Looking for audio and video equipment in Pakistan for video recording

In recent months i was involved with home studio setup and usage. It is a complete subject itself to understand the lighting, audio techniques along with the editing of recorded videos. There is very helpful content out there in video and text form for every one who is struggling to set up recording for VLogs, training content etc. Once you have concepts, understanding for all these areas then next phase is to get the equipment like camera (if you are looking other option than your cell phone), microphones, lights, lighting accessories, backgrounds, noise reduction coating etc.
To my surprise these accessories and equipment was not easily available even in Hafeez Centre Lahore and Hall Road market Lahore. Even not a good variety was available at online sale portals like Daraz. Importing these items is not suitable due to custom duty and related complications.
After discussion with some people in market i came to know about couple of suppliers with good variety of audio, video and lighting equipment with associated accessories.
You can also take a look at products on following link and also order there

• Hashmi Photos Karachi
• ION Karachi

Freshers first job guide

Getting a good job is like a dream come true for every graduate. Working with corporate, technology and starting to earn your own is a fantastic feeling that may keep you in trance even for weeks and months. It is ok and normal however there are some aspects that if you keep in mind would be very helpful in coming time.

Changing your daily routine and starting working for hours demands some planning and personal management. If you ignore these aspects then there is high risk that sooner or later different challenges will break your health, mind and career may end in very beginning by quitting the job.

Following is a very brief description of expected challenges and some tips to keep the things smooth.

Access

Access to working place is the first thing that you need to manage and keep as much convenient as you can. With a full demanding day ahead it would be a very bad idea to consume a portion of energy in effort to reach office. Spent more amount on traveling mode if it required and save energy for tasks at job.

Working environment

Offices try to provide best facilities to employees however there are some steps at your end to ensure the healthy and comfortable working environment.

• Check your desk and chair. Coordinate with administration at early if you see any issue and get those change. Or at least convey your concern if it cannot be addressed at the spot.
• Take an idea about your requirement for snack and water. Many people experience hunger while working continuously at desk. Avoid juices but make sure availability of plenty of water. Personal water bottle is a good idea for it.
• Sitting and sitting for a long time will consume you much faster than you think. Do not ever sit continuously for more than 2 hours and try to take a walk to any other fellow desk every one hour.
• Try to adopt the dress culture prevailed in office so that you do not have to diverge your mind while comparing your attire with others and justifying it to yourself. 
• Make friends and try to limit the domain to light topics of interest rather than family discussions and monitory transactions. These may complicate your office life.

Work and efficiency

Now let us come to the core point that is work and efficiency for which you are hired. I have a very good tip on it that will save you from complicated thinking. 

• Try to share work load of your manager/boss/immediate reporter whoever is giving tasks to you. Trying to take over his tasks will release his pain and also will provide you a measurable metrics of performance. 

Above was a primary strategy. Along with that it would be very helpful to grow if you can follow couple of other points

• Make sure that you are clear about the task that your are assigned and going to start.
• Do not hesitate to learn from senior. Believe me he will be very happy to guide you (exceptions are expected).
• If you have time then do some research for any task you are going to do. Or at least note it for later research.
• Get business domain knowledge for tasks that you are on. Business domain knowledge may be very important and crucial in some roles and less in others but it is not a thing to just ignore.
• Keep in touch with reporting manager for his/her views about your performance and shortcomings. Do not wait for annual reviews but make this thing regular.

Remember integrity and sense of responsibility are traits that you need to build for success always as a professional.

Review of Sony Ericson Xperia Ray (ST18i)

Xperia Ray is my first Andriod phone. I found it wonderful in terms of design, display and performance. Its specs are not much lofty however comparing price and performance it is a good choice. General specs are 3.3 inch screen, 8 MP camera, Andriod updatable to 4.0.4 ICS. It has good audio quality and due to relatively small screen size battery time is quite good. Internal memory is 1GB (not all available to user) with about 512 MB RAM. However you may experience lack of CPU cycles as it is 1 GHz and not able to handle very heavy applications/games. I am satisfied with its performance and enjoying its use.

Nokia E63 asking for lock code after firmware update

In my last post i discussed couple of considerations while updating the Nokia E63 firmware. If you have executed the update process through Nokia PC suite, then you may be asked about lock code after the update process. The situation would get worst if you ever changed the default phone code and then abandoned its use.

What to do

• First of all, try the default code that is 12345. If it does not work then go for following option
• Dial 112 for emergency call, code prompt would leave the screen. But this is not solid solution. Code prompt would be there after every restart of phone.
• Now install Nokia OVI Suite and re-update the firmware to same version or next available one.

Update through OVI suite would prevent the prompt of old abandoned lock code. 

Update Nokia E63 Software / firmware

Nokia E63 was launched in 2009. With querty keypad, good display and stable software it is considered one the good selling product of E series. To get the firmware version of your Nokia phone dial *#0000#*. Currently firmware version 510.21.010 is available for update.

What is new in new version
Documentation for new features is not available however after the update i have noticed the improved Nokia Email. And may be a little better battery performance.

Important points for update

There are couple of points that may save you from post update hassle.

• Backup all your data. Updating the firmware would erase all the data from phone and memory card. It also includes SMS, address book, notes etc. 
• Use OVI suit instead of Nokia PC suite. 

Update with PC suit may lead you to a situation where you would be asked for a previous phone code. It is the code that you set last time as phone code, then disabled the code check and forgot it. Update may be around 100 MB.   

Post Update

Cell phone is restarted at the end of a successful update. Now restore your data backup and preferences.

If Already dumped
If you are here after update through Nokia PC suite and being prompted for a forgotten lock code then click here to read about the way out.

A great Quraanic project, Tanzil

Tanzil is a Quranic project launched in early 2007 to produce a highly verified Unicode Quran text to be used in Quranic websites and applications. Mission of this project is to provide accurate Unicode text of holy Quraan for onward use on web.

Along with this mission they have provided excellent interface for browsing, searching, translating and listening of holy Quraan.

It is a much appreciable effort and we should utilize it and join hands with this team to serve this noble cause. Just click here to visit the project website.

How to remove caller tunes from Jaz, Zong, Telener, UFone or Warid numbers

Cell phones are commonly used in Pakistan by all age groups. Most of people are very well versed by new and changed packages and facilities provided by their service providers. Telecom service providers have introduced a functionality known as caller tunes. People set these so that all of their callers may hear the music or Naat while waiting the call to be attended.
I have noticed that some people complain that caller tune is activated automatically and how to remove it now?
So here is how to remove caller tunes

• For Zong           SMS UNR to 230
• For Telenor        SMS OFF to 230
• For Jazz             SMS UNSUB to 230
• For UFone         SMS UNSUB to 666
• For Warid           SMS RBT OFF to 7171

Note: I have not personaly verified the above procedures. If any thing requires correction then please mention it.

Where your cell phone got assembled

To get know that where your cell phone was assembled, here is a simple way.
Press *#06# on your mobile  and the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number appears check the 7th and 8th digits.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7th 8th 9 0 11 12 13 14 15

IF the 7th & 8th digits are

• 02 or 20 that mean it was Assembled in Emirates
• 08 or 80 that mean it' s manufactured in Germany
• 01 or 10 that mean it' s manufactured in Finland
• 00 that mean it was manufactured in original factory
• 13 that mean it was Assembled in Azerbaijan

Verify Computerized National ID Card (CNIC) by NADRA

NADRA has launched very valuable service for Computerized National ID Card (CNIC) holders. Just send CNIC (without dashes) to 7000. You would get name and father name against that CNIC. This information would cost you about Rs 10 + Tax.

Get registration information about your SIM in Pakistan

Govt of Pakistan is having much emphasis on valid registration of your (Subscriber information Module)SIM. It means that your SIM should be issued on your own name. Due to negligence of customer itself and also on part of franchises, many people do not have SIM registered to their own name. This may lead to trouble.

YOUR CURRENT SIM STATUS

To check that whether the SIM that you are using is registered on your name or not, send SSMS with text MNP in it to 667. A reply SSMS will be received by you with registration information about your SIM. 

ALL SIMS AGAINST YOUR CNIC

To get the number and names of companies whose SIMS are issued on your CNIC, just send your CNIC on 668. Reply SMS would contain the information about number and companies of SIMs that are issued against your CNIC. 

Then What to do?

This facility is for all GSM networks in Pakistan like UFone, Warid, Telenor, Mobilink. Charges deducted for this information will be about Rs. 2 (charges may vary by time to time). In case if you find that some irrelevant SIMs are registered against your CNIC then visit to corporate office of related company and solve the issue. Avoid visiting franchises as they are not able to help in all cases.

Activating UFone GPRS for your new cell

In Pakistan almost all telecommunication companies provide GPRS support. Following is procedure to activate UFone GPRS on your new cell phone. Assuming that your SIM (Subscriber identification Module) has GPRS activated on it. If it is not the case then first you have to activate GPRS for your SIM. This can be carried out by talking to help line on 333 or visit UFone franchise near you.
Once you get GPRS activated on your SIM now just sms your phone name and model on 222.
e.g for Samsung model D900
just type
Samsung D900
in your sms pane and send it to 222. Within some time you will get some settings through SMS with install option. Install these settings. These will configure your GPRS, MMS gate ways, DNS and IDs. Password for these installations will be provided to you through SMS. These settings are provided free of charge. And if in future you again change your cell phone. Same procedure will be required to repet again.

Android

Android is a software stack by Google, for mobile devices that includes an operating system, middleware and key applications. This beta version of the Android SDK provides the tools and APIs necessary to begin developing applications on the Android platform using the Java programming language.
Android will ship with a set of core applications including an email client, SMS program, calendar, maps, browser, contacts, and others. All applications are written using the Java programming language.

Video glasses: the long transition from sci-fi to reality

Mobile TV is one of those technologies that’s been rattling around for a good few years without yet making much impact. The problem it always comes up against is that mobile gadgets are meant to be small, but screens have to be big enough for comfortable viewing.
Video glasses are one potential solution, and judging from the evidence on display at CES this year it won’t be long before they provide an inconspicuous, comfortable way of watching TV and DVD while on the go.
Previous attempts have generally been bulky, odd-looking and the picture size and quality has been little better than you would get from a mobile phone. The Lumus glasses pictured above are not exactly indistinguishable from standard shades, but you wouldn’t get laughed at on the train.

best practice when editing an e-mail before replying

Tips on how to delete an item permanently, useful websites and e-mail etiquette

Windows: to delete an item permanently (eg, file), use Shift + Delete (bypassing the Recycle Bin).
Outlook: when setting the date for the current month, just type in the date and Outlook will automatically do the rest. Eg, to make an appointment for August 20 just type 20 in the date section of the start time and Outlook will set it as Mon 20/08/2007 (or whatever is your preferred format).

Inbox stress

Ten simple steps to remaining calm and in control of your e-mail

Over the past few weeks there have been studies showing how stressed many people have become by the daily barrage of e-mails. Often, as my own study found, this stress is self-inflicted by a tendency towards e-mail addiction.
When our own Dr Thomas Stuttaford succumbed and threw his hand in the air, it prompted me to look again at how you can reduce e-mail stress. As he said in his artcle, How strangers cause us stress: “Stress is reduced when someone is master of their own fate” — something many feel is impossible with e-mail.
But is it? Here are ten ways to control your inbox. The key is to be utterly ruthless about what you send and receive, and prioritise how you spend your time at the inbox.

EMail Horror stories

E-mail can be a very efficient way of distributing information but mistakes can be embarrassing, if not disastrous

As Hallowe’en approaches here are the top five e-mail horror stories we have seen and the ways to avoid them happening to you.
Telling all your resellers and partners who they are competing against
An organisation sent out product information and put everyone’s names in the “Cc” box. The address list took up most of the e-mail but the company also revealed all their partners to each other.
The moral: create a group list or use “Bcc” for the names.
A client who preaches sustainability and efficiency and sent nine attachments amounting to 11MB
There were no instructions about what to do with them and much of the information was available on their website.
The moral: send a link rather than the entire file.

MS Word — Top Ten tips

Useful tips and tricks that will make working with Word documents quicker and easier. Here are the main features of Word that can be used to save time:

1 Inserting the file path name in the footer: go to View/Headers and Footers/Insert AutoText menu, clicking on the down arrow of that box.
2 Use AutoText to enter a frequently used phrase or insert an object, eg, a logo: Insert/AutoText, highlight the text/object, then select AutoText. Type the keyword that you will use for this to appear, and select the “Add”’ button (or type Alt+F3). To insert, go to Insert/AutoText and pick the word from the dropdown list, or choose AutoText and pick from the whole list.
3 Formula — to add to columns in a table. With the cursor in the bottom cell of the columns (or row), click on Table/Formula.

MS PowerPoint — Top Ten tips

Hot tips to ensure that your next visual presentation is slick, dynamic and has real impact

1. Slide design
Find the most appealing template — http://www.freeppttemplates.com
2. Slide Master
Format the whole presentation: View/Master/Slide Master or hold down the shift key as you hover over the mini-icons at the bottom left and click on the Normal view which becomes the slide master view.
3. WordArt
To jazz up the text boxes (eg, straplines).

5. Outline view
To produce a single slide that contains a summary of titles of the key slides, switch to the Slide sorter view (View/Slide sorter) and hold down the Ctrl key and select the key slides. From the Slide Sorter toolbar click Summary Slide.

List of commands to run several windows softwares and utilities

Most of frequent windows users prefer to use key board than mouse. Following is list to invoke several software and windows utilities. just run the command in command prompt and invoke the target. It is a good habit, adopt it.

To run	Use command
Accessibility Controls	access.cpl
Accessibility Wizard	accwiz
Add Hardware Wizard	hdwwiz.cpl
Add/Remove Programs	appwiz.cpl
Administrative Tools	control admintools
Adobe Acrobat (if installed)	acrobat
Adobe Designer (if installed)	acrodist
Adobe Distiller (if installed)	acrodist
Adobe ImageReady (if installed)	imageready
Adobe Photoshop (if installed)	photoshop
Automatic Updates	wuaucpl.cpl
Bluetooth Transfer Wizard	fsquirt
Calculator	calc
Certificate Manager	certmgr.msc
Character Map	charmap
Check Disk Utility	chkdsk
Clipboard Viewer	clipbrd
Command Prompt	cmd
Component Services	dcomcnfg
Computer Management	compmgmt.msc
Control Panel	control
Date and Time Properties	timedate.cpl
DDE Shares	ddeshare
Device Manager	devmgmt.msc
Direct X Control Panel (If Installed)*	directx.cpl
Direct X Troubleshooter	dxdiag
Disk Cleanup Utility	cleanmgr
Disk Defragment	dfrg.msc
Disk Management	diskmgmt.msc
Disk Partition Manager	diskpart
Display Properties	control desktop
Display Properties	desk.cpl
Display Properties (w/Appearance Tab Preselected)	control color
Dr. Watson System Troubleshooting Utility	drwtsn32
Driver Verifier Utility	verifier
Event Viewer	eventvwr.msc
Files and Settings Transfer Tool	migwiz
File Signature Verification Tool	sigverif
Findfast	findfast.cpl
Firefox (if installed)	firefox
Folders Properties	control folders
Fonts	control fonts
Fonts Folder	fonts
Free Cell Card Game	freecell
Game Controllers	joy.cpl
Group Policy Editor (XP Prof)	gpedit.msc
Hearts Card Game	mshearts
Help and Support	helpctr
HyperTerminal	hypertrm
Iexpress Wizard	iexpress
Indexing Service	ciadv.msc
Internet Connection Wizard	icwconn1
Internet Explorer	iexplore
Internet Properties	inetcpl.cpl
Internet Setup Wizard	inetwiz
IP Configuration (Display Connection Configuration)	ipconfig /all
IP Configuration (Display DNS Cache Contents)	ipconfig /displaydns
IP Configuration (Delete DNS Cache Contents)	ipconfig /flushdns
IP Configuration (Release All Connections)	ipconfig /release
IP Configuration (Renew All Connections)	ipconfig /renew
IP Configuration (Refreshes DHCP & Re-Registers DNS)	ipconfig /registerdns
IP Configuration (Display DHCP Class ID)	ipconfig /showclassid
IP Configuration (Modifies DHCP Class ID)	ipconfig /setclassid
Java Control Panel (If Installed)	jpicpl32.cpl
Java Control Panel (If Installed)	javaws
Keyboard Properties	control keyboard
Local Security Settings	secpol.msc
Local Users and Groups	lusrmgr.msc
Logs You Out Of Windows	logoff
Malicious Software Removal Tool	mrt
Microsoft Access (if installed)	access.cpl
Microsoft Chat	winchat
Microsoft Excel (if installed)	excel
Microsoft Frontpage (if installed)	frontpg
Microsoft Movie Maker	moviemk
Microsoft Paint	mspaint
Microsoft Powerpoint (if installed)	powerpnt
Microsoft Word (if installed)	winword
Microsoft Syncronization Tool	mobsync
Minesweeper Game	winmine
Mouse Properties	control mouse
Mouse Properties	main.cpl
Nero (if installed)	nero
Netmeeting	conf
Network Connections	control netconnections
Network Connections	ncpa.cpl
Network Setup Wizard	netsetup.cpl
Notepad	notepad
Nview Desktop Manager (If Installed)	nvtuicpl.cpl
Object Packager	packager
ODBC Data Source Administrator	odbccp32.cpl
On Screen Keyboard	osk
Opens AC3 Filter (If Installed)	ac3filter.cpl
Outlook Express	msimn
Paint	pbrush
Password Properties	password.cpl
Performance Monitor	perfmon.msc
Performance Monitor	perfmon
Phone and Modem Options	telephon.cpl
Phone Dialer	dialer
Pinball Game	pinball
Power Configuration	powercfg.cpl
Printers and Faxes	control printers
Printers Folder	printers
Private Character Editor	eudcedit
Quicktime (If Installed)	QuickTime.cpl
Quicktime Player (if installed)	quicktimeplayer
Real Player (if installed)	realplay
Regional Settings	intl.cpl
Registry Editor	regedit
Registry Editor	regedit32
Remote Access Phonebook	rasphone
Remote Desktop	mstsc
Removable Storage	ntmsmgr.msc
Removable Storage Operator Requests	ntmsoprq.msc
Resultant Set of Policy (XP Prof)	rsop.msc
Scanners and Cameras	sticpl.cpl
Scheduled Tasks	control schedtasks
Security Center	wscui.cpl
Services	services.msc
Shared Folders	fsmgmt.msc
Shuts Down Windows	shutdown
Sounds and Audio	mmsys.cpl
Spider Solitare Card Game	spider
SQL Client Configuration	cliconfg
System Configuration Editor	sysedit
System Configuration Utility	msconfig
System File Checker Utility (Scan Immediately)	sfc /scannow
System File Checker Utility (Scan Once At Next Boot)	sfc /scanonce
System File Checker Utility (Scan On Every Boot)	sfc /scanboot
System File Checker Utility (Return to Default Setting)	sfc /revert
System File Checker Utility (Purge File Cache)	sfc /purgecache
System File Checker Utility (Set Cache Size to size x)	sfc /cachesize=x
System Information	msinfo32
System Properties	sysdm.cpl
Task Manager	taskmgr
TCP Tester	tcptest
Telnet Client	telnet
Tweak UI (if installed)	tweakui
User Account Management	nusrmgr.cpl
Utility Manager	utilman
Windows Address Book	wab
Windows Address Book Import Utility	wabmig
Windows Backup Utility (if installed)	ntbackup
Windows Explorer	explorer
Windows Firewall	firewall.cpl
Windows Magnifier	magnify
Windows Management Infrastructure	wmimgmt.msc
Windows Media Player	wmplayer
Windows Messenger	msmsgs
Windows Picture Import Wizard (need camera connected)	wiaacmgr
Windows System Security Tool	syskey
Windows Update Launches	wupdmgr
Windows Version (to show which version of windows)	winver
Windows XP Tour Wizard	tourstart
Wordpad	write