Google Jamboard - A big 55-inch 4K whiteboard

Google wants more businesses to use its cloud-based collaboration apps like Gmail, Google Drive and Google Docs, and it believes that a new hardware device will help introduce those apps into more offices. The company has just announced the Google Jamboard, a big 55-inch 4K touchscreen whiteboard that it plans to officially launch in early 2017.

Google, which recently combined its cloud-based collaboration apps under the G Suite branding, says that the Jamboard will allow businesses to show any files stored in Docs, Sheets and Slides. It will also be able to add any images stored on a Google Drive account. The Jamboard itself will have its own tools, such as sticky notes and stencils, to help enhance any business presentation. It will also be able to recognize  handwriting and hand-drawn shapes on its big display. Of course, any changes to the files made on the whiteboard can also be saved on the cloud, and check out later by employees on their own smartphones and tablets.

While Google has yet to offer much information on what’s inside the Jamboard, it does say it comes with two crayon-looking passive styluses, along with a passive large eraser for when you want to wipe the whiteboard clean of content. While it can be mounted on a wall like any flat-screen TV, the Google Jamboard will also be designed so it can be mounted on wheels so it can be moved easily to any room in an office.

Google has not yet revealed the specific price of the Jamboard, but it promises that it will cost somewhere under $6,000. It is already test-driving the whiteboard at businesses like Netflix and Spotify so it can make some final refinements to its hardware and software. Interested businesses can apply to check out an early version of the Jamboard before it is officially released.

Microsoft Quietly Stops Accepting Bitcoins in Windows store

Microsoft reckoned Bitcoin was the future of payment system and added it as a payment option for Windows store at the end of 2014, but the company has silently pulled support for Bitcoin in the Windows 10 Store.

In November 2014, Microsoft struck a deal with third-party bitcoin payment processor 'Bitpay' that allowed people to use Bitcoin to purchase Microsoft’s products and services from Windows Stores.

However, Microsoft quietly updated the Windows Store FAQ that popped up "Microsoft Store doesn't accept Bitcoin."

The end of support for Bitcoin payments only applies to Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile stores. 

"Microsoft Store doesn't accept Bitcoin. You can no longer redeem Bitcoin into your Microsoft account," the update reads. "Existing balances in your account will still be available for purchases from Microsoft Store, but can't be refunded."

In short, you can make use of an existing balance in your account to buy your choice of apps from Windows store, but you can not add more Bitcoins or get a refund of your remaining balance.

So, you like it or not, from now on, you will have to use conventional money when buying apps or products from Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile stores.

Microsoft has not explained the sudden change in its policy. Bitpay is still operating, which indicates that there is no sour relationship between the company and Bitpay.

Microsoft's change of mind could be due to less number of people buying with virtual cash that gave the company no reason to continue keeping Bitcoin as a supported digital currency.

An official statement from Microsoft is not yet available, so let us wait what the company says about this sudden change.

P@SHA to Launch ‘Digital Pakistan 2020’ Campaign

Chairman of Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) Syed Ahmad, announced the launch of  ‘Digital Pakistan 2020’ campaign at its 3rd Grand Tech Executive Meetup held in Karachi this evening.

Previous two events in the series were held in Islamabad and Lahore, while the fourth meeting will be organized in Peshawar.

The event was part of an ongoing series to unite top tech executives in the industry with young and emerging startups to collectively address the issues that the industry is facing. The objective is to promote diversity in technology and innovation and collaborate with the Government to address impediments to growth, such as quality human capital, infrastructure and taxation related issues, that are being faced by individuals as well as companies in the IT sector.

Syed Ahmad explained that several other regional countries like Malaysia, Vietnam, Jordan, Indonesia and India have successfully established a knowledge-based economy powered by technology. “Digital Pakistan 2020” campaign aims to create a similar environment in Pakistan.

“The IT industry can address two of Pakistan’s major issues; creation of almost 300,000 new white collar jobs for the youth, and an export jump to reach 5 billion US dollars per year by 2020,” said Syed Ahmad.

According to Syed, P@SHA will be spearheading the Digital Pakistan 2020 campaign in collaboration with key stakeholders in the industry. However, support and strength of IT companies in big numbers would be needed to create a major impact and get quantitative results in this regard.

He elaborated that P@SHA is also in the process of creating separate community platforms for freelancers and startups in Pakistan, where they will be able to find information and advice on how to take their ventures forward. They will also be able to get their queries answered through an official platform and voice their concerns related to issues like payments, taxation etc.

The Pakistan Software Houses Association for IT & ITES (P@SHA) is the trade association representing the IT and IT Enabled Services sector. It aims to continue being the voice of the IT sector by providing platforms that are geared towards creating more opportunities for members of the ecosystem both domestically and internationally, create a collaborative sphere and arrange workshops and trainings aimed to enhance the quality of startups and freelancers.

Impressions from the Event

Many dignitaries and tech professionals were in attendance at the event in Karachi. Given Pakistan’s potential in IT, many of the attendees were of the view that official support and lack of education about IT amongst the decision makers at the provincial level was a serious matter that had to be tackled as well. For a country’s IT sector to flourish, there was a need to induct professionals who understand the ebbs and flows of the global, and more crucially, the local technological landscape at both the provincial and federal levels.

Even though the event focused on answering the queries of tech companies with regards to various taxation, political, technological and infrastructural issues that were unique to the Pak IT sector, a query was raised from one of the attendees about what P@SHA can do to better serve the interest of freelancers. Freelancers from Pakistan are another focus area for P@SHA, given how instrumental they’ve grown in bringing invaluable foreign exchange into Pakistan.

All in all, P@SHA has taken a step in the right direction, setting off a debate about the need for Pakistani tech companies to come together and represent the interests of a vital component of 21st century Pakistan.

Decred - A new Digital currency by core developers of bitcoin

Some of Bitcoin’s Core developers have left the Bitcoin project and started building their separate cryptocurrency called DECRED.

Decred aims to prevent the issues Bitcoin is currently facing regarding project governance and development funding.

CEO of 'Company 0', Mr. Jacob Yocom-Piatt, who has funded Bitcoin development since early 2013, said the actual development of the Bitcoin cryptocurrency is funded by external entities that forms a conflict of interests between the groups and the project's core developers.

According to Bitcoin's developers, these group puts limitations on input in Bitcoin's governance, selecting options that are favorable to their own interests only, and generally ignoring the developers' and project's best interests.

"The Bitcoin software is controlled by a small group of people who decide exclusively what can and cannot be changed," Jacob says in a press release.

"This is in part due to a lack of mechanisms and pathways for funding development work directly from the community, and, as a result, Bitcoin development is funded by external entities that create conflicts of interest between the developers and the representative power of the community that uses Bitcoin."

So, in order to address this issue, some of the Bitcoin developers have joined hands with the makers of the widely used BTCsuite and are now building their own new digital currency called DECRED.

What is DECRED?

Decred, managed and funded by Company 0 LLC, is an open and progressive cryptocurrency that will adopt a more decentralized community-based governance integrated into its blockchain.

The team has the advantage to make Decred a really great product as they already have experience with Bitcoin.

Some Highlights of DECRED

Decred intends to include a long list of features such as:

• Implementation of consensus system based on proof-of-work and proof-of-stake system
• Decred development is self-funded and open with block subsidy
• Decred uses Blake-256 hashing algorithm
• Decred may be compatible with Bitcoin
• Decred community members will be involved in making bottom-up non-financial decision making easier
• It will use secp256k1 signature scheme or Ed25519/secp256k1-Schnorr for better integration into existing software and make good use of the features offered by Schnorr signatures respectively
• Decred uses Go as a codebase for development

Decred has an Airdrop scheduled for next month (20 days and a few hours from now) where they’ll be giving out 4 percent of the total Decred supply to all participants.

Interested developers can take part in the Airdrop by filling in their details on Decred website.