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Atif Aslam Joins Twitter, Finally: ProPakistani |  |
- Atif Aslam Joins Twitter, Finally
- 3G Services to be Available by 2011 End: Seminar Notes
- Mobilink, NADRA Join Hands for Bills Payment Solution
- Gilani Urges Muslim Ummah for Joint Efforts in Science & Technology
- National IT Policy Draft 2010, Not the Best!
- Are You Abiding by Mobile Phone Etiquette?
- Froyo Is A No-Go For Older XPERIA Family
| Atif Aslam Joins Twitter, Finally Posted: 11 Jan 2011 01:02 PM PST
Atif Aslam Joins Twitter, Finally is a post from: ProPakistani
Unlike, other singers, Atif always refrained from Facebook or Twitter and repeatedly denied accounts which were attributed to him. This leaves the fans to either write on his Facebook Fan Page or Official Forums. Unfortunately, both the online presences are not operated by Aslam himself, instead they are administrated by a team of moderators appointed by Atif's management. However, today, Atif Aslam has officially joined twitter to send real-time updates to his fans. The account, created on 8th of January, has 500 followers as of now, but has already been verified by the twitter staff. Here's the link: http://twitter.com/itsaadee This has to be the most amazing act for the die-hard Atif fans who can now read Atif's micro blog on daily basis. It merits mentioning here that Atif Aslam is currently the brand ambassador for Warid Telecom. Via KoolMuzone Related posts:
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| 3G Services to be Available by 2011 End: Seminar Notes Posted: 11 Jan 2011 08:05 AM PST
3G Services to be Available by 2011 End: Seminar Notes is a post from: ProPakistani
He said this while speaking at a seminar organized by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) in collaborat0ion with Qualcomm and Central Asian Cellular Forum (CACF) at Islamabad on 3G mobile services. The theme was "Opportunities for All: Development of 3G Devices in Pakistan". Chairman PTA, Dr. Mohammed Yaseen, moderated the ceremony. Delegates from Board of Investment, Pakistan Engineering Council, Ministry of IT, Representatives from Qualcomm, IT & telecom Industry experts, CEOs of telecom companies, International Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), Local Investors, Mobile Distributors, Academia and media representatives attended the seminar. The Secretary said that the local manufacturing of 3G handsets is very important and govt would consider the recommendations given by the Industry during the seminar. On this occasion, Chairman PTA, Dr. Mohammed Yaseen said that by the end of this quarter we will be able to roll out plans for 3G services once the Policy is approved by the Government. He said that handset manufacturing is a vital segment of mobile Eco System, by the end of 2011, there will be an estimated sales volume of 300 million 3G mobile handset around the globe. Pakistan offers an excellent opportunity for investment in 3G handset manufacturing with availability of skilled manpower and upward growth of mobile market. He said that creation of a favorable climate for high value added, low cost R&D, production and marketing will certainly instigate investment window in the country. During the seminar Chairman PTA also delivered a comprehensive presentation to highlight the worldwide practices regarding 3G manufacturing. He presented various investment incentives offered in various countries. Chairman also highlighted the present 3G handset market in Pakistan with necessary future roadmap to promote handset manufacturing industry in the country. Mr. Raheel Kamal, Mr. Sanjeet Pandit and Mr. Hani Yassin of Qualcomm also made presentations highlighting magnitude and importance of 3G Manufacturing in Pakistan. During the seminar speakers of International fame focused on the pre-requisites for handset manufacturing proliferation such as incentives, mutual coordination, infrastructure development and technology research. Mobile phone has become the biggest platform available today with almost 5 billion wireless subscribers, of which there are more than 1 billion 3G subscribers in the world. The 3G number is expected to grow to 2.8 billion by 2014. With upcoming 3G auction in Pakistan and network rollouts in the near future, the industry would be benefited from the data growth and exciting applications and services on the 3G networks. Various full-featured mobile operating systems such as Android, Windows, Java, Brew MP, etc., continue to drive the proliferation of mass-market Smartphones offering thousands of applications, services and mobile content. Related posts:
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| Mobilink, NADRA Join Hands for Bills Payment Solution Posted: 11 Jan 2011 07:19 AM PST
Mobilink, NADRA Join Hands for Bills Payment Solution is a post from: ProPakistani
Deputy Chairman NADRA, Tariq Malik and Vice President Marketing Mobilink, Bilal Munir Sheikh inked the agreement to this effect. NADRA Technologies Ltd (NTL) has undertaken this innovative approach to develop an e-Sahulat billing switch to provide an integrated system response to clients for payment of utility bills through alternate channels like mobiles phones, internet, ATM, bank branches and telcos outlets. The facility will empower Mobilink retailers to accept and deposit utility bills from all Mobilink and Non Mobilink customers, even people who do not own a mobile phone can avail this service by walking into a Mobilink retailer’s outlet and depositing their utility bills round the clock, within the due dates. At the signing, Tariq Malik, Deputy Chairman NADRA said, "We are pleased to partner with the Mobilink which is the country’s largest cellular family with the most widespread retail and distribution network. Through this service, we are taking the bill payment facility to places where banks haven’t." He further emphasized that "e-Sahulat platform is a tip of the iceberg and NTL is in process of transforming this platform into National Smart Service Platform for e-commerce. Through this Smart Service Platform organizations can utilize e-Sahulat touch points for cash in and cash out transactions under branchless regulations issued by State Bank of Pakistan. This arrangement will help commercial banks and Telecom operators to extend branchless banking concept through e-Sahulat without raising any infrastructure thereby saving capital and operational cost." Bilal Munir Sheikh, Vice President Marketing, Mobilink commented, "We commend NTL’s efforts to reach out to the common people of Pakistan, a vision we are pleased to share with them. As there is no charge or fee associated nor any condition to own a mobile phone, all segments of the society can avail this convenient facility" e-Sahulat is a truly enabling service that cuts across infrastructural barriers in line with the spirit of branchless banking. This arrangement once put in place will facilitate general public especially in rural areas with solutions housed in congenial environments, while exposing the public to state-of-the-art-technology. Related posts:
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| Gilani Urges Muslim Ummah for Joint Efforts in Science & Technology Posted: 11 Jan 2011 03:08 AM PST
Gilani Urges Muslim Ummah for Joint Efforts in Science & Technology is a post from: ProPakistani Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has urged the Muslim Ummah to join hands in initiating projects in the fields of science and technology to meet the challenges of 21st century. The Prime Minister was addressing the inaugural session of the 14th General Assembly meeting of the OIC Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH) here at the Jinnah Convention Centre. The two-day General Assembly meeting will study a number of scientific projects including a mega project initiative that aims at pooling diverse capabilities, resources and expertise of the member states of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC). The Prime Minister said,
He recalled the contribution of Muslim scholars and pioneers in the field of science and medicine for 600 years, and regretted that the glorious period of creative scientific activity ceased as the Islamic Ummah lost the intellectual leadership. He said despite enormous human and material resources, the Muslim world still counted among the backward due to lack in scientific and technological advancement. The Prime Minister appreciated COMSTECH for fulfilling responsibility to help OIC member countries in promoting a culture of research and innovation in science and technology. Gilani said he would like Prof. Atta-ur-Rahman, Coordinator General of COMSTECH to prepare policy guidelines in consultation with the OIC General Secretariat and under the overall supervision of the COMSTECH Executive Committee to translate decisions of COMSTECH General Assembly into concrete steps. He proposed holding a meeting of science and technology stakeholders of the OIC system in Pakistan before August 2011 and asked the Ministry of Science and Technology to make necessary arrangements for this meeting in Islamabad. He mentioned that the funding of science and technology programmes had borne fruit with the operationlization of Science Technology Innovation Organization (STIO) at a meeting in Riyadh in February, 2010. Gilani said with a clearly defined mandate to act as implementing arm of COMSTECH, STIO will be crucial in promoting science and technology. Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani said this could be perceived as a significant step, allowing COMSTECH to strengthen the science and technology infrastructure of OIC. He said it would also prove central in implementation of the earlier plans contained in Vision 1441 and Ten Year Programme of Action. He mentioned that COMSTECH on its own had managed to obtain almost twice as much fund for its Science and Technology programmes as financial contributions by its member states. This development, will allow COMSTECH to focus its energies on its primary role as a coordination and policy making supreme body of the OIC on Science and Technology, he said. He acknowledged the role of Saudi Arabia in bringing STIO this far and urged those who had not joined STIO to fully implement the 10-Year Programme of Action during the remaining 5-year period. He appreciated the efforts and keen personal interest of Dr. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary General of OIC in finding at least a partial solution to the long standing challenge of funding. He mentioned that Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran and Pakistan had committed five million US dollars each for a total approved budget of US$ 70 million for 2011 for undertaking scientific programmes of STIO within their respective countries during the current year. He said to help COMSTECH pursue its commendable course of action in building indigenous research capability, Pakistan had provided US$ one million annually. The conference's agenda include joint design, manufacture and marketing of small and medium sized planes, affordable cars, communication satellites and production of biotechnological-based drugs and vaccines. The OIC General Secretariat is working on a plan of action for the implementation of this initiative which covers five OIC Member States; Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Turkey, Indonesia and Kazakhstan. The 14th session of the COMSTECH General Assembly will also study the draft of the Atlas of scientific innovations. Prime Minister Gilani also presented COMSTECH Awards in his capacity as the Co-Chairman of COMSTECH. Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu in his address urged the COMSTECH to focus on providing policy guidelines for education particularly in science and technology amongst the member states. He also stressed upon the OIC members for the implementation of recommendations of the General Assembly, child and maternal health, scholarships, strategy for confronting pandemics and epidemics and joint strategy to improve the quality of life. The Prime Minister also attended the plenary session. Dr Attaur Rehman presented a report on the activities of the COMSTECH. Earlier in his brief remarks Dr Atta said "knowledge determines progress and education is the only way out of economic problems the Ummah was facing." He appreciated the government for allocating seven percent of the GDP for the education sector. The General Assembly will submit its recommendations to the 12th Islamic Summit which will be held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in March 2011. There is an increasing interest in the field of Science and Technology in the Islamic world especially after the adoption of Vision 1441H for S&T at the OIC Islamic Summit of 2003 in Puterajaya, Malaysia. via APP Related posts:
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| National IT Policy Draft 2010, Not the Best! Posted: 11 Jan 2011 02:17 AM PST
National IT Policy Draft 2010, Not the Best! is a post from: ProPakistani A well planned system, focusing on a bigger picture and also keeping minor issues in consideration is a recipe for progress of a Nation. Set policies and frame work provide a direction which plays a vital part in achieving certain milestones. Information technology (IT) and IT enabled services are now a decade old industry in Pakistan and therefore National IT policy impacts every sector of the country and virtually every man on the street. The National IT policy of Pakistan was first formulated in 2000, but 10 years of unprecedented growth have made it old and ineffective with today's industry standards. After much pressure from industry stake holders, revised draft of National IT policy was floated on the Ministry of Information technology's, National IT development and promotion unit website. (Click here to download revised draft of National IT policy 2010) Revised draft of country's IT policy was released by Ministry of Information in Nov 2010.
What is ICT Policy? Pakistan's first IT policy was released in 2000. Since then it has been a focus of debate. One of the things emphasized in the discourse was need to formulate information and communication technology (ICT) policy rather than just an IT policy. A National ICT policy gives the direction and vision to gather revenue from ICTs in context of a particular country. ICT policy generally covers three main areas: Telecommunications (especially Telephone communications), Broadcasting (Radio and T.V) and Internet. Critical Evaluation of ICT Policy draft 2010
Reading Pakistan's first IT policy 2000 alongside the 2010 draft posted on National IT and development unit website by the Ministry of IT gives a thorough look at the mindset of the framers of this policy. Both the 2000 policy document and the revised draft 2010 privilege a few stake holders at the expense of many. It lacks a deep and thorough understanding of Pakistan IT industry and those who can truly benefit industry and country are excluded. What does this policy is going to accomplish in next five years? This is a big question. Apparently, it tries to bring Pakistan into 21st Century and making IT sector main pillar of the economy alongside bringing investment in the country and move towards an information society. The vision of the draft seeks
In past decade IT industry has become a two billion dollar market. However, it is telecommunications not IT, which has been the real success story in the period from 2000 to 2010. Following Points are of Greater Attention: 1. The draft policy 2010 provides examples of different types of exclusion, ranging from out right exclusion to political rejection. The draft pays lip service to issues of gender and accessibility. Political rejection and dispossession are most evident in sections on Agricultural development and food security and the section on Environmental management. 2. There is no mention of majority of Pakistan's rural population who don't engage in trade, are likely to retain productive traditional practices in the next five years, yet earn their lively hood through agriculture.
3. A short section of draft policy addresses digital divide. It includes a planned technology city in the south of new Islamabad airport; not in a remote area where it would be effective in reducing the digital divide. The city will have businesses related to technology, universities and private institutions that are not likely to benefit rural or poor urban populations. The draft policy falls far short of what is needed for the effective construction of democratic social relations. Related posts:
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| Are You Abiding by Mobile Phone Etiquette? Posted: 11 Jan 2011 01:18 AM PST
Are You Abiding by Mobile Phone Etiquette? is a post from: ProPakistani
Many of us consider mobile phones as life savers, but rude mobile phone users are the thorns in our sides. Private conversations, arguments, details about how a meeting went, or intimate knowledge of what's in a stranger's refrigerator at home are all things that all eavesdroppers can do. What is needed to be done is that we should follow some etiquette when using a mobile phone, after all, most people who are annoying don't realize that they're annoying everyone around. Some people have got so fed up with rude mobile phone users that they turned to illegal mobile phone jammers. These devices knock mobile phone users off their lines and prevent a reconnection with the mobile tower until the user wanders out of range. The rate at which jammers are selling speaks to the lack of manners among the mobile phone users. What are Mobile Phone Manners, After all? Mobile phone etiquette involves following some simple guidelines of common courtesy when using a mobile phone in public, designed to make public places more enjoyable for all. Its just a matter of being considerate of others, which pays off for everyone! Do not forget to abide by the following when using a mobile phone: 1. Keep a 10-feet (3 meter) distance between you and anyone else whenever you talk to someone on your mobile phone. No exceptions. 2. Don't Talk too loudly: Generally you don't have to shout in the microphone to be heard on the other end. 3. Don't Multi-task: Don't make calls while driving, shopping, in banks, waiting in line, or doing pretty much anything that involves interacting with other human beings. 4. Don't Talk in Any Enclosed Spaces: Even if you're more than 10 feet away from anyone. Others can still hear you talking on your mobile phone (because it's an enclosed space) and usually, they're forced to just sit there and listen. Especially, do not make or attend calls when you are in bathrooms, elevators, waiting rooms, auditoriums and public transports. 5. Places Where to Turn-Off Mobile Ring-tone: Don't even let your mobile phone ring in any of the following settings;
6. Don't Use Mobile During Meals: :Don't use your mobile phone when having a meal with someone. Ideally, you should turn it off entirely. If you're anticipating an important call, let the person you're with, know beforehand that you're expecting a call that you'll need to take. No matter what, don't hold a conversation at the table; step away, follow Step 1, and don't stay away any longer than you would for a bathroom break. Never, ever text at the table, even if the conversation died down. 7. No Mobile Phone When at Movies: Turn off your mobile phone at the movie theater. Even if your mobile phone is on vibrate mode, people can hear it during quiet parts of the movie. And even if they can't, the light from your mobile phone's screen is very distracting. Don't check the time, don't check your text messages; just turn it off until the movie is over. Mobile Phones should be turned off in movie theaters, playhouses, observatories or any other public place that creates an atmosphere to transport the imagination of the audience. People pay good money to be entertained and a ringer breaks the illusion. 8. Practice Texting: When you're in an enclosed space, or you can't put yourself 10 feet out of everyone's way, it's inappropriate to talk but it's acceptable to receive and send text messages. In such cases, keep the following rules of texting etiquette in mind; Use the vibrate feature instead of an audible text alert. Only text when you're standing still or sitting out of anyone's way. Don't text while you walk or drive. Don't text while doing anything that requires you to be attentive. A good example would be while waiting at an intersection for the pedestrian signal. Don't text in a meeting or conference when you should be attentive to the guest speaker. Related posts:
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| Froyo Is A No-Go For Older XPERIA Family Posted: 11 Jan 2011 01:09 AM PST
Froyo Is A No-Go For Older XPERIA Family is a post from: ProPakistani
Sony Ericsson has confirmed that older members of XPERIATM family will not savor Froyo (Android v2.2) update – says Android Community. SE XPERIATM X10, X10 Mini and X10 Mini pro will stick to Android v2.1 a.k.a Éclair, however, they'll be getting software enhancements via future upgrades. SE claims that current Android version combined with their proprietary software updates is the best available option for these devices and they've plans for implanting new features through software upgrade e.g. introducing Multi-touch support to X10 and other members of XPERIATM family in Q1-2010. It merits mentioning that with the introduction of XPERIATM X10 SE got back on the track which they might've otherwise lost. XPERIATM X10 proved to be the success for SE itself. They were already late in releasing Éclair Upgrade for the device and now they've abandoned next OS upgrade at least for older members of the XPERIATM family. XPERIATM X10 users can still upgrade to Froyo and even Gingerbread (Android v2.3) using unofficial custom ROMs but at their own risk. Meanwhile, SE has also introduced a new flagship device named XPERIATM X12 a.k.a XPERIATM Arc which promises to bring along following set of features:
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Atif Aslam, the biggest Pakistani pop star of Pakistan is known for very limited or no interaction with his fans.
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