Huawei Announces P8, Its New Flagship Smartphone

By Gulshan Naz: Huawei has decided to pull off an Apple in its latest flagship launching. The company announced, not one, but three new phones, two of them being capable flagships. The first one among them was the Ascend P8.

It is good to see that Huawei has placed more emphasis on the details rather than just specs here. The display is a 5.2” IPS LCD panel with 1080p resolution. Crucially, there are almost no bezels alongside it. The design is cool-looking too, with a 6.4mm frame and full aluminium unibody.

The camera is also a major part of the package. It is a 13 megapixel sensor, but is the first in a smartphone to use four types of sub-pixels: Red, Green, Blue and White, which help with the brightness and also in low-lighting conditions. There’s OIS with just anti-shake degree of just 1.2 degrees. Then you have a discrete DSLR-quality image processor and a true-tone flash and you know that these people are serious about this. Oh, and unlike the iPhone 6 Plus, there is no bump at the back.

Underneath, you get Huawei’s own Kirin 935 64-bit processor with 4 Cortex-A53 chips clocked at 2 Ghz and another four at 1.5 Ghz. Accompanying it is 3 GB RAM and 16 or 64 GB worth internal storage. MicroSD is supported in the second SIM card slot, of up to 128 GB.

Connectivity includes 4G LTE, NFC, Wi-Fi+, Signal+ (which adds two antennas, one at top, another at bottom to the phone) and GPS. Battery is said to last 1.5 days on heavy usage. The phone will be offered in four color options.

Huawei has also added a few nice tricks. You can bang your knuckles on the display twice to take a screenshot, or you can crop a section to select part of the snap. There’s also a Director Mode which allows four P8 owners to record a video simultaneously. There is a terrific e-ink cover accessory which adds a low-energy 4.3” display to use in sunshine, which is quite cool.

The phone will be available for 499 Euros for the base 16 gig version, or 599 Euros for the 64 GB version. It will be available in the coming few weeks.

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Huawei P8 Specifications:

• CPU: 2 Ghz quad-core Cortex-A53 + 1.5 Ghz quad-core Cortex-A53
• Chipset: HiSilicon Kirin 935
• OS: Customized Android 5.0.2 Lollipop
• Supported Networks: 2G, 3G, 4G LTE, dual-SIM
• Design: Full aluminium unibody and frame, 6.4 mm thick
• Display: 5.2” IPS LCD with 1080 x 1920 pixels
  • 78.3% screen-to-body ratio
• Memory:
  • RAM: 3 GB
  • Internal: 16/64 GB
  • Card slot: expandable by 128 GB
• Camera:
  • Primary: 13 megapixel with OIS, dual-tone flash, 1080p video
  • Secondary: 8 megapixel
• Connectivity: NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS with GLONASS
• Battery: 2,600 mAh
• Price: 499 Euros (16 GB), 599 Euros (64 GB)

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Zong to Provide Free 3G Mobile Internet on Daewoo Busses on Motorway

By Gulshan Naz:  Zong has signed an agreement with Daewoo Pakistan Express Bus Service here on Friday to provide free Super 3G internet to all Daewoo passengers commuting along the motorway.  Zong is currently the only operator in the country to provide carpet coverage for 3G along the Motorway.

The collaboration with Daewoo Pakistan implies that Daewoo passengers travelling on the motorway will now have access to high quality 3G internet, without any charges and without the possession of a Zong connection. This facility will enable them to remain connected to their friends, families and businesses at all times, resolving past issues of connectivity.

Speaking at the occasion, Babar Bajwa Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) Zong said that

We at Zong have always been very committed to providing our customers with cutting edge technology. We will continue to strive towards making this provision of high quality data a reality, and this current partnership is a step in the same direction.

Also present at the occasion was Dr Syed Ismail Shah, Chairman Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), who noted that

Pakistan has an immense potential when it comes to provision of high quality and high speed 3G & 4G data services. Our vision for the future is based on accessibility to these services by all, and Zong's efforts to provide 3G mobile broadband services deserve applause in this regard.

Mr C I Park, President Daewoo also spoke at the occasion, and said that 

This partnership is a very welcome news for our passengers, as they will now enjoy unlimited connectivity along the motorway.

Next week onwards, Daewoo terminals at Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad and Peshawar will have kiosks whereby people can purchase Zong MBB products, Zong SIMs as well as carry out recharge through miniload and scratch cards.

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Zong Wins RCCI ICT Award 2015

By Gulshan Naz: Zong has been awarded here with International Communication Technology (ICT) Award 2015 by the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) for Excellence in Telecommunication.

Niaz A. Malik – Chief Corporate Sales Officer (CCSO), Zong received the award from Syed Asad Mashadi, President RCCI.

Chairman PTA Dr Ismail Shah was also present at the ceremony.

RCCI organized these ICT Awards (International Communication Technology Awards) for the first time to promote and highlight the efforts of individuals and companies striving towards excellence within the arena of information technology and communications.

The award ceremony was organized with the support of RCCI, Pakistan Software Houses Association and Pakistan Software Export Board.

Niaz A. Malik – Chief Corporate Sales Officer (CCSO), Zong after receiving the award said, "Zong is currently the fastest growing network in the country and has always been at the front in terms of taking initiatives and introducing new technologies. This award is a strong source of encouragement for us, and we will remain committed to contributing with excellence to the telecommunication arena for the betterment of the country." He furthermore expressed gratitude towards the RCCI for holding merit based awards to encourage stakeholders within the telecommunication sector.

The decision to present this award to Zong was based on the telecom operator's active and successful adaptation of international communication technology since the 3G & 4G auction held last year.

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LG G4 is Going to be Revealed on 28th April

By Gulshan Naz: LG's latest flagship will be unveiled on April 28th, the smartphone maker has announced. The teaser poster announcing the date also revealed an improved camera with f/1.8 (up from f/1.9), dual-tone LED Flash and laser autofocus. There will also be a leather back cover.

Earlier, it also unveiled the update skin dubbed UX 4.0, which brings UI improvements and a few new features, including Camera Manual Mode and Smart Notice. The former gives you further control over the pictures you capture. A feature called Quick Shot allows you to take photos by double-tapping the back button.

Smart Notice tracks your activity as you spend more time with the phone, and provides vital info accordingly. Further specifications are not exactly confirmed but we already know them as a result of several leaks.

The display of the phone is a 5.5″ QHD display, which was unveiled by LG earlier this month. It comes with 120 percent color gamut, 30 percent increase in brightness and 50 percent increase in contrast. All this without an increase in power consumption.

Underneath, you get a Snapdragon 808 processor (no 810 this time), 3 GB RAM, 16 mp main camera with 4K video and 8 mp 4K front shooter.

The phone has all the potential to become a bestseller, even if its processor is a bit lacking. Stay tuned for more info on the G4.

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Lenovo A7000 Price in India Confirmed as Rs. 8,999

By Gulshan Naz: Lenovo on Tuesday launched the A7000 smartphone in India, pricing it at Rs. 8,999. The "mass flagship" smartphone will be available from April 15 exclusively via Flipkart, and registrations for the first sale kick off at 2pm IST on Tuesday itself. It will be available in Onyx Black and Pearl White colours.

Adding details about the flash sale method, Lenovo said users would have a 4-hour window to complete their transaction. Lenovo also said the Rs. 8,999 price tag is to make the Lenovo A7000 a budget-friendly offering. Initially unveiled at MWC 2015, the Lenovo A7000 was then given an MSRP of $169 (roughly Rs. 10,400). 


The A7000 is the successor to the company's popular 4G/ LTE budget offering, the Lenovo A6000 , and features upgraded specifications as well as a larger display - pegging it as a multimedia device. 

The Lenovo A7000 supports dual-SIM (Micro-SIM) while running Android 5.0 Lollipop with Vibe UI running on top. It features a 5.5-inch HD (720x1280 pixels) IPS display and packs an octa-core 1.5GHz (MediaTek MT6572M) processor with 2GB of RAM.

The A7000 features an 8-megapixel autofocus rear camera with LED flash and a 5-megapixel front facing camera. Internal storage on the handset is 8GB, which is expandable via microSD card (unknown capacity). Connectivity options on the smartphone include 4G/ LTE (FDD Band 1, 3, 7, 20; TDD Band 40), Wi-Fi, GPS/ A-GPS, Bluetooth, and Micro-USB, just like its predecessor.

The Lenovo A7000 is backed by a 2900mAh battery, measures 152.6x76.2x7.99mm and weighs 140 grams. We'd spent some time with the smartphone at MWC 2015, and found the smartphone was geared towards an audience that consumes a lot of multimedia content with its big 5.5-inch screen and Dolby Atmos technology built-in.


The A7000 is the first Lenovo phone running Android 5.0 Lollipop we have lain our eyes on. Of course, Lenovo has slapped its proprietary Vibe UI skin on top of it. The notifications shade and the multitasking menu are lifted directly from vanilla Android. 

At the event, Lenovo added to the India sales statistics for the Lenovo A6000 it had shared on Monday, says that the 180,000 handsets (out of 300,000 sold since its launch in India) it had sold via flash sales were sold out in 24 seconds cumulatively. 

Speaking about the promised Android 5.0 Lollipop update for the Lenovo A6000, the company said the Q2 release time-frame may be delayed. It added it would not roll out the update until it was completely bug-free. It did not provide a revised release time-frame however.

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Dr. Umar Saif Honored with First Sitara-e-Imtiaz In IT

Dr Umar Saif, the chairman of PITB, has been awarded the first Pakistani Sitara-e-Imtiaz in Information Technology.

Under Saif’s leadership, PITB has completed dozens of projects that leverage information technology for the betterment of the masses. For using ICT to solve civic issues and fostering an IT ecosystem in Pakistan, he has been honored with the nation’s third highest civilian honor.

The award is the latest in a long list of achievements for Umar Saif, whose work was highlighted by the President of the World Bank last year as one of three global examples of good governance.

Some notable projects undertaken by the PITB under the leadership of Dr. Umar Saif are a crime reporting system, I3C center to help Punjab Police, tools to improve healthcare, flood monitoring system and an electronic challan system. Alongside his work at PITB, Dr. Umar Saif has also established Plan9, Pakistan’s largest startup incubator.

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