U.S. Elections - Lessons to be learnt for the Pakistani society

Before I start, let me make it very clear that I have no interest in United States of America, I've never been there and have no such future plans either. If this had happened in some other well-known country, I would had taken that as an example. Secondly, this is not a political write-up rather it is only about the ethics and behavior of a society.

U.S. elections are now over and Mr. Barack Obama has been re-elected as the President of the United States for the second term. There was a massive election campaign by the Republicans and the Democrats and there was a close finish between the opponents on the election day. During the campaigning we saw large public gatherings of the supporters of both the parties on several occasions but not even a single incident of riots, violence or injuries was reported. The candidates were seen in intense head-on debates but none of them lost their nerves on a single occasion and hence those debates ended with a positive and fruitful manner.

Again, on the election day the polling started peacefully throughout the country and no polling station was declared dangerous or any additional security deployment was seen. And again not a single violent event was reported. Instead, Obama was seen on media calling his opponent Mitt Romney to wish him 'good luck'. The polling suspended as planned, votes counting process was initiated and eventually the results were announced. No claims of rigging were made by the losing side (just a system malfunction was reported in one case). Instead, the losing opponent Mitt Romney accepted his defeat gracefully and passed on good wishes to Barack Obama for the next tenure. In return, the winning candidate promised to work together for the betterment of the nation.

We witnessed a flawless, smooth, peaceful and well organized elections in the U.S. while Pakistan has a history of violent and deadly elections on the other hand. The candidates can't even face each other face to face, passing good wishes is something out of this world. Bogus voting gets reported at several polling stations and not even a single losing candidate spare himself from the claim of rigging. Many polling stations become warzones and several injuries and deaths are reported in crossfire. In some cases in the past candidates were also shot dead or injured.

 

Keeping the ferocious history of elections in Pakistan, I do not foresee a dissimilar case in the upcoming elections. Specially when all the negative symptoms are evident around us. Law and order situation is at its worst. Ethnic and sectarian killings are on the rise. People killing each other for reasons they are not even aware of. Street crimes have become a norm these days. In a nutshell, morality is at failure in our society.

 

In my opinion, this is not a matter of politics. This is a matter of the level of tolerance and ethics exist in a society, which our society clearly lacks at the moment. We can't tolerate a simple difference of opinion whether it is a political, religious, sectarian or ethnic ground. This is not learnt overnight, instead, it takes ages for a society to learn and change.

 

But I wish all my predictions go wrong and we experience a dramatic change in the conduct of our society. I wish we see a nonviolent, peaceful and corruption-free election. When all the candidates, voters and supporters show positive energy towards each other and together as a nation we form a countrywide harmony to make a better Pakistan. I hope one day we will set an example of tolerance, acceptability and peace.

Pakistan Zindabad!  

    

Windows 8 in my opinion

Microsoft is set to release Windows 8 on October 26th. This new windows is a major re-design of the operating system since Windows 95. As I write this article, just few hours are left in the official launch of Windows 8. I speculated Microsoft's win amongst the other tech giants Apple and Google in a post earlier this year in April. Time has come for Microsoft to show some real game or become a loser in this battle and fade away. I think Microsoft is ready for a long term play.

 

Windows 8 will likely be the software that determines Microsoft’s success over the next few years. I have the privilege to experience Windows 8 Pro before its official release as part of its availability for the Microsoft Software Assurance customers. I did test the Windows 8 Developer Preview version and Window 8 Consumer Preview version as and when they were released.

 

The new Start screen looks completely different than the traditional Desktop, although the interface still exists on just a click. And that's the beauty that will take Microsoft a long way. A whole new UI experience that connects Microsoft users to the tablet and smartphone world while keeping the confidence of prior windows user experience. At least for me it was the biggest motivation factor to upgrade to Windows 8 from Windows 7, specially after having the assurance that applications working on Windows 7 will work fine on Windows 8. By the way, I'm also running applications designed for Windows XP with the compatibility mode feature.

 

Coming back to the Start screen, it is entirely chrome-less, even the standard taskbar items like battery indicator, clock and network indicator are hidden until you click or touch the settings button. As a part of fact, Windows 8 is designed for the connected user experience. In the past, the role of the operating system was to save a file created by an application into a folder and opening that file later on. The only source of connecting to the internet was a browser.

 

Microsoft revamped that old user experience. On the new Start screen,  apps now have live tiles that serve the updated information and give a connected experience instead of dead app icons as on other platforms like Android and iOS where the icon just represents that the app is installed.  For instance, the People app in Windows 8 connects with the social networks and provides the user latest activities, notifications and photos. The News app keeps the user informed with the latest headlines. The Metro UI lets the user arrange two windows at once, so you never miss an important email while watching a movie or browsing the internet.

 

The Windows Store is another Microsoft step that will provide its consumer to install and run apps on laptops, tablets and smartphones at the same time. Again, this is an edge that Microsoft has over its rivals who are yet to provide cross-platform apps as Google still finding it hard to run the apps on tablets that are designed for smartphones.  

 

The corporate world is also seeking a pc-tablet combination that can handle their business and mobility needs, only Windows 8 tends to meet these requirements in the form of a full-fledged operating system. As far as the hardware is concerned, I suppose that the traditional PCs and Laptops will phase out and the convertibles and hybrids will take the place of business computers eventually.

 

I still predict that Microsoft will get over its past experience in the mobile and tablet market if they follow a sensible and long-term plan. Let's see what happens in the days to come.

 

Wishing Microsoft a happy October 26.

 

Google Nexus 7 tablet details leaked, competition ahead for iPad and Microsoft Surface

According to Gizmodo Australia, an allegedly leaked training document revealed Google’s new tablet. Nexus 7, as it is named, will feature a 7-inch screen, 12-core GPU, and built-in near-field communication (NFC) technology for mobile payments using Google Wallet. It will include a 1.2-megapixel front camera for chat applications, and a battery capable of powering the device for 9 hours.

Google will offer a model with 8GB of local storage for $199, and a 16GB model will run $249. These prices are similar to Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet hence it can become a trouble for Amazon. Nexus 7 will also give a tough competition to Apple’s widely famous iPad that starts at $499. The tablet will also be a clear threat for Microsoft’s upcoming tablet Surface, pricing for Surface is yet to be announced but it is expected to cost around $600.

The document says that the Nexus 7 will run Jelly Bean, the new version of Android. Asus will build the tablet and Google will promote and sell it. The tablet may hit the streets in July.

Google's I/O conference is set to start on Wednesday of this week, so expect to hear more about the new Nexus 7 tablet in days to come.

Microsoft ‘Surface’ tablet is coming soon

Microsoft on Monday introduced ‘Surface’, a tablet computer that runs Microsoft's upcoming operation system known as Windows 8. Initiating a strategic shift as the company has completely overhauled Windows to compete with its rival Apple and the tablet is the first computing device directly produced and sold by Microsoft.

The first version of the Microsoft Surface tablet is built on microchips designed by ARM, microchips generally used by other smartphones and tablets. This Microsoft Surface version comes in 32GB and 64GB memory sizes and will be available in the market with the general release of windows 8.

Another, heavier version of Microsoft Surface tablet will be built on traditional Intel microchips and will be running a fuller version of windows 8 operating system. This Microsoft Surface version will come in 64GB and 128GB models and will be available about three months after the ARM version, the company has said.

The tablet has almost every standard tablet feature including a 10.6 inch HD display touchscreen and front and rear cameras. However, Microsoft Surface has some other must mention features. A pressure sensitive device cover that flips down to become a full keyboard and an integrated kickstand.

The company did not give specific details about pricing but said they would be comparable with the other tablets available in the market.

With the release of Surface, Microsoft will put itself directly in competition with its hardware partners such as Samsung and HP. However, the company has said that it will not be the exclusive manufacturer of Windows tablets.

Microsoft Windows is running on 90% of the world’s computers and devices. The company has reinvented the operating system with a touch-friendly interface called ‘Metro’. Revamping such a successful model is usually not a good idea but time needs change.

Apple’s iPad has been taking away windows customers for two years now. PC sales have been dropped to a flat line. Consumers look for more portable and simpler devices.

Microsoft has been into the hardware business for 30 years, mainly producing keyboards and mice. But after overcoming the problems and investing billons, Xbox game console became Microsoft ‘s first successful manufacturing venture.

Microsoft’s Zune music player was also not a success and was taken off the market soon after launch. RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook is another example of failure.

Microsoft is not the only company trying to follow Apple’s strategy, Google is also expanding to become a smartphone maker.

For further details about Microsoft Surface, please visit www.surface.com

Google expands 'cloud-computing', offers Google Drive

Google has expanded its cloud computing services with the rollout of Google Drive. Initially the service offers 5 GB of free space with an upgrade option of 25 GB for a monthly charge of around 2.5 USD.

The product is ready for PC, Mac and Android users with a ‘coming soon’ message for iPhone and iPad on the product’s homepage. With the introduction of the service of cloud storage, Google has entered in a competition with Microsoft, Apple and some other famous services like Box and Dropbox.  

Google Drive allows users to store documents and files on the cloud, making it easier to share with other users as well as devices like PCs, laptops, phones and tablets. Google already provides the facility to store emails and other documents.

The product’s homepage reads, “Google Drive is everywhere you are—on the web, in your home, at the office and on the go. So wherever you are, your stuff is just...there. Ready to go, ready to share. Get started with 5 GB free.”

Cloud storage is rapidly becoming popular among people, specially those who work on multiple devices and platforms. Google aims to make storage on physical hard drives less worthy. “Things happen. Your phone goes for a swim. Your laptop takes an infinite snooze. No matter what happens to your devices, your files are safely stored in Google Drive”. Google says.

Sharing has also become hassle free with Google Drive. Instead of bulky email attachments on Gmail or upload a photo album on Google+, users can easily provide a link from their Google Drive to fulfill the requirement.

Search is also a powerful feature of Google Drive. Helps users to get their files quicker. The feature can also recognize objects in images and text in scanned documents.

Google Drive supports 30 file types that can be searched and viewed directly into the browser including high definition videos and Photoshop documents, even if the program is not installed on the user’s device.

With Google Drive, users can create documents, spreadsheets and presentations instantly, enabling users to view, edit, share and collaborate together and at the same time.

On the other hand, Microsoft has recently launched SkyDrive app for PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad and Windows Phone. Facilitating users to keep their important files on their device in sync with SkyDrive. Providing 25GB of cloud space as a free upgrade.

Let’s hope that Google finds its place in the already saturated market of cloud storage filled with Microsoft’s SkyDrive, Apple’s iCloud and Dropbox being the leader in cloud storage service.

Some technology critics are considering Google as late in the cloud storage market while others say that Google will still make an impact.

Integration with Google Apps will attract existing Google Account holders (Individuals and companies) to use Google Drive instead of some other storage service as they are already using Google Apps and other services like Gmail and now they have cloud-based storage solution to satisfy their needs.