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Pakistan to shut off BlackBerry email over surveillance jitters
Remember the days when governments were threatening to cut off BlackBerry's secure email because they couldn't spy on your messages? They're back. Pakistan's Telecommunication Authority has ordered local carriers to shut off BlackBerry Enterprise Service from November 30th due to "security reasons." While the agency isn't specific about what those concerns are, BES typically encrypts messages in such a way that an outside party can't (usually) intercept them in mid-flight. Most likely, Pakistan is worried that gangs and terrorists will use BlackBerry phones to chat in secret.
Pakistan orders cellphone users to provide their fingerprints
Pakistan is determined to prevent terrorists from using untraceable cellphone accounts to coordinate attacks like that in Peshawar, even if it means eroding civil liberties in the process. The country has ordered cellphone users to have their SIM cards verified through fingerprints, theoretically discouraging extremists from relying on local carriers to communicate or trigger bombs. People have until April 13th (carriers have to comply by April 15th) to get their digits on the record if they want to keep their cell service intact.
Twitter restores accounts and tweets previously blocked in Pakistan
Back in May, Pakistani authorities requested the removal of multiple tweets and Twitter accounts that were, according to them, blasphemous or unethical. Now, Twitter has now restored said content. In the social network's words: "We have reexamined the requests and, in the absence of additional clarifying information from Pakistani authorities, have determined that restoration of the previously withheld content is warranted. The content is now available again in Pakistan." The reversal of the block might answer critics that argued that the social network's current policy gave too much power to the already powerful -- allowing censorship from agencies and agents even if their country hasn't afforded them the right to do so. We've added the rest of Twitter's explanation after the break.
Twitter's blocking of 'blasphemous' content raises questions over its censorship policy
At first glance, Twitter's international policy on censorship seems reasonable. If the laws of a particular country require content to be locally blocked, then Twitter will adhere to that, deeming it to be a lesser evil than having the social network blocked in its entirety. This is what's just happened in Pakistan, where five requests from a government office have, for the first time, resulted in "blasphemous" and "unethical" tweets being blocked to Pakistani users -- including crude drawings of the Prophet Muhammad. This successfully avoided a repetition of what happened two years ago, when similar content temporarily led Pakistan to deploy a site-wan ban against twitter.com. However, critics say that, in practice, Twitter's policy isn't working fairly, because it's giving too much power to would-be censors who, even within their own countries, don't actually have any authority to block or delete content.
Black Ops 2, Warfighter banned in Pakistan for depicting country in 'very poor light'
The All Pakistan CD, DVD, Audio Cassette Traders and Manufacturers Association banned Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 and Medal of Honor: Warfighter in Pakistan, claiming that the games depicted Pakistan in a bad light. All stores were ordered to remove the games from their shelves, or face the consequences."The Association has always boycotted these types of films and games," the Association wrote in a notice translated by Fox News. "These (games) have been developed against the country's national unity and sanctity. The games (Medal of Honor: Warfighter and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2) have been developed against Pakistan, and the Association has completely banned their sale. Shopkeepers are warned and will be responsible for the consequences if found purchasing or selling these games."President of the Association, Saleem Memon, further explained the ban when speaking to a foreign media outlet: "The problem is that there are things that are against Pakistan and they have included criticism of our army. They show the country in a very poor light."The owner of Pakistan capital Islamabad's largest retail game store said that he hadn't heard about the ban and that both games were "hot sellers." Black Ops 2 sold more than 5,000 copies since its launch and Warfighter sold 1,000 in Pakistan, the owner said. Pirated versions of both games were still available in Pakistan, some selling for less than $2, and these figures didn't contribute to official sales numbers.
Pakistani Sonic Happy Meal commercial will make you believe in love again
Here's a brief list of delightful things waiting for you in the Sonic-themed Happy Meal ad posted below: The worst 3D graphics ever rendered, Tails kicking a soccer ball into his own face, and a totally nude Rouge the Bat. (If you found this post using that as a search term, then shame on you.)
Lifeline Energy distributes solar powered radio / media players to the villages of Africa
Everybody know that the big money's in pain rays and various other wargadgets, so we really like it when someone at least tries to do a little good in the world. Lifeline Energy is a UK-based NGO that works to bring folks in emerging markets (mostly sub-Saharan Africa) items like solar-powered radios and lights, and it has just announced the launch of the Lifeplayer self-powered MP3 player and AM/FM/SW radio. This device features 64GB storage, microSD card slot, 3G connectivity, audio recording capabilities, and the ability to act as a sort of PA system -- according to the organization, groups of sixty can hear the thing clearly. It's powered either by a hand-crank or through its solar panel, and contains a USB port for charging devices such as cell phones. At present, Lifeline Energy is distributing over a thousand of these bad boys in Haiti and it's accepting donations to distribute them in Pakistan as well. Hit the source link to see how you can help. PR after the break. Update: Turns out that blue radio we originally pictured isn't actually the Lifeplayer -- that was the Lifeline radio, which predated it by roughly seven years. The green device above is the real deal, and you'll find a high-res product image of it right after the break.
EVE Online raising money for Pakistan flood victims
In a second act of charity springing from the eerily lifelike financial depths of EVE Online, players are being offered a chance to donate to victims of flooding in Pakistan using 30-day subscription codes (or "PLEX") as currency. The game's proprietor, CCP Games, will convert the month's worth of playtime into actual, real-life dollars -- worth between $11-$15 each, depending on the subscription plan -- which will then be given to the Pakistan Red Crescent Society. Players are allowed to donate as many times as they'd like. CCP raised over $40,000 for Haiti during its last PLEX donation drive, though we're sure the game's economically studious players can do even better this time around. Right?! That said, we should probably note that CCP sees "any scamming attempts surrounding this effort to be morally reprehensible" and warns that "they will be met with swiftest action." For specific details on the donation process, the CCP dev blog and FAQ page have more.
EVE players able to donate in-game ISK to Pakistan flood relief
Back in January, the Republic of Haiti suffered a devastating earthquake. Several MMO development studios responded by coming up with ways to help their players donate to the aid relief campaign. EVE Online developers CCP Games came up with an innovative scheme that allowed players to donate in-game ISK to help the people of Haiti. Players bought PLEX in-game with ISK and donated them to CCP's sponsored relief fund. As PLEX are worth 30 days of game time each, every one donated represented 30 days of EVE game time that someone somewhere purchased. Although CCP had to absorb all tax and administration costs, the company managed to donate the full value of donated game time to charity without taking a significant loss. In total, players donated over $40,000 worth of PLEX to the fund, which was given to the Red Cross to help the people of Haiti. With the recent flooding in Pakistan, a huge need for donations has arisen and CCP is once again allowing players to donate in-game PLEX to charity. In a new devblog, CCP Fallout has urged players to contract unused PLEX to the EVE character "CCP PLEX for Good." The full cash value of each donated PLEX will be passed on to the Pakistan Red Crescent Society, regardless of whether you bought the PLEX for cash or ISK. If you want to donate, the deadline for sending your PLEX is the 6th of October. As with the previous fundraiser, any players perpetrating scams around this donation drive will receive harsh punishment. Perhaps this would be a good opportunity for Bad Bobby, the player who recently confirmed that he'd made over 850 billion ISK with investment scams, to do something worthwhile with his accumulated wealth.
ASUS' Windows Phone 7 debuts in the wild?
Boy, this thing here has more questions than answers attached to it. Presented as the first Windows Phone 7 device to show up in Pakistan, of all places, this angular handset bears a serial number on top and atypical "powered by ASUS" branding on the bottom, leading us to believe that if it's legit, it's certainly a pre-production model. Even so, should you dare to invest some trust into its validity, you'll find plenty of reason to be titillated: brushed metal adorns the front, a rare sight on mobile phones of any description, the top right corner looks suspiciously like it might be housing a front-facing camera, and the display looks very much like an OLED panel to us. Exciting, if true.[Thanks, Raju]Update: Turns out the phone in question belongs to the leakster's brother. Perhaps he's an ASUS engineer on vacation in his home town?
Asus intros WiMAX-equipped M50Vm-A1WM 15.4 incher
A new variant of Asus' M50Vm-A1 laptop -- the M50Vm-A1WM -- just showed up on Newegg and Amazon. Soulcrushingly long (mostly) alphanumeric string aside, it's a decent 15.4'' machine for its $1,399 price point, with desktop replacement specs: Intel Core 2 Duo P8400, 4GB of RAM, a GeForce 9600M with a satisfying 1GB of dedicated graphics memory, and even a numpad. What's new here is onboard WiMAX, which puts Asus on the post-XOHM launch bandwagon with Toshiba, Acer and other laptop manufacturers. This is good news for some lucky early adopters, but if you're not in one of the testing locales, you might as well continue twiddling your thumbs.[Via ComputerMonger]
Intel aims to expand WiMAX frequency range support
While much of the world rallies around LTE, Intel's still doing its thang with WiMAX. According to Garth Collier, general manager of WiMax at Intel Asia-Pacific, the outfit is gearing up to "start supporting other markets outside of the US at 2.5GHz and in other spectrum profiles." As it stands, the Centrino 2 chip package supports a version of the technology that uses the 2.5GHz spectrum, and while Mr. Collier didn't specify which WiMAX profile would be added in 2009, deductive reasoning leads us to believe that 2.3GHz (used in South Korea) and 3.5GHz (used in Pakistan) are in the cards. Beyond that, details are few and far between, but we'd expect to hear something a bit more solid at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco.[Via InfoWorld, image courtesy of CNET]
Apple retailer iRaffles opens in Pakistan
A new Apple retailer has opened in Lahore, Pakistan. It's not an official Apple Store, but a joint venture between Apple and Pakistan-based retailer Raffles. Called "iRaffles," the store was officially opened by US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne W. Patterson late last week. This marks the first store for Pakistan. If you're a TUAW reader in the Lahore area, please send us any pictures and stories you have!Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
Wateen Telecom launches massive WiMAX network in Pakistan
Good news for those in Pakistan hungry for another link to the 'net: Wateen Telecom has officially launched its WiMAX / HFC services for the consumer market. Reportedly, Motorola played a huge role in deploying the "first 802.16e commercial WiMAX network in Pakistan," and according to Wateen, it's the largest WiMAX network "ever installed." In case you hadn't already guessed, Wateen Telecom is indeed a Abu Dhabi venture, and the service will initially be made available in 22 cities. For more details on exact coverage and rate plans, be sure and check out Wateen's website.[Via Metroblogging Karachi, thanks Zainuddin Z.]
Phone-based virus transmission prank nets Pakistanis
It appears that some wireless customers in Pakistan were recently worried that they may die due to a virus transmitted via their phones. What did they do in response? For starters, the authorities were inundated with concerned Pakistani phone owners and even some Karachi-area mosques made public announcements that there was indeed a killer mobile virus on the loose. We're not talking a software operating system virus here, but a virus that magically jumps from a person to person using a phone handset (through long-distance airwaves?). Pakistani authorities dismissed the large-scale prank by stating that "They (rumors) do not make any sense in technological terms." We agree.[Via textually.org, image via How Stuff Works]
China Mobile buys Paktel, begins quest for world domination
Vodafone might be the more globally recognizable mobile mega-conglomerate of the two, but if China Mobile has anything to say about it, that's all about to change. The world's largest carrier (Voda weighs in at number two) -- which has historically built its hefty subscriber base in its domestic market -- has made a bold move beyond Chinese borders by purchasing 88.9 percent of Pakistan's Paktel from Millicom International Cellular for a stiff $284 million in cash. Granted, Pakistan isn't any closer to home than China, but if this acquisition-happy philosophy eventually finds its way to the States and ends up scoring us an Amoi, we say "bring it on."[Via The Wireless Report]
India announces plans to develop robot army
In an announcement that you can probably expect to be repeated by rival Pakistan in the next few days, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has claimed that his South Asian nation will be the latest country to pursue technologies for developing a robotic army. Singh's remarks came during the inauguration of a new building for the Defence Research and Development Organization, and were part of a larger speech outlining the country's future plans for military research, where he also mentioned interest in developing next-gen propulsion, camouflage, and precision guided munitions systems. Unlike South Korea's planned army of killbots (pictured), the Indian program is pretty light on specifics so far, although we do know that the impetus for the project comes from the realization that "trans-national actors and unconventional forces" pose a growing threat when compared to the risk of a traditional inter-state conflict.[Via Robot Gossip]
