Wider screen, Improved Notifications, New Tweets Composer with Updated Twitter for Android and iPhone

Twitter 5.7 for iOS changelog:

• The new Tweet composer for iPhone makes sharing photos easy and lets you preview how your Tweets will look.
• Enjoy a more beautiful design on iPhone with wider timelines in all parts of the app.
• Receive a notification when a friend has joined Twitter.

Twitter 4.1.0 for Android changelog:

• The new Tweet composer makes it easier to share with quick access to your camera roll and clear previews of how your Tweets will appear.
• notifications now include details like avatars and indicate how people are interacting with you (reply, retweet, etc.) for devices running Android 4.0 and higher.
• Enjoy wider and taller timelines in all parts of the app including profiles, search, and Discover.
• Receive a notification when a friend has joined Twitter.

LinkDotNet DSL Pakistan Shutting Down Services in Faisalabad

LinkDotNet DSL service provider is sending letters to its customers that they are shutting down operations in some areas of Faisalabad city.

Reason they have mentioned in the letter is that current market conditions are not allowing them to continue services. (Perhaps they mean PTCL monopoly)

LinkDotNet will give its existing customers to PTCL. They will soon start receiving calls from PTCL to switch over PTCL DSL.

Just like Wateen did. They also left Faisalabad market by giving their equipment and customers to PTCL.

Copy of received letter from LinkDotNet is below (view in large size to read)

New Pakistan Govt will try to resolve energy crises within first 100days of taking control

The source said the PML-N think tank on energy crisis has recommended to Nawaz Sharif that he should start by getting the issue of circular debt resolved by clearing it and then taking steps like checking power theft, converting the fuel power production into imported coal, improving gas supply to power houses, encouraging the import of hybrid cars by drastically reducing duties to reduce load on CNG, offering government package to turn CNG stations into LPG stations and petrol pumps.

Ufone Increasing UAdvance Amount to 40 Rupees

Ufone will increase UAdvance balance amount to 40Rs from 25th May 2013.

UAdvance service allows Ufone customers to request advance balance.

Service dialling code is *345#

Service charges 5Rs plus taxes. 

Ufone Increasing International SMS Charges to 5 Rupees

Ufone was providing cheapest International SMS charges to any country from Pakistan in 2.50 Rs. But now they have announced increase in the charges of international SMS.

New charges will be same as other networks, 5Rs plus taxes, effective from 25th May 2013. 

This new international charges policy will not effect Ufone international SMS bundle offers. 

Jazz Jazba remains only network with cheapest international SMS rates at 2.50Rs plus taxes.


Try Ufone 100 International SMS bundle: aaqilx.blogspot.com/2012/12/send-100-international-sms-in-5rs-with.html

Ufone Increasing Balance Checking Charges to 20 Paisas

Ufone have announced that they will increase balance checking charges on *124# 15 paisas to 20 paisas (excluding taxes). 

This new policy will be effective from 25th May 2013.

Viber Android and iPhone Updates and New Windows Desktop Version

Viber have released updates for its Android and iPhone mobile applications. With these mobile updates Viber have also announced Viber Windows and Mac desktop clients.

New Viber mobile updates include:

• Support for all new Viber Desktop on Windows and Mac OS
• Transfer live calls between Viber on mobile and Desktop
• Video messaging
• Improved sound quality for both Wifi and Mobile networks
• Online status indicator for contacts
• In app banner notifications
• Automatic downloading of new received photos
• Caption adding to photos and videos before sending them
• Photo galleries for contacts or groups
• Improved photo features with larger size and large photos thumbnails
• Updated contact information screen
• New stickers
• Several other bug fixes and performance improvements

Get Viber

SMW4 Cable Repaired: Internet Speeds Coming Back to Normal in Middle East and Pakistan

Updates:

• 10:37 AM - 26 Apr 13 -- @PTCLCares: The Undersea Cable repair work is complete and v are shifting traffc on SMW4. We now hv more than sufficient bandwidth on east and west side (Will take one to two days for full speed restoration)
• 7:06 AM - 26 Apr 13 -- @TH_ServeNET: The link to Europe via Submarine Cable (SMW4) is coming up and taking traffic since 05:00 morning (26 April 2013)
• 3:31 AM - 26 Apr 13 -- Algeria Telecom: End of maintenance of international cable (SMW4), Recovering Traffic.
• 7:00 AM - 23 Apr 13 -- @AaqilsBlog: SMW4 Egypt undersea cable problem: Repair work started on 21st April and repair is expected to completed by 26th April.

--------------------

On 27th March Egyptian Naval forces claimed that they had caught divers sabotaging a submarine cable off the coast of Alexandria, Egypt. In any event, SMW4 clearly suffered a major failure caused widespread disruption of Internet services from Egypt to Pakistan.

Several internet and telecom service providers were either degraded or unavailable due to the SMW4 cut off the coast of Alexandria, Egypt. These providers fell back on eastbound transit through the Far East, but those backup paths couldn't provide enough capacity for bandwidth load causing slow or below than slow internet speeds.

Outlook Gets Two Step Verification Security Feature and 32 New Domains

Microsoft have announced two step verification security feature for Outlook (available for all accounts Hotmail, Live mail, Outlook etc).
Start setting it up at https://account.live.com/proofs/Manage --it only takes a few minutes.

Windows Phone Application: For Windows Phone, Microsoft have released Authenticator app. The advantage of authenticator applications is that they use advanced cryptography to generate codes to access your account without the need to be online.

Two Step Verification isn't required every time:  On devices you use regularly, you can select an option to not ask for security codes. This makes two-step verification painless — you use a code sent to a phone or email only once (per Web browser per device) and Microsoft remembers that device in the future. If you don’t use the device for 60 days, they prompt you for a code again for your security.

-What is two step verification?
Two step verification sends you security code at your phone by SMS or by an automated phone call before you try to sign in into some new device. Which makes your account more secure. For example if somebody steals your password they won't be able to use it if they don't have your phone.

With the announcement of the new security feature, Microsoft also announced 32 new domain names for Outlook. List of new Domains are below (image).
These domains will be available for new account registrations within next few days.

Twitter launches trends for Pakistani cities

Twitter have launched trends for more 160+ locations and Pakistan got city based trends for the first time for following cities:

• Faisalabad
• Lahore
• Rawalpindi
• Karachi
• Multan

Google Glass Specifications Revealed

What is Google Glass?
Google Glass is a project of Google, a wearable computer or you can say a smartphone which works on voice commands. Features camera and internet.


Technical specifications of Google Glass:
Fit:

• Adjustable nosepads and durable frame fits any face.
• Extra nosepads in two sizes.

Google will start making their own Android phones

Google acquired Motorola Mobility last year in May but since they didn't make any Android phone with Motorola.

Last official Android phones of Nexus series from Google were built with LG. Now Google says they are ready to make their own Android phones with their Motorola unit.
Google said that their new Android phones built with Motorola will be available at the end of this year 2013.

Motorola’s design chief Jim Wicks tells:

Google Talk launching its new version with new name called Babel

Leaked reports and screenshots say that Google is making new version of Google talk for smartphones and Gmail.
Google voice, Google+ and other Google services will be integrated to the new messaging service called "Babel".

No release date have been announced for the Babel but following features are given.