Pakistan’s media regulator, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), has yet again lifted a ban imposed on TikTok after around four months. The move comes after the short video-sharing social media platform assured that it would control indecent content on the platform.

For those who are unaware, this is the fourth time in the past 15 months that Pakistan Telecommunication Authority imposed and lifted such a ban on TikTok. The platform was first blocked in October last year over what the regulator described as widespread complaints about allegedly “immoral, obscene, and vulgar” content on the app.

A statement issued by PTA said: “Subsequent to imposition of ban on 20 July 2021, PTA remained in communications with the TikTok management. As a result of continuous engagement, senior management of the platform assured PTA of its commitment to take necessary measures to control unlawful content in accordance with local laws and societal norms.”

Earlier this month, China-based TikTok and the PTA officials held a detailed discussion regarding content moderation on the social networking application in line with the local laws and societal norms.

In the meeting, the company highlighted initiatives, future strategies, and investments in the local market for ensuring safe, productive, informative, and legitimate content for Pakistani users. The app has been downloaded almost 39 million times in Pakistan.

TikTok has been banned in India since June last year along with a host of Chinese applications by the government. The app, which had about 200 million users at the time it was banned in India, is hoping to re-enter the Indian market.

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Infinix has been launching mid-range smartphones in the market and now the company has announced its latest entry-level offering, dubbed as Infinix Smart 5 Pro. This is yet another variant in the series that includes Smart 5 and the Smart 5A.

The smartphone features a 6.52-inch LCD TFT Full HD+ display that offers a peak brightness of 500 nits. Under the hood, the device is powered by an octa-core processor clocked at 1.6GHz which is likely to be UNISOC SC9863A.

It comes packed with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. As for the camera department, the phone has a dual-camera setup on the back that includes a 13-megapixel primary sensor and a secondary depth sensor.

On the front side, the device features an 8-megapixel snapper for taking selfies and video calling. The phone also comes with a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor for added protection.

The phone is running the Android 11 Go Edition operating system out-of-the-box with XOS 7.6 on top. The device is powered by a bigger 6,000mAh battery which supports 18W charging and the company claims can deliver up to 67 hours of talk time or 88 days of standby time on a single charge.

The device comes in different color options — Black, Blue, Copper, and Green. In Bangladesh, the device is priced at BDT 8,898, which is approximately $104 and is available for purchase via Daraz. It was recently spotted listed on the e-commerce website XPark in Pakistan for the price of PKR 14,499 which is approximately ₹6,200 or $83.

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While the Realme GT Master Edition had been officially launched earlier this year, it is now finally arriving in the Pakistani market. The device is currently available for pre-orders in the region, with the company even offering a free gift alongside it.

Talking about the specs of the smartphone, the GT Master Edition sports a 6.43 inch Samsung Super AMOLED display that has a resolution of 2400 x 1090 pixels. Its screen offers 120Hz high refresh rate, 360Hz touch sampling rate, 5,000,000:1 contrast ratio, 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, 91.7% screen to body ratio, punch hole, and 1,000 nits peak brightness. Under the hood, Qualcomm Snapdragon 778 SoC powers the device. For photography, you can find a 64 megapixel triple camera setup with an 8 megapixel ultra wide angle lens and 2 megapixel macro sensor. The front features a 32 megapixel selfie shooter.

The Realme GT Master Edition is available in the country in two storage variants, namely 8GB of RAM with either 128GB or 256GB of internal storage. Pre-orders for the device are currently live for 72,999 Pakistani Rupee (roughly 420 US Dollars). For those that prefer to wait, the Chinese smartphone maker is launching the smartphone in markets all over Pakistan on 20th November 2021. Although, pre-ordering the device has you receive a free gift, which is a Realme Band.

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• Realme’s Smart Google TV Stick will debut in Europe next month starting at €54.99 ($63)
• realme sells 1 million units in just 7 days, aims to achieve 10 million sales target in China in 2021

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In Late February, realme launched the realme Buds Air 2 in India. This TWS made its way to other markets in the following weeks. Now, the brand has unveiled a cheaper version of these truly wireless earphones called realme Buds Air 2 Neo. The new product has made its global debut in Pakistan.

realme Buds Air 2 Neo Specifications and Features

The newly launched realme Buds Air 2 Neo feature a design similar to realme Buds Q. For those unaware, the original realme Buds Air Neo is identical to the original realme Buds Air.

The latest TWS from the company comes in two colors, namely Active Black and Calm Gray. The earbuds sport 10mm drivers and they are IPX5 splash resistant.

The buds connect with devices via Bluetooth 5.2 and support AAC as well as SBC audio codecs. The main highlight of the new earbuds is the presence of ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) and ENC (Environmental Noise Cancellation), thanks to the realme R2 chip present inside.

The brand claims that the ‘ANC Mode’ on these buds can reduce external noise up to 25dB. Further, apart from ‘Transparency Mode’, the earbuds also come with a low latency mode (up to 88ms) for gaming sessions.

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Other features of this TWS include Google Fast Pair. touch gesture controls, realme Link app support.

As far as battery life is concerned, the buds can offer up to 7 hours of playback with ANC turned off and 5 hours with ANC turned on. Whereas, with the charging case that charges via USB Type-C, users can get up to 28-hour battery life with ANC disabled and 20-hour playback with ANC enabled

realme Buds Air 2 Neo Price and Availability

The realme Buds Air 2 Neo truly wireless earphones are priced at ₨ 7,999 ($53) in Pakistan. However, customers can purchase them for only ₨ 5,999 ($39) during the flash sale on Saamaan.

This TWS should be available in other markets in the coming days.

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• realme GT Neo launched with Dimensity 1200 SoC and 120Hz AMOLED display for $274

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Earlier this week, Hammad Azhar, The Pakistani Federal Minister for Industries announced that Vivo will be setting up a smartphone manufacturing facility in the country and has already purchased land to build the facility.

In a tweet, the minister also added that the “International Smart Phone Brand VIVO has decided to establish a smart phone manufacturing facility in Pakistan. Land purchased. Deployment of DIRBS eliminated smuggled phones. It was followed up by Mobile Manufacturing Policy. Revenues already doubled and now local manufacturing taking off. ” The new facility will be set up in Faisalabad, as per a GeoNews report.

Editor’s Pick: Snapdragon 800 series Moto G phone coming next year; desktop mode and more coming to Motorola phones

The agreement between the Chinese tech giant and the Pakistani government was signed just last month. Furthermore, the previous week even had the Minister for Industries Mian Aslam Iqbal chair a ceremony to sign an agreement for setting up a smartphone manufacturing plant in the M-3 Industrial Estate Faisalabad through bilateral collaboration. Duam Tai Ping, Vice President of Vivo, and Zhang bin, Director of Manufacturing, signed the agreement at the Faisalabad Industrial Estate Development & Management Company (FIEDMC) office.

Intl Smart Phone Brand VIVO has decided to establish a smart phone manufacturing facility in Pak. Land purchased.

Deployment of DIRBS eliminated smuggled phones. It was followed up by Mobile Manufacturing Policy. Revenues already doubled & now local manufacturing taking off. pic.twitter.com/VEL7gYgI2T

— Hammad Azhar (@Hammad_Azhar) December 2, 2020

This agreement even had the company start with an initial investment of 10 million US Dollars. The meeting also had the FIEDMC CEO Aamer Saleemi attending. The move from Vivo is also likely to be an effort from the company to grow its presence in the region. So stay tuned for more, as we will be providing more updates when additional information is available.

UP NEXT: Infinix Zero 8i with 90Hz display, Helio G90T, 16MP dual selfie camera, and 33W fast charging launched for Rs 14,999 (~$203)

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Tech giants like Google, Facebook, Twitter might leave Pakistan if the country doesn’t back out of a new regulation change. Reports say that the law aims to curb freedom of expression for social media companies.

As reported by AP(via Gadgets360), Pakistan Government has granted more powers to the Media Regulators. Accordingly, the new change affects Internet Service Providers(ISP)/ Social Media Companies. It says that social media companies should remove obscene content from the internet within 24hours. They will face a fine of up to $3.14 million(~₹23.28 Crores) if they fail to restrict defamatory content. Precisely, the content that is against Islam and National security, Promotes terrorism, hate speech, and pornography.

Additionally, Social media companies should provide(via DAWN) any data in “decrypted, readable and comprehensive format” whenever demanded by Pakistan’s Investigation Agency. The World’s fifth-most populous country also wants the companies to set up offices locally. That said, this has drawn a lot of criticism especially from the Asia Internet Coalition(AIC).

EDITOR’S PICK: TikTok India Head spills confidence about the comeback in a letter to his employees

For the unware, AIC was established in 2010 as an Industry association. It aims to promote the understanding of Internet policy issues in the Asia-Pacific region. Coming back, AIC says that the new law is alarming as it targets internet companies. It goes on to say that the draconian data localization requirements will hamper the Internet’s affordability and accessibility. In turn, it will reportedly cut off Pakistan’s digital economy from the rest.

For the unware, Pakistan govt banned short-form video platform TikTok after observing a lot of obscene anti-Islamic videos on it. It then went on to remove the ban after TikTok promised to moderate the content. Although Pakistan’s Govt is yet to comment on AIC’s response, we feel that it needs to act swiftly to coordinate with the relevant parties and find a solution.

UP NEXT: Fitbit OS 5.1 update brings Google Assistant support to the Fitbit Versa 3 & Sense

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Chinese smartphone brand realme forayed into the connected devices category last year to build an ecosystem of its own. So far, the company has launched a plethora of devices. However, it only offers a single smartwatch as of now though the brand teased more at IFA 2020 in September. Those two wearables were revealed to launch in Q4. Now, as promised realme has confirmed to debut one of them, realme Watch S on November 2 in Pakistan.

The upcoming realme Watch S was spotted on the websites of multiple certification bureaus exposing some of its specs after it was teased by the brand. Even the launch announcement teaser poster for Pakistan reveals certain features as well as design.

According to both certifications and teasers, the realme Watch S will come equipped with a 1.3-inch circular display and a brightness sensor. For those unaware, the original realme Watch features a squircle screen and lacks a brightness sensor. 

That said, the type of the panel in the newer model is a mystery at the moment. The older version comes with an LCD screen but since the realme Watch S screams premium (as per its design), it may sport an OLED panel.

The tweet by realme Pakistan says the new smartwatch will support 16 sports modes and feature multiple health monitors. The brand also confirms it to come with a heart-rate and a SpO2 sensor for blood oxygen monitoring. 

The latter is missing on the recently launched Mi Watch Revolve / Mi Watch aka Mi Watch Color. Therefore, Xiaomi launched a new edition of this smartwatch called Mi Watch Color Sports Edition in China with a SpO2 sensor.

Having said that, realme claims a maximum of 15-battery life for realme Watch S. Last but not least, it will bear the model number RMA207 and its straps will be available in black, orange, blue, and green color options.

UP NEXT: Realme C15 Qualcomm Edition variants and color options leaked

(Via)

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Pakistan has joined the bandwagon of countries in banning the short video platform, TikTok. Accordingly, the country’s telecom regulator PTA(Pakistan Telecommunication Authority) has blocked the app in the country on Friday(October 9). The reason is the failure in neutralizing the “immoral and indecent” content on the platform.

According to a report by Reuters, the PTA spokesperson, TikTok reportedly has 20 million active users in Pakistan. Also, it is the third most downloaded App in the country in the last 12 months according to Sensor Tower. The ban didn’t out of the blue as the company was reportedly warned back in July. And, officials reportedly demanded an effective mechanism for getting rid of the obscene content on the platform. However, looks like TikTok didn’t take enough measures to satisfy the officials.

Instead, the officials have reportedly been getting complaints from various sections of society regarding the vulgarity of content on TikTok. Add to this, Pakistan PM Imran Khan’s directions to PTA only speeded up the process. Reacting to this TikTok says it will the law in every country and is reportedly in touch with PTA to work things out. PTA also says that it is ready to review the ban. That is if TikTok puts a satisfactory mechanism in place to moderate unlawful content.

Pakistan, which has more customary social practices, has not only blocked TikTok but five other dating apps including Tinder and Grindr. Having said, it joins a list of countries including India, USA who have already blocked it. Although other countries cite security and data theft as reasons, Pakistan’s intention seems to be something else.

However, Global rights Watchdogs Amnesty International says people of Pakistan are denied the right to express in the name of vulgarity. Let’s wait and see if TikTok pleases PTA to get back into business.

Up Next: TikTok and WeChat ban in the US breaks WTO rules, claims China

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Infinix Hot 10 launches in Pakistan as the new entrant in the brand’s popular Hot series of smartphones. The handset comes in three storage configurations – 4GB + 64GB, 4GB + 128GB & 6GB + 128GB priced at PKR 20,999 ($127), PKR 23,999 ($145), and PKR 25,999 ($157) respectively. However, it will be available at PKR 1,000 ($6) discount up until October 31.

Additionally, customers who pre-order the device starting today till September 28 will be eligible for a free pair of Infinix Earbuds XE08 on the 4GB/6GB + 128GB variants and Infinix Smart Band 4 with the 4GB + 64GB version.

That said, the new Infinix smartphone will be available for purchase starting September 28 in the country in Obsidian Black, Amber Red, Moonlight Jade, and Ocean Wave color options.

Infinix Hot 10 Specifications

The newly launched Infinix Hot 10 is the successor to Infinix Hot 9 from May. This phone leaked earlier last month revealing most of its specs.

The Hot 10 is powered by MediaTek helio G70, a great leap from helio A25 present in its predecessor. However, it sports a similar HD+ (720 x 1640 pixels) punch-hole (top left) TFT LCD panel which is slightly larger at 6.78-inches compared to 6.6-inch on its forerunner.

EDITOR’S PICK: Infinix Note 7 with 6.95-inch display, Helio G70, 48MP quad cameras launched for Rs 11,499 (~$156) in India

On the back, the device houses a quad-camera setup that includes a 16MP primary sensor, 2MP macro shooter with AF, 2MP depth sensor, and an AI lens (¯\_(ツ)_/¯). The rear of the handset also features a capacitive fingerprint sensor. Whereas, the front camera is of 8 megapixels.

The smartphone comes with all the necessary sensors such as gravity sensor, gyroscope, light sensor, and proximity sensor but it misses out the compass, which is essential for navigation. On the plus side, it supports microSD cards up to 512GB, dual-band WiFi 5, Bluetooth 5.0, 3.5mm headphone jack, and DTS Audio.

Another highlight of this phone is its massive 5,200mAh but sadly, it can only charge at the rate of 10W via MicroUSB port. Last but not least, the Infinix Hot 10 runs XOS 7.0 operating system based on Android 10.

UP NEXT: Infinix Zero 8 with 90Hz display, 48MP dual selfie cameras, 64MP quad cameras, 33W fast charging launched for ~$259

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Starting about 3 years ago, Elephone adopted an expansion plan that would help the company expand beyond the Chinese domestic market. Sticking to the plan that seems to be working well, Elephone will be officially launched in the Pakistani market on December 8th. During the same day, the Chinese manufacturer will be holding a conference in Islamabad. The press conference will be attended by Pakistan area media reporters, business partners, as well as government officials.

Elephone will introduce all its latest flagship models to the new market including its pop-up camera series that includes the latest Elephone PX. Also, its waterdrop display phones, as well as 3D screen phones, will be available.

According to the company officials, the Pakistani market is very important part of Elephone’s future plans in the Mid-East market and it comes together with the beginning of the new year that is expected to be very promising for the company.

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The Moto Z and Moto Z Play smartphones are now on sale with Moto Mods accessories in Pakistan. The arrival of these smartphones marks the comeback of Motorola in the country. Motorola has relaunched as “Lenovo Moto” in Pakistan.

Motorola Mobility was acquired by Lenovo in 2014. At the beginning of this year, Lenovo had officially confirmed that it would be launching Moto Z series in Pakistan. The Moto Z and Moto Z Play smartphones were launched in the country on Feb. 17 in Karachi. It is also expected to launch Moto M midrange smartphone in the near future.

The Moto Z features 5.5-inch quad HD display. It is driven by Snapdragon 820 and 4 GB of RAM.  It has an OIS and dual LED flash enabled 13-megapixel camera. Its front-facing 5-megapixel camera features LED flash. It has a water-resistant coating and a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner and 2,600 mAh battery.

It does not feature a 3.5 mm audio jack, but allows headphone connectivity through its USB Type-C port. It boasts a super-slim profile of 5.2 mm.  It comes in two storage sizes of 32 GB and 64 GB and is available in color choices like Black and Gold. It also features an external storage slot.

Related: Moto Z (2017) Likely Featuring Iris Scanner, Motorola Patent Filing Reveals

The Moto Z Play has a 5.5-inch full HD display. It runs on Snapdragon 625 chipset and 3 GB of RAM. Its native storage is 32 GB. The 16-megapixel rear camera is enabled with dual LED flash. Its front-facing snapper is on 5-megapixel.

Other features include rear-facing fingerprint reader, water-resistant coating, 3.5 mm audio jack, microSD card support, USB Type-C port, and a 3,510 mAh battery.  It comes in colors like Gold and Silver.

Here are the pricing of Moto Z, Moto Z Play and Moto Mods snap-on accessories in Pakistan:

• The 32 GB Moto Z smartphone with Moto Style Shell is available for PKR 74,999.
• The 32 GB Moto Z Play with Moto Style Shell is priced at PKR 49,999.
• Moto Insta-Share Projector Mod that costs PKR 39,500 transforms Moto Z and Moto Z Play into a projector for watching photos and videos on a large screen.
• Incipio offGRID Power Pack Mod is priced at PKR 8,650. Its an accessory that adds a 2,220 mAh battery to Moto Z or Play smartphones to take advantage of up to 22 hours of battery backup.
• JBL SoundBoost Mod is available for PKR 12,500. Snap it on Moto Z or Moto Z Play to enjoy high-quality JBL audio output. It comes with an inbuilt kickstand and 1,000 mAh battery.
• Hasselblad True Zoom Mod brings top notch photography capabilities with 10x optical zoom and Xenon flash. It is available with a pricing of PKR 29,500.

On Daraz.pk online shopping site, the Moto Z and Moto Z Play smartphones are available with free JBL Soundboost Mod.

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