Category: Tech

The Current’s tech news keeps you upto date with news of new gadgets, tech updates, information about tech startups and technology reviews.

  • ‘Social networks are amplifiers for idiots’

    ‘Social networks are amplifiers for idiots’

    Former Google chief executive officer (CEO) Eric Schmidt has said that social networks are amplifiers for idiots.

    According to Bloomberg, he said: “The context of social networks serving as amplifiers for idiots and crazy people is not what we intended.”

    The United States (US) government antitrust lawsuit filed against Google on Tuesday was disturbing, and the excesses of social media are likely to result in greater regulation of internet platforms in the coming years, he added.

    Schmidt personally controlled YouTube for many years. He then stayed on as Google’s CEO until 2011 and was Alphabet’s executive chairman until early 2018.

    Google’s YouTube has tried to decrease the spread of misinformation and lies about COVID-19 and US politics over the last year, with mixed results. Facebook and Twitter have also been under fire in recent years for allowing racist and discriminatory messages to spread online.

  • PTA removes ban on TikTok after management assures monitoring

    PTA removes ban on TikTok after management assures monitoring

    The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has removed the ban on video-sharing application TikTok, after assurances from the platform’s management. According to details, TikTok has assured the regulatory body that they will block all accounts indulged in spreading ‘obscenity and immorality’.

    PTA, in a tweet, confirmed that TikTok will moderate all accounts in accordance with local laws.

    Earlier on October 9, PTA had blocked the social media application after receiving multiple complaints from “different segments of society against immoral/indecent content on the video-sharing application TikTok”.

    This came after a final warning to TikTok was issued in July over explicit content posted on the platform. PTA said TikTok was given “considerable time to respond and comply with” instructions for the development of an effective mechanism for proactive moderation of “unlawful online content” but TikTok “failed to fully comply” with the regulator’s instructions.

    TikTok is one of the most popular social media apps in Pakistan. According to some estimates, the app has been installed 43 million times in Pakistan, with 14.7 million of those coming in the year 2020 alone.

    Meanwhile, TikTok had issued a statement on Saturday which called for the lifting of the ban on the app.

    “If the Government of Pakistan decides to reopen access to our services in the future, we will certainly assess our allocation of resources to this market,” the Chinese social media giant had said in a statement.

  • All about the new, upcoming OnePlus 8T

    All about the new, upcoming OnePlus 8T

    The OnePlus has finally launched 8T variant with features like improved 65W fast charging, 120 Hz refresh rate of the display and improved design. 

    Design and Display

    The 8T has a flat display panel unlike the base OnePlus 8 and has thinner surrounding bezels as well. It has a 6.55-inch AMOLED panel with FHD+ resolution, but increased refresh rate to 120Hz akin to the 8 Pro. The cornered punch-hole and the in-display fingerprint sensor is still there.

    The back now has a large L shaped camera set up in a rectangular housing similar to Huawei’s P40 series.

    Storage and processing power

    OnePlus 8T has installed its flagship Snapdragon 865 with the same storage configurations going up to 12GB RAM and 256GB. 

    There is no memory card slot for storage expansion. The device will boot Andriod 11 with Oxygen OS 11 which will let you upgrade to newer Android versions for the next 3-4 years. It is commendable because many smartphones get slower after three to four android updates. 

    Camera

    The installed camera setup is virtually the same, but they have added 2 megapixels (MP) depth sensor. Rest of the cameras are the same: 48MP primary lens, a 16 MP ultrawide lens, and a 5MP macro lens. An ultra-zoom lens is still missing in this variant. 

    The finest improvement is 4,500 mAh power cell that can be charged from 0 to 100% in just 40 minutes. This is one of the biggest improvements that the 8T brings is fast charging. It has a 4,500 mAh power cell that can be charged from 0 to 100% in just 40 minutes thanks to 65W fast charging.

    The OnePlus 8T will be available in Aquamarine Green and Lunar Silver colour options once it goes for sale on October 23 for $750.

  • Couple receives tiger cub after ordering kitten online

    Couple receives tiger cub after ordering kitten online

    A couple in France was shocked when they discovered that they received a tiger cub instead of the kitten they had ordered online.

    According to details, the couple had paid 6,000 euros (Rs 1,157,793) to buy a ‘Savannah cat’. The French couple said they were doubtful about the animal after taking care of it for a week. When they called the cops, the investigation resulted in a very strange revelation that the animal was a Sumatran tiger cub.

    The Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sondaica) is a protected species of big cats and is forbidden for private ownership. The Savannah, on the other hand, can be kept as a pet. According to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), a tiger cannot even be transported without paperwork.

    After the case came to the light, the couple and nine other suspects were arrested for trafficking the protected species. Meanwhile, others involved in this incident are facing charges of being involved in organised crime.

    The cub is in good health and was handed over to the French Biodiversity Office.

  • Beast of a phone: Is iPhone 12 the next one for you?

    Beast of a phone: Is iPhone 12 the next one for you?

    Whenever Apple launches a new iPhone, they integrate new chipsets to improve users’ experience while also enabling them to do things like edit Ultra High Definition (UHD) videos and play graphic-intensive games.

    In the iPhone 12, Apple is expected to further upgrade its features, including cameras, chips and the company’s newest software, iOS 14. Besides, the company is said to have reduced the chipset transistors to the size of only 25 atoms that will pack millions more in the processor. 

    Furthermore, all this will further increase the processing power of the chipset and the handset will also have the fastest 5G wireless connectivity.

    The launching ceremony is on October 13th, and it will be held virtually. Those who are interested can stream the ceremony on Apple’s website.

    Apple’s invite, which often has some clues, this time has an Apple logo inside circles with different hues of blue, orange and red. And there’s a pun, “Hi, Speed.” 

      Apple might also announce new over-ear headphones, AirPods Studio, at the event, driving some people to wonder whether the said circles have to do with audio sounds.

      In 2019, the price of iPhone 11 was $799, iPhone Pro and Pro Max started at $1,099. But according to rumours, the price of the iPhone 12 will largely remain the same.

    • PM Imran, Facebook join hands for a comprehensive digital literacy project

      PM Imran, Facebook join hands for a comprehensive digital literacy project

      A virtual meeting between Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan and Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) Sheryl Sandberg has been held to discuss the social media giant’s investments in Pakistan.

      PM Imran appreciated Facebook’s investments and said he recognised the immense potential of digital platforms like Facebook and the role that they can play in giving global opportunities to Pakistani youth and entrepreneurs and how the opportunities they create can lift people out of poverty.

      The premier with Sandberg also discussed Facebook’s #SheMeansBusiness programme under which over 6,000 women will be trained across Pakistan.

      Facebook’s Vice President (VP) for Global Affairs and Communications Nick Clegg and Head of Public Policy Pakistan Sarim Aziz also attended the meeting along with Focal Person to the PM on Digital Media Dr Arslan Khalid.

      In an exclusive conversation with The Current, Dr Arslan Khalid said that the federal government is working on a comprehensive project to introduce topics on digital literacy in the curriculum for students.

      “Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) are already on board with the federal government while negotiations are underway with Sindh and Balochistan to bring them on board for this initiative,” he added.

      The premier and Sandberg had last met in Davos, Switzerland, earlier this year.

    • E-commerce can create two million jobs and boost GDP up to $40 billion in Pakistan

      E-commerce can create two million jobs and boost GDP up to $40 billion in Pakistan

      E-commerce in Pakistan has the potential to create two million jobs and it can boost the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) up to the level of $40 billion in the next couple of years.

      President of Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) Saboor Malik, stated that transformation is required in the Information, Communications, and Technology sectors to uplift the digital economy of Pakistan.

      Saboor Malik has urged the government of Pakistan to adopt new dimensions of the economy as the digital platforms have been rapidly growing around the world and countries like Pakistan are still far behind in this race.

      More than 66 per cent of payments for e-shopping are being made as Cash on Delivery (COD) which does not reflect the true sense of digital platform.

      The Federal cabinet has already approved the E-commerce policy for promoting the digital culture and paperless trade to help enhance the trade volume.

      RCCI President remarked that Pakistan has huge participation in the global mobile market, with over 160 million mobile phone subscribers and around 150 million internet users.

      He suggested that the government must overhaul the whole banking infrastructure and encourage businesses, retailers, petrol pumps, PIA, Railways ticketing, superstores, schools and colleges to introduce payment gateways and banks should offer credit cards to businessmen.

    • Lahore-based startup invents affordable, country’s first bloodless dialysis machine

      Lahore-based startup invents affordable, country’s first bloodless dialysis machine

      An American startup based in Lahore has successfully invented Pakistan’s first dialysis machine that would allow kidney patients to receive affordable dialysis treatment at their homes.

      The company has named the machines and it is called “Robo-Kidney,” which will go into mass production after receiving from the healthcare regulators.

      The company has consulted Pakistan’s leading Nephrologists and healthcare professional before making the machine.

      It will not only let the patients get treated at home but will also minimise the risk of contracting hepatitis-C during the traditional dialysis procedure.

      According to the official statement by Byonyks, about 72% of kidney patients in Pakistan get infected with Hepatitis-C that spreads during the conventional dialysis treatment.

      “Robo-Kidney is an affordable and bloodless machine that will allow kidney patients to receive dialysis treatment at their homes”

      The founder of Byonyks, Farrukh Usman

      He added that Robo-Kidney will also ease the burden on national healthcare resources. It will also contribute to Pakistan’s economy through export to international markets.

    • Enjoy high-speed internet while travelling along Makran Coastal Highway, NH 10

      The Universal Service Fund (USF) has announced that high-speed internet is installed at National Highway-10 (NH 10) Makran Coastal Highway and National Highway-25 (NH 25) Uthal to Quetta Highway.

      USF Pakistan tweeted that: ” USF in partnership with Ufone continues to make progress in National Highway-10 (NH 10) Makran Coastal Highway and NH 25 Uthal to Quetta Highway. Computers are now reaping benefit from high-speed broadband over 640 Kilometre of road segment covering areas of Kech, Awaran, Gwadar, and Lasbella district.”

      Makran Coastal Highway stretches to 653 Kilometres (Km). The road also covers the Arabian sea coast of Pakistan from Karachi in Sindhi to Gawadar in Balochistan and passes through Omara and Pasni.

      Along with the Ministry of Information and Technology (MoIT) and Pakistan Telecommunications Limited (PTCL), the USF Pakistan has installed 85 kilometres of optic Fiber cable to connect nine unserved Tehsils in North Waziristan and South Waziristan.

      The Optical Fiber cable is going to provide high-speed broadband connectivity to regions like Spinwam, Wana, ToiKhulla, Jandola, Sarwakai, Sararogha, and Barwand Tehsil.

      Last week, The board approved contracts to Jazz — Pakistan Mobile Communications Limited (PMCL), Zong — China Mobile Pakistan (CMPAK), and Ufone — Pakistan Telecom Mobile Limited (PTML), for the provision of next-generation internet.

    • Indians hack federal govt apps recently launched by PM Imran

      Government smartphone applications for Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP), Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Police, and Captial Development Authority (CDA) were hacked by Indian groups and they were siphoned for data extraction.

      Upon trying to pay an annual tax for a car, the users pointed out that the apps were not working and only had basic information such as rates of taxes of different cars and the location of offices.

      According to the media reports, The Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Hamza Shafqat revealed that the apps and services had been jammed to stop hackers from collecting data. He said that the relevant authorities are working on dealing with the issue and they will hopefully resolve the technical glitches.

      These apps were recently launched in the company of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan who personally attended the launch ceremony. He said that “the launch would be proven revolutionary for the people of Islamabad and these apps will soon be replicated for the rest of the country.”