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9 Best Free Alternatives to Paid Commercial Software

2009-10-16T14:01:00.000-07:00

Instead of Adobe Photoshop, use GIMPFor professional graphic artists, substituting anything for Photoshop is akin to blasphemy. There really is no equal. But if you're an amateur looking to edit graphics without taking out a loan for the tools to do it, GIMP makes a fine stand-in. You'll get all the same pencils, airbrushes, and resizing tools, plus advanced options like plug-ins and scripts. The learning curve is most assuredly steeper, though, and you won't be able to benefit from the quite literal library of books and tutorials out there for the more popular Photoshop.
To try out GIMP, visit this link.

Instead of Microsoft Office, use OpenOffice
Microsoft Office is everywhere. Whether you work from a Mac or a PC, in India or Indiana, you're probably using Word, Excel, PowerPoint and all the other de facto office tools. That makes it all the more difficult to switch, but OpenOffice replicates almost all of the same functionality, menus, and even file formats. It may not look quite as pretty as the blue "ribbon" design Microsoft has been using since 2007, but for fans of the old office, or students who just need to jam out a paper now and then without paying Microsoft, it will do the trick. That said, some of Microsoft's most tricked-out features – like a function in Word that automatically formats a proper bibliography for you after filling in the required text fields – are missing. You'll just have to dig out that MLA manual from high school.
To try out Open Office, visit this link.

Instead of Nero, use ImgBurn
Windows alone sucks for burning CDs. Even for the most basic tasks, you're far better off with powerful disc authoring software. Nero charges $70 for its solution, but ImgBurn effectively does all the same essentials, for free. You can rip discs to image files (like ISO), build a custom disc image from files, and of course, write them to blank discs. It even supports Blu-ray, and works with an incredibly diverse array of image files. Nero 9 can technically do more – like serve as a live TV tuner – but why do you need that when you're just trying to burn CDs?
To try out ImgBurn, visit this link.

Instead of Microsoft Outlook, use Mozilla Thunderbird
The company that brought you the now-ubiquitous Firefox makes an e-mail program, too. And it's just as good. Besides handling the same e-mail formats as its Microsoft competitor, Thunderbird actually feels faster to us, uses less RAM, and like Firefox, it accepts plug-ins for all the add-on functionality you could ask for from a thriving development community. (For instance, one allows you to select a bunch of e-mails then gather the senders for one massive reply.) Like OpenOffice, it looks a little duller than the real thing, but you can skin it however you choose. The only other glaring caveat: There's no built-in calendar or task management, so if your colleagues' incoming meeting requests will fall on deaf ears. Then again, depending on your colleagues, maybe that's a good thing.
To try out Mozilla Thunderbird, visit this link.

Instead of Norton AntiVirus or McAfee VirusScan, use Avira AntiVir Free Edition
Whether you like it or not, every PC needs virus protection, and if you're not receiving regular updates, you're not protected. So next
time the antivirus software that came preinstalled on your PC hits you up for money and warns you that it's out of date because the free trial expired, uninstall that junk and download Avira. Not only is it totally free – including updates – it's some of the best virus protection available. Independent tests from AV-Comparatives.org consistently place Avira near the top of the list for detection rates. It tagged 99.7 percent of viruses in tests – compared to 99.1 percent from McAfee and 98.7 percent from Norton in the same tests. That has to burn, considering both those companies want big bucks for their AV suites. We do have to warn that the free edition occasionally hits you with a nag screen, though.

To try out Avira AntiVir Free Edition, visit this link.

Instead of Adobe Audition, use Audacity
Looking to perform some minor edits on your next podcast, or clean up pops and clicks in old audio? Audacity will do the trick for a lot less than Adobe's pricy alternative. The Swiss army knife of audio editors performs most basic tasks without flinching, but keep in mind that some must-have features will force you to go looking for add-ons. For instance, you'll need to install the LAME MP3 encoder to save files as MP3s, because legal concerns prevent the creators from including it by default. A bit of a pain, absolutely, but well worth the $350 saved.
To try out Audacity, visit this link.

Instead of Alcohol 120 or Virtual CloneDrive, use Daemon Tools Lite
Spare yourself a new spindle of blank CDs or DVDs and put those image files on a virtual drive, which tricks your PC into thinking there's actually a physical disc in it, without having to burn anything. Alcohol 120 and VirtualCloneDrive are the old standards for drive emulation, but Daemon Tools Lite pulls off the exact same trick for free. Of course, it won't burn and rip image files like Alcohol 120, but partner it up with ImgBurn and you're good to go.
To try out Daemon Tools Lite, visit this link.

Instead of Windows Vista or OS X Leopard, use Linux
We couldn't help ourselves. Even though one of these operating systems comes installed on just about every computer you can buy down at the local retailer, you'll still have to drop some serious coin to buy them separately. But you can download hundreds of different versions of Linux, in the next hour, for free. DistroWatch.com maintains our favorite list of what's popular, and Ubuntu makes one of the most user-friendly introductions to the Linux world, if you're so itching to try it.
To try out Linux, visit this link.

Instead of Civilization II, play FreeCiv
To be fair, you can pick up Civilization II (which FreeCiv most closely mimics) for about $5 if you play your cards right, but downloading FreeCiv is a lot quicker than combing bargain bins, garage sales and eBay. And unlike the original, FreeCiv has built-in multiplayer, so you can have head-to-head barbarian battles with your friends in the same style as one of the greatest turn-based games of all time.
To try out FreeCiv, visit this link.

Source: Yahoo Tech

Suntech to Bring Solar to Pakistan

2009-10-16T14:00:00.000-07:00

The objective of the MOU is to facilitate cooperation between Suntech and the public sector and private companies in Pakistan to help implement solar programs including the AEDB's Rural Electrification Program; the development of Solar Power Pumping Systems with the AEDB and the World Bank; and Solar Power Telecom Projects in collaboration with Pakistani telecom companies.
"We are proud to collaborate with the Alternative Energy Development Board to bring the latest in crystalline silicon solar technology to Pakistan," said Dr. Zhengrong Shi, Suntech's Chairman and CEO. "This is a clear example of the promise of solar energy in meeting growing demands for electricity in the developing world in an environmentally friendly way. With rapid improvements in solar energy technology and operational efficiency, solar energy is establishing itself as a crucial, cost-competitive part of the global energy mix."
"We are very pleased to be working with Suntech towards developing clean renewable energy in our country," said Mr. Masood Khan, Pakistan's Ambassador to China. "Pakistan is committed to using solar power as a way to solve Pakistan's energy shortage, and we are confident in Suntech's reputation as a global industry leader to bring reliable environmentally sustainable solutions to Pakistan's growing energy needs."
The MOU sets forth the agreement in principle of the parties concerning the project and related activities. Final agreement between the parties is subject to the negotiation and execution of definitive agreements among the parties.
About 70 percent of Pakistan's population — about 120 million people — live in some 50,000 villages across the country, many of which are beyond main electricity transmission lines.
Bottom line: if Suntech and AEDB can get pricing and deployment right, the potential market may be huge.
For a brief overview, see this report (PDF) from the Solar Energy Research Centre.
Via ProPakistani.PK

Possible Action against Celcos For Suspending SMS Packages During Eid

2009-10-16T13:59:00.001-07:00

The Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) is considering action against Telenor and Mobilink over a reported withdrawal of SMS bundle offers during Eidul Fitr days without prior notice to customers, reported Dawn Newspaper."We have taken note of the withdrawal of the SMS bundle," said paper, while quoting PTA chairman Dr Muhammad Yasin.
"We are probing the matter before we take a decision to initiate a legal action. The authority will protect consumers' rights." He said the investigation would soon be finalised.
The two operators reportedly suspended their package for three Eid days and charged their subscribers between 20-paisa and Re1 per SMS.
About a possible refund of the amount paid by the customers on Eid days, Dr Yasin said the matter would be decided after investigation.
By the middle of this year, according to the PTA, the number of mobile phone users in Pakistan had reached over 95 million. Mobilink was leading with 29.5 million customers, Telenor 21.2 million, Ufone 20.5 million, Warid 18.1 million and Zong (CM Pak) 6.4 million.
Via ProPakistani.PK

Motorola Employees to Volunteer in Pakistan on Global Day of Service

2009-10-16T13:59:00.000-07:00

Employees in 41 countries participate in over 300 projects with a focus on environmental sustainability
More than 100 Motorola, Inc. employees volunteered in the three cities including Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi today during the company's fourth annual global community service program. This year's Global Day of Service, themed "Green & Global," engaged nearly 8,000 Motorola employees in 41 countries and included volunteer projects focused on sustainable solutions for improved education and the environment.
Motorola employees spent half the work day supporting more than 300 projects that addressed a variety of community concerns, including education, environmental sustainability and social services.
Locally, SOS Children's Village of Pakistan benefited from Motorola's work at three of its sites.
"We are humbled by the opportunity to work with such dedicated organizations for a fourth year in a row to better the communities where we work and live," said, Rao Amir Sultan, Country Manager, Motorola. "Hand in hand with our partner organizations, the Global Day of Service allows us to work towards our common goals of better education, social support and protecting our environment."
As in years past, for each participating Motorola employee, the Motorola Foundation will fund the planting of a tree in one of five deforested regions of the world through a partnership with Carbonfund.org, reducing the day's carbon footprint. This year, every employee who reuses a Motorola T-shirt from a previous company event will get a total of five trees planted in their honour. Reinforcing the company's commitment to re-cycling, Motorola employees are encouraged to bring in used mobile phones for recycling to earn more trees.
"The spirit of volunteerism behind Motorola's Global Day of Service is commendable and SOS Children Villages of Pakistan is privileged to be part of this initiative each year," said Mrs. Ghazal Rehman, National Director, SOS Children's Village of Pakistan. "We aim to raise orphaned and abandoned children in a family environment, ensuring they become contributing members of society. The important issues addressed in the annual theme help sensitize our children towards the challenges facing our planet."
With a rich heritage of giving since 1953, Motorola Foundation and employees from all divisions come together each year to organize the annual service event that promotes teamwork and enables colleagues company-wide to engage with organizations addressing critical social issues.
Motorola's commitment to environmental sustainability does not end when the Global Day of Service is over. Since 2005, Motorola has reduced its carbon footprint by 20 percent by implementing energy-saving measures, consolidating facilities and purchasing renewable energy. For 2009, Motorola is purchasing more than 78 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of Green-e certified renewable energy certificates (RECs) generated from wind-power sources.
Via ProPakistani.PK

First Ever PC Cricket Game developed by Pakistanis

2009-10-16T13:58:00.000-07:00

Another milestone have been achieved by the Pakistanis, this time, in the global gaming scene. Lahore based Mindstorm Studios, have developed "Cricket Revolution", a Multiplayer PC cricket game which will simply blow you away. With a new and improved cricket gaming engine at its core, the game brings a new level of depth and engagement to cricket video games. Now, cricket fans will have the opportunity to test their skills against their friends and foes alike across the globe.
Cricket Revolution is equipped with innovative gameplay, single and multiplayer game modes, local and global tournaments and challenging AI opponents that learn from your every move. With detailed graphics and tons of batting styles, this game will soon become the most preferred choice for all the cricket fans around the world.
Key Features:

The batting system is as authentic as in real life. It lets players command both shot selection and placement seamlessly with action oriented key mappings.
You can view and track complete statistics and performance data. By this you can improve your past records and become the best player in the world.
'Bowling gadget' lets you take full control of the bowling gameplay. Choose speed, turn, swing and seam movement as you wish. The bowling gameplay allows bowlers to concentrate on mind games with the batsmen instead of wrestling with the bowling controls.
LAN based multiplayer network play.
In-game community server with chat rooms, friends and online gaming
Original stadiums, unlockable deliveries, and batsman knock-out injuries
Fully motion captured actions, day/night lighting, pitch and ball variations
True field captaincy with the ability to place fielders anywhere on the field
Complete team and player customization for strategic gameplay

Below are the system requirements to play this game:
Minimum Requirements

OS: Windows 2000/NT/XP/Vista
Processor: Pentium 4, 2.0GHz processor
Memory: 512 MB RAM (1 GB for Vista)
Graphics: 128 MB supported video card
DirectX: 9.0c or later
Hard Drive: 1 GB available
Sound: DirectX compatible sound card

Recommended Requirements:

OS: Windows XP/Vista
Processor: Intel 2.4 GHz Dual Core processor
Memory: 1 GB RAM (2 GB for Vista)
Graphics: 256 MB 6600 Nvidia graphics card or ATI equivalent
DirectX: 9.0c or later
Hard Drive: 1 GB available
Sound: DirectX compatible sound card

Broadband users can check out the game trailer below:

Dial-Up users can check out game screenshots at here.
To try out this game, download its demo from here. And if it satisfies you, then you can pre-purchase the game now for $ 17.99 and save 10%. Visit this link to pre-purchase your copy.
We hope to see more developments in the gaming industry from Pakistanis.
Do play this game, and share your thoughts in the comments.
Via ProPakistani.PK

Nokia Promotes Ovi Tools For Developers

2009-10-16T13:57:00.000-07:00

Nokia has published information about the new Ovi ecosystem which includes handsets, software, developer tools along with mobile operators, 3rd party developers and users. An important element is the Ovi Store as a content intake and point of sales. On the developer tools side, the Ovi ecosystem comprises of Ovi APIs, consisting of Ovi Maps Player API and Ovi Navigation Player API as well as the Ovi SDK Beta and Ovi apps. See details below.

Technology Preview:
Ovi APIs (application programming interface) makes Ovi apps contextual and more relevant for consumers. Ovi APIs opens access to the industry leading context assets from Nokia, starting with Ovi Maps.
Ovi Maps Navigation Player API integrates the industry leading Drive and Walk navigation services with a few line of JavaScript that can be used for mobile.
Ovi Maps Player API is now available both for the web and mobile, offering a simple way to embed the unique, dynamic and personalized Ovi Maps experience with positioning in several map modes (2D, 3D,terrain) for highly dynamic (rotation, fly-throughs)activity mash-ups.
Ovi SDK Beta:
Ovi SDK Beta (software development kit) is a developer toolkit to create Ovi apps for mobile. Ovi SDK Beta packages the unique capabilities of Ovi APIs as well as a comprehensive set of native-like UI libraries and standard web technologies (HTML, CSS, Java Script). With Ovi SDK Beta it is easy to develop more relevant mobile applications based on standard web technologies that take user's location as a starting point.
OVI Apps:
Ovi apps are a new class of applications that are bringing together the simplicity and familiarity of standard web technologies (HTML, CSS, Java Script) as well as rich features, such as navigation from Ovi Navigation Player API and the reach from Nokia's entire smartphone portfolio. By using standard web technologies like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, a new application can be built in weeks, not months. Features of Ovi APIs can be used across platforms, both on Symbian and Maemo, and distributed globally via the Ovi Store.

668 SIM Information System Launched at PTA Consumer Forum

2009-10-16T13:56:00.000-07:00

On the occasion of Telecom Consumer Forum, organized by PTA, Chairman PTA Dr. Muhammad Yaseen is addressing the participants. Secretary Information Technology & Telecom Naguib Ullah Malik and Member Technical PTA, Dr. Khawar Siddique Khokhar are also seen

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) organized telecom consumer forum with a theme "Together for Consumer Rights". Secretary IT & Telecom, Mr. Naguib Ullah Malik was the chief guest while Chairman PTA, Dr. Mohammed Yaseen presided over the Forum. Member (Technical) PTA, Dr. Khawar Siddique Khokhar, renowned poet Mr. Amjad Islam Amjad, representatives of Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Cellular Mobile and Fixed Line sectors, telecom consumer groups, academia and the media community also participated in the event. President Pakistan Consumers Association, Kokab Iqbal and representatives of Cellular, Fixed Line and Broadband Services gave presentations during the Forum.
In this event, the Secretary IT formally inaugurated a new service named "SIM Information System – 668" introduced by PTA to enable the mobile subscribers to know the total number of SIMs issued against their respective CNIC number with each mobile operator.
Mr. Naghuib Ullah Malik said that Government is facilitating telecom industry so that it continues to grow. He said that the Government wanted development in the telecom sector which was growing at fast pace during last few years. While talking about "SIM Information System – 668" he appreciated this initiative taken by PTA and said that it is crucial to safeguard our communication systems so that they don't fall into the wrong hands and for that purpose this new system introduced by PTA will play an effective role.
While addressing the consumer forum Chairman PTA said that the Authority is cognizant of telecom consumer's needs and taking number of steps to facilitate them in resolving their issues. In this regard PTA has revamped complaint handling mechanism of mobile companies, PTCL and other telecom operators. Launch of this new service is yet another evidence of PTA's sincerity towards its vision of protection of telecom consumers and their rights. He said that every mobile user can know number of SIMs issued against his CNIC with the mobile company name by sending his CNIC number without dashes and spaces to 668 through SMS. Rs.2/- will be charged on each SMS which is inclusive of all taxes. In case of unauthorized numbers against his CNIC number, a consumer can get the data corrected from the concerned mobile operator's Customer Services Center. The unauthorized SIM owners will be advised to register the SIM in their names within seven days of notification from concerned Customer Services Center otherwise their calling facility will be stopped after thirteen days and the SIM will be completely blocked after seventeen days of that notice. This service will help in further streamlining the data of mobile phone users.
Chairman PTA said that in order to address the issue of unauthorized SIMs PTA first revamped the system of sale and registration of SIMs and now it has introduced this service which would allow mobile subscribers to get those SIMs blocked which presently are not under their usage. This system provides an Internet and SMS based interface to end-users in order to retrieve the registered mobile SIMs information. He said that it is a robust, secure and efficient sysytem to store a record size of approx 100 Million subscribers' data. The system ensures proper data integrity mechanism while answering back to multiple queries at a specific time.
The Chairman said that PTA has always been engaged in facilitating telecom consumers with best telecom services along with the due protection of their rights. The efforts of PTA, in this regard, have been translated in its consumer-oriented initiatives like Mobile Number Portability (MNP), system to block stolen mobiles through IMEI number, establishment of Consumer Protection Department for the redressal of consumer grievances, 7 to 8 digit Numbering Plan for fixed line, new consumer friendly SIM Activation System, lowest telecom tariffs amidst competitive environment etc.
Dr. Mohammed Yaseen said that the statistics of telecom growth in Pakistan are evident of the satisfaction level of telecom consumers with the quality of telecom services provided to them. He said that the overall teledensity in the country has reached 61.80%. There are currently 95.54 million mobile subscribers and the cellular segment leads the share in total teledensity followed by Fixed Land Line (FLL) with 3.5 million subscribers and Wireless Local Loop (WLL) with 2.6 million total subscribers.
Via ProPakistani.PK

Intel & Dell Partner to Bring New and Innovative Products to the Local Market

2009-10-16T13:53:00.000-07:00

Intel Pakistan & Dell Pakistan together conducted a series of road shows with notebooks cloaked in Cherry Red, Alpine White, Pretty Pink, Gecko Green and a whole array of other colors, accessorized with crisp widescreen displays to meet user's specific needs.The new products and services were showcased at a colorful event, with famous VJ Ayesha Omar and designer Munib Nawaz gracing the event. This event provided the visitors with a great visual experience resulting in holistic product know-how. Experts were also present at the venue to provide clear information on the high performance products that are tailored to the needs of specific consumer groups.
"The Dell Consumer series, based on Intel processors has embarked on a colorful and exhilarating journey in Pakistan. Our tagline' Yours is Here', religiously followed, exhibits that knowing our customers is what we do best. The personality of each SKU is uniquely positioned for customers that seek a high definition lifestyle at the best price points. Our killer products, the Inspiron portfolio and Studio series are responsible for creating some fantastic ripples in the market," said Nubla Iftikhar, Marketing Manager for Consumer and SMB for Dell Pakistan.
Asma Aziz, Marketing Programs Manager of Intel Pakistan Corporation, included "Intel is passionate about providing value to its consumers. It is exciting to see Dell's combining its effort in bringing new and innovative products to the local market. Intel and Dell are working together to harbor the creation of futuristic technology in Pakistan. Bringing Intel's award winning micro architecture along with other superior features, these products will provide a whole new performance experience to its users."
The notebooks are based on Intel Core microprocessors which are enabled by powerful multi-core technology. Providing all the bandwidth you need for next-generation highly-threaded applications, enabling faster, cooler, and better battery life notebook experiences. Built on a foundation of great features and design, the notebooks can deliver on what customers want, need and do with their individual digital experiences. World-class widescreen displays on notebooks support hi-definition lifestyle activities like watching movies, sharing photos, or shopping on the internet. A rich palette of seven color choices, including Red, Midnight Blue and Obsidian Black, gives notebook customers the opportunity to truly express themselves.
Dell has stressed on purchase with warranty cards to cater to genuine Dell products in Pakistan.
Via ProPakistani.PK

Easy Paisa, What is Missing?

2009-10-16T13:52:00.000-07:00

Easy Paisa by Telenor has been launched. If we see the scope of Easy Paisa right now, it is little disappointing, due the amount of time and money Telenor invested into the project. However, one can get excited because of the potential Telenor has got due to its stakes in Tameer Bank. As Telenor already claims, they can/will offer financial transactions related to sending/receiving money within Pakistan and from abroad through mobile phones.Telenor can enjoy the benefits of no e-commerce infrastructure in Pakistan, by offering payments through Easyload and then redemption through their outlets. Consider following case study, for instance…
There is this website, that wants to sell laptop skins – but as we know, no bank in Pakistan can get this online (website) seller the solution for getting payments through credit card. Here Telenor can play a role, prototype of which is defined as following

Website visitor or let's call him/her buyer sends Rs. 400 easy load to website owner (on his Telenor Number)
Website owner or the seller receives and confirms the payment
Website owner/seller ships the laptop skin to the buyer
Website owner redeems that easy load through Tameer bank or Easy Paisa Outlet.

Let's discuss this another scenario,
If Party A wants to send Party B Rs. 100,000, then consider following flow chart

Party A goes to Easy Paisa Outlet
Party A pays Rs. 100,000 in cash at outlet,
Easy Paisa Outlet sends Rs. 100,000 to Party B on his/her Telenor Number
Party B goes to Easy Paisa Outlet,
Party B receives money from Easy Paisa outlet, by showing providing the transaction message along with authentication

Note: Maybe Party A and Party B, both should be the account holders, or registered members of Easy Paisa
Of course, this prototype didn't include security and privacy concerns, but the end product with increased security and logging can really change the way masses do their banking.
We are aware that there needs a legislation in the process, but after the study of branchless banking regulation, it is evident that such a mechanism is possible.
However, it is a good start – but true return on Telenor's investment is highly based on upcoming products from Easy Paisa.
Via ProPakistani.PK

Vopium now on Ovi Store, offers attractive call packages

2009-10-16T13:51:00.000-07:00

Vopium, the leading international mobile communications company, has announced that its award winning mobile VoIP application is now available from the Nokia Ovi Store portal following positive user feedback from a successful listing on Nokia Download. With the addition of Nokia Ovi Store to its portfolio, Vopium is now offering applications on all major application stores including BlackBerry App World, iPhone App StoreSM, Android Market and Nokia Download.
To take advantage of significantly cheaper international mobile phone calls, all Nokia phone users need to do is simply download Vopium in one click via the Ovi Store on the handset or from the web based solution on www.ovi.com. Once downloaded, users will be able to create a Vopium account and immediately start calling international numbers, saving up to 90% on their traditional operator rates.
"Vopium on Nokia Ovi Store extends our commitment to offering all mobile users cheap, high quality international calls, said Tanveer Sharif, CEO of Vopium. "Vopium aims to help users to communicate across the globe and the Nokia Ovi Store application combined with our applications on iPhone, BlackBerry and Android helps us to bring this vision to life."
Vopium's award winning technology takes advantage of 3G, GSM and WiFi networks, and automatically re-routes calls via the cheapest available route enabling customers to save money when calling international numbers. Vopium users can also send low-cost international text messages using the standard Nokia SMS interface. Once downloaded, the Vopium application seamlessly integrates with the address book and intelligently recognises international numbers. When an international number is dialed, the call is made using the cheapest method available whilst also preserving the highest level of call quality.
Key Features of Vopium:

Vopium is compatible with more than 900 handsets across Java, Symbian, BlackBerry RIM, and Windows Mobile, as well as offering complete applications for the iPhone App Store, Nokia Ovi Store, BlackBerry App World and Android Market
Vopium is free to download at www.vopium.com
Vopium re-routes international calls as a local call to a Vopium gateway and then via global traffic carriers as ordinary voice traffic in order to ensure high voice quality
All new users are given 30 minutes of talk time and 30 international SMS for free
Calling internationally with Vopium can result in up to 90 percent savings versus traditional carrier rates; for an overview of current pricing, visit: http://vopium.com/tariff
Calls made through Vopium are always routed using the cheapest method while preserving the highest quality
Vopium Wi-Fi users can call each other around the world for free
Vopium users keep their own mobile number and SIM card, and maintain their numeric identity when making calls
When a user calls from their home country, a local rate may be applied by their operator
Synchronize and backup your contacts and calendar with Vopium Sync

Vopium is also running promotions on all the call packages making it cheapest ever calling solution available. Take for example, their "Reach Out" package which offers 2000 minutes in $ 19 making it just 1 cent per minute call to 49 popular destinations in the world including USA, UK, Australia, France, Germany, Italy and other Far Eastern countries. Their other packages like "Call India" offers 2.4 cents/min call, "Call Turkey" offers 1.9 cent/min call and "Call Pakistan" offers 3.8 cents/min call. These special packages are valid till October 31st , 2009. To know more about these packages, just check out tariff details of Vopium at here.
Via ProPakistani.PK

Oracle Announces New Mobile CRM and Social CRM Enhancements for Oracle CRM O...

2009-10-16T13:46:00.000-07:00

Continuing to build and expand on its industry-defining mobile CRM and Social CRM innovations, Oracle has announced the new releases of Oracle Mobile Sales Assistant 2.0 for BlackBerry and Oracle Social CRM Applications Release 3, which introduces the new Oracle CRM Sales Campaigns On Demand and enhancements to Oracle CRM Sales Library on Demand and Oracle CRM Sales Prospector On Demand."Before implementing Oracle Mobile Sales Assistant, our community education representatives lacked the ability to capture impressions immediately after a meeting and ran the risk of losing specific details," said Paul Akin, Director, Odyssey Healthcare, Inc. "Now they stay up to date with all accounts via their Blackberry devices, which helps us increase productivity and improve relationships with our referral sources."
"Oracle has spearheaded an industry-leading movement to provide sales professionals with mobile CRM and social CRM applications that reflect the day-to-day realities of selling," said Mark Woollen, Oracle Vice President of Social CRM. "The new releases of Oracle Mobile Sales Assistant 2.0 for BlackBerry and Oracle Social CRM Applications Release 3 for Oracle CRM On Demand address the highly mobile and relationship-driven elements of working and communicating within the sales cycle, enabling sales professionals to spend more time in front of their customers selling and less time back at the office seeking, logging or creating content."
Oracle Mobile Sales Assistant 2.0 for BlackBerry:
Optimized for mobile professionals, Oracle Mobile Sales Assistant is a simple, highly intuitive application designed to help users collaborate with colleagues and customers, complete frequent tasks while out in the field and close deals more quickly while on the road. Oracle Mobile Sales Assistant 2.0 for BlackBerry provides even more ease-of-use features and introduces support for 12 languages, opening the power and utility of mobile CRM to new markets and users.
Enhanced data caching in Oracle Mobile Sales Assistant 2.0 for Blackberry now makes more information immediately available, with or without a data connection. The ability to log emails and calls to Oracle CRM On Demand and directly access appointments, tasks and contacts enables Oracle Mobile Sales Assistant 2.0 users to save time and increase productivity with insight anytime, anywhere. Support for additional BlackBerry devices now includes Tour, 8900 and Storm.
Oracle Social CRM Applications Release 3:
Oracle Social CRM Applications are highly intuitive, focused applications that harness the latest Web 2.0 technologies, and empower sales users to be more effective and productive by leveraging the knowledge and experience of their broader community to identify qualified leads, develop sales campaigns and collaborate with colleagues to close more deals, with no data entry required.
The new Oracle CRM Sales Campaigns On Demand introduced in Oracle Social CRM Applications Release 3 enables sales professionals to create professional quality campaigns by leveraging an easy-to-use editing tool for existing templates within their social networks or to design a new template. Sales users can also determine the best templates and images to adopt based on user ratings, reviews and historical response rates.
Oracle CRM Sales Campaigns On Demand includes real-time campaign results tracking, with detailed insight on when an email is opened or clicked, cannot be delivered due to an invalid address, or when a user has unsubscribed.
Oracle CRM Sales Library On Demand now includes support for Microsoft Word, integration with Oracle CRM On Demand Release 16 to accelerate sales cycles, access control for better compliance, more efficient tags and filters, and a message board for members to get a quick view of activity within their social networks.
Oracle CRM Sales Campaigns On Demand delivers powerful and easy adherence to compliance laws, so sales users can honor customers preferences to opt-out of emails.

Oracle CRM Sales Campaigns On Demand

Oracle CRM Sales Library On Demand

Oracle CRM Sales Prospector On Demand

Oracle Mobile Sales Assistant

Via ProPakistani.PK

So Telenor EP is Easy Paisa

2009-10-16T13:43:00.000-07:00

Followed by a teaser campaign, Telenor Easy Paisa is going witness a launch today.

As per initial information provided to bloggers, primarily, in a start with Easy Paisa not only Telenor customers but everyone in Pakistan can pay their bills through nearest easy paisa outlet, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Telenor says that, currently there are 2500 retail outlets across Pakistan which will be increased in few months to 8000 retail outlets including Telenor Sales and Service Center and Telenor Franchise.

Official Website: EasyPaisa.com.pk

Find Easy Paisa Agents: http://www.easypaisa.com.pk/agent.php

Features:

You can pay your utility bill at nearest retail outlet, no need to go to bank
After office/late hours
On weekends/holidays
Confirmation SMS received after bill pay transaction
24/7 help line (345) availability (trained call center agents)

Service Charges

Utility Companies On Board

1. PTCL (Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited)
2. SSGC (Sui Southern Gas Company)
3. SNGPL (Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Ltd)
4. KESC (Karachi Electric Supply Company)
5. IESCO (Islamabad Electric Supply Company)
6. GEPCO (Gujranwala Electric Power Company)
7. LESCO (Lahore Electric Supply Company)
8. HESCO (Hyderabad Electric Supply Company)

Telenor says that All other companies will be on-board very soon and then customers will be able to pay all kinds of Utility Bills

Following are the details of launch event and the Press Release

Telenor Pakistan and Tameer Microfinance Bank together have announced the launch of easypaisa, a uniquely convenient and safe way for everyone to carry out financial transactions. easypaisa users will have the freedom to make bill payments and send and receive money at thousands of outlets and in addition manage their bank accounts over their mobile phones. easypaisa combines the best from the financial and mobile sectors, offering the first branchless banking solution of its kind in Pakistan and neighboring countries.

Presiding over the easypaisa launch event, Governor State Bank of Pakistan, Syed Salim Raza in his address emphasized government's focus on promoting financial access in the country. He said, "Helping people to get access to financial services is central to improving their livelihood. Branchless banking has been used internationally as a successful tool to reach customers who cannot be served by conventional branch-based financial services. That is why State Bank has been very supportive of innovative synergies in this field, a prime example of which is easypaisa by Tameer Bank and Telenor Pakistan."
Director Telecom, Ministry of Information Technology & Telecommunications, Mudassar Hussain highlighted the critical role mobile industry has to play in providing financial access to the un-banked. He said, "The total life of mobile industry in Pakistan is less than 20 years while formal banking channels have been around for some 60 years. However, interestingly, in comparison to more than 90 million mobile subscriptions, the number of bank accounts is less than 30 million. The Ministry is of the view that this presents an immense opportunity for the mobile industry to add value to the financial sector and serve the un-banked. We have been actively supporting the consultation process and hope that easypaisa becomes a resounding success story for the industry and country."
Chief Executive Officer, Telenor Pakistan, Jon Eddy Abdullah called easypaisa a revolutionary solution. He said, "easypaisa will allow users across the board to access convenient and secure financial services. In an environment where only 12% of adult population is formally served with financial services, easypaisa will promise tremendous financial empowerment. It will provide opportunity for everyone to utilize well-priced, secure, and efficient financial services at the corner store without opening a bank account, or through ones own handset with a Tameer Bank account depending on the transaction type. The inclusion into the general economy will create opportunities to save, pay for services more efficiently without the loss of productivity, and to utilize more advanced financial instruments in the future.

Via ProPakistani.PK

Now You can Pay Utility Bills at Zong CS Centers

2009-10-16T13:26:00.000-07:00

Zong has now introduced new standards of Customer Facilitation by providing them Utility Bill Payment facility at all Zong Customer Service Centers (CSC). Picture shows Zong's first customer is paying his bill

ZONG – the first international brand of China Mobile – keeping up with the trend has now introduced new standards of customer facilitation by providing them Utility Bill payment facility at all ZONG Customer Service Centers (CSC).
With the launch of this service, customers are no longer required to make special visits to banks for bill payment, stand in long queues and wait for their turn to pay the bills. They can conveniently visit any ZONG CSC and have their bill paid with ease. This service is available for all the Walk-In customers besides anyone who needs to get the bill paid whether or not he / she is a ZONG customer. Through this new free-of-cost service, all the ZONG CSCs can now accept Electricity, Gas and Landline bills for KESC, LESCO, GEPCO, IESCO, SSGC, SNGPL and PTCL.
Expressing his views at the launch of this new service, Awais Malik, Director Product, Segment & IB, ZONG said that the industry has been moving onto new and fresh ideas throughout the year and since launch ZONG has been the forerunner in bringing fresh concepts to the market. "With this service, we have stepped into the era of mobile commerce. The extent of customer reach through the mobile commerce platform is enormous and is directly linked to the number of customers that start using mobile phones and get a connection. The convenience offered through mobile commerce is an even bigger driver for the use of this service," he further said.
This service by ZONG is powered by Inov8 which is one of the leading technology companies and is the only State Bank of Pakistan authorized mobile commerce service provider in Pakistan.
On the occasion Mr. Bashir Sheikh, President of Inov8 said, "It's been over a period of time that we have been working on the project. I am very delighted that we are finally launching this service today. It's a great opportunity for us to introduce this world class technology in Pakistan powered by Inov8, Pakistan's leading mobile commerce company".
ZONG is committed to developing cellular products that benefit society in terms of improving efficiencies, promoting positive values and making life more easy and enjoyable. Since its launch in April 2008, the Company has grown dramatically to become unmistakably the fastest growing service provider in the market as more and more customers are subscribing to it every month.
Via ProPakistani.PK

2 plus 1 Offer: Mobilink Infinity

2009-10-16T13:15:00.000-07:00

Mobilink Infinity has captured a sizable chunk of the Internet Solutions market in Karachi. Despite the fact that Mobilink Infinity has hesitated to extend its arms to rest of Pakistan, operator has offered valued service while remaining in Karachi.With competition arising all the way with new WiMAX entrants, Infinity has offered new packages and promotions while keeping the market dynamics in the view. Mobilink is encouraging its employees to refer their friends and family, who are seeking internet connection. Referrals will be awarded with special offerings.
2 plus 1 Offer:
2 plus 1 is the latest exciting offer on Infinity WiMAX services for all broadband users. By utilizing this offer, customers will be able to enjoy absolutely free extra online time added to their paid service package. The unbeatable combination of uninterrupted Data and Voice services will be for the customers to enjoy when they pay for two months in advance, and then they will be able to enjoy a whole quarter of the year without having to worry about payments.
Tariff Plan:

Offer Features:

Service will be absolutely free in the third month for customers upon payment of two months in advance.
Customers will be able to enjoy an approximately 33% discount on the service.
No hassle of monthly bill payments for a whole quarter because of bulk advance payment.

For more details call: 111-300-369 or website: http://www.mobilinkinfinity.com/
By the way, 2 plus 1 Offer is not mentioned on Infinity's Website
Via ProPakistani.PK

How New Media is Reviving The Kashmir Freedom Moment

2009-10-16T13:13:00.000-07:00

These days a term "New Media" is used almost everywhere. But only a few people actually know its meaning. "New Media" means to encompass the emergence of digital, computerized, or networked information and communication technologies in the later part of the 20th century. Most technologies described as "new media" are digital, often having characteristics of being manipulatable, networkable, dense, compressible, and impartial. People around the world are taking advantage of new media. It is the most effective, fastest and easiest way to communicate with other people around the world. Social networking sites like Facebook, video streaming sites like Youtube and blogs all fall into the horizon of new media.
The traditional media have been covering and reporting about the events occurring in Indian administered Kashmir for years now. But for last two years, the people have started reporting events on their own, utilizing the new media. Young men using camera mobile phones are recording events all around Kashmir and sharing captured videos and pictures on sites like Youtube.
According to these men, by doing this they are gathering evidences against the Indian Army about their inhumane treatment with the innocent people. And so far they are quite successful. One of the most famous videos shared was shot by Adnan, a 15 years old boy in which aftermath events are shown of the killing of a mobile phone salesman Tanveer by a bullet in year 2008. The video was viewed more than 50,000 times in just a few day after its upload.
By the way, this type of reporting is termed as Citizen Journalism. People of Kashmir are communicating their messages with the rest of the world utilizing digital publishing. A group of youngsters which is highly involved in these reporting term it as 'Cyber Protest'.
Shazia Yusaf, a student of media and communication in the University of Kashmir says: "Last year curfew was imposed in the city and the Indian media restrained from reporting the ongoing events. At that time these youngsters recorded all the events and shared the videos with the rest of the world by uploading them on Youtube."
The youngsters involved in 'Cyber Protests' say that they are trying to archive the present world on Youtube so that they can show it to their upcoming generations. We can only wish and pray for these youngsters who are fighting for the freedom of Kashmir.

A student recording a public protest on his mobile phone.

Mother of Shaheed Tanveer holding his portrait.

Via BBC Urdu

Uloan Extra Charges – If it is Interest or Service Charges

2009-10-16T13:11:00.000-07:00

Ufone has a service for its prepay customers named ULoan. Under this service, Ufone started giving Rs. 15 advance balance so its customers can enjoy uninterrupted communication, in case they run out of balance. Customers can later on pay-back this loan on card recharge.Since last couple of weeks, Ufone's customers started complaining about the additional transaction charges which were being applied on the ULoan service. Customers have started sending messages saying that the extra charges which Ufone is taking is actually Interest (Suud), which is Prohibited (Haram) in Islam, alarming people to stop using Uloan as it is propagating Haram thing among the public.
If you check out ULoan's details, it is clearly mentioned that transaction charges of Rs. 0.50 will be applied. It's a general notion that we don't give much emphasis to the terms and conditions of any service. So, we can't say how many people read the details before using this service.
To clear this confusion we contacted Ufone and asked for their viewpoint, which is given below:

It is absolutely clear that any charges deducted on Uloan cannot be classified as interest. Interest in any circumstances means that it has a compound effect and it multiples with time. Also those who fail to pay are penalized with extra charges in all the interest based products.
In the case of ULoan the customer has to pay onetime fixed charges. These charges remain the same whether the customer reloads the account after a month or after four months. There are also no penalty charges for not reloading in a fixed time period. These charges on ULoan are simply a transaction fee. All other cellular operators also charge for different services where amounts are transferred either from the company or even between the customers themselves.
It is unfortunate that a product that has utility for millions of customers and is an industry trend setter has been targeted with baseless propaganda.

On the other hand, an Aalim of Jamia Aloom-e-Islamia, Banori Town, Karachi said that the extra charges which Ufone is taking is clearly Interest (Sood) which is Prohibited (Haram) in our religion. Check out the below screenshot (Taken from official website of Jamia Aloom e Islamia):

It merits mentioning here that Mobilink also has a similar service named Jazz Advance under which Rs. 5 advance balance is given to the customers. But Jazz only charges back Rs. 5, no transaction charges are applied to utilize this service.You can check out Jazz Advance details at here.
I won't conclude anything here. It's upto you guys to decide what's the reality behind all this. Is Ufone actually taking Interest or it's just an attempt to damage Ufone's Brand image.
Share your opinion in the comments.
Via ProPakistani.PK

New Packages, Decreased Tariff and Device Prices: PTCL EVO

2009-10-14T04:28:00.000-07:00

After 3 months of official launch of PTCL EVO, company has revised USB's price, and has introduced new prepaid and postpaid packages.It merits mentioning here that PTCL was offering ZTE's USB devices earlier for Rs. 6,000 (which are out of stock at present), however now Huawei's USB devices are being sold at Rs. 3,999.
Now with Huawei USB Devices, there comes a soft phone dialer, that you can use to re-charge your account or manage other account related settings. This wasn't possible with earlier devices.
PTCL EVO Features

Broadband Internet while on the go
Unlimited downloads
EV-DO Roaming in Karachi, Lahore & Islamabad/Rawalpindi – Nationwide Roaming through automatic switch over to 1 X in non EVDO Coverage areas.
Average download speeds from 300 kbps to 500 kbps – That's what PTCL claims, however in actual this Speed remains between 35 kbps to 140 kbps depending on signal strength in your area
Access rich media applications like live video streaming, web casts, online games and a host of other applications.
USB Interface – Compatible with Desktops & Laptops.
Plug & Play – Instant Connectivity

PrePaid Packages

PrePaid FAQs

You can recharge your account by using PTCL Vfone scratch card.
To recharge your account simply open the "soft phone" from your Evo Software and dial 1015. Press 1 after language selection to recharge your account. Enter your 13 digit Vfone recharge voucher number. Repeat the process to recharge more balance.
To check your account balance, simply open the "soft phone" from your Evo Software and dial 1015. Press 2 after language selection to check the remaining balance in your account.
Evo Lite package is valid for 30 days. You must use your 50 free hours in 30 days as they will not be rolled over to the next month.
Evo DayPass package is valid for 24 hours. The validity starts from the first time you connect to the internet. There is no data volume download limit within these 24 hours. You will be charged Rs.100/day only for the days you use your Evo connection.
In case you are not satisfied with the performance you can claim a refund within 7 days of your purchase. Please note in case of Evo Prepay only device charges are refunded. No refund can be claimed for any amount of balance that you might have loaded.

PostPaid Packages

Note: Monthly service charges will be payable at start of each month at PTCL One Stop Shops or Customer Service Centers
Drivers Download
Download EVDO PCMCIA CARD Drivers (FOR WINDOWS) (FOR MAC)
Download EVDO USB CARD Drivers (FOR WINDOWS) (FOR MAC)

To place your order call 0800-8-0800, visit Sales Locations
Via ProPakistani.PK

Warid Goes Down At Large

2009-10-13T17:29:00.000-07:00

We are getting news that Warid is down nationwide. We got this confirmation from multiple ProPakistani readers as well.
Reportedly, People are not able to make any calls from their Warid numbers, also are not able to send any messages. With this they are also not able to receive any messages or calls on their numbers from other networks. This issue seems to be occurring nationwide. People are getting errors such as 'Network Busy', 'Can't access network' and 'Result Unknown'.
Seems like the network of Warid is greatly effected because of which communication on its network is completely down. The breakdown occurred around at 11:15 pm.
We could not arrange official version from Warid on this.
Update: 12: 09 AM :Partial recovery has been reported in Lahore and South Region
We request our readers (with Warid Connections) to update us with your network status
Update: 02:30 AM: Warid Network is back, and fully live, country wide.
Via ProPakistani.PK

Mobilink Mobile Money Order [Pic]

2009-10-13T17:27:00.000-07:00

A female confirms a withdrawal with her PIN Code at General Post Office, Narowal to securely receive money via SMS using Mobilink and Pakistan Post's instantaneous, Mobile Money Order (MMO) Service. The m-commerce solution was launched earlier this year to provide the fastest way to remit money domestically.
Via ProPakistani.PK

Invite a friend to Google Voice

2009-10-13T11:44:00.000-07:00

(Cross-posted from the Google Voice Blog)

Since the debut of Google Voice, our early users have shared lots of feedback that has led to some exciting new features, like the ability to receive SMS messages via email and the option to change your Google Voice number. But one of the most frequent requests we've received is for the ability to share Google Voice with friends and family.

Starting today, we're beginning to give out invitations to Google Voice users. If you currently use Google Voice, over the next few weeks, you'll see an "Invite a friend" link appear on the left-hand side of your inbox.

We'll be rolling out these invitations gradually, so don't worry if you don't see your invitations immediately. We're initially giving out three invites to each account, but we're planning to provide more invitations in the future.

If you don't have an account yet, you can request a Google Voice invitation at google.com/voiceinvite.

Posted by Craig Walker and Vincent Paquet, Product Managers, Google Voice

Cool gadgets

2009-10-13T10:45:00.000-07:00

Creative Sound Blaster play

• Best suited for mobile travellers who can simply plug-in the Sound Blaster Play for better quality sound.
• Connect headphones, speakers and microphone to this device to enhance your audio experience.
• Creative's Multimedia Surround Sound (CMSS) function upconverts stereo content into surround audio.
• Built-in support for EAX Advanced HD 4.0 and Creative ALchemy software promises enhanced audio quality and surround sound in games
• Interface: USB 1.1
• Signal-to-Noise Ratio: 90dB
Price: Rs2,100

IPod Nano with video

• Product simensions (hxwxd): 3.6inches x 1.5inches x 0.24inch; 36.4grams
• Display: 2.2-inch (diagonal) TFT display; 240-by-376-pixel resolution at 204 pixels per inch
• Video capture: H.264 VGA video, 640 by 480 pixels, up to 30 frames per second with AAC audio
• 15 real-time special effects: Sepia, black and white, X-Ray, film grain, thermal, security cam, cyborg, bulge, kaleido, motion blur, mirror, light tunnel, dents, and twirl
• 8GB storage: Holds up to 2,000 in 128-Kbps AAC format3 or eight hours of video
• Spoken menus allow listeners to hear many of the names of menus, song titles, and artists without viewing the screen.
• Playback time; music: Up to 24 hours when fully charged;
• Video: Up to five hours when fully charged
• FM radio with live pause allows you to pause live music with just a click. Rewind as far back as 15 minutes, then fast-forward to catch up to the live broadcast
Price: Rs12,300

Via DAWN

Tips and tricks: Beyond the obvious

2009-10-13T10:42:00.001-07:00

Internet surfing is never really complete without visiting Google—a virtual synonym for search engine in today's world. But even as Google currently enjoys a large search engine market, there are other interesting engines coming up with added capabilities such as allowing natural language queries, content summarisation, and calculations based on questions. Here’s a look at few such engines that go beyond keyword searches.

WolframAlpha.com

Recognising the fact that search is performed for knowledge discovery and often a user has to combine data from a number of pages returned in results, WolframAlpha attempts to automatically summarise the findings. For example, entering a simple term, 'Life expectancy' results in a detailed summary of global trends — ranking top 10 highest and lowest countries, distribution graph, rank curve, along with other demographic trends. Such detailed analysis would take hours if performed manually, considering that within each section, there's a 'More' button further expanding the information.

This makes WolframAlpha particularly useful for students and researchers. For example, try looking up GDP of Pakistan on this engine and on Google. The results at former are tabular, with trend graph and additional economic data such as inflation rate, unemployment rate, GPD at purchasing power parity, exchange rate and local currency, etc. For record purposes, you can download the information in PDF files as well.

Other interesting knowledge computations include time, geography and lots of other data. You could try 'Time in Canada' to generate local and foreign clocks, 'January 1950' to generate back or post-dated calendars, solve mathematical formulas, enter name of website to view number of daily visitors, page views, or enter a city name to view its location on map along with population, temperature and other statistics, or enter names of two cities—say, Karachi and Lahore—to find the distance and flight time in between, and find nutrient contents in food by entering 'Vitamin C in orange'. Since this type of search is not common, it’s advisable to go through the examples section to get acquainted with type of data made available by Wolfram.

Deep web

Deep web, invisible web or dark web is equivalent of dark matter in the realm of cyberspace. As the name suggests, it’s that part of the web—considered to be about 500 times the size of the web we come across—which is not reachable through normal search engines. This huge data often resides in databases and other non-common standard formats making it difficult for ordinary search technologies to harness it in their results. Deepdyve.com claims to be expanding their deep web search capabilities, while CompletePlanet.com and Archive.org offer similar capabilities.

Semantic web / meta-search

Such catch phrases have been around for some years now with experimental search engines coming up every now and then. The idea behind these engines is to make sense out of otherwise cluster of words by understanding context of natural language and possibly linking them with each other. Some of the sites offering this type of search include cuil.com, hakia.com and clusty.com with a feature of showing groupings of topics related to the term being searched on the left.

Via DAWN

Techno tricks: Create your own fonts

2009-10-13T10:39:00.000-07:00

If you are bored of the same old default fonts offered by Windows, there are two things you can do — download new fonts from the internet, or create your own fonts. We are going to discuss the second option here — how to create custom fonts that could be based on your own handwriting as well!

Construct fonts

http://fontstruct.fontshop.com/

This is a free online font creator that allows creating and sharing fonts using a simple font editor. Unlike some other custom font creation tools, it doesn’t require the user to scan handwritten characters against alphabets and numbers, rather it allows the user to directly draw alphabets over the screen using the mouse.

On the home page of Font Struct, press the ‘Start Now’ button to get started. This brings up the login and sign-up page. Get registered here by pressing ‘Sign Up Now’ button. Enter the correct email address and fill in other details and press ‘Sign Up’ button and then login using the link sent over email.

By default, the user is logged into a private home page that allows font creation, with a link to a public page where fonts can be showcased for other users to see and download. on the private home page, press ‘Create New FontStruction’ button. Enter a name for the font being created and press ‘Start FontStructing’ button. Wait for a while as the font editor is loaded in browser window.

This is a sleek looking and user-friendly interface. Instead of typical brush tools to draw, there are a number of brick shaped to give smooth edges and variety of shapes to the font lines and edges. In this way, create custom characters using the horizontal slide bar at the bottom. Press the ‘Save’ button often while editing fonts to ensure it doesn’t get lost.

At any point in time, press the ‘Preview’ button to try out the new fonts right there in the browser window without downloading the font.

For more detailed options such as extra rulers and measurement information, minimal and full screen view, etc., use the ‘Advanced’ dropdown. Once done with the editing, press the ‘Download’ button and save the ZIP file. Then there’s the ‘Zoom’ option and changing the basic stencil of characters from Latin to say Arabic or Greek, etc. And there’s a ‘Tools’ window too with standard items such as pencil draw, eraser, rectangle, lines and pen in order to help the editing of fonts.

Create through handwriting

Sites such as Your Fonts (www.yourfonts.com), Fontifier (www.fontifier.com) and Font Capture (www.fontcapture.com) offer templates that can be downloaded for font creation. The basic idea behind all such sites is the same — download a PDF or an image file that has all the possible characters already printed in a commonly used font. Print this sheet and write a handwritten version against each printed character and complete the sheet.

Upload this sheet as scanned file and let the website construct fonts out of it. This is done by cutting the boxes in which the characters are written down. The next step is to preview the font online and make necessary changes if required. Finally, download the font file and install it in Windows.

Fonts are downloaded as files having extension TTF (true type fonts). Installing fonts in Windows XP is quite straightforward. Go to Start > Control Panel > Fonts. Select ‘Install New Font’ from ‘File’ menu and browse to the location where the font file is downloaded. Or simply drop the font file in ‘Fonts’ folder under ‘Windows’ folder using ‘Windows Explorer’.

Though standard fonts are always recommend for formal communication, custom fonts can always be fun and a new learning experience.

Via DAWN

660 Million Text Messages Were Exchanged During Eid in Pakistan: Acision

2009-10-13T10:32:00.000-07:00

Acision has announced that over 660 million text messages were delivered across its messaging systems during a 48 hour period in Pakistan, over the 2009 Eid festive season. With 95 million mobile subscribers representing 58% of the mobile penetration rate, Pakistan is one of the fastest growing mobile markets in the world.
"It is becoming very normal for SMS volumes to peak during festive seasons, mainly due to consumers opting to send SMS greetings because it is inexpensive, easy to use and supported by 100% of all mobile handsets in the market. One of the key drivers for SMS traffic growth in this market is the introduction of SMS bundles this year for the prepaid segment. With mobile users taking advantage of such bundles, SMS volumes are rising to new record levels to over half a billion being processed in just two days. These figures demonstrate that SMS is still the preferred choice for communicating and is set to remain the most dominant data revenue driver for Pakistan mobile operators." Sherif Hamoudah, Senior Vice President and General Manager for Acision in Middle East, Africa and Pakistan said.
With SMS volumes continuing to increase year on year, Acision sees ample opportunities for operators to double SMS service revenues through innovations in messaging, and differentiation in the messaging experience through value added enhancements that provide convenience and productivity.
"Operators too, are realising that SMS must be managed in parallel to its overall business. By growing a messaging business on an open architecture mobile operators can rapidly roll out new services. The scalable nature of the Acision SMSC means that operators messaging systems can effortlessly handle substantial increases in volumes of messages within seconds. As the world's leading messaging company, Acision has extensive global market reach which means we have a better insight into the present and future requirements of mobile operators and mobile subscribers." Hamoudah added.
Via ProPakistani.PK

Banking for the Unbanked – Mobile Banking Steps up!

2009-10-13T10:30:00.000-07:00

I have been talking about mobile commerce and mobile banking for quite some time now. My recent article on the topic had been on the possibility of the telecom companies posing a challenge to the traditional banking industry in the mobile domain.And now, this week, we will be witnessing mobile banking taking a new turn. As, we will see heads joined together to figure out innovative ways to cater to the mobile banking needs of today's tech-savvy customer and easy to use services for the unbanked populace of Pakistan.
I spoke of stats earlier: Pakistan has 20 million bank accounts as opposed to over 90 million mobile subscribers. All of whom are potential mobile banking customers. There seems to be a race to tap in to this market.
If it happened as per schedule, this week, we will witness the launch of "EP" by Telenor Pakistan. EP will be a unique experience altogether. We might also be seeing something coming in from one of the leading banks in Pakistan in collaboration with one of the most famous telecom brand-names in Pakistan.
With that said, October 14th and October 15th will be very important days for the years to come as I believe our banks and telecom operators might be setting benchmarks for the way things will work in the future.
There seems to be, I admit, a sense of secrecy around this particular post. It is to preserve the right of the marketing teams of the banks and telecom operators to keep the launch 'special' for everyone.
We cannot, however, rule out the element of confusion that exists over the many ways mobile-banking can be implemented. Everyone has different ideas and more importantly, differing interests associated with this business. The PTA and the State Bank of Pakistan could ease this problem by stepping in with a standardized model to be followed at all costs for basic banking while allowing banks and telecom operators to experiment with value-added services.
It is indeed delightful for me to see, like I had spoken about it earlier, a unique collaboration between banks and telecom operators to tap in to a market which has remained more-or-less unexplored throughout the world and especially in Pakistan.
What is to be seen, however, like Telenor has decided to cater to the unbanked and rural areas of Pakistan (just as they focused their core telecom operations on rural areas) – how other banks and operators develop business models to allow those who don't have bank accounts to use their handsets for basic financial services.
For now, mobile-banking is hot. We can assume sustainable growth in this domain with concerted efforts to increase awareness and educate the masses on the use of these services. How the banks and operators make it a 'need' for their customers is just about to be unveiled.
Via ProPakistani.PK