News

INTERNET USERS IN PAKISTAN TO HIT
22 MILLION BY 2013
The Internet usage in Pakistan is likely to see three digit growth rate in next couple of years as it is being predicted that internet base would touch 22 million mark by year 2013. Out of total base, 4.3 million users would be using broadband Internet. According to official sources, it was told that Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) was working in collaboration with educational institutes to get the new generation familiar with internet. Internet is going to be the next growing industry in Pakistan specifically in a scenario when Universal Service Fund (USF) is putting massive efforts to take Internet to rural areas of the country. The sources said there is still to cover a long distance, tele-density is merely 11 percent but experts are expecting good because there were only 133,000 Internet users back in 2000 and now around 18 million in Pakistan.

MICROSOFT TO PUT OFFICE ON PHONES
FROM NOKIA
Microsoft and Nokia, long adversaries in mobile phone technology, have agreed to a partnership to equip many Nokia cellphones with the Microsoft Office software. Microsoft's lucrative Office line faces an emerging competitive threat from free Web-based word processing, spreadsheet and other software, especially from Google. And consumers are increasingly using their smartphones to do tasks that once could be done only on personal computers, Microsoft's stronghold. "This appears to be a case of the enemy of my enemy is my friend," said Rob Enderle, an independent technology analyst. The alliance, announced recently, seems to be a pragmatic step by both companies, as each tries to cope with growing competitive threats. Nokia, the world's largest cellphone maker, is facing competition in the smartphone market against rivals led by the iPhone from Apple and the BlackBerry by Research in Motion. The competition is increasing with the recent entry of phones using the Android software from Google. Nokia and Microsoft have been rivals for years in cellphone operating systems, with Nokia adopting Symbian software and shunning Windows Mobile. Despite few details, the Microsoft-Nokia alliance apparently extends only to Office. "This does seem to be a case of Microsoft Office business trumping Windows Mobile," said Matt Rosoff, an analyst at Directions on Microsoft, a research firm.

A "MOVING NEWSPAPER'' ON FLEXIBLE
SCREEN, SOON
World's first flexible electronic screen is set to be launched by a Cambridge-based company. Scientists at the University of Cambridge's Cavendish Laboratory have come up with the roll up A4-sized "intelligent plastic" display, which took a decade of development. But Plastic Logic, the company behind the e-version imagery, said that it would not produce a roll-up screen, made from a microchip of cheap plastic. "People worry that it will break if they roll up a device and dump it in their bag," a website quoted Martin Jackson, the vice-president of technology, as saying. The Plastic Logic, created to compete with the growing variety of electronic books from companies like Sony and the US-only Amazon Kindle, will see a US launch at the beginning of next year at a predicted price of around 300 dollars.

INDIA'S OWN GOOGLE EARTH: BHUVAN
Google Earth's got some competition now - from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), which recently unveiled its beta version of Bhuvan (meaning earth in Sanskrit). A web-based tool like Google Earth, Bhuvan promises to give better 3-D satellite imagery of India than is currently being offered by the US-based software giant plus a host of India-specific features like weather information and even administrative boundaries of all states and districts. The application is available as a free download from http://bhuvan.nrsc.gov.in/. The tool would offer pictures of the globe, just like Google Earth, and navigable in the same way but currently has the best resolutions over the Indian sub-continent. It allows users to fly from space to street level, grab, spin and zoom down to any place. It also provides tools for measuring, drawing, saving, printing and visualizing thematic information. The resolutions currently on offer are good enough to view a vehicle moving on a road quite clearly.

SONY'S NEW PLAYSTATION IS SMALLER
AND LIGHTER
What do you do when you have made the most popular games console of all time, only to see it overtaken by upstart rivals? Answer: go back to your roots and relaunch it - but this time make it smaller, quieter and cheaper. The new PlayStation 3 was recently unveiled, and caused a storm among gamers eager to see the "original and best console" return to the top table of gaming ahead of Microsoft's XBox 360 and Nintendo's Wii. The new machine from Sony - called the PS3 Slim - is about a third smaller, lighter and less power-hungry than the current model, which it will replace on September 1. Under the skin it will sport a 120GB hard drive, although Sony is expected to add a 250GB version later. In terms of styling it looks much more like PlayStations of old. "I wanted to send the message that we were resetting our thinking, going back to our roots," said Kazuo Hirai, the company's chief executive. The launch of the PS3 Slim had been widely predicted, but the aggressive price cut took many industry experts by surprise. The new model comes with a 120GB hard drive, neatly slotting in between the sizes of the current 80GB and 160GB PS3 models. The Slim is smaller than the original PS3 in all dimensions. It is a third thinner, 10% shorter and almost 2kg lighter. It also comes with a new version of the PlayStation's operating system that will enable owners to pick fancy animated menus. The PS3 Slim goes on sale from September 1, at $425, about the same price as Sony now charges for the current 80GB model.

SAMSUNG UNVEILS FIRST LED TV IN PAKISTAN
Samsung Electronics recently unveiled the latest, highly innovative series of Televisions in Pakistan. Based on a breakthrough I.HI) (Light-Emitting-Diode)technology, the Samsung LED TV 6000 and 7000 Series provide state of the art picture quality and are equipped with ultra clear panel, wide color enhance and PC and USB connectivity. These TVs provide convenience of interactivity. 7000 series is also equipped with a flash storage library. Country Director Samsung's Pakistan Steve Han addressing a press conference said that Samsung has marked a transformative moment with the introduction of new LED TV in Pakistan and it has completely revolutionized the way consumers interact with and experience their TVs", He said that transparent crystal display and slim and sleek design coupled with thinner wall mount allows these sets to be hung on any walls. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Digital World Pakistan Farooq Naseem said on the occasion that this innovative launch of LED TV is the result of Samsung's on-going effort in the technological advancements. He said that their product focuses on the green-manufacturing and design leading to long-term, eco-friendly HDTV solutions.
KINGSTON TECHNOLOGY RELEASES SSDNOW V+ SOLID-STATE DRIVE
Kingston Technology Company, Inc. recently announced a new addition to its SSDNow line of solid-state drives. Shipping immediately, the SSDNow V+ features capacities up to 256GB, higher input and output operations per second (IOPS) and faster read/write speeds than a standard mechanical hard-disk drive. It is targeted to prosumers and enterprise companies looking to increase performance and extend the life of existing systems. "The SSDNow V+ is the ideal solid-state drive for power users, system builders, system integrators, and in demanding corporate environments where efficiency and performance are important as more system resources are in use," said Nathan Su, Flash Memory Sales Director, APAC Region, Kingston. "Users will be more productive as the drive's higher capacities and IOPS allow for more data storage and faster boot and application load times." A computer's operating system will benefit from the drive's impressive random 4K read speeds of up to 6,300 IOPS, and random 4K writes of up to 291 IOPS. The Kingston SSDNow V+ has a blazing sequential read speed of up to 220MB/sec. and write speeds of up to 180MB/sec. The SSD is backed by a three-year warranty, free tech support and legendary Kingston reliability. For more information, visit www.kingston.com/asia.

INTEL DONATES CLASSMATE PC'S
Processor giant Intel Corporation recently donated 40 Intel-powered Classmate PCs with WiFi connectivity to a government run public school and college in North Karachi. A PC lab was inaugurated by David Fosberg, Regional Director, Intel World Ahead Program for Asia Pacific in the presence of Raza Haroon, Minister for Information Technology, Government of Sindh, who was the chief guest. Focused on developing communities, Intel's World Ahead Program integrates and extends its efforts to use technology to help improve their lives and economies. The Intel-powered Classmate PCs offer a reliable, portable and durable personal learning tool, thereby providing for in-classroom learning. The Classmate PC is a wireless-enabled and supported with Internet connectivity and basic software applications and digital educational resources, provided by school software application. Within the overall World Ahead Program, Intel's `ICT for Education' initiative support David Fosberg, Regional Director, Intel World Ahead Program, Asia Pacific, reiterated that the people in the developing world face many unique challenges, including having limited access to technology. The Intel World Ahead program is Intel's unique mission to provide greater access to opportunities for the world's underserved by expanding access to fully-featured yet affordable PCs that are tailored to meet real peoples needs. We are working towards building a classroom where PCs are a tool for learning, rather than a tool to be learned. It's an exciting environment that engages and stimulates students, at the same time providing them with vital skills for the future.

FACEBOOK TESTS 'LITE' VERSION OF SERVICE
Facebook is reportedly testing a simplified interface of its social network service with faster load times called Facebook Lite. According to reports regarding Facebook Lite, the slimmed-down service will be similar to Facebook's mobile version -- Lite would offer only basic functionality such as making comments, accepting friend requests, writing on Walls, and viewing photos. The bare-bones design has a one-column display of Wall posts, with three buttons at the top that let you write messages or post photos and video. There are also four links on the left under your profile picture: "Wall," "Info," "Friends," and "Photos and Video." The idea behind Facebook Lite is to create a service that can be accessed relatively quickly for parts of the world where broadband Internet speeds are either unavailable or not widespread. That makes a lot of sense, since the standard Facebook interface has become a feature-rich experience that can tax even a decent broadband connection. Facebook reportedly wanted to create a simplified experience to entice new users, in addition to creating a site with faster load times. News of Facebook Lite leaked recently when Facebook mistakenly sent invites to a wide range of users to try out the new service. However, when users followed the link provided to test the simpler version they were unable to access it. Facebook is not the first social network to offer a lite version. In May, MySpace launched a stripped-down version of its site, called MySpace Lite View, for users worldwide with slower Internet speeds.

NEW HORIZON COMPUTER SIGNS M.O.U WITH TCS & MANHILL ADVERTISING
New Horizon computer, Business and Service Delivery Partner of HP in Pakistan which is launching a project of establishing modern IT Labs on the high School level in the Punjab, has signed pre-launch M.O.Us with M/s. Manhill Advertising (for communication) and TCS (for Logistics), two leading partners in the project at an impressive ceremony arranged at Manhill House Karachi. Speaking on the occasion Mr. Rahim Iqbal, Director Sales & Marketing, New Horizon Computer expressed his confidence to establish 824 IT Labs in the remote areas of Multan and Bahawalpur in given deadline. He praised the efforts of its logistics & communication partners, M/s. TCS & Manhill Advertising respectively. Therefore, Mr. Rahim Iqbal of New Horizon, Syed Shaukat Abbas, Regional Director Sales (North) representing TCS and Mr. Wamiq Hasan, Account Director, Manhill Advertising singed the MOU. The ceremony was also attended by the representatives of the Govt. of Punjab, PTCL, PEL Air conditioners, TCS, N Computing, Punjab IT Board and Manhill Advertising apart from the Senior Manager of Microsoft and HP alongwith prominent Media individuals.