Monday, 28 December 2020

Join Huawei’s “Light up Your Community Tree” Activity to Celebrate New Years



 

Spread love and get a chance to win some amazing gifts from Huawei upon participation

 

As the festive season approaches, Huawei is inspiring its consumers and the public to come together on a digital platform – 'Light up Your Community Tree', by visiting the #HUAWEICommunityPK and light up a tree to celebrate the beginning of a New Year and bid farewell to 2020. Every participant will get an opportunity to win the latest, most popular smartphones of the year. This activity aims to engage the community, to pray for the health and prosperity of the whole humanity in the year 2021 and beyond.

 

Huawei – the global technology leader has come up with this socially-engaging and rewarding activity to say farewell to 2020 - a year that brought some unusual socio-economic challenges that can only be resolved through a cohesive response from the whole world.

 

Huawei believes that a fortunate and progressive future awaits the global community and every individual must contribute towards the society's well-being and happiness. As the new decade begins, people must strive together for finding solutions and improving public health standards, with positive thinking, while adding some green and gold in our lives!

 

Huawei has invited everyone to join this activity between 16:00 on 23 December, 2020 and 23:59 on 04 January, 2021, as the Huawei Community in Pakistan is 'Planting' a vibrant New-Year tree on 'Light Up Your Community Tree'. Many lucky participants will win exciting gifts like high-valued smartphones, including: a HUAWEI Y9a, Huawei Y5p, Huawei Y7a, Huawei Y6p, besides Hands-Free kits, personal stars, Medals on community profile and much more. To add more excitement, the value of prizes will increase with the total number of lights added, in three different levels of prize-pools in this activity. So hurry up and join the community now: consumer.huawei.com/community/pk/

 

The participants have to simply go to the HUAWEI Community on the page: 'Light Up Your Community Tree', Click the shining star to light up your tree, Click 'Share My Community Tree' on Facebook or Twitter, Copy & send the invitation link to your friends directly. Add your invitation; "Come to #HUAWEICommunityPK and light up the Tree on New-Year!" Huawei wishes best of luck to every participant, for a chance to win these fantastic prizes and have a delightful new year.

 

For more details, see: [Contest Introduction] Light up Your Community Tree

Monday, 21 December 2020

Release of HarmonyOS 2.0 Developer Beta for Smartphones, a Step Closer to Making Seamless AI Life a Reality



HarmonyOS 2.0 Developer Beta for Smartphones was officially released at HUAWEI Developer Day Beijing 2020, representing a milestone in the construction of the all-encompassing HarmonyOS ecosystem. Smartphone app developers with interest in the 2.0 beta can apply for it on the HUAWEI Developer official website.

Comprehensive HarmonyOS system capabilities, a multitude of APIs, and powerful tools such as the optimized DevEco Studio simulator, have all been made publicly available, facilitating efficient HarmonyOS-compatible smartphone app development. Huawei hopes to welcome more partners to the ecosystem, and give users access to the full range of benefits offered by Seamless AI Life, with smart services that interact with, entertain and educate them in new and profound ways, at home, in the gym and in the office, on the go and on the road.

Wang Chenglu, President of Huawei's Consumer Business Group Software Engineering Department, remarked, "HarmonyOS is a true milestone, as it has redefined how people and devices interact with each other in every facet of daily life. Devices and services are no longer limited to specific life scenarios, now that users can freely customize how their devices work to account for any setting. HarmonyOS will create 'super devices' that come with more enriching apps than ever, as well as life-altering 'super services'."

Unparalleled user experience, made possible by "super devices" and seamless services

A new era is upon us, brought about by the Internet of Everything and powered by the rapid growth of 5G, AI and IoT technologies. The past decade has been dominated by the rise of the smartphone and mobile internet, but over the next decade, no single device offers similar breakthrough potential. Instead, it is multi-device connections that will pave the way to the smart services of tomorrow.

HarmonyOS and its underlying distributed technology are designed for this futuristic Internet of Everything paradigm. By helping create "super devices", which are formed by pooling software and hardware resources from previously physically-independent devices, the system has been making the lofty ambitions in Seamless AI Life a full-blown reality. HarmonyOS helps ensure that all devices are responsive to the user's every whim, and equipped to handle any conceivable usage scenario.

A good example of this principle in action is how HarmonyOS leverages phone-watch collaboration to provide for next-level smart travel solutions. Ride hailing has been made hands-free, with important information such as the taxi's real-time location and license plate number, displayed on the watch screen. Likewise, online shopping will soon be easier than ever, now that group-buyers will be able to view eligible items in other buyers' shopping carts, and make informed decisions with real-time post-discount pricing – or even initiate MeeTime calls to share screens and discuss purchasing strategies.

HarmonyOS encourages all developers to release their imagination and come up with promising ideas on how to create Seamless AI Life services for all users. Therefore it's no small wonder that over 120 mainstream app builders, including JD.com, China UnionPay, Youku Video and iFlytek, have opted to make HarmonyOS their system of choice.

Comprehensive support for developers, facilitating multi-device deployment through one-time development

Today's vast array of IoT devices share little in common, as they can be subdivided into different device types and operating systems. This reality has hindered traditional app development, as apps needed be adapted to fit all of the different screen sizes and systems prior to release. Huawei has made IoT fragmentation a thing of the past, by opening all of HarmonyOS's frameworks and platform toolchains to developers.

Over 15,000 APIs have now been made available, including distributed system services, software and hardware abilities. In doing so, HarmonyOS aims to help create innovative and competitive apps that are compatible with all device types and oriented toward all usage scenarios, with as much ease as experienced in the independent-device app development era. The distributed UI framework fits all screen sizes, and facilitates hassle-free deployment with substantially increased efficiency. The new and improved DevEco Studio 2.0 can realize real-time preview and distributed debugging, which are also ideal for boosting development efficiency.

More than 100,000 developers have joined the HarmonyOS ecosystem, thanks in large part to expert-level support, a wealth of enriching training courses and easy-to-access materials, and open-minded developer communities. The kickoff of the HarmonyOS Developer Innovation Contest, which offers 1.5 million Chinese yuan in prizes and mentorship resources from 20 prominent industry professionals, hopes to drive further engagement among the talented developers that have made HarmonyOS their professional home.

Ground-breaking HarmonyOS technologies, driving the industry forward and unlocking the boundless possibility of Seamless AI Life

HarmonyOS will also transform the business of hardware vendors, by helping them turn products into services. Software innovation will be channelled to bring about differentiated and flexible hardware usage. Hardware resources from all connected devices will be pooled, to enable partners to extract more value by selling services on an ongoing basis, rather than being limited to the one-time product sale. Enticed by this promising new model, more than 20 hardware vendors have become a part of the HarmonyOS ecosystem.

Multi-device interconnectivity has likewise been made seamless, from the very bottom layer, where the connection is unaffected by any software or hardware differences. The user can, for instance, simply tap their phone against a home appliance to establish an instant connection, and have the device information visualized on the phone screen. Connected appliances will also be able to "tell" their user how they're working, laying the foundation for genuine smart homes of the future.

HarmonyOS will be made open-source for a greater range of devices in the near future. The HUAWEI Developer Day 2020 event series will make stops in more major cities, including Shanghai and Guangzhou, to provide aspiring developers with invigorating discussions on cutting-edge technologies and applications.

Tuesday, 15 December 2020

A December like No Other - Huawei Giving December Kicks off in Pakistan



 

This fascinating extravaganza of free-gifts and rewards for the purchasers begins on Saturday, 12th December 2020, to continue till Sunday, 20th December, 2020.

The December festivities are upon us and while everyone is heading into the winter holidays spirit, Huawei has something exciting in store for its fans. For all their beloved phones such as; HUAWEI Nova 7i, HUAWEI Y9a, HUAWEI Y7a, HUAWEI Y8p and HUAWEI Y6p, people can get a guaranteed surprise gift*. This gives an option to choose from your most favourite device, whether it was the most searched HUAWEI Y9a, the fan favourite and most stylish Nova 7i, the superfast and powerful Y7a, the 48MP camera powerhouse Y8p or the youth centric Y6p.

During this “Huawei Giving December” campaign, consumers purchasing Huawei’s top selling smartphones will get delightful surprises and valuable gifts including; high-quality headphones, water-bottles, speakers and table-lamps, etc.

This campaign includes some of Huawei’s most feature rich devices that are easy on the pocket. Inheriting blistering performance, trendy designs and handy functions are characteristics of the Y series. The HUAWEI Y8p boasts a high-definition OLED screen, which represents a major enhancement over its predecessors. Despite its sleek, slender body, it manages to pack a powerful, AI-bolstered 48MP triple AI camera system and 4,000 mAh battery. While the HUAWEI Y7a promises incredible charging speeds, a long lasting battery, a stellar 48MP Quad camera and a massive storage. Meanwhile, HUAWEI Y9a offers a sleek design, powerful performance and good value for money - housing a 64MP Quad Camera which packs-in Huawei’s market-leading smartphone camera technology and the Halo Ring Design makes sure you stand out in more ways than one. On the other hand, the Nova Series has been highly anticipated in Pakistan. This year’s Nova 7i offers a wide range of innovative features for multi-tasking and immersive gaming. It is one of the most complete devices by the company that ticks all the right boxes – design, camera, processor, charging etc.

Being the most popular technology brand in Pakistan, all these revolutionary products reflect Huawei’s deep understanding of the evolving digital needs of the modern-day consumers, enhancing their performance with perpetual digital connectivity, on the go. In a fast-paced lifestyle, thy must engage globally, expressing and sharing their ideas, creativity, memories and experiences with the world.

*Limited stock only.

Monday, 7 December 2020

Contracts between public and private sectors operate with a ‘trust deficit’



ACCA’s global survey about public procurement reveals South Asia respondents want polices that give transparency to the public 

 

Governments around the world have faced challenges with public procurement due to the COVID-19 crisis, testing their ability and capacity to react quickly and efficiently to deliver life-saving goods and services to the public, asserts a new research report from ACCA (the Association of Chartered Accountants) New Models of Public Procurement: A Tool For Sustainable Recovery.

 

Surveying finance professionals from both the public and private sector in over 90 markets including South Asia, ACCA’s research identifies a trust deficit between public sector buyers and private sector suppliers. Globally, only 41 per cent of private sector respondents believe the public sector can be trusted to uphold its side of the deal, compared with 60 per cent of public sector respondents stating they trust their private sector counterparts.

 

According to the 136 respondents across South Asia, including Pakistan, the top three challenges faced are bribery and corruption (81 per cent); underdeveloped e-Procurement systems (45 per cent) and poor payment practices by government (41 per cent). Findings also reveal that just 22 per cent of South Asia respondents said the quality of public services was good, compared with 77 per cent in the Middle East and 65 per cent of respondents in North America and Europe.

 

When asked about policy objectives for evaluating public procurement, fair dealing with all bidders and suppliers was viewed as important (63 per cent), followed by transparency to the public (62 per cent) and promoting ethical practices (57 per cent).

 

And to cope with the post COVID-19 recovery, 62 per cent said that governments should introduce procurement strategies that increase transparency in the bid selection process, with 61 per cent saying better digital solutions are needed for the whole procurement cycle and 54 per cent want to see more innovative approaches to public service delivery. 

 

Sajjeed Aslam, head of ACCA Pakistan, says: ‘Our report calls for procurement modernisation, with audits commonplace in all public procurement procedures, beginning as early as possible in the bid process to reduce the likelihood of corruption, while ensuring that the auditors remain independent during the process. Due to COVID-19 turbulence, another key recommendation is to use public procurement as an opportunity to keep businesses – in particular, SMEs – afloat by publishing contracts early on centralised, open databases that are accessible to all.’

 

Rachel Bleetman, ACCA’s Public Sector Policy and Research Manager, and co-author of the report says: ‘There’s a growing need to ensure that public spending during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic is not only made more efficient and cost-effective, but that it’s used as an opportunity to tackle some of the biggest challenges of our time - environmental catastrophe, rising social inequalities, ending corruption and meeting the needs for life-saving procurement.’

 

Alex Metcalfe, ACCA’s Head of Public Sector and report co-author adds: ‘Corruption costs the public sector significant sums of money every year and can create feelings of mistrust towards governments. So the role for finance professionals in helping to make, monitor and evaluate these changes is significant and, as this report demonstrates, the global finance profession is needed now more than ever to help transform how the public sector responds to the crisis.’

 

Rachel Bleetman concludes: ‘Across South Asia and on the global stage, there’s room for optimism here as the reforms we recommend around eliminating bribery and corruption, competition and the buyer–supplier relationship, modernisation and COVID-19 and the public procurement ‘need for speed’ will all make for stronger public procurement, which is an essential part of public sector spending that, until now, has received relatively little attention. Now’s the time for change, as history has long taught us that, out of crises, new opportunities can emerge.’

Sunday, 6 December 2020

Huawei's Mate series elevates the flagship smartphone segment



With constant evolutions in design, performance and videography that are depicted in the new HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro

 

Huawei’s Mate series has a reputation in the smartphone industry for being amongst the ones that constantly step up what smartphones can and are supposed to do. The newly launched HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro continues down this path bringing to the table innovative features and striking design elements that elevate the user experience. With a strong focus on 5G performance, trend-setting design ethos and smartphone videography, the HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro encompasses the spirit of Huawei innovative streak and commitment to provide users with everything they would want and more. All of this is powered by its large scale investments in R&D, 15.3% of total revenue in 2019 alone to be exact.

 

Huawei is a force in the field of 5G, heavily investing in developing the technology. Further attributing to this is the fact that Huawei currently holds more than 20% of all 5G standard-essential patents and more than 21,000 contributions, the highest in the industry. The newly launched HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro is an example of this, evident by the Kirin 9000 5G SoC that it houses. The world’s first 5nm 5G chipset, the Kirin 9000 is an embodiment of Huawei’s 5G prowess, boasting to be one of the most sophisticated chipsets available for powerful and efficient performance along with enhanced graphics and smart AI capabilities.

 

Another area of Huawei’s expertise has always been in smartphone design, with each iteration simply looking better. The HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro continues with this trend thanks to its iconic Space Ring design with its unique colorways of Mystic Silver and Black. This is then complemented upfront with the ultra-curved HUAWEI Horizon Display, which curves at 88 degrees allowing for a completely borderless and futuristic viewing experience. By curving the display to this extent, Huawei also gives users the option to use the volume rockers either with the physical buttons or virtual ones that can be customized.

 

The HUAWEI Mate series has seen every iteration be favorites among users when it comes to videography or photography and this aspect continues with the HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro: its Ultra Vision Cine Camera Setup it paves the way when it comes to videography for some truly innovative features, such as real time HDR videos, Steady shots, Tracking shots, Story Mode and more, each designed to give a videographer all the tools they would need to shoot. On the other hand, the front cameras is perfect for the digital content creators and vloggers in today’s social media era, giving them options of 4K video recording with XD Fusion HDR along with a dual 100-degree field of view.

 

The HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro also makes a quantum leap in terms of charging speeds, with 66W wired HUAWEI SuperCharge and 50W Wireless HUAWEI SuperCharge. It also comes with a 4400mAh battery which promises top-notch power efficiency and long-lasting 5G performance.

 

The new flagship plays role in the brand’s Seamless AI Life strategy under the 1+8+n concept to act as the entry point to the ecosystem. This concept revolves around collaborative innovations and aims to deliver more connected hardware and software experiences. This enables features like Multi-Screen Collaboration where users can operate multiple devices at once, for a more connected experience with PCs and smartphones. Users can also run up to three different apps at the same time with floating windows thanks to the Multi-Window feature to further enhance the productivity experience.

 

The HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro is equipped with the Huawei Mobile Services (HMS) for a smarter, richer, more convenient and secure smartphone experience. It is also preinstalled with HUAWEI AppGallery and the Petal Search widget that acts as a gateway to over a million apps. Additionally, smart interaction features revolutionizing how users interact with their smartphone by swiping their hand in the air or hovering their hand over the phone to control it.

 

Evolution along a smartphone lineup boils down to a never-ending commitment for innovation and to deliver the very best to consumers, be it in terms of performance, design or even videography. Huawei heavily builds on this across its product lineup and the HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro, is no exception to this ideal.

Wednesday, 2 December 2020

ACCA publishes its commitments to delivering the UN Sustainable Development Goals


The UN Secretary General declared 2020 to be the year to mobilise for a “decade of action” to deliver the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Today, ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) announces its contribution to this global ambition by publishing its own commitments to the delivery of the SDGs.

 

ACCA recognises the importance of all 17 interconnected SDGs, and asserts that its commitments demonstrate that ACCA and its community can make the most significant contribution towards nine of them. These include offering access to a quality finance and accountancy education that is free from artificial barriers, becoming Net Zero by 2030, and working in partnership to build an inclusive global profession that supports the development of ethical, sustainable and successful businesses and economies.

 

Helen Brand OBE, chief executive of ACCA says: ‘Setting out our commitments is an important and necessary step in ensuring ACCA and its community plays a key role in the transformational change business and society needs to see over the next decade. Publishing them brings transparency and accountability to our work and is a logical progression for an organisation that has a proud history of championing sustainability. Our purpose, values and strategy to 2025 already align closely to the SDGs, and this latest development shows our whole-hearted commitment to delivering on them, reporting on them annually and engaging with appropriate partners to help us do this.’

 

Jimmy Greer, head of ACCA sustainability adds: ‘We have a clear rationale for each commitment, with a framework of measures to drive the delivery of our commitments. This measurement is important, and it complements our ongoing advocacy in this critically important area. We plan to keep “walking the talk” when it comes to sustainability. Our commitments are a work in progress, which we can build, evolve and unite around. Finally, we recognise that delivering the SDGS cannot be done alone. It is a massive global effort and ACCA is intent on continuing to play its part.’

 

ACCA’s commitments and the relevant SDGS are:

Commitment UN SDG link

Commitment

UN SDG link

We will offer access to a quality finance and accountancy education that is free from artificial barriers.

UN SDG 4: Quality education

We will promote gender equality across our global community and achieve gender equality across our employee population.

UN SDG 5: Gender equality

We will support our community to progress in their careers so they can actively contribute to sustainable economic growth.

UN SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth

We will empower our community so they can support organisations to be ethical, sustainable, successful and able to participate in the global economy.

UN SDG 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure

We will advocate for inclusion, diversity and social mobility within, and on behalf of, our community, and ensure ACCA is a fair and inclusive place to work.

UN SDG 10: Reduced inequalities

We will promote sustainable practices and reporting, working with our community and our employees to reduce the consumption of resources.

UN SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production

We will embed green finance in our qualifications and learning products to improve capability across the profession for climate action.

We will advise and support governments and regulators to develop and adopt the regulations and reporting practices needed to transition to a Net Zero carbon economy.

At ACCA, we’re committing to becoming Net Zero by 2030.

UN SDG 13: Climate action

We will promote and adhere to the highest standards of professionalism, integrity and ethics.

UN SDG 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions

We will work in partnership to build an inclusive global profession that supports the development of ethical, sustainable and successful businesses and economies.

UN SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals