All posts by : Mishaal Mariam Moin

After months of deliberation, judges of the Android Developer Challenge have named 10 winners for this year. One of the winning team hails from Balochistan, Pakistan. Their app by the name of Agrifarm succeeded in impressing the notable international judges.  This competition, a long-standing tradition since 2008, has seen more than a decade of commercial success with more and more developers and apps taking part each year. It saw a relaunch last year, in an attempt to see a new generation of developers and mobile apps. Mobile applications continue to pave the way forward in terms of initiatives and innovations. The solutions for numerous social issues around the world have started to grab the attention of tech-savvy individuals, dedicated to finding answers in technology.  The Pakistani winning app, Agrifarm provides an automated assistant in farming. It detects your crop\’s health, improves farming practices by learning from experts around the world. Gets updated market prices, and with personalized news, gets to know all about local agriculture needs. AgriFarm helps farmers detect plant diseases and prevent major damage in fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, corn, and potatoes.  With an array of useful features and benefits, the apps listed as winners all make sure that their goals of helping their particular communities played a central role in making their apps a success. Machine learning algorithms were also put in place, considering it was an android challenge. Teams integrated Google machine learning codification into their apps to increase efficiency and productivity.  The importance of mobile app development in Pakistan is very palpable. Mobile applications have changed the way business is conducted the world over. These apps have made it easier for customers to get business information with the speed of light and at the same time remain connected and up to date with their favorite brand. For Pakistanis apps and competitions like the Android Developer Challenge can be a source of vital means of marketing to expand their reach while delivering both massive and relevant exposure to their respective brands.   According to some estimates, the mobile app industry has the capacity of growing by as much as $100 billion by 2020. This has prompted many businesses to embrace this technology so they can further engage their customers and get solid insights into their users to bring about an improvement in customer experience. Mobile apps have become a necessity for every business, be it a startup or an established business, it’s time for Pakistan to realize the potential this market can unlock for the youth of our society.

The Commerce Department officially lifted its moratorium in a dramatic twist of Washington\’s long-standing sanctions on the Chinese telecom company Huawei, barring US companies from partnering with Huawei to create international technological specifications. Analysts interpreted the change as an acknowledgment by the administration of President Donald Trump that it can not disregard Huawei\’s important position in creating the technological standards that are essential to emerging technology. The new law, introduced by the Department of Commerce on June 15, amends the \”entity listing\” of Huawei to require American companies to cooperate with Huawei in developing requirements that will define the road\’s technological rules for 5 G and other emerging technologies. Huawei \’s case isn\’t unanticipated. For years, China has concentrated on entering foreign standard-setting organizations, such as 3GPP and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), which are rarely exposed to the media yet render some of the most important decisions on global telecommunications. The esoteric-named infrastructure group, the 3rd Generation Partnership Program, or 3GPP, establishes the technological principles underlying the world\’s networking networks, the fundamental building blocks for product creation. 3GPP also helped develop innovations such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth as well as today\’s 5 G high-speed networks as the main national norm defining body over the past 20 years. As of May, Chinese companies and government research institutes comprised the highest number of chairs or vice-chairs in 3GPP, occupying 16 of the 45 leadership roles available, according to VOA \’s count based on 3GPP data publication. In contrast, nine such leadership roles are filled by US firms. For a long time, China\’s policymakers have seen technology as a gateway to the country\’s economic and military potential, and the government has financially funded companies like Huawei to become strong global rivals that can support the country\’s political and military goals. Critics claim that Beijing has the same attitude when it comes to professional requirements.  While U.S. companies are global champions in certain development fields, the U.S. can in future fall behind a concerted policy initiative in standards-setting (such as from China).