TourPlanner.pk: Your Online Vacation Planner in Pakistan

Summer is on the roll and your desire of a much needed vacation needs to be fulfilled. But the question is, what is the best approach of planning a vacation?

Be it with your family or your homies. We all feel the need of brainstorming necessary as to decide where to go, what route to take, what is the cheapest way to get there holding on to your budget. And due to the security turmoil in our country and the lack of proper guidance, people of Pakistan usually opt going abroad which indirectly effects the tourism industry of our own country.

Well, here is the catch, a local Pakistani website called TourPlanner.pk promises to be a nut cracker for your tour planning, from hotel room booking to flight information and other tour-related queries that needs to be answered including the best prices in town, you will find a solution to all that and more.

TourPlanner.PK is linked with tripadvisor for the purpose of providing you with the service and information of international flights for out of country holidays but the intra-country holidays are exclusively planned and offered by tourplanner.pk.

TourPlanner is on a mission “To help travellers of all backgrounds easily discover, book, and enjoy the best travel products at economical prices on their finger tips.”

This portal may come in handy for both holiday travellers and business or work related travels. TourPlanner.pk offers sufficient variety of booking services and planning.

International hotels booking

This category directs the users to the international website, TripAdvisor that is. This booking resource encompasses over 3.7 million restaurants, business and tourist spots and destinations from which you can choose by taking your budget in consideration.

Flight information

This will provide you the the flight information including the international and domestic departures and arrivals for the big three cities; Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad via directing you to the associated portals for the Jinnah International, Allama Iqbal International and Benazir Bhutto International airports respectively.

Though it has some complications regarding that, the server sometimes doesn’t work, nevertheless it saves you the trouble of surfing lot more websites just to get information.

Tour Packages and Hotel Bookings

Tourplanner covers all the aspects related with the tour, be it a family tour, honeymoon or last minute entries. The portal currently offers tour packages and online booking service for thirteen cities including Naran Kaghan, Muzzaffarabad, Mirpur, Nathiagali, Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Neelum valley, Peshawar, Sialkot, Multan, Murree, Rawalpindi and Abbottabad.

They are associated with 100+ 2 to 4 star hotels all over the country for which they offer online details with pictures and charges. You can select the room of your choice from their detailed overview of hotels which covers amenities that specific hotel provides, types of rooms, booking rates and terms & conditions.

The website also gives you the ease of filtered search to get better and more precise results.

TourPlanner doesn’t ask for the payment at the time of booking but its necessary to confirm your booking 48 hours prior to the time of check-in.

Payment modes include EasyPaisa, UBL Omni and UBL Internet Banking by using their mobile account (0345- 5380783-4) mentioning the transaction ID and amount paid to TP.

The detailed procedure is mentioned on TourPlanner’s website so you need not to worry.

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Android Wear Apps Finally Hit Play Store and Get their Dedicated Portion

Android Wear Apps Finally Hit Play Store and Get their Dedicated Portion:

While the initial batches of Android Wear devices have finally started to get shipped, Google is making sure users don’t miss out on the fun.

To keep users busy, it has created a dedicated section at the Play Store for Android Wear apps specifically.

The number of apps currently tops out at around 30, and includes Google Maps, Hangouts, Pinterest, The Guardian, Path and Rustastic PRO. It comprises mainly free apps but there are exceptions. Expect that number to increase in the near future as big, announced names like Twitter and Gmail are curiously missing.

As you probably know, the apps work in the same way as in most other smartwatches. You download the app on your smartphone, which then connects with your watch and syncing ensues. You’ll need to install the Android Wear app first of all. The webpage currently seems to only open via the URL given above; there isn’t a section shown individually.

Android Wear can currently be experienced on only three devices, which includes smartwatches from Motorola, LG and Samsung. Only the latter two’s smartwatches are on sale currently and cost $199 and $229 respectively.

Google’s Play Store version 5.0 is also live now, which mainly includes Google services and enhancements to Google’s new products. Notable additions include cross-device synchronizing in Play Games and new time-based “Quest” challenges.

If you’re thinking of maybe buying an Android Wear smartwatch in the near future, you may be happy to hear that its essentials, even though embryonic still, have finally been given birth.

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Scientists create most efficient artificial photosynthesis yet

Scientists create most efficient artificial photosynthesis yet

Many scientists now think that slowing down global warming isn't enough anymore and that we now need to clear some of the CO2 already in the air. Existing solutions like carbon sequestration aren't ideal, and strategies like vacuuming the sky are still a UN pipe dream. However, scientists at Princeton have come up with an artificial photosynthesis system that could one day turn CO2 into useful things. The idea was to create an electrolysis cell that transforms water and waste CO2 into formic acid, used in airplane de-icing salts and experimental fuel cells. To do that, they used commercial solar panels for energy, carefully matched the current to the cell and stacked the cells -- resulting in a system with two percent efficiency. That may not sound like much, but it easily trumps the previous artificial photosynthesis champ, Panasonic, and is twice as efficient as actual plants. A practical application is still a ways off, though, so in the meantime maybe just go plant a tree.

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Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez Friendship Ended

Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez Friendship Ended

Demi Lovato, who was at one times best friends with the Come and Get It singer, has unfollowed Selena on Twitter. This may not seem like a big deal to too many people, but these days, unfollowing someone on a social networking site is the equivalent of ending a friendship in person.

The two girls have been friends since their Disney days and they even starred in a Disney Channel original movie together! Earlier this year, Selena even revealed that Demi Lovato is the one person that she trusts more than anything in the world, so what is going on with these two?

According to Wetpaint, after the seemingly innocuous unfollow, Demi tweeted some not so nice things which were reportedly aimed at Selena. The tweets have since been deleted, but plenty of screencaps were captured before Demi Lovato was able to delete them. 

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fourth of july special : How To Take Fireworks Photos With Your Phone

How To Take Fireworks Photos With Your Phone

Mario Aguilar

Gizmodo

It just wouldn't be the Fourth of July without the climactic boom of fireworks. If you want to keep that memory all year—or at least share it with all of your friends on Instagram—these tips will help you get lovely photos with your phone, even if you're not a pro.

Some people roll up to the fireworks with a tripod and a fancy DSLR. (If you're one of those people, this handy guide from PCMag should help.) But if you're like us, you'll show up full of American beer, BBQ, and patriotism. The only tool at your disposal? Your smartphone. Here's how to take photos of fireworks that don't suck—no fancy apps or art school degree required.

• Pick a good spot in advance: Before the fireworks even start, you should try to get yourself in a good position: staying upwind of the fireworks will keep the smokey aftermath of previous blasts from gumming up your shot.

• Get steady: Remember, you're taking photos at night so a little bit of shakiness from slower shutter speeds can turn your photo into a blurry mess. Brace yourself against a picnic table or even sit down on the ground if possible. If you're in a crowd, get cozy with your neighbor for support.

• Frame before you shoot: Figure out where in the sky fireworks are blowing up and position your phone in advance. You don't want to chase the shot, you want your phone to be in the right place already.

• Use the AE/AF lock: Once your phone's in position, don't take your shot right away. On the iPhone and many Android phones tapping the screen locks in the exposure and focus for your shot. Use one firework for metering, and then take the photo of the next.

• Don't be afraid of portrait mode: Usually we loathe portrait mode, but here's one instance where it might capture a better photo. This is not an ordinary snapshot. Depending on the scenery and your perspective, both landscape and portrait photos might work well — heck, even experiment with crooked angles to see what gets the best results.

• Don't zoom: We realize that the fireworks are SO FAR AWAY but the digital zoom on camera phones is only an illusion. Don't use it. You can always crop the photo later.

• Keep it native: Speaking of later, third-party apps introduce additional lag to your phone's camera. Keep your timing sharp by using your built-in camera app, and upload it to Instagram later.

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Your Android phone could be leaking your Wi-Fi history

Your Android phone could be leaking your Wi-Fi history

Russell Brandom

The Verge

If you're using an Android phone that's less than three years old, it could be broadcasting the names of every Wi-Fi network you've connected to. A new investigation from the Electronic Frontier Foundation traced the behavior to a feature called Preferred Network Offload (PNO) introduced with the Honeycomb OS. As part of the phone's ongoing search for Wi-Fi connections, PNO periodically blasts out a list of named networks the phone has previously connected to, often while the phone is still in sleep mode. If the names include specific places, like "Verge HQ network" or "Nilay's Apartment," that list could potentially give away a person's movements and activity.

But if you're worried about the leak, it's easy to fix. Just go to "Advanced Wi-Fi" settings and disable the "Keep Wi-Fi on during sleep" option to stop PNO from checking for networks in sleep mode. (In exchange, you'll see a slight uptick in data and power usage.) EFF has asked Google to address the data leak at an OS level, but it doesn't seem likely. "Since changes to this behavior would potentially affect user connectivity to hidden access points, we are still investigating what changes are appropriate for a future release," the company said in response.

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Zong Launches Ramadan Promotion

Zong announced the launch of its latest campaign, to honour its loyal consumers during the auspicious month of Ramadan.

Titled ‘Zong Hajj Offer’, 40 Hajj packages will be given to 20 lucky winners. Each winner will be entitled to 2 Hajj packages.

In the month of Ramadan, upon a recharge of PKR 150 on all new activations, MNP subscribers & all existing prepaid subscribers will get a chance to win 2 Hajj Packages via lucky draw. Customers are encouraged to get multiple recharges of PKR 150 as it will increase their entries in the lucky draw.

Speaking about the Hajj promotional offer, Babar Bajwa, Executive Director Marketing, Zong said,

“While it is important to ensure our customers have an amazing service experience, it is also important to offer them occasion-specific benefits.Keeping in mind the religious spirit of the holy month of Ramadan, we have come up with the Hajj package campaign to let our customers get a chance to perform Hajj on behalf of Zong.The campaign will give a chance to 20 lucky winners to further renew their religious enthusiasm by performing Hajj.”

As a company which values its customers, Zong has always been at the forefront of bringing promotions that bring a new level of enthusiasm for customers bearing in mind their personal goals and aims.

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HTC Reveals the Mid-Range Desire 516

HTC Reveals the Mid-Range Desire 516

For people in search for a good, mid-budget phone, there’s a new option for you. This time from HTC with the new Desire 516 which comes with a 5″ display, a quad-core Snapdragon 200 processor and a 5 megapixel camera.

The display comes with a subpar qHD resolution of 540 x 960 pixels, which is just about usable for a screen this size, having a pixel density of 220ppi.

Underneath the display, you’ll get a quad-core 1.2Ghz Snapdragon 200 processor with Adreno 302 GPU.

At the back lies a 5 megapixel camera with 720p HD video recording at 30 fps, and is accompanied by an LED Flash. The front also boasts a 2mp camera. Connectivity options include 3G and Bluetooth 4.0. Dual-SIM compatibility is also onboard.

A 1,950 mAh battery powers the phone, which is available in 2 colours. Here are the specs again:

• Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean with HTC Sense
• 5″ display with qHD resolution of 540 x 960 pixels
• 9.7mm thick
• Dual-SIM connectivity
• 1.2Ghz Cortex-A7 processor with Snapdragon 200 chipset
• 1 GB RAM with 4 GB internal storage
• MicroSD card slot compatible with up to 32 GB cards
• 5 megapixel rear-facing camera with 720p HD video recording
• 2 megapixel front-facing shooter
• Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB 2.0, Wi-Fi Hotspot, 3G
• 1,950 mAh battery
• Available in Black, White

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Samsung Reveals its Budget Smartphone Line-up for the Summer

fter Motorola had thrown its cards, it’s now time for Samsung to show its skills this summer with its new budget line-up.

The 4 phones: Star 2, Young 2, Ace 4 and Core II – will cater to the needs of a wide range of users, run Android 4.4.2 KitKat out-of-the-box with the company’s TouchWiz Essence UI on top.

Further, the Galaxy Core II, Galaxy Star 2, and Galaxy Young 2 are dual-SIM devices, while the Galaxy Ace 4 is a single SIM device and has been launched in 3G and LTE variants and will also be more widely available than rivals such as the Moto G.

The South Korean consumer electronics giant, as of now, has not revealed any pricing or availability details of the four smartphones.

Galaxy Star 2

Inspite of that fancy name, the Star 2 is the most humble offering, having a 3.5″ HVGA display at the front and a single-core 1Ghz processor. Also at home are 512 MB RAM and a 2 megapixel camera at the back, to remind you of 2010.

Storage is set at 4 GB expandable. A 1,300 mAh battery powers it up. Dual SIM compatibility is also on-board.

Galaxy Young 2

The Young 2 is the successor to the popular Galaxy Young. Packing a larger 3.5″ HVGA display, the phone retains the 1Ghz processor and 512 MB RAM of its younger sibling.

A 3mp camera can be found on the back. 3G, Bluetooth 4.0 and Dual SIM compatibility are onboard, as is the 4 GB expandable storage and a 1,300 mAh battery.

Galaxy Ace 4

The fourth iteration of Samsung’s popular phone finally brings notable specs, packing a 4″ display with 480 x 800 res. at the front. Under the hood sits a 1.2Ghz dual-core processor with 1 GB RAM and 4 GB expandable storage.

At the back is a 5 megapixel with 720p video, along with a VGA shooter at the front. Connectivity modes include Bluetooth 4.0 and, more importantly, 4G LTE.

An 1,800 mAh battery powers the phone.

Galaxy Core II

The top-end phone of the line-up comes with a 4.5″ display of 480 x 800 resolution. Underneath, you’ll get a quad-core 1.2Ghz processor with lesser, 768 MB RAM and 4 GB expandable storage.

At the back lies with a 5 megapixel camera with 480p video, as is the VGA shooter at the front. It has skipped 4G but comes with a 2,000 mAh battery.

Needless to say, the line-up is truly puzzling, hence, of you have your heart set on a phone, take one after judging your needs and wants. You’ll (still) be better off with the Moto G or E, though.

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Samsung Introduces the Mini Version of its Flagship, the Galaxy S5 Mini

Samsung Introduces the Mini Version of its Flagship, the Galaxy S5 Mini

Other than Sony, no Android OEM makes a mini flagship with most of the specs similar to its bigger cousin. It, hence, comes as a no surprise that the biggest similarities between the Galaxy S5 Mini and the S5 are the fingerprint scanner, heart-rate monitor and the fake leather back. And they end right there.

Rather, calling it the successor to last year’s Galaxy S4 Mini feels more appropriate. The front boasts a 4.5″ display with 720p resolution and Corning Gorilla Glass 3.

Underneath the display lies a 1.4Ghz quad-core processor with 1.5GB RAM and 16 GB expandable storage. At the back is the dumbed down 8 megapixel camera with 1080p video. A 2.1 megapixel selfie camera is also found at the front.

Connectivity options include 4G, NFC, IR Blaster and Bluetooth 4.0. On the software side, the phone comes with all the features (and gimmicks) found on the Galaxy S5, such as the Ultra Power Saving Mode and S Health.

In its defence, it does come with IP67 certification, something which only debuted on the Samsung flagship this year.

Here are the full specifications of the phone:

• Network
  • LTE Category4 : 150 Mbps DL, 50 Mbps UL
  • HSDPA 42.2Mbps, HSUPA 5.76 Mbps
• Display
  • 4.5” HD (720 x 1280) Super AMOLED
• AP: Quad Core 1.4 GHz
• OS: Android 4.4 (KitKat)
• Camera
  • Main (Rear): 8.0 MP AF with LED Flash
  • Sub (Front): 2.1MP (FHD)
• Value-Added Features
  • IP67 Dust and Water Resistant
  • Ultra Power Saving mode
  • S Health
  • Private Mode/Kids Mode
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, NFC (LTE ver. only), Bluetooth® v4.0 LE, USB 2.0, A-GPS + GLONASS, IR Remote
• Memory
  • 1.5 GB RAM + 16GB Internal memory
  • microSD Slot (up to 64 GB)
• Dimension: 131.1 x 64.8 x 9.1mm, 120g
• Battery: 2,100mAh

Galaxy S5 Mini is set to launch around August and will be priced around $400.

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Minecraft Player is Journeying to the End of the World

Minecraft Player is Journeying to the End of the World

Minecraft is easily one of the top three video games that is being played around the world right now. Luckily there is no end to the creative outcome of this build-your-own experience kind of game. At least… not typically.

For Minecraft player JL2579, he is trying to reach the end… literally. He constructed a landscape with a track that runs from one edge of the world all the way to the other. That’s a stretch of 30,000 kilometers, which would be like travelling around the world, in a minecart, twice.

Okay, so on the surface, this might sound like a dull journey. But if you tune in to JL2579’s Twitch channel, you’ll find that Minecraft’s soothing soundtrack mixed with the eye-catching scenery will draw you in for more than a few minutes. And in case you were wondering, this is a planned 17 day journey, so there’s plenty of time to experience the ride.

Just when you thought everything in Minecraft has been accomplished, there is always something new.

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Israeli's chemical scanner could change shopping

Israeli's chemical scanner could change shopping

JON GERBERG

Associated Press

TEL AVIV, Israel — An Israeli inventor has created a scanner that he says could change the way we shop and take care of ourselves — by reading the chemical makeup of foods, drugs and other items we use.

The tiny gadget is still limited to a few key applications. But creator Dror Sharon envisions a machine that will compile a massive collection of data that will allow users to analyze the physical matter that exists around them.

"We wanted to find applications where people have the most visceral connection to the world," said Sharon, CEO and co-founder of Consumer Physics.

His gadget, called the SCiO, is an infrared spectrometer the size of a thumb drive. It is being marketed for three applications — food, pharmaceuticals and horticulture, or the health of plants. Simply by pointing and clicking a miniature digital wand, users can see how many calories are in a piece of cheese or determine when a tomato will reach peak ripeness.

Its name evokes the Latin verb "to know."

These features may seem more fun than life-changing at this point. But ultimately, advocates say, the SCiO could have life-saving uses, such as identifying contaminated foods or determining whether a drug is counterfeit.
"Immediately, the major impact will be increasing the awareness of people to the material world around them, which is already an enormous effect," said Sanford Ruhman, a professor of chemistry and expert on spectroscopy at Israel's Hebrew University.
Ruhman, who is not involved with SCiO, said that while the technology has been growing smaller and smaller for decades, the SCiO represents 

significant new step. It is believed to be the first device of its kind.

A self-described "skeptic by nature," Ruhman suggested that in the future the ability to detect chemicals could be very beneficial in fields such as health and security. "It is just the beginning of something that can become much larger," he said.

Sharon, an engineer with an MBA from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, describes the gadget as the next generation of "Googling." He finds the current process of searching for information to be cumbersome. The user must think of a concept or question, identify a relevant set of words, type them into a search engine and hope they get some useful results.

With the spectrometer, he said, you can just point the gadget at an item — without even necessarily knowing what it is. The device reads the item's molecular structure, matches the information to an ever-expanding database and then can send additional data to your smartphone.

"I think it will change the world in many ways," said Sharon. He said the device could have potential uses for monitoring car tires, fuel tanks, soil analysis and the human body.

Sharon has raised over $2 million from over 11,000 supporters on the fundraising website Kickstarter. For now, he says the gadget's capabilities are limited by the relatively small size of its database.
But he expects thousands of these investors to have a SCiO in their hands by the end of the year to help build what he calls "the world's largest database of matter," which will be stored online and shared between users.

Additionally, hundreds of these new backers will be enlisted as developers to tweak and experiment with the SCiO's software.

"Obviously it's nice to have $2 million," Sharon said. "But it was more about creating a community and creating engagement rather than actual funding."

He expects the gadget to hit the consumer market "sometime in the next year," at the price of $299.
Yossi Vardi, one of Israel's most successful high-tech investors, said the unorthodox development program is one of SCiO's greatest strengths.

"It's kind of an open innovation community," said Vardi, who said he is not an investor in the company. "And the winners are those who are able to recruit the highest number of developers, because then you have like a huge worldwide brain, which comes with a lot of ideas.

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