Pakistan’s Public and Private Sectors Urged to Collaborate on Digital Economic Growth, Says SAP

Public-private partnerships will be required to bring to life Pakistan’s recently-launched National Financial Inclusion Strategy 2015-2020 and drive digital economic growth, one of the world’s leading technology companies announced today.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority recently launched the National Financial Inclusion Strategy 2015-2020 to bring half of the country’s population online over the next five years.

With Pakistan currently posting only 11 percent Internet user penetration and 0.5 percent mobile broadband penetration, according to the United Nations’ International Telecommunications Union, mobile broadband will support e-services in Pakistan in the healthcare, education, commerce, and government services sectors.

While Pakistan ranks a low No. 129 of 144 countries in the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index 2014-2015, Pakistan Vision 2025 calls for the country to develop its information and communication technology to drive innovation, the knowledge-based economy, and boost global economic competitiveness.

“Pakistan’s impressive National Financial Inclusion Strategy provides the strong vision for providing broadband infrastructure across the country, but the next step of digital economic transformation will require public-private partnerships to help organizations to innovate and simplify their processes,” said Irfan Khan, Chief Technology Officer of Global Customer Operations at SAP.

Worldwide, SAP and Stephenson Strategies predict there will be 50 billion connected devices and a value at stake of USD 14.4 trillion by 2020, in the emerging Internet of Things era and Digital Economy.

“In the emerging interconnected Digital Economy, we’re dedicated to helping Pakistan’s organizations of all sizes and verticals to reduce their technological complexity to transform vital sectors such as healthcare, textiles, and banking, and drive new jobs and economic growth,” added Irfan Khan.

Pakistan’s health authorities are urged to deploy technology solutions that analyse data to track and control the spread of contagious diseases, with SAP leveraging experience in countering Ebola in Africa and vector-borne diseases in Latin America and Africa. Demonstrating its potential, SAP is working with global healthcare institutions to analzye data from cancer patients, hospitals, and doctors for personalized treatment.

As Pakistan’s schools and universities emphasize e-learning and collaborative projects, Big Data solutions can track students’ progress, reduce costs, and enhance research, fundraising, and institutional rankings.

With Pakistan posting one of the world’s lowest bank account penetrations at about 10 percent, U Microfinance Bank Ltd. has seen strong success on its mobile banking initiative Upaisa, powered by SAP, enabling thousands of people in hundreds of cities to make mobile payments and support entrepreneurs.

Supporting Pakistan’s textile industry in reaching USD 26 billion in exports by 2019, SAP has recently partnered with International Textile Ltd. for business solutions in finance, materials management, and sales and distribution, highlighting best practices in supporting innovation in the textile sector.

As cricket continues to reach new levels in Pakistan, sensors on players and in stadiums are set to transform the sporting experiences for players, fans, and media. For example, the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 used the SAP SportsOne to analyse data for line-ups, in-match decisions, and location-based stadium concessions.

Supporting innovation in Pakistan is the real-time SAP HANA platform, which enables organizations to analyze the growing amounts and variety of data generated by people, machines, and objects for insights.

SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS WINS 27 AWARDS AT CANNES LIONS

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. has set a new company record by winning 27 awards in 20 categories at the world's largest advertising festival, the Cannes Lions. It is the second record-setting year for Samsung, after winning 16 awards in 2014.

The consumer electronics company made its mark with its Launching People campaign, which at this year's International Advertising Festival in Cannes won a total of seven awards, driving Samsung’s brand philosophy of accelerating discoveries and possibilities through digital technology. The Launching People campaign is a catalyst to help people realize their dreams; it engages consumers by encouraging them to share their dreams and ideas with Samsung.

Look At Me, a smartphone app that helps children with autism, received a total of five awards, including the Gold award in the Cyber category. The team behind the app has also previously won other top awards, including those at The One Show and the New York Festivals.

Other award-winning campaigns at the Cannes Lions 2015 award include Safety Truck, a design concept to prevent traffic accidents, won seven awards including the Titanium Lion in the Titanium and Integrated category which recognizes breakthrough ideas that lead the industry in a new direction. Back Up Memory, an app designed to help early stage Alzheimer’s patients received three awards, including a Gold award in the Lions Health/Health & Wellness category. Hearing Hands, a sign language service for the hearing impaired won two Bronze awards in the Promo & Activation and PR categories.

“Our success is the result of Samsung's endeavor to engage consumers around the world, to understand and help them meet their needs – true to our corporate philosophy of wanting to enrich consumers' lives through digital innovation,” said Won-Pyo Hong, the President and the Chief Marketing Officer, Samsung Electronics. “Samsung is a brand that contributes to enhancing consumers' lives, and the Launching People campaign will help us do that with the help of our innovative products and services."

This year marks the 62nd anniversary of The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, with companies from more than 90 countries exhibiting more than 40,000 works across 20 categories, ranging from TV ads to press, outdoor and online public relations and marketing.

competitors as “Partners”, who always inspire Huawei to grow stronger.

Huawei’s 2014 revenues crossed $46.5 billion, after 20% annual growth

Huawei Technologies has been consistently showing tremendous growth in revenues and global popularity, with its pioneering technologies and devices that are winning the hearts of millions of consumers, in more than 140 countries, across the globe. Huawei is a leading innovator in telecom solutions and during the year 2014, the global revenues generated by this Chinese telecom giant had crossed a staggering 46.5 billion U.S. Dollars, after an annual growth of 20%, across all of its three business groups. Along with this, the operating profits for 2014 also crossed $5 billion. So far, this accelerated pace of growth is still continuing through the first quarter of 2015, as Huawei is well on its course to announce another 20% growth during this year too.

 It was recently reported that; During his first public appearance in the Western Hemisphere, Ren Zhengfei – Huawei’s founder and CEO, had stated that; “Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. is confident of reaching total revenues of $56 billion this year (2015), despite forecasts of slower economic growth in China, still the most important single market for Huawei. He further said that: “The main pressures on Huawei come from "growing so fast". However, “We can't stop growing just because of the challenges," he added.

 The main drivers of this superb growth were; a steady increase in 3G investment and the jump in 4G investments across the globe. During 2014, Huawei’s Consumer Business recorded a revenue increase of around 32% year-on-year, within a rapidly growing smartphone market worldwide. Moreover, Huawei’s Enterprise Business grew by around 27%, and now serves over 100 of the world’s top 500 companies. Investing about $6.5 billion in R&D, including LTE, 5G and Internet of Things (IoT), Huawei also established strategic partnerships with SAP and Accenture for joint innovation in cloud computing, big data & other key technologies.

Huawei has maintained very strict compliance and adhering to rules and regulations of the international markets. With a robust outlook on international expansions, Huawei continues to grow and be a formidable competitor to an increasing number of established companies, as it branches further into the enterprise IT and mobile device sectors. As a part of its corporate philosophy - Huawei does not see anyone as rivals, because it considers its competitors as “Partners”, who always inspire Huawei to grow stronger.

Shooting Memorable Videos Becomes Utterly Amazing With Huawei P8

With Huawei P8, taking pictures & selfies is no doubt absolute fun and this ultra cool gadget captures life-like pictures. But when it comes to shooting videos, Huawei P8 outshines the entire competitor Smart phones. There is only one shutter mode button in P8, which allows you to shoot a certain distance. For example, the real-time preview lights a path, brightening little by little. When you think it is the exact amount of light you need, you can click the shutter button to end the shooting even if you have set a two-second exposure time leaving you with the same picture you saw.

 This is what sets the Huawei P8 apart from its competitors. In fact, the Nubia1020 has designed this manual shutter mode as well, however it is similar to that of a single-lens reflex camera that users set an exposure time when the shooting starts, but then the picture cannot be previewed to determine whether the exposure time provided the desired effect. To that end, it is more suitable for professional photographers who are accustomed to a certain amount of exposure time.

The HuaweiP8 wants to be useful for even those ordinary users who have no knowledge of photography. For example, the exposure can be stopped at 1.5 seconds even if the user has set the timer for 2 seconds.

The manual shutter functions of phones made by other manufacturers in the industry are simple and yield inferior picture qualities, while the Huawei P8 can produce many beautiful pictures using its tailored algorithms for each mode.

Huawei P8’s Customized “Perfect Selfie” Mode Captures Timeless Memories

Following the long set trends Huawei brings to its users such technologies which would bring joy along with ease. The most followed fashion for quite long now is taking “Selfies” on all occasions and happenings. With the “Perfect selfie” shooting mode of Huawei P8, the photo object and related beautifying effects can be preset and automatically detect the object to be beautified.

 The beauty mode is able to beatify all people in a group picture. The Huawei P8 can distinguish the owner of the phone and beautify him/her according to the preset modes, while providing other users with a pre-determined index set in the phone.

How do owners set beautifying mode? When the phone is first used to take a selfie, the phone will ask the user if it is the owner. This brings you to the photographing interface where you can adjust each option according to your skin features to your liking; then you click the button on the interface to lock and preview the picture. For example, when the user’s skin is white but blemished, the whitening effect can be reduced to improve the polishing effect.

Soon, the Huawei P8 will have options including whitening, polishing, enlarging eyes, thinning the nose, thinning the face, etc. – the Huawei P8 will save these beauty indexes. In the future, the phone will identify its owner using the face distinguishing technique, and beautify them using the preset beautifying features.

P8 wins the battle of smart phones.

 In the battle of flagships where every company is entering with their fierce warrior, Chinese manufacturer Huawei has entered with the new shiny armored P8. Company’s new flagship looks promising and packs strong hardware under the hood. Huawei P series is always about beauty with sleek looks.

Huawei P series is always about redefining style beauty and technology with p8 they are taking it to the next level. Huawei has delivered well-crafted handsets in the past this makes P8 most well designed till now. P8 supports a uni body construction made of steel and feels extremely solid, it’s a very angular and flat design and makes feel more comfortable in the hand. Huawei has done diamond shape blasting that enhances the textures of the metal provides extra grip. The P8 is super thing with 6.4 mm for over all very sleek and stylish appearance, it is also easy to use with one hand thanks to slim profile and slim side bezels.

Left hand side of the P8 is completely clean whereas right side has Sim, SD card slot volume rocker and beautifully crafted power key. On the top 3.5 mm headphone jack and bottom has the micro usb port. Next to usb port what appears to be dual speakers are mic and speakers only. Speakers are quiet good quality is crisp and sharp though they get musk by the palm of your hands pretty often.

The Display of P8 is no slouch it’s an IPS panel that measure at 5.2 Inches with 1080p resolution and is plenty sharp at 424 PPI. As 1080p panel is battery friendly and screen is vivid bright in case you want to change screen display you can change it from settings.

Huawei P8 is powered with in-house Krin 930 and 935 premium version will have 935, they are pretty much same other than 200 MHz speed bump with 935. Phone is very fast and responsive in daily use apps open quickly and very smoothly games are fast and there are no slowdowns.

P8 has variety of band limits with cat 6 support if you live in the area which supports it. Huawei claims this is first RGBW camera provides better camera effect with low light conditions. 13 MP camera fits in

the phone chassis with no camera bulge unlike other flagship phones. Camera results indicates good response in low light conditions. Rest of the camera modes are pretty much same like rest of the Huawei’s phones. The New director mode gives you an edge to connect there smart phone cameras and simultaneously record from 3 different angles. Shutter speed is quiet fast and Ultra snap shot can helps you click within 1 sec. 8MP front camera makes selfie lovers happy, Huawei has introduced a perfect selfie mode which enhances the result of every picture and makes it editable. P8 does come with fast charging. Phone by default comes on 5.0 lollipop.

Feature of emotion UI makes a return with raise to ear answer, shake to arrange icons on the home screen and one hand operation by swiping on home keys on any direction. One of the new features is speech awareness you can use to locate your phone and make phone calls. Key phrase to locate the phone is OK EMI where are you, phone will star ringing and flashing so it’s easy to locate during night time.

The most unique feature this version has is knuckle sense the display is capable of sensing knuckle to take screen shot or crop something to share with your knuckle, the negative side is you can’t turn it off and at times it fails to differentiate between finger touch and knuckles during gaming.

Over all P8 is a strong device with good features in a modest price. 

Samsung Electronics and LG U+ Signed MoU for Next Generation 5G Technology

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. announced today that it will partner with Korean telecommunications operator LG U+ to jointly develop 5G technology, in a move that will further strengthen both companies. The agreement will also enhance Korea’s global leadership in 5G research and help drive the creation of standards for the next major phase of innovation in mobile telecommunications.

“This partnership will help us drive R&D, which in turn will power innovation in the global telecommunications industry. 5G networks will be based on the convergence of a whole host of incredible new technologies, from more advanced antenna systems to Network Functions Virtualization (NFV). Bringing together Samsung’s cutting-edge technology and LG U+’s expertise and understanding of end-users preferences as well as application and service trends, will be a powerful combination,” said DongSoo Park, Executive Vice President of R&D in Network Business at Samsung Electronics

“Together we will be well-prepared for the 5G era. Through close collaboration and by leveraging LG U+’s extensive network management understanding and Samsung’s technology leadership, we hope to lead the next generation of telecommunications technology, not only in  Korea, but around the world,” added Sun Tae Kim, Executive Vice President of LG U+’s Service and Development Division.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing ceremony on June 25, which marks the formal start of the partnership, was attended by almost 100 senior staff from both companies. The event also featured an in-depth discussion of how the two companies will collaborate; as a result, both sides agreed to a shared ‘5G Readiness Target’ for the year 2020.

The collaboration will focus on three areas that are of critical strategic importance to 5G’s future:

1) 5G global spectrum identification and acquisition

Identifying and acquiring appropriate spectrum for 5G use is a key goal of the partnership, with particular emphasis on high-frequency bands, due to its relatively high availability and potentially enormous data capacity. Given the lack of industry-wide agreement on 5G spectrum, Samsung and LG U+ have identified an urgent need to drive early global standardization. Together, the companies will contribute jointly to efforts to determine the best spectrum – subject to the consensus of the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) IMT-2020 group.

Samsung Electronics and LG U+ will prepare a collaborative white paper on 5G spectrum standardization and will appear jointly at key industry events to address this issue. As part of their submission for the upcoming World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC), the South Korean telecommunications industry and government have proposed the following six 5G spectrum bands as suitable for global usage: 27 – 29.5GHz, 31.8 – 33.4 GHz, 37 – 42.5 GHz, 45.5 – 50.2 GHz, 50.4 – 52.6 GHz, and 64 – 74 GHz.

2) 5G technology co-development

To establish a leadership position in 5G, Samsung and LG U+ will collaborate on future research and development. For example, the companies will co-develop Full Dimension Multiple Input Multiple Output (FD-MIMO) antenna technology, in order to deliver 5G’s throughput and data capacity potential.

Other joint R&D areas will include network architecture design, a review of key network elements and new millimetre wave (mmWave) radio technologies - both for network infrastructure and user devices. Performance targets in this latter area include vastly improved throughput capabilities and smooth service, even at speeds of up to 500km/h.

Lastly, co-development will also focus on Software Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV) technologies, with the aim of sharply enhancing end-to-end operational efficiency and flexibility. Advances in these areas are considered essential to drive performance and support the next generation of Internet-of-Things based devices and services.

3) 5G technology global standardization

The partnership will focus not only on the determination of 5G spectrum, but the standardization of 5G technologies as well.

To this end, Samsung Electronics and LG U+ will actively participate in several key global standardization bodies, including the ITU’s IMT-2020 promotion group and the 5G Forum in Korea. These organizations are important platforms from which Samsung and LG U+ can jointly promote the adoption of 5G spectrum and technology standards. Together, the companies will actively contribute to the advancement of Korea’s ICT leadership efforts.

As detailed in Samsung’s 5G Vision whitepaper, the advent of 5G mobile networks is expected to exponentially increase cellular data throughput capabilities while drastically reducing network latency and operational costs. However, if this potential is to be realized, it will be essential to strike industry partnerships and collaborate during the ongoing development of 5G technology.

In addition to LG U+ in South Korea, Samsung has established partnerships with several operators across the world’s leading LTE markets, all with the aim of accelerating the R&D of 5G technology. These include collaboration with operators in Japan, Europe, and South Korea.

Samsung has also taken an active role in multiple 5G exploratory and standardization organizations, including the previously mentioned ITU’s IMT-2020, the World Radiocommunication Conference, and the 5G Forum in South Korea - as well as the Europe-focused 5G Public Private Partnership (5G PPP). 

APBF and Dean of Diplomatic Core sign MOU to promote trade & culture

The ‘All Pakistan Business Forum’ (APBF) under the capable leadership of Mr. Ibrahim Qureshi, serves as a vibrant business association which promotes the interests of the business community and industry. The Forum also advocates fair business policies and transparency as part of its mandate. Capitalizing on its high-profiled representation from 2000 members belonging to diverse commercial sectors, the APBF has taken various initiatives in collaboration with leading enterprises and associations, for social development and creating an enabling environment for business to perform and invest in Pakistan.

In order to achieve its developmental objectives, APBF has recently entered into a valuable collaboration with the Dean of Diplomatic Core Islamabad H.E Rodolfo martin Seravia, who is also the Ambassador of Argentina in Pakistan. According to this MoU signed between APBF and the Dean of Diplomatic Core Islamabad, both the organizations will promote; Trade links and Cultural exchanges to nurture closer understanding between the International Community and Pakistan. Through this programme B2B meetings and business delegation visits will be conducted for sector specific match-making and interaction between development initiatives and the stakeholders. These activities will also increase educational ties and support on social development, especially for the development of Women Entrepreneurs. Members of the diplomatic community, are focused on a wide range of programs to uplift Pakistan, including; trade, health, education, public diplomacy, culture, gender equity and other development programs in Pakistan.

The President of APBF – Mr. Ibrahim Qureshi expressed his gratitude to the Dean of the Diplomatic Core Islamabad H.E Rodolfo Martin Seravia for collaborating with APBF. He stated that; “APBF is thankful to our new partner – The Diplomatic Core Islamabad, for helping us play a key role in national progress. We are effectively striving to bring Business Leaders, Chambers and Associations on a united platform to endeavor for a strong and prosperous Pakistan with sustainable growth, ensured through effective policies followed in continuity, resulting in better quality of life for the people of Pakistan." 

Mr. Qureshi further informed the media that; "Over the years, APBF has made numerous valuable contributions towards the progress and growth of the national economy. We are making consistent efforts to identify and engage resourceful organizations and entrepreneurs, to create new opportunities and mutual benefits through our shared values and wisdom." 

The MoU was signed in Islamabad during a high-profiled event - “The Summit – 2015”, orchestrated by APBF in Islamabad recently. This event highlighted the impressive profile of the APBF and its partners, with strong patronage of numerous Multinational organizations and leading Pakistani enterprises as its sponsors. It served as an informative platform to discuss and realign the strategic business and social-development road-map for Pakistan.  

Huawei P8 offers a lot of elegance and class in its Design& Features

Huawei P8 offers a lot of elegance and class in its design but that doesn’t mean that the power provision has been neglected. This ultra cool Smartphone encases Proof Kirin processor with its 930 "Octa-core”, clocked 1.5 to 2 GHz and 3GB of RAM running on a version of Android 5.0 Emotion Lollipop. 

For photographers, it loads a 13 mega pixel back camera that opens at 2.0 while a front camera has 5 mega pixels. This Smartphone has a selfie mode that automatically enhances your face and another for selfies group. Ouch. A screenshot mode that takes place with a pat of knuckle - Knuckle - and a reading lamp mode that saves battery in sunlight and limits eyestrain appear. Huawei will launch two versions of P8: in 16GB and 64GB. But the customers must rest assured; the storage capacity extends to using a micro SD card. Finally on paper, there is a good quality Smartphone, “A check once taken in hand”.

TOP TIPS FOR HOUSE-HUNTING DURING RAMADAN

Looking for your dream home? Ramadan is one of the best times to find a perfect deal.

Celebrating the spirit of this holy month, real estate agents offer special promotions and sellers are more flexible in terms and conditions, which could get buyers a really good bargain.

However, the long fasting hours and scorching heat make it unbearable to do any house-hunting. In order to make the most of these limited time offers, Lamudi Pakistan brings you useful tips to find your dream home this Ramadan.

Saad Arshed, Country Director of Lamudi Pakistan, said: “Ramadan is an ideal time to find your dream home. These top tips for house-hunting during this holy month have been personally prepared by the Lamudi team to make this process easy for you.

Lastly, on behalf of the entire Lamudi team, I would like to wish everyone a very happy and blessed Ramadan.”

Shortlist first

It is inevitable that you will have much less energy while fasting. Get ahead of the game by shortlisting houses through virtual tours, than visiting each and every one, which the real estate agent proposes. This way, you can save time, and conserve your energy for prayers.

Take summer essentials

While searching before Iftar, make sure that you are dressed according to the temperature outside and have kept all summer essentials. These include: a hat, wet towel or tissue to wipe off sweat and a hand-held fan. Houses will not have air-conditioning switched on, so you need to prepare yourself in advance.

Plan your visits

During Ramadan, agents change their office hours according to Iftar timings. Plan your visit in the early morning or after Iftar in the evenings. It is better if you make two visits: one during the day and one at night. This way you can closely examine the house’s exterior and interior details during day time and keep a check on noisy neighbors during the night.

www.lamudi.pk

Huawei P8 ：“No compromise” into the blood

In the smart phone industry, many products make concessions because of’ to difficult to achieve’ from design and development to production to market. Finally, ultimately become almost same as other products. It is worth respecting a product with its original idea and no compromise. Looking at the recent smart phone market, Huawei P8 is the representative of "no-compromise’.

Huawei P8 is the latest masterpiece of Huawei's P series, inheriting ‘ultimate fashion’ DNA in P series family. With the successful experience of P6 and P7, P8 pushes the aesthetic technology to further limit. Huawei P8 aluminum alloy integrated body design, with fine, slow injection -CNC CNC- cutting process, making processing time over 3000 seconds. In order to ensure good communication performance, processing precision of metal inside shell increase dramatically, even to the micron level.

                                                                      

Huawei P8 wins cheers continued because of this ultimate pursuit of detail. The reason is very simple, not only the integration of its all-metal body smooth and elegant, but also a 6.4mm slim without raised rear camera. More importantly, Huawei P8 did not and not sacrifice photo effect in order to make camera level. On contrast, Huawei P8 photographic effect is even better than many flagship products. Its OIS can reach 1.2 degrees, which is almost more than other brand's flagship model OIS degrees doubled, and successfully challenged the industry limit and leading to a better low-light shooting capability. More creative photo can be inspired and come to reality, with technology. It makes Huawei P8 become a milestone in history of mobile phone camera.

Before Huawei P8, people are always faced with inconvenience on phone screenshots, neither easy to misuse, not too cumbersome to do. Initially, Huawei also wants the knuckles touch to implement more features, such as entering a menu after finger joints tap the screen, and then select screenshots or other functions. But Huawei P8 touch team quickly reached a consensus that once this is done, it is still a compromise on existing models, only breaking the routine can allow users to get the ultimate excellent experience.

Eventually, Huawei P8 abandon pop-up menu mode and all other functions, achieve the challenge about double-click to complete the direct screenshots by knuckles and finger joints circled partial screenshots, becoming a proof not compromising to the natural mode.

Moreover, they are also able to achieve "Voice wake up" and other intelligent mode function with encountering many difficulties and under perfect Huawei team's insistence, to provide users with more convenient and easy to use intelligent experience. This compromise is not so much the pursuit of the ultimate user experience; rather, it has become a spiritual force, into Huawei P8 blood. We believe that every consumer will share the resonate of the uncompromising spirit.

The booming Automotive Industry can help achieve Pakistan's GDP growth targets

A detailed research and survey report on ‘The Booming Automotive Industry in Emerging Markets’ was recently conducted and published by Carmudi, It provides a detailed look into the global state of automotive sales and how car purchasing behaviors have changed, due to the drastic increase in internet and mobile penetration, rising GDP, and the emergence of a middle class. The findings in this report are the results of Carmudi quantitative surveys conducted online with both car buyers and car dealers, and in-depth interviews with industry influencers throughout Pakistan.

The study found that over 58% of car dealers in Pakistan reported an increase in car sales over the past twelve months, while a close 41.7% reported a decrease. According to the Pakistan Automotive Manufacturer’s Association, local auto sales, including light commercial vehicles, grew by 72% compared to the same month last year. One reason for the boom is the reduction in interest rates over the course of the year. That said, car financing still stands at less than 35% of the total car sales in Pakistan.

  

Car Dealers are beginning to transition to the digital space to reach potential buyers. 25% of dealers reported using websites to reach potential buyers, and 16.7% are actively using Facebook. Car dealers have not started using Twitter or Instagram to reach potential consumers. Although the shift towards online is apparent, car dealers in Pakistan still have relatively high level of offline advertising, with 41.7% of car dealers are still comfortable and majorly focusing their listings on newspapers.

After a 24% improvement during the first three quarters of Fiscal Year 2015, sales of new and used vehicles have taken off, and are expected to reach their highest rate in three years. Auto sales in 2015 are expected to hit 165,000 units, nearly reaching the amount sold in 2012. HM Shahzad, Chairman of All Pakistan Motor Dealers Association (APMDA) said “If provided a level playing field for all stakeholders, the Auto Industry can contribute substantially in achieving the GDP growth targets.The used car import alone can generate Rs.60 to 70 billion in revenue while providing healthy competition and choice of multiple makes and models at affordable prices to the consumer”

Globally, auto E-Commerce has grown at such a staggering rate that now as many as 80% of new car customers and almost 100% of used car customers begin their car shopping experience online. With internet and mobile penetration significantly growing in emerging markets, the rate of moving the car shopping experience online is beginning to mirror that of Western Markets. In Pakistan, where economic growth is at a seven-year high, close to 30% of car buyers report using the Internet to conduct research on a car before making a purchase.

Global automotive sales for 2015 are expected to reach close to 89 million, a 2.4% growth from 2014. Emerging markets’ share of global sales will rise from 50% in 2012 to 60% by 2020, while their share of global profits is also set to rise by 10%. When it comes to new cars, purchase intent is strongest in Asia, where 65% of respondents say they will buy new cars in the next two years, compared with 7% who plan to buy used cars.

Speaking about the growth of Pakistan’s Automotive Industry, MD of Carmudi Pakistan, Raja Murad Khan said: “The growth in Pakistan’s Automotive Industry, the increase in purchase intent and the shift of buyers from traditional to online marketplace are all positive indicators for Carmudi’s growth and success in Pakistan. Carmudi is committed in becoming a one-stop shop for all car-related topics, be it car reviews, news, tips or simple advice and we are thrilled to share with you our insights on The Booming Automotive Industry in Pakistan”

Carmudi is one of the leading online vehicle platforms in Pakistan offering private customers, car dealers and other partners a car trading platform that helps them sell and find cars, motorcycles or commercial vehicles in an easy and effective manner. The portal contains a wide range of car models including but not limited to brands like Honda, Toyota, Suzuki, Daihatsu, Mitsubishi and more dealing with both brand new and used cars.

First Impression of Huawei P8

Despite many preconceived notions regarding the quality and performance (the lack of either), the P8 turned out to be a rather pleasant experience. Its beating heart is a 2 GHz outscore processor teamed with a combination of 16GB ROM and a 3GB RAM to provide a fairly decent abundance of computing power. Any and all applications were usable without any noticeable drop in processing speed. Leave too many apps running in the background and there may be a chance of the phone slowing down but I experienced nothing of the sort despite running three of the heaviest apps I could find all day long.

 Display is provided by virtue of a 5.2inch IPS LCD boosting a screen resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels. While the screen of the P8 lacks the razar sharp display of Samsung flagships and is nowhere near as sublime as the touch of an iPhone, it is still a fantastic blend of smooth operation and functionality, leaving little to be desired. After operating all three alternatives, it becomes apparent that the P8 screen is worthy of being included in the company of the other two.

The absolute gem in the Huawei P8 is without a moments doubt, the 13-megapixel rear camera. It is an absolute peach to use, featuring built in photo effects and an auto focus that seems to know exactly what the user wants. Pictures are taken in vivid detail and in video mode the camera captures movements with great clarity. The company claims that the camera in the P8 is as good as a DSLR and while I may not be sure about this bold claim, I do know with absolute conviction that it is one of the best cameras ever fitted to a phone.

Storage is dealt with by either a 16GB built in hard drive or a 64GB built in hard drive depending upon variant. Power is provided through a 2680 mAh battery which on a full charge should realistically give you about two to two and a half days of moderate usage such as social apps and routine calls. Using 3G or playing games will decrease battery time significantly.

The P8 is wrapped up in a metal shell which is not only attractive to behold but feels well made with volume keys, power keys and both sim card slots on one side leaving the other neat. To sum up then, the Huawei P8 feels and functions like a good quality smartphone should and out of ten, I would grade it eight.

APBF and Organization of Pakistani Entrepreneurs of North America pledge cohesive efforts to enrich national economy

The ‘All Pakistan Business Forum’ (APBF) under the omniscient leadership of Mr. Ibrahim Qureshi serves as a vibrant business association which promotes the interests of the business community and industry, while also advocating fair business policies and transparency as part of its mandate. Capitalizing on its high-profiled representation of 2000 members, from diverse commercial sectors, the APBF has taken various initiatives for social development, in collaboration with some of the leading enterprises and associations.

In order to achieve its developmental objectives, APBF has recently entered into a valuable collaboration with the "Organization of Pakistani Entrepreneurs of North America" (OPENA). The goals of this MoU are to strengthen people-to-people ties between the global community and Pakistan, through exchange of information, experiences and expertise; strengthening the capacity of local organizations through leadership development and training, especially of women and youth. OPENA's focus is to promote entrepreneurship and professional growth.

APBF and OPENA are to implement the initiatives by providing linkages between Pakistani businessmen with Global industry entrepreneurs for the purpose of networking and support; promoting linkages of businesses of foreign countries to develop Joint Ventures, technology transfer and other types of commercial associations. Moreover, APBF is to provide support to the members of OPENA who wish to set up businesses, identify vendors or require facilitation in Pakistan. Networking between Pakistani universities, institutions, entrepreneurs, and industries will also be created to accelerate the national economy. 

The President of APBF – Mr. Ibrahim Qureshi expressed his gratitude to OPENA for collaborating with APBF. He stated that; “APBF is thankful to our new partner – Organization of Pakistani Entrepreneurs of North America, for helping us play a key role in national progress. We are effectively striving to bring Business Leaders, Chambers and Associations on a united platform to endeavor for a strong and prosperous Pakistan with sustainable growth, ensured through effective policies followed in continuity, resulting in better quality of life for the people of the country." 

Mr. Ibrahim Qureshi further informed the media that; "Over the years, APBF has made numerous valuable contributions towards the progress and growth of the national economy. We are making consistent efforts to identify and engage resourceful organizations and entrepreneurs, to create new opportunities and mutual benefits through our shared values and wisdom." 

The MoU was signed in Islamabad during a high-profiled event - “The Summit – 2015”, orchestrated by APBF. This event highlighted the impressive profile of the APBF and its partners, with strong patronage of numerous Multinational organizations and leading Pakistani enterprises as its sponsors. It served as an informative platform to discuss, realign the strategic business, and social-development road-map for Pakistan.  

SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS AND UNIVERSAL PICTURES ANNOUNCE GLOBAL MARKETING PARTNERSHIP WITH AMBLIN ENTERTAINMENT’s JURASSIC WORLD

Samsung Electronics Co. announces its global marketing partnership with Jurassic World, the long-awaited next installment of Steve Spielberg’s groundbreaking Jurassic Park series.  Samsung will present exclusive content from the upcoming epic action-adventure on its revolutionary SUHD TVs at retail stores in U.S until the movie releases on June 12. As part of the cross-platform partnership, Samsung also had a presence at the Jurassic World premiere and post-party.

"Partnering with Universal Pictures provides us with a unique opportunity to show our innovative technology and create an integrated marketing campaign tied to one of the biggest movies of the year,” said Won Pyo Hong, President and Chief Marketing Officer, Samsung Electronics. "The exclusive Jurassic World clip on Samsung’s SUHD TVs will show unmatched, lifelike picture quality with breathtaking color and detail, drawing viewers in so that they feel like a part of the action.”

Samsung also celebrated the premiere of Jurassic World by creating a video wall featuring content from the film on their new SUHD TVs, which immersed guests in JURASSIC WORLD through spectacular color and detail on the red carpet.

“Samsung is a part of our story,” said Jurassic World producer Frank Marshall. “Our vision for the movie was that the theme park was very real, so we went to great lengths to make audiences feel like they were part of the experience — that really adds to the storytelling.” 

The Samsung Innovation Center, the Visitors’ Center in JURASSIC WORLD, showcases high-tech interactive exhibits that provide immersive experiences for parkgoers. The center is filled with Samsung’s innovative displays, including the UHD TVs, where parkgoers can experience virtual dinosaurs and learn more about the park.

Samsung SUHD TVs are taking picture quality to an entirely new level, thanks to a new display technology powered by energy-efficient nano-crystal semiconductors that provide unrivalled color purity and contrast, and are two and a half times brighter than conventional TVs.

Huawei all set to Up-market with its Latest Eye-catching handset: Huawei P8

Huawei has launched its most technically advanced smartphone as it ramps up its challenge to Apple and Samsung in the premium smartphone market.

The Chinese telecoms equipment maker and third-largest smartphone maker in the world unveiled the P8 and set out plans to offer a premium smartphone to rival other high-end devices.

The move marks a shift in strategy for the group which has tended to focus on selling cheaper handsets to customers less concerned about better-known western brands.

Shao Yang, president of strategy marketing of Huawei’s consumer arm, said that the company was gradually building consumer trust with its devices.

He said that Smartphones costing more than €400 made up about 15 per cent of its sales last year. Such handsets are more profitable for Huawei than the lower-cost devices that once dominated its sales, he added.

Analysts, however, warned that Huawei faced a battle to establish itself as a more premium smartphone maker.

“The Huawei P8 smartphone closes the gap on rivals ticking all the boxes on design and performance but the company has a mountain to climb as it seeks to position Huawei as a luxury brand in Europe,” said Jasdeep Badyal, an analyst at CCS Insight. “The P8 will certainly turn heads if Huawei can enhance its brand credentials.”

The Aluminum P8 has a host of features offering high-quality voice calls, camera accuracy and processing power. Social media commentators were quick to jump on the more unusual aspects such as the “double-knuckle tap”, to capture a screen shot and the ability to call out to find a misplaced phone that will respond through its speaker.

The Android Smartphone market has become highly competitive, with a number of companies seeking to win customers such as Samsung, HTC and Sony.

Mr Badyal said that Huawei has been “relentless in its efforts to increase market share beyond China, adding that its “home market scale is a huge advantage when taking on established players”.

There are two versions of the P8. It will be available in more than 30 countries including Pakistan, China, Colombia, France, Germany, Mexico, Spain, South Africa, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the UK.

Huawei looks to go up market with latest handset launch

Huawei has launched its most technically advanced smartphone as it ramps up its challenge to Apple and Samsung in the premium smartphone market.

The Chinese telecoms equipment maker and third-largest smartphone maker in the world unveiled the P8 and set out plans to offer a premium smartphone to rival other high-end devices.

The move marks a shift in strategy for the group which has tended to focus on selling cheaper handsets to customers less concerned about better-known western brands.

Shao Yang, president of strategy marketing of Huawei’s consumer arm, said that the company was gradually building consumer trust with its devices.

He said that smartphones costing more than €400 made up about 15 per cent of its sales last year. Such handsets are more profitable for Huawei than the lower-cost devices that once dominated its sales, he added.

Analysts, however, warned that Huawei faced a battle to establish itself as a more premium smartphone maker.

“The Huawei P8 smartphone closes the gap on rivals ticking all the boxes on design and performance but the company has a mountain to climb as it seeks to position Huawei as a luxury brand in Europe,” said Jasdeep Badyal, an analyst at CCS Insight. “The P8 will certainly turn heads if Huawei can enhance its brand credentials.”

The aluminium P8 has a host of features offering high-quality voice calls, camera accuracy and processing power. Social media commentators were quick to jump on the more unusual aspects such as the “double-knuckle tap”, to capture a screen shot and the ability to call out to find a misplaced phone that will respond through its speaker.

The Android smartphone market has become highly competitive, with a number of companies seeking to win customers such as Samsung, HTC and Sony.

Mr Badyal said that Huawei has been “relentless in its efforts” to increase market share beyond China, adding that its “home market scale is a huge advantage when taking on established players”.

There are two versions of the P8. The standard device will be sold for €499 and the premium version for €599. It will be available in more than 30 countries including China, Colombia, France, Germany, Mexico, Spain, South Africa, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the UK.