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.

  • Facebook to pay users $600 for taking survey

    Facebook to pay users $600 for taking survey

    Facebook will pay $600 to users sharing opinions on its new application “Viewpoint” that will be introduced to facilitate its market research purpose.

    Viewpoint will give back users a voluntarily control to participate in market research, surveys and different programme, for which Facebook has announced to pay $600 a year.

    The purpose of the application is to collect information directly from the users to improve the performance of its products like Facebook, Whatsapp, Instagram, Oculus, Portal and others.

    “Today, we’re introducing Facebook Viewpoints, a new market research app that rewards people for participating in surveys, tasks, and research. We believe the best way to make products better is to get insights directly from people who use them. We’ll use these insights to improve products like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Portal and Oculus, and to benefit the broader community,” Facebook Product Manager Erez Naveh said.

    The participants will be paid through PayPal after scoring a set number of points in the programme. The users will also be asked to carry out various tasks to acquire feedback to improve the product or service, such as assisting the company’s artificial intelligence technology.

  • ‘Pakistan ready to boost tech-enabled financial inclusion,’ says Queen Maxima

    ‘Pakistan ready to boost tech-enabled financial inclusion,’ says Queen Maxima

    United Nations (UN) Secretary General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA) Queen Maxima has said that Pakistan is in a good position for a boost to the technology-enabled financial inclusion, Express Tribune reported.

    According to the details, Queen Maxima in a meeting with State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Reza Baqir said that in the last five years, the country’s start-up tech and fintech ecosystems had made some notable progress in relation to improving their supporting networks.

    She also appreciated the progress made by the SBP and Pakistan with respect to financial inclusion while focusing on gender mainstreaming and digital financial services.

    The queen said it could be helpful to establish a pro-poor gateway for the wider acceptance of micropayment methods and introduce consumers to micropayments on a large scale and supported the steps taken by the SBP for creating a micropayment gateway in 2020.

    She, however, added that while resolving the technical issues was important, it was more challenging to encourage people to engage in digital modes of payment.

    The UNSGSA emphasised that in this regard the inclusion of new players was important, whereby they should not only be competing but also participating in expanding the delivery of services as well.

  • KP govt inaugurates IT lab at Guru Nanak School Peshawar

    KP govt inaugurates IT lab at Guru Nanak School Peshawar

    The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has inaugurated an IT lab at the Baba Guru Nanak School of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math in Peshawar in an attempt to make Sikh students more tech-savvy, Samaa reported.

    According to the details, the lab was inaugurated by Special Assistant to the KP Chief Minister on Science and Information Technology Kamran Bhangash and Adviser to the KP Chief Minister on Education Ziaullah Bangash.

    Kamran Bangash said, “Students here will be taught early-age programming, early-age robotics, and early-age stemming”.

    The classes at the lab have commenced on Monday, November 18. The students are initially being taught the basics of using a computer.

    “We have learned how cartoons and films are made and how dance parties are shot,” said a student of the institute. “We have also learned how to use different softwares.”

    A cake celebrating the 550th birthday of Sikh spiritual leader, Baba Guru Nanak, was also cut at the inauguration. Kamran said that the lab was a gift from the KP government to the Sikhs on this occasion.

  • Facebook rolls out dark mode for desktop

    Facebook has begun rolling out a new interface for desktop users, with an optional dark mode in addition to the traditional white design, Tech Radar reported.

    According to the details, after logging into the desktop site, some users have reported seeing a pop-up asking whether they would like to try the new design, which is referred to as ‘Facebook Beta’.

    Since the new update is on trial bases, therefore it is only available for a few people. The users who were invited to use the new interface have shared screenshots of the dark mode and they reveal that there are few problems with the new update.

    Users are facing problems in reading the text in the new dark mode on the desktop, so people who accepted the invitation and currently using the new interface.

    But they can also revert their decision by simply going to the quick settings option through your picture in the top right corner.

    Earlier in the Developer conference, the social media giant had announced to bring a new interface for Android and Desktop users just like Twitter. The dark mode, however, is not yet available to the Facebook mobile app users.

  • How to check or pay your traffic E-Challan online

    How to check or pay your traffic E-Challan online

    Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA) has launched the E-Challan system in Lahore, under the directives of the Lahore High Court (LHC).

    The system identifies the violators of the traffic rules with the help of modern Automatic Vehicle Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras, which PSCA installed across different roads of the city.

    E-Challan is an Electronic Traffic Violation Ticket system and is sent to the violators’ addresses registered against their vehicle IDs. The challan contains the details regarding how the driver violated the traffic rules with the picture of the vehicle posted on it.

    But there are many people who do not know how to check or pay their e-challans online and sometimes they are not even unaware that they have been charged for violation.

    So, in case if you are not sure that you have violated any rule, or want to check if you have been charged go through the instructions below regarding how you can check and pay your E-Challan.

    How to check E-Challan online:

    • Open the PSCA website to check your traffic violation status online.
    • On the website, two blocks will appear in front of you, one for your vehicle number and the other for your CNIC.
    • By placing the required details in the blocks you can check if you have been charged with a fine or not. You can also print the E-Challan document.

    How to pay your E-Challan:

    There are two ways through which you can pay your E-Challans.

    • The first one is to pay your challan manually, by downloading and printing the E-Challan document from the PSCA website and submitting in the National Bank of Punjab (NBP) with the required amount.
    • The second method is to pay your challan by the NBP’s ATM machines.
  • PTA urges dual SIM smartphone users to register both IMEI before Aug 31

    PTA urges dual SIM smartphone users to register both IMEI before Aug 31

    The Pakistan telecommunication authority (PTA) has asked all subscribers with dual SIM mobile phone handsets to register their International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers separately before Aug 31, Dawn has reported.

    According to the details, PTA has said “There are subscribers who own handsets with dual SIMs but have only registered one IMEI number against the slot they use, adding that the second slot remains unutilized.

    Therefore, the authorities have urged users to verify their unregistered IMEI in a dual SIM mobile handset as well, otherwise, it will be blocked after August 31.

    IMEI number is a unique code for every mobile phone that helps to identify GSM, WCDMA, and iDEN handsets, as well as some satellite phones.

    How to register IMEI’s of dual sim smartphones?

    In order to register such devices, users can send an email at typeapproval@pta.gov.pk with details, including a screenshot of the device showing all programmed IMEI, device box showing IMEI(s), copy of CNIC, and contact details of applicants.

    PTA said that it will evaluate all requests with details, and validated cases will be registered accordingly. Requests sent after Aug 30 will not be entertained.

    To check the status of a mobile device, PTA has advised subscribers to dial *#06# and SMS each 15 digits IMEI to 8484.

  • Meet your future self: What is this viral FaceApp?

    Meet your future self: What is this viral FaceApp?

    Social media trends are forever changing. Last week the Bottle Cap Challenge had taken over the internet and this week people are playing around with an app called FaceApp that make you look younger or older. The app transforms your face and gives you an image of what you would look a few decades down the line. Celebrities and social media enthusiasts alike have jumped the FaceApp bandwagon which is why we’re seeing old people all over our timelines these days.

    The app is going viral for the second time in two years. The app fascinated internet users in 2017 with its fun filters that included gender-swap selfie filter, and now with this age filter.

    Here are some of our celebrities trying this new app.

    Faisal Qureishi
    Fahad Mustafa
    • Wasim Akram
    • Junaid Khan
    Ahmed Ali Butt

    But beware! The app may also breach your privacy. FaceApp is allowed to use your name, username or any likeness provided in any media format and you will not be able to take it down or complain about it. Because FaceApp uploads your photo to the cloud for processing, it doesn’t do on-device processing as other apps do. It retains the image even after you’ve deleted the app.

    name, username or any likeness provided in any media format and you will not be able to take it down or complain about it. Because FaceApp uploads your photo to the cloud for processing, it doesn’t do on-device processing as other apps do. It retains the image even after you’ve deleted the app.

  • ‘One-ring’ scam is targeting Pakistanis via phone calls

    ‘One-ring’ scam is targeting Pakistanis via phone calls

    A one-ring scam is targeting Pakistanis on mobile phones. A number of citizens received phone calls from unknown international numbers.

    The phone call ends with a missed call notification on the receiving end, urging the receiver to call back. The scam tricks thousands of users into dialing an international number and hence exposing them to the risk of getting charged heavily for the connecting fee, and huge per-minute charges.

    A user who received a call from this scam ring shared a
    message on Whatsapp which reads

    “Very
    Very Urgent …

    Please pass this message to your family and friends NOW.
    People have been receiving calls from
    Tel: +375602605281
    Tel: +37127913091
    Tel: +37178565072
    Tel: +56322553736
    Tel: +37052529259
    Tel: +255901130460 or any number starting from +371 +375 +381
    These guys only ring once and hang up. If you call back, they can copy your contact list in 3 sec and if you have a bank or credit card details on your phone, they can copy that too
    +375 code is for Belarus.
    +371 code is for Lativa.
    +381 Serbia.
    +563 Valparaiso.
    +370 Vilnius.
    +255 Tanzania.
    Don’t answer or Call back.
    Also, Don’t Press #90 or #09 on your Mobile when asked by any caller.
    It’s a new trick which is used to access your SIM card, make calls at your expense and frame you as a criminal.
    URGENTLY FORWARD this message to as many friends as you can to stop any intrusion!!!”

  • Karachi students developed speaking glove

    Karachi students developed speaking glove

    Karachi students of Usman Institute of Technology have invented a smart glove called ‘Speech Generator Glove’ that can turn Pakistani Sign Language into audible speech.

    Speech Generator Glove weighs around 300 grams
    and can convert 28 Urdu words into sentences.

    The students say they are working to add more
    Urdu words into the glove’s dictionary. The Speech Generator Glove’s total word
    capacity is of 3,000 words.

  • Instagram is ready to roll out a test that hides “Like” counts

    Instagram is ready to roll out a test that hides “Like” counts

    Would we feel less envious and competitive if Instagram didn’t tell us how many Likes a post received? That’s the idea behind Instagram now hiding Like counts. Only the person who posted a photo will be able to see the number of likes it received. Instagram is not testing this at the moment but it will start doing this with users in Canada next week. It is not clear if Instagram plans to test this out in other places. But if it leads to more positive effects on the app, it wouldn’t be surprising to see an expansion of it.

    Instagram critics have pointed to it as one aspect that contributes to the negative effects on mental health. Like counts can be a source of social pressure, particularly for younger users. hiding likes count could potentially make Instagram a little healthier.