Dell Vostro 3700 [Laptop Preview]

 

Manufacturers: Dell
Class: Dell Vostro
Model: Vostro 3700
Price: Rs. 62,000 approx
Specs Overview:

• Operating System: Win 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• Processor: Intel Core i3 370M (2.4GHz)
• Graphics card: Integrated Intel Graphics Card
• RAM: 2 GB DDR3
• Hard Drive: 250 GB, 7200 RPM
• Battery: 6 cell, 5 hours max
• Display: 17.3” LED Display (1600 x 900)
• DVD-ROM: 8x DVD R/W with Double-Layer R/W capability
• Webcam: 2.0 MP Integrated Webcam
• Wireless: Wireless Network Card 802.11b/g/n
• Bluetooth: Dell Wireless Bluetooth 2.1 Module

“Looks Good”:
Vostro series has made an impression with its humble but resourceful appearance. It has volume, play/pause, rewind, Bluetooth, wifi and some other functions that offer single touch activation. Its surface, unlike its competitors (HP Pavilion), is not glossy and will not get your finger prints all over itself. Overall it’s a tidy and neatly designed system.
Gaming gone bad:
If you aim to play games requiring high end systems, this is not your system. The base configuration has a built-in Intel Graphics card which lacks in quality as compared to NVIDIA or ATI graphics card.
I have experience with all three cards and Intel cards lack much behind in terms of video quality and effects. There is an option to add a 1GB NVIDIA card to the system but that would cost you another Rs. 8,000 or so. So if you have the money, you can certainly go for a better gaming card.
“Runs like the Wind”:
The laptop is pretty impressive in terms of speed even with an i3 processor and 2GB RAM. On this system multi tasking is faster as compared to the systems having core2duo processors and larger RAM capacity. If you are still hungry for more speed, the laptop can be upgraded with an i7 processor and a RAM up to 8GB.
Overheating Cores:
Although the system is pretty good in terms of speed, its cooling system isn’t able to keep up with it. Vostro 3700 has had overheating issues with many users. This problem is not much in systems having i3 processors but if you have an i7 processor, this problem will be much more evident. This is also pretty much the problem if you have a high end graphics card added to your configuration.
Some users also face issues of loud noise from the power supply and fan. However when this problem was reported to Dell by a user, they were of the view “its normal”.
Pre-Installed Software:
The preinstalled software includes the latest Microsoft Office with reduced functionality (which means nothing besides Excel and Word would work), Trend Micro Worry-Free Business Security services (15 month Trial) and of course a legal copy of Windows 7. It must be mentioned that giving a 15 month subscribed anti-virus software is very generous of Dell and most companies don’t give subscriptions for more than 3 months mostly.
Dell will also offer you to buy some more software for your laptop for less than the market price. Dell has also stopped giving the win-7 recovery Discs and you will have to make them yourself.
Poor Speakers:
The speakers are somewhat small and lack in terms of quality as well. Sound is usually very low and if you don’t use a headphone, it will be difficult to hear properly most of the time. Since Dell has had very good quality speakers on its other models such as XPS, these speakers are a big drawback to the system.
Heavy Machinery:
This system is a little heavy to carry around with you. With the standard 6 cell battery it weighs about 2.7Kg. This weight is a little too much because dell has had much lighter laptops is both, high and low end systems.
This weight also comes as a surprise because a weight around 3Kg can only be justified if you are using a 9 cell battery.
Official Rating: 4/5
Underline:
It is a good system for office, home and business applications but would not let you play heavy games or use very heavy software. If you have the money go for a better system.

M9 of Zong Gets Huge Response, Server Heats Up

M9, a latest yet an unknown offer from Zong has received tremendous response in first 24 hours. Its fan-page on Facebook has managed to fetch 2,000 fans in less than a day while the web server is heating up, said a recent status update by M9.

M9 is giving away iPods, scratch card numbers and much more on its facebook page, in return the roar from customers for booking numbers in advance for M9 is felt high.
Till now, we know that M9 is about booking your mobile numbers based on lucky numbers, but we have heard that there are special packages for the M9 customers too.
We don’t have final words on the launch date, but it is said that new year eve is the best expected time for that.
We are confidentially told that M9 will offer one dozen packages, where call rates will vary from Rs. 2.20 down to Rs. 0.90 per minutes. Each package gonna offer 5 on-net FNF numbers.
These packages would be filled with all kind of offers, such as happy hour, break time offer, super free number, GPRS, SMS, night calls and what not. For all outgoing calls and SMS, you would be given rewards on monthly basis too.
So let the launch happen and see what’s hidden in the M9’s bag.
Update:
ApnaTime has reported that reported that M9 Customers will be able to select their own plans, that’s exactly according to the M9′s tagline: What’s Your Plan?
Its just a wild guess that customers will be offered with different levels of call and SMS rates, along with other VAS. Customers will be given an option to select their rates, based on their needs. If you select lower call rate, then there are chances that tariff of other service may go up.

Utility Bills Payment: Ufone Inked MoU With NADRA

National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has entered into an agreement with Ufone and recently inked an MoU which will enable general public to pay off their utility bills through more than eleven thousand Ufone outlets country wide.Tariq Malik Deputy Chairman NADRA represented NADRA  and Abdul Aziz Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and President Ufone signed this important MoU on Wedenesday.

Under the deal the general public and Nadra Technologies Ltd would be able to pay off their bills through alternate channels. The agreement saw the light of the day since NTL has offered their billing switch to Ufone thus facilitating the latter through U-shops and other outlets.

NADRA under the banner of NTL has took another step to facilitate the masses and to give customers more options and places to pay their utility bills at more than 11,000 U Shops around the country, said Malik. He expressed hope that the arrangement once put in place will facilitate general public, especially in rural areas with solutions housed in congenial environments. Besides, it will also expose common man to state-of-the-art-technology, he added.

Malik lauded the role of Ufone management for their initiative and customer care preferences, while entering into agreement with NTL. He further emphasised that e-Sahulat platform is a tip of the iceberg and NTL is in process of transforming the platform into National Smart Service Platform for e-commerce.
Through this Smart Service Platform organisations can utilise e-Sahulat touch points for cash in and cash out transactions under branchless regulations issued by State Bank of Pakistan, Malik said, adding that the arrangement will help commercial banks and Telcos to extend branchless banking concept through e-Sahulat without raising any infrastructure thereby saving capital and operational cost.
Abdul Aziz CEO Ufone said that Ufone is constantly looking to bring positive changes in the lives of the people of Pakistan by providing them the best quality and most innovative services. He said that the partnership with NADRA would help give customers more options and places to pay their utility bills at more than 11,000 U Shops around the country.

Manage Your Email on Phone Via SMS: Ufone

Ufone has announced this MyMail, a service to check email via SMS, yes check your email on any handset without GPRS/EDGE.

Simply dial *88# from your Ufone and access your email account to send, read and reply to all your mails!
Ufone says that MyMail currently service supports Hotmail, Yahoo, G-Mail and MSN. MyMail allows you to send/receive emails from one or more specified email addresses and have them relayed as flash message to any mobile number. A reliable gateway (USSD) will be used to send and receive emails on mobiles phones screen in seconds.

• Pre-paid and post-pay users can avail first month free subscription till 30th Jan 2011.
• Subscription charges: Rs.5+Tax/Week for Prepaid, Rs.20+Tax/Month for Post-pay will be applicable once free trail period has elapsed.

How to use MyMail
To configure MyMail, just follow the steps below.
Step 1: Dial *88# to subscribe


Step 2: Select which email you want to configure first

Step 3: enter your Gmail, Hotmail, MSN or Yahoo account ID and password, Example 545454@yahoo.com. System will also accept the ID only for instance 545454.
User ID and password will be kept confidential at all times.



Step 4: Use your email account!


Emails will be displayed in the following format, MyMail will display new emails only once the account is configured.


Setup Menu: you can configure more emails addresses and unsubscribe from service through setup menu.

Other Service Rules:

• Email validity in MyMail is 30 days; once mentioned time has elapsed system will automatically remove old emails from the Inbox.
• Service is not available on international roaming.
• Only one email account can be configured against one MSISDN. Users have the option to change the email address from setup menu.
• Accounts available: MSN, Hotmail, Yahoo & Gmail. More accounts will be added in the near future.
• Service is available for both Prepaid & Post-pay customers.
• 179 Characters can be sent in an email (Compose) however no limitations for incoming emails. Images cannot be displayed.

Charges:

• Pre-paid users will be charged Rs.0.05+Tax for dialling *88#. For post-pay users initiation request will be free. No menu browsing charges are applicable for both Pre-paid and Post-pay users.
• Pre-paid and post-pay users can avail first month free subscription till 30th Jan 2011.
• Subscription charges: Rs.5+Tax/Week for Prepaid, Rs.20+Tax/Month for Post-pay will be applicable once free trail period has elapsed.

Enjoy!!!

Web vs. Apps: Will Android Fragmentation Advance HTML5?

The debate over whether the browser or apps will win in mobile is in my mind very tired already. Yet people love to keep having it on blogs and in tech news articles. On some level it's a surrogate or proxy for the Google/Android vs. Apple meme that people also love to discuss endlessly.
I will admit that it is a practical, meaningful conversation from a brand or marketer point of view. Should you invest in an app or not? The answer is often still not obvious. However it's abundantly clear that everyone needs a mobile-optimized site rather than relying on a conventional PC website that can be viewed with a smartphone browser. Mobile ads that dump users into marketers' PC sites are almost entirely worthless.
It's fairly clear to me that over time the dominant type of mobile presence will be an HTML5 "web app." This will become the default mobile site for those that can sink resources into the mobile Web. Mobile sites offer potentially much greater reach than apps but apps will continue to offer a better experience (e.g., games) and will be strategic for many companies and publishers though by no means essential for most.
There are surveys that argue users prefer mobile websites to apps; however, closer scrutiny of results shows a more mixed picture with the trend toward a preference for apps in key categories. 
Regardless of the rise of "web apps," native smartphone apps aren't going away and have become like super-bookmarks -- often "primary" sources that users will consult before turning to the browser. In fact apps have expanded to the PC (Google and Apple). What you may see however is the development of a two-tiered system: native apps for two or three platforms and reliance upon HTML5 for "the rest."
Interestingly the developer of the wildly successful Angry Birds game just sounded off, among other things, on the iPhone vs. Android:

Apple will be the number one platform for a long time from a developer perspective, they have gotten so many things right. And they know what they are doing and they call the shots. Android is growing, but it’s also growing complexity at the same time. Device fragmentation not the issue, but rather the fragmentation of the ecosystem. So many different shops, so many different models. The carriers messing with the experience again. Open but not really open, a very Google centric ecosystem. And paid content just doesn’t work on Android.

Google had previously argued that platform and OS fragmentation would drive mobile Web adoption by publishers vs. native apps. And Google has developed a range of HTML5 apps accordingly. While that logic is sound in the abstract it's not really playing out so far. Most publishers of any size are developing iPhone and Android apps and to a lesser degree apps for other OS platforms (RIM, Windows, Palm, Nokia).
Ironically if Android becomes the second largest smartphone OS in the world, as predicted, it may be fragmentation within the Android ecosystem, along the lines suggested by Angry Birds' developer, that causes marketers and publishers to focus on and embrace Web apps vs. native (Android) apps. It may be Google helping to fulfill its own prophecy. 

Regards
Raheel

Your next laptop: Concept designs point the way

Tomorrow's models may roll up, sport multiple screens or be repositionable, Transformer-style

Tired of the stale cookie-cutter designs that make all laptops look basically alike? You're not alone. A group of intrepid designers and engineers is doing something about the "sameness syndrome" that permeates notebook design. They're working on groundbreaking concept designs that not only turn heads but also point to new ways to work and play on the road.

Read on for info about these and other concept laptops, or click to see the image gallery.

Just as car shows give us a sneak peek into the next big thing in automotive technology, concept and prototype designs provide a crystal ball to see what tomorrow might have in store for mobility.
"Design concepts allow us to stretch our imaginations and ask 'what if,' " says Murali Veeramoney, head of the concept PC program at Intel's Santa Clara, Calif., headquarters. "They help us see the future of computing."
Get ready for a revolution in notebook design, including laptops with multiple screens or slide-out keyboards as well as computers that can be folded into different shapes or even rolled up when not in use. How about a laptop that can be charged without being plugged in? Even the definition of "laptop" is changing, with lines blurring among traditional notebooks, netbooks, convertible tablets, iPad-style slate tablets, smartbooks, e-readers, ultramobile PCs and other mobile Internet devices.
A couple of years back, I took a look at what kind of notebooks we might be using in the year 2015, but they required a technological breakthrough or two to become reality. In contrast, the 12 innovative notebook designs here -- some actual working computers, others wooden mockups or CAD drawings -- are for the most part producible within the next two years.
"Folding screens, wireless charging, rollup computers -- it's all coming in the next couple of years," says Leslie Fiering, a research vice president at Gartner. "Designers are getting more and more creative and innovative."
Here's a peek at the not-so-distant future.

Four screens, no waiting

What if your next notebook had two, three or even four displays, each capable of making your computing experience more enjoyable and efficient? That's the idea behind the Tangent Bay laptop created by Veeramoney's notebook prototype group at Intel.

Three tiny auxiliary touch screens appear above the Tangent Bay's keyboard. Click to view larger image.

A full working computer that shows the possibility of fresh thinking on screens, the Tangent Bay has a prominent 15.6-in. main display along with three auxiliary 3.5-in. OLED touch screens, which are usually used on cell phones.
Evenly spaced just above the keyboard, these auxiliary displays can be dedicated to specific tasks so that the main screen doesn't get crowded with a plethora of panes and menus.
They're good for anything from showing a reminder note or running a live RSS feed to displaying a clock or Photoshop's brush menu. With a little programming, Veeramoney says, you could even stash your Windows 7 Gadgets there. Personally, I would use the smaller screens to monitor my e-mail and favorite Web sites without cluttering up the main screen.
"Call it extreme multitasking, but people have multiple things going on," explains Veeramoney. "If you want to bring any of them to the main screen, just flick it upwards with your finger. Touch is a very exciting concept for us."
When the Tangent Bay was introduced at last year's Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco (see video), the response was enormous. People immediately got it and saw that the multiple screens can keep several snippets of information front and center without overwhelming the user.
With an ultra-low-voltage processor inside, Tangent Bay is about as thick as a current mainstream business notebook, but slightly heavier due to the extra displays. The best part is that this system requires no new technology or engineering advances and could be made today.
"The goal of our work is commercialization," adds Veeramoney, although commercial restrictions prevent him from talking about any plans Intel might have to bring this technology to market.
Often, these prototypes are looked over by several notebook manufacturers, which take pieces and ideas and incorporate them into their wares. Tangent Bay probably won't see the light of day as a single model, but it will likely live on in several future notebooks from multiple makers.

Telenor Intended for Urdu Website, But then Gave Up!

Telenor Intended for Urdu Website, But then Gave Up!

First uncovered by Arsalan Tariq, it was revealed that Telenor invested time and resources to get Urdu version of its official website running, however, it looks that project is lost by now.

It was a good thought on Telenor’s end to come up with local language, an easy way for masses to understand the services and products. However, it is apparent that (urdu version of) website isn’t updated for at least a year or so.
Just to add that Urdu version of Easypaisa’s website has gone missing too.
In a recent seminar on 3G, all five cellular mobile operator have signed MoUs to boost localized applications, content and services.
So let’s not rule out the chances for the revival of this website. Moreover, other operators may also maintain Urdu section on their websites.

White Tea

White tea 'may prevent wrinkles'
It could also help treat arthritis
A nice cup of tea can be very relaxing at the end of a stressful day,
but now it seems it may help you in surprising ways -
even keeping you looking younger.

Scientists at Kingston University in London analysed
the health properties of a number of plant extracts.
Although many of them were found to have potentially beneficial properties,
the researchers were stunned by the findings in white tea.

The research showed that white tea can prevent the activities of chemicals
which breakdown collagen and elastin - which in turn can lead to wrinkles as we age.
These chemicals are also implicated in inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Although the chemicals are a vital part of the body's normal workings,
leader of the study Professor Naughton pointed out that
"in inflammatory conditions,
suppressing the activities of these excess components has been the
subject of decades of research.
We were surprised to find such high activity for the white tea extracts
in all five tests that were conducted."

He continued: "We were testing very small amounts far less than you would find
in a drink, the early indicators are that white tea reduces the risk of inflammation
which is characteristic of rheumatoid arthritis and some cancers as well as wrinkles."

It should be noted that the study has not actually demonstrated that any of the plants
studied have been successfully used in treatments of either wrinkles or any other condition.
It has demonstrated the existence of potentially beneficial chemicals within the plants.
Obviously more work is required to see how this can be of practical benefit to humans.

The study was funded by Neal's Yard Remedies and published in the
BioMed Central journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

What is white tea?

In normal conversation white tea and black tea refer to tea either with or without milk.
But in both cases the tea used to make the drink is generally "black tea" -
90% of teas sold in western countries such as the UK are black teas.

Black tea leaves have been processed to react with oxygen in the air.
This strengthens the taste and caffeine content of the tea and also allows
it to be stored for more than a year, hence its popularity.

White tea is tea that has not been processed.
It often contains buds and young leaves.
It is a speciality of the Chinese province Fujian.

There have been previous claims that white tea has more
health benefits that either black tea or green tea.

Green tea is made from a particular type of tea leaf which has
minimal processing. It is very common in Japan.

 

Top 12 Free Content Management Systems (CMS)

Building websites by hand with all html/css pages was fine a couple years ago, but these days there are a ton of awesome Content Management System options out there that make our jobs as developers and website publishers SO much easier!

So take a moment and look over the list below of the 12 best free cms options available. Some might seem really familiar (we love wordpress) and some others might be new to you. They all deserve your attention for a few minutes. Hell, even test drive a few of them and see if there’s any that might work for a new project!

WordPress ↓
WordPress is a state-of-the-art publishing platform with a focus on aesthetics, web standards, and usability. WordPress is both free and priceless at the same time.

Joomla ↓ 
 
Joomla is an award-winning content management system (CMS), which enables you to build Web sites and powerful online applications. Many aspects, including its ease-of-use and extensibility, have made Joomla the most popular Web site software available. Best of all, Joomla is an open source solution that is freely available to everyone.

Drupal ↓

Drupal is a free software package that allows an individual or a community of users to easily publish, manage and organize a wide variety of content on a website. Tens of thousands of people and organizations are using Drupal to power scores of different web sites

SilverStripe ↓

The SilverStripe CMS is a flexible open source Content Management System that gives everyone involved in a web project the tools they need to do their jobs

Cushy CMS ↓

CushyCMS is a Content Management Systems (CMS) that is truly simple. It’s free for unlimited users, unlimited changes, unlimited pages and unlimited sites.

Frog CMS ↓

Frog CMS simplifies content management by offering an elegant user interface, flexible templating per page, simple user management and permissions, as well as the tools necessary for file management. Born as phpRadiant in January 2007, Frog CMS is a PHP version of Radiant CMS, a well known Ruby on Rails application. Although the two applications still share a family resemblance, Frog is charting its own development path.

MODx ↓

MODx helps you take control of your online content. An Open Source PHP application framework, it frees you to build sites exactly how you want and make them 100% yours. Zero restrictions and fast to build. Super-simple templates in regular HTML/CSS/JS (any lib you want). Registered user systems and a killer community. Welcome to web-building nirvana.

TYPOlight ↓

 TYPOlight CMS is a web CMS that Uses Ajax and Web 2.0 technologies, has a live update feature for those of us who have multiple blogs, gives multi-language support and hosts a ton of other great features

dotCMS ↓

The fully functional GPL version of dotCMS continues to forge ahead – providing bleed–edge features and the latest code to a thriving community of developers and users.

Expression Engine ↓

 ExpressionEngine is a flexible, feature-rich content management system that empowers thousands of individuals, organizations, and companies around the world to easily manage their website. If you’re tired of the limitations of your current CMS then take ExpressionEngine for a spin…

Radiant CMS ↓

 Radiant is a no-fluff, open source content management system designed for small teams that was built on Ruby on Rails. It gives an endless list of awesome features and is definitely worth checking out.

concrete5 ↓

 A CMS made for Marketing, but strong enough for Geeks! Concrete5 is an open source content management system. It’s revolutionary – and it’s free.

Learn to build your own CMS with PHP ↓

 If you’d like to build your own CMS, Jason Lengstorf has an amazing tutorial posted on CSS-Tricks that will show you step by step how to build a simple CMS for your own website using PHP. It’s definitely worth checking out  :)

Samsung Google Nexus S [Preview]

Samsung Google Nexus S [Preview]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Samsung, which endow with low cost relatively comparable phones with other companies, will now launch Samsung Google Nexus S Smartphone in Pakistan soon, with pricing around Rs. 73,000. That’s high – we agree, due to a fact that same phone is going to see a launch in India for just Rs. 24,000.
The last Nexus version of Google Phone came from HTC but this time they have trusted Samsung with hardware and the new Google Nexus S looks just as other Samsung Phones.
The reason for Google to give their phone manufacturing task to Samsung would probably be that Samsung has sold the most number of Android Phones which were operated by Google. This device is set to be the next flagship phone sporting a pure Google experience.
Running on Android 2.3 / Gingerbread sporting a subtly reworked user interface design, and touting some potentially powerful new features, like near-field communication compatibility.
Nexus S is boasting all the design leanings of Samsung’s wildly popular Galaxy S line, but packing them into a tighter, sleeker and faster package. Let’s have a preview to make you clear for Nexus S
Hardware configuration
It has the core hardware and software combination and this phone is blazingly fast considering the animations, touch response and general frame rate on everything seems to be cranked closer to the environs of the IPhone 4.
This phone consists of ARM Cortex A8 1GHz (Humming-Bird) processor core by which you will experience zipping around on the handset with fluid and natural feeling. 512 MB RAM adds the swiftness to Samsung Google Nexus S.
Display and User Interface
Nexus S has a Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen of 16M colors measuring screen 4 inches with a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels. The touch input supports multiple touch and its screen oleo-phobic which means that your fingerprints embedded on the screen during typing would be wiped off within a second.
The UI has also been nipped and tucked all over the place, with icons and navigational elements taking on more of a buffed glass feel. With proximity sensor for auto turn-off and Three-axis gyro sensor makes this gadget good choice for its display properties. When the phone goes to sleep, there’s an effect of an old cathode ray TV being switched off, and even something as innocuous as the phone dialer has been refined.
Camera
Samsung Google Nexus S is equipped with an autofocus 5 MP camera that allows you to take pictures in 2560 x 1920 pixels; it is also embedded with LED flash for poor lighting conditions.
It supports geo-tagging and automated social network content posting. It is capable of recording WVGA videos with a frame rate of 720p@30fps. There is also a secondary VGA camera for video calling. Switching from the front camera to the rear camera takes minimal hunting and pecking.
Memory
This phone has an internal storage capacity of 16 GB, but unfortunately there is no support for additional expansion of memory though it doesn’t have a slot for an external memory card (Micro SD). However, it has a dedicated 512 MB for those who like to multitask or play a lot games from Android Market.
Entertainment
Samsung Google Nexus S has integrated social networking, which will never let you left alone and will always make you hang-out with your friends. It also supports MP3/WAV/eAAC+/AC3/FLAC for audio and MP4/DivX/WMV/H.264/H.263 formats for video entertainment. 3.5 mm audio jack is also built-in.
Connectivity and Battery life
It supports Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n; DLNA, 3G networks with HSDPA 2100 / HSDPA 900, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP and many more other connectivity preferences. It works on a Li-Ion 1500 mAh which can support GSM: 14h / 3G: 7h of talktime and GSM: 713h / 3G: 428h of stand-by time.

Pakistan To Deploy Fiber Optic Cable to Connect with China

Government said that it will deploy cross border Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) system at a cost of Rs 3.7 billion between Pakistan and China for security of information, reported Business Recorder, quoting official sources.

Paper said that the need of this cross-country fiber optic cable grew after security concerns from Pakistan and China, who fear the possibility of India monitoring the communication activities, through already active undersea cables.
The project was deliberated at a recent meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) under the chairmanship Finance Minister Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shakih.
The project consists of laying 820 km of Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) along the Karakaram Highway, from Rawalpindi to Khunjrab Pass (Chinese border via Mansehra, Chilas, Danyore (Gligit), Karimabad and Sust).
At present, Pakistan’s international connectivity with the world is through undersea cables SEA-ME-WE 3&4 and IMEWE, and Pakistan is connected through spurs only.
“This dependency is not only a risk but also entails security concerns. The voice/data and internet traffic can be monitored and disturbed easily by India,” sources said. To divert such a threat, sources said, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed with China in April 2007 for the establishment of a secure international OFC link between China and Pakistan along Karakaram Highway which is being widened by China Road and Bridge Company.
Through this project, a link will be created between Pakistan and Trans-Asia Europe (TAE) cable in China, which would enable both Pakistan and China to have alternative routes for their international telecom traffic, sources added.
Successful implementation of the project would provide Pakistan with a direct telecom access to China and the Central Asian States. Thus, development of telecom infrastructure will facilitate trade with these countries and would also promote tourism in the region, sources quoted Ministry of Information Technology as commenting on the project.
Apart from security assurance, the project is expected to generate revenue, approximately Rs 1.5 billion in the first three years and, in the fourth year, the financial dividends are likely to grow.
The project would be funded within Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) and out of a Chinese soft loan. The project also involves Rs 3.2 billion foreign exchange component (FEC).

TIPS AFTER THE INTERVIEW

Even though the interview is over, your work is far from complete...
After each interview mentally review the questions asked by the
interviewer and your responses to them. Were you caught “off-guard” by
any questions? Could you have answered a question better, in more
detail, or in a more focused manner? Quiz yourself after each
interview and take notes. This will enhance future interview efforts.
It is advisable to send a thank you letter to the person(s) who
interviewed you within twenty-four hours after the interview. It
reinforces your interest in the position and can serve as an
additional opportunity to separate you from the other candidates by
recalling a notable topic or attribute discussed in your interview.

Most employers will tell you when you can expect to hear from them. If
you do not hear by that date, it is appropriate for you to call them.

If the employer requests additional materials, such as an application,
transcript, or references, send them as soon as possible.

If an employer indicated an interest in pursuing things further with
you, but you are no longer interested in the opportunity, inform
him/her of that fact as soon as possible.

Here are some things you can do:

 Type or handwrite the letter. E-mail is not as personal, therefore it
should be used in conjunction with a personal letter. If you
absolutely cannot write a letter, an e-mail is better than not
following up at all.

The letter should be brief and include the following:

1. Thank the interviewer for his/her time.
2. State the position for which you are applying.
3. Mention something from your interview to remind the interviewer who you are.
4. Describe in one or two sentences why you are the best applicant.

 Address it to the recruiter, by name and title

 Mention the names of the people you met at the interview.

 Send a letter to appropriate individuals you interviewed with (always
send to the main interviewer).

 Keep the letter short, less than one page.

 Mail the letter within 24 hours of the interview.

 Thank the interviewer for his/her time.

 Send a thank you letter for every interview you go on.

 Demonstrate employer knowledge in 2-3 sentences.

 Restate employment objective.

 Answer the question – “What can you do for them?” based on something
specifically discussed during your contact. Use accomplishment/
results statements that demonstrate your ability to meet those needs.

Regards
Raheel

GameStop accepting Nintendo 3DS pre-orders

Those who want to be the first to get the Nintendo 3DS, which features the ability to play titles in 3D without the need for glasses, might want to head down to a GameStop store and plunk down $50.
According to the manager at my local GameStop store, the retailer is accepting pre-orders nationwide. However, the person did not know how much the device will cost or when it will be released.
Nintendo first unveiled plans to offer the 3D portable gaming device in March. The company said at the time that it would "succeed [the] Nintendo DS series."
Since then, Nintendo revealed that the 3DS would be made available in the U.S. and Europe in March. The company will sell the device in Japan for around $300, Nintendo revealed earlier this year. However, it stopped short of revealing a specific price for the U.S. and European markets.


Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20026634-17.html#ixzz19NbId0ko

Free Outlook add-on simplifies data export

Microsoft has done little to improve the import and export features in recent versions of Outlook. In fact, the program's Import and Export Wizard appears unchanged since at least Outlook 2003.
One change for the worse is that it takes several more clicks to reach the import/export function in Outlook 2010 than it does in earlier releases of the program. In older Outlook versions you simply clicked File > Import and Export to open the wizard, but in Outlook 2010, you must click File > Options > Advanced > Export.
You can save yourself a few clicks and get many more comma-separated value (CSV) export options by installing the free CodeTwo Outlook Export add-on. The company claims the program works with all versions of Outlook since 2001; I tested it in Outlook 2010 on a Windows 7 PC.
CodeTwo Outlook Export adds an Export button to the far right of the Home ribbon in Outlook 2010 and to the Standard toolbar in earlier Outlook versions.

CodeTwo Outlook Export adds an Export icon to the Home ribbon in Outlook 2010 and an Export button to the Standard toolbar in Outlook 2007, 2003, and 2002.

(Credit: screenshot by Dennis O'Reilly/CNET)

Clicking the button opens the main CodeTwo Outlook Export window, where you can add, delete, and reorder the fields to be exported to the CSV file. Oddly, the default items for mail, calendar entries, contacts, and tasks include "Subject" and "Date Created." This makes sense for messages and perhaps for tasks and calendar entries, but not for contacts. However, it's easy to customize the exported fields via the buttons in the right pane of the window.

Add, delete, and reorder the Outlook items to be exported to a CSV file via the buttons in the main CodeTwo Outlook Export window.

(Credit: screenshot by Dennis O'Reilly/CNET)

The Options button lets you change the field separator from the default (comma) to a semicolon or a bar, and the text qualifier from quotes to apostrophes.

Change the field separator and text qualifier in the CodeTwo Outlook Export add-on via the Options dialog.

(Credit: screenshot by Dennis O'Reilly/CNET)

Back in the program's main window, select the items you want to export, choose and reorder the fields to include in the export, and set the name and location of the resulting CSV file. Once the list is in order, click the Export button to complete the process. CodeTwo Outlook Export pops up a window showing the number of items exported and the name and location of the .csv file the program created.

CodeTwo Outlook Export confirms the number of items exported and the name and location of the CSV file containing the data.

(Credit: screenshot by Dennis O'Reilly/CNET)

The program worked flawlessly when I tested it, and the results of its exports were a tremendous improvement over Outlook's built-in export feature, especially for exporting contacts. In Outlook, you get no choice of which messages, tasks, calendar entries, and contacts to export. Nor can you choose which fields to include or the order in which the fields are shown in the resulting CSV file.
CodeTwo Outlook Export creates only CSV files; Outlook's own exporter can generate Microsoft Access and Excel files, as well as Outlook's own .pst files. Since I usually export to CSV files anyway, this limitation doesn't affect me. And there's simply no way Outlook can match the export options offered by CodeTwo Outlook Export.
If you're looking to free your Outlook data from the confines of the the program's own export limitations, CodeTwo Outlook Export makes the process much easier and more flexible.
For information on saving your Outlook mail in the folder of your choice, see my post from February 2008. To learn more about customizing Outlook's archive settings, read this post from last January.
Finally, for instructions on synching your Outlook, Gmail, and iPhone contacts and calendar entries, see the post from July 2009.



Regards
Raheel

HP lists future laptops with Intel next-gen chip

HP lists future laptops with Intel next-gen chip

Hewlett-Packard has posted detailed specifications of two upcoming Pavilion dv7 laptops furnished with Intel's next-gen Sandy Bridge processor.

HP's Pavilion dv7 will use two different Sandy Bridge quad-core processor models.

(Credit: Best Buy)

Though some details have been leaked already based on an Engadget report, HP's U.S. product support pages now list future models in all of their spec'd out glory (see graphic below).
Intel is already shipping the processor to PC makers, which means when the chip technology is formally announced at the Consumer Electronics Show on January 5, systems will be in the pipeline.
One model will sport the Core i7-2820QM 2.3GHz processor, listed with an "SC turbo" speed of 3.4GHz. Intel's Turbo Boost technology speeds up and slows down the processor to optimize performance and power, respectively.
Another model is listed with the i7-2630QM 2GHz processor with an SC turbo speed of 2.90GHz.
Both processors have a thermal envelope--aka, Thermal Design Power or TDP--of 45 watts. Typically, mainstream Intel laptop processors have a TDP of 25 or 35 watts. Generally, the higher the TDP, the more heat the chips can potentially produce.
As HP has done on previous dv7s, some models come equipped with a SuperSpeed USB 3.0 port, in addition to standard USB 2.0 ports. USB 3.0 can deliver a theoretical peak throughput of about 5 gigabits-per-second, roughly 10 times the speed of USB 2.0.
Systems are also listed with Advanced Micro Devices' ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 and Radeon HD 5470 graphics processors.

Upcoming Intel Sandy Bridge processors listed on HP Pavilion dv7 U.S. support pages.

(Credit: Hewlett-Packard)

Micronet Gives Away its Customers to Link Dot Net

Micronet Gives Away its Customers to Link Dot Net

Micronet, the leading broadband service provider in Islamabad/Rawalpindi, has decided to giveaway its broadband customers of two exchanges to Link Dot Net, confirmed us official sources in the company. Micronet said that this move came after anti-competitive environment created by PTCL, which is restricting ISPs’ profit and workability for broadband service providers. Official of Micronet said that they were losing Rs. 50,000 a month per exchange.
In the first phase, Micronet handed over its customers of Zero Point and Airport Housing Exchanges. Those customers who were in coverage area of nayatel were shifted to fiber optic network, while others were shifted to LDN.
Company said that they may handover more customers to LDN, based on future strategy.
This way, Micronet will be able to shift its core focus on Nayatel, company’s arm dedicated for fiber optic broadband users.
Micronet said it has 7,000 registered broadband users in the twin cities before the move.

PTCL Launches Vfone New Year Offer

PTCL Launches Vfone New Year Offer

Pakistan Telecommunication Company LTD (PTCL) has launched country wide Vfone New Year offer, which has especially been designed to encourage the existing and potential vfone subscribers in Pakistan.

Load a Vfone scratch card of higher denomination and get instant free balance as much as you want!
Offer:

• Load a Vfone scratch card of Rs. 300/- and get an instant free balance of Rs. 100/-
• Load a Vfone scratch card of Rs. 500/- and get an instant free balance of Rs. 200/-
• Load a Vfone scratch card of Rs. 1,000/- and get an instant free balance of Rs. 500/-
• Unlimited free calls from Vfone – Vfone & Vfone – PSTN in Family & Un-limited packages at extremely affordable rate

Note:

• Free balance offer will be valid for all cards of more than Rs. 100 denomination i.e. on Rs. 300, 500 and 1,000 denomination cards
• Free balance can be utilized for calling on-net (V-V, V-PSTN Local & NWD)
• Free balance can be utilized for Internet and SMS (on-net and off-net)
• The validity of free balance will be 30 days only
• Free balance offer will be applicable only for WIN subscribers & not for WIPT i.e. not for VPCO
• This is a limited time offer

Naveed Saeed SEVP Commercial Said that PTCL always try to provide best packages and offers to our customers and this launch will have an added effect on segmenting our customers, he further added that PTCL has always and will always strive to provide our customers with the best and most affordable services.
Syed Asim Ali EVP Commercial Planning said these new packages will reinforce PTCL image as the customer oriented organization and it will be our top priority to facilitate our customers to the maximum. Keeping in mind the needs of customers, In future PTCL will introduce more such offers to facilitate our users.

8 Reasons for Not Getting Interview Calls

Most of the jobseekers begin the job hunt without having a proper plan in place which makes it much more difficult to find a good job opening and applying to it successfully. Listed below are some of the most common mistakes which many job seekers commit. By avoiding these common mistakes you can put your job hunt on the right path and make the best of your time.

Applying to Irrelevant Jobs:

During a job hunt, many job seekers get desperate and start applying to any and every job that is available to them. They apply to jobs which are either not relevant to their field or the level of experience and skill needed in a candidate is much above the level of the job seeker. This serves no purpose other than to irritate the employers who might add your profile to a block list which will not let you apply to any jobs in future. Avoid this conduct at all costs and only apply to jobs that are specific to your skills and education level.

Creating a Poor Resume:

You may think that your resume is ok but there are many factors which can lead to making your résumé poor which include spelling mistakes, typing errors, too short or too long resume, exaggeration and false representation of skills etc. Also, your resume does not need to be a list of the duties or tasks that have been appointed to you at various positions. The potential employer is always more interested in finding out about your accomplishments and achievements rather than the duties.

If you feel like making a resume is too hard, there are many online samples available which can help you in making a perfect resume. The CV wizard at ROZEE.PK is specifically designed to help you make a professional resume with the option to choose between different available designs.

Weak Objective on the Resume:

One of the worst mistakes by many job seekers is that they put a weak objective on their resume which is often taken from someone else’s resume or from a sample on the internet. For instance, “looking for an opportunity to efficiently utilize my skills and experience to contribute towards the company growth” is a poor objective as it says nothing specific about the job or the benefits you can bring to the company.

Having a Standardized Cover Letter:

Most job seekers make the mistake of keeping a standardized cover letter which they send with every job application. A cover letter plays a very important part in making an impression on the recruiter and if you have a standardized cover letter which has nothing specific mentioning your skills and expertise or how you can be effective at the given job, there is a high chance that the recruiter might throw away your job application without even looking at the CV. So whenever you are applying to a job, make sure that you edit the cover letter to make it more suited for that particular job.

Applying to the Same Company Repeatedly:

Some job seekers are desperate to get into a specific company and they apply to every job opening in that company whether or not they are eligible for the position. If you keep on applying to the same company, the employers will not take your job application seriously and hence you will lose the chance of getting an employment there. It is important to apply to appropriate jobs only.

Failing To Research the Company:

One of the most common mistakes is failing to research the company before applying to a job and going for the subsequent job interview. It is understandable that most of the job seekers are badly in need of a job and do not want to picky when choosing which company to apply to but it is important to research the company on the internet before applying to the position. As a job seeker you should know about the basic structure and functioning of the company so that you can decide whether working in this company will fulfill your long term goals.

If you get the interview call, you need to research the company to find out the details which will help you in properly asking questions during the interview session. Being unprepared for an interview can create a negative impression on the employer.

Not Following Company Directions:

Sending a resume with attached cover letter does not mean that you are done with the application procedure. Every company has some a specific procedure for the submission of job application and when you apply to a job you need to follow this procedure completely. The employers will not accept the applications of job seekers who fail to follow the procedure. Think of it this way, if you cannot even follow the simple directions for a job application procedure what does that say about your capabilities.

Lack of Follow Up:

Many times the reason you are not getting an interview call is simply the lack of follow up after submitting your job applications. You might miss the employer’s call and never call back as you don’t recognize the number. Employers seldom make the same call twice so you might lose the chance for an interview only because you were not available to pick the phone. It is important to call the employer if you do not get a call within 15 days of submitting the application.

Regards

Raheel

How to Answer the Salary Question during an Interview without Getting Confused?

Question 

How should we answer the question of expected salary during an interview session? Almost every employer put this question at some stage of the interview and although it is expected I get confused when they ask what salary do you expect? I often say the amount which is very lower as compared to what I should get but the nervousness makes me commit this mistake every time. How should we answer this question in a practical way?

There are many books available which prepare individuals for the interview with suggested answers to the possible questions asked during the interview session. The problem is that if you go with the book some employers are able to identify that you have already prepared the answers and they often ask you why you answers seems rehearsed. How can one avoid this from happening?

Answer

Dear

Since both of you have asked interview related questions we have decided to answer them together. As far as the question of salary is concerned, it is understandable that the question brings forth some level of anxiety as one needs to be sure he is neither ask for too much nor too little. The best way to approach this issue is to do some market research before you go for an interview. Find out what the current pay scale for the specific job opening is and then compare you current pay scale. You might want a big raise but be realistic about it and factor in the years of experience you have. When you answer the salary question, be sure to make them know that you are flexible on the issue of salary as that will open the doors for negotiations.

As far as the issue of prepared answers to interview questions is concerned, it goes without saying that every employer will know if you are orating a previously rehearsed answer. It is true that these help books are needed by many who fail to answer the questions during an interview without previous preparation but the key is find the balance. Use the books to get knowledge of the kind of answers that are appropriate to give during an interview session and then prepare your own answers based on them. For every question, try to include specifics of your last job, your skill or experience which will let the employers see that you are not delivering a rehearsed answer. Also engage the interviewer by looking into his eyes while giving the answers and try to speak slowly and put emphasis on important lines so that the interviewer feels like he is having a conversation with you rather than listening to a speech.

We hope that these suggestions will be helpful for your future interviews.

Best of Luck,

Raheel

7 things you should never say in an interview

You dry cleaned your suit. You have a dozen copies of your résumé, just in case. You arrived early -- but not too early. You silenced your cell phone. You made small talk with the receptionist, and you're pretty sure the two of you will be best friends one day. Now, you're about to confidently head into an interview for a job you're dying to land.
Don't ruin it all by saying any of the following to your interviewer. 
"My last boss was an idiot"
No matter how terrible your last boss was, or how glad you are to be free of your previous company, keep it to yourself. Not only will you look immature and negative if you start griping, but you also never know whom your interviewer is connected to. Your interviewer and your former boss may be old fraternity brothers, for all you know.
"Do not gossip or speak badly about anyone you've worked with or for, even if they're currently serving time in state prison for what they did," says Gayl Murphy, author of "Interview Tactics: How to Survive the Media Without Getting Clobbered." "Even if the [interviewer tries to] push you into it. Remember, it's all a test. Be graceful and polite; you could be talking about [his or her] brother-in-law."
"Yes." "Yes." "Yes." "No."
Unless the interviewer asks you if you're so-and-so here for the nine-o'clock interview, you shouldn't be using one-word answers. An interview is your time to convince the employer that you have the qualifications for the job. Even if the questions don't seem open-ended, answer them as if they are. You don't need to drone on and on, but use every chance you get to prove why you're the right person for the job.
"You want to use as much color and detail as possible when describing your background, experience and your professional journey, but without being long-winded because, in reality, it's about your skill set and your valuable experience and expertise. Be specific: Use names, dates and places," Murphy says.
"Let me tell you what I think about religion and politics ..."
Like a first date, an interview is no time to bring up religion or politics. If these touchy subjects can spark heated debates among even the closest of friends, imagine what kind of argument you could get into with a stranger.
"When being interviewed for a job, deciding what to say and what to keep to yourself has always been challenging, especially since there are so many different opinions out there," Murphy says. "[But] unless you're going for a job as a pastor or rabbi, it's best to steer clear of religious tenets." Ditto for politics; unless it's a key part of the job, it's best to avoid sharing political opinions.
"Of course I know HTML coding/ my way around China/ the nuances of quantitative behavioral finance!"
An interview is not the place to embellish your work or personal experience. If an interviewer asks you about something you don't have experience with, fess up and tell him how willing and able you are to learn new things.  If you claim to be something you're not, chances are you'll be found out sooner or later – maybe not during the interview process, but when you find yourself lost in the middle of China a few months after landing the job, your gig will be up.
"Don't make up anything about what you've done that isn't true. It's too easy these days to get busted for anything like that. And they are looking at anything and everything," Murphy says.
"Hey man, do you want to grab a drink after this?"
No matter how well you hit it off with your interviewer or how great your conversation goes, your interviewer is not your friend -- even if you find out you're both getting married on the same day or you're both obsessed with college football. The relationship is still a professional one, so resist the urge to spill too many personal or off-topic details, or to start calling your interviewer "buddy,"  "girl," "hon" or "man."
"Hahahaaaaa! AAAAAhaaahahaaa!"
 OK, so someone cracked a joke. It's probable that in the duration of your professional career, you'll come across an interviewer with a good sense of humor. It's even OK to laugh at a joke made during the interview. Just don't die laughing. No one looks professional with cackle-induced teary eyes, teeth and  gums a-blazing.
Should you find yourself surpassing the point of no return in your fit of laughter, take a deep breath, and think about how awful you'll feel if you don't get the job. It may seem like a buzzkill, but there's a time and a place for everything, including hysterics.
"I mean, I'm not THAT great"
Now is not the time for modesty, false or otherwise. While you don't want to come across like a used-car salesman, you are there to sell yourself.  Or, as Murphy puts it, "Know in your bones you have an awesome product." And don't be afraid to sell it.

Regards
Raheel

Global Skype Blackout Continues!

Global Skype Blackout Continues!

Millions of people around the globe including Pakistan continue to get affected by an outage at the free internet phone service Skype. Users from Japan, Europe and the US all reported problems, which started at around 2030 GMT on 22 December.
The company said the fault had been caused by critical parts of its network being taken offline.
It is estimated that Skype was losing around half of its daily 20 million calls, when the problem first occurred.
A spokesperson for the firm confirmed the problem was ongoing but could not say how many customers were affected.
In a post the firm said that the problem had been caused by a series of supernode failures. These "act a bit like phone directories", the firm said, routing traffic between users.

"If you want to talk to someone, and your Skype app can’t find them immediately (for example, because they’re connecting from a different location or from a different device) your computer or phone will first try to find a supernode to figure out how to reach them," it read.
"Under normal circumstances, there are a large number of supernodes available. Unfortunately, today, many of them were taken offline by a problem affecting some versions of Skype."
This may take a few hours, and we sincerely apologise for the disruption to your conversations. Some features, like group video calling, may take longer to return to normal.

Skype is is one of the key applications of the modern world and any disturbance affects millions of life

Thoughts on Flash > Apple CEO

URL > http://www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughts-on-flash/

Apple has a long relationship with Adobe. In fact, we met Adobe’s founders when they were in their proverbial garage. Apple was their first big customer, adopting their Postscript language for our new Laserwriter printer. Apple invested in Adobe and owned around 20% of the company for many years. The two companies worked closely together to pioneer desktop publishing and there were many good times. Since that golden era, the companies have grown apart. Apple went through its near death experience, and Adobe was drawn to the corporate market with their Acrobat products. Today the two companies still work together to serve their joint creative customers – Mac users buy around half of Adobe’s Creative Suite products – but beyond that there are few joint interests.

I wanted to jot down some of our thoughts on Adobe’s Flash products so that customers and critics may better understand why we do not allow Flash on iPhones, iPods and iPads. Adobe has characterized our decision as being primarily business driven – they say we want to protect our App Store – but in reality it is based on technology issues. Adobe claims that we are a closed system, and that Flash is open, but in fact the opposite is true. Let me explain.

First, there’s “Open”.

Adobe’s Flash products are 100% proprietary. They are only available from Adobe, and Adobe has sole authority as to their future enhancement, pricing, etc. While Adobe’s Flash products are widely available, this does not mean they are open, since they are controlled entirely by Adobe and available only from Adobe. By almost any definition, Flash is a closed system.

Apple has many proprietary products too. Though the operating system for the iPhone, iPod and iPad is proprietary, we strongly believe that all standards pertaining to the web should be open. Rather than use Flash, Apple has adopted HTML5, CSS and JavaScript – all open standards. Apple’s mobile devices all ship with high performance, low power implementations of these open standards. HTML5, the new web standard that has been adopted by Apple, Google and many others, lets web developers create advanced graphics, typography, animations and transitions without relying on third party browser plug-ins (like Flash). HTML5 is completely open and controlled by a standards committee, of which Apple is a member.

Apple even creates open standards for the web. For example, Apple began with a small open source project and created WebKit, a complete open-source HTML5 rendering engine that is the heart of the Safari web browser used in all our products. WebKit has been widely adopted. Google uses it for Android’s browser, Palm uses it, Nokia uses it, and RIM (Blackberry) has announced they will use it too. Almost every smartphone web browser other than Microsoft’s uses WebKit. By making its WebKit technology open, Apple has set the standard for mobile web browsers.

Second, there’s the “full web”.

Adobe has repeatedly said that Apple mobile devices cannot access “the full web” because 75% of video on the web is in Flash. What they don’t say is that almost all this video is also available in a more modern format, H.264, and viewable on iPhones, iPods and iPads. YouTube, with an estimated 40% of the web’s video, shines in an app bundled on all Apple mobile devices, with the iPad offering perhaps the best YouTube discovery and viewing experience ever. Add to this video from Vimeo, Netflix, Facebook, ABC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, ESPN, NPR, Time, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Sports Illustrated, People, National Geographic, and many, many others. iPhone, iPod and iPad users aren’t missing much video.

Another Adobe claim is that Apple devices cannot play Flash games. This is true. Fortunately, there are over 50,000 games and entertainment titles on the App Store, and many of them are free. There are more games and entertainment titles available for iPhone, iPod and iPad than for any other platform in the world.

Third, there’s reliability, security and performance.

Symantec recently highlighted Flash for having one of the worst security records in 2009. We also know first hand that Flash is the number one reason Macs crash. We have been working with Adobe to fix these problems, but they have persisted for several years now. We don’t want to reduce the reliability and security of our iPhones, iPods and iPads by adding Flash.

In addition, Flash has not performed well on mobile devices. We have routinely asked Adobe to show us Flash performing well on a mobile device, any mobile device, for a few years now. We have never seen it. Adobe publicly said that Flash would ship on a smartphone in early 2009, then the second half of 2009, then the first half of 2010, and now they say the second half of 2010. We think it will eventually ship, but we’re glad we didn’t hold our breath. Who knows how it will perform?

Fourth, there’s battery life.

To achieve long battery life when playing video, mobile devices must decode the video in hardware; decoding it in software uses too much power. Many of the chips used in modern mobile devices contain a decoder called H.264 – an industry standard that is used in every Blu-ray DVD player and has been adopted by Apple, Google (YouTube), Vimeo, Netflix and many other companies.

Although Flash has recently added support for H.264, the video on almost all Flash websites currently requires an older generation decoder that is not implemented in mobile chips and must be run in software. The difference is striking: on an iPhone, for example, H.264 videos play for up to 10 hours, while videos decoded in software play for less than 5 hours before the battery is fully drained.

When websites re-encode their videos using H.264, they can offer them without using Flash at all. They play perfectly in browsers like Apple’s Safari and Google’s Chrome without any plugins whatsoever, and look great on iPhones, iPods and iPads.

Fifth, there’s Touch.

Flash was designed for PCs using mice, not for touch screens using fingers. For example, many Flash websites rely on “rollovers”, which pop up menus or other elements when the mouse arrow hovers over a specific spot. Apple’s revolutionary multi-touch interface doesn’t use a mouse, and there is no concept of a rollover. Most Flash websites will need to be rewritten to support touch-based devices. If developers need to rewrite their Flash websites, why not use modern technologies like HTML5, CSS and JavaScript?

Even if iPhones, iPods and iPads ran Flash, it would not solve the problem that most Flash websites need to be rewritten to support touch-based devices.

Sixth, the most important reason.

Besides the fact that Flash is closed and proprietary, has major technical drawbacks, and doesn’t support touch based devices, there is an even more important reason we do not allow Flash on iPhones, iPods and iPads. We have discussed the downsides of using Flash to play video and interactive content from websites, but Adobe also wants developers to adopt Flash to create apps that run on our mobile devices.

We know from painful experience that letting a third party layer of software come between the platform and the developer ultimately results in sub-standard apps and hinders the enhancement and progress of the platform. If developers grow dependent on third party development libraries and tools, they can only take advantage of platform enhancements if and when the third party chooses to adopt the new features. We cannot be at the mercy of a third party deciding if and when they will make our enhancements available to our developers.

This becomes even worse if the third party is supplying a cross platform development tool. The third party may not adopt enhancements from one platform unless they are available on all of their supported platforms. Hence developers only have access to the lowest common denominator set of features. Again, we cannot accept an outcome where developers are blocked from using our innovations and enhancements because they are not available on our competitor’s platforms.

Flash is a cross platform development tool. It is not Adobe’s goal to help developers write the best iPhone, iPod and iPad apps. It is their goal to help developers write cross platform apps. And Adobe has been painfully slow to adopt enhancements to Apple’s platforms. For example, although Mac OS X has been shipping for almost 10 years now, Adobe just adopted it fully (Cocoa) two weeks ago when they shipped CS5. Adobe was the last major third party developer to fully adopt Mac OS X.

Our motivation is simple – we want to provide the most advanced and innovative platform to our developers, and we want them to stand directly on the shoulders of this platform and create the best apps the world has ever seen. We want to continually enhance the platform so developers can create even more amazing, powerful, fun and useful applications. Everyone wins – we sell more devices because we have the best apps, developers reach a wider and wider audience and customer base, and users are continually delighted by the best and broadest selection of apps on any platform.

Conclusions.

Flash was created during the PC era – for PCs and mice. Flash is a successful business for Adobe, and we can understand why they want to push it beyond PCs. But the mobile era is about low power devices, touch interfaces and open web standards – all areas where Flash falls short.

The avalanche of media outlets offering their content for Apple’s mobile devices demonstrates that Flash is no longer necessary to watch video or consume any kind of web content. And the 250,000 apps on Apple’s App Store proves that Flash isn’t necessary for tens of thousands of developers to create graphically rich applications, including games.

New open standards created in the mobile era, such as HTML5, will win on mobile devices (and PCs too). Perhaps Adobe should focus more on creating great HTML5 tools for the future, and less on criticizing Apple for leaving the past behind.