Category: IT & Telecom

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  • Google releases top trending searches of 2022 in Pakistan

    Google releases top trending searches of 2022 in Pakistan

    KARACHI: Google has released top trending search in Pakistan, recapping the top trends of 2022 in the country.

    The searches revealed that over the year, Pakistanis had a diverse range of interests that pivot on politics, famous personalities, government initiatives, current events, entertainment, technology, and food.

    READ MORE: Self-service repair provided to Apple customers

    This year, cricket continued to be the major search trend, with the T20 World Cup, Asia Cup 2022, and PSL 7 filling the top three spots in the overall list of top searches. Nationwide financial insecurity, floods, and inflation led people to search for government campaigns and financial aid schemes like the Ehsaas Program.

    Meanwhile, celebrities like Queen Elizabeth, Aamir Liaquat, and Arshad Shareef also took their spots on the list. Here is the complete list of all the top trending searches;

    Top Trending Searches:

    T20 World Cup 2022

    Asia Cup 2022

    PSL 7

    Melbourne weather

    Climate change

    Ehsaas program

    Arshad Shareef

    Aamir Liaquat

    Queen Elizabeth

    Naseem Shah

    READ MORE: Price, specs of Apple MacBook Pro in Pakistan

    In 2022, Pakistani movies were all over the news. The Legend of Maula Jatt stayed at the top of the Movies & TV section, followed by London Nahi Jaunga and Quadi-e-Azam Zindabad.

    The love for Hollywood movies can also be seen in the fact that movies like Ms. Marvel, Black Adam, and Doctor Strange remained in the top five search results. The complete list is below or you can check out Fuchsia Magazine talking in depth about it on their channel too.

    Top Movies & TV Shows

    Maula Jatt

    Ms. Marvel

    Black Adam

    Thor Love and Thunder

    Doctor Strange

    London Nahi Jaunga

    The Batman

    Quaid-e-Azam Zindabad

    Sinf e Aahan

    House of the Dragon

    READ MORE: Price, specs of iPhone 13 Pro Max in Pakistan

    People in Pakistan mainly searched for politicians and athletes in the last year. Due to Naseem Shah’s brilliant performances in the Asia Cup and T20 World Cup, he remained at the top of this category. People also looked for the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, due to the political situation in the country.

    Also, famous Pakistani cricketers such as Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, and Muhammad Rizwan took their spots, respectively. Here is the complete list;

    Top Searched Personalities

    Naseem Shah

    Pervez Musharraf

    Salman Rushdie

    Iftikhar Ahmed

    Mohammad Rizwan

    Shahbaz Sharif

    Shadab Khan

    Amber Heard

    Azhar Ali

    Imran Riaz Khan

    In 2022, Pakistanis actively searched for smartphone brands, which include Infinix, iPhone, Samsung, and OPPO. Whereas, Vivo grabbed the majority of the attention because of the launch of its new Android mobile phones and got featured multiple times in the list.

    READ MORE: Price, specs of iPhone 14 Pro in Pakistan

    The complete list is mentioned below. Also, take a look at the analysis of VideoWaliSarkar on the top tech searches in Pakistan

    Trending Tech Searches

    Vivo V23

    iPhone 14 Pro Max

    OPPO F21 Pro

    Vivo Y21

    Vivo V23e

    Realme c35

    Infinix Note 12

    Infinix Hot 12

    Samsung A32

    OPPO A16

    With such ease under COVID-19 restrictions, people in Pakistan celebrated all major festive occasions in 2022 and turned to Google for finding modern recipes and a variety of food items.

    The search categories reflected Pakistan’s love for food, with desi cuisine having the upper hand in the results. Check out the full list or visit Food Fusion, where they discussed the top food searches in Pakistan over the last year.

    Trending Food and Cuisine

    Chicken Recipe

    Pulao recipe

    Shami kabab recipe

    Chicken soup recipe

    Nuggets recipe

    Chicken pakora recipe

    White chicken recipe

    Imli ki chutney recipe

    Brownies recipe

    Hot and sour soup recipe

    Pakistanis also browsed Google for updates on local and international news, with the tragic death of Amir Liaquat Hussain topping the trending news list. News related to the Murree incident and Imran Khan also garnered a lot of interest in 2022.

    People were also interested in events worldwide related to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Below is the full list;

    Trending News

    Aamir Liaquat News

    Ukraine News

    Imran Khan Latest News

    Murree News

    Fatima Tahir News

    Arshad Sharif News

    Pervez Musharraf News

    Salman Rushdie Latest News

    Iqrar ul Hassan News

    Sri Lanka News

    To see more information about Google’s Year in Search 2022, please visit yearinsearch.google

  • Self-service repair provided to Apple customers

    Self-service repair provided to Apple customers

    Apple provided its customers with Self Service Repair. The company will provide repair manuals, genuine parts and tools through Apple Self Service Repair Store.

    The opportunity for these customers will be provided in eight European countries which include Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and the UK.

    Customers who wish to complete their own repairs will be able to perform many of the most common repairs for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 lineups, and Mac notebooks with Apple silicon. 

    The Self Service Repair Store provides access to more than 200 individual parts and tools, as well as repair manuals.

    The program enables customers who are experienced with the complexities of repairing electronic devices the opportunity to complete their own repairs, using the same manuals, parts, and tools as Apple Store locations and Apple Authorized Service Providers.

    The parts are the same ones at the same price as those available to Apple’s network of authorized repair providers. Customers can send replaced parts back to Apple for refurbishment and recycling, and in many cases receive credit off their purchase by doing so. 

    The Apple tools available to customers on Self Service Repair Store are custom designed to help provide best repairs for Apple products, and are engineered to withstand the rigors of high-volume, professional repair operations where safety and reliability are the utmost priority. The high-quality tools offered through Self Service Repair include torque drivers, repair trays, display and battery presses, and more.

    Apple will offer tool rental kits for $49, so that customers who do not want to purchase tools for a single repair still have access to these professional repair tools. The weeklong rental kits will ship to customers for free. 

    Self Service Repair is part of Apple’s efforts to further expand access to repairs and increase repair ability of products over time. For the vast majority of customers who do not have experience repairing electronic devices, visiting a professional repair provider with certified technicians who use genuine Apple parts is the safest and most reliable way to get a repair.

  • Price, specs of Apple MacBook Pro in Pakistan

    Price, specs of Apple MacBook Pro in Pakistan

    The Apple MacBook Pro was released on October 18, 2021 globally. The price of the laptop with internal memory of 512 GB and Ram of 16 GB is Rs405,000.

    The laptop is available in 14 and 16-inch models. It delivers groundbreaking processing, graphics, and machine learning (ML) performance whether running on battery or plugged in, as well as amazing battery life that enables workflows previously unimaginable on a notebook.

    M1 Pro and M1 Max revolutionize the MacBook Pro experience and mark a huge step forward in the transition to Apple silicon on Mac.

    MacBook Pro with M1 Pro and M1 Max applies a system-on-a-chip (SoC) architecture to pro systems for the first time, featuring fast unified memory and increased memory bandwidth for unparalleled performance with best-in-class performance per watt and industry-leading power efficiency.

    MacBook Pro offers a stunning Liquid Retina XDR display. Featuring the mini-LED technology used in iPad Pro, the Liquid Retina XDR display delivers up to 1,000 nits of sustained, full-screen brightness, an incredible 1,600 nits of peak brightness, and a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio.

    Following are the complete specifications of Apple MacBook Pro:

    Dimensions0.61 x 12.31 x 8.71 inches
    Weight3.5 pounds (1.6 kg)
    Operating SystemMac OS
    GenerationM1
    Screen Size14.2 Inches
    Screen Resolution3024×1964
    Touch ScreenNo
    Backlit KeyboardYes
    Internal Memory512GB SSD
    RAM16 GB
    Graphics MemoryApple M1 Pro Graphics
    Processor TypeApple M1 Pro chip
    Processor Speed8-core CPU with 6 performance cores and 2 efficiency cores 14-core GPU 16-core Neural Engine 200GB/s memory bandwidth
    Battery type70-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery2
    BluetoothBluetooth 5.0
    Wireless/Wifi802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 wireless networking IEEE
    USB4 Ports
    Camera1080p FaceTime HD camera
    Fingerprint ReaderTouch ID
  • FBR nominates focal persons for resolving issues of IT industry

    FBR nominates focal persons for resolving issues of IT industry

    ISLAMABAD: Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has nominated focal persons for resolving issues related IT industry.

    The following chief commissioners Inland Revenue (by designation) are nominated as focal persons for resolving problems and issues related to IT industry for the regions mentioned against each:

    Chief Commissioners – IR, Corporate Tax Office (CTO), Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi have been nominated as focal person for resolving problems and issues related to IT Industry regarding matter pertaining to Inland Revenue field formations within Lahore, Islamabad & Rawalpindi and Karachi.

    READ MORE: No audit of IT sector due to fixed tax regime: FBR chairman

    In October 2022, FBR Chairman Asim Ahmad said there is no audit of the IT sector due to fixed tax regime. There is no audit of IT sector export-oriented companies through budgetary measures in the current financial year for ensuring ease of doing business and reducing the cost of tax compliance.

    “As fixed and final tax regime has been introduced in this fiscal year therefore, no tax or audit notices will be sent to the IT sector professionals and easier documentation will be the priority,” FBR chairman said.

    READ MORE: Electricity withholding tax not applicable on ATL domestic consumers

    Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on youth affairs Miss Shaza Fatima and the Prime Minister’s task force on Information technology and Telecom sector, convened a meeting in the Prime Minister’s office to discuss IT sector exports taxation issues and the impact thereof particularly of small and medium IT companies and software houses, with Chairman FBR Asim Ahmad, officials of the Ministry of IT and representatives of PASHA.

    The Prime Minister Mian Shehbaz Shareef constituted a task force to devise ways to increase the Information Technology exports by $3 billion till 2023.

    On the note of exemption from the proposed 0.25 per cent tax, this will remain and it is a quarter of what the other exporters pay.

    In the Final Tax Regime, the Federal Board of Revenue has agreed in principle to resolve sales tax registration and return filing issues.

    READ MORE: Tax rates on goods, passenger transport vehicles during 2022-2023

    The definitions of IT in the June 2022 Finance Act were deliberated upon, and found to be all inclusive. The Federal Board of Revenue has also agreed in principle to propose necessary changes in law for all IT exports to attain the benefit of final tax regime.

    In principle the FBR agreed upon the proposal that if the Provincial consensus is reached, Federal Excise Duty (FED) can be reduced from 19.5 per cent to 17 per cent for Telecom sector.

    The funds received by the IT sector through applications like Payoneer etc. will be given the benefit of final tax regime through necessary changes in the law, if required.

    READ MORE: FBR notifies tax rates on brokerage, commission during 2022-2023

  • Price, specs of iPhone 13 Pro Max in Pakistan

    Price, specs of iPhone 13 Pro Max in Pakistan

    The iPhone 13 Pro Max was released in Pakistan on March 24, 2021. The price of the phone varies according to the storage capacity of the phone.

    The price of iPhone 13 Pro Max with internal memory of 128GB is Rs374,000. The price of the phone with internal memory of 256GB is Rs398,100. The price of the phone with internal memory of 512GB is Rs452,000 and internal memory of 1TB is Rs513,000 respectively.

    The phone is available in colors of Alpine Green, Silver, Gold, Graphite, and Sierra Blue. The pro camera system of mobile gets its biggest upgrade. With next-level hardware that captures so much more detail. Superintelligent software for new photo and filmmaking techniques and a mind-blowingly fast chip that makes it all possible.

    READ MORE: Price, specs of iPhone 14 Pro in Pakistan

    The display’s ability to refresh up to is 120Hz which is combined with the amazing graphics performance of the new 5-core GPU on A15 Bionic that makes iPhone 13 Pro perfect for power gamers.

    The iPhone helps in control of personal information. For example, when you’re browsing, Safari intelligently helps block trackers from profiling you and shows which ones have been blocked in Privacy Report. And the list goes on.

    Following are the complete specifications of iPhone 13 Pro Max:

    SIM SupportDual SIM (nano‑SIM and eSIM)
    Phone Dimensions160.8 x 78.1 x 7.7 mm
    Phone Weight240 g
    Operating SystemIOS 15
    Screen Size6.7 Inches
    Screen Resolution1284 x 2778 Pixels
    Screen TypeSuper Retina XDR OLED Touchscreen, Multitouch
    Screen ProtectionScratch-resistant ceramic glass, oleophobic coating
    Internal Memory128/256/512 GB
    RAM8 GB
    Card SlotNo
    ProcessorApple A15 Bionic (5 nm)
    GPUApple GPU (8-core graphics)
    Battery typeLi-Ion 4352 mAh, non-removable
    Front Camera12 MP + 12MP
    Front Flash LightNo
    Front Video Recording080p@30/60/120/240fps
    Back Flash LightYes
    Back Camera12 MP + 12MP + 12 MP
    Back Video Recording080p@30/60/120/240fps
    BluetoothYes
    3GYes
    4G/LTEYes
    5GYes
    RadioNo
    WiFiYes
    NFCYes
  • Price, specs of Apple Watch Series 8 in Pakistan

    Price, specs of Apple Watch Series 8 in Pakistan

    Apple Watch Series 8 was launched in Pakistan on September 07, 2022. The price of the watch with internal memory of 32 GB and 1 GB RAM is Rs 125,000.

    Apple Watch Series 8 features the beloved design of Apple Watch, including a large, Always-On Retina display and a strong crack-resistant front crystal.

    With all-day 18-hour battery life, Apple Watch Series 8 builds on best-in-class health and safety features like the ECG app and fall detection by introducing temperature-sensing capabilities, retrospective ovulation estimates, Crash Detection, and international roaming.

    When Apple Watch detects a severe car crash, the device will check in with the user and dial emergency services if they are unresponsive after a 10-second countdown. Emergency responders will receive the user’s device location, which is also shared with the user’s emergency contacts.

    When combined, Crash Detection on Apple Watch and iPhone work seamlessly to get users help efficiently. When a severe car crash is detected, the emergency services call interface will appear on Apple Watch, as it is most likely to be in closer proximity to the user, while the call is placed through iPhone if it is in range for the best possible connection.

    Apple Watch Series 8 takes a unique approach to temperature sensing with a two-sensor design, one sensor on the back of the watch, nearest the skin, and another just under the display reducing bias from the outside environment.

    Following are the complete specifications of Apple Watch Series 8:

    SIM SupportN/A
    Dimensions45 x 38 x 10.7 mm
    Strap MaterialTPU
    Water ResistantIP6X
    Weight38.8 g
    Operating SystemwatchOS 9.0
    SpeakerYes
    ModesMutiple Modes
    CameraNo
    Screen Size1.9 inches
    Screen Resolution484 x 396 pixels
    Screen TypeRetina LTPO OLED
    Ram1GB RAM
    Rom32GB
    WifiWi-Fi 802.11
    GPSYes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS, BDS
    NFCYes
    Capacity308 mAh
    Battery Life18 hrs
  • Google adsence announces new advertisement format

    Google adsence announces new advertisement format

    Google adsence announces new advertisement format for websites from December 13, 2022. The advertisement format is called side rails which will be viewed on widescreen devices.

    The side rail advertisements will stick on the sides of webpage when the user is viewing page.

    The side rail advertisements will automatically appear on those websites, which have anchor ads enabled on their adsence account.

    There is no action required from the website for this change to take effect. However, if it is preferred not to show side rails, the option of “Side rails” in Auto ads settings can be turned off

    Moreover the benefit of this option is that, overall revenue from advertisements will also increase.

    The Google adsence notified that, “Today, we’re announcing a new ad format called side rails. Side rails are ads that stick to the sides of your pages when they’re viewed on widescreen devices, such as desktops. If you already have anchor ads turned on, side rails will automatically start to appear on your site after 13-12-2022.”

  • Price, specs of Samsung Galaxy A53 5G in Pakistan

    Price, specs of Samsung Galaxy A53 5G in Pakistan

    Samsung Galaxy A53 5G was launched in Pakistan on December 27, 2021. The price of the phone with internal memory of 128 GB and RAM of 8 GB is Rs 103,999.

    The phone is available with Awesome Blue, Black, Peach and White color. Galaxy A53 5G offer holistic mobile experiences at a great value, powered by a brand-new processor, expansive and bright displays and two-day battery life. 

    READ MORE: Price, specs of Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 in Pakistan

    Galaxy A53 5G also features 5G connectivity, and with up to four generations of One UI and Android OS upgrades and up to five years of security updates. The mobile phone make sure that your experience is always awesome. The devices also feature Galaxy’s signature AI camera system, offering crisp and steady shots.

    Following are the complete specifications of Samsung Galaxy A53 5G:

    SIM SupportSingle SIM (Nano-SIM) or Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
    Phone Dimensions159.6 x 74.8 x 8.1 mm
    Phone Weight189 g
    Operating SystemAndroid 12, One UI 4.1
    Screen Size6.5 Inches
    Screen Resolution1080 x 2400 Pixels
    Screen TypeSuper AMOLED, 120Hz
    Screen ProtectionN/A
    Internal Memory128 GB
    RAM8 GB
    Card SlotmicroSDXC
    ProcessorOcta-core (2.4 GHz & 2.0 GHz)
    GPUN/A
    Battery typeLi-Po 5000 mAh, non-removable
    Front Camera32 MP
    Front Flash LightNo
    Front Video Recording4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps
    Back Flash LightYes
    Back Camera64 MP + 12 MP + 5 MP + 5 MP
    Back Video Recording4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps; gyro-EIS
    BluetoothYes
    3GYes
    4G/LTEYes
    5GYes
    RadioYes
    WiFiYes
    NFCYes (market/region dependent)
  • YouTube issues lists of trending videos for Pakistan

    YouTube issues lists of trending videos for Pakistan

    KARACHI: YouTube has released the lists of the top trending videos, top music videos, top creators, breakout creators, and top shorts for Pakistan for the Year 2022, said a press release on Friday.

    It is safe to say that Pakistani audiences enjoyed a wide range of content that kept them entertained throughout the year.

    Farhan S. Qureshi, Country Director at Google, said: “YouTube has helped create an ecosystem in Pakistan that allows people to pursue their passions as full-time jobs while also enabling them to support their households financially.

    “Pakistan has over 5,400 YouTube channels with over 100,000 subscribers, and over 350 of them have more than a million subscribers. It is also thrilling to see that the number of Pakistani YouTube channels making 1 million or more in revenue (PKR) has increased by more than 110 percent in a year.

    “This year, we’ve had some amazing content creators who topped our lists in different categories and won over the hearts of average YouTube users with a wide range of content and creativity.”

    In 2022, we saw a variety of videos that were the most popular in the country, dominated by the Pakistani drama and film industry. A Telefilm ‘RUPOSH’ on a young couple embarking on the journey of love and matrimony took the number one spot on the Top Trending Videos list followed by the first episode of the famous Pakistani dramas Kaisi Teri Khudgharzi’s and Sang-e-Mah’s. Here is the complete list of all the top trending videos.

  • Date extended up to December 31 for VPN registration

    Date extended up to December 31 for VPN registration

    Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has extended the last date for registration of Virtual Private Network (VPN) up to December 31, 2022.

    The PTA said that usage of any mode of communication such as VPN by means of which communication becomes hidden or encrypted is a violation of PTA regulations.

    The authority said it had extended the date for VPN registration and also simplified the process. “Now public and private sector organizations, foreign missions and freelancers, who desire to use VPN for their legitimate purposes, must register their VPN by using online application available at https://ipregistration.pta.gov.pk by December 31, 2022, to avoid disruption.

    The PTA further said that application for VPN registration will only be accepted through above mentioned online application. “Application communicated through any other means shall not acceptable,” it added.

    According to the PTA following features are available in portal for IP Whitelisting and VPN Registration: VPN registration for Companies; VPN registration for free lancers having letter of authentication; IP Whitelisting for Call Centers; and IP Whitelisting for Video Conference for organizations and companies.

    The authority highlighted documents required for VPN registration and said that PTA had reduced documentation for VPN registration and IP Whitelisting and following documents would be required:

    VPN for Companies:

    CNIC of applicant (Both sides)

    Letter of Incorporation or proof of Active tax payer

    VPN for free lancers

    CNIC of applicant (Both sides)

    Letter of Authentication from employer / business concern

    Call Centers

    CNIC of applicant (Both sides)

    Letter of Incorporation or proof of Active tax payer

    Call Center registration Certificate from PSEB

    Fee in case of five or more IP addresses (including previously whitelisted IP addresses)

    Video Conferencing

    CNIC of applicant (Both sides)

    Letter of Incorporation / letter from Government organizations / companies

    Fee in case of five or more IP addresses (including previously whitelisted IP addresses)