Rising stars: The man behind Q Mobile’s success

By: Avi on 2:57 AM

Mian Zeeshan Akhtar, CEO, Chairman and mastermind behind the success of Q Mobile, has come to be known as the youngest entrepreneur in Pakistan’s mobile phone industry.

After completing his education in the United States in 2003, Zeeshan Akhtar returned to his roots in Pakistan to make his mark in the professional world. His affiliation with foreign brands like LG and Samsung provided him with opportunities to realise his own understanding of the Pakistani market.

Akhtar had great success with his ventures, resulting in increased market share for whichever brand he was handling.

For him, the sky was the limit and then Q Mobile was born.

At 30 years of age, Akhtar took charge of a company that soon became a corporate giant. Today, Q Mobile is the biggest player in Pakistan’s mobile phone industry.

Company officials claim it was Akhtar’s insistence on quality that led to this success: concentrating on not only providing advanced mobile sets but excellent service, customer care and attractive prices that were comparable to world renowned foreign brands.

With a varied selection of more than 85 different cellphones, Q Mobile positioned itself to meet the demands of the Pakistani market, designing innovative and specific technologies that suited the region on the whole.

Akhtar intends to expand the company into numerous groups, in order to fulfil the demand of consumers from several walks of life. This will be possible through a strategy that will shift the Pakistani masses towards smartphones that are more affordable.

For Akhtar and Q Mobile, it’s all about empowering Pakistan towards better efficiency, and bringing new, innovative directions to the local cellphone industry.

Ref: Tribune

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LoC tensions: Indian shelling in Nakyal leaves children stranded inside school

By: Avi on 2:46 AM

MUZAFFARABAD: 

The Indian Army has once again carried out unprovoked shelling in the Nakyal Sector area in Kotli leaving numerous children stranded inside a local school, Express News reported on Monday.

The district administration is currently making efforts to take the children back to their parents.

On August 27, at least five people, including two women and a girl, were injured by heavy shelling and unprovoked firing at Nakyal Sector.

The continuous shelling and bombardment across the Line of Control (LoC) had forced the natives to flee. However, a few civilians returned home after having no such incident in the past four days.

After the incident today, the residents have once again started leaving the area.

The continued ceasefire agreement violation on the LoC has created tensions in the region. The two countries agreed to a ceasefire along the LoC in November 2003, but skirmishes have flared across the heavily-militarised Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border in Kashmir, in recent weeks, with both sides blaming each other for having violated the agreement.

However, Pakistan has maintained that it seeks to resolve all disputes with the neighbouring country through peace talks.

Ref: Tribune

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Mahira Khan will now soon be seen with Ranveer Singh in a Bollywood movie!

By: Avi on 12:09 AM

Pakistani actor and actresses have always looked for an opportunity to enter the glamorous world of Bollywood. Every Pakistani actor or actresses aspires one day to enter the sparkling world of B-town and gain fame worldwide.

The latest Buzz is that the on screen hit couple from Humsafar is now offered roles in Bollywood movies. These two have already gained International success after Humsafar which was not only a blockbuster hit in Pakistan, but also a huge success abroad. It gained immense popularity across the border too and caught the eye of many producers and directors.

It has been rumored that Mahira Khan has been offered a Bollywood Movie opposite Ranveer Singh produced under the ‘Yash Raj Banner’. According to sources, Mahira Khan has not given her nod for the movie yet. She has once stated in an interview that if she ever gets offered a Bollywood movie, then she would consider a lot of things before doing it. She has previously stated that “I don’t want to become a Bollywood star for sure, because the kind of stardom we get from Pakistan, I am very happy with that. Becoming a Bollywood actress is not something I am aspiring to do” The question now is; Will her views remain the same after being offered such a meaty role?

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The next buzz is that the Handsome Hunk of our Industry, Fawad Khan has also been offered a Bollywood movie opposite Aalia Bhatt. The movie is going to be a joint production of UTV Motion Pictures and Boney Kapoor. The rumor making rounds nowadays is that Fawad Khan has already agreed to do this movie and it will be released next summer. Fawad Khan; however, has once stated in an interview, “I do not like to announce anything till there is something concrete. So till I have signed a new movie, I won’t announce it”, If Fawad really has signed a movie then we can expect an official announcement from him soon.

Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan are not the first ones who are given the opportunity to enter Bollywood. Mahesh Bhatt was the first producer who promoted Pakistani stars and opened Bollywood doors to Pakistani talent. The actors who were given a chance in his movies include Meera, Sara Loren and now Imran Abbas too will be launched by the Bhatts. Imran will soon be seen in the movie ‘Creature’ opposite Bipasha Bashu which will be produced by Vikram Bhatt. Another actress who will make her entry in Bollywood soon is Humaima Malik who gained immense popularity through her movie ‘Bol’. She will be seen opposite Emraan Hashmi in Kunal Deshmukh’s film Shaatir. Another recent addition to the B-Town is Meesha Shafi, who was seen in the movie ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’.

Meera and Sara Loren both were declared a huge flop in India and were even criticized in Pakistan for their vulgarity in the movies. Currently, the only successful Pakistani actor in B-Town is Ali Zafar who has featured in films like Tere Bin Laden, Mere Brother Ki Dulhan and London Paris Newyork.

A lot of singers have been able to prove their mettle in India because Mahesh Bhatt promoted them through his movies. One of the bands is Roxen who gave their music in movies like Awarapan and Aashiqui 2. Another very famous singer who was given a break by the Bhatt camp is our very own star; Atif Aslam. He sold the rights of his hit songs, ‘Aadat’ and ‘Lamhe’ to the movie Zeher and Kalyug which became an instant success in India and he gained fame overnight. Other influential artists from Pakistan include names like Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Shafqat Amanat Ali who have become a huge hit in India.

Only time will tell whether Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan will really join the long list of stars who will enter B-Town or if these are only rumors making rounds. We can only wait for an official statement from them to verify this news.

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Here’s what Samsung’s Galaxy Gear companion app looks like

By: Avi on 11:37 PM

Confirming prior information, the Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch will use NFC and a Gear manager application to pair the watch with a phone and for configuration. It’s looking more and more like the Galaxy Gear will need a Samsung phone.

Let’s see, we know the hardware specifications of the Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch and the expected battery life, so why not any info on the companion software? 

The Gear smartwatch will use NFC to easily pair the wearable to a smartphone over Bluetooth. It appears the process will use the watch’s charger based on the screen capture. The Clocks setting likely points to different watch faces and possibly secondary time zones. And the “Find my watch” feature will be handy if you misplace your Galaxy Gear: Tap this and the watch will probably make a sound, provided it is in Bluetooth range of the smartphone.

There’s still an open question on whether the Galaxy Gear will work with non-Samsung handsets, but that’s why we’re going to the press event on September 4! We still thinking this will — at least initially — be exclusive to Samsung smartphones.

Facebook’s new policy changes allow it to read your face, use it for ads

By: Avi on 11:21 PM

Facebook’s proposed changes to its Data Use and Privacy policies give the platform more control and knowledge of a user’s image and likeness.

Facebook is making big changes to the language in its Data Use and Privacy Policy that will allow the company to use information already on the platform in new ways that might frustrate some users. While some of the changes may raise some red flags for those concerned about giving up even more private data, at least the company is telling us ahead of time.

The list of proposed changes are available via the Facebook Site Governance page for review, although the exact language is obscured from users. The most important changes have to do with how Facebook can recognize and manage a user’s image to create a better experience on the platform and create Sponsored Stories without legal reproach.

The changes come at the order of a judge, now Facebook has finally ended the class-action lawsuit against its use of user information for ads and sponsored stories with a$20 million settlement. The lawsuit put Facebook in the hot seat for using the images and content of users for ad content without consent or compensation — even, at times, featuring users who were under 18.  The company is trying to ensure that it won’t surprise users again, and is using plenty of plain language to protect itself.

“We rewrote the entire advertising section to better explain what we thought was important for people to know about how we use the information we receive to provide relevant ads to people on and off Facebook,” Chief Privacy Officer Erin Egan wrote to users.

That new advertising section essentially covers the thorny issues in Facebook’s recent lawsuit. When the changes go into effect after a week-long comment period, simply using Facebook will allow the company to use the name, likeness and language of a user for ads or “Sponsored Stories” without any compensation. That issue now extends to minors, which was the biggest sticking point of the class-action law suit, as users under 18 consent to testify that an adult has given permission for this to happen.

The second is a tiny, easily-overlooked change in the way that Facebook manages facial recognition for photo tags. With the new updates, Facebook could match faces in friends’ photos by reading and analyzing features in a user’s profile photo. Egan told All Things that this feature is directed to encourage tagging more photos and prevent “unsavory” photos from reaching the public forum.

However, if the idea that Facebook knows your face is unsettling, the feature can be disabled via the platform’s labyrinthian Privacy Settings dashboard.

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News Update: PTA Orders Telcos to Stop All Kind of Voice and SMS Packages

By: Avi on 9:38 AM

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has directed all telecom operators to dis-continue all kind of voice and SMS bundles that are offered for any time of the day.

Telecom companies are asked to stop all kind of Voice and SMS bundles, that include daily, weekly, fortnightly and monthly packages by September 2nd, 2013 and submit a compliance report to the authority.

The letter from PTA, a copy of which is produced below, has made the social morality as a reason for the stoppage of voice and SMS bundles. The letter that reads “Directive Relating to Packages Offered by CMTOs Contrary to Moral Values of Society” reasons a survey conducted in November 2012 which suggested PTA that voice and SMS bundles were still active.

Taking the timely decision, PTA has now ordered the operators to stop the packages at once.

Omar Manzoor, Director Communications and CSR at Mobilink confirmed ProPakistani that his company received the directive late today. He said that Mobilink is reviewing the directive and will act accordingly.

Telecom operators are still unsure on how to react. Bigger operators are considerably happy about the directive which is a blessing in disguise for them. Smaller operators, such as Zong and Warid are furious for apparent reasons.

Analysts say currently the industry is derived by these voice and SMS bundles. If not reversed, the whole dynamics of telecom industry of Pakistan will change.

Conspiracy theorist say that PTA has made the case of banning the voice and SMS bundles on moral values, which is likely to be influenced by operators. They say that if operators don’t react on the decision then its apparent that this step is endorsed by the operators.

Other experts even question PTA’s ability to decide the pricing structure this way, especially when there’s no chairman or member at PTA’s head office.

Decision is a nightmare for the end users. The good old days are just gone. Now pay for each call and each SMS.

P.S. There’s no mention of Mobile internet bundles in the directive, which are likely to continue.

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