by admin | May 25, 2021 | Markets, Muslim World, Networking, Technology
Riyadh : A new smartphone application for citizens to provide feedback on government services will be launched in early 2018.
Hussam Al-Madani, acting director general of the National Center for the Measurement of the Performance of Public Agencies (CMPPA), revealed the launch of the app, Makkah newspaper reported.
The app will help measure the performance of public and semi-official agencies and convey public complaints and suggestions directly to relevant officials, as well as follow up the messages received by different authorities. The center would act based on the result of the measurements of these authorities. Al-Madani said the CMPPA is designing an electronic platform for international performance to follow the capability of Saudi Arabia compared to more than 200 other countries.
The platform would give an overview of the performance of Saudi Arabia based on more than 250 international measurement indices, through 12 measurement axes, and would also represent a reference for international classifications. The aim was to achieve comprehensive stability in a positive way, and help decision-makers come to the right choices based on performance reports.
—OIC-UNA
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Markets, News, Politics, Technology
By Imran Khan,
Patna : In a unique initiative, Gender Alliance Bihar, a collective effort of over 270 civil society organisations backed by the UN Population Fund, has come up with a mobile application to fight the rampant social evil of child marriage in the state.
Launched by Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, the “Bandhan Tod” app will try to create awareness on resisting child marriage and will also provide round-the-clock help to adolescent girls saying no to the practice in the form of an SOS button.
The Gender Alliance is an initiative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and was started to bring together civil societies, activists, academicians, researchers, media, and others on a common platform to advocate gender equality.
“Use of latest technology like a mobile app is probably the first of its kind in the country to fight child marriage,” Nadeem Noor, head of UNFPA in Bihar, told IANS.
He said the app offers innovative features that will give girls the confidence to stand up against marriage before they are 18, the legal marriagable age for girls in India, adding its unveiling ahead of the formal launch of the statewide campaign against child marriage by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday (October 2) was a positive development.
“If the state government includes the app in its campaign, it will help us popularise it down to the village level with the wide network of thousands of women self-help groups active in rural Bihar,” he said.
Bandhan Tod is part of Gender Alliance’s strategy to support the state government’s efforts to end child marriage and dowry.
“It is a rare effort of civil society, and the first of its kind in Bihar, to support the state government’s commitment to end child marriage and dowry,” Gender Alliance convener Swapan Mazumdar said.
The app was also lauded by N. Vijayalakshmi, Managing Director, Women Development Corporation.
It will be available on Google Play store and anyone can register on it with their details — name, age, block, district and mobile number. Mobikwik, a digital payment gateway, will provide incentive to users who download it.
If the SOS button is pressed, the registered mobile number and other details of the user will be sent to the Gender Alliance monitoring cell and civil society organisations, who will contact the user to get details and then alert the local authorities for action.
Given the socio-economic and cultural context within which child marriage takes place, the campaign will aim to directly and indirectly reach out to girls at the village and panchayat levels in all the blocks and districts of Bihar through technology.
Gender Alliance stressed on the dire need and urgency to match this commitment with coordinated strategies, action and resources to end child marriages as well as early marriages in Bihar.
It has also extended support of the hundreds of civil society organisations, that are part of the initiative, to the state government in its fight against child marriage.
“Bandhan Tod mobile app will complement the Bihar government’s campaign against child marriage,” said Prashanti Tiwary, Manager of Gender Alliance.
Since its inception last year, Gender Alliance has focused its work on gender equity. Keeping this in consideration, it has also identified child marriage as one of the four priority issues as it is not only a violation of human rights, but a grave threat to the lives, health and development of girls.
Child marriage is rampant in Bihar, particularly in rural areas, despite laws against it. It is a big social problem among Dalits, OBCs and Muslims due to lower literacy rates and other factors, including poverty.
Till a few years ago, Bihar accounted for 69 per cent of child marriages of total marriages. But the latest National Family Health Survey-4 revealed that the figure has declined in Bihar in the last 10 years due to increase of education among girls.
Gender Alliance will soon come out with a ground reality report on the adolescent girls’ social, education and health status in every block and district.
“This in-depth report is likely to provide ready-made data for the government to use for different scheme implementations to achieve its goals in a time-bound manner,” Mazumdar said.
Gender Alliance has announced the Bandhan Tod award for journalism for mainstreaming gender in media and awarded adolescent girls with Bandhan Tod champion title to recognise their brave role in the fight against child marriage.
(Imran Khan can be contacted at imran.k@ians.in)
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Branding, Business, Large Enterprise, Marketing Basics, Markets, Social Media, Technology
By Sourabh Kulesh,
New Delhi : If you are an adventure enthusiast or an avid biker, want to shoot your experience and post videos on social media platforms seamlessly, here comes “GoPro Hero 5 Black” that has 4K video and voice control capabilities.
As Indian travellers look for handy cameras with high-end features, US-based GoPro has developed a video-editing mobile app called “QuickStories” that makes it easy for users to share special moments on platforms like Instagram and Facebook in a jiffy.
Let’s see what works for the Rs 31,000 device.
The GoPro Hero 5 Black (2.4 x 1.7 x 1 inch and weighing 118 grams) is a rectangular camera similar to its predecessors but has a curved-edged design with semi-rubberised body which makes it easy to hold.
To test the claim that the device is waterproof (up to 10 metres), we took it to a neighbourhood swimming pool with 12-feet depth and found that water had no impact on either the video or sound quality.
It shot 4K videos at 30 fps and clicked sharp photos with the “Electronic Image Stabilisation” (EIS) feature.
Hero 5 Black allows touchscreen to be used for commands. The physical shutter and mode buttons are still there but other tasks can be done with the 2-inch touchscreen like smartphones.
Swipe to the right to see gallery and left to toggle additional settings such as video stabilisation. You can use a smartphone to see in real-time what the camera is capturing.
Need to switch on or off the camera? Say “GoPro turn on or off” and the voice control feature will do the job for you. The feature works in noisy environments as well.
We got a backup of almost three hours while shooting videos. The dual microphones with noise-cancellation technology captured sound flawlessly.
The internals of the device are well-guarded, tightly sealed and the camera can help you share videos without being taken to the edit table thanks to QuickStories that makes Hero 5 Black a unique device.
With QuickStories, the hassles of getting right-quality videos that can be shared online are over.
Pair the camera with your smartphone and launch the GoPro app. Now let the app automatically copy recent GoPro raw footage to the smartphone and create a video of whatever length you want to share on social media.
We shot a night scene with the camera on “gimbal” for GoPro — a device that keeps GoPro stable and eliminates jerks, vibrations and noise in the video.
When we connected the camera to the phone, we were told to update the software. After installing the update and the QuickStories app, the app began copying the footage on the phone.
We then selected the clip time and added text and music and the video was ready to share. QuickStories generates polished videos that can be customised with music, filters and effects.
Further, the video created on your smartphone integrates with popular social networks so there is no need to rework the format of the clip.
What doesn’t work?
Hero GoPro 5 Black will render all accessories you had from its predecessors useless. You cannot use any attachments with this device.
We also experienced noticeable lag between taking photos and videos. The touchscreen responsiveness was poor.
Conclusion: It is safe to say that GoPro is undoubtedly a device for adrenaline junkies and travel bugs. With QuickStories, the ease of sharing your moments was never so easy.
(Sourabh Kulesh can be contacted at sourabh.k@ians.in)
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Markets, Muslim World, Technology
Jeddah : A unique smartphone “Hajj App” for use during the season of annual pilgrimage of Hajj was launched on Wednesday.
The free app was launched by the Saudi English newspaper Arab News in partnership with Muslim World League (MWL).
The app to download on iOS and Android devices via the App Store and Google Play has a raft of useful features for use by both pilgrims and their loved ones’ back home.
The “Hajj App” is sponsored and officially endorsed by the MWL, as part of its global outreach efforts to reinforce the organisation’s position as an umbrella body that serves all Muslims.
The app features numerous functions for use during the Hajj season, including the latest news updates from Arab News and a live broadcast service. It also provides important safety features such as an emergency call number and list of all embassies and important service providers during Hajj.
Additionally, the app has an optional “Pilgrim tracker” function, which enables users to switch on to share their location and follow loved ones in real time, around the clock. This means you can keep an eye on your family and friends wherever you are.
The launch of the service comes as part of the digital transformation of Arab News and falls within the title’s efforts as a leading Saudi Arabia-based English-language daily to provide comprehensive coverage of the Hajj pilgrimage.
Commenting on the launch, Faisal J. Abbas, Editor-in-Chief of Arab News, said the app would complement the newspaper’s renowned Hajj news coverage and thanked MWL for its support. “This Arab News/Muslim World League cooperation is an ideal and practical example of a media outlet working with a non-governmental organisation for the public good,” he said.
“Launching this app is part of Arab News’ digital transformation, and provides readers, and English-speaking pilgrims added value and a very useful service,” added Abbas.
For its part, The MWL praised the newspaper’s initiative and said it presents a positive model of putting technology to good use.
“We are happy to partner with Arab News in launching this app, which aims to serve pilgrims digitally by providing them with all the information and contact details they need, in addition to the pilgrim geographical tracker serve,” MWL said in a statement.
“We also would like to utilize this opportunity to praise Arab News for its editorial efforts, mainly that it has always been known for its unique and informative annual Hajj coverage.”
Arab News is part of the regional publishing giant Saudi Research and Marketing Group (SRMG). It has been the English newspaper of record for Saudi Arabia and the region for over 40 years.
—SM/IINA
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Entrepreneurship, Markets, Startup Basics, Success Stories, Technology
Zishaan Hayath
Mumbai : Online education start-up Toppr on Tuesday Monday extended its app’s availability to iOS users, in addition to the existing web and android platforms.
The online learning platform also revamped its website to enhance accessibility and features.
“While iOS users can now use the platform anytime, anywhere and on any device, the revamped website will further eliminate the gaps of classroom learning,” said Zishaan Hayath, CEO and Co-founder, Toppr, in a statement.
The app, which is now available for iPhone and iPad users, includes video lectures, practice tests and provides means to clarify doubts on chat.
—IANS
