Bill. It has put forth the notion of a complete ban on all prepaid SIMs, asking the telecommunication operators to convert them to postpaid connections.

According to the National Assembly, this is the only way to save the nation from crimes that occur due to the misuse of illegal mobile SIMs.

Windows 8 Available at PKR 1,310 in Pakistan 

Microsoft has recently announced the availability of the Windows 8 Operating System for its customers in Pakistan. The OS is now available for sale in over 250,000 PCs at more than 1,000 retail stores across Pakistan (including at Hyperstar, Metro, E4U, Makro, and Compsi).

With a special offer, Microsoft is offering all Windows users to upgrade their operating systems to Windows 8 for just Rs.1, 310, provided however, that they have purchased a compatible desktop or laptop during the period of June 2, 2012 and January 31, 2013, which had Windows 7 pre-installed in it.

However, those who didn’t buy a computer during the above-mentioned timeframe, but still have genuine Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 installed, can upgrade to Windows 8 for the usual going price of Rs.3,800 ($40).

Telecom imports raised by 19.85 percent: PBS

According to the data released by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the country’s telecom imports for the current fiscal year have risen by 19.85% from the last year. It was revealed that the overall imports of the telecom group were at about $363.179 million this quarter, compared with $303.028 million from the first quarter of the previous year. Also, the import of mobile phones was up by 1.59% from $164.300 million to $166.913 million this year.

The data also revealed that the imports of other telecom apparatus have increased by 41.48% this year, with an increase of 9.52% in the month of September as compared with the same month for the previous year. The imports for the month of September stood at $63.708 million this year, with $52.273 million in 2011.

Samsung Galaxy S3 tops Smartphone Market

Samsung’s flagship Smartphone Galaxy S3 has managed to topple down arch-rival Apple’s iPhone in the Smartphone market, according to research firm, Strategy Analytics. Previously, Apple’s iPhone had dominated the Smartphone market for over two years.

According to the data released by Strategy Analytics, the sale of the S3 units in the third quarter was 18 million, compared with the iPhone 4S sale of 16.2 million units.  The Galaxy S3 has helped Samsung earn a record profit of $7.3 billion in the third quarter of 2012. An analyst Neil Mawston said, “Samsung’s Galaxy S3 has proven wildly popular with consumers and operators across North America, Europe and Asia.”

The Smartphone was first launched in May this year, and entered the Pakistani market in June, 2012.

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PM Inaugurates USF Optic Fiber Projects in Balochistan

By Mehwish Khan · Monday, Nov 12, 2012 0 Comments

Raja Pervez Ashraf, Prime Minister of Pakistan inaugurated Optic Fiber Projects of Universal Service Fund in Balochistan.

Universal Service Fund has been vigorously working in Balochistan province and through all these projects, more than 5,400 kms of Optic fiber cable is being laid due to which 74 tehsil HQs and towns are being connected. Around 6.45 Million people will benefit through these projects.

USF has also done a remarkable job in Rural Telecom Projects in Balochistan province. Through Pishin Lot, Nasirabad Lot and Mastung Lot 1,062 previously unserved mauzas are being covered and a lot more is to come for un-served population of the province.

The success of USF is evident from the fact that it has provided telecom services to almost 3,600 previously un-served villages. 260 previously un-served towns now have almost 412,000 USF funded broadband connections.

Optic Fiber cable of more than 4,217 KMs has also been laid to connect un-served tehsils. New initiatives of USF include a Telemedicine project and establishment of Universal Tele-Centers for proliferation of e-services."

Related Stories

• USF Launches Telecom Service Project for Balochistan
• USF Awards Rs. 2.9 Bln Projects for Broadband and Optic Fiber
• Wateen Wins USF’s Balochistan Fiber Optic Project
• PTCL and Wateen Gets Rs. 1.25 Bln Contracts from USF for Broadband and Optic Fiber Projects
• PM Approves USF Projects in Balochistan and Sindh
• Uplifting The Rural Telecommunication Standards [Video]
• World Telecom Day: Better Life in Rural Communities with ICTs

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Mark your calendars folks because on Oct 13, Apple has "a little more to show" as per the special media invite that was sent this Tuesday.

The Loop reports that the event is scheduled to take place at 10:00 am PT on Oct 23, at the California Theatre in San Jose. The tagline of the invitation shows an Apple logo with a colorful background and the tagline reads "We've got a little more to show you."

It is widely expected that Apple will use this opportunity to announce a smaller iPad. Some are calling it at the 'iPad Air'. The iPad Mini will be smaller and lighter in size as compared to the current iPad and will feature a smaller 7-8 inch display.

Also some are speculating that Apple might also introduce a new 13-inch retina display Macbook along with a refreshed line of iMac and Mac Mini.

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Whether you’re into Siri, Google Now, Tellme, or Samsung’s S Voice, there’s little doubt that voice-recognition technology has made great strides in the past year or so. Consumers remain a tad unconvinced, and at present, the standard of voice implementation is certainly not a deal-breaker to most, but like the first grainy VGA cameras we used to see in our mobile phones, we do have a nagging feeling we’re soon to become reliant.

More recently, we’ve seen voice commands bundled into third-party apps, too. With Apple slightly opening up Siri for their own apps at least, we will definitely see in the future iOS devs finally able to make their own apps based partially â€" or even wholly â€" on voice, and while the major companies have done a decent job in bringing the technologies up to a substantial level, you feel now is the time where the power of voice can really be put to the test.

WhatsApp messenger is among the first of the major apps to get a taste of voice commands. If you’ve never heard of WhatsApp, it’s the most popular cross-platform messaging service available. Whether on iOS or Android, BlackBerry or Windows Phone, one can send free SMS, images, videos and voice notes with ease, and all for free (providing some form of data connection is in place). For those running on Android, XDA-Developers Senior Member pacosal has released a beta version of Voice for WhatsApp, and it allows you to use your sound hole to control certain functions within the application.

You can use your voice to write your messages, and a voice will also dictate your received messages, should be distracted (or just wishing to show off). When your device receives a WhatsApp notification, the voice implementation will then read out the message. Note: it won’t just randomly begin sounding off your (possibly private) messages at will â€" it will only do so when the screen is turned on â€" so if you’re in an environment whereby audible private WhatsApp messages read aloud is seen as taboo (let’s face it, where isn’t?), then you needn’t worry.

It’s in beta, so it’s a little rough around the edges, but it’s showing great promise, and knowing how many intelligent, hardworking folk exist at XDA, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a very polished version in the near future. In the meantime, if you wish to  give it a go, please download the APK provided here.

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