PAKISTAN NEWS:
PTA partners with telco franchises for easier mobile registration with DIRBS:
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) launched the Device Identification Registration and Blocking Service (DIRBS) recently, making it mandatory for everyone to have an officially registered phone. For those who don’t know, your phone would be blacklisted and will not work in Pakistan anymore if it is not registered with the PTA. This includes all new devices being brought to the country via online shopping or in flight luggage. However, PTA has some good news for mobile phone buyers or anyone bringing along phones from abroad.
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Pakistan’s IT exports surge to $800 million in Q3 FY19:
The exports of IT and IT-enabled services have crossed the $800 million mark by the end of the third quarter of the financial year 2018-19, showing a slight growth of 2.1 percent compared with the same period of the previous financial year.
According to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), exports of IT and IT-enabled services increased to $808 million in the period of July to March of the financial year 2018-19 as compared with $791 million recorded last year.
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PTCL Razakaar organizes Box of Happiness in old age homes:
Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) organized a Box of Happiness initiative for the elderly in the first quarter of 2019 through its in-house volunteer force, PTCL Razakaar.
PTCL employees from numerous regions of Pakistan donated generously in making hand-packed gift boxes for people living in old age homes and impoverished communities. The Razakaar force then reached out to a multitude of facilities along with open communities in over 25 locations.
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MoIT identifies areas to provide faster broadband to 30 million underserved people:
The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication has identified new areas for the provision of Next Generation Broadband to a population of over 30 million people. According to documents, the ministry has launched several initiatives for the provision of ICT services in the unserved and underserved areas of the country through the Universal Service Fund (USF).
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Jazz posts its best-ever quarter with 23.6% growth:
Jazz has posted PKR 50.59 billion in revenues during Q1 2019, with an impressive YoY growth of 23.6% as compared to the same period last year. Jazz said that this massive growth mainly came through business performance and due to suspension of telecom taxes during the reported time period.
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Android Q won’t be getting a native scrollable screenshot feature:
Scroll screenshot is a highly demanded feature in Android that allows you to capture more than what’s visible on your screen. Whether it be a lengthy article you want to save or a text conversation you want to share with your friends without the inconvenience of taking multiple screenshots.
All of that is made possible by the scrollable screenshot feature. The feature isn’t a part of stock Android just yet so it is only fair to expect Google to implement it in a future build. However, the company does not seem to have any plans to introduce the feature anytime soon and is calling it “infeasible”.
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We can now convert thoughts into speech:
In a groundbreaking development, scientists have found a way to convert thoughts into speech. If all goes well, people with paralysis or neurological impairment will be able to communicate whatever is on their mind. This breakthrough has been achieved by the Researchers at the University of California. The neuroscientists have been able to convert the brain waves into literal speech.
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Oppo launches a Special Edition F11 Pro for Avengers-Endgame:
The F11 Pro by OPPO is an outstanding phone and it just got even better. If you are an Avengers fan then you are going to love this, coinciding with the release of the Avengers, OPPO has launched the F11 Pro Marvel Avengers Limited Edition. With all the power of the original Avengers, F11 Pro is the ultimate phone you cannot afford to miss out on.
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS:
Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson sacked over Huawei leak:
Gavin Williamson has been sacked as defence secretary following an inquiry into a leak from a top-level National Security Council meeting. Downing Street said the PM had “lost confidence in his ability to serve” and Penny Mordaunt will take on the role.
The inquiry followed reports over a plan to allow Huawei limited access to help build the UK’s new 5G network. Mr Williamson, who has been defence secretary since 2017, “strenuously” denies leaking the information.
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Huawei becomes the second biggest phonemaker beating Apple:
According to research by counterpoint, Huawei’s smartphone market share has hit an all-time high for the first quarter of 2019. Reaching levels higher than ever, Huawei has overthrown Apple and is now second only to Samsung with a stunning 17% market share. As seen above, Huawei keeps on gaining more and more market share, showing a 50% advance in just under a year. It’s not all that behind Samsung and looking at the results from Apple, it is highly likely that Huawei is going to stay ahead of Apple for a while now.
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The growing threat to Mark Zuckerberg’s power:
Nobody else in Silicon Valley has such absolute power over a technology giant. Mark Zuckerberg is the co-founder, chief executive, board chairman and majority shareholder of Facebook, the most-populated social network in the world. For years, few considered this a problem. But then, things started going rather badly. “I know that we don’t exactly have the strongest reputation on privacy right now, to put it lightly,” Mr Zuckerberg said on stage this week at the firm’s annual developers’ conference in San Jose.
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Facebook reactions to get new looks and animations:
In 2016, Facebook rolled out reaction buttons to help users respond to posts in a variety of ways if a simple like button was not enough. This was a result of users clamoring for a dislike button, but Facebook decided on something more expressive and fun. A report from the Pew Research Center, published in July 2018 showed how the reactions were getting popular among users especially the angry one. These reactions have become a key feature when it comes to expressing likes and dislikes on the popular social media platform.
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Phone and laptop searches at US border ‘quadruple’:
Searches of travellers’ laptops and mobile phones at the US border have nearly quadrupled since 2015, digital rights groups have claimed in a federal lawsuit. The searches are often warrantless and therefore “unconstitutional”, allege the plaintiffs. The lawsuit says that border agents are attempting to enforce laws beyond their purview of customs and immigration.
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Plan to secure internet of things with new law:
The rapidly growing “internet of things” (IOT) — internet-connected gadgets — would have to be made more secure under proposed new laws.
Security vulnerabilities that could be targeted by hackers have been found in everything from toy dolls to internet-connected ovens in recent years. The new laws would mean such devices would have to come with unique passwords, for example.
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Samsung unveils TV that can switch to vertical mode:
Samsung has unveiled a TV that switches from a horizontal, landscape-style orientation to vertical — so it can easily display smartphone content. The 43in device is called Sero and comes with an integrated easel-like stand upon which the screen pivots. It will go on sale in South Korea towards the end of May and cost 1.89m won (£1,250). One TV analyst said it was an interesting concept – but might have limited applications.
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Family-friendly robot company Anki set to close:
Robotics companyAnki is set to close down after failing to raise enough cash to continue day-to-day operations. The US company sells small, family-friendly robots. Cozmo and Vector are moveable digital assistants designed to interact with family members.
They can respond to requests and take photos. According to technology website Recode, staff were told that they would be laid off, by company chief executive Boris Sofman.
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TalkTalk service at bottom of Ofcom poll for third year running:
TalkTalk has failed to improve its standing on customer complaints in Ofcom’s annual survey — the broadband provider has come bottom of the table for the third year running.
In 2017 it shared the honour with Virgin Media, but in 2018 and 2019 the prize was all TalkTalk’s. Its customers were most likely to be unhappy with the outcome of complaints. A spokeswoman for TalkTalk said the data showed an “improving trend” on the number of complaints.
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Drone owners to be charged annual fee under new proposals:
Every drone and model aircraft owner in the UK could be charged £16.50 a year under plans by the aviation regulator.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is consulting on introducing a licence fee to cover the costs of operating the new drone registration scheme. From November, drone owners would have to register their details on a database and drone flyers would complete a free online safety test. But a drone membership organisation claimed the charge was “far too high”. The plans would affect anyone who owns a drone that weighs more than 250 grams (8oz).
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Sonic the Hedgehog’s teeth and why video game movies struggle:
On the face of it, it’s such an obvious idea: take a well-loved video game and bring it to the big screen. After all, a successful game and a successful movie have so many ingredients in common. Engaging lead characters, a scary villain, a nice easy-to-follow plot about, say, rescuing a princess… Now of course that’s Twitter, where the first response to anything tends to be “Why I hate this new thing and why that makes me cleverer than you.” (That particular tweet above represents an atypically measured and self-aware example.)
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Minecraft player loses five-year-long game:
A man who has been playing a single continuous game of Minecraft for the past five years says he is devastated to have been finally “killed”.
Phil Watson, 31, of Newcastle, had been playing in the most difficult Hardcore mode, which means his character cannot be brought back to life. Having walked 6,316km, flown 7,798km and jumped 732,389 times, he had got “a bit full of myself” and been startled by a zombie baby and eaten by a spider. He says the five-year game is a record.