MORE Magazine

INTEL WANTS IT TO FLOURISHIN PAKISTANIntel is a leading organization in the worldof Information Technology. Recently,Naveed Siraj has been given the task tolead Intel in Pakistan as its country head.We got a chance to discuss IT related mat-ters with him.

Volume 3 / Issue 8March 2011

CONTENTSINTERVIEW

10

SAMSUNG NEXUS S, GINGERBREAD PHONEIt can be difficult to review a phone likeGoogle's Nexus S in a world already popu-lated by so many outstanding Android de-vices. Not only does the manufacturer ofthis phone make a series of handsets thatare all essentially the same (the Galaxy Sline), but countless other OEMs are crank-ing away on hardware for the platform. Ofcourse, the Nexus S is a decidedly differentphone altogether.

REVIEW14

VIMPELCOM BECOMES WORLD’SSIXTH LARGEST OPERATORLarger VimpelCom will have more than173 million subscriber base with with proforma net operating revenues of US$21.3billion and pro forma EBITDA of US$9.4 bil-lion for the year ended 31 December,2009.

TELECOM18

NOKIA BRINGS AFFORDABLEQWERTY PHONE IN PAKISTAN–NOKIA X2-01Nokia’s continuous efforts of ‘connectingpeople in new and better ways’ are payingoff as its strategy to offer something foreveryone from every walk of life can beseen materializing with its promising newline of devices. X2-01 is the latest additionto this.

20

The TVC assumes that this extreme state of negativity in oursociety has made it impossible for our sisters and daughters toleave their homes for jobs and education purposes. Contrary tothis we see a very healthy picture when hundreds and thousands of our women go out daily to work in schools, universities, banks, private and government organizations.

COVER STORY

06

10

MORE Magazine printed at Banquet Printing Press 28-A, Nisbat Road, Lahore and published by Mudassar Jehangir Mufti at 2nd Floor, Ali Mansion, 41-A, Lower Mall, Lahore Tel: 042 2106737 Email: [email protected]

Editor-in-Chief Mudassar Jehangir Mufti | Group Editor Sumaira Mudassar | Editor Halima Qureshi | Advertising Manager Qayyum Ahmed (Lahore), Mehdi Shah (Lahore) Designer Assaad Chughtai | Marketing Executive Syed Faisal Ahmed, Zain Zahid | International Correspondent Ireland: Alina Amir|US: Ovais Qureshi | Registration No. PCPB 286

Disclaimer: Where opinion is expressed it is that of the author’s and does not necessarily coincide with the editorial views of thepublisher or MORE. All information in this magazine is verified to the best of author’s and publisher’s ability. However, MORE doesnot accept responsibility for any loss arising from reliance on it.

MOBILINK PAYS BACK TO SOCIETYWe all have a personal responsibility toeach other and the world around us. Every-thing we do has an effect on other people.It is the same for businesses, large andsmall, public or private, that their actionsaffect a large number of stakeholders.

MONTH IN FOCUS24

THIRD PARTY MOBILE BANKING REGULATION THIS YEAR –CHAIRMAN PTAChairman Pakistan TelecommunicationAuthority (PTA) Dr. Mohammed Yaseen hasbeen selected as best Telecom leader forthe year 2010. He received award as “Vi-sionary Telecom Leader 2010” at 4th Inter-national Mobile Commerce Conference2011 held at local hotel.

21

ILLEGA EXCHANGES RAIDED INLAHORE AND PESHAWARPakistan Telecommunication Authority(PTA) and Federal Investigation Agency(FIA) jointly conducted two successfulraids at Peshawar and Lahore and confis-cated illegal gateway exchanges whilethree persons were apprehended.

22

EVO WIFI CLOUD, ANOTHERFEATHER IN PTCL'S CAPPTCL alone has more than half a millionbroadband customers under its belt grab-bing more than 49 percent of marketshare. EVO Wifi Cloud, a new and attractivedevice for the broadband lovers is expectedto increase pace of broadband sales.

23

LATEST IN TECH35-41

MONTH IN FOCUS 27-34

MOBILE PHONES42

GADGETS45

22

30

6 / MORE March 2011

Mudassar J. Mufti

g We are witnessing the third ad

of “Kamoshi Ka Boycott” series in

which a girl is being abused by some

vagabonds and later by a rather aged

guy who represents a character that

take pleasure in pinching girls.

We know that gender abuse and

discrimination prevails not only in Pak-

istan but all over the world but we also

know that it doesn’t happen this fre-

quently. I have personally found it very

rare that few aimless young people are

following and abusing a girl to such an

extent where she should shout.

These rare cases I am talking about

happen all over the world and most of

the time social forces come forward to

deal with it. It doesn’t happen this fre-

quently in open the way Telenor Pak-

istan is portraying.

The TVC assumes that this extreme

state of negativity in our society has

made it impossible for our sisters and

daughters to leave their homes for

jobs and education purposes. Contrary

to this we see a very healthy picture

when hundreds and thousands of our

women go out daily to work in schools,

universities, banks, private and govern-

ment organizations.

A female manager of a private

company was asked to comment on

this ad, she said, “This ad is not for me,

what cause this particular ad would

serve by showing this pessimism in

our society. Yes there are incidents

which are very rare but that doesn’t re-

quire to be filmed in a massive way.

For instance, if we believe in this situa-

MORE / 7March 2011

tion, how a SHOUT and sending SMS

will help somebody fix the situation?”

Similarly, first two ads of this se-

quence are also defaming a certain

segment of our society, Teachers and

Employers.

Nowhere in these ads has the ad-

vertiser intended to show positive as-

pect of Pakistanis. The only thing it

focuses on is the level of FRUSTRA-

TION, which every political and even

the anti-Pakistani elements today

wants to make use of by exploiting it

for their vested interest. Is Telenor be-

coming a part of it?

If Telenor desires to see this nation

rising and growing which apparently

the slogan is then we may expect

more ads showing the voice against

fake degree holders sitting in the par-

liament, Hajj Corruption, Match fixing

and dozen other things which are of

concern to a common man. And later,

management should turn these agitat-

ing voices into a revolutionary move-

ment which probably could ultimately

change our destination. But so far it is

all ambiguous.

We tried to know what “Khamoshi

Ka Boycott” campaign will do to Pak-

istanis in next few months so people

could have a better idea that when

they are sending paid SMSes to Te-

lenor, it is not for the sack of giving

them revenue only. For this we sent

following questions to Mr. Aamir

Ibrahim, CMO, Telenor.

• "Parchi" is a part of almost every

organization in Pakistan, before going

ahead with this revolutionary cam-

paign, has Telenor Pakistan made sure

that there is no existence of "Parchi"

culture within the company?

• After the success of "Khamoshi Ka

Boycott", how Telenor Pakistan will

streamline the huge anger of youth

that this campaign will produce or

generate against the society and the

system, can you share it with us. Will

Telenor provide a platform for this?

• Do you believe "Karo Mumkin" and

"Khamoshi Ka Boycott" are two oppo-

site campaigns, one is highlighting

and supporting the creativity of Pak-

istanis and other is showing an entire

negative face of our society? Why Te-

lenor had to change its course from

optimism to pessimism, is it all about

generating sales only?

A day later, Telenor’s spokesperson was

asked to send the following reply;

• ‘Parchi’ being one of the most com-

monly faced issues in the youth, is a

serious concern for all responsible em-

ployers. While Telenor Pakistan has

been declared the most preferred em-

ployer and the Best place to Work – a

testament of the values that have

been established in the company, it is

always striving for further improve-

ment to sustain transparency in its

processes and practices.

• Khamoshi Ka Boycott is a platform

for the youth to speak out. The cam-

paign will evolve through a number of

phases and these will be rolled out

over the next few months.

• Khamoshi Ka Boycott and Karo

Mumkin are different faces of the

same idea. By acting as an enabler in

the society, Telenor Pakistan is looking

to help realize possibilities for every-

one. The insight behind the two cam-

paigns is the same; to enable change

by believing in oneself, be it through

speaking out or realizing a dream. The

goal behind the campaigns is to create

a better future for Pakistan.

On the topic of Parchi, Mr. Aamir

Atta has already written a detailed

story on his blog where he published

the version of Telenor’s spokesperson.

Aamir writes, she denied the existence

of favoritism and Safarish in her com-

pany but confirmed that there are con-

tinued requests and pressures from

the government entities including PTA

for hiring people which Telenor Pak-

istan does not entertain.

Whereas, sources within the com-

pany revealed that there are numbers

of people working at Telenor Pakistan

who have been hired on the basis of

favoritism.

Lack of clarity in Telenor’s versions is

raising various questions that need to

be answered. As Telenor says,

“Khamoshi Ka Boycott is a platform for

the youth to speak out. The campaign

will evolve through a number of phases

and these will be rolled out over the

next few months”, if someone could

gauge and calculate the impact of digi-

tal media keeping in the view the cur-

rent state of disturbance in Arab

countries, it is easier to guess the mag-

nitude of any such thing that could pos-

sibly hit Pakistan when, especially,

budget season is just around, govern-

ment is entirely busy in saving itself,

people are furious over issues like price

hike, corruption and terrorism.

Timing of this campaign and the way

negativity in our society is being shown

is raising serious questions about the

creator of Khamoshi Ka Boycott.

“ The TVC assumes that this extreme state of nega-tivity in our society has made it impossible for oursisters and daughters to leave their homes for jobsand education purposes ”

8 / MORE March 2011

India and Pakistan share lots of

common things even the presence of

Telenor. Both the countries have simi-

lar issues. Contrary to Telenor Pakistan,

one of Indian companies, TATA Tea has

made use of creative TVCs to pinpoint

those issues which are eating India. At

the same time, it provides a way out to

deal with worsening situation hence

educating the entire nation in a very

soft and patriotic manner. Not only

TATA but there are dozens of compa-

nies doing the same. I am sure that

most of the readers have seen these

ads on various channels but we would

really like Telenor to see and learn

from them because nowhere in these

ads companies have asked the public

to scream and stand against the sys-

tem but they do serve the cause.

In its response Telenor has claimed

that “the goal behind the campaigns is

to create a better future for Pakistan”,

it is easier said than done. Being a

commercial organization when you are

putting lots of funds into something

you can’t rule out a decent revenue

out of it and this is what Mr. Aamir

Ibrahim talks about in his presenta-

tion. The crux of his speech is,

“We are creating excitement

through TV ads now it is upto sales

team who will make this campaign a

success”.

If selling SIMs through creating ex-

citement among the youth is the rea-

son behind this eye opening campaign

then Telenor must review its policy be-

fore it’s too late.

Another area where Telenor is not

acting in line with its own campaign is

its Youtube movie-- making of

Khamoshi Ka Boycott. Company

doesn’t want to give its viewers a sim-

ple right to comment on this video,

therefore, the right to comment has

been disabled – what does Khamoshi

Ka Boycott means to Telenor?

It’s not the Pakistani media which

is talking about the negativity and its

impact on youth. There is a report

compiled by United Nations few years

back named as World youth report

2005: young people today and in 2015

that provides a clear guideline for air-

ing anything related to youth. Under

the Protection of young people's

media rights, according to report,

Certainly the most familiar asser-

tion in the present context is that

young people need to be protected

from harm. Young people, like adults,

should not be exposed to material

they have not knowingly chosen to be

exposed to, or that might prove “inju-

rious to [their] well-being”. In many

countries there are laws against child

pornography, indecent displays, and

incitement to racial hatred, as well as

strict codes of practice concerning

false claims in advertising, the inva-

sion of privacy, and depictions of sex

and violence.

Arguments about young people's

vulnerability tend to be used as a justi-

fication for denying them access to

knowledge and power. There is consid-

erable room for debate

about what should be regarded as

“harmful” or “unsuitable”. A more pro-

tectionist approach might well deny

young people access to much of what

they are exposed to

in everyday life, whether through

various media or within their own envi-

ronment. New distribution technologies

significantly undermine the possibility

of regulation either by the Government

or within the home. On both philosoph-

ical and pragmatic grounds, it may be

necessary to work towards the develop-

ment of a system that supports self-reg-

ulation by young people themselves.

There is ample time for Telenor Pak-

istan to review its stance. Earlier, they

have always given respect to the online

and print media and this time we also

expect same level of commitment from

them. Also, we would like them to cor-

rect us where we are wrong. g

Disabled comments on Khamoshi Ka Boycott video can be seen in the picture

MORE / 9March 2011

Mudassar J. Mufti

10 / MORE March 2011

MORE Team

MORE / 11March 2011

Tell us about yourself and howIntel sees IT in Pakistan?

I am Naveed Siraj and working with

Intel Pakistan as Country Manager. I am

very new to Intel but not new to indus-

try. I have about 18 years of association

with the industry so I understand the is-

sues and opportunities in Pakistani IT in-

dustry quite well.

From a very high level perspective

Intel is a leader in innovation and tech-

nology which is essential in running

today’s enterprise business, we have a

very solid footprint in retail as well as

small and medium level enterprise. We

want to focus on user’s experience, why,

because, from an enterprise perspective

we want to make sure that businesses

are enabled with the latest technology

based on our enterprise platform such

as Intel Xeon and Intel Itanium and from

a retail perspective we continue to in-

vest in technology which enhances the

experience of user with the devices.

Today, you are observing an all perva-

sive shift to the mobility, more cus-

tomers today prefer mobile products

such as notebooks, netbooks, tablets

and it shows that there is a tremendous

potential in Pakistan as far as growth of

Information Technology is concerned.

We realize that more than 60 % of

population is under the age of 25 this

shows tremendous opportunity to work

in the education sector.

What is the role of governmentto support IT in Pakistan?

According to a World Bank study

which says that increase in broadband

penetration in a country positively con-

tributes to the growth in the economy.

Having said that, in countries where this

positive impact has been observed it has

been found that investment and infra-

structure by the governments are essen-

tial prerequisites. Therefore, in order to

obtain the advantages of a higher

broadband penetration the government

has to invest in the infrastructure.

Yes, government of Pakistan has in-

vested in the IT sector. They have created

favorable IT policies in the past where it

encouraged industry to adopt the IT in a

faster fashion, not only that, internally

within the ministries, there was a faster

adoption of latest technology in terms

of being able to provide better services

to the communities at large.

Today, as far as infrastructure and

policy is concerned; more needs to be

done which could ensure that IT is af-

fordable for the man on the street.

How satisfy are you with theTax regime?

In terms of policies, I think IT is the

growth engine of our economy. Up till

2005-06 government supervised the IT

industry. There was exemption of Gen-

eral Sales Tax (GST). Due to this exemp-

tion, it resulted in massive growth in

adoption of IT in Pakistan as GST exemp-

tion enabled affordability at all levels.

But that affordability has decreased dur-

ing the last 5 years.

If you look back, IT spending was nur-

tured at the highest level of government

that needs to come back into policy making.

Currently, we are encouraged by the

steps taken by the government to pro-

mote IT but In my opinion, if desktop

computers, notebooks and your tablets

start enjoying exemption from the GST

we will see proliferation of IT once again

which will have a direct impact on the

industry as well as home segment.

Home segment is basically untapped

in Pakistan. We have the lowest PC pen-

etration rate in the world and steps such

as GST exemption for the IT product will

further increase adoptability. This indus-

try is still in its nascent phase that is why

I want IT to be supervised by the govern-

ment in a true manner.

What is the current status ofNew Vs Used computers inPakistan?

It is a matter of concern for us on

multiple levels. From investment point

of view, when investors look at Pakistan

and see that there is a huge problem of

used and refurbished PCs, it raises

alarms.

We have estimated that used PCs end

up costing the customer more than a

new pc because of the power require-

ment of the old equipment which is four

or five generation older technology. Sup-

pose today we have processors consum-

ing just 65 watts as compared to some of

the old PCs wasting 300 or more watts. In

the long run it increases your power con-

sumption manifold so it’s a misnomer to

say that a used PC is cheap, instead, it is

very expensive because the cost of main-

taining and owning it is very high.

From the policy perspective I think

import of used PC is a violation of multi-

ple international regulations. One is the

US Basel Convention which restricts the

import of hazardous material into third

world countries. It is unfair that Pakistan

becomes the destination of the IT scrap

in the world. Ministry of Environment,

Government of Pakistan has demon-

strated leadership by being signatory to

the UN convention but I think more

Intel is a leading organization in the world of Information Technology. Recently, Naveed Sirajhas been given the task to lead Intel in Pakistan as its country head. We got a chance to discussIT related matter with him. Following is what we talked about;


needs to be done in implementing and

monitoring this menace.

Why West allow used PC to beexported from there?

The convention requires importers to

obtain an NOC from the ministry of en-

vironment but you can imagine this im-

port is happening without obtaining

NOC. I can’t really answer why exporting

countries have not been able to police

this activity.

In my opinion, we need to continue

to promote new technology as a major

business objective to ensure prolifera-

tion of IT at a larger level. We need to

continue to work with the government

by emphasizing that used PC is counter-

productive, it inhibits the capability of a

student. How useful it would be for stu-

dents of today if their exposure is lim-

ited to older technology which is being

imported into the country without any

monitoring.

Pakistan is a price consciousmarket, are there any plans foraffordable new computers oninstallments with the help ofbanks and insurance companies?

What we have been trying to do is

that we work with resellers and show

that we promote the latest technology.

As far as affordability of technology is

concerned we work with the channel.

The financing market by far has been a

risk for us from the perspective of leas-

ing. However in the days to come you

will see that there will be greater inter-

ests from financial institutions to pro-

vide IT products at subsidized rates or

on leased basis. But, at the moment we

don’t see any major move in this direc-

tion. In order to ensure that we con-

tinue to promote IT, we work very

closely with our reseller channel.

Do you believe that rising com-petition at the entry level prod-ucts disturbs Intel now?

I think we will continue to invest in

the latest, smartest and coolest proces-

sor technology. I can only speak for our

own organization, the Intel atom proces-

sor provides a perfect fit for affordable

segment of the population and we will

continue to work with our reseller chan-

nels in order to ensure that we have the

reach in the country so that we are able

to cater to the segment of population

where there is limited budget available

at the disposal of first time buyer of a PC.

Intel monopolizes the PC market, why it isn’t the case inmobile domain?

I would take you back to 1997; we

were the first IT organization which es-

tablished its office in Pakistan. At that

time, there were very few IT companies

with the registered offices in Pakistan.

I would sort of disagree with the

word monopoly. We were one of the first

to establish an extensive network of

genuine Intel dealers. We educated

them and shared with them the tech-

nology roadmap and gave them a view

to larger IT landscape.

Mobile market is a very interesting

market in itself because there is greater

usage of mobile phone and according to

PTA’s estimation nearly 60 % of our pop-

ulation owns a mobile phone which

ranks Pakistan very high as far as tele-

density ratio is concerned. Intel does

have a product coming out later this

year for the smartphones and we aspire

to be one of the major players by the

year 2015.

We recognize the importance of ac-

cessing internet through different de-

vices including desktops, notebooks,

tablets or smarpthones. This fact pro-

vides added advantage to organizations

such as Intel which have leadership in

silicon technology. We have plans for

smartphones and we will have the prod-

uct coming in next 8 to 12 months.

What Intel is doing to supporteducation and talent in Pakistan?

We have a very long history of Intel

education initiatives in Pakistan. Intel

Pakistan Corporation was established in

1997 and immediately after our estab-

lishment we ran a teacher training pilot

project in which we trained 300 teach-

ers. It meant to make them familiar with

Information Technology, building their

skills in a class room environment be-

cause we feel that there is a genera-

tional gap between teachers and

students in Pakistan. Through Intel

Teach Program we enable them to inte-

grate IT in their curriculum. By Decem-

ber 2010 we had successfully trained

over 280,000 teachers in Pakistan.

Other initiatives include Intel Science

and Engineering Fair where we have sci-

ence competition in the subjects of Math

and Science. We start this program at

district level and children are able to ac-

tually articulate, collaborate with the

sense of team work present in their

ideas. The winners of district level go on

and participate at provincial level and

then we have a National Science Fair in

which winners from the provincial levels

participate. We take five national win-

ners to the US to participate into interna-

tional Intel Science and Engineering Fair.

Pakistan has had a tremendous

track record of success in some of the

international events. Our students

won second prize in the year 2006 and

2007 as well.

MORE / 13March 2011

Mudassar J. Mufti


g It can be difficult to review a

phone like Google's Nexus S in a world

already populated by so many out-

standing Android devices. Not only

does the manufacturer of this phone

make a series of handsets that are all

essentially the same (the Galaxy S

line), but countless other OEMs are

cranking away on hardware for the

platform. Of course, the Nexus S is a

decidedly different phone altogether.

Picking up where the company's Nexus

One left off, the S continues Google's

legacy of creating standalone, "pure

Android" phone experiences, seem-

ingly aimed less at the mainstream

and more towards developers. Unlike

the failed experiment of the Nexus

One, Google appears to be taking a

more realistic approach to the S.

And what a device it is -- the Nexus

S boasts a 1GHz Hummingbird CPU,

512MB of RAM, a 4-inch, 800 x 480

curved Super AMOLED display (dubbed

the Contour Display), 16GB of storage,

a 5 megapixel rear and VGA front-fac-

ing camera, and near field communi-

cation capabilities. But hardware is

only half the story here -- the big news

is that the Nexus S showcases the next

major evolution of the Android OS,

namely, Gingerbread (or version 2.3).

The update comes with a slew of new

features alongside some UI improve-

ments that show Google isn't slowing

down when it comes to pushing its

mobile operating system forward.

InternalAs we mentioned, the Nexus S

packs in a formidable amount of tech

into its small frame (2.48 inches by

4.87 inches, and 0.42 inches thick, in

case you were wondering). Any device

loaded up with a 1GHz Hummingbird

Joshua Topolsky

MORE / 15March 2011

CPU is sure to get our attention, and

the performance we've been seeing

with the S is nothing short of awe-

some.

On a Neocore benchmark, we

scored a terrific 55.6fps, and general

use of the OS is lightning fast with

nary a hiccup in sight. We also haven't

run into any memory issues, and

though having 16GB of storage on-

board is nice, we would have liked to

see a microSD option here as well. Still,

the method which Gingerbread uti-

lizes the installed flash memory is ex-

cellent, and for those of you who can

live with a finite amount of space, this

won't be an issue.

Besides the storage and CPU, the

device sports a Super AMOLED display

at 800 x 480 (235 ppi) which looks gor-

geous (if slightly yellowish) to our

eyes. The device also has its fair share

of wireless radios, including tri-band

HSPA (900, 2100, and 1700MHz), and

quad-band GSM / EDGE (850, 900,

1800, 1900MHz), WiFi 802.11b/g/n,

Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, A-GPS, and that

NFC chip you've been hearing all

about. There's also a gyroscope, ac-

celerometer, and digital compass in-

side. We were a little disappointed to

discover that Samsung didn't include a

notification light on the device -- we

like the reassuring blip telling us we've

got an email waiting.

Sound QualityThe sound quality on the Nexus S is

right up there with some of the best

phones we've tested. Speakerphone

calls and music came through loud

and clear over the external speaker,

and we were downright wowed with

how loud and clear the earpiece

sounded. Even when we were having a

conversation in a crowded room, the

Nexus S pumped out audio that was

crystalline to our ears.

CameraWe're impressed by the shooter on

the Nexus S, but there is something in

the quality of its photos that still feel

very phone-like to us. In particular, we

felt that images looked washed out

and grainy low lit situations. It could

be a fault of the auto white balance or

ISO settings, but we certainly were

able to produce better results with

other phones in this class.

The Nexus S camera seems to excel

at low-light images, pulling impressive

detail in situations where we expected

much less. In fact, we can't say that

we've seen a smartphone recently with

better low light performance. We're

not sure what this is attributable to,

but we're certainly happy about it.

Unfortunately for video, the Nexus

S is still a slouch -- we're guessing this

doesn't have to be the case, but there's

no true HD option here. The highest

quality video you can shoot is 720 x

480.

As far as the front-facing camera

goes, it's pretty standard VGA fare,

which mean low-res, grainy, and arti-

facted. Maybe we're spoiled by all these

high resolution shooters, but no matter

how you slice it, 640 x 480 is tough to

take. We really wish Google would in-

clude a native video chat feature with

its phones -- we're all for third-party

apps, but a dedicated, codified piece of

software from the mothership would

go a long way to making the presence

of this camera more useful.

SoftwareThe big story with the Nexus S isn't

really about the hardware. While there

are some notable upgrades and

changes on the front, what the phone

really represents is a gateway to the

next stage of Android, version 2.3 --

otherwise known as Gingerbread. For

those expecting a sea change in the

OS, we'll tell you up front that you'll be

disappointed. When we say evolution,

we mean it. This is kind of the Snow

Leopard of Android updates -- a lot of

motion behind the scenes, but not a

load of cosmetic and navigational

changes. There isn't a ton here that's

dramatically different than Froyo, but

A view of Android Market.


there are some notable additions that

are worth taking a deeper look at.

User interfaceComing from Froyo, you won't see

massive changes to the look and feel

of Gingerbread, but there are nice

tweaks and some cleanup that shows

Google is moving in the right direction.

For starters, the status bar icons, win-

dow shade, dialer, and some applica-

tions (and their icons) have gotten a

fresh coat of paint. By the looks of

things, Google is moving away from

the colorful, almost cartoonish look of

previous OSs, and dipping into a more

somber a sophisticated palette, mostly

featuring shaded grays and blacks

with green highlights. The company

has made some thoughtful choices in

terms of user experience as well -- if

you're synced with a Google account,

your status bar icons go from white to

green, and instead of obscuring menus

on the camera app, there's now a row

of contextual items at your disposal

while shooting.

Other little updates include a new

orange burst of color which happens

when you reach the end of a long list,

and added transparency in menus, giv-

ing the OS a glassy feel. Additionally,

the battery use and task manager

have new views to graphically depict

usage on the phone. Speaking of task

managers, Google has now seen fit to

add a proper menu option to the task

manager right from the home screen

menu. We're guessing the popularity

of third-party killers was enough to

convince the company that con-

fronting the issue head on wasn't such

a bad thing after all. It's a welcome ad-

dition here, and we found ourselves

reaching for it fairly often (not due to

performance issues... just because

we're fastidious when it comes to ap-

plication management).

The biggest change you'll notice,

however, comes in the form of the new

keyboard. Not only has the company

cleaned up and refined the look of the

onscreen QWERTY, but it's added new

functionality for word suggestions,

copy, paste, and selection. Addition-

ally, the keyboard finally exhibits more

expected multitouch behavior, thanks

in part to new threading that the com-

pany has added. Those changes allow

you to do things like tap the punctua-

tion key and then slide your finger to

the character you want. Also, there are

big improvements in word suggestion

and selection, including new markers

which you can use to grab selections

of text.

Under the hoodBesides all the front-end stuff you

can see, there's a lot that's less obvious

happening in Gingerbread. Firstly,

Google has added integrated support

for VoIP / SIP calling, which means you

can plug in your favorite service and

access it through the native menus in

the OS. This won't appeal to everyone,

but there's definitely a certain seg-

ment of users that will be stoked to

see this feature.

What really gets our juices flowing,

however, is the fact that Google seems

to be going full tilt on making Android

a gaming platform. The company has

enriched the OS with a handful of new

APIs and dev tools which improve na-

tive code support and set the stage for

faster, better looking games (and other

graphics-heavy applications as well). It

will be exciting to finally see develop-

ers taking advantage of the formidable

hardware inside a lot of these devices.

We don't know if the Nexus S is al-

ready utilizing some of these new

tools, but as we said before, the OS

seems blazingly fast and silky smooth

when it comes to animations and tran-

sitions.

There's no shortage of great

phones available right now, and

there's no question that 2011 will

usher in a flood of devices that make

2010's offerings seem forgettable. g

Courtesy: www.engadget.com

MORE / 17March 2011

Mudassar J. Mufti


g Mobilink will become a part of

world’s sixth largest telecom operator

as a result of Vimpelcom-Orascom deal

approved by Vimpelcom’s shareholders

recently. After the execution of deal by

June 2011, Vimpelcom, based in Ams-

terdam, will acquire Orascom owned

Wind Telecom, a large wireless opera-

tor with 117 million customers spread

across Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, Pak-

istan, North Korea and Canada, by the

end of June after VimpelCom's share-

holders approved the transaction.

“Larger VimpelCom will have more

than 173 million subscriber base with

with pro forma net operating rev-

enues of US$21.3 billion and pro

forma EBITDA of US$9.4 billion for the

year ended 31 December, 2009. The

decision which is in favor of the

merger is slated to change the global

telecommunication scenario. As a key

subsidiary of Orascom Telecom Hold-

ing, Mobilink welcomes this win and

looks forward to becoming a part of

one of the biggest telecom players in

the world.” Rashid Khan, CEO Mo-

bilink said while commenting on the

decision.

Diana ben-Aaron writes on busi-

nessweek.com that Vimpelcom’s plan

to issue new stock to Wind investors,

diluting current shareholders’ stakes,

was approved in a meeting today in

Amsterdam, VimpelCom said in a

statement. Shareholders representing

39.8 percent of the free floating

shares supported the resolution and it

passed with 53.3 percent of partici-

ApnaTime.com

“ Vimpelcom will acquire Orascom ownedWind Telecom, a large wireless operator with117 million customers spread across Algeria,Bangladesh, Egypt, Pakistan, North Korea andCanada, by the end of June ”

MORE / 19March 2011

pating votes, VimpelCom said in the

statement.

VimpelCom’s purchase of assets

from Egyptian billionaire Naguib

Sawiris was opposed by Telenor ASA,

one of its two main shareholders. The

$6.5 billion deal will double Vimpel-

Com’s mobile customer base to about

173 million, adding subscribers in Italy,

Canada, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Al-

geria to its clients in Russia, Ukraine

and other countries. VimpelCom an-

nounced the plan Oct. 4.

“It’s a massive step, propelling the

company into such a fast geographic

expansion from essentially being a re-

gional player,” VimpelCom Chief Exec-

utive Officer Alexander Izosimov said

in an interview. “We’re going into a

completely different modus operandi

and that is a big change.”

The company expects to complete

the transaction before June, he added.

Under the terms of the deal, Vim-

pelCom will own Sawiris’s Wind Tele-

com’s 51.7 percent stake in Egypt’s

Orascom Telecom Holding SAE and all

of Italian mobile operator Wind Teleco-

municazioni SpA.

Diluted Stakes“The combined group will have a

significantly diversified revenue base

and potential synergies estimated to

be $2.5 billion on a net present value

basis,” Izosimov said in the statement.

The new stock will give Wind Tele-

com’s investors 20 percent of Vimpel-

Com’s shares outstanding and about

31 percent of voting rights. That will

lower Telenor’s stake to 31.7 percent

from 39.6 percent and decrease its vot-

ing proportion to 25 percent. Altimo,

the other main shareholder, will have

its stake diluted to 31.4 percent from

39.2 percent. Altimo’s voting rights

will be reduced to 31 percent.

“Now the decision is made, Telenor

will work constructively with Vimpel-

Com to make the acquisition work,” Te-

lenor spokesman Dag Melgaard said in

an interview. The company will try to

maintain its stake through the arbitra-

tion process it has started, he said.

Arbitration ProcedureTelenor, the Nordic region’s largest

phone company, initiated an arbitra-

tion procedure on Jan. 28 to determine

whether the merger is classified as a

related party transaction, enabling

VimpelCom to issue the shares with-

out offering them to Telenor and Al-

timo first. Doing so would violate the

share agreement between Telenor,

VimpelCom and Altimo, which gives it

the right to keep its proportional stake

in VimpelCom in case of an acquisi-

tion, Telenor said.

“We note that almost 60 percent

of the unaffiliated shareholders

voted against the proposed resolu-

tions, leading to a narrow overall

margin of victory for the supporters

of the deal,” Melgaard said in a state-

ment from Telenor.

Altimo supports the merger. It has

44.7 percent of votes in VimpelCom to

Telenor’s 36 percent. Each has three

seats on the board, which approved

the deal in January, with Altimo and

independent directors in favor and Te-

lenor opposed.

Telenor’s ProposalIzosimov urged shareholders to ap-

prove the Wind acquisition in a March

7 letter. He argued that the transac-

tion would position Amsterdam-based

VimpelCom in the top tier of wireless

operators and increase potential for

growth. Diversifying it away from the

Russian ruble would also help, he said.

Telenor suggested the company

should strengthen its existing opera-

tions in the next one to two years be-

fore designing an acquisition strategy

and pursuing new assets, Torbjoern

Wist, the head of mergers and acquisi-

tions at Fornebu, Norway-based Te-

lenor, said March 10.

“I think we will rebuild the rela-

tionship with Telenor and have them

as a dynamic and helpful shareholder

going forward,” VimpelCom Chairman

Jo Lunder said in an interview.

VimpelCom Ltd. was formed after

Telenor and Alfa Group agreed in Octo-

ber 2009 to merge their stakes in Rus-

sia’s OAO VimpelCom and Ukraine’s

ZAT Kyivstar, ending years of legal dis-

putes over those holdings. The com-

pany, which also has assets in

Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia and

sub-Saharan Africa, established trad-

ing in American depositary receipts

and a headquarters in Amsterdam. g

“ The new stock willgive Wind Telecom’sinvestors 20 percentof VimpelCom’sshares outstandingand about 31 per-cent of voting rights.That will lower Te-lenor’s stake to 31.7percent from 39.6percent and de-crease its voting pro-portion to 25percent ”


g Nokia has announced a new

messaging handset – the Nokia X2-01

for Pakistan. The Nokia X2-01 is a de-

vice for social networking and fast

communications. It comes with a full

QWERTY keypad and is aimed at those

who can’t get enough of text messag-

ing and status updates with is bol-

stered by the new Communities app

which integrates Facebook into the de-

vice. You can see friends’ updates di-

rectly from the homescreen and easily

post your own updates and photos.

With one click, you can dive into the

application for a deeper view.

Nokia’s continuous efforts of ‘con-

necting people in new and better ways’

are paying off as its strategy to offer

something for everyone from every

walk of life can be seen materializing

with its promising new line of devices.

X2-01 is the latest addition to this.

As the lifestyle of people changes

with time, they are becoming more de-

manding not only in terms of their ex-

pectation from life but are also looking

for accessories that support such a

lifestyle.

Haseeb Ihtisham, Head of Market-

ing, Nokia Pakistan & Afghanistan

said, “Today Nokia is proud to present

its X2-01 device in Pakistan and is a

milestone in our commitment to con-

nect the next billion to the web. We

understand that an increasing number

of Pakistani youth loves music and

being social, they want to have more

variety of capabilities in their mobile

phone that support this need. Nokia

X2-01 is the most affordable QWERTY

phone to date which has in store not

just the ultimate messaging experi-

ence but also the ease of staying con-

nected with your social circle.”

As befits an X series device, there’s

also a healthy emphasis on music.

There’s one click access to music, the

media player and FM. There’s also Ovi

MORE / 21March 2011

Store, of course, for fresh apps. Ovi Life

Tools will also be available in some terri-

tories. It comes with a 2.4-inch QVGA

screen and a VGA camera on the back.

The Nokia X2-01 measures 119.4 x 59.8

x 14.3mm and weighs 107.5g. It sup-

ports memory cards up to 8GB. There’s

no WiFi and only GPRS/EDGE data, but

that’s compensated for by the low price.

“Our messaging devices were ini-

tially targeted towards business users

but realizing consumer demand we

have changed that,” said Imran Khalid

Mehmood, Country General Manager,

Nokia Pakistan & Afghanistan. “People

want the best messaging and social

networking experiences on an afford-

able device. Translating our vision in to

actions Nokia is constantly striving to

bring the best for its consumers both

in terms of devices and solutions. The

Nokia X2-01 will enhance the youth

lifestyle and let them stay connected

all the time with chat, Facebook and

IM at the most affordable price.”

Nokia X2-01 aims to offer maxi-

mum functionality for the lowest price

possible, but with a different emphasis

to provide a fit for the needs of as

many people as possible. g

g Chairman Pakistan Telecommu-

nication Authority (PTA) Dr. Mo-

hammed Yaseen has been selected as

best Telecom leader for the year 2010.

He received award as “Visionary Tele-

com Leader 2010” at 4th International

Mobile Commerce Conference-2011

held at local hotel. The conference was

attended by CEOs of banking and tele-

com companies. Addressing to the

conference as Chief Guest, Dr. Moham-

mad Yaseen said that PTA has been

working with State Bank on third party

regulations and we would be able to

come up with these regulation this

year.

He said that mobile money is still

in its emerging phases, there is con-

sensus that regulations must be im-

plemented gradually and designed to

evolve as the industry expands and

matures – an approach that seeks to

respond to risks in the mobile money

space as they emerge. Our Regulatory

responses should then be proportional

to the risks.

He said that World Bank study re-

veals that only 12% of the adult popu-

lation of Pakistan has access to formal

banking services. Only 24 Million peo-

ple in Pakistan have bank accounts.

Today only technology in Pakistan can

bridge the digital divide.

Considering the scope, he added

that PTA would like to introduce third

party payment system with help of

State Bank. The introduction of third

party payment networks also known

Third party Mobile banking regulation this year – Chairman PTA

Chairman Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Dr. Mohammed Yaseenaddressing to 4th International Mobile Commerce Conference as Chief Guest ata Local Hotel

“ World Bank study reveals that only 12% of the adult popu-lation of Pakistan has access to formal banking services. Only24 Million people in Pakistan have bank accounts. Today onlytechnology in Pakistan can bridge the digital divide ”


as MPSP (Mobile Payment Service

Providers) would be of immense ad-

vantage since these third-party pay-

ment handing agents can work with

many providers, rather than the closed

networks. We could foresee opportuni-

ties for service providers (both from

Banks and Mobile Sector) who move

quickly to create new products, espe-

cially if they can establish shared net-

works of third party agents.

Chairman PTA said that another

critical concern will be consumer trust.

Consumer protection is critically im-

portant in the mobile money space.

The need will become even more

pressing as the industry expands into

unbanked segments (We would for

sure address this critical factor as well

while enabling true mobile commerce

system for the people of Pakistan.

At the end of session Dr. Mohammed

Yaseen distributed mementos and

awards. He also received “Visionary Tele-

com Leader 2010” on the occasion. g

g Pakistan Telecommunication Au-

thority (PTA) and Federal Investigation

Agency (FIA) jointly conducted two

successful raids at Peshawar and La-

hore and confiscated illegal gateway

exchanges while three persons were

apprehended.

These raids were conducted based

on the information obtained through il-

legal traffic monitoring facility of PTA. It

resulted in confiscation of illegal

switches alongwith other accessories.

The seized illegal setups were running in

the areas of Peshawar and Lahore. One

individual at Peshawar and two at La-

hore were arrested from the premises.

It may be noted that PTA has been

able to bust 43 illegal call termination

gateways throughout Pakistan in last

two years, which included small and

big gateway setups.

The apprehended culprits are being

interrogated by FIA and legal proceed-

ings are underway. g

Illega exchanges raided in Lahore and Peshawar

PTCL President and CEO,Mr Waleed Irshaid inau-gurating the pilot projectof Public Cash/Card Pay-ment Machines (PCPM) –bill payment points forPTCL services – at MetroIslamabad. SEVP Commer-cial, Naveed Saeed andother officials are alsopresent on the occasion.

MORE / 23March 2011

g PTCL alone has more than half a

million broadband customers under its

belt grabbing more than 49 percent of

market share. EVO Wifi Cloud, a new

and attractive device for the broad-

band lovers is expected to increase

pace of broadband sales.

The device is first of its kind in Pak-

istan as not only it gives Wifi connec-

tivity to the device available within the

range but also provides Wifi internet

connectivity to 4 other devices thus

creating Wifi Cloud at your home or of-

fice unlike conventional EVO USB.

Benefits of this device are;Forget about cords and cables; just

push a button Make your own mobile

Wi-Fi hotspot and share your internet

connection with friends, family, co-

workers Wi-FiConnect up to 5 Wi-Fi en-

abled devices to Evo 3G Wireless

Broadband– at the touch of a button!

Connect at 3G speeds; universal Wi-Fi

compatibility The sleek design is easy

to carry and looks good anywhere,

from the board room to the coffee

shop, small enough to fit your pocket

Secure Password protected connection

that lets you choose the people and

the devices who access your wifi zone.

Wifi devices in the range of 30-40 feet

from the Wifi Cloud can be connected

to 3G speeds via the EVO Wifi cloud.

Battery LifeIf a single device either laptop,

desktop or mobilephone is connected,

the battery will last for almost 4 hours

but 5 devices connected simultane-

ously will reduce the battery life to one

hour time. In that case, you need to

keep it connected to power source like

any Wifi router.

AvailabilityPTCL hasn't provided this device to

its distributors yet and it is currently

available at PTCL OSS in Lahore, Islam-

abad, Rawalpindi and Karachi. The de-

vice will be able to provide high speed

data signals in 106 cities of Pakistan

creating the largest wireless broad-

band network in Pakistan.

PTCL hasn't announced any policy

for the owners of EVO USBs as if they

will be able to exchange their devices

with the new one. It is still not sure

whether PTCL will continue to sell USB

devices but a PTCL official told that

company may create a policy to take

care of EVO USB owners.

TariffDevice Price: Rs. 6,999 Monthly

Billing: Rs. 2,000 For billing EVO Wi-Fi

cloud PSTN billing and Advance Line

Rental Billing option are available

Since 3G has not launched in Pakistan,

personally speaking, the device has all

the quality to attract large number of

data lovers to connect their notebooks,

smartphones, tablet computer etc. g

EVO Wifi Cloud, another feather in PTCL's cap

“ Forget about cords and cables; just push abutton Make your own mobile Wi-Fi hotspotand share your internet connection withfriends, family, co-workers Wi-FiConnect upto 5 Wi-Fi enabled devices to Evo 3G WirelessBroadband– at the touch of a button! ”


g We all have a personal responsi-

bility to each other and the world

around us. Everything we do has an ef-

fect on other people. It is the same for

businesses, large and small, public or

private, that their actions affect a large

number of stakeholders.

CSR is no longer a choice but has

become a necessity and companies

like Mobilink are doing well in Pak-

istan. Mobilink has just released its

second CSR report which covers the

period 2008-09. Available online at

www.mobilinkgsm.com/csr, the report

summarizes all the efforts that Mo-

bilink has been making in Pakistan to

pay back the society.

While unfolding the efforts, Chair-

man Orascom Telecom, Mr. Nauguib

Sawiris says,

“Pakistan is a country whose peo-

ple, culture and hospitality has always

welcomed me and it has become my

second home. It is the one place where

OTH will continue to invest, both in

terms of business with special focus

on CSR activities. We are committed to

supporting this country, giving its peo-

ple a voice and assisting them wher-

ever possible. It is through dynamic

initiatives undertaken by Mobilink and

OTH that we contribute to projects in

education, environment, health and

disaster management”.

The report says that Mobilink has

maintained the following as its CSR

strategy

• Support local communities in

which customers, employees,

investors and suppliers live

• Support programs to increase

accessibility and use of mobile

technology in education,

community health and

employability

• Protect the environment and

promote sustainable practices in

business value chain

“Pakistan is a country whose people, cultureand hospitality has always welcomed me andit has become my second home. It is the oneplace where OTH will continue to invest, bothin terms of business with special focus on CSRactivities, Nauguib Sawiris ”

MORE / 25March 2011

• Promote diversity and remove

barriers that prevent people from

participating fully in society

• Support personal development of

employees and their involvement

in local communities

• Share benefits of developments in

mobile communications

technology as widely as possible

Going through the report, it proves

that above stated strategy is not lim-

ited to the words only. Among others,

following are the major initiatives

which Mobilink has taken to support

the community.

Environmental ResponsibilityMobilink is the first and so far the

only corporate organization in Pak-

istan to implement a recycling pro-

gram, which uses outdated billboard

skins to manufacture school bags for

underprivileged children.

Recycling Office Paper Mobilink recycles office waste

paper on a regular basis including

scrap paper, boxes, wires and wooden

boxes. Substantial amount of paper is

sold each month to be recycled. Pro-

ceeds collected are used to fund com-

munity welfare activities.

Handset RecyclingMobilink initiated a handset recy-

cling project to collect mobile phones

and accessories no longer in use, refur-

bish repairable items and donate them

to the Pakistan Association of the

Dead and Disabled Welfare Associa-

tion. All donations benefit the hearing

impaired and the disabled individuals

by connecting them with the people

around them and providing an essen-

tial source of communication. Items

beyond repair are disposed of in an en-

vironmentally-friendly manner in

order to ensure toxic chemicals found

in mobile phones do not pollute the air

or leak into groundwater. Recycle drop

boxes are placed at Mobilink Customer

Care centers across the country mak-

ing it accessible for everyone.

Reuse and Disposal of Network Equipment

Mobilink recycles network equip-

ment when required by swapping rele-

vant items with support from our

vendors. Equipment is dismantled and

used on new sites in other areas an in-

ventory of returned equipment main-

tained in our warehouses. One

example is Huawei swap; where we

swap Motorola equipment with

Huawei equipment in some specific

area. Dismantled equipment of Mo-

torola is being used on new sites in

other areas. Inventory of the returned

equipment is being maintained in the


warehouse. This equipment is being

used on expansion or new sites. Obso-

lete equipment is being disposed of

environmentally or handed over to rel-

evant vendors for recycling of parts,

such as extraction of copper from

wires and other parts.

Support of IDPsThe mass-scale displacement of over

4 million persons from Swat in 2009 is

one of the largest humanitarian crisis in

recent years. In support of these Inter-

nally Displaced Persons, Mobilink com-

mitted approx. Rs.81 million towards

the establishment of Mobilink Camp in

Kund (near Nowshera) for 1,000 families

for a period of 2 months.

The camp has set up in collabora-

tion with the ERU (Emergency Re-

sponse Unit), UN agencies and

implementing partners. Mobilink em-

ployees were also personally involved

in various areas of camp management,

procurement of items and other re-

quirements.

To date, this is the largest private

sector contribution for IDPs relief and

reflects the commitment of Orascom

and Mobilink. This is in addition to the

delivery of relief items by Mobilink to

families residing in hujras, schools and

dispensaries of Mardan and Swabi in-

cluding far-flung villages bordering

Buner. Mobilink’s Security Team per-

sonally delivered weekly ration packs

utilizing the Rs 3.5 million raised via

employee donations and aid collection

points. Close to 2,500 families were

reached through this initiative.

Balochistan Earthquake 2008Following the earthquake which

struck Balochistan in October 2008,

Mobilink took immediate action to

step forward and donate food rations

and blankets to 2,500 earthquake af-

fected families. Aid was distributed by a

volunteer team of Mobilink employees.

Other investments in Disasterand Crisis relief:

Support for reconstruction of 172

homes in Chaman Kotli Nawab Khan

Village, Azad Kashmir in collaboration

with The Citizens Foundation.

Hygiene and Health – (Preventing Polio)

Mobilink has partnered with the

Polio Eradication Fraternity along with

UNICEF and Ministry of Health, to help

create awareness of this disease.

Throughout 2009 SMS broadcast cam-

paign was launched targeting over 8

million Mobilink users in high-risk zones

across the country to inform them

about upcoming immunization drives.

Mobilink was the first telecom operator

to extend support for the drive.

Mobilink Kisan (Farmer)Helpline

It is a concrete reality that Pakistan

is an agriculture-based economy, but

when it comes to development, this

most important contributor to econ-

omy is often ignored. To help farmers

realize a good yield and to put an end

to their exploitation at the hands of

the middlemen, Mobilink launched a

Kisan Helpline, a voice-based service

that includes services such as Price of

the Day, Advice on Harvest, and

Weather Forecasts. g

MORE / 27March 2011

g “Liquids are unconstrained,

streaming to fill any gap or space,” said

Thorsten Robrecht, head of Network

Systems product management, Nokia

Siemens Networks. “In the same way,

our Liquid Radio architecture removes

the constraints of traditional mobile

broadband networks to address the

‘ebb and flow’ of traffic created by

users’ movements across the network.”

Nokia Siemens Networks Flexi Mul-

tiradio Antenna System is based on ac-

tive antenna technology that com-

bines antenna and radio part in one

functional enclosure, built with dedi-

cated power amplifiers for each an-

tenna element. The active antenna

allows beamforming – focusing a par-

ticular radio connection and directing

it to a specific user – as well as han-

dling of multiple technologies in one

unit. Together with other layers of cov-

erage provided by macro, pico and

micro site configurations, beam form-

ing allows capacity to be directed ex-

actly where the user requires it, deliv-

ering up to 65% capacity gain.

The Flexi Race is the next evolu-

tionary step in miniaturization. It will

be the basic element to build next

generation active antennas and future

products to build micro and pico cells.

Due to its compact size, the Flexi Race

is equipped with additional intelli-

gence and scaling options required for

this type of deployments. g

g ZONG’s ‘Cricket Ki Jeet’ – a pro-

motional campaign for cricket enthusi-

asts – has received an overwhelming

response on its launch, even in the ini-

tial stage of the ICC Cricket World Cup

2011. It is for the first time that any

cellular operator has come up with an

activity purely based of cricketing

knowledge and prediction.

Lots of people have already won

prizes since the launch of Cricket Ki

Jeet, with winners taking away every

day a range of prizes that include

Handsets, DVD players, MP3 Players,

Xbox, Ipads and even LCD TVs! There is

also a bumper prize of a VIGO car. In

addition, there are daily cash prizes of

Rs 100,000 during the group stage

which progresses to Rs 1,000,000 for

the final of the 2011 World Cup! In

total Cricket ke Jeet offers prizes worth

Rs. 2 crore during this campaign.

Speaking about the campaign,

Salman Wassay, Head of Marketing,

ZONG said, “Cricket in Pakistan has a

passionate following. At ZONG we

bring offerings which can enhance our

life experiences.

As sports in general and cricket es-

pecially is very close to everyone’s

heart, ZONG focused on offering a spe-

cial activity timed with one of the

largest sporting events for Pakistan.”

ZONG’s special cricket transmission

on a TV channel asks 10 questions in

each match and customers can partici-

pate in this game using SMS 7711 and

respond to the questions. Each ques-

tion has a specific prize associated

with it.

Another way to participate in this

exciting offer is by just dialing 7711 and

subscribing to an additional game.

These customers will compete by an-

swering a multitude of questions via

IVR to get maximum points per day –

one (or more) customer with the most

points for that day will receive a prize.

In addition, the customer with the max-

imum points at the end of the World

Cup will receive a bumper prize. g

Nokia Siemens Networkslaunches Liquid Radio

ZONG launches ‘Cricket ki Jeet’

g Ufone one of the leading

telecommunication companies in Pak-

istan has set yet another standard

with the launch of three amazingly

packed android phones.

The biggest success lies with the

launch of the “Image”, Ufone is the

first company in Asia to launch this

handset which will allow the people of

Pakistan to get wowed with the device

experience before anyone else on the

continent.

Android OS phones are the new

big thing in the handset arena and

have created a storm in the global

telecom community. Keeping in line

with the strong tradition of market

leadership in the handset arena,

Ufone is proud to present three state

of the art Android OS based handsets

the Image, Verve & IDEOS for its val-

ued customers.

These remarkable devices have ar-

rived in great fashion at the lowest

and most competitive prices and have

further been strengthened with

amazing 30 MB GPRS/EDGE bonus

buckets every month for 6 to

18months for customers to make the

most of their Android Experience with

hundreds of thousands of free Appli-

cations, Games & Utilities that can be

downloaded from the free-to-sub-

scribe Android Market.

Mr. Akbar Khan Chief Marketing

Officer Ufone said that Ufone has

once again taken a giant leap to

bring a smile to our valued cus-

tomers. The launch of these handsets

is sure to start a new trend and allow

Ufone customers to enjoy the latest

in technology.

The amazing prices and features of

the Android OS is sure to get an amaz-

ing response. The Android OS is a

global success and we wish to share

the same success and pleasure of this

OS with the people of Pakistan. g


Ufone the first to launch a diverse range of Android handsetsin Pakistan at UnbelievablePrices

MORE / 29March 2011

g The ES80 provides another

smart option for consumers who seek

affordability and value in their camera

technology. The camera brings to-

gether easy-to-use feature such as an

internal charging system to ensure

power isn’t lost at that crucial photo

moment.

The ES80 also boasts 12-megapixel

resolution and a 5X optical zoom to

make top quality photography effort-

less & simple. It has a number of addi-

tional features like; Face Detection,

Beauty Shot, Smile and Blink detection

and Self Portrait.

The Managing Director of Samsung

Pakistan, Mr. Hee Chang Yee, com-

mented: “The PL20 and ES80 are fan-

tastic point-and-shoot cameras,

designed to create a fun and easy pho-

tography experience which can be en-

joyed by everyone. These products add

value for users, regardless of their level

of expertise or their budget.”

Both cameras include Samsung’s

innovative Smart Auto feature auto-

matically adjusts the mode to match

with the surroundings in which you’re

shooting. Day or night, portrait or

landscape. Silver, Tomato Red, Pink

and Black – there’s a model to suit

every taste.

The PL20 has the ability to record

720p HD quality movies at 24 frames

per second. It also includes Samsung’s

Smart Filter technology – artistic fil-

ters in modes such as ‘fish-eye’, ‘minia-

ture’ and ‘sketch’ – add special effects

in an instant. g

Samsung Launches PL20 andES80 Compact cameras

Telenor Pakistan has opened a new Sales & Service Center in Korangi IndustrialArea, Karachi. Picture shows Aamir Ibrahim, Chief Marketing Officer Telenor Pak-istan cutting the ribbon at the inauguration. (L to R): Abdul Qadir Kharadi (RegionalManager, Sales & Service Center – South), Malik Faisal Qayyum (Director S&D),Aamir Ibrahim, Ali Nawaz (Asst. Manager, Korangi S&SC), Ahmed Nadeem Pasha(Regional Director – South-1) and Adnan Hassan (Director Sales & Service Center)


g As the economic cycle continues

to spin toward its next step in the

process, many organizations are weigh-

ing the importance of training in lieu of

other seemingly pressing concerns.

The doubts are probably tied to an

inability to measure the true impact of

the training experience, and, conse-

quently, its true worth. When all else

fails, perhaps some reflective thought

on the next quote and its corporate in-

terpretation might shed some light.

“If you think education is expen-

sive, try ignorance.” In the business

setting, that quote is taken to mean,

“If you think training is expensive, try

incompetence.”

Pakistan International Freight For-

warder Association (PIFFA) recently or-

ganized the concluding ceremony of

Training of Trainers (TOT) program. In

support with UNCATAD and FIATA

training programs are conducted regu-

larly to provide valuable training to the

business community.

The ceremony was attended by

people from ministry of commerce,

chamber of commerce and industry,

Railway, PIA, NLC, FIATA, United Na-

tions as well as representatives of

major airlines from across the world.

Among the attendees present on

the occasion were Mr. Sohail Yaqoob

(GM Cargo, PIA), Javed Mansoor (Exec-

utive Secretary, NTTFC), Hasan A Zaidi

(World Bank), Irtaqa Zaidi (Project Di-

rector TTFU, Abbas Baber Ali (A.D Col-

lector, Customs), Abid Warsi (Saudia

Airlines), Suhair Ahmed (Emirates Air-

lines), Haseeb Akram (Itehad Airlines),

Ahsen Farooq (Qatar Airways), Ch.

Salamat Ali (PHMA), Syed Amir

Mehboob (CAA), Mehmood Hussain

(PIA), Nauman Muneer (PIA), Imtiaz

Hussain Rizvi (Railway), Lt. Col. Ch.

Iftekhar Ali (ANF), Mohsin Masood

(Thai Airways) Mr. Jan Hoffmann and

Mr. Markus Schpvn. Whereas, Dr. M.

Saeed (Senior Technical Advisor), Baber

Bidaat(Founder Chairman of PIFFA)

Capt. Irfan Naqvi (CEO Merneez Inter-

national Pvt Ltd), Tahir Malik (CEO

Trafco Group of Companies) Mueen

Ahmed Malik (Chairman PIFA), Khalid

Mir and Tauqeer Lodhi remain high-

lighted on the occasion.

Mr. Tauqeer Lodhi said, “I congratu-

late you all on completing a successful

training program. We will Inshallah

start the diploma program very soon

to further expand our network of

training the professionals”.

Participants took keen interest

while listening to Mr. Tahir Malik who

shared his thoughts as, “I praise the ef-

forts of Mr. Markus Scheni, Dr. Saeed,

Mr. jan Hoffmann and Mr. Mueen

Ahmed who are working very hard to

strengthen their community. I would

like to thank Capt. Irfan Naqvi who has

always guided me on every front. It is

for the first time in Pakistan that a lo-

PIFFA concluded the trainingprogram

Celebrities at the event

Chairman Trafco Group of Companies,Tahir Malik, addressing at the event

MORE / 31March 2011

gistic based training program was con-

ducted and now it is the responsibility

of trained professional to implement

all those techniques they have learnt

during the course of this training pro-

gram and share their skills with those

who could not attend the programs so

it could have a wider impact on our

business community as well as the en-

tire economy. In the future, we need to

start such programs in other cities in

order to produce skilled businessmen”.

“Though Railway is seeing the

worst ever crisis and there are prob-

lems that needs to be dealt with strong

hands but people like Imtiaz Rizvi are

performing well to build the image of

the Pakistan Railway”, added Mr. Malik.

Mr. Markus Scheni shared his

thoughts as, “I have never seen an ac-

tive organization like FIATA. It is really

encouraging to see these kinds of

training programs happening in Pak-

istan and this show how energetic and

vibrant this business community is to

explore new ways of prosperity. I

would like to congratulate Dr. Saeed,

Tahir Malik and Mr. Mueen whose ef-

forts are extraordinary”.

At the end of the ceremony 250

successful staff members were

awarded with the certificates to recog-

nize their achievements.

Pakistan German BusinessForum launches NorthernChapter

With the aim to support the goal

of promoting bilateral business and

friendly relations between Pakistan

and Germany, Pakistan German Busi-

ness Forum (PGBF) recently launched

its Northern Chapter in Lahore in a for-

mal ceremony held at a local hotel.

The launch was a prestigious event

attended by PGBF members, high pro-

file corporate personalities, and office

bearer of Chamber of Commerce and In-

dustries and Association in the North.

Honorary Consul of Germany, Mr.

Anees-ur-Rehman was guest of honor

at the event. Mr. Masud Akhtar, Direc-

tor PGBF and CEO KSB Pumps Com-

pany Limited delivered the iaugural

address which was followed by other

eminent speeches by Mr. Saifuddin N.

Zoomkawala, President/CEO PGFB and

Mr. Shahid Hassan Sheikh, CEO Lahore

Carpets Manufacturing Co and Mem-

ber PGBF.

PGBF is one of the strongest plat-

form promoting bilateral business,

mutual understanding and friendly re-

lation between the industrial and serv-

ices business communities of Pakistan

and Germany. PGBF has more than 160

members including various prominent

business chambers and companies.

With a ground swell of positive trade

opportunities, energies and goodwill

that exists, the launch of PGBF-North-

ern Chapter will further promote prof-

itable business and transfer of

technology and information between

both the countries. g

A group photo of celebrities at Pakistan German Buiness Forum's Northern Chapterlaunch

Mr. Tahir Malik and his fellow business friends are seen in the picture


g A robust growth in Information

Technology (IT) industry of Pakistan is

expected during 2011. Both the inter-

nal and external factors will play role

in shaping the growth-oriented 2011

for the IT industry.

The IT industry has already

emerged successfully through 2010

after fighting the unprecedented reces-

sion started in 2008. Revival of busi-

ness activity has kick-started with the

funds pumped in by the investors’

world over. The up-gradation of sys-

tems and software has started world

over, which remained rare during 2009.

The international customers have

started investing in balancing, maturing

and replacing their systems and soft-

ware. It will help Pakistan IT industry to

attain stability in order to grow further

in the years to come. Especially, the IT

companies like NetSol, working in the

areas of finance and leasing would

grow at a faster pace during 2001.

Pakistan’s IT and telecom sector

has been growing fast and it looks set

to expand further in coming years.

Majority of citizens consist of young

people and personal income levels are

on the rise in rural areas. Majority of

young graduates prefer to excel in the

field of IT, a trend proving a pushing

factor for the growth of IT and telecom

companies in Pakistan.

State Bank of Pakistan’s annual re-

port suggests that the IT sector also

posted rapid growth on the back of

growing demand for automation in do-

mestic businesses, in the last fiscal

year, as seen in previous years. In addi-

tion, growing demand for business

outsourcing in developing countries led

the way for rapid growth of IT exports,

such as call centre services and soft-

ware development, the report adds. It

points out that Pakistan’s lower cost of

labour, land and tariff exemption on IT

exports gives the sector an advantage

over other competitors. Very recently, a

Pakistani software house has devel-

oped anti-virus software. Once mar-

keted on large scale and at right prices,

it would help in curbing the use of pi-

rated, and thus sub-standard, anti-

virus software from other countries.

There is an impression that lack of

adequate skilled workforce and brain

drain are two major constraints to fu-

ture growth. Further, another problem

projected by industry experts is that

the small size of local market for call

centres and software houses does not

allow economies of scale,. On the other

hand, in case of exports, first movers

like India and the Philippines have a

strong brand image abroad which helps

them get more orders despite having

higher service costs than that of Pak-

istan. It is very difficult for the sector to

get loans as ICT businesses have no

tangible collaterals to offer. Although

the industry has little dependence on

banks for meeting running costs, scale

expansions need bank financing.

Despite all such odds, the IT indus-

try today boasts of the presence of

about 1,000 local and more than 50

foreign IT companies. However, major-

ity of these companies are operating in

major cities including Karachi, Lahore,

Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

The fear of financial meltdown in

2008 is over and stability has started

gaining strength in the markets. Do-

mestically, there was no remarkable

opportunity in 2008. But a stable Pak-

istan in terms of war against terror-

ism, strong Judiciary and strong media

has changed the business scene alto-

gether. This atmosphere will build up

investors’ confidence sooner than

later. More IT companies were regis-

tered during 2010 and more jobs are

likely to be created in the country. This

trend is likely to continue ahead. Net-

Sol Technologies is growing and hiring

more people to fulfill customers’ day

to day demands both internationally

and domestically. A large number of

small companies are operating outside

major cities like Lahore, Karachi, Islam-

abad and Faisalabad. All these compa-

nies are doing local work. The IT

entrepreneurs are quite confident that

the industry in smaller cities would

grow further. It is also worth noting

that a good number of IT resources are

hired from smaller cities like Gujran-

wala, Multan and Sukkur etc.

So far as the public sector is con-

cerned, the 2010 floods hit the IT

growth badly, as funds allocated for

IT industry in 2011

“ The international customers have started investingin balancing, maturing and replacing their systemsand software. It will help Pakistan IT industry to attainstability in order to grow further in the years to come”

MORE / 33March 2011

public sector automation were shifted

to the rehabilitation of flood affected

people. Now a change is in the offing,

resulting into the birth of more IT com-

panies, particularly due to increase in

world IT demand.

Similarly, absence of IT Minister

has also hindered the IT industry

growth. This situation was not suit-

able to the growth of industry since

there was no representative of indus-

try at the highest level. An absence of

a particular representative of IT indus-

try in the Cabinet has also put the fate

of Task Force on Information & Com-

munication Technologies (ICT) into

doldrums. All the recommendations

are awaiting formal approvals from

the concerned authorities.

It is also worth mentioning that Net-

Sol Technologies has successfully com-

pleted 15 years in January 2011. NetSol

today is the largest IT Company in the

country with highest export earnings,

highest quality standards including

CMMI Level5. NetSol has captured 90

percent of leasing and financial market

in China and its management is fore-

seeing lot of achievements in next five

years ahead worldwide.

According to SBP statistics, Pak-

istan’s annual export of software and

IT-enabled services is worth over $200

million. But software developers say

actual export earnings are far higher—

close to a billion dollars. They say the

reason for this massive difference is

that Pakistan uses a more restricted

definition of export earnings of soft-

ware and IT-enable services than India

and other countries.

Similarly agricultural extension de-

partments and commodity procure-

ment agencies need to digitalise their

operations to contain crop diseases, im-

prove soil fertility and increase per-acre

yields of food staples. Part of the for-

eign investment that has been lined up

for agricultural sector could be used in

these areas. But we actually need to de-

velop some models of public-private

partnerships. The era of digital divide is

over. Smart phones are low priced and

there is no reason that Pakistan should

excel in promoting IT usage in growth

of agriculture of the country. Huge ben-

efits are being accrued world over and

Pakistani farmers have never thought

of having those benefits to prosper.

The year 2011 will be more positive

for the IT industry. The industry hopes

that the government would appoint

an IT Minister in second phase. The IT

industry is facing enormous challenges

including political instability, terror-

ism, floods and much more. The IT has

failed to attract government attraction

despite contributing impressing to job

creation and export earnings for the

country. It is fastest growing industry

in the country and would be leading

from the front in future.

The Indian IT industry, on the other

hand, has reached to a saturation

point and growth there is now in small

percentage against Pakistan IT indus-

try, growing in double digit.

(The writer is Chairman & CEO Net-

Sol Technologies Ltd. He is also former

Chairman of Federal Government Task

Force on Information & Technology

(ICT). Mr. Ghauri is also Honourary

Consul for Australia in the province of

Punjab, Pakistan) g

Etihad Airways, the national airline of United Arab Emirates, in conjunctionwith Butlers Chocolate, has recently announced the winner of “Valentine’s Offer”promotion in Karachi. Picture shows Mr. Amer Khan, Country Manager, Etihad Air-ways presenting a return ticket to Abu Dhabi for couple to Ms. Beenish Iqbal.Michelle McBride, Retail Director, Butlers Chocolate along with other team mem-bers are also seen in the photo.

“ According to SBP statistics, Pakistan’s annual export ofsoftware and IT-enabled services is worth over $200 mil-lion. But software developers say actual export earningsare far higher—close to a billion dollars ”


g IBM’s Watson – a super computer, with ability to un-

derstand Natural Language, played with two other contest-

ants on an American game show Jeopardy! And won!!

Over the past four years, a team of IBM scientists have

set out to accomplish a grand challenge – build a comput-

ing system that rivals a human’s ability to answer questions

posed in natural language with speed, accuracy and confi-

dence. The computing system named Watson competed on

Jeopardy! against the show’s two most successful and cele-

brated contestants — Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter — on

February 14, 15 and 16 and won.

Jeopardy! Provides the ultimate challenge because the

game’s clues involve analyzing subtle meaning, irony, rid-

dles, and other complexities in which humans excel and

computers traditionally do not.

Watson’s ability to understand the meaning and context

of human language, and rapidly process information to find

precise answers to complex questions, holds enormous po-

tential to transform how computers help people accom-

plish tasks in business and their personal lives. Watson will

enable people to rapidly find specific answers to complex

questions. The technology could be applied in areas such as

healthcare, for accurately diagnosing patients, to improve

online self-service help desks, to provide tourists and citi-

zens with specific information regarding cities, prompt cus-

tomer support via phone, and much more.

On Thursday, Feb. 17, IBM and influential technology

conference outfit TED Conferences LLC hosted a webcast

on the Future of Watson after Jeopardy! The virtual

event will feature IBM and technology experts exploring

future uses for Watson technology and how it will affect

businesses, industries, government and society. The invi-

tation is here: g

Computer beats human

MORE / 35March 2011

g Imagine you could drive your car

using only your thoughts. German re-

searchers have just made that possible.

To record brain activity, the re-

searchers use an Emotiv "neurohead-

set," an electroencephalography, or

EEG, sensor by San Francisco-based

company Emotiv, which design it for

gaming. After a few rounds of "mental

training," the driver learns to move vir-

tual objects only by thinking. Each ac-

tion corresponds to a different brain

activity pattern, and the BrainDriver

software associates the patterns to

specific commands -- turn left, turn

right, accelerate etc. The researchers

then feed these commands to the

drive-by-wire system of the vehicle, a

modified Volkswagen Passat Variant

3c. Now the driver's thoughts can con-

trol the engine, brakes, and steering.

The researchers caution that the

BrainDriver application is still a

demonstration and is not ready for the

road. But they say that future human-

machine interfaces like this have huge

potential to improve driving, especially

in combination with autonomous ve-

hicles. As an example, they mention an

autonomous cab ride, where the pas-

senger could decide, only by thinking,

which route to take when

more than one possibility

exist.

This type of non-inva-

sive brain interface could

also allow disabled and

paralyzed people to gain

more mobility in the fu-

ture, similarly to what is

already happening in ap-

plications such as robotic

exoskeletons and ad-

vanced prosthetics. g

spectrum.ieee.org

BrainDriver: A MindControlled Car

Daniel Goehring of the AutoNOMOS research team of the Artificial IntelligenceGroup at the Freie Universitaet (Free University) demonstrates a hands-free drivingof the research car named 'MadeInGermany'. The car, a modified Volkswagen Pas-sat, is controlled by 'BrainDriver' software with a neuroheadset device which in-terprets electroencephalography signals with additional support from latest radarsensing technology and cameras.


g Almost everything electronic—

modems, PCs, cellphones—becomes

dramatically smaller and more power-

ful each year. Not cell towers. They're

still big, ugly, and expensive. Most

were designed with the simple goal of

transmitting plain old phone calls, so

towers are easily overwhelmed by

smartphone users who now want to

not only call grandma but also upload

photos and stream TV shows.

The current solution to network

congestion is "building bigger and big-

ger cell towers in more places," says

the president of Alcatel-Lucent's wire-

less division, Wim Sweldens. That's

cost-prohibitive in vast rural expanses

and pretty much impossible in dense

urban areas. "It's no longer sustain-

able," he says.

On Feb. 7, Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) in-

troduced a Rubik's cube-sized device

called lightRadio that could help bring

an end to the bigger-is-better ap-

proach. Most of today's cell towers are

200-foot monsters topped with an un-

sightly gangle of antennae.

Each lightRadio unit measures 2.5

inches across and weighs just 10.5 oz.

That compact package contains radios

and antennae for each of the major

cellular technologies—2G, 3G, and LTE.

Carriers can plop them wherever they

need more coverage, so long as an

electrical source is available—on tele-

phone poles, building rooftops, and

bus stop shelters. "This will dramati-

cally change the way mobile networks

are built," says Sweldens.

Smartphone users won't be able to

download Top Chef via these modules

just yet. While carriers say they are

very interested in the technology, none

have committed to testing it yet, let

alone buying it. And while the first ver-

sions of the lightRadio devices could

help quickly plug holes in coverage,

they'll still need to be wired to a cellu-

lar base station, the cabinet-sized rack

of gear usually housed in a basement

or shed at the bottom of a cell tower.

(Base stations convert mobile, analog

signals into digital ones and send

them across a carrier's underground

broadband cables.) By 2014, Alcatel-

Lucent hopes to integrate all of the

bulky base-station technology into

lightRadio units as well.

Carriers are scrambling to cope

with a steep rise in mobile traffic,

which is increasing by 26 percent a

year, according to Cisco Systems

(CSCO), the world's largest networking

gear supplier.

The economics of the Internet

make keeping up difficult. Though

consumers are downloading more

movies and apps on their phones,

wireless carriers don't generally make

extra revenue from these "data hogs,"

as some call them.

"The economics are getting worse,"

says Sweldens. LightRadio devices, he

claims, could lower the cost of new

cellular investments by as much as 50

percent. One big expense that lightRa-

dio minimizes: the price of winning

approval from the not-in-my-backyard

types who fight proposed cell towers

LightRadio is the first major at-

tempt to rethink the cell tower itself,

says Michael Howard, co-founder of

research firm Infonetics Research.

Asked if any other networking com-

pany is working on something like

lightRadio, Howard says "If they

weren't, they are now." g

businessweek.com

Tiny Cell Towers

MORE / 37March 2011

g With the BlackBerry PlayBook

expected to be released in April, more

of the tablet’s features have been con-

firmed by the company.

Unlike the iPad, the PlayBook uti-

lizes HTML 5 and Flash 10.1. The full

range of website programming tech-

niques will work on the PlayBook. Like

BlackBerry’s smart phones and other

products, the tablet has been designed

with corporate security in mind.

The first version of the PlayBook

will come with a 7-inch screen and 1

GB of RAM. Front and rear cameras will

be set on the tablet so that users can

have a video conference call. The phys-

ical specifications for the PlayBook are

7.6 inches high by 5.1 inches wide.

The PlayBook will run on only Wi-

Fi, but there are plans for LTE and

HSPA+ versions of the tablet. The LTE

and HSPA+ PlayBooks will be released

in the summer or fall of 2011.

The pricing for the PlayBook is ex-

pected to be similar to the iPad. A Play-

Book with 16 GB of memory will sell

for about $500.

The BlackBerry PlayBook was origi-

nally announced in September of

2010. The company has not published

a release date yet, but analysts specu-

late that the tablet will be shipped in

mid-April. ecanadanow.com g

g HP’s CTO Phil McKin-

ney was speaking recently

at HP’s Future of Innovation

event and revealed a con-

cept watch called ‘Metal

Watch’ that integrates all

info from sorts of devices

into this watch, Printers,

notebooks, desktops and

mobile devices. How are all

these devices going to work

together are still to be re-

vealed by HP. g

BlackBerry PlayBook tablet isaround

HP shows off ‘Metal Watch’


Fastest Notebook Memory for New Intel CoreMobile Processor Family Codenamed ‘HuronRiver’

HyperX 4GB and 8GB 1600MHz SO-DIMM kits. The

dual-channel, plug and play CL9 memory kits are the

fastest modules on the market specifically designed to

support notebooks and mobile platforms using the new

2nd Generation Intel Core Mobile Processor Family, code-

named ‘Huron River’.

“Our latest HyperX SO-DIMMs are the best way to

boost the system performance of notebook PCs, as well as

mini-ITX motherboards and mobile-based systems, by re-

placing standard memory with high-speed, higher capac-

ity modules,” said Ann Bai, DRAM Memory Sales Director,

APAC Region, and Kingston. “With the simple plug and

play feature, system performance is enhanced fast and ef-

fortlessly as the memory profiles are preset to run auto-

matically.”

The new HyperX SO-DIMMs are available in DDR3

1600MHz as 4GB and 8GB kits. Kingston HyperX memory is

backed by a lifetime warranty and free technical support.

New HyperX T1 Black Triple-ChannelHyperX T1 Black DDR3 triple-channel memory kits are

designed to meet the performance requirements for the

new Intel Core i7-990X chipset and X58-based mother-

boards, and are available in kits of three or six modules

and in capacities up to 24GB.

“Our new HyperX T1 Black triple-channel kits give en-

thusiasts the opportunity to combine performance and to

style into their PC build,” said Ann Bai. “These high-capac-

ity kits are ideal for the X58 products on the market, espe-

cially the new GIGABYTE G1-Killer gaming motherboards.”

“GIGABYTE is excited about the launch of Kingston’s

new Black T1 HyperX memory as it comes so soon after

the GIGABYTE G1-Killer gaming motherboard announce-

ment,” commented Tim Handley, Deputy Director of Moth-

erboard Marketing at GIGABYTE. “With their similar color

schemes and target market, we are looking forward to

seeing PC gamers pair their new Black T1 memory with GI-

GABYTE G1-Killer gaming motherboards.”

Kingston is shipping three HyperX T1 Black 1600MHz

DDR3 triple channel kits in 24GB, 12GB and 6GB configu-

rations.

Premier Memory for Supermicro Server BoardsValueRAM Server Premier Memory solutions have been

New products from Kingston

MORE / 39March 2011

independently validated for use with Super Micro Com-

puter, Inc. server boards. The independent certification

was undertaken by Advanced Validation Labs (AVL), a tech-

nology services company specializing in testing and vali-

dating pre- and post-production memory. AVL fulfills the

validation and testing needs of major OEMs and mother-

board manufacturers worldwide.

“System builders and integrators have long used Su-

permicro’s high-quality server boards in a multitude of

platforms,” said Ann Bai. “Our Server Premier line offers

unique features in addition to being fully AVL-validated

and compatible with these builds. To make it easier for our

mutual customer base to get more information and find

the right Kingston memory solutions for Supermicro

boards, we’ve developed a special Web page.”

Secure USB Solutions for the EnterpriseThe DataTraveler 4000 (DT4000) and DataTraveler

Vault-Privacy Managed (DTVPM) — offer enterprises the

most flexible, cost-effective USB options that also deliver

unmatched security control.

A leader in memory solutions since 1987, Kingston de-

livers these new products as part of the industry’s only se-

cure USB family ranging from general purpose business

use to flexible, managed enterprise offerings, and to plat-

forms for the most secure and rigid government stan-

dards.

While many organizations depend on the portability

and simplicity of USBs for data management, removable

media became an unfortunate focal point in 2010 for

some of the most troubling security events — from

Stuxnet to Wikileaks — and consumerization only served

to raise further issues of control. However, when deployed

correctly, the portability and simplicity that characterize

USB risk can be its greatest asset, enabling it to serve as a

strategic security tool.

Currently, enterprise USB options are limited in their

ability to offer both flexibility and stringent security. Exist-

ing solutions range from expensive and rigid platforms

built to adhere to the highest government security certifi-

cations, to lightweight security offerings that offer little in

the way of specific device management and are being

loosely managed with general purpose endpoint security

software.

Kingston’s new offerings draw from the company’s un-

paralleled expertise with field-proven, government-tested

and internationally deployed platforms supported with

the industry’s best warranty, service and support. The

major features include:

• DT4000: brings military-grade encryption to cor-

porations such as finance and healthcare, which require

high-level protection for sensitive information. The

DT4000 is FIPS 140-2 Level 2 validated for the entire cryp-

tographic module – not just the security processor as with

some other solutions. The DT4000 will also be available as

a centrally-managed drive later this year.

• DTVPM: offers corporate customers centralized

control of all USB activity. Leveraging the world-class Safe-

Console server software from BlockMaster, a company

with the broadest and most mature management offering

on the market, the DTVPM solution offers advanced fea-

tures including password control, device state manage-

ment, file audit log and file restrictor options to control

what file types may be saved to the drive.

“Kingston is known the world over as the memory

company of choice among the Fortune 500. Our expertise

in high-level encryption standards, worldwide access to

controllers and NAND Flash combined with tremendous

purchasing power and distribution channels allow us to

extend our heritage further into the corporate space with

our secure USB offerings,” said Nathan Su, Flash Memory

Sales Director, APAC Region, Kingston.

“In addition to the DT4000, our relationship with a

software security leader like BlockMaster gives our global

customer base a back-end, centralized management solu-

tion for portable data peace of mind and protection.”


g A hostess presents the new

Vodafone LTE high-speed router (L) and

modem at the Vodafone stand at the

CeBIT technology trade fair. LTE is a

new mobile broadband standard that

promises speeds many times that of

current UMTS and HSDPA systems and

is being introduced foremost in rural

areas in Germany that have thus far

been cut off from broadband Internet

connectivity. g

g A woman wears an 'intelligent tracksuit' that

records and then transmits her movements to a com-

puter presented by the Fraunhofer Institute. g

g VIA’s new Eden X2 processor is

touted to be the lowest power dual-

core processor in the industry, where it

has been specially optimized for fan-

less implementation across a broad

range of industrial and commercial

embedded systems. Of course, if you

want to lay your eyes on the VIA Eden

X2, expect to be at the Embedded

World 2011, Nuremberg, Germany as

that is where it will debut.

The range of VIA Eden X2 proces-

sors will bring together VIA’s signa-

ture ‘Eden’ fanless design principles,

and it will come in a highly opti-

mized, power-efficient dual-core ar-

chitecture. This

translates to

rock-solid sta-

bility for mis-

sion critical

embedded sys-

tems that will not see any compro-

mise on performance or features.

Your peace of mind is further ensured

With a component longevity guaran-

tee of 7 years, now how about that?

This will certainly raise the bar and

then some for other component

manufacturers.

Taking advantage of the latest

40nm manufacturing process, VIA

Eden X2 processors will merge a cou-

ple of 64-bit, superscalar VIA Eden

cores on one die, while delivering en-

hanced multi-tasking and superb

multimedia performance without

sipping up too much juice. After all, it

is well noted that VIA Eden X2 proces-

sors are the most power-efficient

processors on the market, and were

specially designed to offer the ideal

solution for fanless system design.

coolest-gadgets.com g

Vodafone LTE router

VIA says Eden X2 isworld's most power-effi-cient dual-core processor

MORE / 41March 2011

g Fujitsu PalmSecure technology

utilizes contactless, non-traceable and

non-shareable authentication meth-

ods. The PalmSecure sensor uses a

near-infrared light to capture a user's

palm vein pattern, generating a

unique biometric template that is

matched against the palm vein pat-

terns of pre-registered users.

"Having served on the IBIA board for

years, I have seen the significant bene-

fits of bringing leading biometric com-

panies and security industry experts

together to collaborate on how to most

effectively promote the use of authen-

tication technology," said Christer

Bergman, vice president of Biometric

Solutions, Fujitsu Frontech North Amer-

ica Inc. "Through the ongoing develop-

ment and commercialization of the

PalmSecure palm vein authentication

solution, Fujitsu has developed a con-

siderable amount of technology expert-

ise, as well as insight into how

customers are using biometrics within

their organizations. In joining the IBIA,

we look forward to sharing our experi-

ences and knowledge with other mem-

bers as we collectively work to solve the

identity, security and privacy challenges

facing companies across the globe."

"Across nearly every industry, the

need and demand for advanced au-

thentication and access control solu-

tions have never been greater," said

Tovah LaDier, managing director for

the IBIA. "We are thrilled to have Fu-

jitsu on board as an IBIA member and

look forward to working closely with

its biometric solutions group, in collab-

oration with our global network of

members, to meet this demand with

innovative technologies. Together, we

have the opportunity to advance the

field of biometrics to meet security,

privacy and productivity needs in ways

never before thought possible." g

eeherald.com

PalmSecure Technology

Pleo the Dinosaur g Pleo is a cute little robotic di-

nosaur that arrives at your doorstep as

a newly-hatched baby Camarasaurus.

From there, According to Pleoworld

you can nurture it and raise it as your

own, and your Pleo will take on an un-

predictable life of its own depending

on how you treat it. Pleo can feel, must

be fed, and likes to explore and be cud-

dled. And most importantly, it has a

mind and mood of its own.

You might remember when we cov-

ered Pleo the dinosaur a few years ago.

At the time Pleo was just in its early

stages of development. If you held it up

by the tail it would get mad, and if you

pet it, Pleo would love you. Pleo also had

a USB interface for upgrades. According

to Harry McCracken, who looked at Pleo

then, Pleo liked to sleep a lot and if Pleo

was in a really deep slumber then it was

hard to wake Pleo up.

Not too much of that has changed,

but since then, Pleo has gained many

additional features, and evolved, so to

speak. Innvo Labs, the makers of Pleo,

gave Pleo an intense upgrade with a va-

riety of new fea-

tures not seen

several years

ago when we

first covered the

robotic dino. Check out the

above video (from BotJunkie--now

IEEE Spectrum Automation) for an

interview with Inno Labs CEO

Derek Dotson.

In the future, says Dotson,

Innvo Labs plans to improve the navi-

gational system of Pleo, the skin and

paint, and they even plan to give it the

ability to self-recharge. I ask you,

what's better than a pet dinosaur with

an attitude and a USB interface? g

courtesy: pcworld.com


MORE / 43March 2011


MORE / 45March 2011


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