Pakistani Startup Secured 1st Runner up Position at Angel Hack Dubai

Metikulous, A Pakistani Tech startup secured joint 1st Runners up position at a hackathon organized by AngelHack.

The event took place at The Cribb, which is a startup accelerator initiative by Innovation360 and Turn8.

AngelHack is best known for organizing global hackathon competitions like AngelHack and AppHACK. It has organized close to 100 hackathons, parties, and other related startup events.

The teams competing at Angel Hack Dubai were competing to build from concept to a working product with-in 24 hours.

Metikulous was awarded for their idea of an application called Scribill.

Scribill is a financial dashboard for the automation of financial summaries received by the system through emails and manual uploads. It extracts, auto categorizes and delivers analytics based on the expenses and income. It gives a user insight about his expenses, key spending areas and helps in decision making to cut costs and expenses.

The team of Metikulous was lead by Mr. Sultan Saadat, Founder of Metikulous, followed by Mr. Wasif Jahangir, Co-founder and Mr. Imran Ansari, the Business Development Manager.

Along with the team of Metikulous, Mr. Ali Hamidi, CTO of Friendshippr, was also collaborating to help achieve the goals.

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Mobipack: Simplifying the Selection of Mobile Packages

Package! This word triggers your brain with a sense of complication every time you hear that, init?

We all, while opting for a suitable cellular package get confused between the curves of validity, codes and availability, pricing etc. so we hunt the internet for information or get help for call center.

GOOD NEWS is.. you do not need to do it anymore.

For our convenience, there is this application available in the market for Android smartphones called “MobiPack”.

Now save yourself the trouble of remembering all the complicated short codes in order to subscribe or unsubscribe to call, SMS or internet packages.

This idea started as a fun app at ITU (Arfa Software Technology Park), got boosted on Startup Weekend Islamabad and was offered for the incubation in LUMs. It is now successfully running on Google Play Store and get a very positive feedback from users.

Mobipack Working & Functioning:

Simply install the app from Google Play Store, after installation it automatically detects your SIM connection and triggers the voice, SMS or internet packages that are available on your number by your cellular company.

Its UI is very clean and well organized and categorized.

The best part is that it is FREE! While using it you can check your remaining balance and the packages you are already using or are subscribed to, that too save you from worrying about any hidden charges or services which you have not voluntarily activated.

The advantages do not end here, you can also send bulk SMS and can block any number refraining it from sending you spam. The list of the options included:

1. SMS Packages (Search is now supported to find out cheapest package available)
2. GPRS – 3G & 4G Packages
3. CALL Packages
4. Other mobile services
5. Donations
6. Emergency numbers
7. News feed
8. Check balance
9. Load balance
10. Share balance
11. Block SMS
12. Set Ringtone on specific number
13. Sync contacts on server

The developer Centsol, a Lahore based company, has also provided the users with easy to use options for loading and transferring your balance, playing with the ringtones.

You can also make a backup of your contacts data.

Yes, newly launched 3G Bundles are already included in the packages and you can select and subscribe to any 3G bundles available with your respective operator.

The best thing we liked the most about the application was a counter for internet and SMS usage. This app can keep track of all the data consumed over EDGE or 3G networks. WiFi data isn’t accumulated, hence giving you a fair idea about the real-time status of your bundle consumption. A similar counter is available for text messages as well.

Currently the app doesn’t support any postpaid plans and in fact postpaid subscribers are also offered with prepaid bundles to choose from, which we believe should be rectified.

As for now, the user reviews are pretty positive and welcoming. Considering this, possible future upgrade is expected.

On a related note, cellular companies should get inspired from the app so they may come up with their official apps for similar processes. Or even better, they should partner with MobiPack to avoid inventing the wheel.

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Warid Crosses 50Mbps Speed Barrier During 4G Tests

Warid, as we reported before, is rigorously working towards launching the public trials for its anticipated 4G LTE services somewhere with-in next few weeks.

During the trials it is believed that Warid crossed 50Mbps speed benchmarks on a cellular network using 4G LTE technology.

Before we comment any further, below is the speed test screen for your eyes:

As apparent from the screen above, Warid successfully achieved 51.01 Mbps download speed while 33.54 Mbps upload speed during the test.

This lab test was reportedly carried out on intranet infrastructure using cellular communication medium, meaning that the client and server machines were available on similar network while communicate was made through cellular channels.

Experts say that real-world implementation of similar infrastructure can yield the customers around 25 to 35Mbps speeds, if implemented and customized properly.

It maybe recalled that Warid has promised its customers a 4G LTE networkthrough its existing cellular license and spectrum.

Warid went public with its 4G LTE plans early last month, which met strong opposition from competing operators who had paid millions of dollars for 3G and 4G licenses. Warid, however, believes that it has a technology neutral license with which it can offer 4G services as well.

PTA, on the other hands, has said that it will grant Warid the go-ahead for launching 4G only after inspecting the quality of service standards.

Warid is confident that it will be able to meet all the requirements and KPIs laid out by PTA to ensure parallel network quality for 4G consumers. Along with, company believes, service qualify for 2G subscribers will remain intact.

Warid has said that it will invest over US 400 million dollars for up-gradation of its network in the country.

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Samsung Announces Z, its First Tizen Phone

It marks the first step that Samsung is taking away from Android for a flagship phone. The new Samsung Z runs on Tizen, the OS which has risen from Meego’s ashes and borrows several features from the Galaxy S5′s book.

It’s faster too. Tizen is optimized and most-probably less-skinned, something not usual in Samsung’s case. Specs point towards the high-end market too.

At the front sits a 4.8″ display with HD 720p resolution. Not a 1080p panel but will facilitate in performance. Under the hood, you’ll get a 2.3Ghz quad-core processor, 2 GB worth RAM and 16 GB internal storage, expandable by 64 GB via microSD.

At the back is the 8 megapixel camera with Flash. Also home are a 2.1 mp front-shooter, NFC, IR Blaster, LTE and a 2,600 mAh battery. Also something we think we’ve seen before

With the addition of the heart-rate sensor at the back, the fingerprint sensor built-in directly into the home button as well as a power-saving mode make this phone sit rather a bit too close for the Galaxy S5 to be comfortable. No other Samsung phone has such capabilities packed in, you see. Design is unmistakably Samsung but actually looks better.

Which is interesting because as rumours have been indicating consistently, this may look like a possible move away from Android. We can only speculate at best at this time of the life-cycle.

Apps are certainly an issue but Samsung is doing its best to put as many HTML-5 based versions of popular websites as possible. Yandex, also called Russia’s Google will replace many of the services found on Galaxy phones by the ones made by itself.

Pricing details are not disclosed but the phone will hit Russia, and possibly other markets too, in Q3.

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Latest Hybrids / Laptops from ASUS May Win You Over

ASUS’ latest top-end laptop comes with a 4K UHD display in a wonderful package. The 15.6″ panel has a diverse color gamut and great viewing angles. Design is most-probably inspired from the MacBook Pro, with a single aluminium lid making the top lid. It is also just 19mm thick but 2.2kg heavy.

Under the hood, you get a Core i7 processor with Nvidia GTX 850 Graphics (with 2 GB GDDR5 VRAM) and 16 GB memory. Storage will be set at 512 GB, with connectivity options including 3 USB 3.0 ports, Wi-Fi 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.0.

The display uses 3M’s quantum dot technology to radically increase crispness and accuracy.

ASUS Transformer Book V

As its name suggest, the new Transformer Book is in fact 5 devices in one. It is a tablet with a keyboard dock, apart from having a phone slot built unto itself. 

The tablet bit comes Windows 8.1 running on an Intel Core processor with 128 GB storage and 4 GB RAM. Attaching the keyboard dock adds 1 TB worth storage more. 

As for the phone, it comes with a 5″ display with a 64-bit quad-core Intel Atom processor and 4G LTE connectivity. You also get a duo fo 8 and 2 mp cameras, 2,500 mAh battery and 2 GB RAM. When fitted with the phone, the tablet can switch between Windows 8.1 and Android 4.4 KitKat almost instantly with the press of a button.

The last of the exciting packages is the Transformer Book T300 Chi. We don’t know yet what that last word means. Still, it is the world’s thinnest 12.5″ detachable Windows tablet.

You are getting a 2,560 x 1,440 (QHD) display here with an Intel processor and integrated LTE. Amount of RAM will be either 2 or 4 GB. Of course, the design is the main thing here, with the tablet bit being just 7.3mm thin. Not much else is known except that we’re tempted.

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Apple Announces the New iOS 8 at WWDC 2014

Apple has pulled the covers off this year’s major OS update for iOS at WWDC 2014 with the new iOS 8.

The new update brings dozens incremental, as well as several features build from the ground up.

Statistics

Apple has announced that the number of iOS users has reached 800 million, with 130 million of those getting pulled in just last year. IPhone sales have reached 500 million overall, with the iPad and iPod Touch touching 200 and 100 million figures respectively.

We couldn’t be happier with the momentum of iOS.

Tim Cook also bragged about an industry-leading 97% satisfaction rate for iOS, as well as an 89% conversion rate to iOS 7, compared to just 9% on KitKat. 99% of malware is also found on Android, Apple maintained.

Number of titles in the App Store has reached 1.2 million while total downloads have now passed 75 billion.

Interactive Notifications

On to the features now and the new iOS 8 comes with new interactive notifications, meaning that you’ll be able to carry out an action as soon as you receive an alert, straight from the task bar.

For instance, upon receiving a text message, you’ll be able to reply straight from the task bar, while in case of a Facebook notification, you’ll be able to like or comment on the new post instantly. This feature works from the lock screen too.

QuickType Keyboard

Apple’s much despised keyboard has also seen a new predictive text input with the new QuickType feature. The system keeps learning all time and also suggests appropriate, contextual replies based on the given scenario.

Finally, you also get the choice of installing a third-party keyboard. Steve would not have allowed that though.

Handoff

Handoff is the successor to the AirDrop feature on iOS, which allows you to control your iPhone via your MacBook but with greater control now, as well as the usual real-time editing.

You’ll get call notifications on you Mac, as well as the ability to type text messages or even receive phone calls. The new features are to be found as a part of OS X Yosemite, which will be made available this fall.

Siri

Siri can now start up just by calling “Hey Siri”. (Google would like to have a word here.) It also comes with Shazam Integration, allowing you to get the name of the song playing in your background faster than ever. We understand that a lot of you secretly wanted that.

HealthKit

iOS 8 has finally seen the inclusion of the much-awaited Health and Fitness app, Health. The app monitors a large number of metrics, either it be your workout habits or sleep. It already has partners such as Nike who monitor and put all of your data in one place.

The integrated M7 chip in the iPhone 5S helps in the collection of all this data. Apple has also partnered with a few hospitals to provide doctors with all the detailed reports they need of their patients.

HomeKit

We’re also seeing the inclusion of a central framework for a smart and connected home. The company has worked with a wide range of companies on this service.

Firstly, HomeKit will allow users to control their appliances, light bulbs and the lot using their iPhones. Secondly, they’ll also be able to get better security, with the ability to lock or unlock using your iOS device. The system will allow you to group your devices, meaning that a single command will allow you to dim the lights of a single floor of your home, and more.

iCloud Drive

iCloud Drive is Apple’s answer to DropBox and the lot. And it’s a lot more sophisticated. Starting with the usual stuff, the you’ll be able to start PDFs, spreadsheets etc. on a single device and continue them on the other seamlessly, without the need to stop.

Apps are also more intelligent due to this constant syncing. Since apps also share their data with the other apps on your iOS device, you can start your work through a single app and carry from the other with no hassle whatsoever.

Miscellaneous

The new photo app allows you to make changes to a single image across all your devices. For instance, you can edit an image on your iPad and get the final version across all your devices.

Double-tapping on the home button also brings up your recent contacts now in the form of small circles at the top of the screen. Widgets are also making an entrance, though they’ll still be seen only on the notification center and not on the homescreen.

TouchID, Apple’s famed fingerprint scanner, will finally be available to third-party apps. A new feature, Family Sharing, will allow six members of a family to share their iTunes purchases. They’ll have to use a single credit card for this to work.

Email client is updated and made faster, having got the ability to dismiss unimportant emails with a swipe. Spotlight is also given a boost, and is much more functional and deeper than before.

Lastly, there is a lot more potential for app developers to show their spark in iOS 8. The new OS version doesn’t only give them much more control and penetrating power, with features like SceneKit, SpriteKit and Metal (which brings a 10x performance boost) they’ll be able to further fill the void between console gaming and mobile applications. An example of this was shown in a breathtaking demo by Epic Games.

Availability

iOS 8 will be available in a wide range of devices, starting from the iPad 2, iPad Mini and the iPhone 4S to the latest iPhone 5s and the iPad Air. As usual, it will hit devices this fall.

While its true that for the most part, Apple has tried to catch up with the competition, users most-probably will welcome these changes.

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Bookme.pk Aims to Become Online Booking Destination for Pakistanis

Truth be told! For us movie lovers, getting a cinema ticket has never been a hassle free task.

Whether having to drive to the cinema to book tickets in advance or standing in those seemingly never ending queues is what we had to go through until.

NOW! The good news is, Faizan Aslam; CEO of Macro Pak Solutions has created an app called BOOKME.PK in order to save ourselves the trouble of wasting our time and money on such petty issues.

With this app, you can get all the information of the happenings within the country, up coming events, transport and cinema ticketing.

Not just that! You can also opt for the option of online advance booking if desired for any of the mentioned services simply by tapping your device.

A BIG RELIEF init? Just switch on the app and welcome yourself to a whole new online booking experience.

Well several websites are offering their services for online booking these days, rivals include Showtimes Pakistan and Stubdo, what set bookme.pk apart is the fact that they are slightly more comprehensive.

Bookme.pk allow their customers to book any number of things online while other apps exclusively focus on their one particular service, like the mentioned above services do on cinema listings.

Moreover, they are aiming to become one stop booking destination and are now targeting the hotel and restaurants industries.

Bookme.pk for all Cinema Freaks

Bookme.pk offers exclusive tickets for premier shows and regular shows as well. It indeed has made the whole online booking process quick, easy and worry free. First select a movie you want to watch and then choose the desired cinema. Starting from Lahore, Bookme.pk is offering movie tickets for the following cinemas:

• Royal Palm Super Cinema
• Cinestar
• DHA Cinema
• Cine Gold

Once you have decided the Cinema, choose the time of the movie from the schedule provided and enter the number of seats you require.

The system will then calculate the total amount payable. You can buy tickets via either Cash on Delivery or online bank transfer.

Another unique thing is, this website/app offers a list of movies that are currently playing in local cinemas with their reviews, synopsis and trailer; an easy answer for your confusion, read the review, watch the trailer and if it triggers your interest go ahead and book the tickets.

Oh another good news! You can also reserve the desired seat. Go grab the front seat but first you have to book it on bookme.pk and the ticket will be delivered to you at your doorstep.

Travel services

The second service allows users to book buses online, check bus timings and get tickets. Though the two mentioned services are quite in contrast with each other but it all makes sense according to the idea envisioned by Faizan Aslam, the CEO of Macro Pak Solutions, which created bookme.pk. He stated:

I want to see Bookme.pk with everything for which we need to buy a ticket. It can be related to transport, entertainment or anything.”

So the founders of the app essentially see it one day becoming “a synonym for online reservation in Pakistan.”

The service is currently available in Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi.

The transport service links to Faisal Movers, who deliver the cinema tickets to your doorstep in addition to taking bus bookings.

Plan 9 Incubation & Macro Pak Solutions

Plan 9 was initiated by Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) in August 2012. It is a tech incubator which allows Pakistani upcoming startups to develop, by immaculate mentoring and assistance.

Macro Pak Solutions is one such team, which made the best use of Plan 9 incubation and bookme.pk is the result of it. It started at small scale but now own its exclusive 3 offices in major cities of the country.

The team is made up of some enthusiastic individuals like Faizan Aslam (@faizanaslams), Abdul Wahab, Asrar Anwar, Fakhra Irum, and Mohammad Shoaib.

Since their inception, they have reached on considerably high grounds. During their time at Plan 9 they focused on developing bookme.pk. If we talk about their future plans then Bookme.pk is also gearing up to provide the SMS functionality to the users.

Now what are you waiting for?! Download this 5star reviewed app on your android gimmick from Google Play Store.

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Justin Bieber apologizes for racial joke

Justin Bieber apologizes for racial  joke:

NEW YORK — Justin Bieber is apologizing after a years-old video surfaced showing the then-teenager telling a racist joke with the N-word.
In a statement Sunday to The Associated Press, Bieber said when he was a kid he didn't realize how certain words could hurt. He says he learned from his mistakes and apologized for them, and now is apologizing again because they have become public.
"I'm very sorry," Bieber said. "I take all my friendships with people of all cultures very seriously and I apologize for offending or hurting anyone with my childish and inexcusable behavior."
The British tabloid The Sun first published the video, which is five years old. In it, a then 15-year-old Bieber tells a joke about black people that has the racial epithet as the punchline. Before he says it, someone warns him not to — but he says it anyway amid laughter.
"I thought it was ok to repeat hurtful words and jokes, but I didn't realize at the time that it wasn't funny and that in fact my actions were continuing the ignorance," the statement said. "Thanks to friends and family I learned from my mistakes and grew up and apologized for those wrongs. Now that these mistakes from the past have become public I need to apologize again to all of those who I have offended."
It's the latest controversy for Bieber, who over the past couple of years has dealt with brushes with the law and other problems that have dealt a blow to his once wholesome image. The video was taken when Bieber was just emerging as a pop sensation.
In his statement, Bieber said that "ignorance has no place in our society and I hope the sharing of my faults can prevent others from making the same mistake in the future.
"I thought long and hard about what I wanted to say but telling the truth is always what's right."
He ends the statement by saying "Once again ... I'm sorry."

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Car, jewelry taken in burglary of Miley Cyrus home

Car, jewelry taken in burglary of Miley Cyrus home :

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles police are searching for a pair of burglars they say broke into Miley Cyrus' San Fernando Valley home and got away with jewelry and a luxury car.
The LAPD says officers from the department's North Hollywood station responded to a report of a burglary Friday at Cyrus' home.
They say a man and a woman scaled a fence and got inside the house and garage while no one was home.
A 2014 Maserati luxury sedan and an unspecified amount of jewelry were taken.
Police asked Sunday that anyone with information about the crime call North Hollywood's burglary detectives.
Last month the 21-year-old pop star obtained a temporary restraining order against an Arizona man who was detained by police while trying to meet her.

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What you need to know about hologram people

What you need to know about hologram people:

The aforementioned performances are a product of a centuries-old technique called "Pepper's Ghost." You might've seen this on a pretty grand scale during a family vacation to Disneyland, too. The park's Haunted Mansion ride uses it extensively, especially during the ballroom scene where "ghosts" are dancing all over the place. The key difference between what we're seeing now and what's been used for the past few hundred years? The tech being used has gotten much more advanced.The likes of Princess Leia pleading for Obi-Wan's help. Holograms use an array of lights to project a 3D image that's viewable from all sides. What we're seeing now is more of a parlor trick involving some figurative smoke and literal mirrors. Why it seems that no one much cared about any of this before the dead were involved, though, isn't exactly clear -- especially when one of the key companies behind the recent craze, Dimensional Studios, is responsible for basically all of the performances you're familiar with. Its work dates back to Madonna performing with Gorillaz at the Grammy awards in 2006, and Al Gore speaking in Tokyo at 2007's Live Earth concert.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

The holographic people we've seen are based off of an illusion called "Pepper's Ghost," developed by Henry Dircks and John Pepper in 1863. The concept requires two rooms, some specifically placed glass and carefully controlled lighting. A room adjacent to the viewing area (or stage) is set up as a mirror-image of the area the audience sees; if there's a chair on the right of the stage, it's on the left in the other room. The key difference is that other room is either painted black or entirely unlit, so as not to cast any unwanted reflections that would break the suspension of disbelief. That room is where the performer resides. The stage area must be brightly lit at first for the whole thing to work. Then, the stage's lights are dimmed slightly and the lights are raised in the mirror-image room, which causes the not-physical performer to appear.

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HP hedges its bets, unveils a 14-inch laptop running Android

HP hedges its bets, unveils a 14-inch laptop running Android:

If you thought this year's Computex show would be dominated entirely by Windows machines, you're in for a little twist. HP has just revealed the SlateBook, that 14-inch Android laptop we saw in a leaked video earlier this year. In addition, HP refreshed its 11-inch Chromebook with a slightly better batter, and dropped the price from $279 to $249. And that's not even counting all the Windows systems the company just launched. Some might call this strategy "throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks"; HP would probably just say it's hedging its bets. Either way, we've got the skinny -- but we'll leave it to you to decide which operating system makes the most sense.%Slideshow-197754%%Slideshow-197755%
The SlateBook isn't the first Android clamshell we've seen. Normally, though, once we get this far up in screen size, we expect a machine to be running Windows or OS X. You know, a "real" desktop OS. Heck, we've even seen Android running on various all-in-ones. But Android on a laptop? Especially one this large? That's a horse of a different color.

What's interesting is that with these specs (an NVIDIA Tegra 4 processor, a 1080p touchscreen and a nine-hour battery), the 3.7-pound  SlateBook is poised to compete against Chrome OS devices, including HP's own Chromebook 14, which costs a hundred dollars less. In particular, it matches up well against Samsung's new Chromebook 2, which also has a full HD screen and long battery life, and which costs the same as the SlateBook.

The difference, of course, comes down to which operating system functions better on a laptop. At first blush, it would seem Chrome OS is more mouse-and-keyboard friendly, but that Android has a much wider selection of apps, meaning you might be able to do more with it. The SlateBook will be available August 6th, starting at $399, at which point we'd love to get one in to review so that we can live with an Android laptop and see what it's like. Until, then, though, it would appear this is your shopping dilemma, if you choose to go with either OS at all.

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