Dec 2007

Interviews: 142444-

Winning Hearts Through Quality of Services Dr. Saleh Ahmad Al-Jawarneh Ambassador of Jordan to Pakistan I am not Hacker but a Security Researcher, Joanna Rutkowska Cover Story:

Telecom: 10121314161718202632386975-

PTCL Donates for a Noble Cause Operators Reject QoS Survey Results Telenor’s “Naya Qadam” to Empower Handicaps Winning Hearts Through Quality of Services Mobilink Reshaping the Nature KHL Earning Excellent Success PTA - Moving with Excellence Challenges for Operators and Developers PTCL Extends Broadband Services to all customers Telenor Shines at GSM Mobile Asia Congress How Telecom Turned India's Economy Motorola Debuts Luxury Edition RAZR2 in ME Samsung Launched Metal 5

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Cover Story: 46-

Winning Hearts Through Quality of Services

IT: 22303637707172747677-

PTCL Donates for a Noble Cause

“Pakistan Package” Historic Relief for Customers

Pakistan’s IT Industry Thriving yet needs Improvements Software Technology Park, A Milestone in IT Growth Video Conferencing Needs Due Care Urdu Translation Software Launched New Facebook Ad Program Draws Complaints Blogs as Money Machines STB Grabbing the world of Media Servers Search Engines Making their way to Business Intelligence YouTube Puts ID on Clips Amazon Debuts Digital Book Reader

28 12 Operators Reject QoS Survey Results

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Events: 8082-

Telenor Contributes to “World Performing Arts Festival 2007” Warid Committed to Produce Champions

Informative: 52546066-

Coming Mobiles Current Mobiles Mobile Reviews Hot Laptops

Briefs: 4088956

Short Stories National International

Telenor’s “Naya Qadam” to Empower Handicaps Brotherly Ties on the Rise

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No More Count of Words Tremendous growth, millions of subscribers, thousands of cities covered, high penetration, billions of foreign direct investment, lowest call rates, highly paid employees, remarkable statistical charts, voices of 3G, non-stop advertising campaigns, high claims and what not? But… Now the drama is going to be unfolded as network and work force is being tested by not only the subscribers but also the regulator. We have been amply shouting of this artificial growth that has been result of remarkable make-up carried out by the cellular companies and the government as well. Two chiefs of cellular companies were blown out, only in one month, as the consequences of this tragedy are reaching the sea level. Right after these dissect, the terrifying survey results have further tightened the situation for telecom companies. Due to market pressures and competition, the war for cutting the price has led towards a price collapse. Pakistan Package by PTCL, World Call's free 24 hours NWD (Nation Wide Dialing), late night free calling packages from cellular companies are causing the ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) go further down. Market has started expressing its judgment of at least 30 percent inactive SIMs. In such a situation, expanding network and in return increasing operating cost could be the worst for the investors. PTA has failed to maintain a fairly balance competition amongst the companies, in fact it is the regulator that has let the situation reach this worsen level. The hunger for revenues is encouraging companies to charge subscribers for even switching between their packages. Over-charging, call disconnection, and various other techniques are being used to fill the bags. Current scenario predicts that there is no long term policy defined to tackle the future. One company has already backed off from field, other heading towards the limits of user dissatisfaction. Regulatory authority must have to pull its legs now, or the time will never roll back again….! It's a plea.


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(Vol. 4

Issue: 3)

Digital Drop Box I have been associated with consumer banking for the last five years and have observed that no doubt it has helped the people a lot and raised their living standards. Banks are improving their services day by day, but at the same time we can't deny the complaints and difficulties faced by the customers. Customers and banks are more concerned and facing problems regarding the repayments of loans. Sometimes issues occur due to the customer's negligence and some times due to the bank's. Usually banks encourage receiving the repayments through cheque via drop boxes. But while dropping the cheque in a drop box, customers I am a resident of Kahna nau Exchange Ferozpur Road, Lahore, and as well as banks don't have any proof of deposit of cheque. trying to reach the Broadband Department of PTCL for the last six After that if someone receives late payment charges due to any reamonths. On contacting, the staff just replies that the work is in progress in son, customers argue that they have deposited the cheque before the our area. due date and the bank has delayed while presenting the cheque in Can any one from the company tell me that what type of work is clearing. underway which has not been completed all this time and how the comAt the same time, banks claim that they check the drop boxes on a daily basis and there could be no delay at the bank end but it is the cuspany can celebrate its broadband services? Company's first aim should be customer satisfaction but the company tomer who dropped the cheque after the due date and is now trying to fails to achieve that, as not only me, but thousands of people are not sat- shun the late payment charges. So, I think there should be some proof isfied from its service. I want to ask the higher authorities of the company of receiving from the bank side. I want to suggest here that banks to tell me that is your aim just earning by cheating the nation or their sat- should install digital drop boxes at designated branches. These machines can be easily invented by making minor changes to isfaction by your service? photocopy machines. Customers can deposit their cheque through that I know they can't answer me because they are not in a position to machine and will get a photo copy of both sides of the cheque with time answer their disability in their work. and date of deposit. In this way nobody would be able to avoid his/her responsibility. It will improve the efficiency of the bank staff because cusANIS AHMAD, tomers will prefer the digital drop boxes and it will decrease the rush at Lahore counters.

No Right to Celebrate Broadband

Instant Help I was traveling with my family from Chakwal on the motorway when our car stopped on the way. With great difficulty we were able to reach the last service area. The first thing that we came to know was that there was no CNG on the service station. After barely covering a kilometre or more, our car broke down and we stopped at a deserted place. It was 10pm and there was complete darkness around us. I quickly called the Motorway police from emergency call boxes installed for help. My repeated efforts proved futile as a recorded voice message asked to wait for the operator but I could not find anyone on the other side to respond to the voice message. In a desperate attempt I called one of my friends to get an emergency number of the Motorway police. I called again at the number and within five minutes the Motorway mobile workshop and patrolling car reached the scene and helped us out of the trouble. I thank the Motorway police for their quick action. MUHAMMAD AAMIR Rawalpindi

Unregistred SIMs I was heading towards Lahore, when on a stop to take my lunch, I had bought a Paktel (now CMPak) SIM. I was trapped by the hawker, as he was offering free SIMs that had balance too. And all I had to pay was the half of the balance it already had. Furthermore, I was told that my balance will double, as soon as I will re-load/re-charge my first card. All this looked quite fascinating to me, and at one bought a SIM. Not only this, I also bought a Rs. 1000 Card and loaded it into my SIM. Amazingly I earned double balance and a free SIM. All this was great until I lost my SIM few days back. Unfortunately, I had not got my SIM registered, and in return I was unable to collect a duplicate SIM. Despite of efforts I had to compromise with contact details that I had with that SIM and also lost plenty of credit in the SIM. My request to CMPak is either to stop selling those SIMs at stalls, or introduce a mechanism, through which I may get my lost SIM without registration.. Mohammad Akmal Rawalpindi

MUHAMMAD RASHID ABBAS Islamabad

Dealing with Piracy Protection of intellectual property from theft and piracy is a key global issue being discussed on world, regional and national levels. Intellectual property involves patents (including patents on "biological material" such as seeds) and copyrights on books, music, films and software. There are hundreds of global piracy syndicates that violate these copyrights and are costing the respective industries billions of dollars as consumers flock to pirated material as compared to purchasing legitimate copies. Pakistan, too, has a problem with piracy. However, we must not look at the problem inside-out. It affects Pakistanis just as much as it affects artists, engineers and businesses abroad. There is no institution that effectively monitors and enforces copyrights and as a result, our several musicians have gone to foreign markets such as India and Europe to produce and market their music, simply because those markets are protected and guarantee returns greater than what they would expect in Pakistan. There is an immediate need to address the situation and enforce copyrights in Pakistan. This is the only way we will encourage greater and better local efforts not just in the entertainment industry, but also in publishing and research. BILAL MUSTAFA Lahore

Callmate Scam It is shocking to learn that a popular calling card company like Callmate has closed down without any prior warning or notice to the millions of users. I was a regular user of this calling card. I had just bought a new card when I learnt that the company has closed down its operations overnight. There is no response from 1257 - the number used by the company. There must be millions of users who have been left with the cards. Similarly, there must be hundreds of thousands of shops throughout Pakistan who must be having huge stocks of cards of different denominations. How can this scam involving billions of rupees go without any action from the authorities? The ordinary citizens are under the impression that there is no rule of law. Can anyone throw light on this latest scam? OSMAN A. KARIM Karachi

Send us your letters at [email protected] or at our postal addresses. Flare reserves the right to edit letters for clarity and space.

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Telecom

Flare Report

PTCL, as a part of its corporate social responsibility, donated Rs. 2.5 million to the SOS Children's Villages. Former Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz handed over the donation to SOS children villages Rawalpindi on behalf of the company. The company has been fulfilling its social responsibilities quite adequately by contributing to various welfare activities akistan Telecommunication Ltd. (PTCL) donated an amount of Rs. 2.5 million to the SOS Children's Villages in the country. Former Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz handed over the donation to SOS children villages Rawalpindi on behalf of PTCL. Mr. Shaukat Aziz, who was accompanied with his wife, visited various sections of the SOS Village Rawalpindi and said that Islam encourages its followers to give charity with abandon and the concept formed a major part of our faith. He appreciated PTCL's initiative of choosing SOS villages for the donation, as the homeless and parentless children need utmost care and attention of the society. The former Premier urged other members of the corporate sector to come forward and donate for such noble cause. Walid Irshaid, PTCL's President & CEO, while speaking on the occasion said that the best way of expressing out gratitude to Allah is to look after orphans and destitute. He said that PTCL had always championed the cause of needy people and would continue to do so. He said that company was fully aware of its corporate social responsibility and would continue to promote this cause in the future too. He expressed hope that the humble contribution that PTCL had made towards the cause of SOS Villages will be able to bring the joy and happiness on the faces of the children adopted by SOS. PTCL is the largest telecom operator in the country and is now managed by Etisalat, a UAE based telecom group. Etisalat has expanded its operations in the Middle East and Africa with a vision to become one of the top tentelecom service providers in the global market by the year 2010. Its current operations include UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sudan, Niger, Ivory Coast, Benin, Togo, Tanzania, Burkina Faso, Baboon and

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Pakistan's Former Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz hands over a donation cheque to the reprentatives of The SOS Children's Villages. Mrs. Shaukat Aziz, Walid Irshaid PTCL's president and CEO and Miss Zubaida Jalal, former federal minister are also present.

Central African Republican. The SOS Children's Villages is a private social welfare organization that offers orphaned and abandoned children a new and permanent home. The children stay with this organization until they are able to lead an independent life. SOS Children's Village Association was founded in Austria and the first SOS Children's Village was built in Imst, Austria, by Hermann Gmeiner. SOS Children's Villages of Pakistan was established in 1975. It is an autonomous organisation and managed by Board of Governors. The National Office is situated in Lahore and provincial associations have been established in Punjab, Sindh, N.W.F.P, Balochistan and Azad Jammu & Kashmir. The first project was the SOS Children Village in Lahore in 1977 and this has been followed by projects in many other cities. The goal is to continue expansion until there are sufficient facilities to reach children all over the country.


PTCL is the largest telecom operator in the country and is now managed by Etisalat, a UAE based telecom group. Etisalat has expanded its operations in the Middle East and Africa with a vision to become one of the top ten-telecom service providers in the global market by the year 2010

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Telecom

Flare Report

After failing to announce the outcome of previous four surveys, PTA has got a landmark achievement by announcing the results of its fifth one. Interestingly, three companies have rejected these findings saying that report is biased and does not reflect the actual service conditions of cellular companies ou may have experienced difficulties with the telecom network of Pakistan in peak activity days. Pakistan Telecom Authority is responsible for keeping a check on the quality of services provided by the telecommunication companies and the authority conducts surveys for this purpose. Regulator has announced the result of its fifth survey, conducted from 4th September 2007 to 16th November 2007, by using the recently procured state of the art monitoring equipment. The services of five GSM operators i.e. Ufone, Mobilink, Telenor, Warid, and CMPak were checked in selected major and small cities. The results of the survey are shown in the tables.

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Telecom market sources suspect PTA for not announcing earlier results due to bad performance of a cellular company. The officials of the company never justified the absence of previous QoS survey results

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Before discussing the consequences and results of current QoS (Quality of Service) survey, lets peek into past by looking at previous attempts. It must be kept in mind that PTA was unable to announce any of the results of all

previous surveys. The current results can be considered as a landmark achievement in the history of Pakistan telecom. Telecom market sources have alleged PTA for not announcing earlier results due to bad results of a cellular company. Maj. Gen. (R) Shezada Alam Malik, Chairman, PTA, never justified the absence of previous QoS survey results. It merits mentioning here that in a reply to a question from Flare at ITCN Asia on August 9, 2007, Mr. Malik said that there will be no QoS survey again in Pakistan. At that time he had said that mobile number portability is the best check on the services of telecom operators. In this regard, the recent survey may reveal the destruction or failure of MNP as well. Coming back to the current survey results, three major telecom companies have straight away rejected the results, saying that the result report is biased and does not reflect the actual service conditions of cellular companies. "These are self created statistics and have no concern with the facts" a telecom company official told 'Flare' He further said, we demand an inquiry on this report which aims to win the sympathies of a big telecom operator in the local industry. The giants of telecom sector ask for inquiry on this bogus report. We must admit that results of a particular survey may not satisfy all of the participants, however, inquiry of a regulatory body, and then the inquest of that inquiry report may lead us to middle of nowhere, with numerous unresolved issues. Telecom analysts, on the other hands, say that these survey results are not comprehensive. A senior telecom expert told 'Flare' that user satisfaction graph is not seen in the results, while the customers' feedback, which

plays a major role in the results of any survey, is also missing. He further added that PTA should have given its verdict of the services of each cellular company, instead of leaving the ending note vacant to be filled by the customers. Another expert said that the report gives you a good glimpse of current services, and the miseries of customer. He added that cellular companies will have to re-define their goals and strategies in order to compete in the future. The current step-down of two CEOs of cellular companies allows you to predict the management failure with-in the cellular industry.


Flare Report

Telecom

Telenor, the third major cellular operator of the county, takes "Naya Qadam" to loan out motorcycle shops to physically disabled individuals. These shops on wheels are specially designed to enable disabled to sell Telenor's most popular product the 'Easy Load' and other small snack items elenor Pakistan in colkeys to DWA members to the motorlaboration with cycle-cum-shops. Disabled Welfare Telenor Pakistan's Executive Association (DWA), Vice President Irfan Wahab Khan country's one of the explaining the aim of the project foremost welfare said, "The objectives of the project organizations for disabled, launched are to give attention to the potential "Naya Qadam" on the World of our physically challenged commuDisability Day. With the project that nity, and to provide them with a aims to empower persons with decent opportunity to be part of the physical disabilities by making them booming telecom business. These partners in retail, Telenor has are talented individuals, and if we become the country's first mobile can give them their much-needed operator to do so. mobility and an honest business As part of the Naya Qadam projopportunity, they can take care of ect, DWA will loan out specially their families with the integrity all of designed motorcycle-cum-shops, us deserve." sponsored by Telenor Pakistan, to Commenting on the Naya Executive Vice President, Corporate and Regulatory Affairs Telenor Pakistan Irfan physically disabled individuals. Qadam project, DWA's President Wahab Khan addressing at the launch of Telenor Naya Qadam These shops-on-wheels are Javed Rais said, "We appreciate designed so that people with disTelenor Pakistan's support and the abilities can easily use them to fact that they consider us partners display and sell their sale items that ask only for equal opportunity. on the move. In an attempt, yet According to WHO, close to a tenth unprecedented in the telecommuof Pakistan's population has some nications sector, Telenor Pakistan disability. So, we hope that the pubhas also arranged for the physilic, corporate and social sectors will cally disabled entrepreneurs to come forward to level the field for become retailers for its most their disabled fraternity." popular product, Easy Load, in Disabled Welfare order to earn a respectable livAssociation (DWA) is a ing. To boost their income furKarachi-based organization ther, they will also be able to that works to obtain the due sell small snack items from the rights of persons with disabilibuilt-in tuck boxes on the ties. It helps to provide them motorcycles. economic resources by proPresiding over the event, moting self-employment, Shujat Ali Baig, Provincial financial support, and loans. Minister for Education and Telenor Pakistan is the Literacy Sindh said, "The third biggest cellular network National Policy for Persons provider of the country in with Disabilities 2002 and the terms of subscribers. The National Plan of Action 2006 Telenor Group is an internaenvision full realization of the tional provider of high quality potential of persons with distelecommunications, data and abilities through their mainmedia communications servicstreaming, guided by the prines. Telenor ranks as one of ciples of constitutional guaranthe biggest GSM service tees, non-discrimination and providers in the world with Provincial Minister for Education and Literacy Shujat Ali Baig handing over the keys to the disrights-based approach instead over 133 million subscribers.
abled as Executive Vice President, Corporate and Regulatory Affairs Telenor Pakistan Irfan of welfare driven programs." Wahab Khan and Regional Director South Telenor Pakistan Syed Montzer Mehdi look on. Adding further Baig said; "Telenor Pakistan has been playing its role as a sections of society." He congratulated Telenor Pakistan and DWA on establishing a solid responsible corporate organization with vigor model of collaboration in the form of the “Naya and enthusiasm, running several communityQadam” project. The Minister also handed out support programs to empower the deprived

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Telenor Pakistan, as a responsible corporate organization, has been playing a dynamic role in the society by running several communitysupport programs to empower the underprivileged people

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Interview

Flare Lahore Panel

Furqan Qureshi is no stranger to the world of technology and the challenges it poses to the everyday life. Having been an active member of the IT industry, worked in the banking industry, specialised in public sector and manufacturing industry applications, employed at IBM and servrd as the Senior Vice President or Corporate Strategy and Marketing at Si3, you get about 25 years of experience bundled in this one man. Here we are presenting his brief Interview for the readers of FLARE

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Flare: Do you think that Wateen's services are matching the services being provided by other vendors? Furqan Qureshi: Wateen is determined to deliver what so many other ISPs, Media outlets and Cellular providers have tried to deliver to the market - a portfolio of reliable services and affordable prices. Of course, it can be done. We are the ones who are doing it. Wateen is resolute to provide international level services to its customers. Flare: Would you please tell us about the broadband services? Furqan Qureshi: Have you heard of buzzwords such as integration and communication? There is a bigger buzzword out there called convergence. It just means that all kinds of communication can be integrated and used in conjunction with each other. This includes voice, data and video streaming. You need massive amounts of infrastructure, bandwidth, people, and content to make something like this. Also known as a 'Triple play' approach, since all services are IP-based (rather than terrestrial), it means that everything can be integrated or plugged into each other. Review a movie you may have missed on television, online, or do a video conference and have a voice and data exchange happening simultaneously. It is one back end, one platform, all software based so nobody has to physically come to you and upgrade or modify something. This portfolio or range of service is no longer about the future. It is available right now. Flare: What makes Wateen that ideal convergence company? Furqan Qureshi: Wateen is in the telecom industry because it offers voice and data connectivity. The company is in the Media industry because of television and radio broadcasting, and it is in the IT industry because short of touching the application. Wateen has large data center services. It represents Cisco as a large partner. The company will launch some powerful products regarding video conferencing. All these features differentiate the company from other vendors. Flare: What does the telecommunications landscape look like right now? Furqan Qureshi: There are close to 70 million people plugged into one network or the other, though, it is difficult to tell how many of those

are actually active users. PTCL will still rely on Copper for their broadband so their DSL is as good as the copper; Mobilink will eventually launch their WiMax services but Wateen will retain the advantage of launching before them. Multinet is in the picture to provide fiber across the country also. Other service providers might just try and offer the services that Wateen is providing but they will certainly not be able to match its back end or infrastructure. We are rolling out the fiber across the country, and though, we are already the largest deployment right now, we are still growing. We have got WiMax for the last mile of our broadband. We have got licenses for all 14 regions of Pakistan to offer Voice Over IP, and we can offer that on our fiber or WiMax. Not to mention the fact that Wateen's sister concern, Warid Telecom, already has an established footprint in the 145 cities of Pakistan, so they are not far behind in the GSM space. Flare: Would you tell us the reason behind your success? Furqan Qureshi: It is all about listening to what customers want and matching it with the technology that will be best suited for them. At times, they lack the vision to see what the future holds for their strategies. For us at Wateen, sky is not the limit - it is just the starting point. If you have the ability to think about something, then there has to be a way to make that happen. Even in Pakistan, there is no reason why the services that our company is planning for our subscribers can not be done. Everything is a possibility. We want them to be able to be at par with the level and quality of service that they will experience elsewhere in the world. Flare: How wide will be Wateen's coverage? Will it include rural areas? Furqan Qureshi: Our plan is to go as far as we can. It has to make business sense, but we are certain that even if one region does not work, another city or township will be strong enough to compensate for it. But imagine this scenario - If you go and provide all these services in a small region, you will create infrastructure for positive economic activity. It has the power to create a massive societal change. Beyond that, Wateen was quick to realize the problem that the industry has already started facing - the size of the consumer pie is so big. You have to

not only give people a greater number of reasons to use the services, but also increase the size of the market. Wateen has done its share of research into the demographics based on its own surveys and also relying on community demographics to figure out where its service priorities are going to be. Even though we are presently in the test phase of our networks, we are surprised at the intense demand we found for our services. Flare: How the deployment of WiMax across the country, will impact the end user? Furqan Qureshi: The platform gives you access to Broadband Internet of upto 2Mbps dedicated speeds. Speed is something that service providers continue to struggle with. Additionally, users also get telephony with endless valueadded features. Our users are very sharp and know what they want. Unlike other companies, we have faith in our users that they will begin to use the features that we offer to them, and then demand for more. Flare: How do you see the current situation and what is the future of the Pakistani market? Furqan Qureshi: The current situation in Pakistan is quite good and the future is very bright Massive growth, an increased size of the overall market. By launching our services and other players, the amount of development work that will require outsourcing will continue to be enpanding and it is imperative that service provider companies come together to grow their numbers and diversity in expertise to be able to manage the work and keep it within Pakistan. IT and Telecom companies will have to get a better understanding of one another's dynamics and begin working together. Flare: where do you see Wateen in the future? Furqan Qureshi: This is just the first step for Wateen. Wateen is in a very strong position. We're hiring, we're investing, we're building, we're focused on our objectives and we're on track. When we initiate all our services and land on the ground running, people will be able to assess our position on their own. A great team, some great products and a series of challenging milestones they are confident of delivering, Wateen Telecom will carry the Pakistani flag high up on its shoulders. You need vision, a lot of faith and a great deal of expertise. We happen to have a lot of all three.


Telecom

Flare Report

Mobilink, the leading cellular operator of the country, is playing a significant role in the welfare of various segments of the society. The company is paying a special concentration to protect the environment and promote the health of the community. The company is living up to its image of being socially conscious entity with a strong commitment and more investment in the public sector ith a population of over 160 million, and experiencing high growth every year, Pakistan faces environmental issues like deforestation and massive industrial growth, depleting water resources, climate change, considerable floods and a weaning wildlife. With the involvement of organizations on environment drives, growing consciousness for protecting the environment has been established. Some steps forward can be noticed in our surroundings due to awareness spread among the educated and affluent, however, the subject of environment always has additional room for improvement. It is against this backdrop that Mobilink has taken initiatives to protect and enhance the neighborhoods and communities it operates in, by adopting a pro-environment attitude. This is not only a concerted effort to enhance the surroundings but also a drive to work towards the welfare of the people and strengthen the quality of life. Mobilink, as an example, has invested in the environmental uplift of major cities of Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi. One of the projects includes the uplift of existing flower shops, which were previously make shift stalls with no proper structure to facilitate the business. These shops have been reconstructed with a rustic appearance integrated well with the natural environment. Flower markets in Karachi and Lahore Cantt. are also structured along the lines of the one in Islamabad. Mobilink has taken similar initiatives by perking up intercity neighborhoods through the uplift of existing bus shelters on the main thor-

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oughfares of Karachi. Drinking water facilities provided at these shelters are contributing to the welfare of the commuters. Canopies installed at main squares of the city are facilitating the traffic police officers to make their working environment more comfortable. The company is continuously working to identify new ways of enhancing the environment and protecting it. Mobilink in an unprecedented move has launched a recycling project

Mobilink has always championed the noble causes. The initiatives taken by the company are hoped to set an example for others to follow and benefit the community at a larger scale where they recycle the hoarding skins, making school bags out of them, which are distributed among under privileged children of the community. This not only supports a noble cause, but also protects the environment from exposure to non- biodegradable materials. In the health sector, the company has established an independent two-bed ward in the National Institute of Health to facilitate a rare and complex condition known as Myasthenia Gravis and GBS (Guillain-Barre Syndrome). Mobilink initiated a special program dedicated to provide urgent financial assistance for this disease. It collaborated with the PMWO to help purchase expensive equipment for the treatment of Myasthenia Gravis & GBS. The company also extends a helping hand by providing large number of plasma kits;

with costs that are over Rs15, 000, depending on the acuteness of the disease. These are disposable kits and sometimes patients need three to four kits at a time which are now provided free of cost. It is important to mention here that although there are other donors for this program too but Mobilink stands as the major contributor for this treatment. Prior to the company's funding the hospital was unable to treat underprivileged, poor patients free of cost. It is a good trend, initiated by Mobilink that believes in working intimately with the community to generate a positive social and economic change, creating the right environment of progress for the people of Pakistan. With a strong internal CSR policy and focused community investment, the company encourages its employees to take part in volunteer programs and get involved in various welfare programs. The company lives up to its image of being socially conscious entity with a strong commitment towards the uplift of social essentials through its active investment in the public sector. Such initiatives taken by the company are hoped to set an example for others to follow and benefit the community at a larger scale. It takes strong commitment, conscious effort, and honest intentions for any private company to align itself to a task, which is not profit generating. It demands integrity and strong principles to execute such non-profit endeavors. The CEO Mobilink Mr. Zouhair A.Khaliq takes personal interest in protecting the natural environment and believes in living in harmony with nature. He opposes, cutting down of trees to erect concrete and metal structures.


Khadija Qasmi

Telecom

KHL, the Associated Company of the Akbar Associates GROUP, is focusing to develop its presence in the rapidly expanding and now deregulated telecommunication, power and infrastructure development sectors. Due to its deep understanding of latest enhancements in the operations and maintenance segment of telecom sector, the company is giving a tough time to its international counterparts to make money he past few years have registered a phenomenal amount of growth in the Pakistani telecommunications industry, turning it into a goldmine for service providers all over the world; consequently leading to an influx of foreign vendors into the industry. The foreigners, with their greater production scales and higher economies managed to rein over the industry for several years, until quite recently when emerging local players have also made their presence felt and given their foreign counterparts a run for their money. Their emergence has accelerated growth in the Pakistani telecom industry and fueled the 'telecom revolution' that we are witnessing currently. Companies from as far away as Norway were tempted into entering Pakistan and its massive population of 160 million. Since July, 2003, regulators have handed out more than 200 fixed, mobile, and long-distance licenses to some 50 companies. Adding to the competition is privatized PTCL the state-controlled carrier which had a monopoly until 2004; now realizing that it is no longer the only big fish in the pond has not only cut down its rates substantially, but has also revamped its customer service into a quality that could not even have been hoped for in the past. Furthermore the company has also undertaken the long overdue initiative to rehabilitate its network all over the country so that it comes up to the level which is required in the fiercely competitive telecom industry of Pakistan. Ideally the real winner out of the war-zone of our telecom industry will be the consumers. Analysts expect tariffs to come down further and service quality to improve as competition heats up. Hence, for any operator existing in such a market, the key term to their success is cost effectiveness. This can only be attained by having efficient and productive operations and maintenance policy. These O & M practices ought to include a review of equipment condition, building documentation and service contract, spot test of equipment and controls, trends or data logging of critical data point over time. The assessment also checks schedules and control strategies to determine if the site is

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operated optimally and develops a list of recommended improvements that support energy/cost-efficient operation. An O&M system has to encompass the entire range of management functionality, such as simultaneous display and handling of both networks' alarms in a common alarms list as well as display and handling of bi-technology network topologies. As wireless markets continue to mature and begin to migrate to 3G, several factors will decrease operators' revenue margins, including ever increasing competition and, ultimately, market saturation. This will direct operators to look more than ever for cost-cutting opportunities. O & M is an outstandingly sensitive field in that respect, as it holds the key to optimal cost effectiveness for operators in this market. The

The successful deployment of Wateen's 5500kms Long Haul Optic Fiber Cable Network, in a short period of time, is the undisputed proof of KHL's competence. The company is now set to start its projects abroad consequently increased cost effectiveness and improved service quality will eventually not only benefit the operators, but it will also give the broader economy a much-needed boost. Konnect Holden (Pvt) Ltd - KHL, the Associated Company of the Akbar Associates Group, has its tentacles spread all over Pakistan, China and UAE having offices supporting Group activities & providing valueadded services to its customers. KHL is primarily looking after the telecom, power and infrastructure support sectors and is the leading service provider in Optic Fiber Long Haul, GSM, WLL and LDI network deployments. The company currently has a specific focus to develop a presence in the rapidly expanding and now deregulated telecommunication, power and infrastructure development sectors. KHL has a deep understanding of latest enhancements in the O & M segment of telecom sector and stands in the top rankings of

service providers in this area. The company has well groomed and specialized teams on its O & M projects all over Pakistan. KHL's O & M Projects set the record for their in-time delivery, minimal reaction time and pristine quality of service. KHL's O & M Managed Services include both Preventive as well as Corrective Maintenance of networks under its preservation on GPS & NMS oriented software tools. What's more astounding is the fact that KHL is a 100% equity based firm, which accomplished all that it did; in collaboration with FWO its joint venture partner, solely on the basis of its intrinsic technical and operational strength. The company's exceptional competence is exemplified by the fact that it managed to deploy the entire long-haul network, and metro rings in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad. The long-haul network of Wateen telecom was a project of colossal magnitude, and KHL managed to deploy 5500kms of Long Haul Optic Fiber Cable Network in a short period of time. KHL also installed the metro rings for Wateen in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad in a very short time span. KHL has been short-listed in UAE to undertake projects with the group which include Abu Dhabi & Al-Safran and will in eventuality constitute a huge success for Pakistan and for KHL; as a local company crossing borders towards international markets. The government expects the telecom sector expansion to create more than 370,000 jobs in coming year or so as telecom's share of the country's GDP rises. When the transformation is over, Pakistan's telecom sector will be firmly rooted in the 21st century, which will support our nation in its development and growth activities for the years to come. The fact that local enterprises & business houses are not only announcing their presence in the telecom, power and construction sectors but also giving their foreign counterparts a serious run for their money; is an extremely heartening development, and is an initiative that ought to be embraced by our local operators so that our nation can advance further on its agenda of self reliance; and eventually rid itself of dependence on foreign vendors.


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Telecom

Sohail Raza Qizilbash

PTA, the telecom regulator of the country, is playing its part admirably well. The proof of its success is the investment of major international telecommunication companies in establishing their networks in Pakistan and millions of subscribers countrywide. Not only its achievements have been lauded internationally but it has also won several awards and certificates for its excellent performance akistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) is a statutory body established under the Telecommunication (ReOrganization) Act, 1996, with the mandate to regulate the rapidly growing telecommunication industry in the country. It has executed its mandate admirably. The proof is the investment of major international telecommunication companies in establishing their networks in Pakistan and millions of subscribers countrywide. The achievements of PTA in this field have not only been lauded internationally but it has also won several awards and certificates for its excellent performance. In the process, huge inflow of direct foreign investment in Pakistan is a big achievement. In order to fulfill its responsibility of regulating the telecommunication industry, PTA issued policy guidelines, instructions from time to time and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). To ensure the implementation of the policies and procedures, effective supervision and monitoring were also undertaken. In this connection, performance surveys were carried out in addition to routine inspections. Heavy fines were imposed on those Cellular Operators whose performances were found unsatisfactory. Earlier this year, it was discovered by PTA that because of booming sale of mobile connections, there were certain franchise holders who were not adhering to the SOPs regarding the sale of SIMs. It was specially noted with concern that SIMs were being issued without obtaining the particulars of the customers, or where the particulars were available, their verification/ authentication had not been done from National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA). In order to rectify this serious omission, meetings were held in May and June 2007, in PTA Headquarters, presided by Chairman PTA, Major General (Retd)

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Shahzada Alam Malik and attended by representatives of all CMTOs and other concerned agencies. Stressing upon the importance of the issue, CMTOs were directed to essentially ensure the following:
Display of certificate of franchise issued by the CMTOs to their franchisees prominently at their premises for the satisfaction of the customers.
Filling of Customer Agreement Form, which had been made simpler for ease of understanding.
Obtaining the copy of Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) of the customers.
Seeking verification of the particulars of the customers from NADRA.

attended by Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and senior management of CMTOs. While the mobile operators briefed the Chairman PTA regarding the measures taken by them to implement the instructions of PTA, such as running ads in the press and sending messages on SMS to customers to get their connections transferred in their names, the Chairman stressed the need to follow the SOPs in letter and spirit. The promised checks commenced in August, undertaken by various teams of PTA's zonal offices located at Lahore, Karachi, Quetta, Peshawar and Multan. As a result of these checks, in the month of September 2007, PTA directed various mobile operators to seal six premises of franchisees and canceled their registration immediately. After this strict, severe and drastic action of the authority, it was expected that matters would improve. However, in October 2007, similar action was taken against eleven franchises of various operators. As this process continues, it is hoped that the situation will improve in the near future and there will soon come a time when such drastic action will no more be required as all the players will be playing a fair game. The public expects that the checks will continue even thereafter. At the end, it is suggested that in order to expedite the process of verification of data by NADRA, a small cell in NADRA should be created and entrusted the exclusive task of verification of data of mobile connection holders. The measures taken by PTA are, no doubt, in the right direction and one should expect that effective policy making and subsequent monitoring of its implementation would continue and Pakistan would retain its prominent status in telecommunication industry worldwide.


To ensure the implementation of the policies and procedures, PTA undertakes performance surveys from time to time in addition to routine inspections. The authority also imposes heavy fines on those operators whose performance is found unsatisfactory Computerizing the data of customers. CMTOs were given three months to verify the antecedents of the existing customers while they were clearly told that inspections would be carried out of their outlets to check whether the laid down procedures were being followed or not. They were warned that a franchise would be cancelled and its premises would be sealed if its holder was found not adhering to the policy and procedures. These checks were to start from the month of July 2007. A meeting of all mobile companies was held which was chaired by Chairman PTA and


The EDF tower of French state-owned power giant Electricite de France (EDF), is seen in the La Defense office building complex in Puteaux, west of Paris. Shares of EDF went on sale Monday, as the government seeks to raise around euro 5 billion (US$ 7.38 billion), to fund the France's ailing university system.

Telecom

Umar Akram

The telecom operators and content developers, in the extremely competitive market of the world, are experiencing serious challenges as their "innovation crazy" subscribers demand more from them. They are continuously struggling to retain their existing subscribers and create brand loyalty among them he revenue generated from voice is clearly diminishing with every passing day, forcing the operators to explore new areas of growth through continuous innovation in technologies and services. Despite the anticipated consolidation by European operators, the operators need to focus on services other than the traditional voice based services so that they can generate more revenue for themselves. In the fast moving competitive market of Europe, operators are not only facing the challenge of competing with low cost MVNOs (mobile virtual network operators) but are also continuously struggling to retain their existing subscribers. On the other side, if we take into consideration the telecom markets in developing countries, particularly Asia, we notice that besides the increased mobile growth in these areas, they still lag behind in responding to the changing market opportunities. The fastest developing Asian markets are China, Indonesia, India and Vietnam. With the increasing passage of time, Pakistani market is also gaining vitality due to fierce competition by operators, immense growth potential and encouragement of FDI by government. Based on PTA (Pakistan Telecommunication Authority) stats for October 2007, the total number of subscribers was more than 71.5 million, a teledensity of 44.5%. In 2007 the average growth rate has been about 2.3 million new subscribers each month. In addition to this, BMI expects Pakistan to join the small band of countries with more than 100 million mobile subscribers during 2008. As the ARPU (average revenue per user) on voice continues to decrease, data has become the most dominant factor for operators in retaining and attracting the customers. However, the growth of data services in the most developed mobile markets such as (Japan, Korea, Western Europe and to a lesser degree Northern America) has only increased from 8% in 2002 to 19% in 2007 as provided by IDATE NEWS N* 288. The key factors which have complemented the growth of data services in developed countries are the increasing capabilities of mobile phones, faster

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networks like 3G and mobile applications that bring a rich user experience by changing the way people live, work and play. Similarly besides few exceptions, many operators in Asia and other developing countries have still not been able to implement long term data services strategy, with the result their mobile play is still primarily focused on voice. With the changing trends, operators are now expecting their revenues to grow, as the subscriber's appetite for mobile based content has increased. Going beyond a ring tone or a theme, they are always on a look out for a "killer software application" that can easily become popular among the subscribers and thus create brand loyalty for them. But from the mobile content developer's perspective it is not a simple task to come up with such an application.

To meet the challenges and generate revenues for themselves, the operators need to focus more on the demands of the customers instead of the traditional services There is different challenge for the mobile software developers though. One challenge highlighted at the Google's Open Source discussion event was the absence of standards for the developers in the industry. Optimizing these applications for different OS and broad range of mobile devices with varying screen sizes and versions remains the biggest problem for the mobile content developers. Even if the portability issues are resolved, distribution still remains a big challenge for the developers. It is the dream of every mobile content developer to get their content distributed through an operator. But the unending list of pre requisites on various issues of portability, certification and in some cases localization can turn this dream into a complete night mare. The fast adoption of advanced phones and corresponding explosive growth in mobile software has transformed it into the buzzword of every article, publication and news around us.

A new report issued by market intelligence firm iSuppli1forecasts that the market for premium mobile content will exceed $44 billion by 2011, more than doubling the $20 million anticipated for 2007. The major driving force for the mobile content developer is to get an easy access to the information and APIs (application programming interface) which are held confidential by the OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) and OS providers of mobile devices There should be one organization that can set guidelines and standards for content development by consulting all the stake holders in the value chain. This will facilitate the developers to focus only on the core issue, which is to develop applications for the consumers that can add value in their lives. This thing is not as simple as it seems. Due to various political, economical and competitive landscape constraints, it's very hard to unite all the stake holders at one place and develop standards for the content developers. An upcoming step taken in this direction is the new Android platform that unites the players of mobile ecosystem such as wireless operators, handset manufacturers and developers all at one place. Android software stack will provide developers a complete access to handset capabilities and tools that will enable them to build more compelling and innovative applications for the mobile consumers. The big question is how far Android be successful in combining the concerned parties together and to what extent they will be able to over come the unavoidable factors such as fierce competition among each other. But for the present state, we can rightly say that if the technology leaders like Google Inc., T-Mobile, HTC, Qualcomm and Motorola can manage to integrate successfully, they will certainly provide consumers with a far better user experience than much of what is available on today's mobile platforms. The writer is a Danish-Pakistani focusing on mobile and internet services. He is the Founder and Vice President of Mobile Weaver ApS and is currently serving as the member of the board.


Flare Report

Telecom

hief of the Army Staff (COAS) of the world. He told the successful graduates in all fields, specifically in science and technolGeneral Ashfaq Parvez Kayani that this university had equipped them with ogy, are expanding beyond imagination nd so urged stuare the opportunities for dents to aim them to advance, provided high and they have the inspiration and give their will to do so. best to achieve success in HEC Chairman Dr Attaur life, while addressing the Rehman also addressed the 5th Postgraduate convocation. He informed Convocation of National the audience about HEC University of Science and contribution and its efforts in Technology (NUST) in formulating educational poliRawalpindi. cies and funding institutions Higher Education at a national level. Commission (HEC) Earlier, Rector of Chairman Dr. Attaur National University of Rehman, Rector of Science and Technology National University of (NUST), Lieutenant General Science and Technology Muhammad Asghar, said that (NUST), Lieutenant this institute was only 16 General Muhammad years old but it had evolved Asghar and other distinand progressed phenomeguished guests were also nally into a highly respected present on the occasion. national institution, with an General Ahsfaq Kiani equally distinct international Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani (C), Chairman Higher Education Commission Atta-ursaid, "Always aim high image. Rehman (R) and Rector National University of Sciences and Technology Lieutenant General Muhammad and put in your best. Your About 226 postgraduate Asghar attend the 5th Postgraduate Convocation of NUST in Rawalpindi attitude will determine scholars were awarded your altitude. Be the inspiring ambassadors of sound education and training in their respective Master's degrees by General Ashfaq Parvez values of objectivity, creativity and innovation fields. It was up to them to constantly build on Kayani in their respective fields and two scholthat NUST has helped you imbibe." this solid academic foundation and embrace ars were awarded PhD degrees on the occaThe Chief of Army Staff admired the attainthe best in professional learning and advancesion.
ment of high standard by NUST and commend- ment. ed it for being among the top 500 universities Ashfaq Kiani said that frontiers of education

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IT

Sobia Kabir

Pakistan, the sixth most populous country of the world with a population of 160 millions, has an immense market potential in Telecom and IT sector. Telecom industry of the country has gradually transitioned from a regulated state-owned monopoly to a comparatively deregulated competitive model

he telecom sector worldwide is growing with an increase in opportunities for telecom service providers. New trends are prevailing in the market and demand for new and additional services is continuing on the rise. Pakistan, the sixth most populous country of the world with a population of 160 millions, is expected to be the next consolidation hot spot. Pakistan's telecom sector is becoming an ideal target market for the IT and telecom companies around the globe. Pakistan is Asia's top market for 2007, rising 23% this quarter and of a rise of 15% in the first three months. This country has an immense market potential in telecom and IT sector. The popularization rate of mobile communication is 5% which indicates the growth prospects in Pakistan. The mobile subscriber base, after growing by almost 170% in 2005 and 23% in 2006, had reached over 48 million (30% penetration) by early 2007 and was continuing to grow. The government was continuing to work towards its targeted national teledensity of 7% (around 10 million lines) by 2010. To achieve this target, more than one million additional lines need to be installed every year. The telecom sector has also seen considerable foreign investment. Singapore Telecom has indicated that it plans to acquire 30% stake in Warid Telecom, Pakistan's fourth largest mobile phone company. Emirates Telecom already owns a stake in Pakistan Telecom while Orascom Telecom of Egypt owns Pakistan's largest mobile network, Mobilink. As many countries are near to telecom market saturation, stakeholders are likely to gradually look outside of their existing markets for growth opportunities. The increasing number of opportunities should help Pakistan's Telecom sector to gain substantial investment locally and globally. Telecom industry of the country has gradually

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Salman Mahmood, President and Chief Executive Officer

transitioned from a Chairman, Board of Directors regulated stateProvisus until it has an international reference owned monopoly to a comparatively deregulatof testing. ed competitive model. At length, Pakistan's It is presumed that tax and incentive probtelecom sector has begun moving and started lems are creating hurdles in the growth of ICT entering into a period of exceptional growth. industry in Pakistan. The industry's current situThe key success factor of countries like ation and growth prospects if properly considChina and India is that they are focusing on ered can make Pakistan a hub for ITC players. developing their local industry and discourage It is time to develop the local IT and imports. Telecom industry of Pakistan by taking advanAs Pakistani products and software achieve success in local markets, it should lead to addi- tage of new trends. The government and policy makers should concentrate their efforts to tional opportunities to gain access to the interachieve better market share in international national market. markets. This can be done through local marAccording to Mr Salman Mahmood, keting by providing support and benefits to local market. Pakistan's key policy makers and Telecom authorities should assist future development of its telecommunication industry. Pakistan is still a less saturated market with huge growth opportunities for services especially in its rural areas. The government should also increase efforts for encouraging telecom operators to work in Pakistan by providing incentives and support to local vendors. Local IT companies are also developing software products that are often world class and best of breed but many companies prefer to buy software from the international market instead of local one. The reason could be the general perception of using the international software and awareness of the usage of local software. If the government discourages import of such software in President and CEO Averox(Otcbb: Avox),a order to encourage local market then Pakistan solution and service provider company for IT, IT and Telecom industry can show further telecom and telecom engineering, IT and teleprogress. com companies are facing many challenges With the passage of time, more and more today. He believes that the government should companies will enter in the Pakistani market as encourage local use by local companies rather they discover it to be an attractive investment than spending money as well as effort in maropportunity.
keting Pakistani software for export. He gave an example of Provisus, a provisioning solution which is in testing phase. Companies in Pakistan are hesitant to order

This is the high time to develop the local IT and Telecom industry of Pakistan by taking advantage of new trends. The government and policy makers need to concentrate their efforts more to achieve better market share in international markets

Diplomatic Enclave

Islamabad Flare Panel

Dr. Saleh Ahmad Al-Jawarneh is a multidimensional and multilingual person speaks fluently and understands Urdu very well. The ambassador, who has been here as a student and junior diplomat, declares himself to be a Pakistani and feels lucky to be here

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Flare: Let's start with the brief introduction to your posting in Pakistan? Tell us about your experiences in assuming the office here? Ans: I am not new in Pakistan. I am here for the third time. I am lucky that I am in Pakistan and I choose it myself. There were options for me to go to other countries as an ambassador but I choose my second home that is Pakistan. As an ambassador, I came here in July 2007. I retain back the memories which I had before; I was a student at Karachi University in 70s. I did my M.A Political Science in 1979 from Karachi University and B.A (Hons) Political Science from the same university in 1978. I came back as a diplomat from 1987-1992; I was charge de affaires in Jordan embassy in Islamabad. Now, this is the third time but this time as an ambassador. I am not a stranger here, I love Pakistan. I tell

you I visited whole of Pakistan when I was a student at Karachi University. I made tours in 70s and 80s. I believe Pakistan is one of the most beautiful lands in the world. Flare: Before assuming the office here, where were you posted? In how many countries you rendered your services? Ans: I have been to five countries represented my country in UAE, Pakistan, Russia, Sudan, Qatar and again Pakistan. Of course it is the first time as an ambassador here I was a diplomat, I am a career diplomat from the beginning since 1982. I joined the Foreign Service and now I am the ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Flare: What about the bilateral cooperation between Pakistan and Jordan? How would you

characterize the level of coordination and cooperation between two states, in view of strong diplomatic relations? Ans: The relation between Pakistan and Jordan is very old. It started after the independence. Jordan was among those countries that recognized Pakistan. There is a one year gap between the independence of the two countries; we got it in 1946 and Pakistan in 47. We established our diplomatic relations from that time. Our embassy was in Karachi. Later on it was shifted to Rawalpindi and then to Islamabad. I can summarize the relations between the two countries as unbreakable because we have the same traditions and above all we are Muslims. Moreover we have strong leadership relations and the blood relation between Pakistan and Jordan. What I mean from the blood relations? Muslims as

Diplomatic Enclave investors come there and they invest and we are expecting more foreign investment in this sector because Jordan is a secure country. If some Pakistani wants to come in our telecom sector to invest they are welcome. I want to see Jordanian telecom companies to invest in Pakistan as well and we are proud that the director general of PTCL is a Jordanian.

the territory of Palestine. This treaty is very important especially there was a treaty between Egypt and Israel before it. We followed that treaty to save our country from the security point of view because we do not want to fight with Israel. Jordan is a small country. It is 98000 square meters and we were having Flare: Can you tell us about the economic relathe problem of water; by this treaty we share tionship between Jordan and Pakistan and what water with Israel. Economically also we have Flare: Jordan and Israel signed a historic peace many projects. Of course everything has not happened in this area during your tenure? treaty on 26 October 1994, witnessed by been achieved by this treaty which was Ans: In fact I am not happy about the ecoPresident Bill Clinton, accompanied by U.S. signed in1994. Still it needs time to get nomic relations between the two countries. desired results. In general The brotherly countries like we have been benefited Jordan and Pakistan should from the peace treaty with have a high level of economic Israel and we found it a and commercial relations. It is door open to talk with only about 40 million dollars Israelis for the benefit of the which is not enough, now we Palestinian. When our are working to improve and we Palestinian brothers want us are working on FTA. In fact due to interfere in this matter to some reasons it has been with Israel we can, because delayed but I hope after few we have the diplomatic relamonths we will achieve this tions with Israel. We have agreement because it will be embassy in Tel- Aviv and useful for both the countries. In Israel embassy is in Jordan. these four months I have been I think it is good for our able to bring a delegation from Palestinian brothers and His the ministry of agriculture. I tell Majesty is working day and you that there was a ban on night to bring back the some Pakistani mango. Now Palestinian and Israelis to we have removed the ban and sit on the table and negotiwe tell our nation that it is ate for the peace process. among the best and it will be H.E. Dr. Saleh Ahmad Al-Jawarneh poses during an interview with Flare This is all about the treaty. exported to Jordan. I think it is a good development. Secretary, Warren Christopher. The US has Flare: What is the strength and standing of OIC participated with Jordan and Israel in trilateral in today's challenging world? How it can be Flare: During 8th Session of Pak-Jordan Joint development discussions in which key issues effective where the foreign policies of Muslim Ministerial Commission in June 2006 both have been water-sharing and security, cooperacountries are different for modern world? countries set to initiate the process of negotiation on Jordan Rift Valley development, infrations for concluding Free Trade Agreement Ans: We are a member of OIC as structure projects, trade, finance, and banking (FTA) and Protection and Promotion of Pakistan. I believe that something is better issues. Did you get desire results after inking Investment between the two along with cooperthan nothing. It is an organization of 57 ation in agriculture, science and technology and that treaty? Islamic countries there must be power but it is other areas, and what has been achieved up till Ans: First I tell you that Jordan give lot not as much practical as it should be. This is now to strengthen bilateral relations? more to Palestinian cause and it is our duty as an organization made by our leaders and we brothers for the Palestinian to do whatever we have to respect such organization but we ask Ans: We are very conscious to have expethe leadership to show us stronger rience of science and technology from stand and more work able attitude Pakistan. Always the context is there, to solve Islamic world's problems. A the negotiations there, development of wise council can be established that this field is there and we are trying to can put a platform for solving the do something in this field. problems. Flare: When you are in front of Flare: In 8th Session of Pak-Jordan press you may be asked anything? It Joint Ministerial Commission, Jordan is understood there's a directive from invited Pakistani investors to look into the Foreign Office how to respond the opportunities available in energy and what to say, is this happen that and power sector of Jordan? Is there you take your own initiative to any Pakistani company operating there? respond on any issue? Ans: In fact negotiations are there Ans: Off course it depends on and we expect the improvement and the question, if it will not affect the development between the two couninterest of the country, or it will not tries. disclose secret I will go beyond. H.E. Dr. Saleh Ahmad Al-Jawarneh his views with Flare Team Flare: Jordan initiated reforms in 1994 Flare: Can you sum up your assessaimed at improving the overall efficienment of the current state of the relationship cy of telecommunications services in the councan to get their own state. After many wars between two countries and outlook for the try. These reforms were expected to have econo- with Israel we found that the wars can't be future? my-wide benefits for Jordan, by stimulating applicable and cannot give good result. We new foreign investment, creating new employmade peace process as our strategy and His Ans: Our relations are unbreakable and ment opportunities, and generating substantial Majesty Late King Hussain really was agreed strong. I am working to make a Pak-Jordan government revenues. How much you have and he took this step to ink this treaty with Friendship Society that will be more helpful to achieved so far and what about the foreign Israel to safe our country from Israeli invastrengthen our relations. investment in this sector? sions. For the first time by signing this treaty He concluded by wishing peace and prosperity for Pakistan. Ans: Up to 1994 we have only one telecom we knew the border of Israel according to them their border is from Farat River in Iraq to company but now we have many. Nile River in Egypt. By this treaty we have Telecommunication companies are very strong in Jordan now and it boosted our econ- stopped their idea. Secondly we stopped the We are thankful to H.E. Dr. Saleh idea of Israeli that Jordan is Palestine omy. In Jordan we have Fast Link which has Ahmad Al-Jawarneh for giving us because the leaders of Israel they were thinkbecome Zane, because Kuwaitis invest there time. ing that to put Palestinian people in Jordan and they change the name, Orange, and and they will tell them that this is a Palestine Express which are the telecom service providers in Jordan. Due to profitability foreign do what ever you like and don't demand for brothers, the maternal relations like our Prince Hassan married Pakistani lady Princesses Sarwat. Many Jordanian students married Pakistani girls and many Pakistani married Jordanian girls. This thing makes the relations between the people stronger.

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Telecom

Flare Report

PTCL has achieved its broadband services expansion target of 25,000. The company is determined to meet the target of 50,000 till the end of 2007 and has asked its professionals to enhance their network installation capacity, after sales and support services and provide quality service Group photo of PTCL broadband team with President and CEO Mr. Walid Irshaid

eeping in view the growing demand, Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has decided to extend its broadband services to all the customers in the country. In this regard, the PTCL management has asked its professionals to enhance their network installation capacity, after sales and support services and provide quality service. PTCL is developing this product to meet the demand of the customers belonging to different sectors of the economy. Walid Irshaid, PTCL's President, in a meeting with the professional staff, said "market size is huge which is available to the company and it's not difficult for us to net 2.5 million customers by expanding reliable broadband services across the country in the near future." "Demand for broadband in the country is enormous and the company has the ability to meet the growing needs of each sector of the economy as well as each

household," he emphasised. Mr. Irshaid specially congratulated the professionals of the company who were tasked to expand the network and broadband services across the country.

elenor Pakistan has introduce yet another inovative service to facilitate its valued customers. The Telenor's PicShare enables users to automatically upload, preserve and share their photos and videos. An announcement to this effect was made in a statement. It said that PixSense, a leading provider of multimedia management solutions, has announced that Telenor Pakistan has deployed Telenor PicShare, a new service based on PixSense's PSP (Preserve, Share, Publish) Platform. The statement pointed out that for the first time in Pakistan, Telenor's PicShare service gives users a unique new way of sharing their memories online and through their mobile handset. Now, every photo, and video captured by a Telenor PicShare user is automatically uploaded online to a secure, private account and can be shared with other mobile phone and web users, it added. Telenor Pakistan was looking for a secure yet economical way for its customers to share photos and videos on their handsets. PicShare

service allows unlimited photos and videos captured on a mobile phone to be uploaded automatically, and securely, to a user's web gallery. Users can add comments and share them with friends and family directly from the web and from their phones. The statement further pointed out that the

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PTCL is the largest telecom operator in the country and managed by Etisalat, a UAE based telecom group. Etisalat has expanded its operations in the Middle East and Africa with a vision to become one of the top tentelecom service providers in the global market by 2010 PTCL has already achieved its broadband services expansion target of 25,000 and the target of 50,000 would be met till the end of 2007 with the increased confidence shown by

the customers. He also announced special incentives for the professionals of the company who would work hard in meeting desired broadband expansion targets in the country. He said that PTCL is now the leader in consumer broadband in Pakistan, leading the country into the 21st century. The service has been launched initially in Islamabad, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Karachi, Peshawar, Hyderabad, Quetta, Faisalabad, Multan, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Sheikupura and Hub. One year back the company had no revenue broadband services, but due to the hectic efforts of the PTCL management and professionals some revenue has started flowing in from this source. It may be mentioned here that since privatisation the new PTCL management has provided many new services to its customers, invested heavily in improving infrastructure and has brought down local and international calling rates.


PixSense Platform PSP removes previous constraints of sharing memories captured by mobile phones by providing a next-generation phoneto-phone and phone-to-web photo sharing service

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PixSense Platform PSP removes previous constraints of sharing memories captured by mobile phones by providing a next-generation phone-to-phone and phone-to-web photo sharing service. With one click, every digital clip taken is automatically uploaded online, to be shared, blogged, pushed to third party sites or archived. Telenor Pakistan Chief Marketing Officer Sigvart Voss Eriksen said that now with

PixSense we can easily host services for subscribers that will allow them to take advantage of their multimedia mobile devices, and enjoy greater freedom and creativity when managing and sharing the media they capture.


Telecom

M.H. Khalid

Probably the most important medium for advertising in the 21st century is going to be the cell phone, not print/electronic media or billboards. Marketers see it low on cost and high in effectiveness. But in our country there are no hard and fast rules to advertise through SMS but the trend is gearing up. et ready for the inbox on your phone to fill up faster. From fast-food chains to carmakers to consumer goods manufacturers and sports franchises, more companies are adopting text messaging as a way to target consumers on the move in Pakistan. The practice took off in the past years and appears to be a trend ready to explode. Probably the most important medium for advertising in the 21st century is going to be the cell phone, not print media, not billboards. It's just a matter of time; there are just too many of them. The reason is that globally the number of cell phone users recently crossed 2.5 billion, an increase of a half-billion in just 12 months. It is also a matter of companies going where consumers are. It is understood that SMS advertising is effective and above all it is inexpensive, timely and draws the attention of its readers. One can pass away from a billboard, can neglect add on TV and can ignore the advertisement on print media. But if one gets SMS on his/her mobile makes him bound to read it because it directly affects the reader or receiver. This kind of advertising is in its full swing around the world and now emerging in Pakistan. Here are many problems as well because in our country a large number of SIMs are unregistered and it is a threat for the security. There are chances to spread rumors because in SMS advertising there is no concept of gate keeping and every thing can be send to mobile phones. This is dangerous for our national interest. Here, the question is from where these advertisers get the mobile numbers? Advertisers who use this type of advertising say mobile phone companies make agreements to share phone numbers with them

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and give discounted SMS rates. While mobile companies deny aiding advertisers for this purpose. Mobile service companies also have allegedly been making agreements with advertising companies for the SMS ad service despite their claim of protecting their clients'

one, especially for advertising purposes. He said the company was looking for a way to curb this activity and save its customers from the trouble. There is no law to stop spam text messages. Mobile phones company officials are of the view that there is no provision in their policy to share their clients' numbers with such advertisers who are using SMS as tool of advertising. Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) didn't take any action so far against such advertisers who are using unregistered SIMs to advertise and there are no hard and fast rule to block such advertisers. Citizens have expressed mixed feelings in this regard. A businessman told Flare that initially he had sent SMS to 100 people to check public response. Then he contacted a leading mobile company to get their service for the purpose.

Mobile service companies have allegedly been making agreements with advertising companies for the SMS ad service despite their claim of protecting their clients' personal information and that they do not share their numbers personal information; that they do not share their numbers. A leading mobile phone company's managing director said that the company is aware of spam SMS on its network, but the company did not share customer data with any-

He said the mobile company staff offered him a package according to which he could send one million SMS within every 10 days at a rate of 35 paisas per SMS. He said he refused to the agreement because he had

Telecom heard from someone that it had legal constraints. He further told that he had also been receiving messages from traders to reopen this SMS service.

was needed for this purpose. An employee of Mundi Bhauddin Advertising Agency said that his company had developed a website and a software to send text messages. He said his company also had an agreement with the mobile phone companies in this regard. Cell phone users have expressed concern over the misuse of their phone numbers. They

Mobile service companies have allegedly been making agreements with advertising companies for the SMS ad service despite their claim of protecting their clients' personal information and that they do not share their numbers

Another person in Faisalabad, reported that he had been providing SMS advertisement service to his clients for the past four months at a rate of 25 paisas per SMS. He said he had been receiving good response from businessmen. He had prepared software that sent SMS to all prepaid and post-paid numbers in a series provided by cell phone companies with which he had agreements. The software was being sold for Rs 27,000. There was no law to restrict sending SMS advertisements and no registration or permission from any authority

said they were being disturbed by messages from anonymous numbers advertising shops and businesses in other cities. Now, SMS has undoubtedly emerged as the new marketing tool in advertising industry. Similar to the SMS beeps you might get from a restaurateur informing you about a discount scheme, or a disco declaring its forthcoming event. Do not get surprised if you receive an SMS from such an advertiser. The cell phone users are very much disturbed of getting SMS from different companies. This is a major practice in our society that cell phone users receive SMS in which they

he Callmate Telips Telecom Ltd, provider of various telecommunication services, payphones and prepaid calling cards in Pakistan, is seeking to have an urgent capital injection of worth Rs1 billion in order to improve its business operations, said analyst from JS Research. A source from Callmate management said that CTTL continued to struggle with a number of serious problems, ranging from working capital deficiency to operational issues such as disconnection of service by PTCL, which needed to be resolved on immidiate basis. Farhan Rizvi, analyst of JS Research, was of the view that some sort of a bail out package in consultation with PTCL and the bankers was needed to rejuvenate the financial fortunes of CTTL. According to analyst, the company recently released its detailed accounts and conducted its Annual General Meeting (AGM) which revealed that CTTL's top line registered a substantial decline of 29%YoY, mainly on the back of correction in revenue recognition methodology and reduced tariffs on prepaid calling cards and Long Distance and International (LDI) operations. According to the management, errors were noted on revenue recognition whereby cards with inactivated pins sold to dis-

tributors such as Quality Telecom were recognized as revenue against the underlying principles of International Accounting Standard (IAS) 18 'Revenue Recognition' He recommended the management to provide the remaining balance of Rs581mn (EPS: Rs8.8) in accordance with requirements of IAS 37 'Provisioning of Contingent Liabilities and Contingent Assets'. The total outstanding receivables from Quality Telecom as at Jun 30, 2007 amounted to Rs931mn, out of which only Rs350mn has been provided so far. The recent wave of bad news surrounding CTTL culminated with PTCL discontinuing the termination of CTTL's calling cards traffic on account of non payment of dues worth a whopping Rs950mn. With the company running on critical working capital situation due to its own precarious receivable situation, it has been unable to clear outstanding dues to PTCL, accumulated over the last 12 months. According to the management, strenuous negotiations are underway with PTCL to arrive at a compromise solution, with a waiver of some proportion of the outstanding dues and a relaxed payment schedule so that CTTL can restart its commercial operations. According to the company's financial results for FY07, the company reported a massive

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are being congratulated that they are the winners of millions of rupees. On contacting the concerned mobile company, they show negligence on such scheme. This practice is on the rise and the authorities are unaware of this horrible practice.

It is understood that cellular companies share their customer's numbers with these advertisers and they are not using this medium of advertising properly. A need of the hour is to stop this type of advertising and the action should be taken against those cellular companies whose SIMs are in use for this type of advertising. PTA should make rules for this advertising and there must be some code of ethics for this purpose or these advertisers should be made registered with PTA. What ever such advertisers want to advertise it should be in the knowledge of authorities.


160% decline in profits in FY07 versus FY06, running shock waves among investors. Further cut-throat competition in the LDI segment mainly from GSM operators forced the company to reduce tariffs and provide extra discounts and promotional schemes to retailers in order to bypass such competition. As a result of these discounts, the entity was able to limit damage to gross margins which stood at 20% in FY07 versus 27% in FY06. The significant provisioning was carried out by new management on account of long overdue receivables from major business partners. This includes bad debt provisioning of Rs350mn (EPS: Rs5.4) from Quality Telecom, an international distributor of CTTL, who is now not contactable. In addition, provisioning has also been carried out on account of advances amounting to Rs104mn (EPS: Rs1.6) provided to related parties of the previous CFO for construction work on designated company sites. No work has been performed to date, nor any money refunded. This provisioning exercise has resulted in a steep growth in admin expenses to Rs804mn (FY06 Rs139mn), translating into negative earnings of Rs359mn (loss per share: Rs5.5) versus profits of Rs603mn (EPS: Rs9.2) in FY07.


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IT

Azhar Javed

Software Technology Park, situated at 346-B Ferozpur Road, Lahore, has 17 storey building with 475,000 square feet of office space and is scheduled to be completed by December 2008. The building of the park, equipped with all the modern facilities, will be constructed with an estimated cost of Rs 3.30 billion

he object of Punjab government to build Software Technology Park, a mega project, is to make Punjab the hub of Information Technology (IT) and promote economic growth in the IT sector through the implementation of e-Governance policies in IT education. Software Technology Park, situated at 346B Ferozpur Road, Lahore, has 17 storey building with 475,000 square feet of office space and is scheduled to be completed by December 2008. Total estimated cost of the project is Rs 3.30 billion. You can rent the office in tower as its rent starts from Rs 60 per square feet while the office space in car park block starts from Rs 40 per square feet. You can purchase office in STP with price starting from Rs 40,000 per square feet, car park block from Rs 20,000 per square feet. Park's building is equipped with the facilities like Modern communication systems including wireless LAN/WAN, WiMax and VSAT technologies, auditorium, conference rooms, video conferencing facilities, health club and training centers, restaurants, cafes, and parking for around 400 cars, 400 bikes, central heating and cooling, 24-hour surveillance and power backup system. A Software Technology Park (STP) is the need of the hour as there is a tremendous demand for call centers, off-shore software development, Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), IT Outsourcing (ITO), Application Maintenance Outsourcing (AMO), and TeleMedicine opportunities. Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) was set up by the Government of Punjab as an autonomous body with the mission to "develop IT as a major sphere of economic activity and promote its use in the public and private sectors for increasing efficiency and competitiveness. PITB has achieved considerable success in a short time towards

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realising the objectives for which it was formed. The ground-breaking ceremony was performed by Chief Minister Punjab. The STP is a pioneering project and is of national importance. It is an icon not only for Punjab but Pakistan as well. It has been dexterously designed by Jurong Consultants of Singapore. The construction work is being executed by world-renowned China State Construction Engineering Company. Chairman P&D Board Suleman Ghani said that the planning and development process in Punjab has entered a new era of technological advancements through the introduction of policies that encourage and facilitate efficient governance. PITB's role is to assist the IT Industry in creating a reliable and sustainable IT infrastructure and the development of efficient and competitive human resources. PITB is making rapid progress in putting in place the necessary infrastructure for the development of a thriving IT sector in Punjab and is creating benchmarks for the development of similar projects across Pakistan. Over the last few years, several multinationals have invested in Punjab including Microsoft, IBM, DELL, Intel, HP, NCR, Cisco and Oracle. Their revenues have grown by 30 per cent to 70 per cent in a sector that is expanding by almost 30 per cent each year. There are several IT investment opportunities in Punjab for foreign investors. These opportunities include the Software Technology Park (Ferozepur Road Lahore), Punjab Internet City, Call Centers, Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Land Records Management Information System (LRMIS), Medical and Legal Transcriptions, Satellite HUBS (VSAT) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS). In the next three-five years, the IT and industrial sector of Punjab will present a com-

pletely different picture. It will be based on leading edge technologies to create jobs and career opportunities, as well as open up avenues for entrepreneurship for the people of Punjab and Pakistan. Former CM Punjab Pervez Elahi in his message said that the Government of Punjab is paying special attention to e-governance and is developing the Information Technology (IT) sector in the province under a comprehensive programme, capable of meeting the present and future IT requirements of not only Punjab but the whole of Pakistan over the short, medium and long term. The Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) has allocated a development budget of Rs 7 billion ($115 million) for the next three years to create opportunities for more than 60,000 highly trained IT professionals in the province. In recent years, there has been significant growth and progress in Punjab's IT sector. Many multinational organizations have opened their offices and have made investments of over $100 million. PITB has been playing a vital role in attracting foreign investors to the IT sector. Punjab Government's efforts have also come to fruition in the form of strategic partnerships and alliances with multinational companies and investors including the UAE's Bukhatir Group, Prince Alwaleed of Saudi Arabia, British Telecom and Singapore's Jurong International, for the implementation of mega development projects. The business friendly and sustainable economic policies introduced by President General Pervez Musharraf and former Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz are laying the ground work for long term development of industries and technology-based projects in Pakistan. PITB is currently implementing a number of exciting projects including a Software Technology Park (STP), Land Record Management Information System (LRMIS), Punjab IT Communication Hub and Data Center, Demand Based IT Training (DBT) and development of IT Labs. Chief Minister Pervez Elahi said that the Punjab Government will continue to strive for the creation of a vibrant economy based on progressive development policies across all sectors. We are working on creating a wide range of projects with efficient IT-enabled systems. He said that the use of IT and Project Management in education, healthcare, irrigation, agriculture, law enforcement and other government departments are top priorities of the Punjab Government.


Telecom

Flare Report

elenor, an emerging mobile heavyweight in Asia, occupied nine much anticipated speaking slots at Asia's biggest industry event, the GSM Association's Mobile Asia Congress 2007, held in Macau, China. Senior officials from Telenor's Asian head office and Telenor's Asian operations in Pakistan, Thailand and Bangladesh were invited to share their winning business strategy, product innovations, sustainable development and future vision for mobile telecommunications in Asia. The congress is an established best practice sharing platform for telecommunications related partners, suppliers, competitors and authorities across the region. Telenor Asia Region Deputy CEO & Head Arve Johansen, Telenor Pakistan's Executive Vice President Irfan Wahab Khan, DTAC (Telenor's Thai mobile operation) CEO Sigve Brekke and Grameenphone Bangladesh (Telenor's Bangladeshi mobile operation) CEO Anders Jensen spoke at the occasion. The

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eradata Pakistan Pvt. Ltd. inaugurated its Karachi office, its third in the country. The honors were performed by Mr. Javed Jabbar, Former Federal Minister for Information. Speaking on the occasion, Javed Jabbar said, "It is indeed heartening to note that Teradata has started operations in such a big way, right after its spin off from NCR. The investment of the company bears testimony in Teradata's faith in Pakistan's sustained economic growth and the investmentfriendly policies. We hope that Teradata would continue to expand further and add value to the corporate and banking sectors through value added IT solutions." Khuram Rahat, Managing Director, Teradata Pakistan, said "This is a major milestone for us and follows last month's successful completion of Teradata's spin off from NCR. Throughout the world including Pakistan, Teradata helps organizations to

speakers shared Telenor's key successes and contributions in the country of their operations Irfan Wahab Khan while informing the audience on key learning on ICT for Development projects said "The pilot on "apna Telenor Pakistan's Executive Vice President Irfan Wahab Khan, DTAC (Telenor's Thai mobile operation) CEO Sigve Brekke and Grameenphone Bangladesh PCO" and "Telenor Rabta including India, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Centers" has shown that people in rural comBangladesh, Thailand, China, Ukraine and munities have the need and willingness to Russia participated in the congress reaffirming spend a significant amount of their income on its regional clout. telecom services. The pilot's extended phase The Telenor Group is an international with rural women has provided this highly disprovider of high quality telecommunications, advantaged segment of the society with data and media communications services.
decent incremental income for their families." A total of 78 speakers from Asian countries

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make smarter faster decisions. The demand for Teradata's enterprise data warehousing and enterprise analytics is strong and growing." Teradata Corporation is the world's largest company, working in more than 60 countries and solely focused on raising intelligence

alt Disney is to make Prague its largest European site for the development of games played on mobile phones and the Internet, the company announced in statement. An existing games development studio in the Czech capital will be expanded and more workers taken on, the company's special division, the Walt Disney Internet Group, added without detailing the investment involved in the fast expanding market. The move will put Prague alongside Los Angeles, Tokyo and Beijing as Walt Disney's leading game development centers worldwide, it

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Khuram Rahat, Managing Director, Teradata Pakistan presenting a memento to Javed Jabbar, Former Federal Minister for Information at the launch of Teradata's operations in Karachi. Also seen in the picture is (L to R) Syed Jawaid Iqbal, President CMC, Tabish Sabah, Regional Sales Manager Teradata and Sameerah Siddiqui, Marketing Manager Teradata

through data warehousing and enterprise analytics. The company has hundreds of employees in Pakistan, serving customers in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region as well as a large number of local customers.


added. "An important factor in the decision to expand the studio in Prague was the fact that there is a large pool of talented young game developers in the country," explained Jiri Rosenkranz, managing director of Disney's Prague subsidiary, Disney Mobile Games Studio. Turnover in the the mobile gaming industry is set to increase fourfold from 2.1 billion dollars (1.42 billion euros) last year to 8.4 billion dollars by 2010, Disney said citing industry research. "Handsets are increasingly attractive for gamers as larger screens and new generation platforms enable more complex and better quality game play," it added.


In Picture

Japan's electronics giant Sony employee Noriko Shoji displays the new digital voice recorder "ICD-UX80" and its color variations, equipped with stereo micro phones and built-in 2GB memory enabling it to record up to 581 hours.

Taiwanese baseball player Wang Chien-ming (L), starting pitcher for the New York Yankees, displays a notebook computer during a press conference in Taipei,. Wang attended the press conference to promote one of Taiwan's leading computer brand's latest products

The lobby of a Hewlett-Packard call center in Dalian, northeastern China's Liaoning province is seen. In the last decade, Hewlett-Packard Co., IBM Corp., Britain's BT Group PLC and some 230 other foreign companies have flocked to Dalian to set up business software and outsourcing facilities, creating a new center for a multibilliondollar global industry.

Tokyo University research leader Michitaka Hirose, right, talks about a new marker-based position tracking system while researcher Katsunori Tanaka crouches down with a Web camera on a large mat with specially coded leaf patterns on as if he is peering under a virtually parked car on a screen during a demonstration at Tokyo University in Tokyo.

Keio University Prof. Junichi Ushiba, center, demonstrates his brain-computer interface technology with his researcher at his laboratory in Hiyoshi near Tokyo. Ushiba's research team is working on delivering a virtual experience that reaches even more deeply into the user, right into his brain.

A 300 milimeter silicon test wafer made using Intel's 45 nanometer process technology and consisting of rows and rows of memory chips and various test structures is seen in the photo, released. Intel Corp, the world's biggest microchip maker, unveiled fast new processors made with the new techniques.

Voxtel Launches GPS, Internet Telephony in India Global telecom equipment provider and Britain’s leading digital communication products maker, Voxtel, is looking to capture the Indian market with its latest launch of high performance GPS and India is becoming a space for enduring success and several companies have been making a huge contribution to the growth of the telecom industry in the country. With the launch of these services in India, Voxtel, a part of the $500 million telecom giant BEIL based in UK, is not just taking over end-to-end technology but also getting involved in this ever emerging business. Announcing the move, Voxtel Telecom chief operating officer, Dino

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Dino Lalvani, Chief Operating Officer, Voxtel,

Lalvani, said “India is emerging as a dynamic market for advanced technology products, especially in the backdrop of robust growth in the telecom, retail and automobile sector”. Lalvani also said, “We are looking at India as a strategic hub to fuel our growth plans in Asia Pacific and Middle East region. We are in the process of expanding our Bangalore facility to cater to our global requirement of software services and research work”. Voxtel has already entered into strategic tie-ups with big players and retailers like Reliance, Spencer, Hypercity, Cromo and others. The company has also teamed up with MTNL (Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd), one of the major telecom service providers in India.

Internet

Ismail Qureshi

Millions of people are taking advantage of video communications over the Internet. While this technology opens up many possibilities for keeping in touch with distant loved ones or communicating with key colleagues. Video communication needs some etiquette rules to be followed by the communicator while making a video call f you have a webcam, attached to your system, you can talk to anyone, anywhere in the world, just as if they were sitting in the same room with you. Millions of people are taking advantage of video communications over the Internet. While this technology opens up many possibilities for keeping in touch with distant loved ones or communicating with key colleagues, video communication presents a perplexing new set of etiquette rules that you must know before jumping on your video call. Conference calls are becoming more and more common and everyone not only wants to join them but at the same time needs to know how to handle them. To avoid embarrassing “captured on video” moments, here are a few tips. It is a famous saying that “looks do matter”. Before joining a video call, comb your hair and make sure your clothes are clean. Some webcams provide such good image quality that your friends or colleagues will know if you haven’t washed your hair lately or haven’t ironed your clothes. Don’t wear bright or crazy colours or patterns that may make the person on the other side difficult to focus. Go for muted colours instead. Put your best face forward. Check for flyaways, spinach in your teeth and for ladies -sloppy makeup is a complete no-no. Use your manners, introduce yourself, speak clearly and don’t interrupt.

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No Munching Munching is inappropriate in any conference, so in a videoconference where all the participants can look at you. This can irritate

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them and make the conference less productive. No one wants to see you munching chips. And spit out that gum. Even if you are a celebrity! Attention Please! Try not to look distracted. Don’t constantly check your watch, recline with your feet up or doodle on your notepad. If you have to fiddle, at least pretend that you are interested. Also, don't interrupt or distract others when they are talking. Be cautious of body language. Remember, others can see you. So, eye

Conference calls are becoming more and more common and everyone not only wants to join them but at the same time needs to know how to handle them. It is a famous saying that “looks do matter”. So, one should take much care to expose himself to the webcam rolling or snickering in response to even the most asinine comments won’t go unnoticed. Avoid tapping your pencil or drumming your fingers on the desk. Mind those tech failures Can you hear me now? Ask the people at the other side if they can hear you. Make sure you’re using a headset or a webcam with an integrated microphone. If not, other participants may not be able to hear you. Speak in

South Korea's electronics giant Samsung Electronics displays a prototype model of ultra slim 40-inch liquid crystal display (LCD) television in thickness of 10mm at a flat panel display trade show in Yokohama.

your normal voice. Have them introduce themselves so you can be sure that you can hear them. Check the lighting. To ensure the best video quality, find a well-lit room and try not to sit with your back to a window during daylight hours. Close the curtains of your windows. Daylight may conflict with the lighting required Make surroundings presentable Be aware of your surroundings. Make the area, where you are conferencing from, presentable. Watch out for inappropriate background items, such as a dirty shirt draped over a chair, strange artwork or large quantities of office supplies that you took home from work. Do not have babies screaming or your dog barking during a video conference call. It’s not cute at all! If it is not possible to be away from the noise, mute your phone whenever you are not speaking. Limit background noise. For the best audio results, conduct your video call in a quiet environment No interruptions please! Like in a normal meeting, try to avoid side conversations. Mute the microphone before moving into a meeting. Shuffling of papers in a conference call can be very annoying. And of course, turn your phone off (airplane mode), not just on silent, to avoid any kind of feedback. Most important, regardless of whether it’s work-related or catching up with friends treat the experience as though you’re actually in the same room with your friend or colleague. Keep enjoying video calling!.


Palestinian rap group "Battalion 5" performs at a studio in Beirut. "Battalion 5" might conjure up images of the next big computer game, but in Lebanon, it is a group of musicians who express the misery of life in Palestinian refugee camps through rap.

Flare Report

IT

The software will enable the common man to take advantage of the information available on the internet in English language by translating whole web page into Urdu. The "Text to speech" component that translates Urdu text to audible speech will be immensely beneficial to majority of Pakistani population ederal Minister for Information Technology, Dr. Abdullah Riar, inaugurated the 'Urdu Lexicon, Text-to-Speech & English-to-Urdu Translation Software' funded by the Caretaker Federal Minister for Information Technology Dr. Abdullah Riar attending the launching Ministry of Information Technology under the e-govt. of Urdu Lexicon, Text-to-Speech & English-to-Urdu Translation Software in a ceremony held at a local hotel Islamabad. programme. Dr. Abdullah Riar, while launching the product, stated that this product would have far reachbeen winning laurels internationally both individually and as part of ing effects on delivery of services to citizens electronically and thus help major corporations. in bridging the digital divide within the country. The English to Urdu Translation component of this released software The Minister stressed the fact that importance of this research and that can be used with popular web browsers will enable the common produced software can not be over stated. He said that Internet and man to reap the benefits of the wealth of information available on the number of broadband users in Pakistan is quite low and the introduction internet in English language by translating whole web page into Urdu, of such softwares will help boost this number in particular and the ICT thereby bringing web's true utility of information dissemination. The "Text industry in general. to speech" component that translates Urdu text to audible speech will be The magnitude of benefits, which can ensue with widespread public immensely beneficial to majority of Pakistani population who can underuse of the software tools will be immense. While bringing the true utility stand but not read Urdu. At the same time this will come in handy for of internet to the masses, this will also help in boosting the internet and people with visual impairments and disabilities bringing them into maininformation resource use on mass scale. stream of information revolution. The Urdu dictionary, developed as part Dr. Abdullah Riar further added that the Ministry of Information of same Urdu Processing research initiative funded by the MoIT, puts at Technology is committed to spread the latest facilities of Information the disposal of the users explanation of some 120,000 Urdu words and technology in the country. He pointed that the potential of the IT sector phrases with 90,000 carrying detailed description.
is based on the exceptionally talented youth of the country who have

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Internet

Flare Report

At the time of independence, India had around 86,000 telephone connections. Today, the country is adding more than twice that number every day to its over 250 million strong network

uring the first war of independence in 1857, the biggest advantage the imperialists had over the revolutionaries was technology, which helped them communicate revolutionaries' moves and pre-plan strategy against them. By the last leg of freedom struggle, the nationalists had access to the same communication system. At the time of independence, India had around 86,000 telephone connections. Today, the country is adding more than twice that number every day to its over 250 million strong network. This connectivity has brought jobs and knowledge based exports of services that are driving the 9 percent plus growth. India's soft-

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connection in cities, with almost zero connectivity in large parts of rural areas. Department of telecommunications (DoT) under ministry of Post & Telegraph (P&T) was the sole telecom service provider. It is a different landscape today and with six service providers in metros and category. A circles, operators are chasing subscribers, turning scarcity into abundance, luxury into necessity. History of telecommunications in India can be broadly divided into two periods. before liberalisation and post liberalisation. Contrary to popular belief, liberalisation in telecom equipment took place first and then followed liberalisation in services. In the 1980s, Sam Pitroda played an important role in the development of telecom network. His first achievement was to convince the government about the significance of communications for socio-economic development of the country. His second major contribution was in developing indigenous switches and passing on the low cost (and no air-conditioners required) technology to local manufacturers, which helped bring down prices of switches and allow DoT to provide more connections within

The formulation of New Telecom Policy in 1994 (NTP 94) played a major role in the development of India's Telecom Sector as it permitted DoT to award licenses to private operators to offer telecom services ware revolution stands on a strong telecom backbone. In 1991, knowledge based exports stood at $40 million; today, the figure is around $40 billion. All this suggests that how teledensity of a country is directly related to its economic development. Until 15 years ago, it raised no eyebrows to see a 15-20 year wait for a new telephone

the same budget. His third achievement was in bringing PCO policy that was responsible for providing access to telephone to all even in far flung areas. With the formulation of New Telecom Policy in 1994 (NTP 94), a major step was taken in liberalisation of telecom services. The policy permitted DoT to award licences to private operators to offer telecom services. Thus, competition began in a field that was hitherto a government monopoly. NTP 94 also envisaged setting up Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), essential to ensure competition. NTP 94 was revised five years later and was replaced by NTP 99. This further liberalised telecom services and made licences technology-neutral. As a result, India has became one of the most competitive markets in the world, with one of the lowest telephone tariffs in the world and with two telecom companies, Airtel and Reliance, among the top five most valued companies of India.


Nokia Focuses on Content to Boost its Products Nokia, the world's largest cell phone maker, sees content for the wireless Internet as key to snapping up more cell phone users, including in emerging markets, the head of its key unit said in a statement. Kai Oistamo, who heads Nokia's cell phone division, said that the biggest barrier in emerging markets to people using the mobile Internet was lack of interest. "We are looking as a company as how to facilitate and participate in creating content that is actually relevant for the consumers in emerging markets," Oistamo said in a speech at a telecoms forum at Helsinki University of Technology. The target market will define what will globally be the next big thing in cell phones, Oistamo said, but added that location-based services combined with social networks would be one of them. Nokia's recent acquisitions have supported a content strategy as the company has made moves to transform itself from being a pure hardware company into becoming an online services company. Nokia has already launched a $8.1 billion offer for the U.S. digital map supplier Navteq, which would be its largest ever acquisition.
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Internet

Craze for online gaming is now gripping young minds in Indian Punjab. After a tiring day at school, playing on computer is one of the coolest relaxing activities for most of the school going children. They rush to their computers access internet and play different online games raze for online gaming is now gripping young minds in Indian Punjab. After a tiring day at school, playing on computer is one of the coolest relaxing activities for most of the school going children. They access the internet and go online to play cards, sports and puzzle games. In Ludhiana, Chandigarh, Jalandhar and even Amritsar, one finds the young trying their hand at games of skill against unknown masterminds across the globe. Dead or Alive 4, NFS or Need for Speed, Age of Empires and House of Dead are some of the games popular among youngsters. With the

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nternet users reveal more personal information online if they believe that they can trust the organisation that requests the information, says a new research. The project, 'Privacy and SelfDisclosure Online', led by Dr Adam Joinson, found that people who had previously demonstrated a high level of caution regarding online privacy would accept losses to their privacy if they trusted the recipient of their personal information. "Even people who have previously demonstrated a high level of caution regarding online privacy will accept losses to their privacy if they trust the recipient of their personal information," Joinson said. In the first of its kind study, rigorous methods were used to measure Internet users' actual behaviour. The project has targeted a number of groups who can benefit from the findings, including health professionals, higher education professionals and survey bodies. Out of all the participants studied, 56 per cent of Internet users stated that they had concerns about privacy when they were online. When a website is designed to look trustworthy, people are willing to accept privacy violations. But, the same action by an untrustworthy site leads to people behaving in a much more guarded manner.

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Also, researchers looked at the way the wording of questions and the design of response options further influenced levels of self-disclosure. For instance, if the response 'I prefer not to say' appears at the top of an options list, users are far less likely to disclose information. Similarly, if given the opportunity to remain vague in their responses, like- in choosing how wide the scale that represents their salary is, they are more likely to opt for less disclosure. "One of the most interesting aspects of our findings is that even people who genuinely have a high level of concern regarding privacy online may act in a way that is contrary to their stated attitudes when they come across a particular set of conditions," Joinson said.


French web users caught pirating movies or music could soon be thrown offline.

hose illegally sharing files will face the loss of their net access as a newly created anti-piracy body was granted the wideranging powers. The antipiracy body comes out of a deal agreed by France's music and moviemakers A special committee established to and its net firms. The group who brolook at the problem of the net and culturkered the deal said the measures were al protection drew up the agreement intended to curb casual piracy rather between net firms, record companies, than tackling large-scale pirate groups. filmmakers and government. French President Nicolas Sarkozy The deal was hailed by the said the deal was a "decisive moment International Federation of the for the future of a civilised internet". Sarkozy: "A decisive moment for the future of a civilised internet" Phonographic Industry (IFPI), which repNet firms will monitor what their cusresents the global interests of the music tomers are doing and pass on informabusiness. tion about persistent pirates to the new independent body. Those identi"This is the single most important initiative to help win the war on fied will get a warning and then be threatened with either being cut off online piracy that we have seen so far," it said in a statement.
or suspended if they do not stop illegal file-sharing.

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increasing popularity of broadband connections and data cards, this fad is becoming wild. Online gaming is not just enjoyment but is gradually developing to a profession. There are many groups abroad who have perfected online gaming and they participate in national and international championships. In India, the online gaming market is gathering steam with some 40 million broadband connections. But, is the trend welcome? Psychologists say that the children can vent out their frustrations, their anger and whatever feelings they have which are not socially acceptable, on net. In America, one out of five kids is addicted to net. India is in the same race. China has taken up a very good measure that they have started net D-addiction centers. Soon, India should also take these measures. Be it Punjab or any state, the youngsters are exploring newer innovations, technologies and trends. But, the danger lies in the young minds becoming couch potatoes by becoming addicted to these games.


Internet

ritish engineers have been asked to build the payload for what will become one of the biggest commercial telecoms satellites ever launched. London-based Inmarsat has signed a contract with industrialists to construct the Alphasat I-XL mission. The six-tonne satellite will deliver high-bandwidth services, such as mobile internet, to Europe, Middle East, Asia and Africa. It will have five times the capacity of current space platforms. Inmarsat will use Alphasat I-XL to support its huge I-4 satellites, which deliver the company's global broadband network, BGan. The spacecraft allows people to set up virtual offices anywhere around the world on land or at sea. Users get half-a-megabit connections through small, laptop-sized terminals. Customers include business travellers, disaster relief workers, journalists, and people in the petrochemical and maritime industries. The Alphasat I-XL mission has emerged from a technology programme overseen by the European and French space agencies (Esa and Cnes). The Alphabus project was set up to develop a next-generation satellite that would allow European industry to compete at the top of the global market - especially with the products coming out of the US aerospace industry. The Alphasat I-XL will be the first spacecraft to be lofted using the Alphabus model. In essence, Inmarsat is the first commercial customer. The spacecraft will incorporate an advanced new digital signal processor developed by EADS Astrium. The payload, or "brains" of the spacecraft, will be made at the company's Stevenage and Portsmouth centres. Manufacture of the spacecraft's chassis and final assembly will take place at Astrium's other European facilities - and those of its key partner in the project, Thales Alenia Space.

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icrosoft's Visual Studio 2008 and .Net Framework 3.5 have been released to manufacturing and are now available for MSDN (Microsoft Developer Network) subscribers to download, the company. "Included in Visual Studio 2008 are enhancements such as visual designers for faster development with the .Net Framework 3.5, significant improvements to Web development tools and language enhancements that speed development with all types of data," Microsoft said. The platform provides developers with all the tools and framework support required to create compelling, expressive, Ajax-enabled (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) Web applications, it added. .Net Framework 3.5, meanwhile, builds incrementally on the new features added in .Net Framework 3.0, including feature sets in Windows Workflow Foundation (WF), Windows Communication Foundation (WCF), Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and Windows CardSpace. Version 3.5 also contains a number of new features to avoid breaking changes, Microsoft said. 250 New Features Visual Studio 2008 delivers over 250 new features, makes improvements to existing features including performance work on many areas, and significant enhancements have been made to every version of Visual Studio 2008, from the Express Editions to Visual Studio Team System. Although the products are now available for download, they will not be officially released until February.

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The six-tonne satellite will deliver highbandwidth services, such as mobile internet, to Europe, Middle East, Asia and Africa. It will have five times the capacity of current space platforms Alphasat I-XL features a 12m aperture antenna reflector. It will have an electrical power of 12kW and a design lifetime of 15 years. The Alphabus model, though, allows for even bigger spacecraft to be made in the future, supporting missions that have a launch mass of more than eight tonnes and 18kW payload power. These can use novel systems such as ion engines, which are more efficient than chemical thrusters in maintaining the orbit or a spacecraft over extended periods. With their new technology and greater power, Alphabustype missions will be able to handle more traffic at higher bandwidths. "We believe that the new satellite will have better beam-forming capabilities and therefore, we should be able to put more capacity into areas; and we should be able to increase speeds," commented Inmarsat spokesman Chris McLaughlin. Although urbanised centres will always have superior wired communications, satellite-delivered services may be the only solution in more remote or temporary locations. One of the world's most powerful rockets will be needed to launch a satellite of I-XL's size - something comparable to a bus or small truck. As a flagship European mission, the task of lofting Alphasat I-XL may well fall to the European bloc's premier launch vehicle, the Ariane 5 ECA. A flight is being targeted for 2013. Inmarsat expects its investment in the satellite - excluding insurance - will be in the region of 260m euros (£190m). The Alphabus project represents an expenditure of 440m euros (£320m) by 16 Esa Member States.


Web 2.0 Functionality Visual Studio 2008 delivers improved language and data features, such as Language Integrated Query (LINQ), that make it easier for individual programmers to build solutions that analyze and act on information. It also provides developers with the ability to build applications that target the .Net Framework 2.0, 3.0 or 3.5, supporting a wide variety of projects in the same environment. New tools speed the creation of connected applications on the latest platforms including the Web, Windows Vista, Office 2007, SQL Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008, while other additions help improve collaboration in development teams, including tools that help integrate database professionals and graphic designers into the development process. Together, Visual Studio and the .Net Framework reduce the need for common plumbing code, reducing development time and enabling developers to concentrate on solving business problems. Hitting a 'Sore Spot' Experts rank the LINQ as the No. 1 new feature in Visual Studio. They say that LINQ makes it easier to write code that queries databases, and so is a particularly important addition because it "really hits a sore spot for developers," and Virtually 100 percent of customers will end up using that feature. Life Cycle Management .Net Framework 3.5 will also help visual designers create and manage graphically rich Web 2.0 software. In addition, Visual Studio 2008's TFS makes improvements in both performance and version control.


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In Picture

Shahid Meha, Shahzad Raoof and Kamran Banday pose for a group photo with the teams of Warid Telecom and combined players of Wateen Telecom and Hauwei Technologies at Punjab Stadium Lahore .

Advisor to Prime Minister, Dr Ashfaq Ahmad poses for a group photo with the participants during a ceremony in connection to World Science Day for Peace and Development Celebrations in Islamabad.

Lt. Gen. Mohammad Asghar, Rector National University of Science and Technology (NUST) awarding Rector NUST's gold medal for best project in BE (Avionics) to Plt Off Nazish Younis during a ceremony held at PAF Academy Risalpur.

A lady participant capturing the moments through her camera during the convention of scientists on the occasion of World Science Day for Peace and Development (WSDPD) held at a local hotel in Islamabad.

Vendors selling different kind of electric and electronic stuff to customers at their roadside setup in Provincial Capital City Lahore.

A view of high voltage electric pole installed in the middle of a house and residential area posing serious threat to the residents of Bund Road, waiting for the attention of concerned authorities in Lahore.

China at the Door of IPv6 Networks China is the first country to build massive IPv6-only networks, and proposed real source address identification based on IPv6, which ensures the construction of a secured CNGI. Chinese scientists first worked out "IPv6overIPv4," which is a transitional technical solution. In addition, the first large-scale adoption of homemade IPv6 routers in the national network backbones has provided an environment for testing the homemade products, which is helpful for the improvement of IPv6 core routers. Research on Internet technology began in China in the late 1970s. Besides learning how to design, establish and operate the Internet, the engineering technicians in China started their initial research and development in 1994. The Chinese technicians have overcome key technological problems including IPv4 core routers and IPv6 core routers as well as key software of the Internet and its application.

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Supported by the CERNET, Tsinghua University established the first virtual IPv6 test bed in China in 1998, and combined the test bed with 6Bone, which is the test bed of the international IPv6 next generation Internet. Some experts have suggested a national plan for the research of the next generation Internet. They believe it would be of great strategic importance to the country's development. The deployment of IPv6 network should be deemed a national strategy and related measures should be carried out rigorously. In view of such situation, these experts suggest that China accelerate its pace of IPv6 address application and seize every opportunity to acquire this strategic resource. Presently, there is only a unanimous agreement that the next generation Internet will be larger, faster, safer, more punctual, more convenient, more manageable, and more profitable.


Interview

Sabah ud Din Qazi

I think, I must focus more on the defense side now. Joanna Rutkowska, Polish Security Researcher talks exclusively to Monthly FLARE how and why she is supposed as one of the Top Five Hackers who have left a mark on the year 2006. She needs no introduction in the field of computer security as she has been involved in computer security research for several years. Nevertheless we are presenting a brief of her personality. During an interview with Monthly FLARE, a leading telecom news magazine of Pakistan, she informed that she has been fascinated by the internals of operating systems when she was in a primary school and started learning x86 assembler on MS-DOS. Soon after she switched to Linux world, got involved with some systems and kernel programming, focusing on exploit development for both Linux and Windows x86 systems. A couple of years ago she got interested in stealth technology used by malware and attackers to hide their malicious actions after a successful break-in. This includes various types of rootkits, network backdoors and covert channels. Now, she focuses on both detecting this kind of activity and on developing and testing new offensive techniques. Last year, Joanna also pinpointed inherent weaknesses in anti-virus software; warned that the major operating system vendors are not yet ready for hardware virtualization technology and confirmed fears that stealth malware is the operating system's biggest security threat.

Kindly share your professional carrier with our readers? I am a security researcher focusing on operating systems security. I have been working in this field for about 6 years on both the defensive and offensive sides. My offensive work includes assessing the security of various technologies and implementing proof of concept attacks that proves the weaknesses. I have recently started my own company, Invisible Things Lab, a consulting company dedicated for cutting edge research into operating systems' security. We provide our services to both security vendors, who are interested in evaluating the security of their products, as well as large corporations, who would like to ensure that the technology is really secure or does provide the promised protection.

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How did you enter in the field of Computer Security and do you remember when was your 1st hacking activity and how? I really do not know why everybody would

like to call me hacker. I am just a security researcher. I target technology, not particular computer systems or networks. I might come up with some "hack" from time to time, against some specific technology, but I am not involved in any kind of "hacking activities". As to how I got into computer security - in a very straightforward and common way - I started programming very early, when I was 11, and then over the next couple of years, when learning e.g. assembler language for x86 architecture, I learnt a lot about the internals of operating systems, which in turn brought me into the security field. I remember when I once wrote a little program in assembler for MS-DOS, whose purpose was to bypass the BIOS Anti-Virus protection of the boot sector, which was a very popular feature in BIOSes in mid 90's. I just did it to convince a friend of mine that this protection is not really that good as he thought. At that time I was probably 14 or 15.

How did you feel when you came to know that your name has been included in the Top Five hackers who left a mark on the year 2006? It was very nice, of course, to see my name there, but we should also remember that this was just an expression of a subjective opinion of one of the journalists writing about IT security, thus I took it with a bit of reserve. After all there are dozens of super-smart security researchers out there, for sure much more then just five... Last year, we had heard in news that Joanna's 'Blue Pill' Prototype creates 100% undetectable Malware. Would you like to provide some details about it and why you called it 'Blue Pill'? It is a reference to the movie "The Matrix", which can be thought as of a nice metaphor for the concept of virtual machines in computer science. In this movie, when you take the Blue Pill, "the story ends, you wake in your bed and you believe whatever you want to believe" - in other words you are taken back into the Matrix

Interview

Rootkit gurus Joanna Rutkowska and Jamie Butler go over the slides after Rutkowska's presentation

"virtual machine" and you can't even realize that it has just happened. My Blue Pill attack works pretty similar once Blue Pill is executed on the target machine, it creates a hardware virtual machine, moves the operating system which runs on the native machine into the virtual machine, it becomes so called hypervisor, and resumes the system inside the virtual machine allowing it to continue its execution, without even realizing that it is now running inside the virtual machine, fully controlled by the hypervisor. This all happens on the fly and takes less then a millisecond to complete! As you have demonstrated a working prototype for Windows Vista x64 at the SyScan Conference in Singapore and at the Black Hat Briefings in Las Vegas. How do you describe your experience there? The experiences of presenting at SyScan in Singapore and Black Hat in Las Vegas were dramatically different. The SyScan conference was very small and also the audience did not seem too much involved in my presentation. I got only very few questions and comments during and after my speech. I presume the talk was a little bit too technical for this conference. On the other hand, the audience I had at Black Hat conference in Las Vegas was just great! I could see they understood all the technical details. I was talking about and I got lots of good questions and comments. What was Microsoft's response about your

research and demonstration? A few months after my presentation at Black Hat, Microsoft fixed the design problem that I was exploiting to bypass Vista x64 kernel protection. However, neither Microsoft nor AMD or Intel addressed the problem of virtualization based malware, as demonstrated by Blue Pill. The reason is that the current technology does not allow us to solve this problem today.

I think that I would like to focus more on the defense side now. In the past two years I have worked on several offensive techniques, starting from passive, very hard to detect covert channels ("Nushu"), then I presented "Stealth by Design", type II malware, then I showed that Vista kernel can be subverted despite the new protection mechanism and also demonstrated that recent hardware virtualization technology can be used to create a new class of stealth malware - something I call type III malware (e.g. "Blue Pill"). And just recently I found that hardware based memory acquisition as used for forensics, believed to be absolutely reliable, because it uses so called "Direct Memory Access" to read memory, can be cheated in some cases. Unfortunately I have not seen any serious effort in the security world to address most of those threats. We still do not have any effective way to combat type II malware.

Do you see stealth Malware as a serious threat to ICT Sector? Yes, definitely, after all, this is an ideal way to spying on competition! A couple of months ago, Gartner, a prominent IT research company, came out with the prediction, that "by the end of 2007, 75 percent of enterprises will be infected with undetected, financially motivated, targeted malware that evaded their traditional perimeter and host defenses", Sounds a bit scary to me… Few months ago, Malaysia's Hack In the Box Team has Joanna Rutkowska having a laugh with one of the conference attendeees organized a hacking workshop (HITB Security Conference 2007) at Dubai in which many international hackers and Network intrusion detection systems and firesecurity experts participated. What are your com- walls are years behind when it comes to detecting or preventing any more advanced ments regarding it? covert channels. We still do not have any good I was invited to speak twice at the HITB in solution to prevent or detect hardware virtualMalaysia over the past two years and I think ization based malware... that it is a really nice conference. It is one of I would like to work more on the defense the few conferences which brings quality techside now. I believe that we should convince OS nical, non-marketing, speeches and is also vendors (and also CPU vendors) to make sysvery well organized. It is probably the best IT tems verifiable, so that we could come up with security conference in Asia. *systematic* ways to check whether the system is infected by any of type I, II or III malware.
Finally, please share your future plans with our readers?

Dell's All-in-One PC Hits the Market Dell Inc. introduced its first all-inone desktop PC, a system that combines a computer and monitor in a single chassis. The company publicly unveiled the product and now it is available on their online store. The aluminum-and-glass PC, which has a 20-inch display and a television tuner, will cost $1,499 in the U.S. The XPS ONE comes in four flavors, The Essential One ($1,499), The Music One ($1,748), The Performance One ($1,999), and The Entertainment One ($2,399). The two high end models come with an Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 CPU and a 256MB ATI Radeon HD 2400 PRO video card, while the two low end models come with an Intel Core 2 Duo E4500 processor and integrated

video. All models come with a 20" display, 2 GB of RAM, and Windows Vista Home Premium standard. Naturally this is designed to compete with Apple's popular iMac, and the more recently introduced Sony VAIO LT and Gateway "One." Dell is not the first company to come with a space-saving design. Apple Inc.'s all-in-one iMac, its most popular desktop computer, debuted in 1998. Gateway Inc., purchased last month by Acer Inc., introduced its first all-in-one computer in September.
US computer giant Dell employees introduce the all-in-one desktop PC "XPS One" at a global launching in Tokyo.

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Cover Story

Zubair Ahmed Kasuri

PTCL has hit a home run and thrown the ball out of field by introducing Pakistan Package, but a much sensible game play is required to out class competitive and strong attack from other telecom companies operating in the country

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Cover Story this package to do good enough for decreasing revenues of the company. On the fourth day of December 2007, PTCL officials announced the package in a press conference, where Dr. Sadiq Al Jadir, Senior Executive Vice President (SEVP) (Commercial), PTCL, unveiled that around 8 million calls have been made just in three days under the new free package of PTCL Long Distance Nationwide calls introduced from December 1. PTCL officials say that around 95 per cent subscribers have welcomed the package asking the company to introduce more and more services and packages. "Only few thousands customers have applied for de-activation of the package, however, the company is trying to communicate the procedure and benefits of this service," told a PTCL official during the press conference. Flare conducted a survey on Pakistan Package, which showed that most customers appreciated the package especially business class. On the other hands, middle and poor disliked the package to some extent, as it will add another burden on their budgets. The shopkeepers of mobile phones related

Some people did not comment on the package, saying that they are not in any position to give feedback, reasoning the ambiguity. They said that only the phone bills will decide them whether to keep this package or to discontinue. While speaking with them, one could easily judge their concerns regarding the hike in telephone bills. Another confused PTCL user said that company has not defined any mechanism to calculate the used minutes, that is, your limit of 5000 minutes may end any moment without alarming the customer and hence PTCL will be charging millions of rupees.
Free NWD (PTCL to PTCL and PTCL to As per telecom analysts only 20 percent of Vfone) calling against a fixed charge of users contribute in majority of PTCL revenues. Rs. 199 per month - exclusive of taxes These 20 percent included small and medium and the line rent. businesses, government sector, and others
The package is offered across the who make long duration long distance calls. Pakistan Package may give a big relief to board to all PTCL landline subscribers these 20 percent subscribers; however remainwith an option to opt out of the package ing 80 percent may have to share the revthrough IVR or operator by dialing 1236. enues' burden for adding very little in their out
Any one opting out of the package going calls. shall be charged at standard calling rates A telecom expert told Flare that only 300,000 customers (out of 4.5 million) of PTCL for the NWD calls made during the pay more than Rs.1000 /month. The rest of 4.2 month. million users use it only as a decoration piece
Fair usage policy on their side applies whereby tables. So now monthly usage in they will have to pay Rs.230 excess of 5,000 minExtra for that utes will be charged at decoration normal NWD rates. piece.
Code barring facility An online to restrict NWD calling blogger has challenged the has been removed financial feasi(only for NWD calling) bility of the to facilitate hassle free project. calling. According to
Green package has him, if you are getting your also been withdrawn as eighty percent a consequence of this of revenues more attractive NWD from very little offer. number of con
Local calls will be sumers, there is no point in charged at same old targetting your iff. Senior Executive Vice President Commercial, PTCL, Dr Sadiq al Jadir speaks during a press conference regarding the machinery into If seen broadly, one Pakistan Package of PTCL. Ali Kadir Gillani is also seen in the picture. a rough state. can easily term above He illusgiven package as a revolutrates this phenomenon by givtionary step, taken by the landline ing an example of an telecom giant PTCL, however, conexchange named as "ABC", sidering some serious allying conwhich generates you Rs. 100 cerns, may lead us to a slightly difa month but you feel that there ferent conclusion. are only 2 users giving you This is a landmark change for the that revenue. If you decrease end users, as now businesses, prithe tariff at once, resultantly 4 vate entrepreneurs, students and users will start using it. This residential users; I mean every one may sound great but you still can stay in constant touch with anyget the same Rs.100. Blogger one, anywhere in the country, as thinks that by decreasing the often as they want, without fearing tariff you just exhausted your the heights of their bills. Pakistan resources by making a stratePackage will defiantly do the wongy for going into loss because ders with customers. you just increase your operaIn current telecom scenario, tional expenses for that where cellular subscribers are growexchange. ing at 100 percent rate, along with businesses fear that this package would affect Another blogger has a different opinion, he very low tariff, not only this, handset rates are their businesses as the cellular subscribers says that when you make a decision to reduce hitting their bottom limits too, PTCL was badly may return to their landline phone terminals. A tariff, in return you increase percentage of poprequired to take such a step to get back into shopkeeper who sells cellular cards told that ulation which may use the facility. This increaction. he may see tough time in coming days, as this ment in numbers will lead to progress for socieCurrent plan's incentives may alter the telepackage will hit his sale as well. He said that ty. Businesses may enjoy better communicacom indictors of country when it comes to fixed long duration calls, which generate almost 80 tion and connectivity services, which will hit line, which holds only 3 percent tele-density. percent of cellular traffic, may find alternate positively the economical stats of the country. PTCL officials must be having high hopes from options such as PTCL. LDI/WLL/LL companies have involved the akistan Package is first of its kind business plan adopted by Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited. Short term and long term consequences of this package may not only amplify customers' satisfaction over the service, but businesses and general social values are likely to swallow the positive change as well. However, before going into further details, let's comprehend the package. The salient features of 'Pakistan Package' are:

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Pakistan Package will improve social and economical values, communication opportunities; it is going

to change the way people interact with each other in coming days. In collaboration with regulator, input

from customers and LDI companies, PTCL can reach a situation where it can offer services, which

would be optimal and ideal for its customers and challenging for its competitors in a fairly manner

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Cover Story legal elements in the introduction of such a package by PTCL and raised hue and cry on it. According to these telecom companies, this package will directly hit them. Senior officials of LDI and WLL companies, while speaking with Flare told that their businesses are on high risk, as the Significant Market Player (SMP) has started taking such illegal actions. They said that PTCL should have asked PTA prior to introduction of the package. "PTCL could announce the package only after carrying a positive consensus by all LDI and LL companies, PTA is solely responsible for letting PTCL play with our investments in the country", told a president of LDI compa-

PTA says that it has directed PTCL to refrain in future from announcing any preactivated package without customers' consent and without prior approval of the Authority. Acknowledging consumers' complaints, PTA has directed PTCL not to charge Rs. 199 from those subscribers who are unable to opt out of the package and have NWD bill of less than Rs. 200 per month in the corresponding months. PTA has also directed PTCL to reduce the time period of subject package to 60 days with no extension. This decision was taken to ensure healthy competition and to safeguard consumers' interest. The Authority has further said that PTCL is directed to refrain from launching / announcing any promotion or tariff package without prior approval of the Authority by submitting complete details of such package(s) to the Authority at least ten (10) days in advance and also to refrain from pre-activating such packages without customers' prior consent. 48

ny. Private telecom companyies officials met PTA Chairman and they showed their concerns on PTCL's package. In their discussion with PTA Chairman Maj. Gen. (R) Shahzada Alam Malik, the representatives from telecom companies said that if this package is not stopped then they will have to roll back their setups in the country, and investment in this sector will be badly affected. Officials of telecom companies told 'Flare' that PTA chairman assured them to take necessary actions and PTCL administration would be called by PTA for this issue which is threatening to other telecom players. PTA issued a statement saying that it has directed PTCL to refrain in future from announcing any pre-activated package without customers' consent and without prior approval of the Authority. Acknowledging consumers' com-

plaints, PTA has directed PTCL not to charge Rs. 199 from those subscribers who are unable to opt out of the package and have NWD bill of less than Rs. 200 per month in the corresponding months. PTA has also directed PTCL to reduce the time period of subject package to 60 days with no extension. This decision was taken to ensure healthy competition and to safeguard consumers' interest. The Authority has further said that PTCL is directed to refrain from launching / announcing any promotion or tariff package without prior approval of the Authority by submitting complete details of such package(s) at least ten (10) days in advance and also to refrain from pre-activating such packages without customers' prior consent. PTA's press release includes a note that Authority has always appreciated innovative packages from the operators; however, the regulator has to ensure that it should not disturb consumers' interest and fair competition. PTCL stakeholders, are eyeing the situation

in their own way, following two equation are extremely important for them 5 Million x Rs. 200 x 12 months = Rs. 12 Billion Long Distance Revenues Dropped from Rs. 10 Billion to 5 Billion No doubt that it was a very bold step by PTCL to facilitate its customers, however, naturally it is impossible to satisfy 10 out of 10 in the line. PTCL could have come up with different packages, such as free local call package, free nation wide call package and flat package that may charge every call on regular basis. Defiantly, PTCL management would be eyeing such opportunities in coming days. PTCL officials have already mentioned their plans of introducing a local call rate of Rs. 3.99 per hour. LDI companies'

reservations make sense too, but similar packages were also introduced by World Call, a wireless local loop company, which offers 24 hours free onnet calls to its customers. From past couple of months, cellular companies have also started offering late night on-net calls for free or at very nominal rates. The ultimate consequences of this price war will lead to immense customers' benefits, however, as far as the businesses and investments are concerned, PTA has badly failed in maintaining a fair balance amongst small and big investors. I will put to an end of this discussion with a note that through Pakistan Package, better social and economical values, communication opportunities and the way people interact with each other will entirely change in coming days. In collaboration with regulator, input from customers and LDI companies, PTCL can reach at a position where it can offer services, which would be optimal and ideal for its customers and challenging for its competitors in a fairly manner.


Informative

Nokia N82

Nokia 8800 Sapphire Arte

Size Dimensions 112 x 50.2 x 17.3 mm, 90 cc, Weight 114g Display Type TFT, 16M colors, Size 240 x 320 pixels, 2.4 inches Ringtones Type Polyphonic, Monophonic, True Tones, MP3 Memory Phonebook Practically unlimited entries and fields, Photocall, Call records, Detailed, max 30 days, Card slot microSD, hot swap, 2 GB card included, 100 MB internal memory Data GPRS Class 32, 107 kbps, HSCSD Yes, EDGE Class 32, 296 kbps; DTM Class 11, 177 kbps, 3G HSDPA, WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, UPnP technology, Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP, USB Yes, v2.0 microUSB Features OS Symbian OS 9.2, S60 rel. 3.1, Camera 5 MP, 2592 x 1944 pixels, Carl Zeiss optics, autofocus, video(VGA 30fps), xenon flash; secondary CIF videocall camera, Built-in GPS receiver, A-GPS function Motion sensor (with UI auto-rotate), Installed Maps application covering over 100 countries, Java MIDP 2.0, MP3/AAC/AAC+/eAAC+/WMA player Video player, 3.5 mm audio output jack, TV out, Stereo FM Radio Organizer, Office document viewer, T9, Push to talk, Voice dial/memo Built-in handsfree Battery Stand-by Up to 225h, Talk time Up to 4 h 20 min With a 5-megapixel camera, Xenon flash and Carl Zeiss optics, the N82 delivers vivid photographs, even in low-light conditions. Fast camera activation, autofocus with a dedicated autofocus assist lamp, fast reloading between shots and DVD.

Size Dimensions 109 x 45.6 x 14.6 mm, 65 cc, Weight 150g Display Type OLED, 16M colors, Size 240 x 320 pixels, Scratch-resistant glass Sapphire gem stone on D-pad, Living wallpapers, Downloadable wallpapers, screensavers Ringtones Type Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3, video ringtones Memory Phonebook 1000 entries, Photocall, Call records 20 dialed, 20 received, 20 missed calls, 1 GB of user memory Data GPRS Class 8 (4+1 slots), 32 - 40 kbps, EDGE Class 8, 236.8 kbps, Bluetooth Yes, USB Yes, microUSB OTG Features Camera 3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels, autofocus, video, Java MIDP 2.0, MP3 player, Voice memo, T9, Calendar, Calculator, Built-in handsfree Accelerometer, Turn-to-mute, Durable stainless steel covers Battery Stand-by Up to 300h, Talk time Up to 3h The Nokia 8800 Sapphire Arte is a premium handsets aimed at discerning and style-conscious consumers. Featuring a high-end metal and glass composition, the 8800 Sapphire Arte creates a classic, iconic style. A smooth slide mechanism - comprised of state-of-the art ball bearings and a unique spring mechanism - ensures each handset is a pleasure to touch and behold. Owners will be able to enjoy an exclusive videotrack and soundtrack composed by Kruder & Dorfmeister with visuals by Fritz Fitzke - adding an extra touch of sophistication and individuality to both handsets.

Nokia 8800 Arte Size Dimensions 109 x 45.6 x 14.6 mm, 65 cc, Weight 150g Display Type OLED, 16M colors, Size 240 x 320 pixels, Scratch-resistant glass Living wallpapers, Downloadable wallpapers, screensavers Ringtones Type Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3, video ringtones Memory Phonebook 1000 entries, Photocall, Call records, 20 dialed, 20 received, 20 missed calls, 1 GB of user memory Data GPRS Class 8 (4+1 slots), 32 - 40 kbps, EDGE Class 8, 236.8 kbps, 3G Yes, 384 kbps, Bluetooth Yes, USB Yes, microUSB OTG Features Messaging SMS, MMS, Email Browser, WAP 2.0/xHTML, Games Yes + Downloadable, Colors Black, Camera 3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels, autofocus, video, Java MIDP 2.0, MP3 player, Voice memo, T9, Calendar, Calculator, Built-in handsfree, Accelerometer, Durable stainless steel covers Turn-to-mute Battery Stand-by Up to 300h, Talk time Up to 3h Bringing 3G capabilities to the Nokia 8800 series, the 8800 Arte features an elegant and sophisticated design theme that takes inspiration from nature. On the surface, the metal and glass body gives the 8800 Arte a sense of style, while under the skin functionality is driven by innovation. By tapping the steel surface below the display, an analogue clock appears. To add an element of sophistication and security, each handset comes with a leather pouch with a linen-lining and a separate matching desk stand.

Nokia 6301

Sony Ericsson Z750

Size Dimensions 106.8 x 43.8 x 13.1 mm, 55.6 cc, Weight 93g Display Type TFT, 16M colors, Size 240 x 320 pixels, 2 inches Ringtones Type Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3 Memory Card slot microSD (TransFlash), 30 MB of user memory Data GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps, HSCSD Yes, EDGE Class 10, 236.8 kbps, 3G No, WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, UMA technology Bluetooth Yes, v2.0, USB Yes, miniUSB Features Camera 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video(QCIF), Java MIDP 2.0, FM stereo radio, Push to talk, Macromedia flash lite 2.0, MP3/MP4/AAC/AAC+/eAAC+ player, Voice memo, Voice command, T9, Calendar, Calculator, Built-in handsfree Battery Stand-by Up to 310h, Talk time Up to 3 h30 min

Size Dimensions 97.4 x 49 x 20 mm, Weight 110g Display Type TFT, 256K colors, Size 240 x 320 pixels, 2.2 inches Second external OLED display (36 x 128 pixels), Wallpapers, screensavers Ringtones Type Polyphonic (72 channels), MP3 Memory Phonebook Yes, Photo call, Call records 20 dialed, 20 received, 20 missed calls Card slot, Memory Stick Micro (M2), 32 MB shared memory Data GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps, EDGE Class 10, 236.8 kbps, 3G HSDPA, 1.8 Mbps, Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP, USB Yes, v2.0 Features Camera 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video(QVGA); secondary video call camera Java MIDP 2.0, MP3/AAC/AAC+/eAAC+ player, TrackID music recognition FM radio with RDS, T9, Image viewer, Picture editor, Organiser, Voice memo Built-in handsfree Battery Stand-by Up to 400h, Talk time Up to 9h

The Nokia 6301 offers seamless voice and data mobility across GSM cellular and WLAN networks. Weighing a mere 93 grams and measuring less than 13.1 mm thin, the 6301 is constructed of quality materials. To accompany the UMA technology, the Nokia 6301 also offers consumers a modern suite of features, including a 2.0-megapixel camera with 8x digital zoom and full screen viewfinder.

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A pedestrian passes by Samsung Mobile phone's advertisement board in Seoul, South Korea. South Korea's National Assembly passed a bill demanding an independent investigation into allegations of bribery at the Samsung Group conglomerate.

This mirror-finish clamshell features a 2 megapixel camera, 320x240 pixel 262K TFT display, Memory Stick Micro™ removable storage, integrated picture blogging, full HTML browser benefiting from HSDPA broadband speed, live tickertape RSS feeds and Exchange ActiveSync for push email, calendar and contact synchronization.

Informative

Nokia 3110 Evolve

Samsung G800

Size Dimensions 108.5 x 45.7 x 15.6 mm, 72 cc, Weight 87g Display Type TFT, 256K colors, Size 128 x 160 pixels, 5-way navigation key Downloadable wallpapers, screensavers Ringtones Type Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3, AAC Memory Card slot microSD, up to 2 GB supported, 9 MB internal memory Data GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps, HSCSD Yes, EDGE Class 10, 236.8 kbps, Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 (with A2DP), Infrared port Yes, USB miniUSB Features Camera 1.3 MP, 1280x960 pixels, video, Java MIDP 2.0, Stereo FM radio MP3/MP4/AAC+/3gp/WMA player, Calendar, Calculator, Built-in handsfree Voice memo, Voice command, T9, Built-in handsfree, Push to talk Battery Stand-by Up to 380h, Talk time Up to 3h 30 min

Size Dimensions 101 x 51.1 x 18.8 mm, Weight 134g Display Type TFT, 256K colors, Size 240 x 320 pixels, 2.4 inches Ringtones Type Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3 Memory Card slot microSD (TransFlash), 160 MB internal memory Data GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps, EDGE Class 10, 236.8 kbps, 3G HSDPA, 3.6 Mbps, Bluetooth Yes v2.0 with A2DP, USB Yes, v2.0 Features Camera 5 MP, 2592?1944 pixels, autofocus, video, xenon flash, 3x optical zoom, Java MIDP 2.0, MP3/AAC/AAC+/e-AAC+/WMA player Stereo FM radio, Face Detection, T9, Bluetooth printing, Document viewer (Word, Excel, Power Point, PDF), Built-in handsfree, Voice memo, TV out

The just-announced 3110 Evolve candybar from Nokia is big on features. A phone that features a 1.3 megapixel camera, FM radio, and a triband GSM radio. Certainly nothing to write home about there, but the Evolve's claim to fame is that it's rocking "bio-covers" made with over 50 percent renewable materials and comes in a box made of 60 percent recycled stuff.

With G800 take an FM radio wherever you go. Enjoy your favorite radio shows and round-the-clock music, news, weather and traffic reports using auto/manual tuning. Or save your favorite channels, tune less and just sit back. Now you can't take a bad shot. Enjoy a face-oriented auto-focus feature, image and red-eye stabilizers, faster auto-focus and panorama/macro/multi-shot modes. ISO options and WDR optimization guarantee great pictures in any light

Samsung i560 Size Dimensions 130 x 51 x 16 mm, Display Type TFT, 256K colors, Size 240 x 320 pixels, 2.4 inches Ringtones Type Polyphonic, MP3 Memory Phonebook Practically unlimited entries and fields, Photocall, Call records, Detailed, max 30 days, Card slot microSD (TransFlash) 150 MB built-in memory Data GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps, EDGE Yes, 3G HSDPA, 3.6 Mbps, Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP, USB Yes, v2.0 Features OS Symbian OS 9.2, Series 60 v3.1 UI, Camera 3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels, video, flash; secondary QCIF videocall camera, Built-in GPS navigation, 3.5 mm audio output jack, FM radio, Java MIDP 2.0 Flash player, WMV/3GP/H.263/MPEG4 player, WMA/MP3/AAC/AAC+/OGG/ASF player, Organiser, Document viewer (MS Word, Excel, PPT, PDF), Built-in handsfree

Samsung Telecommunications India Managing Director Ryu Hyun Chul, left, and Bollywood actor Eisha Deol pose with a Samsung Metal 5 mobile phone during its launch in New Delhi, India.

The Samsung SGH-i560 has been announced as an S60 phone. It appears to have a QVGA screen, HSDPA connectivity, GPS, and comes in a slim sliding form factor. However, there appears to be very little information on i560 in the public domain as yet.

Sony Ericsson W890

Motorola RIZR Z10

Size Dimensions 104 x 46.5 x 9.9 mm, Weight 78g Display Type TFT, 256K colors, Size 240 x 320 pixels, 2 inches, Wallpapers, screensavers Ringtones Type Polyphonic, MP3, AAC Memory Card slot Memory Stick Micro (M2), 2 GB card included 26 MB shared memory Data GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps, HSCSD Yes, EDGE Class 10, 236.8 kbps, 3G HSDPA, Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP USB Yes, v2.0 Features Camera 3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels, video; secondary videocall camera, Java MIDP 2.0, Walkman player, TrackID music recognition T9, FM radio with RDS, Image viewer, Picture editor, Organiser Built-in handsfree, Voice memo Battery Stand-by Up to 360h, Talk time Up to 9h 30 min

Size Dimensions, Weight 100g Display Type TFT, 16M colors, Size 240 x 320 pixels, 2.2 inches, Scratchresistant display Ringtones Type Polyphonic, MP3 Memory Phonebook Practically unlimited entries and fields, Photocall, Call records, Practically unlimited, Card slot microSD (TransFlash) 77 MB internal memory, TI 2420 multimedia processor Data GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps, EDGE Class 10, 236.8 kbps, 3G HSDPA, 3.6 Mbps, Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP, USB Yes, v2.0 miniUSB Features OS Symbian OS 9.2, Series 60 v3.1 UI, Camera 3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels, autofocus, video(QVGA 30fps), video(QVGA 30fps), xenon flash; secondary VGA videocall camera, Java MIDP 2.0, MP3/AAC/AAC+ player, T9, Organizer, Calculator, Built-in handsfree Voice memo Battery Stand-by Upto 380h, Talk time Up to 5h

Latest Walkman phone from Sony Ericslsson, the W890, continues their music-focused approach by loading up Walkman Player 3.0, the newest release of their player software. The W890 has features like FM radio, 3G HSDPA, SensMe tempo and mood detector, Stereo Bluetooth, a 3.2-megapixel camera and quad-band GSM.

You're going to be able to get the latest UIQ 3.1 powered device from Motorola that packs a 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus, 30 fps recording at 320×240 and apparently a 2.2 inch 320 x 240 16 million color display with touch resistant glass. It has quadband GSM support, 3G is dual band.

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Informative

Nokia 1208 Rs. 2600

Samsung C140 Rs. 2300

Size Dimensions 102 x 44.1 x 17.5 mm, 67cc, Weight 77g Display Type CSTN, 65K colors, Size 96 x 68 pixels, 29 x 23 mm, Themes and wallpapers Ringtones Type Polyphonic (32 channels) Memory 4 MB user memory Features T9, Calendar, Calculator, Currency converter Built-in handsfree Battery Stand-by Up to 365h, Talk time Up to 7h

Size Dimensions 104.2 x 44.2 x 16.2 mm, Weight 71g Display Type UFB, 65K colors, Size 128 x 128 pixels Ringtones Type Polyphonic (16 channels) Memory 600 KB shared memory Data GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps Features T9, Organiser, To Do list, Calendar, Currency converter, Voice memo, Built-in handsfree Battery Stand-by Up to 490h, Talk time Up to 5h

Nokia 1208 is designed to meet the unique needs of a shared mobile device. This new cellphone introduces the industry's first call-time tracking application and multi-phonebooks to make phone sharing simpler and more efficient. In order to help manage airtime costs, the call-time tracking feature allows consumers and village phone entrepreneurs to preset a time or cost limit on individual calls, automatically ending the call after the limit has been reached. Design: Features: Performance:

7.4 7.5 7.5

Web access via WAP 1.2 is a valuable asset, clearly boosting this handset above other basic models. EMS also provides enhanced messaging, to add extra pop and sparkle to messages. PIM functions such as monthly calendar, To Do list, and 500-entry phone book organizes your day, while various clocks and alarms, currency converter and calculator help juggle your numbers. Design: Features: Performance:

7.3 7.6 7.7

LG KG270 Rs. 2450

Sony Ericsson J120 Rs. 2800

Size Dimensions 98 x 45 x 12.9 mm, Weight 60g Display Type TFT, 65K colors Ringtones Type Polyphonic (16 channels) Memory Phonebook 300 entries Features Java, FM radio, T9, Organiser, Calculator, Built-in handsfree Battery Stand-by Up to 250h, Talk time Up to3

Size Dimensions 99 x 44 x 17 mm, Weight 75g Display Type STN, 65K colors Ringtones Type Polyphonic (16 channels) Memory Phonebook 200 entries Features FM radio with RDS, T9, Calculator, Reminder Built-in handsfree Battery Stand-by Up to 400h, Talk time Up to 9h

LG KG 270 is another blaster from LG for the lower end market. It has got everything to meet basic communication requirements. However, polyphonic tones and FM are good plus for music lovers

Sony Ericsson J120 has easy to use features, such as a single-icon menu and one-click access, with the added benefit of a built-in FM Radio that allows you to store up to 10 favorite channels plus a stereo headset that's supplied with the phone. When it's time to share the radio play-list with a wider audience, the Sony Ericsson J120 features a loudspeaker through which the radio can be played.

Design: Features: Performance:

7.7 7.6 7.6

Design: Features: Performance:

7.6 7.7 7.7

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Above prices are subject to change as per market

Informative

Samsung X820 Rs. 10,300

Sony Ericsson K530 Rs. 12,100

Size Dimensions 113 x 50 x 6.9 mm, Weight 66g Display Type TFT, 256K colors, Size 220 x 176 pixels, 35 x 28 mm Ringtones Type Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3 Memory 80 MB shared memory, 3.7 MB for messages Data GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps EDGE, Class 10, 236.8 kbps, Bluetooth Yes, v1.2 with A2DP, USB Yes Features Camera 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video(CIF) Java MIDP 2.0, MP3/AAC/AAC+ player T9, Organiser, Document viewer, TV-output Built-in handsfree, Voice memo Battery Stand-by Up to 210h, Talk time Up to 2h 30 min

Size Dimensions 102 x 46 x 14 mm, Weight 92g Display Type TFT, 256K colors Ringtones Type Polyphonic (40 channels), MP3 Memory Card slot Memory Stick Micro (M2) 16 MB shared memory Data GPRS Yes, HSCSD Yes, 3G Yes, 384 kbps Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP, USB Yes, v2.0 Features Camera 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video; secondary videocall camera, Java MIDP 2.0, MP3/AAC/MPEG4 player, FM radio with RDS TrackID music recognition, T9, Picture blogging Picture editor, Organiser, Voice memo Battery Stand-by Up to 395h, Talk time Up to 9h

Extremely durability and lightweight, the X820 is manufactured from fiberglass-infused plastic. Underneath, Samsung's Smart Surface Mounting Technology (SSMT) compresses features to pack in maximum functionality. Capturing specials moments with the built-in 2.0-megapixel camera, the X820 can also give presentations with an integrated document viewer. Design: Features: Performance:

The K530 comes with the Access Netfront™ Web browser pre-installed. Search the Web, make online purchases and much more - you have Web access whenever you want. A 2-megapixel camera takes pictures to be proud of. Upload to your blog or surprise your friends with picture messages. Design: 7.9 Features: 7.9 Performance:

8.0

8.2 7.8 7.9

Nokia 6120 Classic Rs. 14,100 Size Dimensions 105 x 46 x 15 mm, 66 cc, Weight 89g Display Type TFT, 16M colors Ringtones Type Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3, AAC Memory Phonebook Practically unlimited entries and fields, Photocall, Call records, Detailed, max 30 days Card slot, microSD (TransFlash), 35 MB of user memory, 64 MB SDRAM, 128 MB ROM, ARM 11, 369 MHz CPU Data GPRS Class 11, HSCSD Yes, 43.2 kbps, EDGE Class 32, 296 / 177.6 kbits, 3G HSDPA, Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP, USB Yes, miniUSB Features OS Symbian OS v9.2, S60 rel. 3.1, Camera 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video(QVGA), flash; secondary QVGA videocall camera, Video calling Java MIDP 2.0, FM stereo radio, Push to talk MP3/AAC/MPEG4 player, Office applications (Excel, PDF, Powerpoint, Word, Zip), Voice memo T9, Calculator, Built-in handsfree Battery Stand-by Up to 250h, Talk time Up to 3h The Nokia 6120 Classic features two cameras - a 2.0-megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom, flash and panorama mode for taking highquality photographs as well as a second camera in the front that adds a personal touch to calls by making use of the video call feature. Users can personalize the phone with a wide variety of addon applications, enhancements, content and service. S60 also allows users to run several applications at the same time enabling them to browse the Web while listening to their favourite music. Design: Features: Performance:

LG KE770 Shine Rs. 9,400 Size Dimensions 105 x 46 x 9.9 mm, Weight 79g Display Type TFT, 256K colors, Size 176 x 220 pixels, 1.77 inches, Mirror effect screen, full metal body Ringtones Type Polyphonic (40 channels), MP3 Memory Phonebook 1000 entries, Photocall, Card slot microSD (TransFlash), 70 MB internal memory Data GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps EDGE Class 10, 236.8 kbps, Bluetooth Yes, v1.2 with A2DP, USB Yes Features Camera 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video, flash Java MIDP 2.0, MP3/AAC++/3GP/MPEG4 player T9, Organiser, Voice memo Document viewer Battery Stand-by Up to 200h, Talk time Up to 2h 30 min LG KE770 Shine is a full metal candybarstyle handset at the 3GSM. This stylish new phone has a stainless steel body with a luminous blue lighting. Very little details have been released about this amazing new phone. What we do know is that it has a standard full color display, a camera, integrated music player, and has the ability to view Microsoft Office and PDF files. For the females out there, turn off the phone and the screen doubles and a mirror! Design: Features: Performance:

8.2 7.8 7.9

8.1 8.2 8.2

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Above prices are subject to change as per market

Informative

Nokia 2630 Rs. 5,900

Sony Ericsson K510 Rs. 5,900

Size Dimensions 105 x 45 x 9.9 mm, 45 cc, Weight 66g Display Type TFT, 65K colors, Screensavers, themes and wallpapers Ringtones Type Polyphonic (24 channels), MP3 Memory 11 MB user memory Data GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps, EDGE Class 6, 177.6 kbps, Bluetooth Yes, v2.0, USB Yes Features Camera VGA, 640x480 pixels, video(128 x 96), FM radio Java MIDP 2.0, T9, Calendar, Calculator, Currency converter, Built-in handsfree Battery Stand-by Up to 310h, Talk time Up to 6h

Size Dimensions 101 x 44 x 17 mm, Weight 82g Display Type TFT, 256K colors Ringtones Type Polyphonic (40 channels), MP3 Memory 28 MB shared memory Data GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps, HSCSD Yes, Bluetooth Yes, Infrared port Yes, USB Yes Features Camera 1.3 MP, 1280 x 1024 pixels, video(QCIF) Java MIDP 2.0, MP3/AAC/MPEG4 player, T9, Image viewer, Picture editor, Organiser, Voice memo, Exchangeable Style-Up covers Battery Stand-by Up to 360h, Talk time Up to 6h

A sophisticated, yet easy to use mobile phone with full range of practical mobile features to help you enjoy and share the treasured moments of your life; camera, FM Radio, EDGE, Bluetooth and polyphonic ringtones may catch your eyes at first sight.

As the smallest 1.3-megapixel phone from Sony Ericsson, the K510a delivers high quality pictures with 4x digital zoom. Through the 262K-color TFT display, the K510a easily sorts photos through thumbnails. Before sharing, pictures can be made more captivating with simple effects such as face warp, sepia colorizing and panorama views.

Design: Features: Performance:

7.7 7.5 7.6

Motorola SLVR L9 Rs. 10,100 Size Dimensions 113 x 49 x 11.5 mm, 59 cc, Weight 96g Display Type TFT, 256K colors, Size 176 x 220 pixels, 1.9 inches Ringtones Type Polyphonic, MP3 Memory Card slot microSD (TransFlash), 20 MB internal user memory Data GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps EDGE Class 10, 236.8 kbps, Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP, USB Yes, v1.1 miniUSB Features Camera 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video(CIF) Java MIDP 2.0, FM radio with RDS, MP3/AAC/AAC+/MPEG4 player, T9, Calendar Built-in handsfree, Voice command, Voice memo Battery Stand-by Up to 350h, Talk time Up to 4h The Motorola SLVR L9 provides users with an integrated music player, FM radio, and Motorola's new CrystalTalk technology to hold conversations in noisy environments. The integrated music player with stereo Bluetooth wireless technology allows users to freely enjoy music wirelessly on the go. Even when traveling, users can listen to their music uninterrupted in airplane mode. The Motorola SLVR L9 also offers an FM radio, supporting Radio Data System (RDS) for radio station information - including such details as the song genre, song title, or radio station name - all on the handset's main screen. Design: Features: Performance:

Design: Features: Performance:

7.8 7.7 7.7

LG KG195 Rs. 5,600 Size Dimensions 100 x 45 x 12.4 mm, Weight 69.9g Display Type TFT, 256K colors Ringtones Type Polyphonic (64 channels) Memory Phonebook 500 entries, Card slot microSD, (TransFlash), 64 MB shared memory Data GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps Bluetooth Yes, v1.2 with A2DP, USB Yes, v1.1 Features Camera VGA, 640x480 pixels, video, FM radio Scheduled FM recorder, MPEG4/MP3 player Java MIDP 2.0, T9, Organiser, Voice memo Battery Stand-by Up to 300h, Talk time Up to 2h 30 min The LG KG 195 has an MP3 player and FM radio with options such as FM recording and voice recording making it a truly musical experience. The Video player supports MP4 and 3GP formats but only of 174 X 144 resolution. The phone has sophisticated look but the keypad is hard and make the keys are uncomfortable to use. Design: Features: Performance:

7.9 7.7 7.8

7.8 7.6 7.7

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Above prices are subject to change as per market

Informative

Nokia N95 8GB Rs. 42,500

Sony Ericsson K850 Rs. 33,000

Size Dimensions 99 x 53 x 21 mm, 96 cc, Weight 128g Display Type TFT, 16M colors, Size 240 x 320 pixels, 2.8 inches Ringtones Type Polyphonic (64 channels), Monophonic, True Tones, MP3 Memory Phonebook Practically unlimited entries and fields, Photocall, Call records Detailed, max 30 days 8 GB internal memory Data GPRS Class 32, 107 / 64.2 kbps, HSCSD Yes, EDGE Class 32, 296 kbps; DTM Class 11, 177 kbps 3G HSDPA, WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, UPnP technology, Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP, Infrared port Yes USB Yes, v2.0 miniUSB Features OS Symbian OS 9.2, S60 rel. 3.1, Camera 5 MP, 2592 x 1944 pixels, Carl Zeiss optics, autofocus, video(VGA 30fps), flash; secondary CIF videocall camera Built-in GPS receiver, A-GPS function, Installed Maps application covering over 100 countries, Dual slide design, Java MIDP 2.0, MP3/AAC/AAC+/eAAC+/WMA player, 3.5 mm audio output jack, TV out, Stereo FM Radio, Organizer Office document viewer, T9, Push to talk, Voice dial/memo, Built-in handsfree Battery Stand-by Up to 280h, Talk time Up to 6h

Size Dimensions 102 x 48 x 17 mm, Weight 118g Display Type TFT, 256K colors Ringtones Type Polyphonic (72 channels), MP3 Customization Composer, download, Vibration Yes Memory Phonebook 1000 x 20 fields, Photo call, Card slot Memory Stick Micro (M2)/microSD , 512 MB card included, 40 MB internal memory Data GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps, EDGE Yes, 3G HSDPA, 3.6 Mbps (K850i only), Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP, USB Yes, v2.0 Features Camera 5 MP, 2592?1944 pixels, autofocus, video(QVGA@30fps), xenon flash and 3LED video light; auto lens cover, secondary videocall camera, Java MIDP 2.0, FM radio with RDS, MP3/AAC/MPEG4 player Motion sensor (with UI auto-rotate), TrackID music recognition, T9, Image viewer, Picture editor/blogging Organiser, Built-in handsfree, Voice memo/dial Battery Stand-by Up to 400h, Talk time Up to 9h

With up to 8GB of built-in memory, the Nokia N95 8GB has key features of its predecessor, including a 5.1megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, built-in A-GPS, WLAN, HSDPA and an innovative 2-way slide. The N95 8GB also boasts a luminous 2.8-inch (240 x 320 px) QVGA display, so watching videos, browsing the Internet or viewing maps is a pleasure. With its expanded memory, the N95 8GB offers up to 20 hours of video or up to 6000 songs. The N95 8GB supports services like Nokia Music Store and N-Gage Games. Once N-Gage goes live, users will be able to try games for free before deciding on a purchase.

Samsung U600 Rs. 16,300

Design: Features: Performance:

8.2 8.2 8.3

Nokia E90 Rs. 53,500

Size Dimensions 103.5 x 49.3 x 10.9 mm, Weight 81g Display Type TFT, 256K colors, Size 240 x 320 pixels, 34 x 44 mm Ringtones Type Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3 Memory Card slot microSD (TransFlash), 60 MB embedded memory Data GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps, EDGE Class 10, 236.8 kbps, Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP, USB Yes, v2.0 Features Camera 3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels, autofocus, video(CIF), flash, Java MIDP 2.0, MP3/AAC/eACC/WMA player FM radio with RDS, T9, Yahoo search, Organizer, Business card recognition, Document viewer (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF), Voice memo, Built-in handsfree, TV out, Battery Stand-by Up to 250h, Talk time Up to 3h 30 min The Samsung U600 is part of the premium Ultra Edition range, at 11.9mm slim the U600 truly is a feat of mobile engineering. The perfect combination of style and functionality. This sleek, inspirational mobile is equipped with a 3.2 Megapixel camera, auto focus and an amazingly high quality 262K colour screen. The feature rich U600 plays multiple audio formats including MP3, AAC, AAC+, e-AAC+, and WMA. Utilise the U600's Bluetooth capabilities with a wireless stereo headset, allowing you to remotely control your music player, or transfer your music at lightning fast speeds using USB 2.0. Either way, it's all music to your ears. Design: Features: Performance:

The 5 megapixel camera with auto focus and Xenon flash produces true digital camera results. Even if you are not an expert photographer, the K850 does everything to help you get the best possible shots on your phone. Photo fix automatically improves light balance in one click to make your picture as good as it can get. When taking a picture of a moving object, for example at a sports event, you can select BestPic™ and take nine pictures in one burst. Then simply choose the best and delete the rest.

8.5 8.3 8.3

Size Dimensions 132 x 57 x 20 mm, 140 cc, Weight 210g Display Type TFT, 16M colors, Size 800 x 352 pixels, 4 inches Second external 16M colors display (240 x 320 pixels), 2 inches, Full QWERTY keyboard Ringtones Type Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3 Memory Phonebook Practically unlimited entries and fields, Photocall, Call records, Detailed, max 30 days, Card slot microSD (TransFlash), hotswap, 128 MB shared memory 330 Mhz ARM processor Data GPRS Yes, HSCSD Yes, EDGE Yes, 3G HSDPA, 3.6 Mbps WLAN, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP, Infrared port Yes, USB Yes, v2.0, miniUSB Features OS Symbian OS v9.2, S60 rel. 3.1, Camera 3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels, autofocus, video(VGA 30fps), flash; secondary QCIF videocall camera, Built-in GPS receiver (with preinstalled maps), Push to talk, Video calling Java MIDP 2.0, MP3/M4A/AAC/eAAC+/WMA player FM radio, Voice command/dial, PIM including calendar, to-do list and printing, Document viewer, Photo/video editor, Integrated handsfree Battery Stand-by Up to 330h, Talk time Up to 5h The Nokia E90 Communicator is based on the S60 platform, making additional mobile applications available for its users. The E90 also has an integrated GPS and Nokia Maps application to provide help in finding routes and locating services. For increased personal convenience, the E90 is equipped with an FM radio, a music player, a video player and two cameras - a 3.2-megapixel auto focus camera with flash and a second camera for videoconferencing. Design: Features: Performance:

8.2 8.3 8.3

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Above prices are subject to change as per market

Informative

Nokia N81 8GB Rs. 32,500

Sony Ericsson W660 Rs. 18,700

Size Dimensions 102 x 50 x 17.9 mm, 86 cc, Weight 140g Display Type TFT, 16M colors, Size 240 x 320 pixels, 2.4 inches Navi wheel interface Ringtones Type Polyphonic (64 channels), Monophonic, True Tones, MP3 Memory Phonebook Practically unlimited entries and fields, Photocall, Call records Detailed, max 30 days 8 GB internal flash memory Data GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps, HSCSD Yes, EDGE Yes, 3G Yes, 384 kbps, WLAN Wi-Fi 02.11b/g with UPnP, Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP, USB Yes, v2.0 microUSB, Features OS Symbian OS 9.2, Series 60 v3.1 UI, Camera 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video(VGA 15fps), flash; secondary CIF videocall camera, Java MIDP 2.0 MP3/AAC/MPEG4 player, Rotating gallery with Navi wheel, Stereo FM Radio, T9, Push to talk, Voice dial/memo, PIM including calendar, to-do list 3.5 mm audio output jack, Built-in handsfree Battery Stand-by Up to 410h, Talk time Up to 4h

Size Dimensions 102 x 46 x 14.5 mm, Weight 93g Display Type TFT, 256K colors, Size 176 x 220 pixels, 2 inches Ringtones Type Polyphonic, MP3 Memory Card slot Memory Stick Micro (M2), 512 MB card included 16 MB shared memory Data GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps, HSCSD Yes, 3G Yes, 384 kbps, Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP USB Yes, v2.0 Features Camera 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video; secondary videocall camera, Video telephony, Java MIDP 2.0, Walkman player 2.0, FM radio with RDS, TrackID music recognition, T9 Image viewer, Picture editor, Picture blogging, Organiser Built-in handsfree, Voice memo/dial, Battery Stand-by Up to 360h, Talk time Up to 6h

The Nokia N81 8GB features up to eight gigabytes of built-in memory, used for a true mobile entertainment experience. Featuring dedicated music and gaming keys, 3.5 mm headphone connector and 3G and WLAN connectivity, the N81 8GB is configured to find, buy, manage and play music and games purchased from the Nokia Music Store and N-Gage games service. N81 8GB offers dedicated music or gaming keys, expanded memory, large screens and extended battery performance to provide quick and easy access to entertainment content. Design: Features: Performance:

Size Dimensions 103 x 53 x 11.9 mm, Weight 117g Display Type TFT, 256K colors, Size 240 x 320 pixels, 2.2 inches, Second external 256K colors, 2 inches display (240 x 320 pixels) with contextual touch interaction Ringtones Type Polyphonic, MP3 Memory Phonebook 1000 entries, Photocall, Call records 30 dialed, 30 received, 30 missed calls, 420 MB or 2 GB internal user memory Data GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps, EDGE Class 12, Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP, USB Yes, v2.0 microUSB Features Camera 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video(QCIF), Java MIDP 2.0, MP3/AAC/AAC+ player, T9, Organizer, Calculator, Built-in handsfree Voice memo Battery Stand-by Up to 330h, Talk time Up to 7h 50 min The Motorola RAZR2 V8 has a completely redesigned User Interface (UI) so consumers can search contacts even faster. The main menu is customizable, so consumers are never more than 2-3 clicks away from favorite applications, and even messaging is easier; automatically recognizing what type of message consumers are sending. The RAZR2 V8 also 'talks' to consumers by speaking the interactive menu, contact lists, emails and messages aloud - a feature developed for people with visual impairments, but convenient for in-car use. Without opening the phone, RAZR2 users can rely on the large external screen to read messages and reply with preprogrammed text messages. 8.4 8.0 8.1

Design: Features: Performance:

7.9 8.0 7.9

7.9 8.1 8.1

Motorola RAZR2 V8 Rs. 22,800

Design: Features: Performance:

The W660i can store up to 470 full-length songs (in eAAC+ format) on the 512 MB Memory Stick Micro (M2) supplied. As collections grow, consumers can expand the memory as needed and, by way of example, a 1 GB Memory Stick Micro (M2) will hold up to 1,000 tracks. W660i features TrackID. If users ever need to identify a piece of music that they don't recognise, simply record a few seconds of the track, either via the microphone or by tagging a clip straight from the phone's FM Radio, and TrackID will send the clip to the Gracenote Mobile MusicID database. This quickly identifies the track, the artist and album and relays the information back to the W660i.

LG KE970 Shine Rs. 16,700 Size Dimensions 99.8 x 50.6 x 13.8 mm, Weight 119g Display Type TFT, 256K colors, Size 240 x 320 pixels, 2.2 inches, Mirror effect screen, full metal body Ringtones Type Polyphonic (40 channels), MP3 Memory Card slot microSD (TransFlash), 50 MB internal memory, 300 text messages Data GPRS Yes, EDGE Yes, Bluetooth Yes, v1.2 with A2DP, USB Yes Features Camera 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, autofocus, video(QCIF), flash, Java MIDP 2.0 MP3/AAC++/3GP/MPEG4 player, T9, Organiser Voice memo, Document viewer (.ppt, .doc, .pdf, .xls, .txt) Battery Stand-by Up to 280h, Talk time Up to 3h Encased in a full-metal body, the slider phone offers users amazing looks and a high technical specification including expandable memory (microSD card) and an auto-focus camera by Schneider Kreuznach. When closed, Shine exudes sophistication with a perfectly reflective 2.2-inch screen. Slide open the superthin brushed metal body and the 'magic mirror' full color screen comes to life, while Shine's keys are bathed in a cool blue light. Access to Shine's menu system is by an easy-to-use multi-function scroll key. Design: Features: Performance:

8.4 7.8 7.8

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Above prices are subject to change as per market

Informative

i-mate JAMA If you are looking for a handheld device and want Windows Mobile, then the choice between Windows Mobile Smartphone and Windows Mobile Pocket PC can be a difficult one to make. I-mate has just blurred the dividing line further with the JAMA. It looks like an ordinary candybar mobile phone with a slider format that keeps the number pad hidden away until needed. But in fact the relatively small casing (106mm tall, 52.5mm wide and 15.6mm thick) houses Windows Mobile 5.0 for Pocket PC. This means it doesn't need a hardware-based number-pad. The dial-pad can go on the screen, which is touch-sensitive. So is the JAMA the best of both worlds or too much of a compromise? Of course there is a camera - a 2-megapixel one - and there is around 45MB of free storage space for applications and data, including photos and music to play through the JAMA's copy of Windows Media Player, and more. A microSD card slot is on the left edge of the casing for more memory to be added. If you are thinking of using the JAMA as a music player then you'll want to know that when we asked it to play music non-stop from a full battery charge, with its screen forced on to push the battery hard, we got a little less than six hours of music. That's not bad The slim, compact design and low weight make the i-mate JAMA a highly portable device, which will benefit users who plan to use more of the phone's capabilities. Also, the software bundle is another strong point of the device. Other than these, there are all the features specific to Pocket PCs (the touch-screen, productivity tools etc), even though they do not make the i-mate JAMA stand out from the crowd.


Nokia 6500 Slide The 6500 Slide is a sleek 3G slider phone which comes in a silver & black colored casing. The phone comes with easy to use imaging features which bring a fun & useful element to this smooth opening handset. The phone comes with a 2.2 Inch high color screen which provides the user with a 33.5mm x 44.7mm active display which can display up to 16 million colors. The Nokia 6500 Slide is a fashion conscious handset which measures 96.5mm x 46.5mm x 16.4mm which is a good size for a 3G slider phone. The handset weighs 123 grams which gives the phone a solid & quality feel when in use & is still light enough for carrying purposes. The Nokia 6500 Slide comes with an expandable memory option which allows the user to expand the phone memory up to a massive 4 Gbytes using a MicroSD™ memory card. The phone comes with 20 Mbytes of internal memory & with a 256 Mbytes MicroSD™ memory card to get the user started. The 6500 Slide comes with a phone charger, battery, 256 Mbytes MicroSD™ memory card, stereo headset, TV out cable & USB cable. The 6500 Slide is from the same family as the Nokia 6500 Classic. The battery has a 900mAh capacity & provides the user with up to 320 hours of standby time or up to 6 hours of talk time from a fully charged battery. The Nokia 6500 Slide is an imaging focused 3G handset, which comes with an impressive camera feature complete with Carl Zeiss™ optics. The 3.2 megapixel camera comes with a Carl Zeiss™ lens & 8 x digital zoom which allows the user to get a close up shot every time the camera is used. The auto focus feature allows the user to capture a clear shot & the double LED flash allows the user to capture the perfect lighting for their photo. You can enjoy MP3, MP4, AAC, eAAC+ & WMA music formats on their Nokia 6500 Slide. Phone supports polyphonic, MP3 & video ringtones which the use can be change to suit the user's ringtone style. The user can access the Internet for new music or information using the built in Opera Mini browser which allows the user to enjoy a mobile Internet experience at any time.


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Informative

Nokia N82 How do you follow up a success like the Nokia N95? Well, one way to do it is to follow the path of the Nokia N95 8GB and give it more memory and a larger screen. If you wanted to go further, then you'd probably dream up something even more superlative than the N95 and call it the Nokia N96. So, the Nokia N82 is a surprise, because it's not really what we would imagine a successor to the N95 to be like. The very first thing that strikes you about the Nokia N82 is just how ordinary it looks. Where the N95 was frankly a bit mad with its two-way slider, the N82 is a straightforward monoblock design with an uncluttered keypad and large QVGA display. Pretty much everything from the original N95 has been directly ported over to the N82. There's a five megapixel camera with Xenon flash, autofocus and a Carl Zeiss lens, 3G support with HSDPA, WiFi, microSD expandable memory (with 2GB in the sales package), A-GPS (Assisted GPS), a video calling camera, FM radio and stereo Bluetooth. This is a Symbian S60 smartphone, so it comes with a web browser, email client, document viewer, advanced multimedia player and the N82 also has a set of personal information management (PIM) applications. Nokia Maps is preinstalled for basic GPS use, although expect to pay a fee for more advanced mapping functions. Video capture is an impressive 640x480 pixels at 30 frames per second. Nokia say that the N82 is available now from selected retailers at an unsubsidized cost of around Rs. 50,000.


Nokia 6120 Classic Nokia's 6120 Classic is a slim, light, 3G mobile phone that runs a full Smartphone operating system. The advanced features on offer are hampered a little by the phone's small size and shape, but if you are looking for an opportunity to try an S60 Smartphone yet also want something pocket-friendly, light and unobtrusive, it could be ideal. At 89g and 105 x 46 x 15mm, the 6120 Classic should fit in most pockets, but its screen is the feature that compromises its ability to function perfectly as a Smartphone. It delivers 320 x 240 pixels and manages 16 million colours, both of which are top-notch specifications. But at two inches corner-to-corner it is just too small to display some information well enough. The Web browser is one example. Retrieving information at 3G data speeds is fine, and the browser itself can be switched into widescreen view. Thumbnail views of Web pages are available and these are marked up with numbers identifying different areas of a page. Hit a number and you go to that area. There is 35MB of built-in memory and a microSD card slot on the back, left-hand edge of the casing. The music player delivers well, and there's an FM radio too. Battery life is good: We got a little less than nine hours of non-stop music from a full battery charge. Among the huge number of applications pre-installed are a calendar, to-do list manager, mobile e-mail, note taker, calculator, clock with alarms, voice control, voice recorder, unit converter and IM. For e-mail attachments you get the Adobe PDF reader and QuickOffice for Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint viewing. The 6120 Classic comes with Nokia's PC Suite software and a cable for connecting to your computer, so you can synchronise contacts and diary information at no extra cost.


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Informative

Nokia 3110 Evolve If you're the sort of person who thinks that not using a plastic bag for your shopping is actually some meaningful way to save the planet, then the Nokia 3110 Evolve is for you. Based on an unremarkable and fairly inexpensive handset launched earlier this year, the 3110 Evolve is a basic tri-band GSM phone with a 128 x 160 pixel display, 1.3 megapixel camera, FM stereo radio, microSD expandable memory and an MP3 player, plus Bluetooth and USB connectivity. It's a pretty lightweight handset at 87 grams, but you can tell by the specification that the screen is the 3110 Evolve's biggest weakness. So what makes this different from a standard 3110? Well, Nokia say that there is "bio-sourced material on the covers", and they also say that the cover material is 50% renewable - so we guess that it uses some sort of plant-based hydrocarbon compound rather than plastic from fossil fuels. The Nokia 3110 Evolve comes in a much smaller sales package consisting of 60% recycled content, and there's a new more efficient phone charger. Nokia say that the charger uses "94% less energy than the Energy Star requirements" but does not give any figures comparing it to a standard unit. In other words, the Nokia 3110 Evolve uses less plastic, is more efficient to transport and uses less power than a standard 3110. The Nokia 3110 Evolve should be available during Q1 2008.


LG KE770 LG KE770 Shine is a candy bar version of the stylish LG KE970 Shine. The LG KE770 is known as the LG KE770 Shine or the LG KE770 Shine Bar. The handset comes with a high quality & truly inspirational mirror effect screen which has made the LG Black Label Series Shine phones so popular. The screen is 1.7 Inch in size & displays up to 262,000 colors on a high resolution screen. The handset comes with no opening mechanisms due to its bar design which makes the handset easy to use & comes with a keypad lock to avoid any buttons being pressed when the handset is being carried. The KE770 Shine Bar comes with a beautifully metal effect keypad which is etched into the handsets casing & is neatly situated below the phone mirror effect screen. The handset is extremely slim with a total depth of 10mm & the KE770 weighs only 79 grams includes the fitted battery. The battery provide up to 200 hours of standby time & approximately 2.5 hours of talk time from a fully charged battery. The built in camera provides the user with an easy to use 2 megapixel camera complete with camera or video settings & capabilities. The camera feature is easy to use as the handset comes with camera keys situated on the side of the phone for ease of use. The camera comes with a LED flash & digital zoom which will ensure the user gets the perfect shot each time the camera is used. The user can enjoy their music on the go with the built in music player which supports all popular music formats. The music player comes with music settings & storage which allows the user to access their music & enjoy it at any time of the day or night.


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Informative

Samsung U300 The Samsung SGH-U300 forms part of the Ultra Edition II range, and it can be seen as a slimmer and slightly tweaked version of the Slightly slimmer that the D830 - the U300 is just 9.6mm thick, the SGH-U300 also has a 3 megapixel digital camera. However, the U300 does not appear to have expandable memory (although 70MB is built in), which puts it at a disadvantage over the older handset. Despite the limited memory, the overall features on the U300 are still pretty decent. There's a 2.2" 240x320 pixel main display with a smaller secondary on the outside. The U300 has a multimedia player that can play back MP3, AAC, WMA, WMDRM, H.263 and MPEG4 clips (although the limited memory will be a factor here). It's a tri-band GSM 800/900/1800 device with GPPS and EDGE. The SGH-U300 also support Bluetooth and USB 2.0 connections. If your looking for a clamshell phone and your primary consideration is how slim it is, then the U300 is an attractive device. And in terms of looks, the U300 is an elegant and quite understated handset that should draw some admiring glances. However, the slim design of the handset has compromised its features somewhat, both in terms of expandability but also the RAZR-style handset that might become irritating to use after a while.


Trend T 786 Dual Sim GSM Trend mobiles were the first in introducing the dual SIM mechanism that allowed a person to hold two different SIMs in one mobile phone at one time in the face of a growing telecom industry and increasing Trend of multi company market. Entirely a local group, Trend mobiles is a sub-group of 4B Group, 4B Telecom and 4B Fertilizer as its main components. Trend is their brand which markets imported cell phones in the local market. It has now come up with the simplest and yet the most loaded of the mobile phones. It is called the T 786, Trend Perfect dual Sim. The features of T 786 are startling. Its basic edge is that a user can retain different network operators’ Sims in one cellphone and can receive calls in both at the same time. It is a complete multimedia cellphone with 1.3mega pixel camera, which has an audio and video recorders and players as well. The USB Data cable allows the user a unique facility of `Plug N Play`. Attach the cable with your computer and view what you have recorded. There is no need of any software or driver installment unlike other cell phones. A riddle free and consumer friendly cellphone. It is also totally software friendly for the users. No pains but all the gains. Trend mobiles offers an unmatched Deluxe Package along with the set which includes a free-of-cost 256 MB memory card, USB port, 2 extra batteries and an In-Car charger and a Trendy pouch to carry your cell phone in style. The mobile phone holds another edge to other cell phones in the market. It is the only cell phone in the market that has a warranty of thirteen months. It has the style, it has the look and it has all that you require in a cell phone to begin with.


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Informative

LG KU990 / LG Viewty LG Viewty - a 5.1 megapixel camera phone with a Schneider Kreuznach lens and advanced imaging capabilities. The front of the LG KU990 has a large touchscreen, similar to the LG Prada. 5.1 megapixel camera comes with a flash, electronic image stabilization, photo editing and single-click uploading to YouTube. Video capture on the LG Viewty is up to 120 fps (frames per second) - this is twice the frame rate of an HDTV and frankly why anyone needs this kind of frame rate is a mystery. We're not sure what the video capture resolution is on the KU990, but it will need to be at least 640x480 pixels. Schneider Kreuznach are the people who make lenses for Kodak, so that's a promising start when it comes to the KU990's optical credentials. Combine this with the 5.1 megapixel camera, and the KU990 Viewty looks very good indeed. The "U" in KU990 should indicate that this is a 3G device, and you can reasonably expect to see a multimedia player, web browser, email client and all the usual features. You can safely assume that the KU990 / Viewty will be competing directly against the N95, where the LG has the advantage of a touchscreen but is unlikely to have GPS.


Sony Ericsson K850i On paper the Sony Ericsson K850i looks like a winner - this Cyber-shot branded handset now has a 5 megapixel camera and boasts HSDPA 3.5G data plus tri-band UMTS support, plus a host of other goodies. First the good stuff - the Sony Ericsson K850i's camera comes with autofocus, a flash, multishot capabilities, an image stabilizer and various photo tweaking applications. The display is a 240x320 pixel panel in 262,000 colours, and the K850i has a multimedia player, radio, expandable memory (using Memory Stick Micro cards), stereo Bluetooth, a web browser, email client and RSS news reader. The K850i is being pitched as a business phone as well as a consumer handset - it supports Microsoft ActiveSync to enable email and PIM functions to be synchronised with an Exchange server. Tri-band 3G support with HSDPA also means that the K850i can be used on pretty much any WCDMA 3G network worldwide, although oddly it is only a tri-band GSM 900/1800/1900 MHz device and not a quad-band one. The Sony Ericsson K850i measures 102 x 48 x 17mm and weighs 118 grams. There are two colour variants: "Velvet Blue" and "Luminous Green", although this colouring extends pretty much only as far as the controller pad and some piping down the side of the phone. There is also a K858c variant for China which loses 3G support and substitutes EDGE data instead. Really the Sony Ericsson K850i should be considered an evolutionary step up from the excellent K800 and K810i phones.


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Informative

LG KE970 The LG KE970 is a beautiful & highly capable mobile phone which is better known as the LG Shine. The beautiful KE970 Shine is the second Black Label Series mobile handset to be deigned by LG. The highly attractive mobile phone has been given the name LG Shine due to its stunning appearance & mirror effect casing. The LG Shine comes in a super slim casing with a tactile slide opening mechanism. The phone comes with a shiny stainless steel casing & with a large mirror effect screen. The screen displays a real mirror when the LG Shine is in its closed position, for all to admire. The handset has a roll bar navigation tool which allows the user to scroll through menus with ease. The keypad is etched into the stainless steel surface & the keys have a blue backlight which is highly effective. The keypad can be accessed when the handset is in its slide open position. The LG KE970 Shine is an appearance & feature focused mobile phone which will be admired by all. The large screen provides a screen resolution of 240 x 320 pixels on a 2.2 Inch high colour screen. The screen provides the user with a sharp & clear viewing tool which comes with the stylish mirror effect feature. The user can take photos & record video footage with ease using the built in imaging features. The user can save, edit, share & store their photos & video footage. The LG KE970 Shine comes with a photo album & video gallery which allows the user to store & locate their photos & video easily. The phone comes with a built in music player which supports all popular music formats including MP3 format & provides high quality sound. The LG KE970 comes with a built in Internet browser which the user can access from the phones main menu. The user can access the WAP Internet browser & enjoy a mobile Internet experience on the their mobile phone.


Motorola Z6c The Motorola Z6 is a handset available in a few different formats - the MOTOROKR Z6 is a GSM device for sale in Europe, Asia Pacific and elsewhere, and then there's a CDMA version called the MOTOROKR Z6m for North America, China and Far East Asia. Another version, the MOTORIZR Z6tv is a CDMA variant for the Verizon network optimized for streaming 3G TV. The fourth variant of the Z6 is rather more novel - called the Z6c, this particular Z6 combines both CDMA and GSM network functions into one handset, making it an ideal phone for GSM customers who want to use a GSM device at home, but who also want to travel with the same handset globally. This dual CDMA/GSM functionality is very rare, but we have seen it before - in the Motorola A840, which hit the market about three years ago. The Z6c represents a welcome addition to this surprisingly small market niche. Expect to see a 2" 240x320 pixel display, 2 megapixel camera, microSD expandable memory and Bluetooth in a device weighing around 105 grams. To look at, you'd be hard pressed to tell it apart from its siblings, but the Z6c does come with a "World" logo in the top left hand corner to mark it out as something special.


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Informative

Sony VAIO FZ180 2.0GhZ C2D Rs. 127,000 Product Specifications










Processor Type Processor Speed RAM Hard Drive Display Graphic Accelerator Camera Optical Drive Wired & Wireless Communication

Intel Core 2 Duo T7300 Intel Core 2 Duo T7300 / 2 GHz 800Mhz 2 x 1 GB DDR2, 200 GB 5400 rpm, Serial ATA 15.4 in TFT active matrix NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GT Integrated DVD Super Multi (Double Layer) Drive Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN , Ethernet, IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11n (draft)

HP Compaq 6710 US 1.8C2D 512MB Rs. 51,500 Product Specifications















CPU Memory Memory Max Hard Disk Modem type Modem Speed Wireless Optical Drive Battery Weight O/S FireWire ports USB Ports Warranty

Intel Core 2 Duo 1.83Ghz 512 MB 1GB , 2GB 120Gb Fax / modem 56kbps 802.11b/g Super Drive Lithium-Ion 2kg Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 1 x FireWire 400 4 x USB 2.0 1 Year Limited Warranty

Acer Aspire 5720-301G16











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Above prices are subject to change as per market

Processor Operating System Ram Display Graphic Card Hard Drive Primary CD/DVD Drive Communication Extra Features Warranty & e-support

Rs. 69,000

Intel® Centrino 2 Duo T7300 2.0 GHz 4MB L2 Cache MS VISTA Home Premium 1024MB (2*512) DDR2 15.4" WXGA Crystal Bright 128MB GeForce Go 7600 160GB SATA HDD DVD Super Multi Double Layer 802.11abg Wireless LAN,Bluetooth,Gigabit LAN 6 cell battery, Crystal Eye Camera,Dolby Digital Sound,Acer Carry Bag,56k Modem One year International Travelers Warranty

Informative

Asus W5Fe

Rs. 135,000

Product Specifications




Processor & Cache Memory Operating System Chipset Main Memory




Display





Video Graphics & Memory Hard Drive




Optical Drive






Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor T5600 1.83GHz 667MHz, 4MB L2 cache Windows® Vista™ Business, Mobile Intel® 945 GM Express Chipset DDR2 533/667MHz SDRAM, 1GB 1 x SODIMM socket for expansion up to 1536MB SDRAM Main display: 12.1" WXGA Color-Shine (Glare-type) and Crystal-Shine (High brightness) LCD, Asus Splendid Video Intelligent Technology Auxiliary display: 2.8" QVGA TFT LCD Embedded Intel® 945GM VGA 2.5" 9.5mm 120GB IDE HDD /w Ultra DMA/100 / S.M.A.R.T. supported 9.5 mm, 5.25" DVD Super Multi Double Layer: RAM R/W 2X, CD/DVD Read 8X/24X, CD-R 24X, CDRW 10X, DVD-R 4X, DVD-RW 2X, DVD+R 4X, DVD+ RW 2.4X.

Toshiba Satellite A200-1CR

Rs. 63,500

Product Specifications Intel® Pentium® Dual-Core Processor T2080 1.73 GHz
Processor Speed 1.73 GHz, 533MHz
RAM standard : 1,024 (512 + 512) MB maximum expandability : 2,048 MB technology : DDR2 RAM (667 MHz)
Hard Drive 120 GB
Display 15.4 " Toshiba TruBrite® WXGA TFT display
Graphic Hybrid Graphics System lets toggle between Accelerator NVidia GeForce Go 7400 (up to 335 MB
Optical Drive DVD+/-RW SuperMulti with Double Layer Fixed Compliancy : Wi-Fi®
Wireless Network Support : 802.11b/g integrated Communication Wireless Technology: Wireless LAN
Operating System Windows Vista® Home Basic Edition 362 x 267.8 x 33.5 (front) / 39.3 (rear) mm
Dimensions


Stephanie Endicott and Marcus Smallegan, first-year students at George Washington University, use their laptops in Washington. For the Facebook generation, love now comes with a drop-down menu.

Processor Type

Brad Garlinghouse, left, senior vice president of Yahoo, demonstrates the capabilities of a laptop during a media preview flight aboard "BetaBlue," an Airbus A320 aircraft equipped with an onboard wireless network. JetBlue will start offering free online messaging services on one of its planes next week, becoming among the first airlines to offer in-flight Internet access.

Above prices are subject to change as per market

67

In Picture

The president of National Association of Software and Service Company (NASSCOM) Kiran Karnik delivers his speech during the IT Conclave organised by the National Association of Software and Service Company (NASSCOM) in Bangalore.

(L-R): Francisco Gonzalez, president of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, Cesar Alierta, Chairman of Spain's telecom company Telefonica, Jose Ignacio Sanchez Galan, president of Spanish power company Iberdrola, Antonio Brufau, chairman of Spanish oil major Repsol YPF and Spanish Stock Exchange president Antonio Zoido attend the first day of Madrid's Latibex Forum.

Iranian chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili speaks with journalists during a news conference after his trip to Britain in south of Tehran. Iran said, it would safeguard its right to nuclear technology whatever European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana reported about his latest talks with Tehran.

Hamadoun I. Toure, from Mali, Secretary General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), presents the book of Provisional Final Acts of the World Radio Communication Conference, during a press conference at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.

Managing Director of Emerson Process Management India, Sunil Khanna (R) and President of Rosemount Division of Emerson Process Management USA, Mark Schumacher (L) pose for a photograph at the press launch of Smart Wireless Solutions for Process Automation in New Delhi.

Ericsson's Chief Executive Carl-Henric Svanberg arriving for presentation of the third-quarter result in Stockholm. Ericsson, the world's leading mobile networks maker, allegedly paid more than a million dollars (euros) to a former Oman government minister in what appears to have been a bribe for a large contract, Swedish public radio report.

New Linux - Fedora 8 Launched A new version of the free Linux operating system Fedora is available. Fedora 8 includes improved security functions as well as a reworked user interface, reports Red Hat, the company supporting the Linux project. Fedora 8 can also be started from a USB stick. The software can be downloaded at http://fedoraproject.org. 68

European Union (EU) Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson (C) Indian Minister for Commerce and Industry, Kamal Nath (R) President of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Chairman and Managing Director, Bharati AirTel Mobil telecommunications, Sunil Bharti Mittal (L) and Secretary General, Business Europe, Phillppe de Buck (2L) shake hands during the eighth India-EU Business Summit in New Delhi.

Flare Report

Telecom

otorola, Inc. announced a special edition of the new RAZR2, available in limited quantities, in time to celebrate the holiday season in style. The signature RAZR2 form factor has been re-imagined and reconfigured in the most luxurious materials - bathed in gold and clothed in snake-like skin, and includes a full suite of features and accessories for consumers seeking a glamorous design. RAZR2 Luxury Edition, equipped with unique features, is designed for the Middle Eastern audience keeping the latest and most desired trends in mind. The phone has a metallic feel with gold accents adding to the ultimate finesse of the device, while the snake skin finish is sure to entice local and expatriate residents of the region. This special edition of RAZR2 comes complete with a black slate Motorola H680 Bluetooth headset with 18k goldplated accents and also includes in-box. The New phone comes with up to approximately eight hours of crisp, clear talk time and eight days of standby time. The petite and stylish H680 is the perfect companion of style conscious. A wired stereo headset for music enjoyment, a matching patent leather carrying case with mini strap, and a polishing cloth are also included in box, adding even more style to a device that delivers the complete mobile experience. RAZR2 V8 Luxury Edition is available in Motorola authorised retail outlets across UAE.


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Flare Report

said she had no idea (information would be shared). She said it invaded her privacy." Facebook has long prided itself on guarding its users' privacy, but the walls have gradually lowered. In 2006, a "news feeds" feature allowing users to track changes friends make to profiles backfired when many users denounced it as stalking and threatened protests. Facebook quickly apologized and agreed to let users turn off the feature. The new program lets companies tap ongoing conversations by alerting users about friends' activities through the feeds. About 40 web sites have decided to embed a free tool from Facebook, known as a Beacon, to enable the marketing feeds. The idea is that if users see a friend buy or do something, they could take that action as an endorsement for a movie, a band or a soft drink. But it also raises privacy concerns.


ome users of the online hangout Facebook are complaining that its two-week-old marketing program is publicizing their purchases for friends to see. Those users say they never noticed a small box that appears on a corner of their web browsers following transactions at Fandango, Overstock and other online retailers. The box alerts users that information is about to be shared with Facebook unless they click on "No Thanks." It disappears after about 20 seconds, after which consent is assumed. Users are given a second notice the next time they log on to Facebook, but they can easily miss it if they quickly click away to visit a friend's page or check e-mail. People should be given much more of a notice, much more of an alert," said Matthew Helfgott, 20, a college student who discovered his girlfriend just bought him black leather gloves from Overstock for Hanukkah. "She

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled the social net's ad plan

ahoo Inc is offering consumers in Latin America's three largest markets a set of mobile Internet search services, paving the way for network carrier partners to offer Yahoo services of their own. Yahoo said that consumers in Argentina, Brazil and Mexico can point their phone web browsers to m.yahoo.com to download Yahoo's OneSearch mobile Internet software, which features local information in Spanish or Portuguese languages. OneSearch offers Internet search on the first screen that users call up, in contrast to browsers designed for computer users that force phone users to navigate through several screens of links to locate the Web information they desire.

The Yahoo service, which will start out in public test mode in Latin America, was first introduced in the United States earlier this year. It makes mobile Web search faster and more relevant by providing links to local news, financial data, weather conditions, Flickr photos, and other Web sites. These consumer services are designed to complement Yahoo's push to partner mobile operators to feature a set of Yahoo Internet services on phones they offer their own subscribers. Earlier, Yahoo struck a deal to deliver such services to customers of Telefonica SA in several European and Latin American markets.

The deal could eventually cover up to 100 million Telefonica phone subscribers. "You can see this as a precursor for our partners to deploy it on their side," Marco Boerries, executive vice president of Yahoo's Connected Life division, said.


the initiative in 2005. Telecom firm T-Mobile USA is offering people a year of free access to its nearly 8,500 wireless Internet hotspots in the United States

if they become G1G1 donors. The world's largest video game maker, Electronic Arts in Northern California, said this week they are giving the original "SimCity" to OLPC to put on laptops for free. XO laptop operating systems are based on free open-source software. The machines are designed to use less than a tenth the power than standard laptops and come with solar or hand-crank charging options. XO laptops are billed as a "kids machine" designed for rugged environments. The computers have built in video and still cameras as well as wireless Internet connectivity. By empowering children to educate themselves, a new generation will ultimately be better prepared to tackle the other serious problems (poverty, malnutrition, disease) facing their societies.


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ow cost computers for poor children worldwide are being mass produced in China as US nonprofit One Laptop Per Child strives to deliver on its promise. The first of the XO laptops being built at a Quanta Computer facility in Changshu are destined for Uruguay, marking a milestone for the charity group founded by Nicholas Negroponte in Massachusetts two years ago, BBC reported. A challenge for the organisation has been that governments have not backed effusive words of support with willing flows of cash to buy laptops for children inside their borders. For every laptop donated for a child, the donor gets a laptop. The original price was to be 100 dollars per laptop but nearly doubled as costs climbed after Negroponte launched

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Aamir Attaa

Internet

Life is a bed of roses (with the thorns and minus the free money), Idea of earning money is gaining momentum by each passing day. Yes, the magical question everybody is seeking, lets review it here in this article f you're reading this and desperately want to be financially independent, possibly dream of buying a brand spanking new BMW, Mercedez or a huge bungalow, my advise is - just skip this page. I really have no idea on how to make so much money online and I believe not many people has the ability or luck to achieve that. Hold on, but that doesn't mean making some money online is not possible, there is an old saying and it goes: 'Aim for the stars and if you fall, you'll fall among the stars.' Why Blog? The secret lies in Blogging, blogging is easiest and most efficient way of making money online, it is simple, require little skills and some investment depending on the choice of blogging platform. According to research company, one blog is created every second and that's 86,400 per day or 31,536,000 per year. The blog-sphere continues to double about every 5.5 months and about 13% of all blogs are updated at least weekly. The main issue is how long does a blogger blogs before giving up? A week? One month? According to research, half of the new blogs become redundant after just three months. Most bloggers started out with a good intention. The secret path to success is the ability to blogging consistently. It doesn't matter if no one drops any comments or someone uses harsh words on you, the ability to maintain the momentum and chunk out interesting articles is the key to success. Most blogs takes an average of 6 months to build up the much-needed momentum to leap frog one to the other stage. What to Blog? Here is the real issue, what to blog? There must be number of people would be interested in blogging, but they are confused about what exactly they should blog Real bloggers that earn big bucks are usually:
Geeks
With some good knowledge in computers or web coding
They tend to surf the net for hours
Their knowledge is basically limited to computers, gadgets and alike If you happen not to be in those categories, congratulation! Blogging about computers, gadgets, photography, graphic designs are an over saturated market, which basically is a poor decision, the pie is huge but it is over crowded that it is not even worth fighting over it. The ideal topic to blog about is what you like best, for example, if you happen to be a girl and you love fashion, go ahead and blog about it. You need not be a geek to know about blogging, there are plenty of blogging tools available online. The only difference

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between those free blogging and paid hosting blogging are better search engine ranking, which is a plus point. What NOT to Blog? Choosing the right topic is crucial; it is like finding the right soul mate. There are observations that many bloggers abandon their blogs due to the lack of interest or simply lack the idea on what to blog. There are number of young clueless bloggers with no knowledge of what they are blogging about. Never do that! Never blog about something that you don't know
mesothelioma lawyers
what is mesothelioma
peritoneal mesothelioma
consolidate loans
refinancing mortgage
tax attorney
mesothelioma
car accident lawyer
ameriquest mortgage
mortgage refinance Above-mentioned are some of the highest paying keywords in Google Adwords or in any other contextual advertising program. Sure, you can plagiarize these articles from Wikipedia but for how long? The best topic would be something of your interest, be it

The best topic to blog about is something of your interest. If you are passionate about the topic you are blogging, chances are you will never run out of ideas music or art that has a niche market in the digital world. If you're passionate about the topic you are blogging, chances are you will never run out of ideas, remember - maintain the momentum is the key to success. How to Blog? Don't worry at all; you don't need any html skills or web designing knowledge. Blogging is as easy as 1-2-3. There are few blogging platforms to choose from. The current market leaders are Blogger, Wordpress and MoveableType. They are pretty easy to set up. Here is a brief guide: Blogger
Free hosting, unlimited bandwidth
300MB hosting space
No unique domain name (e.g. yourname.blogspot.com)
No plugins, limited features
Central comment center to control spam
Not quite search engine friendly Wordpress
Freeware, host in your own server
Unique domain name (e.g. www.yourname.com)
Tons of plugins, lots of feature
Central comment center to control spam
Tons of professional looking templates


Search engine friendly Wordpress Online
Free, host in your own server
No unique domain name (e.g. yourname.wordpress.com)
limited plugins, limited features
Central comment center to control spam
A handful of professional looking templates
Not quite search engine friendly MoveableType
Freeware, host on your own server
Unique domain name (e.g. www.yourname.com)
Lots of Plugins
Central comment center to control spam
Tons of professional looking templates
Search engine friendly For those with no knowledge in computer or web designing, Blogger.com is the best platform around for beginners. It requires no setup and no coding skills. Wordpress and Moveable Type is the heavy duty version, they are packed with lots of feature and comes with some really nice, professional looking templates. Depending on your budget, if you've got the money and the desire to blog, then by all means get a paid hosting and host your own blog. The plus point in having your own domain name and hosting server is the ability to get a better ranking in Google Search Engine. Most search engines tend to shy away from free hosting servers. Even Google ranks blogs from their own Blogger.com below others that has their own unique names. If you are not sure about getting your own paid hosting plans, I would recommend you to try out this reliable hosting company 3iX. What formula do you need? Determination, this is a very important and key element in becoming a full time blogger. To be able to make money out of blogging, one must be consistent, which means a series of discipline attitude. Blogging is not as easy as what it seems, you may have a good knowledge of computer/html/search engine tweak but without consistency or determination, you'll never succeed. You got to have a willing mind, the passion of learn and the ability to unlearn. Sometimes it takes more than a year for a blog to be successful, remember that if you kept on blogging, eventually you'll succeed. 06 - What's next? Diversifying is the key to success, bloggers that seek a steady flow of income should have multiple blogs that spread across different server and topics so as not to put all their eggs in one basket. Recent years have witness the addition of a variety of viable advertising options for bloggers. Adsense and blogads advertising and a handfull of other are the only option available. My advice is, just start it now.  71

IT

Shahid Zahid

The STB/gateway paradigm has launched a race of sorts as its manufacturers contest to stuff as much functionality into it as possible. It has also prompted other companies such as Motorola and Cisco to get into the technology. As a result STBs are increasingly packing sophisticated technology elcos making plans for video services are already aware that there will be more to Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) than the TV bit, as the Set-Top Box (STB) evolves from an interface for channel-surfing to a gateway for value added services, from interactive channels and shopping to Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) and home networking hubs that can distribute IPTV services anywhere in the home. The STB/gateway paradigm has already launched an arms race of sorts as STB manufacturers contest to stuff as much functionality into STBs as possible. It has also prompted other companies such as Motorola and Cisco to get into the STB/gateway. As a result STBs are increasingly packing sophisticated technology. STB for IPTV are really PCs in disguise. From a hardware standpoint, they are almost the same thing sold as different products. A really good quality PC can do what a STB does. Over the last couple of years, the PC hardware and software sector has been taking that notion to heart. The rise of so-called media servers and multimedia PCs have sought to position PCs as the central media boxes in the home, serving not only as Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) but also video distribution hubs, enabling users to view their TV shows, movies, digital photos or favorite YouTube videos anywhere in the home from one source. Since that logically includes the living room, many companies are working on ways to converge the twofoot/lean-forward PC experience and the ten-foot/lean-back TV experience. This is hardly a new idea. The idea of multimedia PCs as home entertainment hub has been around since at least the early 90s. But it has not been until recently, with the arrival of larger, cheaper hard drives, integrated processors, that the media server business has finally started to gain traction. Microsoft has been touting its Media Center PC solution as the future of home entertainment systems, while Intel's latest cause caliber has been Viiv, a solution that promises to allow TV viewers to download movies, subscribe to TV shows and create their own self updating video collection - all of which is searchable by keyword, and all of which can be operated using a TV remote instead of a mouse. Apple has similar plans for a PC-TV solution. Where does the STB fit in all this? Depending on whom you ask, the STB may not exist in five years. A technology called CableCARD intends to make media servers cable-ready, eliminating the need for a cable STB. Meanwhile, software company Verimatrix is reportedly developing a PC app that will not only allow IPTV subscribers to watch their TV channels from any broadband connected PC, but could also enable a Media Center PC to

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replace the STB altogether. The Media Center Revolution Little wonder, then, that analyst are bullish on the media server market. According to analysts, PC media server market alone will grow from $37 billion this year to $44.8 billion by 2011. With the arrival of faster in-home digital networking technologies such as Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA), an industryaccepted framework for networked digital media distribution in Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA), and the increase in both payTV and Internet content moving over in-home networks, the home media server is becoming a key beachhead in the digital home. PC aftermarket software and embedded media server middleware will also see serious growth in that time. According to analysts, vendors are developing software that lets consumers create their own media servers, while DLNA middleware vendors are creating media server software for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) across all media server categories. But while this entire means that media servers will play a prominent role in home entertainment centers and home networks, that does not necessarily, mean the STB will be

it is not an issue, but the point is most people do not have one now and if a home already has a PC, the owner is not necessarily going to go out and replace it with a Media Center PC just to get IPTV. STB's have a technological edge in that they boot up faster, consume less power and generate less heat and they are less noisy. As PC gateways require at least one in-built fan, the noise factor when in operation makes them not very living room friendly and the noise will get worse as the gateway ages, particularly in a dusty living room where dirt particles are prone to stick to the fan blades. Even more crucial, however, is the usability factor. The usability of gateways is marginal at best. Not too many subscribers will be able to figure out how to work it, or will be willing to try to figure it out. Media PCs are high-end machines bundled with lots of software. It can do what the STB does, but with it you have to go through the pain of actually making it all work. Indeed, one perceived weakness of the media server market is that it is a DIY proposition that caters to users who want to piece together their own home networks or home entertainment centers. The trick is that in a world where pay-TV comes with more functionality than ever, there is far more to building a home network than connecting a DVD player and a game console to the TV set. For example, CableLabs - the organization that developed the CableCARD standard - requires the products as well as the implementation to be certified, killing any DIY aspirations the user might have. Another problem is that the average user needs to be tech-savvy enough to troubleshoot their media server if something goes wrong. It is always possible that five years form now, consumers will be a lot more techsavvy about media servers than they are now. The STB right now is more about control of the experience than technology. Service providers are not thrilled at the idea of people turning their PC into an STB because it adds complexity to their service. They want to have their own STB in the home because they want to provide an integrated service and environment. They can manage the STB and control the services offered on it and introduce new ones easily. This is particularly important in terms of delivering customer satisfaction, which relies on the service working end to end. A related issue is control of bandwidth usage. For example, broadband TV services in developed countries dedicate separate bandwidth within the access loop for broadband Internet and IPTV, which means that super heavy downloads will not impact on the IPTV video stream.

STBs have a technological edge in that they boot up faster, consume less power and generate less heat and they are less noisy. As PC gateways require at least one in-built fan, the noise factor when in operation makes them not very living room friendly and the noise will get worse as the PC ages

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made obsolete in the process. Media servers have come a long way and promise much, but there is still doubt as to how ready they are to deliver an integrated PV/TV experience. The Pain of Do it Yourself (DIY) More to the point, a number of IPTV vendors maintain that STBs carry far more appeal to service providers than media servers. In their current form media gateways can be a mass product. For a start, they are expensive. A PC can cost $300 or so and that does not even include the software license. In comparison, an STB these days costs less than $ 100. Media server model puts the burden on the end-user to buy the Customer Premises Equipment (CPE), since IPTV service providers are not likely to subsidize media servers the way they subsidize STBs. If a home already has a media PC, perhaps

Changing Channels Of course, there is more to control than

IT service quality. It is also about competition not just in terms of which provider has better customer service, but also in the context of other types of video services for which PC-based media servers are well-suited, form video hosting Web sites to peer-topeer services. Ever since iTunes showed there was a market for video downloads, start-up sites like YouTube and GUBA, as well as similar video sharing portals run by Google and Yahoo, have become hot properties to the point that big-name movie studios and content owners, who have complained of users posting copyrighted video clips, are now using these sites to promote new content. Fox Entertainment Group is planning to distribute its videos via sites like MySpace. GUBA recently announced deals with major movie studios Warner and Sony to sell and rent premium movies and TV episodes via its website. This trend signifies a shift in thinking by studios seeking new channels like the Internet and mobile to distribute content. As more and more people begin adapting and adopting mobile communication and mobile entertainment into their everyday lifestyles, more studios and content providers will be looking to these portals as a means of reaching a larger audience, offering premium content, with a very positive economy of scale. Services like GUBA have the advantage of being established and ready, whereas IPTV services are only just coming online. It will take a while before the IPTV technology will be perfected and employed throughout residences and adopted by major telecommunications companies and in Pakistan Brain

not necessarily spell doom for broadcast video in any format. For one thing, service providers are already looking for ways to incorporate the YouTube/P2P trend into their portfolios. It is an STB world right now, but service providers are looking at what other services they can offer or where the STB handles more than video. Still the ticket for IPTV to succeed remains value-add. They have to offer something that you can not get by another way. In any case the role of the STB seems secure for now. Researchers say that while the media server camp will have plenty of success stories, they are more likely for the time being to sit alongside STBs than supplant them. They believe that the pay TV media server category will be dominated in the near future by the medium-term, the STB, while the PC media server and consumer electronics categories will flourish as personal and Internet content media servers. Put another way, media servers and STBs will remain two different market segments. The Media Center PC is more like an extended arm of the PC for media where you will use it for watching DVDs or movie downloads. It does not have a big role in IPTV. There will always be a need for live TV. Broadcast will still be in demand for things like news, sports events, concerts and so on, but the content and the way it's delivered will change.


It is an STB world right now, but service providers are looking at what other services they can offer or where the STB handles more than video. Analysts believe that the pay TV media server category will be dominated in the near future by the medium-term, the STB, while the PC media server and consumer electronics categories will flourish as personal and Internet content media servers Telecommunication Private Limited is providing IPTV using the technique of Fiber To The Home (FTTH). If you put the legal issues of certain services, the popularity of P2P has demonstrated that people's media consumption habits are changing in favor of distributed on-demand video rather than top down model of broadcast, cable, satellite and even IPTV. P2P is easy to use and you don't have to set your viewing schedule to the TV's schedule. It is also portable and you can download videos onto your iPod or video device and consume it on your own terms on the go. P2P is also a scalable and cheap way to distribute video. It is an STB World Even so, the rise of video downloads does

The writer is a TV Broadcast & Satellite Communication Engineer with a National Broadcaster of Pakistan, ATV

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Internet

Ahmed Saeed

Search engines are now revamping their business and road maps to adjust to the conditions of the market. Timely data is now as important as gold was a few years back. As a result, Google and Yahoo are on the verge of a heads on collision regarding human resources, customer relationship management, data mining processes and an overall understanding of the international markets ith a competitive market in place kick-starting all avenues of gathering information, search engines are now revamping their business and road maps to adjust to the conditions of the market. Google and Yahoo are now on the verge of a heads on collision regarding human resources, customer relationship management, data mining processes and an overall understanding of the international markets. Timely data is now as important as gold was a few years back. Data alone can become the differentiators in the market pricing, value, service, and quality become a close second. Google has recently launched a strong campaign hiring graduates from all over the world to become a part of the Google family. These young individuals have been globe trotting in searching of new avenues and ventures. The title of these young cadets is APM, Assistant Product Managers, who have been hired by Google to turn each and every stone to identify exciting and financially savvy ideas. One can hardly go wrong with the best of the minds in the world dedicated and equipped with all the management and financial decision making that a person only acquires after a good ten years in the work field. Astonishing enough, this kind of indecent management style has given birth to an orchestrated platform of ideas that have surfaced beyond the imagination of communities. Orkut and Google maps are just one of the hundreds of exciting and worth taking ideas from these youngsters that have embarked on a revolution on its own. Microsoft is not far behind tracking each detail of customers and whipping out ideas that can become trade marks in the evolving customer centric applications. It is now a requirement of all the big companies to have a strong hold of their customer base and a direct link with the users that have not been touched irrespective of location, size and economic stature. Millions of dollars are now being spent to endorse the critical elements required to measure customer expectations and volumes of untapped resources. Untapped resource is the most horrifying number that all CEO's dread to even dream about. The internet has enabled the masses to

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understand the real picture at hand. Total customer base is not now measured by sales activity alone. Sales forecast is no longer kept under scrutiny and unpredictable variables have been almost eliminated. Search engines are now able to provide a detailed account of the untapped resources available. For a manufacturing plant in Idaho, the owner can now get a comprehensive analysis of how many customers purchase towel all over the world and what is the overall segment that purchases them online. The numbers that conclude internet sales are alarming. It is growing at a rate of

Google has recently launched a strong campaign hiring graduates from all over the world to become a part of the Google family. Microsoft is tracking each detail of customers and whipping out ideas that can become trade marks in the evolving customer centric applications 40 percent increase on an annual basis. This revolution has become a major study and research intensive segment for the universities all over the world. Millions of dollars are now being spent in universities that have a strong research driven engineering school. University of Utah, USA students are now getting offers from major software companies for their research and data mining utilities. Industrial and manufacturing units are highly pleasured with the quality of leaders that are coming forth from these research driven schools. Engineers now are equipped with deciphering the current trends in the market just by searching the online search engine statistics. University of California has generated an immense number of start-up entrepreneurs. It is an evolving revolution in the making. Much of the business acumen stems from the growing demands of the masses. Intelligent customer centric devices or applications do not require much of a business case model. Basic logical stability in searching the heaps of raw data from the internet is more than sufficient.

Boris Evelson, a Forrester Research Analyst and lead author on the upcoming study "It's Time to Reinvent Your BI Strategy", elaborates that companies now need to start indulging into statistics and vision engineering prior to getting finances into play regarding IT software applications, human resources and even operational purchasing. Search engines are working very hard for increasing export from China. Thousands of factories that are gathered in all the different segmented areas of China now want a more comprehensive tool set regarding the customers. With such a blooming economy in place, it is imperative that the manufacturing giants have a comprehensive understanding of the direct customers. An example of this kind of unique identification is that of the automotive industry. Companies are now tapping into the customers directly. According to a recent report, during the electronics show 2006 in USA, a good 40 percent of users change their radios after purchasing their cars. This alone provides the automotive industry with the current user trends and moving forward can equip cars with the specific music devises that customers are willing to add into their vehicles. Amazing fact is the number of manufacturing units across the world that still does not tap into the search engine database. The entire fleet of motorcycles was changed in Korea which resulted in a revolution in the scooter industry. The entire fiasco started by simply understanding what the Korean market wanted. It was not through the rigid marketing surveys or the extensive interviews with the current customer base, but by understanding and learning from the thousands of search criteria's. The search engines indicated a huge customer base searching for faster, reliable transport mechanism. The motorcycle industry was not catering to this demand. The heavy engines and big bikes were not what the young and female population wanted. Scooters became into style as soon as the Korean industry figured out the Morris code in the raw data from the search engines. In a world where competition means the elimination of companies thriving to make a difference, a smarter workflow of inputs will make all the difference.


Flare Report

amsung Electronics Co. Ltd., a global leader in the mobile phone industry with leadership in design and technology, announced the launch of `The Metal 5` in India. The latest Metal 5 is also the World's Slimmest 5 Mega Pixel camera phone. A design icon with high performance camera, The Metal 5 is the latest member of Samsung's successful Metal Series phones. Made to capture quality pictures of priceless moments this metallic finish slider phone is a fusion of design, photography and multimedia. Commenting on the camera phone market in India Mr. H.C.Ryu, M.D. Samsung Telecommunications India, said, "There is high consumer demand for gadget convergence in Sub Continent. Consumers opt for camera phones that are much more convenient for capturing spontaneous shots. As per an independent study, by 2010 almost one billion camera phones will be sold worldwide. In India we are witnessing phenomenal growth in the imaging segment where the market is growing at 6%. Currently one-third of mobile phones sold in India have built-in camera. Samsung has plans to launch this model in other countries as well" He further added that,"with sleek design, the Samsung Metal 5 embodies everything that Indian consumers are seeking in high end camera phone, in terms of unique compact metallic design and flawless function, appealing to young fashion conscious tech-savvy enthusiasts." Bollywood actress Esha Deol, the new brand ambassador of Samsung, was also present at the launch ceremony. The actress, who made her debut with Koi Mere Dil Se Poochhe and is the daughter of celebrated film couple Hema Malini and Dharmendra, struck fame with her performance in Dhoom. The Metal 5 provides complete imaging solutions from image correction to capturing the widest view with panorama shot. All those moments can either be viewed on a 2.2" LCD screen with 16 million colors or played directly on TV with TV Out or wirelessly printed through Bluetooth printing. The Metal 5 is also equipped with a host of multimedia features designed for those on the go. Music lovers will enjoy the embedded MP3 player and stereo FM radio. The Bluetooth capabilities in the phone allow users to enjoy music seamlessly through a wireless stereo headset. With improved internet browsing, users will also benefit from NetFront Browser v.3.4, which provides PClike browser capabilities on mobile. The Metal 5 phone is further secured with revolutionary mobile tracker, emergency SMS alert and privacy lock that provides peace of mind to mobile consumer. Key Features of Samsung Metal 5
Video Player / Recording & Messaging (H.263 / MPEG4)
Background music animation
FM recording / 3D sound Speakerphone
USB / Bluetooth 2.0 / PictBridge
Bluetooth Stereo Headset supported
Mobile Printing (via Bluetooth)
SMS/ MMS / EMS/ WAP / Group messaging
Intelligent UI / Expresso GUI
Voice recorder
Netfront browser v 3.4
55MB Internal Memory
Expandable Memory with micro SDT Flash.

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Samsung Telecommunications India Managing Director Ryu Hyun Chul, left, and Bollywood actor Eisha Deol pose with a Samsung Metal 5 mobile phone during its launch in New Delhi.

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Telecom

Flare Report

Google has launched new digital "watermarking" technology on YouTube in an attempt to stop copyrighted movies and TV programmes from appearing on the popular online video service alled YouTube Video Identification, the new technology has been in development for months with content partners including Time Warner and Disney. Over six hours of video are uploaded onto YouTube every minute and since it was bought by Google last year for $1.65bn (£810m), the site has increasingly been targeted by media companies who accuse it of aiding people in breaching copyright. Last March, Viacom, owner of Hollywood studios Paramount and DreamWorks, launched a $1bn lawsuit against YouTube for copyright infringement. The new technology, launched in "beta test", allows media companies to send their content to Google so it can be digitally "fingerprinted" or "watermarked", allowing them to control what happens if anyone tries to put all or part of it on YouTube. Media companies can prevent clips from or an entire watermarked programme or movie from ever being uploaded to YouTube; or they can allow this content to be put on the site and track how many times it is watched; or allow their content to be uploaded by any-

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one and make money from it by using Google's advertising platform to place adverts alongside it. Google maintains that the technology goes well beyond its legal requirement for dealing with copy right material on YouTube. Find your Copy Righted clip But the new technology will not deal with the estimated millions of clips of copyrighted material already on the website. Media companies will have to follow the traditional route

of finding their copyrighted material and demanding YouTube remove it. Google already watermarks copyrighted clips that media companies want to remove they cannot be uploaded by someone else.

But that only works if someone attempts to upload the same clip. The new technology, however, watermarks an entire movie or TV programme so none of its can be put on the site without its legal owner's knowledge. Anyone trying to put this type of content on the site will see a warning message telling them the content's owner has barred it from YouTube and telling them they can appeal the ruling if they feel the content is not subject to copyright. "Only the rights owner can know whether their content is available online with their permission or not - no technology can replace this," admitted a spokesman for YouTube. "But what technology can do is make it easier for rights owners to express their decisions about how their content is used online." "This is what we have built - a simpler way for rights owners to express their content policies. This means that rights owners who want to use and help us refine our video ID system will be providing the necessary information to help us identify their work, and what they have done when that recognition happens. We aim to make that process as convenient as possible."


The new 256-slice CT machine can produce 3D body images of unprecedented clarity while reducing radiation by as much as 80%. It seems to be another step beyond what we were previously able to do. In the case of cancer, it will help us see how far it has spread new scanner has been unveiled which takes large numbers of X-ray pictures, and combines them using computer technology to produce the final detailed images. It also generates images in a fraction of the time of other scanners: a full body scan takes less than a minute. The Philips machine was unveiled at the Radiological Society of North America. Because the images are 3D they can be rotated and viewed from different directions - giving doctors the greatest possible help in looking for signs of abnormalities or disease. All images also can be accessed on any computer in a hospital or by colleagues and researchers remotely, to make it easier for the whole team to share information. The scan is much quicker than current technology, as the machine's X-ray emitting gantry - the giant ringshaped part that surrounds the patient - can rotate four times in a single second - 22% faster than current systems. The cost of the equipment - known as the Brilliance CT - is unclear. At present, it is only being used in one hospital: "This scanner allows radiologists to produce high quality images

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and is also designed to reduce patients' exposure to X-rays and It is so powerful it can capture an image of the entire heart in just two beats " Steve Rusckowski, chief executive of Philips Medical Systems, said. The record company EMI was behind the first commercially viable CT scanner, which was invented by Sir Godfrey Newbold Hounsfield in Hayes, United Kingdom at the company's laboratories and unveiled in 1972. At the same time, Allan McLeod Cormack of Tufts University independently invented a similar machine, and the two men shared the 1979 Nobel Prize in Medicine. Experts say that this is a quantum shift from the first CT scanners as it gives a lot more detail. It seems to be another step beyond what we were previously able to do. The high resolution enables you to see smaller things in both the lungs and the airways and then decide whether there is anything there and how best to get at it. In the case of cancer, it will help us see how far it has spread. It will also help us pick up new patterns of abnormality. It promises to be a significant advance.


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Chief of Army Staff and Pro-Chancellor General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani giving away the degrees among the successful students during the 5th Postgraduate Convocation of National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST).

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Visitors play a video game at the India Gaming Summit 2007, in Mumbai, India. Sony Online Entertainment LLC plans to set up a development studio in India for online games that would have local content and a local partner, a company official said.

School children view the exhibits inside the 'Science Express' at the Jammu railway station in Jammu. The 'Science Express', a unique train exhibition specially designed to arouse the curiosity of youth in the field of science and technology.

A clock at a Siemens AG office building indicates "five minutes after twelve" in Erlangen, southern Germany. German telecommunications giant Siemens AG paid about 17.5 million dollars (12 million euros) in bribes to government and industry officials in Nigeria, Russia and Libya in a bid to win contracts.

Vietnam's Communist Party chief Nong Duc Manh, center, is briefed on a mobile phone by an unidentified LG Electronic Inc.'s employee as LG Electronic Inc. vice chairman Nam Yong, right, looks on during Manh's visit to the LG Electronics Inc. factory in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, South Korea.

Two-legged "e-nuvo Walk" Verstion 3 robot kicks a ball during a press preview in Tokyo. ZMP of Japan began selling the walking robot that runs on Microsoft's new robotics software a product the companies said will make it easier to transfer technology from one robot to another.

Robots for Japan's largest industrial robot maker Yasukawa Electric, beat a drum at the International Robot Exhibition in Tokyo. Some 200 companies and more than 50 organisations from Japan and abroad took part in the 2007 International Robot Exhibition in Tokyo, one of the world's largest robot shows.

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Flare Report

Telenor Pakistan, in collaboration with Rafi Peer Theater Workshop, presented one of the biggest events of Asia in Lahore. The event provided a fair amount of fun to the audiences as over 1000 international artists from all over the world performed during affair elenor Pakistan and Rafi Peer Theater Workshop (RPTW) jointly presented Asia's biggest festival, 'World Performing Arts Festival 2007'. The event was held at Alhamra Cultural Complex, Lahore from 22nd November to 2nd December, 2007. Over 1000 international artists from different counties performed in various events of music, drama, film, theater and puppetry. The aim of the festival was to promote culture as a fundamental dimension of contemporary life at all levels. The festival highlighted the fundamental role of the arts as cultural expression necessary for human development, the economy, the creation of new educational partners and the cultivation of diversity. The idea for the World Performing Arts Festival took root in 1992, in the form of a simple puppet festival. Since then it has grown into the largest and most exciting cultural event to take place each year in Lahore. It incorporates every important mode of creative expression, be it dance, theater, puppetry, music, or film, and grants each country a space in which to shine. This year the countries from five conti-

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Telenor Pakistan and Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop presented 'World Performing Arts Festival 2007' at Alhamra Cultural Complex Lahore. Sigvart Voss Erikssen, Chief Marketing Officer Telenor and Azeem ul Haq, Director Marketing Telenor are watching the performance of artists

nents (Asia, America, Europe, Africa, and Australia) participated in the festival. Over the years, consistent efforts and hard work has gone into making this Festival possible. Today, it is the largest Festival of its kind in South East Asia. Enjoying overwhelming support from diverse audiences, it is also one of the leading events of cultural and artistic exchange between the East and the West. This year the festival featured more than 1000 performers hailing from near 50 countries. Diverse musical genres such as World Music, African, Rock, Pop, Folk, Jazz, Sufi Soul, and Fusion were presented during the event. Theatre traditions from various cultural origins were on display. Performances in both classical and modern dance styles were conducted. Puppeteers from all over the world entertained and educate the audience with their skills and creativity. An intensive cinematic experience was delivered to the audience through feature films, short films and documentaries, from different countries. The festival provided a strong platform, away from the West, for artists from all over the world to meet and fight for a better society through diversity of culture. It also

Event ater, and dance showcases were dominated by international groups this year. The puppetry segment including a new performance style called "object theater." The segment, as a whole, included 13 performance groups, of which 11 were international. The theater portion of the festival featured 16 international and five local groups, while the dance line-up included six international and three local groups. The festival was screen over 58 films, ranging from feature films to documentaries, short films, and telefilms, originating from 13 countries. Foreign media guests included Govind Nihalani, Sudhir Misra, and members of Film Trust India were present in the event. Irfan Wahab Khan, Executive Vice President Telenor Pakistan, while commenting on the partnership between Pakistan's largest creative arts group and the fastest growing mobile company, said, "Telenor Pakistan has worked with Rafi Peer Theater Workshop to further expand the festival because it offers so much. We get to contribute to the international appreciation of the richness of our culture. We create opportunities for upcoming Pakistani talent and experienced folk performers to reach out to international audiences. We get to host artists who will act as cultural ambassadors for Pakistan in their own countries. Such a creative platform is the need of our society and aligns well with Telenor Pakistan's aim to promote our culture as something that binds us together across distances." CEO Peer Group, Usman Peerzada, pleased to continue his partnership with Telenor Pakistan, said, "Over the years, the World Performing Arts Festival has experienced tremendous growth alongside enjoying international media coverage. In the year 2007, Rafi Peer Theater Workshop with Telenor Pakistan, will reach newer heights. The festival has traveled a long journey to reach its twenty-sixth edition and become the biggest showcase of performing arts in Asia. It is the only independent event of such magnitude in the region, serving to put Pakistan firmly on the cultural world map, year after year."


Telenor, Pakistan's third largest cellular operator with over 12.5 million subscribers, is fulfilling its social responsibility in a right manner by promoting various activities in the country gave them a chance to understand this region and develop relationships with the artists here. A natural outcome of this exchange will be a more informed dialogue between cultures and the potential for further peaceful collaborations between countries. The festival presented a range of art forms in over a hundred performances. The music showcase featured a different genre of music each night: World Music, Rock, Pop, Mystic Soul, Ghazal, and Classical. The puppetry, the-

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Warid is making serious efforts to bring overlooked game and plzyers in to light. Its initiatives will persuade other companies to take interest in the elevation of the low profile games of the country

The final match of WISPA event in Pakistan Open Squash Championship at Mushaf Squash Complex between Chritina Mak & Donna Urquhart.

arid Telecom, a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi group and rapidly growing cellular network of the country, sponsored Pakistan Open Squash Championship 2007. The event, held at the Mushaf Ali Mir Squash Complex Islamabad, included men's and women's events. Produce Male participants of the championship took part in the qualifying round, while the women's event, which was staged for the first time ever in the history of Pakistan Open, did not include qualifying round due to low number of entries. World number 13 Stewart Boswell from Australia was the top seed while world number 16 Mohd Azlan Iskandar from Malaysia occupies second place of the international showpiece. Five Pakistanis - Mansoor Zaman, Aamir Atlas Khan, Farhan Mehboob, Shahid Zaman and Yasir Butt were already in the main round as Yasir got a wild card entry in the championship. Around $ 77,000 prize money was distributed among the men and $11,000 among the women players. The championship was little bit discolored as most of the international players refused to play due to the imposition of the emergency in the country. But eventually the event reached a safe and secure conclusion. Aamir Atlas of Pakistan and Christina Mak of Hong Kong lifted the men's and women's titles respectively. Aamir Atlas overcame the more-experienced Mansoor Zaman in straight games to win the title of Pakistan Open Squash Championship. Christina thrashed Donna Urquhart of Australia 3-1 in the final to win the women's crown of the championship. Dr Shamshad Akhtar, Governor State Bank of Pakistan was the chief guest and distributed the prizes and trophies among the women. Gen. Tariq Majeed, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, was the Chief

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Guest at the men's final. Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mehmood Ahmed, President Pakistan Squash Federation, Mr Farrukh Hayat GM Sales Warid Telecom, and AVM Asim Suleiman Senior Vice President, PSF, were also present on the occasion and awarded trophies to the winners and runners up. Mr. Omer Haider, G.M. Government and Regulatory Affairs Warid, said "Warid is aiming to promote various sports in the country as its social responsibility. We want to see Pakistan achieve the glory it had in the past in the game of squash at international circuit. We believe our efforts will definitely bring fruits and a clear difference will be seen in the future." Pakistan dominated the squash world for staggering four decades and the stunning exploits of their gifted players like Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan had left even their opponents marveling in awe at the prowess of the country's talent, but today the story is entirely different. The standard of squash has nose-dived dramatically and all that is happening despite a perceptible increase in the infrastructure for the game. One of the main reasons behind the debacle of squash is the lack of incentives for the players. Very few companies are contributing to sponsor the game and players. Sponsorship plays a very critical role in the promotion of a game. They not only bring the foreign investments in the country but also contribute to the game by initiating different incentives for players. Warid telecom is playing a very active role to promote various games in the country. The company is making efforts to bring the ignored games into light and raise Pakistani players to the international arena. The company is determined to take more measures to bring more games and players to the light in the future. This initiative will persuade other companies to take interest in the elevation of the low profile games of the country.


Governor State Bank Shamshad Akhtar poses for a group photo with the finalists of WISPA/Pakistan Open Squash Championship at Mushaf Squash Complex.

Ms. Christina Mak from Hong Kong receiving the winners trophy from Governor State bank Shamshad Akhter after winning the final of WISPA Pakistan Open Squash Championship-2007 played at Mushaf Squash Complex.

General Tariq Majid, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee giving away the winning trophy to Aamir Atlas after a final of WISPA Pakistan Open Squash Championship-2007 played at Mushaf Squash Complex.

Aamir Atlas and Mansoor Zaman struggling to get hold on the ball during the final of WISPA Pakistan Open Squash Championship-2007 played at Mushaf Squash Complex.

Internet

ndia's fastest-growing telecom provider, Tata Teleservices and Opera Software has announced that the upcoming BREW-enables handsets will get access to Opera Mini. This revolutionary browser is expected to be available first on the Huawei C2900i, a mass market BREW-enabled handset. With the Opera Mini, Opera Software marks a vibrant entry into the Indian market. Tata Teleservices also provides an access to Internet in local languages such as Hindi. The world's popular mobile web browser allows mobile owners to access the entire web and surf their favorite websites, mobile blogging and social networking. It also bundles bookmarks, secure access to e-mail and online banking to offer Web content to everyday mobile phones. The Indian telecom industry watchdog, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) remarked that the number of Indian customers who connects the Internet through Mobile phones has more than dou-

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apanese electronics giant Hitachi unveiled the company's new humanoid robot "EMIEW 2" (Excellent Mobility and Interactive Existence as Workmate) equipped with the world's first convertible legs. The new toddler-like robot rolled around and waved in a demonstration, only to crash into a desk -- highlighting the hurdles robots must overcome to become real-life partners. Never that the 80cm tall, 13kg machine could scoot on two wheels, get on its knees to move on four wheels and even lift its foot 3cm to step over thresholds and bumps. The red and white robot, designed to work as a guide and run errands in offices, was not prepared for the jam of lunch-break wireless and Internet

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traffic at Hitachi Ltd's research center and smashed into a desk right in the middle of a demonstration. A demonstrator reached out in the nick of time to catch the robot by its winglike handles before it toppled over. Robots now mostly used as industrial machinery and entertainment gadgets. But Hitachi's new robot is the latest attempt by several Japanese companies to develop one that can play roles as assistants in daily life. Engineers are working hard to create robots that run smoothly and safely so that people are not hurt. Japan among the world's leaders in robotics, and the government is pushing major companies like Hitachi to develop robots for practical use.


ietnam and US aircraft maker Boeing have signed deals for twelve 787-8 Dreamliners to help the state-run carrier modernise its fleet and meet surging air travel demand. Vietnam Airlines agreed to buy four of the large passenger jets and the newly formed Vietnam Aircraft Leasing Company (VALC) will buy eight of the twin-aisle aircrafts to lease out to the airline. VALC said the eight planes it bought, to be delivered from 2016 onward, would cost a combined 1.4 billion dollars, putting the total price tag for the 12 aircraft at about 2.1 billion dollars. Boeing's Vice chairman Stanley Alan Dean (R, sitting) and Vietnam Airlines' Deputy The first of four 787s ordered under a Director General Pham Ngoc Minh (L, sitting) sign a Boeing 787 aircraft purchase previous deal are due to be delivered by agreement as Boeing's Chairman Scott Edward Carson (2nd R, standing) and Vietnamese Minister for Plan and Investments Vo Hong Phuc (3rd R, standing) look late 2009, and Vietnam Airlines plans to on in Hanoi. operate a total of 20 Dreamliners by 2015, and 28 by 2020, the airline said in growing at 11.7 percent a year, according a statement. "The 787 Dreamliner will enable Vietnam Airlines to better match air- ment's official website.
plane capabilities with market expectations and demands as the airline

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bled in just about a year - to 38 million from 16 million. "We are bringing the world's best mobile Web browsing experience to India and are the first operator to enable this experience for Indian consumers. Mobile Web on affordable mobile devices will open up the power of the Internet to a huge base of consumers, in a language of their choice." said Pankaj Sethi, President, VAS & Enterprise Marketing, Tata Teleservices Ltd. "India continues to be an important market for Opera and we are excited to partner with Tata Teleservices to offer the full power of the Internet to mobile users in India. The new Opera Mini on BREW solution clearly demonstrates our vision and commitment to provide an outstanding Web browsing experience on mobile phones to customers in India," commented Jon von Tetzchner, Chief Executive Officer, Opera Software. Research studies conducted by Gartner explained that India's mobile phone market is expected to reach more than 18 per cent in the next five years.


expands ...to include North America and new European and Asian destinations," said Michael Fleming, Boeing's senior sales director for the Asia Pacific region. Communist-ruled Vietnam has also agreed to buy 10 Airbus A350-900XWBs and 20 A321s in a deal that is set to be finalised by the end of this year. Air travel is taking off in the country of 84 million -which has seen tourism and business travel surge amid over 8 percent annual economic growth last year -- and foreign airlines and budget carriers are flocking to Vietnam. The aviation sector is now to a statement on the govern-

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ing to U.S. Environmental Protection ost Americans think Agency data. But a growing number of they are helping the states are banning such waste from earth when they landfills, which could drive more waste recycle their old cominto the recycling stream and fuel puters, televisions exports, activists say. and cell phones. But Many brokers claim they are simply chances are that they contribute to a exporting used equipment for reuse in global trade in electronic trash that polpoor countries. That's what happened lutes the environment overseas. in September, when customs officials in While there are no precise figures, Hong Kong were tipped off by environactivists estimate that 50 percent to 80 mentalists and intercepted two freight percent of the 300,000 to 400,000 tons containers. They cracked the containof electronics collected for recycling in ers open and found hundreds of old the United States each year ends up computer monitors and televisions disoverseas. Workers in countries such as carded by Americans thousands of China, India and Nigeria then use hamHeaps of electronic waste lie at a dumping site. mers, gas burners and their bare hands miles away. to extract metals, glass and other recyclables. Activists complain that most exporters do not test units to make sure "It is being recycled, in the most horrific way you can imagine," said they work before sending them overseas. Jim Puckett of the Basel Action Network, the Seattle-based environ"Reuse is the new excuse. It's the new passport to export," said. mental group that tipped off Hong Kong authorities. "We're preserving "Other countries are facing this glut of exported used equipment under our own environment, but contaminating the rest of the world." the pretext that it is all going to be reused."
The problem could get worse. Most of the 2 million tons of old electronics discarded annually by Americans goes to U.S. landfills, accord-

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ill Gates, chairman of Microsoft Corp., announced that Microsoft will donate developer software to all National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) educational chapters in the United States. The announcement was made during Gates' keynote speech at the NSBE Region VI Fall Regional Conference, sponsored by Microsoft. The software grant provides NSBE educational chapters with a three-year membership subscription to the Microsoft Developer Network Academic Alliance. Through the memberships, faculty and student NSBE chapter members will have access to more than 100 Microsoft software products. Key software includes development and design tools such as Microsoft Visual Studio; client and server operating system platforms such as Microsoft Windows Server and Windows Vista; and platform servers such as Microsoft SQL Server. "Microsoft and the National Society of Black Engineers have many common goals, including

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Chinese knock off Americans in Digital Self-Expression illions of young Chinese are embracing the Internet as a discreet space for their thoughts and emotions, according to a survey of Chinese and American youth released by IAC, which operates businesses in sectors being transformed by the Internet, and JWT, the fourth largest advertising agency network in the world. The findings show how eagerly young Chinese are taking to the Internet and its possibilities-for example, almost five times as many Chinese as American respondents said they have a parallel life

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a passion to attract more African-American students to enter science, technology, engineering and math fields," said Carl Mack, executive director of the NSBE. "We are thrilled that Microsoft will help our students reach their goals by providing them with the latest developer software." Also during his keynote address, Gates spoke about the opportunities for AfricanAmerican students entering U.S. engineering careers and the importance of diversity in the technology field. This grant, he said, is part of Microsoft's overall efforts to provide minorities with the tools necessary to be the IT leaders of tomorrow. NSBE and its members have long recognized the company's diversity efforts. Microsoft was recently named NSBE's Most Preferred Employer. NSBE praised Microsoft for its career advancement opportunities, job security, work-life balance, interesting work and availability of internships.
online (61 percent vs. 13 percent). And while less than half of the 1,079 American respondents agreed that "I live some of my life online" (42 percent), a sizable majority of the 1,104 Chinese respondents agreed with the statement (86 percent). The two random online surveys polled 16- to 25-year-olds. The "Young Digital Mavens" study aimed to explore how attitudes toward digital technology are changing among Chinese and American youth at a time when people are spending less time with traditional media and more with interactive technology. The study found that while a large majority of youth in both countries now feels dependent on digital technology, this attitude is especially pronounced in China. As many as 80 percent of Chinese respondents agreed that "Digital technology is an essential part of how I live", as compared to 68 percent of Americans. The Internet is such a vital part of life for Chinese youth that they are twice as likely as young Americans to say they would not feel OK going without Internet access for more than a day (25 percent vs. 12 percent). And more than twice as many Chinese youth admitted they sometimes feel "addicted" to living online: 42 percent vs. 18 percent of Americans.


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oogle released upgraded mapping displays a map of the area with a blue circle pinsoftware that figures out the genpointing the spot. eral vicinity a mobile telephone is A search for "cafes" in the area resulted in a list of coffee houses along with directions on request. in based on which transmission "We have all been there," Chu wrote. "You are tower it is using. The beta or test out and about, and you need to figure out where version of new Google Maps for you are, what is around you, and how to get there." mobile software lets mobile phone users choose Google says its location tracking service is from options including seeing satellite views of faster than GPS, uses less battery power and is their locales, getting directions and finding nearby more reliable indoors where architecture somebusinesses. times interferes with satellite signals. Unlike other mapping devices, Google's new In an effort to pre-empt concerns regarding pritracking feature can display a phone's location vacy, Google says it is not gathering "any personalwithout the user entering an address. ly identifiable information" or data that could reveal "While some people are lucky enough to have GPS-enabled mobile phones that provide locaThe software is unique as unlike particular users' whereabouts. The My Location can be disabled by users. tion information ... the vast majority of us are other mapping devices this feature My Location software works on most of the not." Google mobile team engineer Mike Chu tracking feature can display a Internet-enabled smart phones including wrote in a posting on the company's website. The revamped mapping software enables phone's location without enter- BlackBerry models, newer Sony Ericsson devices, some Symbian and Motorola phones. mobile telephones linked to the Internet to simuing an address Google says its mobile mapping software, late GPS (global positioning system) tracking, which debuted in the US in late 2005, is used by which uses orbiting satellites. millions of people in more than 20 countries.
The free Google Maps version 2.0 comes with a "My Location" feature that determines which cell tower a mobile telephone is using and

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he music business has been in decline for the last seven years. CDs are not selling in the numbers they used to, which is a worry for the record industry as well as retailers. The online revolution took the record industry by surprise and it has been playing catch-up ever since. "I think the music industry has to accept its fair share of the blame for not acting quickly enough to digital music," said Adam Benzine from Music Week magazine. The recording industry is finally hitting back and mobile phones are leading the charge. CD sales might be tumbling but digital music sales are steadily increasing. Unfortunately digital growth only accounts for a tenth of overall music sales, so they are still not making up for the shortfall generated by CDs. There is one territory, which is bucking this trend though. Digital music sales in Japan are sufficient to offset the loss made by CDs. In fact, Japan saw a 1% rise in music sales last year. Industry observers attribute this rise to mobile music downloads. Downloading via mobile offers the user the ability to browse a store's back catalogue, purchase and download music all via a mobile phone while on the move, cutting out the need to download songs using a computer.

The biggest hurdle that mobile music companies currently face is that it is just not easy enough to buy music on the mobile phone. Globally, various mobile music stores have launched; the UK has seen three launch in recent weeks. Generating more hype than the average Hollywood blockbuster, Apple's iPhone downloads songs using wi-fi from its already successful iTunes store.


Microsoft Corp said has that it expects strong growth in Asia's IT sector to more than double headcount for its customer service centre in the region in five years time. Wing-Dar Ker, general manager for Microsoft Customer Service and Support in the Asia-Pacific and Greater China region, said that the centre currently has around 850 staff. "We have huge growth across the board, not only just in China but all across Asia as well," With rapid growth, of course the need for services will come along. The centre, founded in 1997, offers technical support to customers in

Mainland China, Europe, Asia-Pacific and North America. While the majority of the staff is located at its Shanghai headquarters, the centre also has offices in Hong Kong, Seoul, Singapore, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand. The centre also offers training to Chinese information technology employees, and works with 400 to 500 outsourcing agents in the AsiaPacific region. According to research firm Gartner, the information technology services market is set to grow 8.7 per cent globally to more than $730 billion this year.


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ICT Growing Fast, Chairman PTA tell Worlds Conference Chairman Pakistan of Center of Excellence (CoE) at Telecommunication Authority Pakistan and planned courses for (PTA) Maj. Gen. Shahazada Alam the year 2008. Malik (Retd) met Dr Hamadoun The Secretary General Touré, Secretary-General expressed his great confidence on telecom development capacities in International Telecommunication Pakistan and acknowledged these Union (ITU) and Houlin Zhao achievements as remarkable. He Deputy Secretary-General, ITU at mentioned that Pakistan can be ITU Tower World Radio presented as a role model and Conference 2007 in Geneva, ITU will plan a case study on the Switzerland. The meeting was subject as a part of activities under aimed to apprise the Secretary Telecommunication Development General on developments in teleBureau. com sector and international activChairman reaffirmed full supities of Pakistan especially with port of PTA and Government of reference to ITU, and to seek Pakistan and its activities particuassistance of ITU in development larly focus on its role in developof telecom sector of Pakistan. ment of the developing countries' Chairman PTA briefed Chairman PTA, Maj. Gen (R) Shahzada Alam Malik and Executive President National networks. The meeting was Secretary Gen regarding latest Telecom Regulatory Authority of Egypt Dr. Amr Badavi signing a Memorandum of understanding (MoU) to increase the mutul cooperation between two Authorities. Ambassador of acknowledged beneficial for both developments in telecom sector Pakistan to the United Nation Mr. Masood Khan is also present comprising of mobile growth, sucthe parties. It is pertinent to mention here cessful MNP implementation, WLL that World Radio Conference was held after four years and it dealt with success story, rural PCOs under President Rozgar Scheme, USF fund, Radio Communication and Spectrum issues and was attended by 200 R&D Fund and issues related to mutual interest. Chairman further member countries. Chairman PTA participated as member Radio informed regarding capacity developed at PTA in the deregulation Regulation Board - an elected body within ITU consisting of 12 memprocess and consultancy provided by PTA at international level to bers from all parts of the world.
Uganda, Kenya, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Papua New Guinea etc. Chairman explained the Secretary Gen. regarding successful operation

Mobilink Launches Lifetime Validity IT Minister Dr. Abdullah Riar Mobilink has announced the launch of visits NTC another innovative feature 'Lifetime Validity' for its entire JAZZ customer base. The prepaid market has always had the dilemma of scratch card validities with customers worrying about their credit/connection expiring. Now their validity is dependent on usage as opposed to recharge, hence JAZZ customers will not have to worry about their connections or scratch cards expiring. With just one phone call or SMS, customers can keep their connections active, providing them with complete freedom and convenience. Akbar Khan, Head of Brands, said, "Our JAZZ Customers are the backbone of the company. Their loyalty and determination get due recognition from Mobilink, keeping in view their changing lifestyle and aspirations as the focal point we have launched JAZZ lifetime validity, bringing peace of mind to their day to day communication requirements. It is a new feature in the telecom sector, where customers will now be able to keep their Jazz connections active forever."


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PABBF Secretary Syed Ashraf Ali Shah and Col (R) Naseem Butt Secretary Federation addressing a press conference for the up coming National Women’s Basket Ball Championship 2007.

The Federal Minister for IT and Telecom, Dr Abdullah Riar visited National Telecom Corporation Head Quarters and addressed the NTC officers at concluding day of the first ever conference for 1st quarter of performance review 2007-8. The Minister was apprised about the progress of the corporation, its completed and ongoing projects as well as future

A group photograph of Caretaker Federal Minister for Information Technology Dr. Abdullah Riar during the inauguration of video conferencing facility by National Telecom. Corporation (NTC).

schemes. Dr. Abdullah congratulated NTC management and staff on overall good performance and achievements. The test launch of the video conferencing project was undertaken by the IT Minister -one of the recently completed projects of video conferencing setup for government including 14 VVIPs sites established in Islamabad and Provincial HQs at Karachi , Lahore , Quetta and Peshawar - all interlinked with Islamabad . The Network has been setup at a cost of Rs.20 Million. Dr.Abdullah had interactive sessions with Dy. Chairman Planning Commission Dr. Akram Skeikh and Mr. Hifz-urRehman, Secretary IT. Dr. Abdullah Riar hailed the project and urged that it should be extended to other Ministries as well. The Video Conferencing systems have been installed at the Presidency, President's Camp Office, Prime Minister's Secretariat, Planning Commission, Ministry of IT, Governors and Chief Minister's offices in all the four provinces. Objective of the project is to provide visual communication means for the VVIPs, with a view to enhance security and efficient communication. After presentation on NTC performance, the Minister distributed Certificates of Excellence among the best performers of the Corporation and congratulated the newly promoted officers to BPS-19. Chairman NTC and Member Telecom, MoIT, Mr. Noorud-Din Baqai accompanied the Minister during the visit.


National

Soomro Lauds Progress of Telecom Sector Caretaker Prime Minister confidence to the people as it Mohammadmian Soomro has said provides instant connectivity that as a result of government's across the country and the world. policies of deregulation, privatizaCEO PTCL Mr. Walid Irshaid tion and liberalization, the telecom said that the economic stability achieved by Pakistan has created sector has attracted record investa conducive atmosphere for ments and this sector has become investment. He said efforts are a major employer of skilled jobs as underway to transform PTCL into its exponential growth has resulted a world-class company and it will in creation of thousands of jobs. bring expansion in areas of fixed The prime minister said this while liens, cellular phones, broadband, talking to the CEO PTCL Mr. Walid domestic and long distance calls. Irshaid, who called on him at the PTCL, managed by Etisalat, a prime minister's secretariat. UAE based telecom group, is the The prime minister said that largest telecom operator in the systematic and sustained implecountry. Etisalat has expanded its mentation and management efforts CEO, PTCL, Mr. Walid Irshad called on Caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Mian Somroo at PM secretariat Islamabad operations in the Middle East and by the government has totally transAfrica with a vision to become one of the top ten-telecom service formed and modernised the telecom sector. He added it is not often providers in the global market by the year 2010.
realised that access to telecom services gives a sense of pride and

Motorola and Mobilink Sign Accord Motorola, Inc has announced an agreement with Mobilink to deploy a WiMAX 802.16e-2005-access network in Pakistan. Under the terms of the agreement, Motorola will design, plan, deploy and optimize a WiMAX network for Mobilink, deliver integration and support services as well as indoor and outdoor customer premises equipment (CPE) units to enable faster adoption of the operator's WiMAX offering. "As we adopt new technologies to meet evolving customer needs, we wanted to work with a trusted wireless broadband solutions provider. Motorola was a natural choice to support us in designing and deploying our 802.16e WiMAX network in Pakistan to offer our growing customer base next-generation broadband services," said Mobilink's President and Chief Executive Officer Zouhair A Khaliq. "Today's announcement with Mobilink and Orascom Telecom for WiMAX highlights both the long-term viability of this solution and the vibrancy of Pakistan's communications sector. We are proud to be building on our long relationship with Mobilink in Pakistan with the deployment of WiMAX," said Ali Amer, Vice President of the Sales, Middle East, Africa and Pakistan, Motorola Home and Networks Mobility. The benefits of the WiMAX network to Mobilink's customer base will include rapid broadband access in geographic areas where broadband coverage was not previously available. WiMAX is anticipated to offer affordable broadband as well as a convenient end-user solution with unified pre-paid billing.


PSEB Promoting Entrepreneurial Culture in IT

As a continuous policy of warid Telecom encouraging employee's sports activities, 2nd Inter-departmental tape ball cricket tournament. GM HR and Administration is handing over the trophy to the winner of the finals.

IGI Securities Offer SMS Service to Investors IGI Securities has announced to introduce an SMS service that will instantly confirm any trading transactions made by investors - anytime and anywhere. Whether they buy or sell, investors will be able to validate their trade, almost immediately after they make their transaction. Investors can avail of this new SMS service by enrolling their cell phone numbers on the IGI Securities website, calling the toll free call centre or by simply giving instructions while opening a trading account with IGI Securities. This new service will provide investors with the peace of mind that their trading transactions have been executed, whether they are trading through a broker or an online internet trading system like I-Trade. IGI Securities Limited is determined to become the leading brokerage firm in Pakistan by providing innovative services. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of IGI Investment Bank and a part of the IGI Financial Services Group which offer services including Investment Banking, Insurance, Brokerage and Asset Management.


Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) is launching various initiatives to facilitate access to venture capital, strengthening the equity base of IT companies and promoting world class entrepreneurial culture in the IT industry. The projects are aimed at raising the fast track development and robust growth of the Pakistan's IT industry. One such Programme, the PSEB's Entrepreneurship Project has been initiated to provide consultancy, on due diligence, to selected IT companies with the objective of qualifying them for Initial Public Offering (IPO). Currently, out of over 1082 IT companies in Pakistan, only two companies are listed on the Karachi Stock Exchange. 'To get more companies listed, as envisioned under the project, PSEB would subsidise its consultancy by 75 per cent while selected companies would bear the remaining 25 per cent of the consultancy fee', a spokesman of PSEB said in a statement. In order to facilitate access to venture capital, PSEB would facilitate entrepreneurs in getting venture capital funding through vetting business plans and establishing linkages with Angel, VC, Private Equity, Public and Multilateral funding organisations. PSEB has also launched an Apprenticeship Programme for creating a pool of skilled resources in Pakistan's IT industry matching the advanced and specialised international technological requirements. Under this initiative, IT companies would recruit IT graduates on apprenticeships and later hire them for a period of at least one year. This would allow fresh graduates to follow a career path provided by the participant companies, thus strengthening the pool human capital in the country. The spokesman also said that a multinational IT company, Bearing Point, has already expressed its willingness to recruit about 100 IT apprentices out of which 46 have already been placed. Another major project, the IT industry Internship Programme, said the official spokesman of PSEB, intends to bridge the gap between the IT industry and academic institutions, and would help mould fresh graduates into world-class professionals. Some 3100 internees from 205 universities/institutes were placed in the local IT industry and 235 IT departments of public and private sector organisations.


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PTCL's VSS Purely Voluntary: IT Minister The Government of Pakistan likes to clarify that the separation scheme offered by PTCL to employees is purely voluntary in nature and does not force any employee to leave the company. This was stated by Dr. Abdullah Riar, the Federal Minister of Information Technology and Telecom while reiterating that the decision of Cabinet Committee on Privatization and PTCL Board of Directors is very clear in this regard. The IT Minister emphasized that the Government of Pakistan is fully cognizant of PTCL's employees' concerns regarding the scheme, and the aim of Voluntary Separation Scheme is to offer an attractive scheme to employees and at the same time, to help PTCL improve its operational efficiency. He said that the scheme would offer attractive package to the employees and it would be ensured that the PTCL management inculcates confidence amongst the employees regarding the benefits of the scheme and its voluntary nature. The Minister further stated that the employees of PTCL would be guided through workshops on safe and secure investment opportunities.


Kazi A. Muktadir, MD, National Institute of Banking & Finance (NIBAF) addressing the First SME & Microfinance Conference 2007 held in Karachi recently, while Ashraf Kapadia, Managing Director, Systems Limited & President P@SHA & others attending the conference

Ufone to Add 1000 new Destinations to its Network Ufone, one of the leading telecom operators in the country has announced yet another network expansion phase, to be completed at a cost of $ 150 Million. The envisaged plan focuses on the expansion of the network in terms of capacity and coverage in existing and new cities besides providing high-speed cellular mobile and wireless data services based on EDGE technology. This will add up more than 1000 additional cities towns and highways to Ufone's footprint. It is estimated that by the end of June 2008, Ufone will be covering more than 4500 cities, towns, villages and all major highways in the country.

Mustafa Peracha, Vice President Customer Services Mobilink inaugurating the new Mobilink Service Center in Jehlum.

Alcatel-Lucent Pakistan Appoints Olivier Lauras as new CEO The Board of Directors of Alcatel-Lucent Pakistan Ltd has appointed Olivier Lauras as Chief Executive Officer to succeed Sidney Taylor who has returned to USA. Olivier started his career in 1988 at British Telecom R&D (now BT) in Colchester, UK, as part of his scholarship. In the 9O's he held positions in Tendering and Export Sales within NEXANS in France (formerly Les Câbles de Lyon). He joined the Alcatel Telecom in 1993, in charge of Export Sales in the Asia Pacific Region. He subsequently held several positions in Sales and Operations in Asia, UK, Mexico and France. He was appointed Director in AlcatelLucent Pakistan, in charge of Sales activities in September 2006 and recently Country Senior Officer for Pakistan and Afghanistan. He is a graduate from Ecole Superieure d'Ingenieurs en Electronique et Electrotechnique (ESIEE) in Paris France, holds an MSc. in telecom engineering from Essex University in the UK and an Executive Master in management from Ecole de Management de Lyon in France.


The project, approved by the Ufone Board of Directors, reflects the commitment of the shareholders to invest in Ufone infrastructure and to provide best quality services for the better facilitation of Ufone customers. In addition to the major investment commitment, Etisalat brings its extensive experience of Telecom Industry to Pakistan to ensure that Ufone possesses unmatched network in the country. The contract has been awarded to Huawei Technologies which is one of the world's most rapidly growing telecom vendor and awarding another contract to Huawei shows Ufone's confidence in their professionalism and state of the art technology. Huawei is the vendor of choice in latest 3G Telecommunications Networks, 31 of the world's top 50 operators worldwide are using their technical infrastructure. MR Walid Irshaid, President and CEO PTCL, while speaking on the occasion said that an expansion contract of this magnitude indicates Ufone's aggressive strategy towards market growth and expansion, in the wake of tremendous potential of Pakistan's cellular market. He said that the previous Network rollout phase of US$ 550M was the single largest expansion plan in the history of PTCL President &CEO Mr. Walid Irshaid and Mr. Yi Xiang CEO of Huawei Pakistan and this region as well. He further stated that the new contract shows Pakistan, exchange documents after signing the Ufone network expansion Etisalat's commitment to the Pakistan market and hoped that it will also boost project. investors' confidence and encourage them to invest in this country. Mr. Yi Xiang CEO Huawei Pakistan, in his remarks, stated that Huawei is fully committed to Pakistan's telecom industry and would complete the network expansion process of UFone in a fastest and efficient manner. He said that by this project, Ufone would be acquiring state-of-the-art network infrastructure based on Release 4 standard for future mobile communication.
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National

Mobilink and AKU join hands for BlackBerry Solutions Mobilink and Aga Khan University (AKU) announced that they are collaborating to provide exclusive BlackBerry communication solutions to AKU's campus life. Mobilink is the country's market leader in innovative mobile solutions, with a growing base of over 29 million customers and part of the Orascom Telecom group. AKU is Pakistan's first private international University with 11 teaching sites in 8 countries. Both AKU and Mobilink will harness specialised campus applications that will give mobile access to the university's faculty, staff and students. Speaking at the launchof the service, Zouhair A. Khaliq, President & CEO Mobilink, said, "We are very pleased to partner with AKU and are confident that our pioneering efforts in creating mobile enabled education systems will give support to the educational sector in the future. Our commitment to reshaping lives is as steadfast as our resolve to strengthen the bonds of our corporate social responsibility. Mobilink is proud to have taken a leap forward to empower the educational sector at the University level by offering its BlackBerry solution." Mr Firoz Rasul, President AKU, while appreciating the solution offered by Mobilink said "Utilization by the AKU family of an integrated wireless solution will take advantage of other technology advancements at the university to increase productivity." Mobilink launched its BlackBerry services in Pakistan in December 2005 and has achieved a unique distinction in the world of fast and efficient communications. The device is a business tool, which improves an individual's productivity and efficiency, qualifying the handset to be an indispensable asset for every organisation and its human resources.

Zouhair A. Khaliq, President & CEO, Mobilink alongwith Mr Firoz Rasul, President, Agha Khan University at the signing ceremony.

Mobilink is an Orascom Telecom Group company and is Pakistan's leading cellular service provider with a subscriber growth of 104% in 2006. The company has achieved an unprecedented customer base of over 29 million.


Dadex selected Wateen for WiMAX

LG Pakistan Wins 'Best Marketing Practices' Award

Dadex Eternit excels in the field of engineering in Pakistan. Alongwith implementing one of the quickest and largest instances of SAP integration in the country, Dadex has selected Wateen for its superior WiMAX service for the implementation of data and voice communications. This deployment is still in process and the technology and financial benefits of the implementation will be realised after the first quarter ending March, 2008. Initiatives, such as the WiMAX deployment tend to increase the productivity and efficiency lowering overall operational costs. The potential benefits of WiMAX include broadband access for rural areas cost reduction of transmission lines, increased access and mobility along with reliable broadband. Wateen Telecom UAE has been in the process of deploying one of the largest WiMAX networks in Pakistan. The nation wide WiMAX network being concurrently deployed in excess of $60 million will provide high speed wireless broadband voice and data networks across the country.


Pakistan division of LG Mobile phones has won award for "Best Marketing Practices" in Asia and Africa. The award ceremony was held in South Korea, where Mr. Zeeshan Pervaiz, CEO, New Allied Electronics, was awarded for besting all other countries in terms of mobile phone sales. The administration of a Korean company said that in year 2007 LG sold 1.5 million mobile sets only in Pakistan which is a record sale for any company in Pakistan. Mr. Zeeshan Pervaiz, told 'Flare' in a special interview, that company has plans to further invest in Pakistani market to boost up sales of LG cell phones. Zeshan perviz, further said that they sold 100 thousand mobile sets last year but in the running year they sold 1.5 million mobile sets which is a record sale of the company. He said that this award is the recognition of LG Pakistan's marketing practices that were carried out through various mediums.


City Nazim Mustafa Kamal addresses during the function on "2nd All Pakistan Utech 07" organized by UIT computer society held in Karachi. While Karachi University Vice Chancellor Perzada Qasim and Dr. Manzoor Ahmed are also present on the occadion.

US Consulate Acting Public Affairs Officer Antone Greubel talking with school students during an exhibition organized by US Consulate at National Museum of Science and Technology in Lahore.

Mubashir to Play as Etisalat's senior Adviser Ufone President and CEO Mubashir Naqvi has been elevated to the post of Etisalat International Pakistan's senior advisor. In his new role as a senior adviser with Etisalat International Pakistan, he will be part of the team looking after the Etisalat operations in Pakistan as well as certain other countries. The new president and CEO for Ufone will be announced in the due course of time. Speaking on the occasion, Abdulrahim Al Nooryani (Chairman of the Board of Directors and Etisalat International Pakistan) lauded the efforts of Mubashir Naqvi in Ufone's development during his tenure. He said that as part of Etisalat's strategy to utilise local human resources in their international operations, Mubashir has a lot more to

contribute for the group in the days to come. He also wished him the best in his new and expanded role with Etisalat International. Naqvi joined Ufone in 2004 as VP Commercial and was elevated to the position of President & CEO in January 2007.
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National

Teradata Calls Nominations for 8th IT Excellence Awards Teradata Pakistan announced to the individual who has made the call for nominations for the outstanding contributions to the Eighth Teradata National IT state of IT in Pakistan. Excellence Awards. The period of Nominations are open to all submission of nominations will be companies. Organizations can nominate those employees who from December 6, 2007 to they feel have made a remarkable January 5, 2008. and outstanding contribution in Teradata National IT one of these specific areas. Excellence Awards celebrate According to information proaccomplishments in the IT industry vided to the press and media, the by bringing recognition to people two new categories are excellence who are instrumental in introducin IT business intelligence and ing, promoting and implementing excellence in project management. IT in Pakistan. The Teradata For participating in these awards, National IT Excellence Awards are Khuram Rahat, Managing Director Teradata Pakistan addressing a press conference on the nominees should have comconsidered the country's most the 8th Teradata National IT Excellence Awards' Call for Nominations. Also seen in the pleted their achievements during prestigious IT awards and an intepicture are Chris topher Armitage, Regional Vice President Teradata Corporation , and the period of January 2006 to gral part of the IT industry. The Sameerah Siddiqui, Marketing Manager Teradata Pakistan. December 2006. categories span the field from softRegional vice president Teradata, Christopher Armitage and repreware development and research to education and business application. Nominees must have completed their achievements during the period of sentative of Partner Ford Rhodes Sidat Hyder, Sharjeel Ahmad were January 2006 to December 2006. A lifetime achievement award is given also present at the occasion.


Intel Pakistan & IT Department NWFP Sign MoU The Intel Pakistan Corporation and Department of Information Technology, NWFP signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for promotion of computer education at school and college levels in the province. The representatives of Intel Pakistan Corporation and the Department of IT NWFP signed the memorandum. Caretaker Provincial Minister for Information, Information Technology Syed Imtiaz Gilani and Provincial Minister for Education Iftikharud Din Chamkani were also present on the occasion. According to the memorandum the Intel Pakistan Corporation would provide training to the students and teachers at school and college levels in various subjects to boost their skills imperative for facing the challenges of 21st century. The Intel's education initiative is a sustained commitment to prepare students with the skills required to thrive in the knowledge economy. Intel collaborates with local governments and educators across the world to help promote professional development programmes and resources for elementary and secondary educators.

Secretary General Revenue Division and Chairman FBR Abdullah Yusuf addressing to the participants during IT Appreciation Awards 2007 organized by Pakistan Computer Association held at Islamabad

Intel Tech Programme is proven world wide that has been driving systematic changes in teaching and learning. Under this programme over 135,000 teachers have been trained across the country. Speaking on the occasion the NWFP Caretaker Minister for Information and Information Technology Syed Imtaiz Hussain Gilani said that IT and Computer are just tools which could be utilised for the betterment and development of the nation.


The sale of mobile phone SIMs have become a nuisance for national security as criminals behind terrorist threats, bomb hoaxes, kidnapping for ransom, fraudulent prizing schemes, irritating and repetitive unknown calls and text messages, identity theft, you name the illegal activity and you will find the use of these unregistered SIMs. A SIM can be purchased quite easily and cheaply from the hawkers without ID card. This phenomenon is facilitating criminals while the PTA has failed to take any action against such sales

Averox Signs Contracts with Oracle and Microsoft Averox (Pvt) Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Averox Inc, announced that it has become an Independent Software Vendor (ISV) Partner for Oracle in Pakistan. "As an ISV Partner of Oracle, we are very pleased to be able to offer our customers the best solutions targeted to meet their specific business needs by combining Averox's expertise with Oracle software products," said Mr. Salman Mahmood President and CEO of Averox Inc. He said as certified members of the Oracle Partner Network; we can deliver specialized industry applications that rely on the performance, reliability, scalability and security of Oracle software. Averox Inc. is a publicly held independent provider of solutions and services in the domains of Telecommunication Engineering, Telecommunication OSS and BSS and Information Technology. Oracle has been operating in Pakistan since 1997. It helps Pakistani businesses, government departments, NGOs and education institutions through its 74+ certified partners, to adopt integrated information tech-

nology infrastructures to achieve higher work efficiencies. Oracle has more than 1100 customers in Pakistan, spanning top organizations in the public and private sector. In another announcement Averox said that it has been named a Microsoft reseller for Microsoft Business Solutions. Microsoft Business Solutions status is awarded to those firms whose sales and marketing achievements rank them in the top echelon of the worldwide network of value added partners reselling Microsoft Business Solutions. "We are extremely honored and pleased to be recognized as part of this prestigious platform of Microsoft Business Solutions resellers," said Salman Mahmood, CEO, Averox. "Our excellence in sales and marketing within the IT and Telecommunications domains is the driving force behind this partnership agreement," he added. Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.


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In Picture

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Visitors look at computers on display during the annual computer show at the World Trade Centre in Taipei. A total of 360 computer and peripheral makers from here and abroad displayed the latest products of their lines in the nine-day exhibition.

Model display the handy PC device with sliding key board "Lui PC remote pocket", equipped with a 4.1-inch sized WVGA display on its palm sized body weighing 250g, which enables to download digital contents such as video, music and datas from a home server "Lui home server PC" (in the cabinet) during a press preview of the company's advanced technology fair in Tokyo.

Japanese electronics giant Sony displays their latest products at the CEATEC electronics trade show in Chiba. After a tough first year, sales of the PlayStation 3 are finally gaining momentum while the company's new flat television is reviving its reputation for innovation.

"Motoman" robots from Japan's largest industrial robot maker Yasukawa Electric, perform a demonstration at the International Robot Exhibition in Tokyo. Some 200 companies and more than 50 organisations from Japan and abroad are taking part in the 2007 International Robot Exhibition in Tokyo, one of the world's largest robot shows.

Japan's machinery maker Kawasaki Heavy Industries robot "Cube-kun" is seen solving a 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube during a demonstration in Tokyo, while an attendant (L) tries to solve the cube. The double armed industrial robot is displayed with advanced technology products.

Chinese staff work in a TCL store at a computer mall in Shanghai. French electronics company Legrand SA has agreed to buy a low-voltage electrical unit of struggling Chinese consumer electronics maker TCL Corp for (US$67 million).

US computer giant Dell senior vice president Alex Gruzen introduces all-in-one desktop PC "XPS One", at a global launching in Tokyo. The "XPS One" is equipped with Intel's Core2 Duo or celeron processor 20-inch WSXGA (1,680 x 1,050-pixel) LCD display and wireless keyboard, mouse on its stylish body.

Reporters checks Gibson's new product "Robot Guitar" at Gibson Tokyo office. A new electric guitar from Gibson comes with robotics technology that allows the instrument to tune itself in a matter of seconds. The technology, developed in partnership with German company Tronical, allows the guitar to recognize pitch and use its processor and six motors on its tuning pegs to tighten the strings accordingly.

International

SKT wins Hanaro stake for $1.18b Culture on the go with Korea's biggest mobile company, SK Mobiles Telecom, has won its battle to acquire Korean broadband operator Hanaro Telecom. Hanaro, the No. 2 largest broadband provider, has accepted SK Telecom's offer of KRW 1.087 trillion ($1.18 billion) for 38.89% of the company. The agreement is conditional upon on government approval. Under the agreement, SK Telecom will replace a consortium led by AIG and Newbridge as the largest shareholder in Hanaro, with 43.6% of the stock. The US-led consortium took Hanaro out of bankruptcy in 2003 for $500 million, booking a profit of more than $600 million on the deal. The acquisition was largely welcomed by analysts, who said it gave the mobile operator greater scale and the ability to deliver convergence services. It comes a week after the board of Sprint-Nextel rejected a $5 billion offer from SKT and private equity firms for a stake in the US operator. "I expect this change to bring new growth opportunities for the Korean IT industry," said SK Telecom CEO Shin Bae Kim. "Building on our strong expertise in convergence business, we will strive to create new global business models such as developing wired and wireless integrated service with Hanaro Telecom" he added.


Joke Offended Sikhs Demand Apology from Ambani

Get theatre tickets digitally, download a smart video trailer of how the play was directed, order and pay for snacks for the interval and, after a culture-packed night, order a taxi home -- all by just swiping a cell phone over smart tags placed on the menus or around the hall of the theatre. The Oulu City Theatre in northern Finland, 600 kilometers (373 miles) north of Helsinki, says it is the world's first cultural institution to use the hippest handset technology, expected to turn mobile phones into wallets. "It is often said that theatre is somehow old-fashioned. I'm hoping this will build the opposite picture," the head of Oulu City Theatre, Ahti Ahonen said. NFC (near-field communication) technology is activated by waving phones over wireless readers, or smart tags, and is widely used in public transport access cards. The cultural world should also keep abreast with the latest technological developments. The theatre is running a pilot, involving technology from Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia and telecommunications operator TeliaSonera, until the year-end and will extend its usage more widely if it proves successful.


People belonging to the Sikh community in Meerut staged violent protests after taking serious offence to a joke circulated on a mobile network, and has demanded apology from the chief of the Reliance Communications, Anil Ambani. A joke reportedly originated from a website called www.santabanta.com, which is based on two humorous Sikh characters, and got circulated by Reliance Communications that had been giving space to an advertisement campaign of the website. Members of the Sikh community launched a mass protest after an 'utterly derogatory' joke was circulated on the mobile network. "Since the past few years our community has been the butt of ridicule and snide jokes. Be it television, plays or movies, we have been targeted. But this joke by Santa Banta on Reliance is utterly disgusting," said Jagmeet Singh Meet, President of Gurudwara Shri Guru Singh Sabha. The community is now demanding withdrawal of the joke. "If he (Anil Ambani) doesn't apologise, we will launch a worldwide protest and burn all the Reliance offices," threatened Meet.


Vodafone Seeks China Expansion British mobile phone giant Vodafone wants to increase its presence in China, according to chief executive Arun Sarin. Vodafone currently owns about 3.0 percent of China Mobile - which is the biggest mobile phone group in the world in terms of subscribers, and is the fourth biggest by stock market capitalisation. Sarin told the financial ties that the stake, worth about 13 billion dollars (8.9 billion euros), was a "kitty" that could be used to take advantage of opportunities in China. He added that only 35 percent of the Chinese population has a mobile phone. "From our shareholders' point of view, China is 35 percent penetrated, we have a long way to go," Sarin was quoted as saying.


President and Managing Director, JVC Japan, the world's leading electronic company, Kunihiko Sato (R) and Chairman and Managing Director of the Fedders Lloyd Group, Brij Raj Punj hold electronic products in New Delhi. JVC and Fedders Lloyd announced their tie-up to bring JVC consumer electronic products in India.

David Neeleman, founder and chairman of JetBlue, checks his Blackberry during a media preview flight aboard "BetaBlue," an Airbus A320 aircraft equipped with an onboard wireless network. JetBlue will start offering free online messaging services on one of its planes next week, becoming among the first airlines to offer in-flight Internet access. Passengers can use Yahoo e-mail and instant messaging services on laptops equipped with Wi-Fi wireless access. They can also check other personal and work e-mail on two BlackBerry models that have wireless capabilities.

NEC Pioneered Translation Software on Cellphone Japanese electronics giant NEC Corp said that it has created a world's first real-time translator on a cellphone, which can instantly turn Japanese travellers' words into English. One second after the phone hears speech in Japanese, the cellphone with the new technology shows the text on the screen. In the next second an English version appears. NEC said it was the first time in the world that automatic translation is available on a cellphone without external help. The company made it possible by making the software, which includes a voice-recognition system and translation functions, compact enough to operate on a small microchip mounted in a cellphone. The software, which can recognise some 50,000 Japanese words, is especially designed for smooth translation of travel phrases such as "Can I have a subway route map?". According to NEC spokesman Mitsumasa Fukumoto it is technically possible to make the English translation vocal but NEC is not considering the idea at the moment.


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International

Computer Security Day Observed Computer Security Day was observed across the globe to help raise awareness of computer related security issues. The day is a reminder for the people to protect their computers and information. Most people keep the same password for too long and use it for too many purposes. To mark this day, one must change the password of his personal computer and vacuum it. This annual event is held around the world on November 30 although some organisations choose to have functions on the next business day if it falls on a weekend. Computer Security Day is an annual event started in 1998 by the Association for Computer Security Day. It's an event that reminds us to take time to tighten our workstation and network operations to prevent unauthorised use.


UMC Sales Down 10.9% Taiwan's United Microelectronics Corp (UMC) posted 9.03 billion Taiwan dollars (280 million US) in November sales, down 10.9 percent from 10.13 billion dollars in October. However, the November sales were up 3.90 percent year-on-year, the world's second largest contract microchip maker said. Stopping short of directly forecasting sales for the fourth quarter to December, UMC said at an October 31 investor conference that its wafer shipments in the period are expected to fall 9.0 percent from the third-quarter level. The fourth-quarter average selling price in US dollar terms is seen as falling one percent from the preceding three months, it added.


Global Technology Spending Growth to Slow in 2008 Growth in global technology spending will slow next year, hurt by a US economic downturn that could crimp spending on computer hardware, research firm IDC in a report with predictions for 2008. IDC estimates worldwide technology spending growth to range between 5.5 percent and 6 percent in 2008, down from about 7 percent this year. US spending growth will dip to 3 percent to 4 percent next year from 6.6 percent in 2007, IDC said. Companies will target faster-growing emerging markets along with small and medium-sized businesses to offset slower US spending growth, IDC predicted, and in some cases they will need to make acquisitions to launch into promising sectors. Frank Gens, IDC's senior vice president of research, said Web search leader Google Inc could cement its position in the small and medium-sized business market with an acquisition of Salesforce.com or Intuit Inc, two companies with strong Web-based business applications. IDC sees big software makers targeting business application firms in emerging markets such as Brazil's Datasul, China's Kingdee and India's 3i Infotech Ltd. A foothold in those markets will be crucial since IDC sees tech spending in Brazil, Russia, India, China and nine other emerging countries, including Poland and Mexico, growing 16 percent in 2008. IDC also predicts US mobile phone operators will follow in the footsteps of Verizon Wireless, which announced last month plans to open its network to any phone or software by the end of 2008.


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A hand out photo shows an employee of South Korea's mobile carrier KTF shows her mobile phone that can control a robot vacuum cleaner in Seoul. The robot, called Iclebo can detect intruders and send an alarm message to its owner, apart from tackling vacuum cleaning chores.

Vietnam's general secretary of the Communist Party Nong Duc Manh (R) talking on a video mobile phone with South Korea's SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won (L) at the central research institute of SK Telecom in Seongnam, south of Seoul.

Child-Friendly Internet Search Engine Launched The German government launched a secure Internet search engine to allow children to surf the Web without any risk of violence. The site offers a mix of games, information and links to approve, children-friendly websites and is being promoted as a first in Europe. The site was offering a guide to the Bundestag lower house of parliament as it went into operation.


Lenovo to Open Polish Computer Plant The Chinese information technology group Lenovo announced, it would build an assembly plant in Poland that would turn out five million personal computers a year. A new plant in the southwestern Polish city of Legnica would be up and running by September 2008 and would cost around set 20 million dollars. It said the plant would eventually employ 1,000 people and its output would be destined for the European, Middle Eastern and African markets.


BSNL seeking CDMA Services Nationwide India's state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd has applied to launch nation-wide mobile telecom services on the CDMA platform, telecom minister said. India's fourth-largest mobile firm, operates on the dominant GSM platform across the country, and currently uses CDMA technology only for limitedmobility phone services. Minister did not provide any other details on the application or on how the government would process it. In November, the head of BSNL had said the firm was considering to launch CDMA services nation-wide, after the government permitted telecom firms to use alternate platforms. Government said that BSNL, as an "incumbent player", is exempt from the license fee private telecoms firms have to pay to launch alternate technology services. The government decision permitting dual technology was challenged by a lobby group of telecoms firms using the GSM platform, and the issue is being heard by the telecoms tribunal.


International

Banglalink Subscribers, Revenue Doubled

Hackers Force Mass Website Closures

Banglalink, the mobile telephone operator in Bangladesh, more than doubled its subscribers and revenues in the past year, according to a statement released by the company's Egyptian owners Orascom. However the company's earnings were hit in the third quarter due to the US dollar 18 million paid to the Bangladesh Telecom Regulatory Commission for its involvement in illegal VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) or call termination business. By the end of September, Banglalink had 6.02 million subscribers, up 123 percent on the same date a year earlier. This gave it a market share of 18.9 per cent, according to Orascom. In the third quarter, Banglalink's revenues rose by 18 percent on the previous three months to US$ 55.6 million. Year-to-date revenue for 2007 was US$ 133 million, an increase of 113 percent. The company said the substantial growth had been fueled by enhancing the quality of the network with US$232 million worth of capital expenditure made so far this year. Average revenue per user, (ARPU), remained steady in the third quarter, although at US dollar 3.1, but was down 6 per cent on the same period a year earlier. "While other major players in the market have been experiencing stagnant revenues and declining ARPU, Banglalink has been maintaining a healthy upward trend," the company said. Measured by earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation, Banglalink made a loss of US$ 21.3 million in the three months to September 31, compared to a loss of US$ 14 million in the previous quarter.


Hundreds of websites have been shut down temporarily by one of the largest web hosting companies in Britain after the personal details of customers were stolen by computer hackers. The hackers managed to access the "master database" of Fasthosts for information, including addresses, bank details, e-mails and passwords. The action is expected to lose vital business for hundreds of small companies in the run-up to Christmas. Fasthosts claimed that it had no option other than to perform an emergency shutdown after it discovered that the hackers had tried to use information gleaned from its servers. New passwords had to be sent out by post rather than e-mail to avoid the information being compromised again. Fasthosts was founded by Andrew Michael when he was still at school in Cheltenham. Mr Michael, 27, sold the business, which sells domain names and space on computer servers, to a German firm. The company discovered a network intrusion in October and recommended that users change their passwords. Staff noticed "unusual activity" on some of its sites and closed down all those that had not yet changed their passwords, as well as some that had. Among the companies affected by the shutdown was EU Reporter, a small, web-based business that makes money from downloads and web advertising. Chris White, the owner, said that his downloads went from 47,000 a week to nothing and subscribers assumed that he had gone out of business. This has been a crime turned into a farce and I don't know if we will survive. Barry Wise, who manages 100 sites, said: "This is worse than being hacked because I now just have to wait for the post. I can't call them because their phone lines are overwhelmed.This could well be the biggest internet attack of its kind. The criminals could theoretically have taken everything on the database."


Toyota Aims to put Robots to help People

South Koreans with mobile phones take pictures of presidential candidate Chung Dongyoung of the liberal United New Democratic Pary during his campaign event in Seoul.

China's New SMS Code Starts Journey China's unified short message code system will make the industry grow in a healthy way and the regulator will take measures to ensure it works, the Ministry of Information Industry said in a statement.A new mobile service provider code prefixed with 106 will be formally initiated to replace the current four-digit number from each telecom service provider in China. Carriers including China Mobile, China Unicom, China Netcom and China Telecom will use the new code system for mobile phone and Little Smart users, whose user base has reached 600 million. The person-toperson SMS system will not be influenced by the change, but paid services such as ringtone downloads and mobile newspaper subscriptions will come under the new system. "A service provider can freely choose a cooperator among the four Chinese telecom service providers (under the new system) and bad behavior can be easily tracked," the ministry said in a statement on its Website. MII has established a team to ensure all firms to adopt the new codes and set up a national hotline 12300 to regulate the new system. According to Shanghai Mobile, the biggest local carrier, from December 1 to March 1, users' subscription to the old numbers will be cancelled and they will be told of the new code prefixed with 106.


Toyota Motor Corp said that it aims to put its humanoid and other advanced robots to practical use soon after 2010 to help people in factories, hospitals, and homes. Unveiling two new robots called the "mobility robot" and the "violin-playing robot", Japan's top automaker said it would step up research and development in the field, including by doubling the number of engineers to about 200 in around three years. Researchers in Japan, Japanese auto giant Toyota Motor unveils their new including from academia violin-playing robot at the company's showroom in and companies such as Tokyo. rival Honda Motor Co, are racing to build robots smart enough to serve the needs of the elderly in a country where 40 percent of the population is expected to be over 65 by 2055. President Katsuaki Watanabe said, "Over the next two to three years, we will put the robots to the test through trial applications and see what kind of business possibilities they present". Under its recently crafted long-term plan dubbed "Global Vision 2020", Toyota aims to make the robotics field one of its core businesses by 2020. In a demonstration of the new achievements, Toyota brought out the 152 cm (5 ft), two-legged violin-playing robot, which gave a brief performance -- complete with vibrato sound -- from Elgar's "Pomp and Circumstance" Marches, popular at graduation ceremonies in Japan. Toyota plans to further advance the robot's dexterity and flexibility to enable it to use tools and assist with domestic tasks and nursing and medical care.


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International

Saudi Firm Wins 26% of Microsoft Trials XP on XO Laptop Microsoft has new Kuwait mobile Operator announced to begin field Saudi Telecom (STC), the largest Arab telecom firm, has won a 26-percent stake in Kuwait's third mobile company, expected to start operating next year. STC made the highest bid of 248.7 million Kuwaiti Dinars (907.6 million dollars) in a tender for the stake said the authority, which manages the investments of the oil-rich Gulf state. The deal still has to be approved by the Kuwaiti government. A law to establish the new mobile company set aside 24 percent for state institutions, 50 percent to be sold to citizens in an Initial Public Offering (IPO) planned for February, and the rest to go to a core investor. The second highest bid for the stake came from a consortium led by the emirate's largest Islamic bank, Kuwait Finance House, which offered 195.1 million Dinars. STC president Saud al-Daweesh said the new company will start operations six months after its formal establishment in the first quarter of next year and will bring to Kuwait a package of new services based on latest technology. Kuwait has two mobile operators - Zain, established in 1983, and National Mobile Telecommunications Co (Wataniya), which started operations in 1999. Together they have 2.5 million clients in a country with 3.2 million people.


tests of Windows XP working on the so-called $100 laptop, or XO, early in 2008. It has not committed to offering XP on the XO laptop but hopes to release the operating system in the first half of 2008 if the trials succeed. The work, undertaken as part of the firm's plans to widen access to technology, shapes the part of a project to run Windows on flash-based machines. The XO does not have a hard drive, and uses a lightweight flash drive instead. Microsoft's James Utzschneider, writing on his blog, said: "We are hard at work on the project here. Between Microsoft employees and third party contractors that we have brought into the effort, we have over 40 engineers working full-time on the port." The XO is the work of the One Laptop Per Child project to boost access to technology in the developing world by building a low-cost laptop designed for educational uses. It has been pioneered by a not-for-profit group led by Nicholas Negroponte, the founder of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab. The group has taken its first orders, with 100,00 bought by Uruguay and 40,000 by Peru, with an option for a further 210,000. The availability of Windows on the XO could boost take-up of the machine. There have been reports that some countries have been cautious about signing-up to the project because it does not run Windows, the world's most popular operating system. The XO laptop runs Linux, an open source operating system, which costs nothing for schools around the world to use. If schools and governments wanted to use XP on an XO machine, they would have to buy a license. For Microsoft the challenge in porting XP to the XO machine has been in re-writing many drivers for the operating system that control functions like the laptop's webcam and wireless connections.


Hewlett-Packard CEO Mark Hurd talks at the Oracle World Conference in San Francisco. Hewlett-Packard Co., the world's biggest PC seller, is scheduled to report fourth-quarter financial results after the market closes.

Emergency Rules for Net Telephony

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Watchdog Ofcom has ruled that firms, which route phone calls across the net must connect to 999 and 112. till now net phone firms have not been required to connect to emergency numbers. This ruling applies to those firms that let customers call normal national phone numbers. Ofcom says, the stipulation is needed to ensure that during an emergency people can summon help as quickly as possible. Research carried out by Ofcom suggests few people know that net phone services, aka voice over IP, do not connect to 999 or 112, the European Union's universal emergency number for mobiles and fixed lines. In an Ofcom survey 78% of those using net phone services which cannot connect to the emergency services thought that such a call was already possible on that network or were unaware that there might be a problem. Ofcom fears that having to find a phone that can call the emergency services during a crisis might make a serious situation much worse. The ruling does not apply to all net phone firms. Only those that let customers call out to normal national numbers but not receive them or let customers make and take calls from normal phone numbers are affected.


Telecom Italia's chief executive Franco Bernabe, left, and chairman Gabriele Galateri pose prior to the start of the news conference in Milan, Italy. After months of uncertainty, Telecom Italia's new shareholders exerted control, voting in a new management team to lead Europe's fifth largest telecommunications company.

Manpower Crisis Worrying India The world sees India as the hub of Information Technology, but the country is today facing a shortage of skilled manpower in the field, a top official of software giant Satyam said, stressing on the urgent need to set up more technical educational institutions. Virender Aggarwal, Director and Senior Vice President of Satyam said that the top four IT companies (Satyam, Infosys, Wipro and TCS) hire most of the talent in the country. There is a serious dearth of skilled manpower for the other hundreds of IT companies, Despite being the smallest of India's Big Four outsourcers, Satyam's sales have tripled in the last five years and its workforce has grown too with the company planning to hire another 15,000 this year. The company was named by Forbes Asia as one of Asia's best 50 companies based on its long-term profitability, sales and earnings growth, stock price appreciation and projected earnings in the region.