This Pakistani startup is tapping into a forecasted $21 billion 3D printing industry

“The worldwide 3D printing industry is now expected to grow from $3.07B in revenue in 2013 to $12.8B by 2018, and exceed $21B in worldwide revenue by 2020.” – Wohler’s report 2014 as published in Forbes

Prototyping, product development, and innovation are three major reasons which make 3D printing attractive to manufacturing industries, research & development, and Do-It-Yourself (DIY) community. The typical 3D printing industries include a wide spectrum of fields such as Aerospace, Architecture, Automotive, Defense, Medical, Education, Commercial products, Consumer Electronics etc.

3D printing has been known to mankind since 1980’s, but at the time it was termed as Rapid Prototyping (RP) technology and strictly used in industrial applications. Dr. Bowyer introduced the RepRap concept of an open-source, self-replicating 3D printer in 2004. But it was not until 2007 that 3D printing technology became accessible to a wider audience. In 2007, 3D Systemsmanufactured the first 3D printer under $10,000 which led to an open source movement worldwide.

Farrukh Bhabha, CEO of Print3D Pakistan, became interested in 3D printing technology when he interned at a scientific learning center in Karachi. As he learned more, it became clear to him that Pakistan was an untapped region in 3D printing technology. Since his realization, he took an inspiration to make this revolutionary technology accessible in Pakistan. He opted to build a 3D printer for his Final Year Project while studying in Szabist University in Karachi. After his degree completion, he took his FYP commercial and launched his own startup in March 2014.

Before we delve any further, let us give a quick overview of the technology for a better understanding of the startup itself. 3D printing is the process of manufacturing 3D solid objects from a digital model on a computer. For this purpose, Plastic filament, a common material used for 3D printing, is inserted into a 3D printer. The 3D printer then extrudes the filament while making horizontal and vertical movements and thus, creating a physical object by successive layering of the material.

You will be surprised to know what kind of 3D printed objects exist in the world today. You can even scan your own face and get a sculpture of it within a few hours. The following slideshow is a proof that 3D printing can convert imagination into reality.

 

 

Print3D-Pakistan has been incubated at Microsoft Innovation Centre (MIC) in Karachi since January 2015. Farrukh believes that being at MIC helped him a lot in business development, recognition, and expansion. Currently, the startup has about 4 technical and creative employees including a 3D artist.

The startup provides professional 3D printing, 3D designing, and 3D scanning services in Pakistan using an online platform where a user can buy and order customized 3D printed objects. Moreover, the startup plans to open up a physical store where they will sell 3D printers and 3D printing accessories for Pakistani community to use the technology at home.

TechJuice was curious about whether a common Pakistani would be interested in buying 3D Printers or for that matter do they even understand the technology? Farrukh told us that they are creating awareness about the technology through workshops and seminars at different universities. Additionally, they will be providing complete guidance to anyone who decide to buy a 3D printer. So far, the startup has mostly received orders for 3D printing services from University students in different cities across Pakistan. Students usually require low-cost hardware or build material for their semester or final year projects and 3D printing fulfills this need.

There are other companies in Karachi which are selling 3D printers in Pakistan. So what exactly will be different about the 3D printers from Print3D-Pakistan? Farrukh explained three major parameters contributing to the performance and built quality of a 3D printer i.e. the speed of printing and minimum layer height of the filament extruded. The better the specifications, the better the print quality and performance of a 3D Printer.

Farrukh told TechJuice that their current 3D printers can print an object in maximum 1ft in height. However, they are in process to built 3D printers that can print huge objects of up to 3ft in height. This is what will make Print3D different from its competitors.

The import of 3D printers is currently banned in Pakistan.The main reason behind it is that 3D printers can manufacture ammunition and the technology in wrong hands can be harmful to the country’s security. Therefore, no one can import a fully assembled 3D printer without obtaining a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the government of Pakistan. Farrukh told us that he imports 3D printing parts from different regions in Asia and then assemble 3D printers himself in Pakistan. The most surprising thing is that a 3D printer can manufacture parts for assembling another 3D printer as well thus sometimes called a self-replicator.

What does TechJuice think about Print3D-Pakistan? Though the startup might have a bright future but we believe it’s a bit too early for the local market. For starters and hobbyists, our government is not ready to accept the technology and distributing 3D printers without the government’s consent might not be an ethical step to take. Moreover, since 3D printers can be used in manufacturing ammunition, we need proper regulation laws for introducing such technology in Pakistan.

Secondly, a 3D printer can be operated well by a person who is at least a basic computer literate. However, the question is how many of these computer literates will be interested in 3D printers? We think there is a huge gap that needs to be full filled in terms of creating awareness and providing training of this technology among Pakistani citizens.

While 3D printers may not become a common household item anytime soon, we believe that Print3D-Pakistan can create value for universities, research institutes and manufacturing companies in Pakistan.

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IBM Reveals the World’s First 7nm Chips

It is usually Intel that is in the news with its latest and industry leading processor innovations, but today it is IBM (or rather IBM led consortium) that has set a new standard by announcing the world’s most advanced processor chips. The new chips are the world’s first 7nm node chips.

In comparison, the most cutting-edge commercial CPUs of today are built using 14nm process which has been employed by just Intel and Samsung so far. In fact, the current generation is still in the transition process of going all-in with 14nm manufacturing process. There are plans for 10nm chips sometime in 2016 though.

IBM has unveiled the world’s first 7nm chips

The main point here is that shrinking the manufacturing process is technically nearing its limit with the current silicon processes. It was expected that going below 10nm might become very difficult to accomplish considering the material limitations of silicon transistors. “7nm node has remained out of reach due to a number of fundamental technology barriers,” states IBM. And the consortium has been successful in demonstrating working chips at that level.

IBM’s group of collaborators include Samsung and the SUNY Polytechnic Institute. The consortium’s joint research has been successful in replacing pure silicon with a silicon-germanium (SiGe) alloy for channels transistors which improves the electron mobility at smallest of levels. Pure Silicon and the current manufacturing process prevents transistors to become smaller, making them leak current as the size reaches the 7nm mark. The group has also employed Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) lithography technique to etch the nano-scopic patterns onto the chips.

This isn’t the first time that IBM has surpassed the 10nm bar with its research. Back in 2012, the company demonstrated 9nm transistors built using carbon nanotubes. The new 7nm SiGe transistors are more viable for commercial production, though it may take a few years before they reach the markets. IBM expects the new chips to offer “close to 50 percent area scaling improvements over today’s most advanced 10nm technology.”

Processors built using 7nm will twice as powerful and power dense when compared with next-gen 10nm chips

In other words, processors built using 7nm will twice as powerful and power dense when compared with even the next-gen 10nm chips, completely following the Moore’s law which seemed impossible considering the current limitations. Moore’s law states that transistors will be doubled within the same die size every two years.

IBM’s announcement is major achievement in its five year, $3 billion, research program which aims to “push the limits of chip technology”. This comes at the heart of the old giant’s efforts in advancing manufacturing techniques to augment its cloud computing and Big data services. This is part of the shift that the company is going through with the sale of IBM’s chip-making unit to GlobalFoundries from Abu Dhabi.

GlobalFoundries is one of the collaborators in the consortium and will manufacture the new 7nm chips and serve as IBM’s exclusive processor manufacture plant for the next 10 years. Even though exiting the business of manufacturing chips, IBM continues to work on designing and improving the processing power for generations to come.

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10 Netflix Tips and Tricks You Need to Know

Netflix is a game-changer. You know it, I know it, and the pay TV industry certainly knows it. The cord cutting trend is accelerating and study after study attribute the increased number of households without a cable or satellite TV subscription at least in part to Netflix.

While Netflix has changed the game for entertainment, we’re about to change the game for your Netflix experience with 10 tips and tricks you’ll wonder how you even lived without.

Remove things you’ve watched from your history



This is the holy grail for many users, and yet they had no idea the option is there.

Have you ever watched something and you’d rather not have other people in your house know you watched it. Don’t worry, we’re not here to judge. We’re here to tell you that you don’t have to be ashamed anymore — you can simply remove the movie or TV show from your history.

On Netflix.com, hover over your name in the top-right corner and click “Your account.” Now scroll down to “Viewing activity.” Head over to the title you’re not exactly proud of and click the “X” all the way to the right. If it’s a show and removing one episode isn’t enough, you can then click the “Remove series” link that appears.

Test new features before they launch

Want to check out new features Netflix is testing before everyone else? Hover over your name in the top-right corner and click “Your account.” Now click “Test participation” under Settings. Click the toggle to on and, on occasion, you’ll get access to new pre-launch features that Netflix is testing.

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Turn Your Galaxy S6 or S6 Edge into a Nexus Here's How

Samsung Galaxy S6: it’s better than before, but it’s still got TouchWiz

In recent years Samsung’s smartphones have been widely praised for their hardware, with good reason: they’re great. But sometimes the software has spoiled the experience, usually for one of two reasons: Samsung has been quite keen on pre-loading all kinds of apps whether you want them or not, and it puts its own TouchWiz interface on top of Android.

As interfaces go TouchWiz isn't bad, but it's fairly divisive: if you sit a bunch of Android fans down to debate TouchWiz vs stock Android, things are gonna get ugly. Just like TouchWiz. Ho ho!

The good news is that with the S6, Samsung calmed down on the apps front - and it has also approved a theme that makes the S6 and S6 Edge less TouchWizzy and more Androidy. Here’s how to get it without rooting your device or doing anything remotely difficult.

Samsung Galaxy S6: how to turn it into a Nexus

If you’ve used or seen a recent Nexus you’ll know that its stock Android interface looks quite different to TouchWiz. That’s because it’s pure Android the way Google intends it to look, and it uses an interface called Material Design. And now, you can get a Material Design theme for your Samsung.

This is probably as close as we’ll ever get to a Google Play Edition version of the Galaxy S6 without having to root the device and get jiggy with its guts. Here’s how to get the material theme and turn your Samsung Galaxy S6 into a Nexus.

How to get Material Design on the Samsung Galaxy S6

In order to turn the Samsung Galaxy S6 into a Nexus, you’ll need to visit Samsung’s Theme Store. To do that, press and hold on the home screen and then tap on the Themes icon that appears. You should now see a Theme Store icon at the bottom. Tap that.

In the theme store, scroll down to the Modern and Simple section and swipe left until you see Material Design. This theme was previously in the Themes for Man section, but it would appear Samsung realized how silly this was and relocated it. Once you’ve found it, it’s just a matter of selecting the theme and installing it.

Material Design on the Samsung Galaxy S6: why it’s not quite perfect

If you were to put your Samsung Galaxy S6 with the Material Design theme next to a Nexus running Lollipop, you’d soon notice that while the Material Design theme is pretty close to Google’s design, but it isn’t an exact copy.

That’s because some of the elements of the real Material Design interface such as wallpapers and icons are copyrighted, and when developer Samer Zayer first submitted his theme to the Theme Store, Samsung booted it off again citing copyright concerns.

As a result, what you actually end up with on your Samsung Galaxy S6 is a kind of cross between TouchWiz and stock Lollipop: it looks almost but not entirely like a Nexus, and wherever something is copyrighted the developer has created a convincing alternative that shouldn’t get him sued. The theme should offer the best of both worlds, with Samsung’s features and a close approximation of Google’s graphic design.

How to turn your Samsung Galaxy S6 into a Nexus with the Google Now Launcher

If you don’t like the Material Design theme, there’s another option: the Google Now Launcher app.

The Google Now Launcher is a replacement app launcher for your Android device, and as it comes straight from Google it doesn’t have any of the - ahem - enhancements that the phone or tablet manufacturer might have foisted on your operating system.

Previous versions attempted to stick with the version of Android you were running, but whatever device you’ve got the current version gives you the same look and feel as Lollipop and Android M. Between it and the Google Search app you can have Material Design on your S6 for most of the things you do.

What do you think? Has Samsung toned down TouchWiz, or do you wish it’d just give you stock Lollipop and let you customize it yourself? Are you a fan of Material Design, or do you think Samsung’s got the - wait for it - Edge? Let us know in the comments!

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UK Pushes to Ban Whatsapp, More Governments to Follow?

In a move that is sparking outrage across the country, UK is pressing ahead with plans to ban all encrypted communication under stricter laws for social media and online messaging services. Major services including Whatsapp, iMessage and Snapchat could face the ban under the new rules.

The UK’s ‘Investigatory Powers Bill’ will require all ISPs, phone companies and service providers to give access to their data to the government. This will include everything you search online through Google, Facebook and Whatsapp conversations as well as Snapchat photos.

The exact scope of the Bill is still not known but that ambiguity is exactly what makes it such a breach of privacy. Everyone is well versed in vague bills, secret courts and the push for mass surveillance without any clear goal courtesy of Snowden and it would be incredibly naive of us to think it’s a harmless move.

As such, this marks another brazen attempt by a government to use tragedy to push more draconian laws that compromise security and privacy. Recently, the FBI director (who has been pushing for backdoors in major services) admitted that there is no data to back up claims that access to unencrypted communication helps thwart attacks. There are countless other examples but once again, there is a rallying cry of ‘What about the terrorists?’ to gain more control and power over the public.

The Snooper’s Charter, as it has been called by many, has plenty of opponents.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg blocked the same bill while he was in power. He said:

We have every right to invade the privacy of terrorists and those we think want to do us harm, but we should not equate that with invading the privacy of every single person in the UK. They are not the same thing.

 

The so-called Snoopers’ Charter is not targeted. It’s not proportionate.

 

It’s not harmless. It would be a new and dramatic shift in the relationship between the state and the individual.

 

People who blithely say they are happy for their communications to be open to scrutiny because they have ‘nothing to hide’ have failed to grasp something fundamental about open democratic societies: We do not make ourselves safer by making ourselves less free.

Liberty, which campaigns for civil liberties and human rights in the UK, said:

We take no issue with the use of intrusive surveillance powers per se – targeted surveillance can play an important part in preventing and detecting serious crime.

 

But the current regime just doesn’t provide sufficient safeguards to ensure that such surveillance is conducted lawfully, and in a necessary and proportionate way.

Will Pakistan Follow in Banning WhatsApp?

While the news bears no direct bearing on Pakistan, it could set up a very dangerous precedent. We know that our law enforcement agencies are tired of these encrypted messaging apps and UK’s ban on WhatsApp (and others) could see other countries following suit.

We fear that Pakistan won’t take a moment in going ahead and legislating against these encrypted apps.

Fighting against governments that are vying for more and more power is an uphill battle as it is and a developed country forcing an outright ban on encryption could provide the impetus to other nations including ours.Privacy activists should gear up to fight their wildest battle yet.

Via Google News

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Android M Preview gets Major Update with sweet Features

The Android M Developer Preview has received its first major update since it launched at Google I/O in May. The Android M Developer Preview 2 brings a wealth of bug fixes and performance improvements, in addition to some all new features, such as home screen rotate, plus a redesigned app drawer.

Android M app drawer

As you may recall, Android M introduced an alphabetized vertical scroll for the app drawer. The updated version is similar, but the letters on the left side have been removed, and the search bar at the top now says "search apps" on the left, rather than the magnifying glass symbol on the right.

Rotating home screen, better status bar

One of the other improvements is the ability to rotate the home screen to view it horizontally (which can be found in the home screen settings menu.) In addition, the status bar functionality has changed significantly and now lets you toggle items that appear there, such as turning the Wi-Fi or data on or off.

Network settings reset

Hidden away in the Backup and reset settings is another new feature called Network Settings Reset. This feature allows you to instantly wipe all of your network settings, including Wi-Fi connections, cellular data and Bluetooth connections. Pretty handy if you're offloading your device to someone else.

The Android M Developer Preview is an early build of the new version of Android, designed to give developers a chance to get to grips with the new platform and Google the opportunity to iron out bugs before the full release.

The latest Android M Developer Preview update can be downloaded at developer.android.com, or you can wait for the latest build to arrive OTA shortly.  

For more detailed information on the Android M release date, new and features, hit the link, and find out how to install Android M on your device right now in our dedicated article.

Have you downloaded Android M yet? What do you think of it? 

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Win Money On Sports By Yahoo

Yahoo has come up with a new strategy that could help revive the struggling Internet company's fortunes: give users the chance to win cash.

Yahoo launched a daily fantasy sports service on Wednesday, tapping into a new revenue source that could expand its presence in the multi-billion dollar fantasy sports industry.

The new service, called Yahoo Sports Daily Fantasy, allows users to win cash rewards by participating in daily fantasy sports games. Yahoo has long been one of the leaders in fantasy sports in which users compete throughout the duration of a season for fun and for bragging rights. But it's never allowed users to win money on its games until today.

"Today, we're taking the game to the next level and giving fans what they've always wanted — the chance to compete with their friends and win cash, everyday. With today's launch, Yahoo becomes the first major sports site and the only technology company of its scale to offer its own Daily Fantasy experience," Yahoo wrote in a statement.

The new daily fantasy league is already up and running on Yahoo. It's also available through a standalone iOS app, or through any mobile browser, it said.

Fantasy sports are online games that allow users to put together their own imaginary teams comprised of real players, and win points based on the players' real-game performances. It's one of the most popular online activities with a user base of roughly 56 million in the US and Canada alone, and is estimated to be at least a $4 billion industry, according to STATS.

The new fantasy sports games could help attract new users to Yahoo, a 21-year-old Internet pioneer which has struggled to attract users and advertisers at the same rate as competitors such as Facebook and Google.

While sports gambling is illegal in all but four states, placing money on fantasy sports is considered legal in most states because of a law called the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. The law basically classifies fantasy sports as a "game of skills," not a "game of chance," which has spawned the creation of multiple daily fantasy sports sites, including the near $1 billion-valued DraftKings and FanDuel.

Today's news shouldn't come as a complete surprise to those who've followed Yahoo in the past. During her last earnings call, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer said users spend more than 30 billion minutes on Yahoo's fantasy sports sites annually, and hinted at a summer launch of a daily fantasy service.

"Normally we do not announce products before launch but this has been such an area of interest for our fantasy players and our investors that we wanted to announce that we have a new daily fantasy offering in the works that will launch this summer," she said.

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Windows 10 Launch: 5 things you should know before Windows 10 launch date

Are you psyched for the Windows 10 launch date? Lots of us are looking forward to the shift to the new Windows 10, and no wonder, since it brings back the beloved Start Menu from Windows 7, an improved voice-control system (aka Cortana), and, all in all, a better interface.

To avoid last-minute surprises and frustration, here are our top-5 tips to get you ready for the shift:

1. Reserve your free upgrade to Windows 10.

To select this option, simply click on the small Windows icon on the the taskbar. When the upgrade is ready, you will get a notification to schedule the installation – the build will have been already downloaded automatically, so the final installation will go faster.

2. Back up all your important files.

Take care of your files before the Windows 10 launch date. Do this before upgrading, either via an external hard drive or OneDrive. Your files are saved on the hard drive of your device by default, but it’s always good to have a plan B in case something goes wrong.

3. Make sure your antivirus protection is up to date.

Windows will uninstall and then reinstall the latest version of your antivirus software, preserving your settings prior to the upgrade. If your subscription is out of date, it will enable Windows Defender.

4. Prepare to say goodbye.

Media Center won’t be available on Windows 10. Instead, Microsoft will provide a free DVD-playback app for Windows Media Center users. Also, some apps that came from your OEM may be removed prior to the upgrade installation. For more details and to avoid any unwelcome surprises, check out the Windows specs for the upgrade.

5. Set aside an hour for the installation.

That is, if you reserve your upgrade before the Windows 10 launch date. If not, count on needing some extra time for downloading the build, as well. In any case, you won’t be able to use your device during the upgrade process, so plan  accordingly – you might want to run the upgrade overnight.

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How Many IPhones Does It Take To Stop A Bullet Fired From An AK-74 Assault Rifle? (Watch Video)

It’s the question on everyone’s lips: how many iPhones does it take to stop a bullet fired from an AK-74 assault rifle?
According to the team at EverythingApplePro – a YouTube channel based in Portland and dedicated to reviewing Apple products – the answer is five.

Testing the durability of the iPhone, and seeing whether it is capable of saving a life, the team line up eight handsets and lock and load.

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Android Base Black Berry images leaked

Evan came out last night to post an image of what looks to be a BlackBerry Passport running Android, and many were confused thinking it was the rumored slider phone coming to AT&T. Well, that picture was “just a Passport” according to Blass, and now he has posted a press render he says is indeed Venice, the phone that Reuters told us about in a report early last month…

Assuming that the screen will slide up to reveal a keyboard underneath, this phone appears to be remarkably thin. Also, as you can see, the bottom features both a headphone jack as well as the standard micro USB port that can be found on most flagships. The bottom has what looks to be a speaker grille, there are a couple of volume buttons on the side, and the phone looks to be curved a bit like the S6 Edge.
On the software side, there a few interesting tidbits to learn. The phone render is definitely running a version of near-stock Android Lollipop, and packs many apps on top of Google’s standard offerings. BBC, Evernote, Candy Cam, Bing, and Canada Post apps are some of the notable. Additionally, the phone seems to have shortcut icons on the home screen that allow quick access to calling and texting contacts.
According to Reuters, the phone will reportedly include some of the well-known BlackBerry features. BlackBerry already offers its Messenger app to Android users, but it will supposedly also bring BlackBerry Hub to Google’s mobile OS sometime soon. This slider will apparently ship with Messenger, Hub, and the company’s patented predictive text feature.

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OnePlus 2:Specifications and release date

The OnePlus 2 is launching on July 27 at 7:00 PT and will launched entirely in virtual reality. According to recent leaks, the OnePlus 2 will be joining the flagship trend by donning an all-aluminum body. This rumor has even been contributed to by OnePlus CEO Pete Lau, who recently asked fans to define ''full metal''. Head to the highlighted sections below to find out everything we know so far about the OnePlus 2.

OnePlus 2 rendered image leaked

The latest leak to have emerged claims to show an official render of the OnePlus 2. We kept the dimensions of the original image on Weibo, which seem a bit on the elongated side and make it hard to tell what kind of screen size we're looking at (though rumors point to a 5.5-inch one). If it's real, the image confirms rumors that the OnePlus 2 is ditching a plastic chassis in favor of an aluminum one.

However, the image also contradicts previous leaks (see 'Design' section) which suggested that the OnePlus 2 will feature a fingerprint sensor on the back, as there is no scanner visible here. Given that OnePlus recently confirmed that the OnePlus 2 will feature a fingerprint sensor, maybe it'll be on the front instead?

OnePlus 2 release date

We can now reveal that the OnePlus 2 release date is July 27 at 7:00 PT. The launch will kick off simultaneously worldwide via a synchronized Google Cardboard-assisted launch in virtual reality (OnePlus is making their own version of Cardboard for the event).

For more info, visit the OnePlus forum. This mid-year launch will give the OnePlus 2 a solid head-start on the devices coming at IFA 2015 in September (which we think will include the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge Plus as well as the rumored LG G4 Pro).  

The official teaser sent out previously and the competition that went with it, were all just a fake-out from OnePlus and the winners of that competition will not attend the launch, but actually help create it in VR. For reference, the OnePlus One became available on April 25, 2014, first in Asian and European markets, before making its way to the US.

OnePlus 2 specs

As mentioned above, we now have confirmation that the Snapdragon 810 will be the CPU used in the OnePlus 2. As OnePlus stated in their forum: ''We worked very closely with Qualcomm’s engineers to integrate an improved version of the chipset (v2.1) in the OnePlus 2, and fine-tuned both hardware and software. The 2 will be “cooler than ever'' - so keep your fingers crossed that thermal throttling is not an issue anymore.

Leading up to the announcement of the OnePlus One last year, OnePlus revealed the device one spec at a time. And now we're being 'treated' to the same marketing methods ploy again.

Thanks to posts over on the OnePlus forums, we now know that the OnePlus 2 will be the “first global flagship smartphone” to come with a USB Type-C connector. I previously called it “the all-in-one cable you've been waiting your entire life for” - hit the link to find out why.

We’ll keep you posted on the specs as we learn about them over the coming weeks.

Other recently rumored OnePlus 2 specs include an Adreno 430 GPU, 3 GB of RAM and either a Full HD or QHD 5.5-inch display.

At this point, we're inclined to believe that the OnePlus 2 will have a Full HD resolution, given the price point of the device. OnePlus will be keen to provide fans with a similar product to the OnePlus One - and including a high-quality QHD display could increase the device's production costs a little too much.

OnePlus 2 price

A source informed us that the OnePlus 2 will be priced like the original, at (or around) 299/349 USD for the two versions. We're now not so sure about the exact pricing of the OnePlus 2 as a recent OnePlus forum post contradicts the previous information provided to us.

That post states the OnePlus 2 price will be ''higher than 322'' USD. We're hoping if the OnePlus 2 is indeed priced higher than the OnePlus One, that it is not significantly so. We're assuming we'll have a 16 GB and 64 GB version again, but the base model could be bumped up to 32 GB. We'll just have to wait and see how this pans out.

The higher price rumors came earlier in May, when Gizchina reported that Pete Lau, founder and CEO of OnePlus, had said that 2499.99 Yuan (402 USD) sounded like a good price for the OnePlus 2 (after having the figure suggested to him by a poster on Weibo).

The OnePlus One started at 299 USD / 269 Euro / 229 GBP for the 16 GB model, and 349 USD / 299 Euro / 269 GBP for the 64 GB version. Both variants have now received a permanent reduction of 50 USD.

OnePlus 2 invites

OnePlus has confirmed that the OnePlus 2 will still be sold using the invite system, at least to begin with. While it has taken a whole year for the One to outgrow the invite system, the 2 will still need to be manufactured and shipped at lower volumes at the start, and this means the invite system will return. Stay tuned for more information on how to get a OnePlus 2 invite.

OnePlus One discounts

At CES 2015, Carl Pei confirmed that once the OnePlus 2 launches, the OnePlus One will be sold at a discounted price until stocks run out. This price cut turned out to be a mere 50 USD, but we also know that the OnePlus will continue to be supported (for the next year or eighteen months) and will be built until demand dries up.

OnePlus 2 design

After a terribly filtered image on Weibo surfaced of a OnePlus shaped device claiming to be the OnePlus 2, another couple of leaked images have appeared. PhoneArena claim to have images of both the front and back of the OnePlus 2.

They're a bit on the blurry side, but we've collaged them together for you below. Do you think this is the OnePlus 2? We've contacted OnePlus for comment but they politely declined to respond. From what the images seem to show though, we can see a bezel-less design, front-facing speakers and a fingerprint scanner on the back - which conflicts with a more recent render that doesn't show a rear-mounted scanner.

Our source at OnePlus tells us though that the OnePlus 2 will ''share the same philosophy and design'' as the OnePlus One. We couldn't get anything more in terms of size, but we did chat vaguely about the rumors of a second, smaller device appearing this year...

OnePlus 2 features

In late June, we got confirmation that the OnePlus 2 will feature a fingerprint scanner. The OnePlus 2 will be capable of storing five different prints to access five different user profiles (or five fingers of the same person).

According to the announcement on the OnePlus forum, the OnePlus 2 fingerprint scanner will be twice as fast as Apple's TouchID. We've had mixed feelings about fingerprint scanners in the past, so we'll be interested to see if OnePlus gets it right.

The OnePlus One arrived running a customized version of CyanogenMod, CyanogenMod 11S, and Android 4.4.2 KitKat. Since then, OnePlus has split with Cyanogen Inc and developed its own operating system known as OxygenOS: this is the UI which will be used on the OnePlus 2.

How does the OnePlus's latest OTA update, Cyanogen OS 12, compare to OxygenOS? Find out in our OxygenOS vs Cyanogen OS 12 comparison. OnePlus promises us that the slimmed down ROM will mean faster updates with more features added as time goes by.

Are you looking forward to a OnePlus 2? What do you hope to see from this phone?

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Matti Makkonen: Inventor of SMS, Dies at 63

Matti Makkonen, widely referred to as the “father of SMS,” has died due to an illness at the age of 63. The Finnish tech pioneer pitched the original idea for text messaging over cellular networks at a telecoms conference in Copenhagen in the year 1984. Back then, he had been working as a civil servant.
More recently, Makkonen worked for Nokia Networks and Tele Finland, and was CEO of Finnet Oy from 2003 to 2005. In 2008, he was given The Economist’s Innovation award for his effort in the development of the message standard.

Despite being the one to come up with the idea for SMS, Makkonen did not apply for a patent. As a result, he did not receive any monetary gains from his invention. Interestingly, he was also reluctant to take credit for his involvement, and viewed the development of the Short Message Service standard as a joint effort with several other engineers. In reality, however, he did have a significant role to play in the development of the technology during its early stages.

The SMS standard continued to evolve past Makkonen’s involvement, with communications researcher Friedham Hillebrand being the one to come up with the 160-character format in 1985. Years later, in 1992, the very first message was sent by Neil Papworth to Vodafone’s director Richard Jarvis at a work party.

Makkonen predicted that SMS would continue to exist for a long time in some form or the other. While the specific technology has seen an overall decline in everyday life, the Finnish pioneer’s prediction still holds weight, as the short message format is deeply integrating into commonly used modern apps, ranging from Twitter to instant messaging. That said, SMS itself will likely not be going anywhere either, as it is useful for communication in remote areas, where mobile internet access is often expensive.

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Dubsmash 2: A Porn Clicker App Visits Porn sites behind your back

This app, which pretended to be a successor of “Dubsmash”, the famous app that has gone viral on YouTube and Facebook, was installed around 100,000-500,000 times from the Google Play Store. Avast, developer of security software, discovered the following: Once the app was installed there was no evidence of an app named “Dubsmash 2” on the user’s device, instead the app installed an app icon named “Setting IS”. If the “Settings IS” app was opened by the user, the Google Play Store would launch to the actual “Dubsmash” app download page.

Porn clicker "Settings IS"

Rather than being a fun video messaging tool, Avast has exposed the true demeanor of the Dubsmash-Clone as a porn clicker-software. With the malicious software downloaded, the mobile device would grant access to certain services, in turn abusing these to control the mobile system. It is suspected the malware to have generated clicks on porn sites for financial gain. The app is less dangerous than annoying and deleting it solve any issues, but Avast warns! This adversity has shown that mobile devices should be protected of malware, as their current mobile security was able to detect it and the play stores couldn’t guarantee safety.

How to delete Dubsmash 2

Avast recently discovered Turkish cybercriminals launch Dubsmash 2 on Google Play. The company contacted Google when they discovered the rogue app and it was removed from the Play Store shortly thereafter. If you installed Dubsmash 2 (package name “com.table.hockes”), you can delete the app by going into Settings -> Apps -> find “Settings IS” and then uninstall the app.
Download: AVAST Mobile Security & Antivirus

Video:

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Are You Using Dubsmash? Stop it before You may have featured in porn without knowing

Dubsmash, a video messaging application for iOS and Android, started trending in the south after Tamil cinema celebrities used the app to promote their movies and in turn popularised it.

It started spreading in the north as celebrities like Bollywood actor Sonakshi Sinha and badminton star Saina Nehwal had their share of fun with the app. And now the entire nation is hooked.

The app allows you to choose an audio recording from a repository and then you can record your own video in which you can dub the original audio and share it on a social media platform.

There are thousands of Facebook accounts dedicated to featuring user's Dubsmash videos and there are countless YouTube Dubsmash compilation videos. About half of them feature women.

But as any other video application, Dubsmash has its own share of danger.

A video circulating on WhatsApp showed a woman in her early twenties "dirty talking" and making "loud sex noises" like a female lead in a pornographic movie. The lip-syncing was perfect and it looked like an original video.

To one's surprise, the same woman was featured in an original video on a Facebook forum on which she had posted a Dubsmash of a famous Tamil film dialogue.

So how was it done?

It's not rocket science. Like any video available on the internet, Dubsmash videos too can be downloaded. Once you download a video there are numerous software which allow you to suppress the original audio and add your own.

This method has been used to fit popular movie dialogues into a particular scenario.

For example, a famous dialogue between legendary actor Sivaji Ganesan and Kamal Hassan from Thevar Magan was turned around by dubbing it with a conversation between two IT engineers. The Dubsmash became a hit and is still going viral in Tamil social circles.

And the same technique has been used to remove the movie dialogues from Dubsmashes by women and insert 'dirty talks'. 

A Tamil Dubsmash Facebook page with 32,000-page likes has uploaded 2,000 Dubsmash videos as of now. Half of them feature young women acting out film dialogues.

In a recent report, it was said a popular Tamil FM radio warned people on its Facebook page that some of these women have started receiving their altered videos on WhatsApp and are being blackmailed. They are being asked for money and even sex, the post said.

College girls - who use Dubsmash a lot - are being targeted the most, according to the post by the FM radio.

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Spy UK Agency Had Secret Access to Every Internet User in Pakistan

New revelations made by Edward Snowden  suggest that GCHQ, British Spy Agency, had manipulated CISCO routers installed at central internet gateway of Pakistan (also known as Pakistan Internet Exchange or PIE) to gain access to almost any internet user and its data in Pakistan.

According to details published by Intercept, GCHQ had gained questionable warrants from government to reverse engineer various technology tools and equipment to gain access to users’ data across continents. This reverse engineering technique, which is otherwise liable to legal action as it is termed as an hacking attempt, was particularly warranted for the purpose of spying into users’ data.

This information is based on 22 new documents made public by Edward Snowden that were never released before.

GCHQ targeted various encryption and security software, anti-viruses, online forum software, hosting software, email server software, routers and other hardware that were reversed engineered to hack into network systems that granted the agency unprecedented access to masses.

Infected software include Exlade’s CrypticDisk, Acer’s eDataSecurity, vBulletin, Invision Power Board, cPanel, PostfixAdmin, Kaspersky anti-viruses, CISCO routers and other critical hardware.

Report claims that GCHQ’s reverse engineering of Cisco routers had enabled the agency not only to access almost any user of the internet inside the entire Pakistan but also to re-route selective traffic across international links toward GCHQ’s passive collection systems.

CISCO has said that it doesn’t work with any government, including the U.K. Government.

GCHQ’s Secret document published by Edward Snoden mentions:

GCHQ’s CNE operations against in-country communications switches (routers) have also benefited from SRE.

Capability against Cisco routers developed by this means has allowed a CNE presence on the Pakistan Internet Exchange which affords access to almost any user of the internet inside Pakistan.

Our presence on routers likewise allows us to re-route selected traffic across nternational links towards GCHQ’s passive collection systems.

If put in simpler words, GCHQ had/has access to each and every page that we visit, every attachment we upload, email that we send or literally anything that we do on internet. This kind of mass-interception might not seem a critical thing for a commoner but country’s top brass, or those whose data is sensitive is also prone to foreign agencies should raise serious concerns.

This is first of its kind revelation where such mass-scale intrusion into Pakistani internet users and their privacy has surfaced. We have come across various reports in the past where Pakistani phone users were targeted, however, such mass-scale internet interception has come to light only for the first time.

GCHQ had access to each and every page that we visit, every attachment we upload, email that we send or literally anything that we do on internet

Digital Rights Foundation, a non-profit organization that advocates privacy and rights of internet users, has said that this hacking operation, at a scale never previously seen before from the British intelligence agency, seriously undermines the right to privacy of all users of the internet in Pakistan.

“By targeting a key point in Pakistan’s communications infrastructure, GCHQ have put at risk the security and integrity of a significant portion of Pakistan’s communications infrastructure”, said a statement issued by the foundation.

It is still unclear if Pakistani government or security agencies are/were aware of these attacks by GCHQ, however, Digital Rights Foundation of Pakistan — in a press statement — has emphasised that Pakistan government has an obligation to protect Pakistanis right to privacy and this level of intrusion onto critical national infrastructure undermines that obligation.

There’s no way of remaining safe from GCHQ or NSA when essential and core technology equipment that we import from abroad is infected. However, Government should question these equipment makers or the British government that why such incidents had to happen.

It is of paramount importance that the government does all it can to account for this intrusion and to take meaningful steps to ensure the right to privacy in Pakistan and prevent it from being brazenly interfered with by foreign intelligence agencies, the rights organization stressed.

An ISP, while speaking with ProPakistani, said that there is not much that internet companies or even Pakistani government can do about stopping these hacking attempts. It said that only way of avoiding these intruders is to start manufacturing our own equipment, otherwise there’s no way of remaining safe when essential and core-equipment that we import from abroad is infected.

After these incidents, UK or even EU’s morality is prone to questions. Most prestigious law abiding governments and bodies doing such mass-scale violations expose west’s dual-standards and time has come when world should actually start seeing them as law breakers.

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