PAKISTAN NEWS:
Pak air force starts working on AI to improve warfare capabilities:
Aiming to increase the usage of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in warfare, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has established a Centre of Artificial Intelligence and Computing (CENTAIC). In an official statement, PAF Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Chief Marshal (ACM) Mujahid Anwar Khan, said that CENTAIC will be the vanguard of AI development in the country for both military and civilian purposes, enabling the PAF to integrate AI into its operational domain. According to reports, CENTAIC will explore key fields of AI including Big Data, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Predictive Analysis, and Natural Language Processing (NLP).
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Huawei watch fit goes official with 1.64 inch display & 7 day battery:
Huawei’s lineup of fitness-based smartwatches has just expanded with the addition of the Huawei Watch Fit that comes with a large rectangular screen, long battery life, and plenty of features. The watch has a 1.64″ AMOLED screen covered with gorilla glass. The dial is curved near all the edges and features a plastic build and a single button on the side. The watch comes in three different colors and the silicon straps can be replaced with four different color options.
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Ufone joins hands with KhanaGhar to provide relief to flood affected communities in Karachi:
Ufone’s brand ambassador and founder of KhanaGhar, Parveen Saeed, pledged to provide cooked meals to the people of Surjani Town and Yousuf Goth who have been worst affected by the heavy rainfall in Karachi. To amplify the impact of this noble gesture, the Pakistani telecom company, Ufone has decided to further give out cooked meals and provide clean drinking water to the residents of the area. Torrential rainfall in Karachi has wreaked havoc in Surjani town and Yousuf Goth, thousands of people have lost their homes and are deprived of basic amenities. People are facing an extreme shortage of food supplies and clean drinking water.
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Investment in Pakistani startups increased by 63pc in h1 2020:
According to the H1 report by Magnitt, titled “Pakistan Venture Investment 2020 Snapshot,” Pakistani startups have raised $18 million in the first six months of 2020. Overjet, an AI-driven dental startup, secured the biggest funding worth $7.8 million. Besides, Tajir received $1.8 million and Bazar $1.3 million while Mandiexpress and Healthwire each raised $700,000 during seed funding rounds. Dubai-based Magnitt is the biggest startup platform in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. It provides entrepreneurs a platform to connect with funders, mentors, support services, and talent.
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Samsung claims its latest mobile memory is a big deal:
Samsung has a habit of showing off its tech, and rightfully so, during the production phase to get people hype about upcoming products. This time is no different. The South Korean tech firm has announced that it has achieved a breakthrough in mobile memory and has started mass-scale production of its 16-gigabit LPDDR5 mobile RAM chips. These chips are being touted as the first memory ever to be made using extreme ultraviolet lithography. For the uninitiated, extreme ultraviolet lithography uses lasers and light-sensitive chemicals to etch silicon. On top of giving Samsung an edge over its rivals, this new technology has helped the company overcome major development hurdles when it comes to scaling RAM.
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Galaxy m51 packs the biggest battery on a Samsung smartphone:
Samsung’s latest M series smartphone, the M51, has been subject to numerous leaks over the past few months, mainly due to the massive 7000 mAh battery it is packing. The handset recently went live on Samsung’s official German website and is currently available for pre-order. Featuring a Galaxy S20 inspired form factor, the smartphone comes with a quad-sensor rear camera setup housed on a rectangular aisle, a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, and a centered punch hole. The smartphone is built around a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED panel with 1080p resolution, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 87.4 percent screen-to-body ratio, and 385 PPI pixel density.
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OPPO to unveil its Reno4 series on 10th September:
OPPO, the leading global smart device brand, announced that the all-new Reno4 Series will be launched in Pakistan on 10th September 2020. Following the successful launch of Reno4 Series in China last month, OPPO will deliver Reno4 Series to other markets, with some adjustments tailored to local consumer needs and new features to deliver a trendsetting experience to global users. With Reno4 Series, OPPO is pushing the envelope and the legacy of the Reno Series by combining the best of both worlds: The excitement and utility offered by OPPO’s innovative technology, together with the personality and style reflected by the trend-setting design.
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Leak reveals Apple’s arm-based macbook’s specifications:
Earlier this year, Apple announced the long-expected shift from Intel to ARM-based chipsets. A few months after the announcement, a reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo leaked that the upcoming Apple ARM-based silicon range will include a new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro with 13.3-inch, 14-inch, and 16-inch screen sizes. Now, more information regarding the upcoming laptop’s hardware and pricing has been revealed. According to another Apple analyst, Komiya, the upcoming ARM-based MacBook will sport a 12-inch Retina display and will have only one port. This suggests that Apple will be using the same chassis as the discontinued 12-inch MacBook. In one of his previous tweets, the leakster also mentioned that Apple’s A14x Bionic chipset will power the upcoming MacBook. This time he revealed that the chipset will be accompanied by 8GB and 16GB RAM configurations, 256GB of storage with a possible upgrade to 1 TB through Apple’s website, and jaw-dropping 20-hour battery life.
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Samsung teases Galaxy fold 2 Thom Browne edition:
Following in after the Galaxy Z Flip’s special edition, the Z Fold 2 is also set to get a premium Thom Browne Edition complete with the signature American stripes on top of a grey color. As you might have guessed, this is going to be a special edition Galaxy Z Fold 2 with a limited amount of units and a higher price tag. The camera bump has been changed to match the grey colored premium theme and the stripes are split at the bottom for the Thom Browne logo just like before. Samsung has previously offered the Galaxy Z Flip in a bundle with special edition accessories so we can expect the Galaxy Watch 3 and Galaxy Buds Live Thom Browne Edition as well with the Z Fold 2.
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS:
Apple removes fortnite developer epic from app store:
Apple has terminated Epic Games account from its App Store amid a legal battle over in-app payments on the Fortnite game. Apple had already removed Fortnite from the store after the game offered a discount on its virtual currency for purchases made outside of the app, from which Apple receives a 30% cut. Epic says the fee is unfair. The company sued Apple earlier this year after it took down the hugely popular Fortnite from its App Store.”We are disappointed that we have had to terminate the Epic Games account on the App Store,” Apple said in a statement.
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Facebook threatens news sharing ban in Australia:
Facebook has threatened to stop users from sharing news content in Australia as it prepares for a new law forcing it to pay publishers for their articles. Regulators want tech giants like Facebook and Google to pay for the content reposted from news outlets. Last month Google warned its users that its search services could be “dramatically worse” as a result. Facebook’s latest move to block news sharing has escalated tensions between tech firms and regulators. The social media network said that if the proposed legislation becomes law it will stop Australians from sharing news on Facebook and its subsidiary Instagram. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has drawn up the rules to “level the playing field” between the tech giants and publishers that it says are struggling due to lost advertising revenue.
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TikTok owner to ‘strictly’ obey China’s tech takeover law:
TikTok’s owner has said it will “strictly adhere to” new rules imposed by China over what technologies the country’s companies can sell overseas. The export controls could potentially be used to block the sale of TikTok’s US operations. The expanded list of restricted items covers some of the methods the app uses to target who sees which videos.
The app’s ability to quickly identify and cater to users’ interests has played a large part in its success. Bytedance began talks to sell TikTok’s American, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand division after President Donald Trump threatened to ban the app in the States, where it has about 100 million members.
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Google-Facebook ditch plans to dock giant data cable in Hong Kong:
Plans for an underwater data cable between Los Angeles and Hong Kong have been dropped after the US government expressed fears that China could steal data from it. Facebook and Google are among the US tech firms involved in the Pacific Light Cable Network project. The 12,800 km (8,000 miles) long cable has already been laid. However it needs permission from the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in order to operate. The project was first announced in 2016.At the time, Google said the cable would “provide enough capacity for Hong Kong to have 80 million concurrent HD video conference calls with Los Angeles”. The US tech firms are collaborating on the cable via the Pacific Light Data Company. The proposed Hong landing station would have been run by a business owned by China’s DrPeng Group – one of the country’s largest internet service providers.
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Tesla autopilot detects speed limits and green lights:
Tesla cars in the US can now read speed limit signs and detect green lights, following a new software update. The vehicles’ Autopilot system generates a speed limit warning on the dashboard display and sends a notification if the car is sitting still at a green traffic light.
The features were released in the latest update of Tesla’s “full self-driving” version of Autopilot. Tesla vehicles can already slow down at red lights and stop signs. Previous Tesla models have had speed-limit sign recognition, which was enabled by the firm’s former business partner Mobileye.
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Cloud gaming: are game streaming services bad for the planet?
Microsoft is poised to launch its game streaming service, delivering high-end titles direct to phones – and Google already offers an equivalent service. Cloud gaming promises top-tier graphics and performance without the expensive hardware – with no more massive updates or downloads. But some studies suggests it could be more damaging to the planet. One recent study from Lancaster University estimated that if gamers moved to streaming over the next decade, carbon emissions could rise by 30%.Instead of having a high-end PC or games console in the home, cloud gaming platforms run the software from a remote data centre. All the graphics and sounds are streamed to a TV or mobile device over the internet. It’s interactive – so unlike video streaming, those graphics and sounds are tailored to each player. And the internet itself uses a lot of power.
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Zoom profits double as revenues skyrocket:
Popular videoconferencing app Zoom has seen its revenues skyrocket as second quarter profits more than doubled due to the coronavirus crisis. Revenues leaped 355% to $663.5m (£496.3m) for the three months ending 31 July, beating analysts’ expectations of $500.5m.Profits soared to $186m, while customer growth rose 458%, compared with the same period in 2019.Video conferencing apps remain crucial due to the increase in remote working. Zoom’s shares hit a record high on Monday, closing at $325.10, as the firm raised its annual revenue forecast by more than 30% to the range of $2.37bn-$2.39bn, from its previous projection of $1.78bn-$1.80bn.
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India and Russia both get gold after controversial final:
India and Russia have been declared joint winners of a major international chess tournament after two Indian players lost their internet connection during the final round. An online version of the Chess Olympiad contest is being held for the first time this year because of coronavirus. India appealed after two of its players lost connection to their games and forfeited on time. Officials said these were “unprecedented circumstances”.”The Online Chess Olympiad has been impacted by a global internet outage that severely affected several countries, including India. Two of the Indian players have been affected and lost connection, when the outcome of the match was still unclear,” Arkady Dvorkovich, president of the International Chess Federation, said in a statement.
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Airasia’s founder building Asia’s next super app:
AirAsia’s founder Tony Fernandes is building what he hopes will be the region’s next “super app” as he deals with the coronavirus travel downturn. He wants to rival the likes of Grab, GoJek and WeChat with an all-in-one app for food delivery, shopping, payments, entertainment and travel. As the airline’s boss, he has been looking at new ways to generate income while his planes were grounded. AirAsia has struggled during the pandemic and cut 30% of its staff.