Yes, we know that you are addicted to Facebook Games. But when was the last time you came across a Pakistani game?

In today’s online world one cannot easily stick to a single online entity for more than a few minutes. Attention span has decreased to an extent where an individual ends up jumping from one article to another, from one website to another in a matter of few seconds. But there is one entertainment resource which makes a person utilize his large amount of time on one single entertainment channel.

Yes, we are referring to free online games on Facebook where people tend to spend large amount of time. This is where entertainment lies, this where innovation and creativity develops from and this is where money resides.

For those who still consider Facebook as a waste of time, they need to consider the statistics published by Facebook itself. The social networking site comprises of 50 million active users worldwide. Another 50 per cent of its active users log on to Facebook every day. On average one user has 130 friends and it was recorded that 700 billion minutes are spent on Facebook every month.

Above which more than one million developers and entrepreneurs from more than 180 countries, engage 70 per cent of Facebook users in Platform application. And this is where Pakistani startups and entrepreneurs decided to make their mark.

Many local emerging startups are making their way towards development of casual games and social games. The reason why this process is gaining momentum is because social games do not require large amount of investment, and neither years of hard work. Once a developer figures out what he wants to do, and how it should be done, then it is a game of few weeks. We have created a very small list of online games developed by Pakistani startups below.

Web Sketchers- and amazing young startup came in the scene with their first game Fly By.

Fly By is a 3D game, in which the player is in control of an air-craft, which has to dodge skyscrapers and hot air balloons, while flying through the city. Within a couple of weeks of launch the game acquired a user base of about 27700. (We will be meeting Umar Mustafa from Web Sketchers next week at CodeWeek. If you wish to ask him any questions feel free to drop a comment below).

Another game developed by TinTash is Pirate Jam.

Pirate Jam is another addictive game which makes you climb tiles by hovering the cursor around. The more tiles you jump the higher you go. But if you miss one you fall into complete nothingness and the game starts all over again. The springs, the rockets and the dodging tiles all circle around one amazing experience. The small yellow Pirate, who waits for the player to make the right decision, only moves when the player orders him to. Checkout the game on Facebook, as it will let you attain one amazing experience.

On Facebook games are free. And even Facebook had never planned to integrate games in their platform. But the year 2009 completely changed the way social gaming was looked upon, in turn changing the way social networks were used. This newly found category of online entertainment on social networks has not only changed the way people spend time online but have also affected businesses across media landscape. FarmVille was the game which changed the meaning of social gaming altogether.

Another unique game is Feline Frenzy

This game has been developed by White Rabbit (and Islamabad based startup). A game circling around an amazing and entertaining idea where the paradoxes combine. Where kittens are to be killed by throwing BOOTS at them. A combination of evil and cuteness is what it caters to. Who knew hitting cats with boots would end up being so much fun.

This was a very short list of games which have been developed in Pakistan by Pakistanis. There are other games that are still passing through the development phase and have not been properly released yet.

In many cases these games are only 20 per cent complete and remain under development phase during their launch time.  But are released to end users immediately. This instant release helps the developers in many ways. First, they are able to test their product in the wild. With large amount of comments and reviews entering the scene they get a clear idea whether they should throw more money in the product or not. Whether it is a brilliant idea, or an idea which should be trashed all together.

There are other Pakistani games which are still under development phase and one of these is  Zombie.

Zombie is a surprisingly enjoyable game. It has been developed by Emblem Technologies based in Lahore. In the game the player has to save his friends from deadly Zombies who run around to catch their prey. The more friends are saved the number of zombies also increases gradually. The game goes on and on until one of the Zombies catches and kills the player. Running around remains the only surviving option. The mouse allows rapid and easy movement inside the canvass.

The game has been an innovative outcome of Emblem technologies. The company is on its way towards releasing and developing more games in the near future.

The changing trends in online casual gaming have changed the way games were played before. If you notice, people belonging to every age group are addicted to these games. Did I say ‘addicted’. Yes addicted will be the most appropriate word. Because with the extent of time which people spend on Facebook games, it is actually amazing.

More than one million developers and entrepreneurs are attached with Facebook. This may be either for advertising their local business or their creative talent in form of casual games. And among them Pakistanis have definitely made their mark.

Interviewed by Ayesha Asghar

Mr. Tanveer Sharif, CEO Vopium, has been involved with Vopium from the very first day. He holds diplomas in Business Administration from Copenhagen Business School and ESC Rouen, France. With extensive experience in leading diverse teams of professionals in Software and Telecom industries, he comes from a CEO position in Venture Cup, an organization under McKinsey & Company. He has a long track record from the public sector where he worked as an advisor for Danish Parliamentarians as well as for different Danish ministries. Before that he worked in the IT field for Danish companies like, Soft Design and Columbus IT partner. He was also an elected member of Copenhagen County Council from 2002-2006, where he represented his party in the Social and Health Committees.

CodeWeek: Briefly tell us about your professional and personal life.

Tanveer: I was born in a Pakistani-Danish household and received most of my education in Denmark. After completing my degree from Copenhagen Business School, I worked for major IT organizations of Denmark, where I got a lot of experience and exposure. In 2000 I joined a Not-for Profit organization, where I was appointed CEO arm for Venture Cup. The main purpose of Venture Cup was to help entrepreneurs in their business start-up. The company helped them by raising funds and connecting the right mentors. This way we created almost 80 companies and raised 40 million dollars in venture capital for them.

CodeWeek: When and how, was Vopium started in Pakistan?

Tanveer: In 2003, along with two partners, I founded a company by the name of J-Mobiles. The main focus of this company was mobile software development and we were the first in mobile application development at that time in Pakistan. In 2004, Pakistan saw the boom in the Telecom Industry and from then onwards, many major Telecom companies started their services in Pakistan. People who worked for J-Mobiles, moved on to other major Telecom companies. In all humbleness I believe that we were pioneers in mobile development in Pakistan. In 2005 we decided to cease mobile software development for other companies and launch our own product, developing applications for ourselves.

Earlier, it was normal that immigrants living abroad used calling cards for making cheap calls back home. Another option was Skype. People wanted something cheap and easily accessible for staying in contact. Inspired by this realisation we decided to develop our own application, which could provide free and low cost calls all across the country; this was when the idea for Vopium actually emerge.

CodeWeek: Vopium over the years. Its Major business ventures?

Tanveer: In 2008 we managed to raise 2 million Euros from a European investor, after which we expanded in numbers i.e. from 5 to almost 70 employees. This allowed Vopium to expand and introduce our service to the whole of Europe as well as Australia and the US. Then with the global financial crisis, the company was feeling the financial crunch. But in 2010 everything settled down when we signed a major investment contract with Mr. Raghuvinder Kataria, one of the early investors in Bharti Airtel, the largest mobile operator in India and one of the largest in the world. Mr. Kataria became a shareholder in Vopium, investing about U$D 16 million, with Vopium being the first Pakistani company to receive so large an investment from an Indian Investor. This is the result of extensive talent, which we have in Pakistan.

CodeWeek: What were the Major challenges, Vopium faced in the beginning?

Tanveer: Pakistan does not issue license for VoIP operators, even the government is unable to notify a company like Vopium about the legal position in this. Thus, if one wishes to launch a service like Vopium in Pakistan, it is not possible. So very few in Pakistan are familiar with Vopium, but as you move away from Pakistan, you will discover that the company is recognized among major international IT analyst houses around the World. Some major names among these are Gartner Group, Ovum and Frost & Sullivan. Also, CNET, a major technology site, has recently picked Vopium as the best mobile voice application for Android phones.

The whole journey has been a real-time exam for us, when we started off we found many technical challenges. Every passing minute new operating systems were being introduced. Nokia was the dominating player alongside Sony Ericsson, then Apple launched the iPhone and Google entered with Android. Others like Samsung have come along with their own technology. And each operative system is based on different programming language. So we needed different expertise in order to handle different types of platforms or operating system if you like. Along with that we needed to add VoIP as well. It is a constant ongoing process we are all the time adding new features to our applications and to our service in general.

CodeWeek: With ever changing technology how do you keep your expertise up-to-date and always on the go?

Tanveer: We have organized an exchange program here. We encourage our team members to work in both our offices in Pakistan and our offices in Europe. This allows our employees the experience of working abroad. By working in a different country with new people, in an entirely different setup they gain extensive exposure. This is a new learning experience for them not just in their professional capacity but also culturally and personally. So by the time they return to Pakistan, they understand much better how to improve the product but also how we think and work as a company even thou we are located in several locations around the world. They bring back new ideas and develop them with their colleagues in Pakistan. Our management and development is one, we do not differentiate between the two sections, our employees whether they are in Pakistan or outside are equally important. It also gives our organization in Europe to work with Pakistani culture and this enhances the crosscultural understanding on both sides.

On the other hand, as I have said the mobile world in which we live moves extremely fast. Every phone has an apps store; you can review, download and write a feedback within minutes. The feedback there is immediate. We need to keep ourselves up-to-date every single second.

CodeWeek: Awards and Recognition

Tanveer:In 2008-2009 Danish IT board choose Vopium to represent Denmark at GSMA Mobile World Congress, Barcelona. This served as a great achievement as the event caters to a worldwide attendance of 50,000 people. In 2009 we won an award from Frost & Sullivan. And also in 2009, Telecom TV (www.telecomtv.com) choose Vopium as the best mobile application against Skype.

In 2010, CNET UK (www.cnet.com), one of the most informative sites for the tech savvy, choose Vopium as an Essential Android App under the best VoIP app category for Android phones.

CodeWeek: Vopium, three year from now?

Tanveer: VoIP technology will be the thing of the day. Vopium will be a part of this, but may continue in a new direction where we probably will become integrated with major mobile operators.

CodeWeek: Any Parting words

Tanveer: We have extremely talented people in Pakistan and we should be proud of what we have and who we are.  We need to promote our talent worldwide, but most importantly let us promote our talent among ourselves, helping each other achieving our goals.

The Torch

The Torch is something new for you to get excited about. If you were planning to buy a BlackBerry, then stop right there because next generation of BlackBerry Smartphone will definitely turn your heads round.

The new BlackBerry Torch 9800 has just entered the market and it certainly sets itself apart from the other BlackBerry devices. Though it will not be giving a tough competition to other Smartphones but will definitely keep its users in its folds.

6 OS, Touch Screen and a Sliding QWERTY.

The Torch is Research In Motion’s (RIM), first phone which comes with the new BlackBerry 6 operating system. It offers a 3.2-in., 480-by-360-resolution touch screen and is fairly clear and sharp. It also has a stylish sliding QWERTY (an easy-to-use BlackBerry keyboard) which makes it stand out in the world of Smartphones.

Web browser, Multimedia, Camera

It carries HTML 5 web browser and lets the user easily switch from one web page to another and allows fluid navigation. Many had complaints and issues with the browsers of the previous blackberry phones. But with Torch 9800 Smartphone things are extremely different. It also carries 5 megapixel camera which comes with a flash and autofocus with Video recording which is also an important feature.

To conclude, The Torch is extremely elegant and simple to understand. For all the businessmen who use Smartphones, The Torch is great news for them. It is light weight, practical and come with multimedia and apps. Though it will not be giving a tough competition to iPhone and Android phones, but will definitely keep Blackberry users inside its folds.

Specifications

Display: 3.2" 360 x 480 capacitive touch screen display
Camera: 5.0MP camera with flash, auto focus, image stabilization and geo-tagging
Memory: 512MB Flash memory, 4GB on‐board memory, microSD/SDHC memory card slot (4GB card included, cards up to 32GB supported)
OS: BlackBerry 6 OS with integrated search and new UI
GPS: Yes
WiFi: 802.11 b/g/n
Band/Modes: GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz; HSPDA/UMTS: 800/850/1900/2100 MHz
Dimensions: Approximately 4.4” x 2.4” x 0.57”
Battery: 1300 mAHr Lithium cell
Talk and Standby Time Talk time: Up to 5.5 hours Standby time: Up to 17 days standby

Price: Rs 68,990

The tutorial below will help the reader on how to Install Screenlets on Ubuntu.
Screenlets contains some helping tools for developers like Ruler etc.

Terminal based installations

• Go to Terminal Applications → Accessories → Terminal
• sudo su -
• Enter the password
• echo sudo apt-get install screenlets

Where it resides

Applications → Accessories → Screenlets

Tell us whether this simple and short tutorial was useful for you in the comments below.

HIGHLIGHTS

TOP 3 EMPLOYERS

1. LEADconcept     (10 Openings)

2. Markco Tech       (10 Openings)

3. Cubix Labs          (08 Openings)

TOP 3 CATEGORIES

1. PHP Development

2. .Net Development

3. Graphics Designing

AREA WISE RANKING

1. Lahore (51 Job Openings)

2. Islamabad     (31 Job Openings)

3. Karachi   (28 Job Openings)

JOBS BY AREA

JOBS BY EMPLOYER

JOBS BY TECHNOLOGY

TREND REPORT

Note: These figures/data have been extracted from Rozee.pk and specific company website.

Note: The data gathered is from online records starting from 30^th August to 05^th September 2010.

"It will be a specially bitter pill for staff to swallow as RBS has decided to move some of the jobs abroad to the far east, India and America," said Rob MacGregor, national officer at the union Unite. "Just three weeks ago, staff was boosted to hear of the £1.1bn half-year profit, yet today thousands of them are told that they have no future at the bank.

"The scale of the cuts announced today beggars belief and staff across the country today will be left reeling from this news. We continue to see a financial services sector which thinks the skills and expertise of its staff is a disposable asset with scant regard for the high level of services this very same staff provided to their customers."

But a spokesperson for RBS said: "Having to cut jobs is the most difficult part of our work to rebuild RBS and repay taxpayers for their support.

"We continue to make efficiencies across our business and adjust our plans in line with the divestments we have been required to make by the EU. We will do all we can to support our staff, offer redeployment opportunities wherever possible and keep compulsory redundancies to an absolute minimum."

The bank reported that axe will fall on the back offices, technology and property operations only. It was also reported that twelve UK centers are being closed and further three centers are under review.

Week 1- 16^th August to 22^nd August 2010.

Week 2- 23^rd August to 29^th August 2010.

During the previous two weeks again we saw a slight change in numbers. Our easy to understand graphical representation will provide you with a quick glimpse of the significant differences between the two previous weeks.

The jobs available in three major cities of Pakistan i.e. Lahore, Karachi Islamabad  took the lead by 76 job openings and rocked the world of IT with the highest number of job openings, Lahore followed by 73 and Karachi followed by 63, where these two cities did not show any major change in numbers.

Week 2

JOBS BY EMPLOYER

Week 1- 16^th August to 22^nd August 2010.

Week 2- 23^rd August to 29^th August 2010.

Nextbridge among the employers reached the top of the charts the previous week. While Logicose 20 and MicroSol Technologies Pvt Ltd remained on 12.

Week 1

Jobs by Technology

Week 1- 16^th August to 22^nd August 2010.

Week 2- 23^rd August to 29^th August 2010.

Similar to all the other weeks, demand for PHP resources remained high. Earlier the demand reached above 90 but dropped down to as low as 47 during the recent week. While demand for other designations dwindled slightly.

Week 1

Jobs by Technology

Week 2

Jobs by Technology

Tell us how we can make this section even better than before. Write to us if you find anything that bewilders you, because from this week onwards we will be right here.

This weeks tutorial will help you in Installing and configuring FTP on Ubuntu

Terminal based installations

• Go to Terminal Applications → Accessories → Terminal
• sudo su -
• Enter the password
• echo sudo apt-get install gftp

Where it resides

Applications → Internet → gFtp

Gftp is very easy to use just like CuteFtp. You can bookmarks all your Ftp sites. But for using Secure Ftp you need the the following setting as mentioned in the below image.

SFTP Configuration

Market with a Tagline- It Works Like Magic?

Did you ever notice why everyone prefers Hotmail over yahoo or Google or any other emailing services? No, you never thought about it. What is so cool about hotmail that everyone goes crazy and wants an account on it?  The real magic lies in the Tagline, “Hotmail: Free, trusted and rich email service. Get it now.”

‘Free’, ‘trusted’ and ‘rich’. A perfect combination of three words which pulls the reader in and unconsciously makes him do as it orders ‘Get it now’. Hotmail was launched in 1996, and back then it grew rapidly. It was one of the very first webmail providers with killer marketing idea. This idea was none other than the tagline itself. No extra finances required on marketing, whenever an email was sent the tagline automatically informed the people that they were receiving it from a ‘Free’, ‘trusted’ and ‘rich’ webmail service, and the action which followed was ‘Get it now’.

But on the other hand, not everyone wanted to advertise hotmail. There were people in businesses who abandoned the free webmail service due to the tagline which went everywhere with every message.

Market through a College Project- Where Intel and Sony Combine

Sony, a huge brand, needs absolutely no introduction. But at the same time, it requires giant marketing strategies for its every product. Because its competition is with giants like itself. And in order to target a certain age group, the marketing strategies should be relevant. Because this is called innovation in marketing. With the growing number of tech companies introducing their products in the market every day, it becomes definitely difficult and challenging for every product available, to prove that yes, it is the best. But Sony did it again.

It was in April that they created ‘the Rocket Project’. Eight young students were chosen and provided with Sony VAIO CW series laptops to design and build a high power rocket. They created a Rocket which was about 25 feet tall and weighed over 500 pounds. It was made capable of reaching the stratosphere. The project showcased the amazing capability of both the Intel chip and the Sony VAIO laptop. Recently, the rocket was successfully launched in the air (after a slight delay of few weeks).

The students gained an amazing learning experience and are now termed as rocket scientists. Today, it is believed, that Sony VAIO has more computing power than the first rocket to reach the moon. The marketing strategy which was taken up by Sony and Intel has had an amazing outcome where many students are ran off to buy Sony VAIO, in a hope that one day they might also built something as amazing as a rocket.

Each and every part of the project was recorded. Videos of the project on various blogs and websites showcased an amazing outcome. These videos are a proof f their success and are used to market and advertise both the Intel chip and the Sony VAIO CW series laptops. When we talk about videos the marketing strategy applied by Sony here was also used by the company in advertising for Sony Bravia (which we covered recently).

The Sony Balls Bouncing Down The Road.

The bloggers and other such enthusiasts made videos of the advert in which Sony used 25,000 colorful bouncing balls jumping down the streets of San Francisco. The videos were than rapidly shared on the internet and Bravia received remarkable advertisement.

The bloggers were given mini Bravia TV in return, so that they can film it contentedly and place the video on their blogs. Samsung LCD TV was ranking top on the web right before Sony advert was launched. But allowing social media bloggers on the set, allowing them to film it and allowing them to upload the advert in any downloadable format, Sony‘s ball did win the race. That is when Sony claimed the top ranking on every search bar with its Bravia advert. And Samsung died a sudden death on the search bar.

Amazingly, each appointed an entirely different approach, but at the end of the day they were amazingly successful in their way of marketing.

Hotmail with its tagline, Intel and Sony targeted a certain age group through The Rocket Science Project and Sony Bravia went viral through bloggers. Because these are the times when you need to know who exactly you wish to target and which would be the most effective way to reach out to your audience.

“The underdog Danish voice over IP (VoIP) company, Vopium, has received a large cash injection from a prominent Indian telecommunications investor and has declared it is gunning for Skype in a bid to compete with the frontrunning VoIP provider. (Guardian)”

While reading the news on guardian, one is left with awe and wonder on the advancement that is taking all around. But as one continues reading the news piece, the very last paragraph informs that the Danish company actually belongs to a Pakistani named Tanveer Sharif. Who like many others, has had an incredible contribution towards generating employment and innovation in his homeland.

“King of VoIP world” (Skype) is now in competition with Vopium (a Pakistani company ready to take its share of worldwide VoIP market). Allowing its users to make cheap and affordable international calls, Vopium is determined to win its place in the market. The company is here to stay.

Vopium was founded in 2006 by Pakistani entrepreneur Tanveer Sharif. Next week, we will bring to you an exclusive interview with him, where he will tell the readers how Vopium came into being. In the interview he will also highlight how the company is allowing its employees to gain exposure by permitting them to work in the international market.

Its co-founders include Imran Sadiq and Brian Sussemiehl who had previous experience with development of mobile applications. While living in DenmarkIt was initially founded to allow cheap calling rates to Pakistan, India and Bangladesh but launched throughout the world last year. But at reported growth of 30% every month, this Pakistani could well be on track to become a real challenge to Skype's hegemony.

Advancing rapidly, Vopium recently received a large sum of investment from telecom investor Raghuvinder Kataria, one of the early backers of what is now Bharti Airtel (one of the world’s largest telecommunication service providers).

"We believe that the market demands an alternative mobile solution to Skype and the fast market penetration of smartphones opens up new and more intelligent ways of communication."

“Vopium has developed its own new market. The ground-breaking technology will reach millions of users all over the world in the next few years. Our expectations are reflected by the significant amount of money that we have invested in the company and we expect 10 million Vopium users in a few years.” Quotes Raghuvinder Kataria

Being a transparent application, it allows its users to make choices between whether they want to use it while dialing an international numbers or not. Once the application is downloaded on a mobile, it allows free communication via VoIP and Wi-Fi. The application also offers IM support for Android, Blackberry, Windows Mobile and Apple devices, including the iPhone and iPod touch. This free to download  application allows its users to make cheap international calls, SMS, Wi-Fi calls over 900 handsets including the Java, Symbian and Windows Mobile platforms.

VoIP is currently a dire need of the IT/ICT Industry of Pakistan. VoIP deregulation is currently one of the most important issues at hand. The internet provides free calls, but this is only free if you are using Skype and calling from one computer to another. And above all there are other VoIP systems also available but even these do not allow phone calls to be made on other VoIP services. They require Wi-Fi connections, from which once you wonder away, you just wonder far away.