Amazon now offers the PowerA MOGA XP5-A Plus Bluetooth Controller for $ 55.99 shipped. Also matched at Walmart. Regularly at $ 70, as it goes straight to PowerA, this is a 20% price drop and the lowest price we can find. The MOGA XP5-A Plus is designed to provide the ultimate portable gaming platform for Android, PC, and other cloud-enabled platforms. You are looking at some sort of Xbox style controller with a detachable 3.12 inch wide and adjustable arm to carry your mobile device. It also comes with a USB to USB-C / micro-USB charging cable as well as a built-in 3000mAh power bank to refuel your smartphone while gaming. Rated 4+ stars by nearly 2,000 Amazon customers. More details below.
Prefer to use one of your additional Xbox controllers instead? Check out the PowerA MOGA Mobile Game Clip for Xbox Wireless Controllers at $ 15 Premium shipped. This is a more affordable way to get a similar setup, provided you already have a controller. It also carries a 4-star rating and over 11,600 Amazon customers.
Be sure to check out the cover for the new OtterBox MagSafe mobile game clip for iPhone 12 and Xbox controllers as well as our hands-on review of Otterbox Power Swap batteries. Then head straight to our recent article on console and cloud game streaming options in Windows 10 with Xbox titles as well.
Learn more about the PowerA MOGA XP5-A Plus Bluetooth Controller:
Improve your mobile gameplay vs. touchscreen on hundreds of controller compatible games. Detachable phone clip with adjustable arm fits devices up to 79mm (3.12in) wide
Improve your gaming on Android mobile, PC and cloud gaming platforms with just one controller
Charge your phone while you play or between sessions with the built-in power bank
Supports hundreds of popular mobile games including Minecraft, Fortnite, Stardew Valley, GRID Autosport, and more. (NOTE: Does not work with games that limit controller support, e.g. Call of Duty Mobile or PUBG)
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Pokémon is not only known for its excellent games, but also for other media links like the anime and the collectible card game. Players have been able to play the Pokémon Trading Card Game, or TCG, online for some time, but now The Pokémon Company has announced that a new standalone app called Pokémon TCG Live will be available for all Pokémon fans.
Trainers, your next TCG adventure awaits!
We’re excited to announce the Pokémon Live Trading Card Game! ??
Bring the fun of the #PokemonTCG at home or on the go with a new free app for PC, Mac and mobile devices!
Players will be able to create their own avatar and fight against players from all over the world. By adding cards to your collection, you can fine tune your strategy and prepare for anything. Cards can be added by completing quests, scanning code cards, or purchasing in-game boosters. When the game is launched, it will support multiple languages like English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese, which will make it easier to find an opponent to fight, wherever you are in the world.
There’s no word on the game’s release date, but we’ll be sure to keep you posted. The game will be free and is slated for release on Mac, iOS, Windows, and Android.
Are you going to pick up Pokémon TCG Live when it launches? Let us know in the comments!
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The new Roku Streaming Stick 4K has been announced.
It includes a faster processor and better Wi-Fi performance compared to the old Streaming Stick Plus.
The company is also rolling out a new update to the operating system with many new features.
There is no doubt that media streaming to mobile devices, smart TVs and set-top boxes continues to become more and more popular, Roku, which helped start this entertainment trend over 10 years ago, is now updating. its popular streaming stick material for fall and holiday shopping season. Today the Roku Streaming Stick 4K was announced, and it packs some pretty powerful hardware into its small package.
Read more: Roku was almost a part of Netflix
The Roku Streaming Stick 4K features a new processor that is 30% faster than the old Roku Streaming Stick Plus. This should lead to better overall performance and faster loading of Roku apps. In addition, the Wi-Fi hardware inside has been improved so that it can connect to your wireless router over a longer range while being up to twice as fast for connection speeds. The new streaming stick also not only supports resolutions up to 4K for TVs, but also supports Dolby Vision and HDR10 Plus.
It also comes with a standard Roku voice remote, so you can use it for voice commands like finding new movies or TV shows, or launching a Roku app. It can also be controlled by voice by connecting it to devices that support Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. It supports Apple AirPlay 2 and HomeKit to control the stick via Siri. It will go on sale in the United States for $ 49.99 in mid-October.
Roku also introduces the Streaming Stick 4K Plus. This is the same hardware as the 4K Streaming Stick, except that the standard voice remote is replaced by the more advanced Roku Voice Remote Pro. It includes features like built-in rechargeable battery (charged via USB cable), lost remote control, two programmable buttons, etc. The Streaming Stick 4K Plus will retail for $ 69.99, which means you’re saving $ 10 on Voice Remote Pro, which normally costs $ 29.99 on its own. It will also go on sale in the United States in mid-October.
Another minor new addition to the Roku hardware lineup is the Roku Ultra LT. This is the Walmart exclusive version of the 2020 edition of the Roku Ultra set-top box. The LT version includes most of the hardware features of the current Roku Ultra, including a faster processor, additional storage, an Ethernet port for wired networks, audio streaming supported by Bluetooth, and more. The LT model will not have the USB port for local playback, nor will it have support for Dolby Atmos decoding. In addition, the included remote control will not have a remote search function or programmable personal shortcuts. It will go on sale in the coming weeks at Walmart stores and through Walmart.com, priced at $ 79.99.
Finally, from October 1, 2021 to January 14, 2022, anyone who purchases a new Roku device will be able to take advantage of a 30-day free trial of HBO Max. The trial is for new subscribers only and the offer must be used before January 22, 2022.
Roku OS 10.5: Lots of changes under the hood
Along with the Roku Streaming Stick 4K, the company will roll out a new update to its streaming operating system in the coming weeks and months. Roku OS 10.5 won’t have any major changes to its familiar user interface, but there will be some notable additions. One thing users can do on the Roku home screen is install a new tile showing the live TV options available on the company’s own Roku channel. This tile will take users directly to over 250 entertainment, news and sports channels which are configured similarly to Pluto TV’s range of channels.
Read more: Best Roku Channels
Many improvements in Roku OS 10.5 relate to audio. For example, the Roku mobile app will be updated so that users can control audio features on a connected Roku device or smart TV, including night mode, automatic volume leveling, and speech clarity. . This way, users can make adjustments without having to go directly to the settings section of their Roku device.
Additionally, people who use wireless headphones for Roku’s private listening feature can make settings through their smartphones when logged into the Roku mobile app. By using a smartphone camera, these users can measure the distance between themselves and the TV. This allows the new advanced A / V sync feature to correct for audio delays between the TV and wireless headphones.
Owners of any of Roku’s smart soundbars will be able to take advantage of the new 10.5 OS update. The soundbar can now become a center speaker for a 3.1 or 5.1 wireless speaker configured for a better home theater audio experience. Speaking of which, one of Roku’s TV partners, TCL, will be launching a Roku TV wireless soundbar in October. It can connect to any Roku TV and will also deliver great sound and automatic A / V sync. It will cost $ 179.99. We should have more info on this TCL soundbar itself as its release nears.
Roku is also adding new voice control features. It will soon support finding and launching shows via voice from apps like Netflix and Spotify. In related news, the operating system update will allow users to search and play music, podcasts, and video podcasts. They will be able to find these results via a “music and podcast” line. Additionally, voice commands can be used to complete device setup, as well as add items like emails, passwords, and PIN information without having to navigate virtual keyboards with your remote. Roku is also adding a voice help section to its settings menu for people who have questions about these features.
Finally, the Roku mobile app will be updated to include its own Home tab for quick access to the latest content available on the operating system. Users can also go to the app to put all the movies and TV shows they want on the backup list so that they can watch them at another time.
Roku channel growth and more
During our presentation of the new Roku Streaming Stick 4K and software updates, we were also briefed on current Roku activities by Mark Ely, vice president of retail product strategy for the company. Roku is still the largest streaming TV platform in the United States, with 55.1 million active users. It also has over 15 TV hardware partners who install the Roku operating system on their TVs. Recently, Amazon started selling its own branded smart TVs with their Fire TV operating system installed. However, Ely told us that Roku is not currently considering launching its own branded TVs.
Read more: The Roku Channel – Everything You Need To Know
The company’s Roku channel, which offers free ad-supported content, also continues to grow in terms of users and content. It now has over 40,000 movie and TV episodes to watch, as well as a steadily growing number of Roku Originals. This includes more new content from the now-defunct Quibi service, as well as an upcoming two-hour vacation-themed chase of NBC’s canceled music show, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist.
Unfortunately, Ely hasn’t given us an update on Roku’s current dispute with Google on YouTube TV. The popular live TV service was removed from Roku for new users in late April 2021 after channel renewal talks broke down.
Pretty Derby Uma Musume, which translates to “Horse Girl Pretty Derby, ” is a racing game inspired by real racehorses played by anime-style girls (yes, that’s… one thing). Sure, the concept may raise a few eyebrows, but the overwhelming popularity of this game is not to be mocked.
Since its release on February 24, 2021, the game Pretty Derby Uma Musume, or just Uma Museum, quickly gained momentum and exceeded 9 million downloads as of July 20. Last month the game celebrated its six-month anniversary, and it was a hot topic, not least because there were some surprise giveaways for users, such as jewelry and the Silence Suzuka character as a login bonus.
In Uma Musume Pretty Derby, the anime girls are your runners. Image courtesy of Cygames via Headline Asia.
Whenever new information is announced, the associated keywords instantly become hot topics on Twitter in Japan. There has even been an increase in the number of people using the game’s soundtrack on TikTok. Even if you’ve never played the game itself, there are probably a lot of people who have seen the word “Uma Musume” on social media sites. In this article, we take a close look at the success factors of Uma Museum.
In the training simulation game, you work as a trainer with your “horse” to win races. At first glance, Uma Museum is your standard free mobile app, but in fact, Uma Museum is a multimedia entity that has been developed through anime, manga, and other media. Of course, the purpose of these other mediums was always to bring attention back to the gaming app, which monetizes gameplay through gachas. In the manga and the anime, the universe is the same but the plots are different. This allows the Uma Museum fandomto access the different facets of the universe.
But success did not come overnight. The Uma Museum project launched in March 2016. It was announced at AnimeJapan 2016 held in Tokyo Big Sight. The manga was then published on Cygames’ webcomic Saikomi from May to September 2016. A 13-episode animated television series adaptation by PA Works ran from April to June 2018. It was followed by a second season of Studio Kai which ran from January to March 2021. An adaptation of the animated television series from the manga spin-off Umayon aired from July to September 2020. Another second season of the animated television series aired in the summer of 2020.
Initially, the game’s release was announced for winter 2018, but after a nearly three-year delay, it was finally released on February 24, 2021. The explanation behind the extended wait was to improve the quality of the game, and in all respects the delay has paid off. For fans who enjoyed Uma Museum in comics and cartoons it was a long awaited game app version.
Presentation of the game
The gist of the game is training your “horse” (or rather, an animated avatar girl with ears and a ponytail) to win races. The training sessions distinguish Uma Museum other gacha games. If you’ve ever played a simulation game, you’ll be in familiar territory.
There are more than 70 unique Uma Museum characters. Each of them has different characteristics, such as “ease of training” and “appropriate distance”. The key to winning races is to train each of the avatars with these characteristics in mind. Practice mode is at the heart of the gameplay. However, raising a bunch of characters without any other possibility would almost certainly be a little empty. That’s why there are a few other modes where you can show off your characters.
The racing part is where you can enjoy the powerful races of the avatars you have trained. The results of the race are decided by the AI, so once the race begins you have no choice but to trust the character you have trained. Sometimes the results depend on luck. After each race, a “Winning Live” is organized where the winners perform a dance.
The more races you win, the more songs you can watch, and once a song is played you can watch it as many times as you want. The main content of the game covers training, racing and watching live performances, but you can also use the “support card” system to improve your rider’s abilities, or the horseback training system. friendship to interact with and go out with other riders. Using this type of content will not only strengthen the character, but also make the game more enjoyable for the users.
What makes Uma Musume unique?
# 1. A tribute to the real horses of history
History buffs will love this fact. One of the main reasons why Uma Museum became a success because its characters are based on real famous horses that have lived. There’s Tokai Teio, Daiwa Scarlet, and Special Week, whose heart-wrenching, real-life story is actually part of the character’s story.
A photo of Special Week (left) and its corresponding character in Uma Musume. Image courtesy of Cygames and Headline Asia.
Special Week’s mother, who was also a racehorse, died shortly after giving birth to Special Week. However, Special Week broke all records, as evidenced by his first place at the 1998 Japanese Derby (Tokyo Yushun), his back-to-back wins at the 1999 Tennou-sho (Spring and Fall), and missing the once among the first three in 17 career races in the Kyoto Taisho-sen at the age of five. According to the official website, Uma MuseumThe week’s special is “honest, cheerful and hardworking.” Her mother passed away shortly after her birth and she was placed in the care of her mother’s best friend, a human woman. Even the way the character is drawn is a tribute to the animal. The white toupee on Uma Musume’s The Special Week head is believed to be a faithful reflection of the elongated white star in the middle of the horse’s forehead.
The history of famous horses, their appearances, their personalities and all of that plays into the high level of achievement of their characters in the game. This respect for history fascinates players.
Of course, not all of them are realistic reflections of real life stories, like Silence Suzuka. She was also an excellent horse, but suffered a breakdown in the 118th Tennou-sho (fall) race in 1998 – when she was the overwhelming favorite – and was ultimately euthanized. However, in the game, Silence Suzuka is a very strong character. In other words, through the Uma Museum game, you can experience the alternate story that never happened in the real world, and this is what makes horse racing fans so passionate about the game. Horse racing fans will also be fascinated by the game. realism of live coverage during races.
Uma Musume races are sprints involving the anime girls from the game. Screenshot by Headline Asia.
# 2. A simulation structure that keeps players coming back
Uma Museum has complex play structure for training simulation game. As mentioned earlier, this is not a simple game as you have to develop each of your characters based on their individuality and characteristics.
In addition, there is a trait called “Inheritance” which allows you to impart the abilities of a Uma Museum who has been inducted into the Hall of Fame, or whose training has been completed, to another character that you will train in the future. This is a very attractive feature that encourages users to keep training and raising different “horse girls”, in order to combine them for even more advanced abilities.
# 3. Extremely powerful graphics for a mobile game
The three-year deadline for the game’s release was intended to improve the quality of its graphics and gameplay, and it certainly shows. We were pleasantly surprised with the quality of the graphics for a mobile game. During races and live performances, users can actually change the camera angle as they like for a different view.
Uma Musume in figures
According to a financial report by CyberAgent, the parent company of Cygames, which manages Pretty Derby Uma Musume, the company reported sales of JPY 192.2 billion (US $ 1.75 billion) and operating income of JPY 44.5 billion (US $ 405 million) for the quarter from April to June 2021.
This amount would represent a 70.3% increase in sales and a 540% increase in operating profit compared to the previous year, which represents a phenomenal growth rate. CyberAgent is engaged in three main activities: games, advertising and media. Although its media business is in the red, the advertising and gaming businesses are extremely profitable.
Since the release of Uma Museum started, the gaming industry’s profit margin has been huge. Between October and December 2020, before the launch of Pretty Derby Uma Musume, sales were JPY 29.9 billion (USD 272 million), down 15% year-on-year, and operating income at JPY 1.1 billion (USD 10 million), down 77, 8% year-on-year, both down from the previous year.
In February 2021, afterUma Musume, January to March 2021, sales jumped to JPY 63.9 billion (USD 581 million), up 42.7% year-on-year, while operating income rose to JPY 23.2 billion (USD 211 million), up 122.3% year-on-year. The operating margin was around 36%.
In the third quarter of April to June 2021, sales were JPY 92.3 billion ($ 840 million), up 151.7% year-on-year. Operating income was JPY 44.2 billion (US $ 402 billion), up 483.5% year-on-year. The operating margin was around 47%.
CyberAgent’s media business reported revenue of JPY 19.9 billion (USD 181 billion) for the period April to June 2021, up 48.7% from the previous year, but an operating loss of 3.8 billion JPY (34.6 million USD). However, the number of downloads from ABEMA, which is the central support of this media activity, has steadily increased since its release on April 11, 2016, exceeding 68 million downloads in five years and three months of operation. operation.
The television animation of Pretty Derby Uma Musume is also broadcast on ABEMA. However, as experienced investors know, if we only focus on profiting from a certain company, things can look negative. In order to generate continuous profits in the medium and long term, it is necessary to have a big picture of the company and to examine the interrelationships between these companies, whether they are in the red or in the black. . The point is that one cannot ignore the media mix aspect of Uma Museum as a primary factor in its success.
We are excited to see how Uma Musume will continue to attract users and grow its business in the future.
This item was originally published on Headline Asia’s Medium site. It is republished here with permission from Asia Title.
BALTIMORE – – With a jump and a jump pass, and all the confidence his coach and teammates could ask for, Lamar Jackson finally beat Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City.
Using his legs to run 107 yards and scoring twice, including switch to the end zone for the winning score, Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens beat the Chiefs 36-35 on Sunday night.
Jackson was 0-3 against the Chiefs, and he needed all of his multiple skills to break through to give Mahomes his first loss in September after 11 wins. The showdown of the NFL MVPs – Mahomes in 2018, Jackson the following year – was crazy business from the start.
And the Ravens needed a Clyde Edwards-Helaire fumble as Kansas City headed for the shooting range to land it.
With Jackson leading the Ravens’ 251 yards rushing and throwing for 239 and one score, Baltimore ensured the four AFC North teams would have a 1-1 record. Kansas City, who allowed 481 yards and won 405, is also 1-1 in the rugged AFC West.
Jackson had his ninth career 100-yard running game, tied with Michael Vick for the most part by a quarterback.
The dynamic Jackson entered the end zone to his right twice with dives – well, the last TD was more of a somersault.
“I landed on my butt,” he laughed.
The Ravens missed the shot twice on 2-point conversions, but Jackson’s race for a first down on the fourth and 1 after Edwards-Helaire’s trial and error secured the victory.
“He (coach John Harbaugh) asked if we wanted to go,” Jackson said. “I said, ‘Yeah! “
“I said, ‘Dude, I got to drop this first, no matter what. “
Like a video game without a controller for defense, teams moved up and down the field with little opposition. The most exciting was Travis Kelce’s 46-yard slalom in which he avoided nearly all of Baltimore’s defensive unit before falling into the end zone, exhausted.
But that wasn’t enough as Mahomes finally threw an interception in September, at Tavon Young, who set up Jackson’s first touchdown.
“We were strong and together and we kept that focus,” said Jackson, referring to the overtime loss to Las Vegas to open the season. “I know my team is going to watch me and I have to do it for my guys. “
The Chiefs broke a 14-14 tie with precise practice late in the first half, triggered by a 20-yard screen pass to back up tight end Blake Bell. Darrel Williams ran it from the 10th with 51 seconds to go.
It was enough time for Baltimore to reach shooting range of Justin Tucker, who had a 43-yard dash. The problem for the Ravens: Kansas City got the second half kick-off.
Mahomes capped a quick 74-yard run with a short pass to Byron Pringle, who eluded two tackles for 40 yards and a 28-17 lead.
And the problem for the Chiefs was their defense, which was falling apart – apart from Tyrann Mathieu’s interceptions – had to take the field. He completely lost Marquise Brown on a 42 yard jump pass TD four games after Pringle scored.
“Lamar is a hell of a football player,” DE Chiefs Frank Clark said. “He’s doing all he can.… They took him. They came in, beat us in the rushed attack. We missed some tackles.”
Of course, with Mahomes throwing the ball and guys like Kelce catching it, the Chiefs barely shrug under such circumstances. And Kelce’s highlight touchdown restored the 11-point margin; he finished with seven catches for 109 yards.
Young’s pick – Mahomes said “This is probably one of the worst interceptions I’ve probably ever had” – set Baltimore close to midfielder and another quick workout ended with Jackson’s right sprint and dived for a score of 2 yards. But a 2- Brown’s point conversion pass was overturned by a penalty and the Ravens failed on the next try.
They didn’t miss the winning score when they had the chance to move forward. This Jackson doing like a gymnast added a great touch to it all.
“I love being with this team,” Harbaugh said of his understaffed squad. “I told them it would be an honor to be on the pitch with them. What makes me proud of these guys is who we are and what we do.
Mahomes was 24 for 31 for 343 yards and three touchdowns, with the interception.
ESSENTIAL BEGINNING
Kansas City hit fast – and with their defense. When receiver Sammy Watkins, a former boss, slipped, Mathieu was there to grab Jackson’s second pass of the game. The 2020 All-Pro accelerated on the left side for a touchdown.
Baltimore responded immediately with a 75-yard rush highlighted by Devonta Freeman’s 31-yard rush. Of the Chiefs 10, running back Ty’Son Williams was heading towards the end zone when he fumbled. The ball leapt into the air towards teammate Devin Duvernay, who leapt to match it.
So the Chiefs responded with a 92-yard run capped by Demarcus Robinson defeating Anthony Levine on a post ground for 33 yards. Less than nine minutes later it was 14-7.
Phew!
Mathieu’s second interception in the first quarter ended another impressive push from Baltimore as Jackson threw a triple cover. It didn’t help much as the penalties put the Chiefs in a third and a 39 – and even Mahomes Magic couldn’t handle that.
INJURIES
Baltimore, already ravaged by injuries, lost safety DeShon Elliott to a concussion and nose tackle Brandon Williams to a strained neck.
FANS AT HAND
For the first time since 2019, the Ravens sold out for a home game. They allowed limited attendance for part of last season during the pandemic.
Two groups performed outside of the stadium and the Ravens cheerleaders made a warm-weather appearance beforehand. The crowd of 70,417 were very excited just before kick-off when Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis was introduced and performed his usual dance on the field.
CENTURY RACE
With their 251 rushing yards, the Ravens have 41 straight games with at least 100 rushing yards. Pittsburgh held the NFL record at age 43 from 1974 to 1977.
FOLLOWING
Kansas City hosts the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
The pandemic has inflicted enormous human and economic damage on the world, and Pakistan is no exception. The economy contracted 0.47% in 2019-2020, worse than the government’s initial estimate of -0.38pc. But despite the third wave of the pandemic in the previous fiscal year, GDP grew by 3.94%, defying most expectations, including those of the finance ministry and the central bank, thanks to strong industrial production. and agricultural.
Although the rate of expansion may be revised later, it still shows that the country is back on the growth path. As millions of people get vaccinated, trade normalizes and demand for goods and services returns to pre-pandemic highs, Pakistan could experience a potentially lasting recovery.
Perhaps now is the right time for the government to consider taking supportive industrial policy measures that lead to widespread growth in all sectors, including new avenues as well as industries that have been ignored for too. long time.
Strong policy measures will not only attract FDI, create jobs and make significant contributions to the public treasury, but are also expected to gradually reduce Pakistan’s dependence on imports.
The government expects GDP growth of 4.8% in the current fiscal year and Shaukat Tarin, the Federal Minister of Finance and Revenue, hopes to increase it from 6% to 7% in the two to next three years, the highest in more than a decade. Achieving this growth while keeping the current account deficit within a reasonable range could be a daunting task, especially for a country whose economy relies heavily on imports and foreign loans. But supportive policy measures that boost industrial development and help reduce the country’s dependence on imports could go a long way towards meeting the seemingly ambitious goal.
Some clues can be taken from the cell phone manufacturing industry, which is still in the early stages of development but looks set to play a positive role in Pakistan’s economic growth in the future. It was a virtually non-existent industry until just a few years ago, with a few small operators assembling less than 120,000 smartphones in 2019. In the same year, the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority launched the identification system, registration and blocking of devices (Dribs). to curb the importation and use of illegal phones, which was followed by the introduction of the Mobile Device Manufacturing (MDM) Regulations by the Cabinet in 2020, which encouraged local and foreign companies to establish mobile manufacturing units in Pakistan.
The response has been overwhelmingly positive as more than two dozen companies have signed up, including some of the world’s biggest smartphone brands such as Samsung and Nokia.
A subsidiary of Chinese technology company Vivo Communication was the first to set up a cell phone manufacturing unit in Pakistan in 2021. This space is currently growing. In the first seven months of this year, more than 12 million phones were manufactured in Pakistan, including nearly 5 million 4G smartphones. For the first time, more phones were manufactured at home than imported from abroad.
Meanwhile, a local company has already started exporting phones to the UAE, putting “Made in Pakistan” devices on the global map. This growth is widely expected to continue, with local and foreign companies lining up to begin business operations. Samsung is working closely with a local partner who will manufacture the South Korean electronics giant’s smartphones in Karachi.
Although Pakistani and foreign companies are currently assembling, rather than manufacturing, smartphones, this is certainly a big step in the right direction that could pave the way for technology transfer, potentially making Pakistan a real powerhouse. manufacture of smartphones. It is the direct result of favorable industrial policies which have created an environment conducive to investment and growth.
Oil refining is another industry that looks set to have a positive impact on the economy in the future. Oil refineries can reduce Pakistan’s dependence on the purchase of expensive refined products, such as gasoline and diesel, and instead consume cheaper, lower-value crude oil. Unlike smartphone manufacturing, petroleum refining is one of the oldest industries in the country, with Attock Refinery dating back to the pre-partition era. But the industry has not seen any growth or new projects in recent years, with Byco Petroleum being the last company to commission its second petroleum refining unit in 2012.
Most factories haven’t seen a major upgrade for a long time. The lack of investment is not due to weak demand. On the contrary, the demand for gasoline and diesel easily exceeds domestic supplies and the country has to buy gasoline and diesel from foreign companies to fill the gap. The lack of a favorable political framework is one of the main culprits.
Remember that petroleum refining is a capital intensive business where upgrades or expansion of projects can require capital expenditures of hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars. In a tightly regulated environment where government dictates key aspects of the business and where many industry participants struggle to generate healthy returns on a sustainable basis, existing refineries have been reluctant to make big commitments.
Foreign investors have also shown interest in setting up new state-of-the-art petroleum refineries and petrochemical plants by investing billions of dollars. But so far, those promises have been on paper.
However, that could change as the government puts in place an oil refining policy that offers incentives, including multi-year tax exemptions and tariff protection, to local and foreign companies that upgrade their factories or install new units.
Pakistan’s oil refining capacity currently stands at around 420,000 barrels per day (bpd) and actual production is often close to half that number as the capacity utilization is often 50pc or less. But the oil refining policy can attract substantial capital and potentially change the fortunes of the industry.
If local refineries modernize, and the foreign investor from the Middle East and China who has revealed some of their plans also sets up facilities and delivers on their promises, then the nominal capacity could climb significantly to more than one. million bpd and usage could increase to 80 pc or more.
In short, industries such as cell phone manufacturing and petroleum refining could play an important role in Pakistan’s economic growth, enabling the country to meet ambitious GDP expansion targets, provided they get the necessary support from the authorities.
There are key lessons to be learned here for policy makers that can be applied to other industries. Such measures will not only attract foreign direct investment, create many jobs and make significant contributions to the national treasury, but are also expected to gradually reduce Pakistan’s dependence on imports, as we are currently seeing in the area of smartphones. and could see it in the petroleum refining industry in the future.
Sarfaraz Ahmed Khan is a business and economics writer and can be contacted at[email protected]
Posted in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, September 20, 2021
Welcome to our Windows News recap, where we review the top stories from the past week in the world of Microsoft’s flagship operating system.
Windows 10 Xbox app now supports Cloud Gaming and remote play from your console
The Xbox app on Windows now has the ability to stream games using Xbox Cloud Gaming, while also adding remote play support, allowing you to stream games from your Xbox Series X console | S or Xbox One directly on your PC.
Windows 11 on ARM on Apple M1 Macs Not Officially Supported, Microsoft Says
Microsoft has stated that Windows 11 on ARM on Apple M1 Macs is not officially supported, although Parallels Desktop allows you to do so. It is not clear what impact, if any, this lack of support could have on Parallels Desktop users.
Mozilla Firefox can now become your default browser with just one click on Windows PCs
Making Firefox your default browser on Windows PCs just got a bit easier, with the browser adding a one-click option to set it as your default browser. This feature means the browser bypasses Windows 10 behavior by having you adjust the default browser through the Settings app.
PowerToys lands in the Microsoft Store for Windows 11
PowerToys, a suite of tools, has arrived in the Microsoft Store on Windows 11. This speeds up the installation process a bit, as you previously had to download it through GitHub.
Transferring PowerToys from GitHub to Microsoft Store on Windows 11.https: //t.co/97zkPaGjrT pic.twitter.com/4933cLX1s6
The trailer for Sega’s mysterious new RPG for mobile phones is showing on YouTube because fans don’t want another mobile RPG from the company.
The trailer for the mysterious new mobile RPG of Sega is rated on YouTube because fans dislike it for no reason other than its mobile title status. The mystery mobile game is expected to be officially announced at the upcoming Tokyo Game Show during Sega’s panel at the event, which is set to take place on October 1.
Little is known about the mysterious new RPG Sega, as only a brief trailer has been released. The game is developed for mobile phones and appears to be a fantastic RPG. The trailer claims the game is inspired by tabletop RPGs and will feature multiple paths and endings. A few brief clips of footage were shown during the trailer, but they were all out of context shots of fantastic protagonists and a woman stabbed by a dark villain.
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It seems Sega’s fan base doesn’t like another mobile title from the company. As spotted by Eurogamer, the mystery RPG trailer has around 790 likes and nearly three thousand dislikes, at the time of writing. Comments on the video from English-speaking and Japanese fans criticize the game, simply because it is a mobile title. Fans lament that Sega is sitting on franchises like Arcadian Skies and Brilliant strength, while making a mobile title that could die in a few months. The mystery game trailer can be seen on the official website Sega YouTube channel, with its large number of dislikes.
This isn’t the only case of fans showing their dissatisfaction with not liking a YouTube video, as the PS5 and Xbox Series X / S trailers for Grand Theft Auto V were also strongly hated. This was in response to lackluster visual upgrades, especially since fans suspect those ports will be full-price versions of a game that’s nearly a decade old.
In the case of the mystery game, however, the answer is a bit premature, especially for such a small trailer. A mobile game won’t necessarily be bad just because of the platform it’s on. Pokémon Gocontinues to be a huge success, even though it has been going on for years, just like Fire Emblem Heroes. There’s not a lot of content in the trailer to dislike, as it only sets fans up for the biggest announcement at the Tokyo Game Show. This justifies waiting for the real trailer for the game to appear; if that seems inferior or riddled with microtransactions, it would be more the cause of so many dislikes.
Next: Yakuza, Judgment Creator Leaves Sega After Over 30 Years
Tokyo Game Show 2021 will take place from September 30 to October 3, 2021.
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Scott baird (1975 articles published)
Scott has been writing for Screen Rant since 2016 and is a regular contributor to The Gamer. He has previously written articles and video scripts for websites like Cracked, Dorkly, Topless Robot, and TopTenz. A graduate of Edge Hill University in the UK, Scott started out as a film student before moving into journalism. As it turned out, wasting a childhood playing video games, reading comics, and watching movies could be used to find a job no matter what a career counselor might tell you. Scott has specialized in games and has loved this medium since the early 90s, when his first console was a ZX Spectrum which took 40 minutes to load a game from a cassette player to a black and white TV. Scott now writes game reviews for Screen Rant and The Gamer, as well as features, opinion pieces and game guides. He can be reached on LinkedIn.
MANILA, Philippines – Incidents of lost or stolen phones have declined dramatically over the past year as the COVID-19 pandemic has forced people to stay at home.
Cell phone blocking issues reported by consumers to the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) declined last year, and even more so this year, indicating fewer people are having their phones stolen.
In 2019, the NTC received a total of 34,353 cell phone blocking issues, an average of 2,863 per month, according to data provided to The STAR.
Cell phone blocking, according to the NTC, refers to stolen and lost phones.
Last year, the number of cell phone locks fell to 15,445, or 55%.
In the first three months of 2020, when lockdowns were yet to be imposed, incidents of stolen and lost phones reported to the NTC averaged 2,790 per month.
The average fell to just 786 per month from April to December of last year, with various quarantine restrictions already in place across the country.
In the first six months of the year, NTC received no cell phone blocking issues from consumers.
NTC’s head of consumer welfare and protection, Xandra Molina, said it would be safe to assume fewer people lose or have their phones stolen than in the days before the pandemic because most people have stayed at home or have limited their outdoor exposure due to restrictions.
NTC’s Consumer Welfare and Protection Division deals with issues such as blocked cell phones as well as complaints such as intermittent and poor internet connection, surprise bills and data charges, spam by SMS, loss of charge, unwanted calls or texts and the fair use policy.
It is very easy to play Microsoft Edge web browsing minigame with and without an internet connection and we will tell you how to do it.
Google Chrome is the most popular web browser today, despite its high consumption of resources, both on PC and mobile platforms thanks to its excellent performance and the large number of features that it offers to its users.
As you already know, Google loves hiding Easter eggs in its apps so much, in fact, that it only included one as a gadget in Android 12 beta 5, which you couldn’t resist. To include a mini dinosaur game. in their web browser.
Today, Microsoft Edge, the browser from Microsoft and successor to the hated Internet Explorer, is one of the best alternatives in the web browser industry and a good proof that, although it has been with us for a short time, it is This is where Mozilla Firefox has already overtaken and already threatens the domination of Chrome thanks to its speed and low consumption of resources. .
Moreover, to keep up with Chrome, Microsoft has also added one of the most beloved features of the Google browser – the popular mini-game. But on this occasion, he put Dinosaurs aside to choose a “more refreshing” theme, because it is a full-color navigation game that can be activated, like in Google’s browser, when a web page is not displayed. not charging or when it is not. have a connection.
We explain step by step how to play Microsoft Edge web browsing mini game on PC and mobile
The goal of this mini-game is to dodge a variety of obstacles, including the giant Kraken, and for this, unlike Google’s miniature dinosaur game, we can use our keyboard, mouse and even a joystick to play. . .
Next, we will explain step by step how to play Microsoft Edge navigation mini game on PC and mobile.
How to play Microsoft Edge Surf minigame on PC
As with Google’s popular dinosaur game, we won’t just be able to play Microsoft’s Edge little surf game, a web browser that, oddly enough, is based on Chromium, the big open-source G browser, when we’re on the go. By following a simple trick, which we’ll explain below, we can play anytime.
How to play Google Dinosaur with and without an internet connection
To start playing this browsing mini game on our PC in Microsoft Edge, just follow these steps:
Check that we have the latest version of Edge installed on our computer and that this version is Chromium based, as this game does not work with older versions.
Type the following in the address bar: edge: // browse /.
Once done, the mini-game will open in our Edge browser and we will get a screen like the one you can see in the image we leave for you on these lines.
Before we start playing, we can choose from three different game modes by simply clicking on the gear icon at the top right of the screen and choosing one of these three options from the drop-down list:
Endless: the classic game mode in which we will have to navigate endlessly, dodge obstacles and avoid the clutches of the Kraken.
Time Trial: A time trial game mode in which we will have to collect as many coins as possible before the time runs out.
Zigzag: An alternative way to get through any gates or checkpoints that we can without fail.
In this menu, in addition to being able to select a game mode, we can also see our maximum scores in each of them, activate two options that facilitate the game (High visibility mode and Low speed mode) and access the game walkthroughs in clicking on the How to play section.
How to play the Microsoft Edge Surf minigame on mobile
To be able to play the surf minigame in Microsoft Edge from mobile, we will need to install the beta version of the web browser called Microsoft Edge Canary, which we leave with the direct download link in the Google Play Store at the end of this article. , and as in the desktop version, type in the address bar: edge: // browse.
In this case, to move the surfer, we will have to press our terminal screen, from one side or the other to move the character to one side or the other and thus avoid the obstacles that are presented to us .
Also, if we need to pause the game at any time, we can do so by simply double-tapping the screen.
Your Android phone hides a little game like Google dinosaur: here’s how you can play it
In this mobile version of the Microsoft Edge surf game we have the same game modes and exactly the same instructions and instructions as in the desktop version.
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