Light Within

Following stories are being discussed on Pakistan Electronic Media today...

The Pakistan strategy is complicated by a number of factors, including the fact that any indication of increased U.S. involvement there generates broad mistrust. Zardari's political weakness is an additional hazard for a new bilateral relationship. He is disliked by the military and is challenged by the political opposition and his own prime minister; he also remains under a cloud of long-standing corruption charges. Less than a third of Pakistan's population voices approval for him in polls. Obama is even less popular there, with approval ratings in the low double digits - Washington Post.

The problems in Afghanistan have only been compounded by the fragility of Mr. Obama’s partner in Pakistan, President Asif Ali Zardari, who is so weak that his government seems near collapse. On Friday, Mr. Zardari relinquished his position in Pakistan’s nuclear command structure, turning it over to the prime minister, in what appeared to be an effort to avoid impeachment or prosecution, and retain at least a figurehead post - New York Times.

Pervaiz Munir Alvi

Eighteenth Century Ruler of Modern Day Afghanistan and Pakistan

Ahmad Shah Durrani was born in 1722 as Ahmad Khan Abdali at the city of Multan. At the age of twenty five he become ruler of the vast territory stretched from Mashhad in the west to the Punjab in the east; the land mass that today roughly forms the modern twin countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. He rose to power at a time when the Mughal Empire (1526-1857) based in Delhi and the Safavid Empire (1501-1722) based in Isfahan were disintegrating. Ahmad Shah at the expense of these two neighboring but dwindling empires was skillfully able to carve out an empire of his own. His rule although relatively short (1747-1772), was significant in the sense that it ultimately changed the course of the history of the South-Central Asia.

1707 – 1747

During the half century rule (1658-1707) of Alamgir I (Aurangzeb) all territories now forming Pakistan, Kashmir and most of Afghanistan were part of the great Mughal Empire. Upon death of Alamgir I his son Bahadar Shah I succeeded him but five years later he too died fighting Sikh insurgents in Punjab. Soon after that intrigues took over the Palace. Syeds of Bihar had become the most powerful force in the Mughal Court. Two successive emperors, Jahandar Shah and Farokh Siar were murdered and the empire started to crumble from all directions. In the next quarter century multiple insurgencies of Sikh, Jat, Rajput, Marhatta and Rohila Afghans challenged the Mughal rule.

In year 1719, Sultan Roshan Akhtar, a grandson of Bahadar Shah I and great-grandson of Alamgir I, under the title of Mohammad Shah (1719-1748) was installed as emperor. In order to neutralize the Syeds, Mohammad Shah established two parties of courtiers; a Turkic party under Chin Kulin Khan and a Persian party under Saadat Ali. Over the course of time these two noblemen and their respective descendants will play a significant role in the affairs of the Mughal Empire and would routinely interact with the Persian and Afghan monarchs in the west. In 1738, overwhelmed by the internal and the external troubles, these two courtiers of the Mughal emperor asked Nadir Shah Afshar of Persia to intervene. Nadir Shah attacked Delhi in 1738 and forced Emperor Mohammad Shah, to handover all territories west of the River Indus to the Persians.

Ahmad Khan Abdali at that time was only a young soldier in the Persian army of Nadir Shah who had given precedence to Abdali tribesmen over their rival the Ghilzais. However within a very short time Ahmad Khan Abdali rose from the level of Yasawal (personal servant) to the king to the rank of commander of Abdali regiment. When Nadir Shah died in 1747 at the hands of the Qizalbash (red-turbans) soldiers wary of the growing Abdali influence, Ahmad Khan provided security to the family of the late king. In October 1747 at a location near mausoleum of Muslim saint Sheikh Surkh, adjacent to Fort Nadirabad-Kandahar, Ahmad Khan called a meeting (Jirga) of tribal elders. At the meeting, under his new name Ahmad Shah Abdali, he announced himself as a leader of the Pashtun tribes. Haji Jamal Khan Mohammadzai, the other contender to the leadership withdrew his claim. Pir Sabir Shah, the spiritual guide of Pashtun tribes validated the selection by showering his praise for the young Ahmad Shah Abdali and declared him Durr-e-Durran (pearl of the pearls); hence the beginning of the name Durrani.

1747 – 1754

Following his mentor Nadir Shah, Ahmad Shah took control of Kandahar, Ghazna, Kabul and Peshawar. By December 1747 the provinces of Frontier, Kashmir, Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan - the areas roughly constituting Pakistan - were all under his control. On March 3rd 1748 Durrani and Mughal forces confronted each other near the city of Sirhind in east Punjab. Mughal forces were led by the Crown Prince and various members of the families of Chin Kulin Khan and Saadat Ali. On March 11th 1748 Durrani forces were defeated but at the end of the battle day, the leader of the Mughal forces Grand Vazir Qamar-ud-din, a son of Chin Kulin Khan died by a round shot while praying. Five days later on April 16th 1748 hearing the death of his Grand Vazir, the Mughal emperor Mohammad Shah also died seized by a strong convulsion. Soon after that Chin Kulin Khan, who had become Nizam of Deccan also died. The Crown Prince, a son of Mohammad Shah from his Hindu wife Udam Bai, under the title of Ahmad Shah (not to be confused with Ahmad Shah Abdali) became the new emperor (1748-1754). He appointed Safdar Jang, a nephew of Saadat Ali as Grand Vazir as well as Nawab of Audh and Nasir Jang, a son of Chin Kulin Khan as new Nizam of Deccan.

Abdali meanwhile, after securing eastern territories turned his attention westward and in 1750-51 captured the Persian cities of Herat, Nishapur and Mashhad. However in 1751 he had to return to Lahore to quell Sikh insurgencies. In 1752 he marched on Kashmir to consolidate his control. Soon after that the Mughal emperor made his peace with Abdali and formally ceded to him the provinces of Lahore and Multan. Abdali in return allowed Moin-ud-din (commonly known as Mir Mannu), a son of Qamar-ud-din and grandson of Chin Kulin Khan to be the governor of Punjab as an appointee of the Mughal emperor. This peace deal marks the end of the two and a quarter century long (1524-1748) rule of the Timurids over the land now constituting Pakistan. For the next two centuries (1748-1947) the country will be successively ruled by the Afghans, Sikhs, English and various petty Nawabs, Khans and Maharajas.

After the loss of the north-western part of the empire, the Mughal court once again slipped into internal intrigues and chaos. An open war ensued between the Turkic party and the Persian party in which Turks prevailed and another son of late Qamar-ud-din became the Grand Vazir. In their struggles for supremacy each party on its part sought support of Marhatta, Jat and Rohila Afghan outsiders. Finally Shahab-ud-din, another grandson of Chin Kulin Khan and a cousin of Mir Mannu prevailed over all others. He declared himself as Grand Vazir and on June 5th 1754 deposed and blinded Emperor Ahmad Shah and put him in prison. On July 1754 another great-grandson of Alamgir I and a son of the late Emperor Jahandar Shah at the age of 54 was enthroned as Alamgir II. In Audh, Safdar Jang the nephew of late Saadat Ali too died on October 17th 1754, leaving Shahab-ud-din uncontested. By this time the once mighty Mughal Empire had been reduced just to the areas now called Utter Pradesh in India.

1754 – 1757

Mir Mannu the governor of Punjab had died in November 1753 in a horse fall. Abdali made his minor son Timur Shah governor of Punjab but left the administration in the hands of the widow of Mir Mannu and her Hindu aid known as Adina Baig. Not pleased with this change, Mughal Grand Vazir (Shahab-ud-din) decided to march on Lahore in the company of Crown Prince Mirza Ali Gouhar, took widow and daughter of Mir Mannu (whom he later married) and made Adina Baig commissioner of Lahore. Abdali, obviously furious by these actions, returned to Lahore and then marched on Delhi for the second time. Twenty miles outside Delhi the two armies faced each other; only this time a major segment of the army of Emperor Alamgir II under the command of one Najib Khan, a Rohila Afghan soldier of fortune, moved over to the Abdali side as expected guests.

On September 11, 1757 Abdali entered Delhi and took over the affairs of the government. However before returning to his capital Kandahar, Abdali married a daughter of the late emperor Mohammad Shah and at the same time married his son Timur Shah to a daughter of Crown Prince Mirza Ali Gouhar; thus establishing his own family relations with the Mughal royal family. At the intervention of the widow of Mir Mannu victorious Abdali pardoned the Grand Vazir and the two agreed to join hands against other common enemies. He also made Najib Khan in charge of the Palace while a part of Abdali forces was left behind to safeguard Durrani interests. Timur Shah returned to Lahore as Durrani governor of Punjab. During this period at the orders of Ahmad Shah Abdali a set of two large size cannons were cast at Lahore. Surviving cannon of the pair, by the name of Zamzama now sits in front of the Lahore Museum for the public display.

1757 - 1761

Once Abdali back in Kandahar, the Grand Vazir (Shahab-ud-din) with the help of hired Marhatta mercenaries expelled Najib Khan from the Palace, and conspired against Crown Prince Mirza Ali Gouhar and his son-in-law Timur Shah. Mirza Gouhar was imprisoned from where he escaped. Timur Shah was chased out of Lahore by Adina Baig with the help of Marhattas. At the same time the Emperor Alamgir II was murdered by the men of the Grand Vazir in November 1759 by deceit and another great-grandson of Alamgir I and grandson of Prince Kam Buksh under the title of Shah Jahan II was declared emperor. However in Bihar the fugitive Crown Prince Mirza Ali Gouhar also took the name of Shah Alam and declared himself as the rightful emperor. Abdali had no choice but to return to Delhi for the third time. He cleared Punjab of the Marhattas and then marched on to Delhi. The Grand Vazir fled in time and abandoned the city in advance of Ahmad Shah. When Abdali left the deserted city for his camp at Anup Shahr, to fill in the vacuum, Marhattas with the help of Rajputs and Jats took over Delhi in the December of 1759. The stage was set for another showdown.

The summer of 1760 was used by the two sides in building alliances, war preparation and troop movement. On one side was the Hindu Marhatta Confederacy and on the other side was the Muslim Mughal-Afghan Alliance. On October 17th 1760 combined Muslim army consisting of Rohila Afghans under Najib Khan, Mughals under Nawab Shuja-ud-daula of Audh and Durrani forces, all under the leadership of Ahmad Shah Abdali made its move. First encounter between the advance troops from the both sides took place on October 26th. For the next two months small and large party duels and skirmishes continued, each adding to the Marhatta losses of men, ammunition and provisions. Finally, hungry cold and exhausted, on the night of January 6th 1761 the Marhattas took a desperate decision. One hour before dawn they would take their last meal, paint their faces saffron and meet the enemy head-on ready to die.

Ahmad Shah Abdali was in bed when at 3:00 A.M. his spies broke the news. The Marhattas had opened fire. Throughout the morning hours the Muslim army took fire but stood its ground. By 1:00 P.M. Abdali gave orders to charge forward. By 3 o’clock the Marhatta forces were cut down with their chiefs either slain or on the run. Victorious Muslim allies moved back into Delhi. Fugitive emperor Shah Alam was recognized as the legitimate heir to the Mughal throne. In the absence of Shah Alam, his eldest son Mirza Jawan Bakht under the protection of Najib Khan was made the nominal charge of the affairs. Shuja-ud-daula returned to Audh as new Grand Vazir. Abdali returned to Lahore and then to Kabul and Kandahar. Defeated Marhatta for the next eight years did not make any more attempts on Delhi.

1761-1772

Between 1761 and 1767 Ahmad Shah had to fight off many Sikh insurgencies in Punjab. With Emperor Shah Alam unable to return to Delhi, the capital was managed by Najib as regent of Crown Prince Jawan Bukht. However Najib was continuously being threatened by the Jats. Abdali had to return to Delhi one more time to assist Najib Khan and Prince Jawan Bukht. In April 1767 Durrani forces arrived outside Delhi for the fourth time. However soon after his return, Marhatta started to gain strength. Towards the end of 1768 they made some advancement and by 1769 once again started to threaten Delhi. In 1770 Najib Khan entered into some territorial accommodation with Marhattas soon after which he died at the age of sixty two and his place was taken over by his son Zabita Khan. By 1770-71 Marhattas were able to make a comeback. Only this time Abdali did not return to help Mughals. Zabita Khan fled the capital. Emperor Shah Alam with the help of Marhattas returned to his capital after an absence of eleven years.

Ahmad Shah Abdali, the founder of the Durrani Empire, died at the city of Murghah in 1772 at a relatively young age of fifty. Reportedly in 1764 he had developed a face cancer which ultimately took his life. Upon his death his son Timur Shah became the next Emperor. But soon after that the Durrani Empire started to disintegrate. Punjab, the most precious holding was wrestled away by the Sikhs. Timur Shah died in 1793. For the next thirty years five different but ineffective sons of Timur Shah ruled the much reduced kingdom from Kabul till in 1823, Ayub Shah, the last Durrani king was deposed and possibly killed. Today millions in Afghanistan and Pakistan identify themselves of the Durrani heritage.

Ahmad Shah Abdali, the founder of Durrani Empire is buried in his native city Kandahar where his imposing mausoleum as a testimony to his greatness still stands with an epitaph: The king of high rank, Ahmad Shah Durrani.

Main Source: The Fall of the Mughal Empire, H.G. Keene, Oxford, 1887.

Owais Mughal has this photo, by Farhan Khan. It shows sacrificial animals being brought to a market in Latifabad, Hyderabad for upcoming Eid-ul-Azha. And Adil Najam suggests the heading. 


Eid Posts: Who is the Bakra Today? Bakras On-Line!

You need to convert Vinyl into digital files for PC or MAC, CD or MP3 Player; use the USB turntables from Ion. It works wonderfully simple and is one of the most economical solutions for converting your treasured vinyl collection into digital files.

Saving vinyl and tape to your PC and copy to CD with the ION USB turntable takes just a few minutes to set up as does loading of the software onto your computer, using the user-friendly instruction guide. All you have to do is connect the two is the supplied USB cable.

This wonderful facility is packed with features like it downloads 33.3 and 45 RPM records, 78 RPM records can be transferred by recording at 33.3 / 45 RPM and using software to restore to original speed, 1/8" stereo line input to digitise music from cassettes or other sources, connects to a stereo (using phono in / out) for use as a normal record player.

ION USB turntable comes in 2 designs (Contemporary and Classic) - with hinged lid. A single USB cable is all you need to connect the turntable to a computer. It measures 10cm high, 41cm wide, 33cm deep (Classic); 14cm high, 43cm wide, 38cm deep (Contemporary). Give it a whirl and enjoy.

Remember when walkman came up on the market first. Everyone wanted one and sales sky rocketed. No gadget has still surpassed the sale record of walkman.

Now Sony's new NWZ-W202 W-Series Walkman MP3 player - a stylish device worn directly in the ears – is creating waves.

The W-Series Walkman MP3 player is made with two rectangular-shaped earpieces that are connected with a flexible cord of a neckband. When you put it on, it looks like you are wearing two Bluetooth headsets. The earpieces are magnetized so that when they are separated, music begins playing, and when they are joined together, the music is off. The controls are simple to operate - the right earpiece contains one button each to turn the volume up and down and a jog dial to skip songs. A feature called ZAPPIN allows you to preview a short clip of each song before picking the one you want. Oh, how amazing.

The W-Series Walkman that 2 GB of music, can be plugged into a laptop with the USB cord, songs can be dragged and dropped from iTunes onto the device. What is more, charge it for three minutes and it will go for 90 minutes of battery life. What else one needs.

One of the best device that can accompany you anywhere, especially in gym and on other outdoor athletic pursuits. May be this will urge me to start jogging again.

BMW has been researching systems for more than two years in conjunction with the Car 2 Car Communication Consortium, a partnership of car manufacturers and technology suppliers that includes Audi, Fiat, Honda and Renault. Now Cohda Wireless, an Australian technology start-up with a partnership of several European governments is also going to test vehicle communication system called Cohda intelligent transport system that is also aimed at cutting down road fatalities by half.

Cohda intelligent transport system is the technology that uses a GPS locator and a chip that allows cars to communicate their speed and location, 10 times per second over a radio frequency, to other similarly equipped vehicles within a 500ft radius. The device will alert drivers if, for example, a car jumps a red light, or advise them when it is unsafe to overtake. If it detects the potential for a collision, the system can give an audible warning or take over the reins if the driver’s reactions prove too slow.

The system can also work in conjunction with roadside beacons, which can relay information about traffic flow to highways agencies and could also be used to administer road-charging systems, although this significantly increases the cost.

This and similar other inventions have also given birth to a debate that the rapidly advancing technologies will produce less attentive drivers, too accustomed to relying on technology to do the thinking for them and less able to react when it lets them down. What do you say on that?

So finally it did happen on the night of 22 November at Islamabad Club. Asif had arranged a wonderful dinner besides ensuring a good gathering. Almost fifty course mates, mostly accompanied, attended. There was everybody who are usually in Rawalpindi/Islamabad and counting everyone would be difficult (counting the absentees was easier).

However, one can see most of the attendees in the photographs. Everyone was willing to be "shot" to immortalize the event (Munir should be happy). After pleasantries, dinner was served and it was really good.

On dinner tables, everyone ate and chatted. After the dinner, Asif called for a half-circle conference to apprise everyone of the situation of course fund and donations. Three venues for the next course get together were discussed (Peshawar as invite by Tariq Khan, Nathia Gali and Murree). Although, Peshawar should have been selected as Tariq Khan had sent in the invitation long ago, but due to security situation, it was the opinion of the majority that attendance would be thin at Peshawar. So Murree was finally selected for which Zaheer will be making all the arrangements. And then the house was open for a lighter mood and jokes. And it was after a long time that Alamgir got a chance to corner Sami Ullah Khattak, who was equally offensive to shoot back all NRO type allegations. And amid laughing and smiling, the party came to an end. {With Thanks to Jalal Hamid Bhatti}

Have a look at portable storage unit known as a Personal Sharing Device by Leyio that can be used to send and receive files in multiple ways including ultra-wide band.

Leyio Personal Sharing Device is small but quite chunky. On the front there is a small 1.5in screen and a fingerprint reader and single button. On the sides there is a USB slot, a mini USB port and a detachable USB memory stick.

The interface of 16 GB device is as simple as the rest of the design. Pressing the button starts the device, prompting the user for a fingerprint to access. The device can only store a single fingerprint at a time and five incorrect guesses brings up a number code entry to bypass the fingerprint reader as well as reset it, so you don't have to be too concerned when setting it up.

Navigation is done by swiping your finger across the fingerprint reader. Up and down scrolls through the various folders and files, while side to side goes between levels. Pushing the button acts as a back or cancels option, while holding it down starts the wireless transfer mode.

Data can be shared in number of ways; plug it into a PC via the mini USB port and it acts like any other removable storage device, or you can transfer data to and from another USB device by plugging it into the USB slot, or to the inbuilt 2GB USB key and then plug that into a PC's USB port. Anything copied to the detachable unit is automatically copied to the main device when it is plugged back in.

AVADirect Custom Gaming PC comes loaded with a 2.66GHz Intel Core i7 920 chip overclocked to 3.88GHz. AVADirect offers a multitude of options, including a motherboard and case, for its Intel X58 chipset-based Custom Gaming PC.

According to AVADirect, it ensures its systems are stable before they ship out to customers, and that it will follow up on the phone with customers who make mistakes in their online orders. It also has what it calls its certified systems that offer a more restricted option path, and thus less room for error. In general, and this applies to any vendor offering so many hardware options, we recommend these kinds of systems only to those with a certain degree of technical competence.

The cabling, overclocking, and cooling of this system were all expertly done, on par with the build quality of the likes of Falcon Northwest, Maingear, and Velocity Micro. The ThermalTake Element S case is attractive and straightforward enough. The top-mounted USB, eSATA, and audio ports are an easy-to-reach convenient touch; you'll find a Blu-ray, DVD burner, and media card drives behind the front-panel door. We don't find Blu-ray a necessity in a full-tower PC, but it also doesn't hurt. If you're not interested in Blu-ray you can always opt out.

Inside, a blue LED screen is tied into the CoolIT DM-1000 Domino liquid-cooling hardware that displays the CPU temperature and the system fan speed. Despite this extra component, the interior of the Custom Gaming PC is easy to navigate. All of the cables are bound and secured out of the way for easy parts swapping, including the hard-drive cables, which are situated behind the drives, rather than in front. The drive cable inputs aren't anchored to a surface of any kind, so drive removal and reinsertion isn't totally seamless, but we appreciate both the visual appeal and the relative ease of removing a drive with the cables routed behind it.

Computer gaming is a mature and well developed industry now. Given the number of people involved in computer games, manufacturers are working to meet the ever demand of computer games and related paraphernalia. Serious gamers need ergonomic, comfortable and dedicated gaming chair. Techno Station has found one of the biggest buy available right now. Have a look at Ultimate Game Chair V3.

Ultimate Game Chair V3 is stylish and trendy. This leather recliner features 12 vibrating motors spaced throughout the chassis, and two 10-Watt speakers in the headrest. Aside from the comfort factor and the CD quality sound, the chair features a left mounted cup holder, so you do not even have to lean over to pick your coffee mug off the coffee table. Just play, play, play - and feel those pounds gather around your midriff. Of course, the seat offers multichair connectivity for a dude lair setup, as well as a headphone jack for nights when tomb raiding takes you into the early hours.

Ultimate Game Chair V3 excels in bringing gaming into the 5th dimension. The V3 is fully reclining with foot rests to let you choose the most comfortable gaming position. Some more power features include Adjustable 3D stereo speakers, extra port built-in for other great gaming accessories and is compatable with xBox 360 and xBox Live, Playstation 2 and 3, PS Online, PSP, Nintendo Wii, Game Cube, DS, PC, Mac, Home Theater and iPod.

Robots are reaching the level what we see in science fiction such as Star Wars. Now British scientists have developed (at the School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, University of Essex) Robotic fish that they are planning to release into the sea to detect pollution. Yes. Robots will enter the sea at the port of Gijon in northern Spain as part of a three-year research project.

The robot will be equipped with tiny chemical sensors to find the source of potentially hazardous pollutants in the water, such as leaks from vessels in the port or underwater pipelines. The fish robot will communicate with each other using ultrasonics and information will be transmitted to the port's control centre via WiFi from the charging hub where the fish can charge their batteries.

Unlike robotic fish that worked with remote controls, these will have autonomous navigation capabilities, enabling them to swim independently around the port without any human interaction. This will also enable them to return automatically to their hub to be recharged when battery life is low.

While using shoals of robotic fish for pollution detection in harbors might appear like something straight out of science fiction, there are very practical reasons for choosing this form and it is expected that this will work very well.

The Canon HV30 is the replacement model for the much celebrated HV20. The list of upgrades includes a 30fps frame mode (in addition to 24p and 60i), an better zoom toggle, an improved LCD, and a black paint job.

The lens has a 43mm filter diameter to accommodate that killer fish-eye or telephoto lens that will do an admirable job of capturing images. An automatic lens enclosure engages when the HV30 is turned on or off. To the left of the lens is a vertical panel containing a built-in flash, Instant AF sensor, and LED video light. Toward the rear are two switches - the Auto/P mode switch and the Tape/Memory Card switch. Toward the lens end is a rugged plastic port enclosure that houses the Mic, AV/Headphone, and Component-out jacks. Users can configure the AV jack correctly before using headphones. The built-in stereo microphone is mounted toward the lens end, evading hand interference.

Canon slapped a real Zoom toggle on the HV30 in place of the HV20's thin strip of plastic. The Photo button is located behind the Zoom toggle. Another plus on the HV20, Canon chose not to tether the bit of plastic to the body of the camcorder. This time around Canon attached the plastic shield to the frame of the HV30.

The HV30 is as good as it gets, it puts out better quality than AVCHD now, and this will likely not change in recent years. So get it and have an enriching experience.

Last year (2008), Tenori-on was recognized as one of the most innovative products of year but very costly. Recently Yamaha reduced the price for the holidays, so owning one is now somewhat more feasible. The design remains inspired: You interact with a 16-by-16 grid of LED-illuminated buttons to manipulate and build musical loops. A total of 256 sounds are built in, and an integrated SD Card slot lets you copy original samples from your computer. You can also use the Tenori-on's MIDI-out port to connect with your PC's music software or with your other hardware instruments.

The Tenori-on is an 8 x 8-inch magnesium square brimming with 256 tiny, pressable, blinking LEDs and even gestural controls that make it easy to sequence electronic music on the fly. It's a spectacular tool for creating loops and to bring electronic music composition to the masses. Turning the unit on makes the process almost immediately recognizable: a vertical bar of LEDs loops from left to right across the 16 x 16 grid. Pressing any of the buttons on the 16 x 16 grid makes a sound when pressed momentarily. Press the button for a little while longer, and the light will stay lit up, sounding each time the bar passes over it.

Number of buttons gives the Tenori-on another compositional dimension: low notes are on the bottom and high notes are on the top, giving the user an instant picture-score of what's going on at any time. Score one for those of us who never cared much for sheet music.

Try it and unleash your musical talents hidden in you.

Bluetooth is one of the best utility that can set you free. When coupled with a compatible cell phone, a Bluetooth headset allows you to make calls without having to hold the phone in your hand. And Bluetooth headsets are more than just a convenience. Even one needs to invest in a headset these days. Using a Bluetooth headset can be a liberating experience.

There are so many Bluetooth out there - a large number of headset manufacturers, different designs, and a wide range of prices. I found wearing the Jabra BT530 with or without the earhook provides a secure fit, but its audio quality isn't consistent. Putting on the GN Netcom Jabra BT530 involved minimal attachment hassles--a plus for those who like their Bluetooth headset to have an earhook.

The Jabra's default earhook is relatively short and its loop shape is narrow, which suits any ears. An efficient up-and-over-the-ear maneuver, along with a relatively quick in-the-ear-placement is all it took to get going. Getting a good fit with the BT530 requires just a little bit less time compared with the number one model among our latest headset test batch, the Aliph Jawbone.

The Jabra lets you remove the earhook entirely. Instead, you can switch out the regular ear gel for one of six replacement gels, each with a small loop that helps hold the headset in place. This versatility is great for fusspots. Unlike the smooth round tip on the Plantronics Discovery 925, the Jabra tip has a beak-like portion that juts out - this is what you put into your ear canal. And with or without the hook, the headset feels lightweight.

Getting the hang of the button layout takes just a few calls. The BT530's call quality is all over the map: Sound is incredibly clear during calls.

Sony is releasing a digital photo frame that can store up to 2,000 photos. It can auto-resize making all of your photos fit. It measures 7 inches. The photo frame has internal storage capacity one gigabyte. It has 800 x 480 WVGA resolution and supports JPEG and RAW (SRF, SR2, ARW) image file formats. Just plug the frame into your USB port on your computer and you get your photos onto the frame.

It has various playback options and a remote control. It offers flexibility to display photos as single images, as thumbnails for easy searching or as a slideshow with 10 built-in transitions. The frame is priced $150, not much of a price for the ones who are fond of photos.

The Government of Pakistan has released the list of National Reconciliation Ordinance aka NRO beneficiaries to the public. The list is not yet complete and the one available to media contains only 248 politicians and bureaucrats. Names of some of the NRO beneficiaries are given here for record.

1) Asif Ali Zardari - The beneficiary No 1 of the NRO. These cases included the alleged kickbacks from SGS PSI Company, grant of licence to ARY Gold causing huge loss to government, corruption in purchase of Ursus tractors under the Awami Tractor Scheme, illegal award of contract to Cotecna for pre-shipment, assets beyond means, received kickbacks from Sajjad Ahmad (late) ex-chairman Pakistan Steel Mills, illegal construction of Polo ground at PM House and the money laundering SGS Swiss case.

SanDisk are releasing their latest MP3 player - the Sansa Clip+ MP3 player. It has a microSD memory card slot which allow the user to store plenty of albums on individual microSD cards making categorizing easy. Sansa Clip+ MP3 player is compatibile with SanDisk slotRadio and slotMusic cards, alongside any microSD memory card with pre-loaded music files.

It has a wearable clip making it hands-free portable. Its 1″ OLED display is be bright enough for use under direct sunlight. The simple user interface makes it possible to select songs and playlists through a variety of assortments. There is an integrated FM tuner having 40 preset stations. Sansa Clip+ MP3 player has built-in microphone turning it into an impromptu voice recorder. It is available in 2GB, 4GB and 8GB capacities, $39.99, $49.99 and $69.99, respectively in red, blue and black colors.

Taking pictures is easy but uploading these to social media sites requires patience. Cerevo, an upcoming company from Japan, is introducing a camera which will upload the pictures by it self to all the social media networks, YouTube, Facebook, MySpace and the like. Using this camera with Wi-Fi and 3G, photos can be easily put on their photo sharing site, Cerevolife. With a prefix of the company name is known as CerevoCam.

You can take pictures late at night, transfer them to the Internet via wireless and the photos will be there at the other end via Cerevo life, the company site. The camera has a free space of about 5GB good enough for 4,000 pictures. You can share pictures on Flickr, Twitter, Picasa, and other such like services. The price tag is $210. You stand relieved of USB cable and the waiting of time. It's going to be of good use to the picture lovers.

BlackBerrys continues to lead the domain of businessmen who need a powerful, no-nonsense smartphone. RIM has ensured to make their BlackBerry available regardless of the monthly plan you decide to sign up. The latest handset, the Tour 9630 smartphone offers 3G connectivity, full multimedia support, GPS capability, a speedier browsing experience and document editing and viewing capability. It will be available from Sprint where it

The BlackBerry Tour 9630 is very handy for the traveler that needs to stay connected. With geo-tagging functionality, its 3.2 megapixel auto-focus camera easily identifies where a picture was taken. Photo sharing is simple with access to networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and flickr. It supports up to 16 GB of space for images, music, and larger work files like presentations and reports. It’s slim. BlackBerry Tour 9630 is on sale for $199.99 before taxes with a 2-year agreement.

Pakistan bloggers are exceptionally good (and I am not being ethnocentric here). They have acumen for writing. Their language and blogging skills and networking capabilities can be compared with any bloggers' community across the Internet. The Internet coverage and users base is constantly growing. Driven by powerful bloggers, Pakistan blogsphere is changing continuously and reaching new heights.

Like always , Light Within is bringing out Top Ten Pakistani Blogs and Top Ten Blogposts for 2009 in an effort to recognize the best in Pakistan Blogsphere.

It's indeed very tragic for a person to be disabled, particularly, if the disability is in the form loss of sight. This post is not going to be read by the blind people for whom it is being written. But, it is hoped that the near and dear ones of the blind read it so that the blind can benefit. There are a number of gadgets for the blind which make their life easier, and somewhat, better. Here is a watch can be felt by the blind to make sense about time. The Sentio Digital Tactile Watch displays time with 1mm raised metal pieces. The wearer can read the time by touching it in stead of seeing. Although the wearer won't be able to see the watch he/she is wearing, the watch is very beautiful to look at.

The tactile display used by Sentio raises each segment 1mm above the watch face which enables blind to read the time by touching the face just like Braille watches. Depending upon the mode selected, the format displays time in either hours or minutes as per the choice of the user.

Nokia is introducing the new Maemo software alongside a brand known as the Nokia N900. It's an improvement on Nokia's previous internet tablet service. The set is most suited for persons want to undertake multitasking using their handsets and want to browse the internet just like using their desktop. Its new Maemo 5 software facilitates running dozens of application windows simultaneously and it can be done while making a phone call at the same time. However, there will be a little bit of slowdowns. Nokia N900 has a powerful ARM Cortex-A8 processor. It can store up to 1GB of application memory and has OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics acceleration for the mobile gaming lovers. Nokis N 900 has a touchsceen display, HSPA support, Wi-Fi connectivity, full Adobe Flash 9.4 support and a browser based on Mozilla’s technology. Maemo software will be updated over the air.

With a full slide out QWERTY keyboard, you can compose all your text messages and emails. Nokia N900 has 32GB of internal memory, a microSD memory card slot, a 5-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics. Compatibile to the Nokia Messaging service, it can hold up to 10 personal email accounts. The price is estimated to be 500 Euros before taxes and subsidies.
Source: Nokia

A French doctor is embarking on the 6,000-mile trip to promote a better image of Pakistan. 'It's not all about terrorism,' he says. Thi piece has appeared in Guardian.

Low-key is good in Islamabad these days, where the threat of Taliban suicide bombings has filled Pakistan's capital with checkposts, blast walls and a queasy air of anxiety. But one proudly conspicuous car rolled through the streets last week – a 25-year-old Volkswagen Beetle, painted in an explosion of trippy colours. At the wheel was a defiant doctor, Vincent Loos, headed for Paris.

"My dream was to return by road," says the 39-year-old Frenchman, who has just finished three years' work at a local hospital. Doctors without borders indeed – or perhaps doctors without sense. Only six months ago his ride was a dust-smeared wreck, collapsed at the bottom of an Islamabad street waiting for a final trip to the scrapyard. Loos, an intensive care specialist, restored the car to full health, then hired an artist to paint in the local style known as "truck art".

The Beetle came to Pakistan in the 1950s with army officers and bureaucrats returning from postings abroad. The appeal has endured – Mubashir Hasan, a finance minister from the 1970s, still drives his around Lahore. Romano Karim of Islamabad's VW club estimates about 500 "Foxies" travel Pakistan's roads. "Cute, quirky, cheap spare parts – it's the ideal car," he says.

The French doctor's Foxy should reach Paris in about two weeks. His team is equipped with an ample stock of spare parts and a line of Urdu poetry inscribed on the bonnet: "Every mother's prayer is a breeze from paradise."

Follow Loos's trip at Art on the Wheels Tour

Nokia is introducing a new service to its cellphone users i.e sending and receiving payments using nothing but your mobile phone. Known as Nokia Money, Nokia is offering the service in cooperation with Obopay. Obopay specialises in mobile payment solutions and is currently available in the US and India. Easy to use and available on cellphones, millions of people will be able to make financial transactions at ease as and when they so desire. All a person needs to do is send text message to the recipient to complete the transaction.

According to Mary McDowell, Chief development officer of Nokia, "There is a huge gap in the market, with approximately 4 billion mobile phone users globally, and only 1,6 billion bank accounts. That means there are currently more than twice as many cell phone users as bank accounts worldwide". This may not be totally true as a number oof people own more than one cellphone. Nokia is also trying to work out similar arrangement with other payment services. Nokia is planned to be introduced gradually, starting in early 2010.

source: nokia.com or obopay.com

Sony have announced their new Alpha a850 DSLR camera alongside a brand new 28-75mm F2.8 lens. The a850 will have the same main features as that of the earlier model a900 but will be cheaper than it. It will be available for less than $2,000. a850 is good for both high-end professionals and the amateurs.

The a850 camera a high resolution, 24.6-megapixel, 35-mm full-frame Exmor CMOS sensor, fast image processing with dual BIONZ processing engines. You can shoot continuous images at the same resolution up to 3 frames a second so that you do not miss any moment of fast moving objects. With Exmor CMOS sensor within, the camera offers the photographic expressive power of wide angles and perspective which is available only from a 35 mm full-frame sensor. You can process large amounts of data captured quickly for superior shooting response.

Alpha a850 DSLR camera has an auto focus system of nine sensors with 10 assist points for improved tracking of moving subjects. You achieve better precision due to its center dual cross sensor that is made up of two horizontal and two vertical line sensors,and a dedicated f/2.8 sensor. It has an integrated SteadyShot INSIDE image stabilization system to achieve anti-shake effects. The anti-shake system plays nice and is particularly useful for novices.

Microsoft and Hercules are claiming and racing to be the first to introduce 720p webcams. Hercules has announced the Dualpix HD 720p. The webcam shoots in 720p HD resolution video having 1280 x 720 resolution picturing 30 frames per second with 16/9 format.Photo resolution is 5 megapixels in interpolated mode with a 1 megapixel CMOS sensor for quality images even in low-light conditions. High-quality built-in microphone facilitates good sound. You can have a wide viewing angle via auto focus lens which may be a source of intrusion into privacy.

With USB 2.0 Video Class (UVC) interface you can have high-speed transfers for “driverless installation” for Windows XP SP2, Vista, and Windows 7. This Hercules webcam is for $ 60.00.

source: Hercules

Fred Bremner was not born or raised in Pakistan. In fact during his life time there was no country on the map by the name of Pakistan. Yet, for thirty five years he lived and worked among, owned studios and properties at, and traveled through out the areas that would later become Pakistan.

He was a commercial photographer who like thousands of other enterprising Britons earned his living by working his trade. But he was one of the pioneers of his art working in Karachi, Quetta, Rawalpindi and Lahore, the four important and major cities of Pakistan today.

He was not a diplomat, historian or a journalist, yet his photographs and publications have become an important source of historic records of the cities, events, places and people in Pakistan. By helping record the history of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century he, however unintentional it may, has rendered important services to what would later become Pakistan.
Yet, in Pakistan there is no mention of his name in history books; no acknowledgement of his work in museums; no art gallery dedicated to him; not even a plaque of his name at his former studios some of which are still in operation. No stamp has ever been issued in his name; no articles are written on him; no seminar has been offered to discuss his work and his contributions in the art of photography in Pakistan. In fact, Pakistan is totally oblivious of him.
It is time that Pakistan acknowledges his art and services and claims him as one of her own and gives him his rightful place in heritage of Pakistan.

Fred Bremner was born in 1863 in a small village of Scotland named Aberchinder, also known as ‘Foggylone’. In 1876 at the age of thirteen he left school and start working with his father who was a professional photographer and owned a studio in the town of Banff, Scotland. In 1882 after having worked for his father for six years he accepted a contract from his brother-in-law, G.W. Lawrie who by that time had owned a studio in Lacknow. So with twenty pounds in his pocket borrowed from his father and passage provided by Lawrie he set sails on a ship named Sutlej to the British Indian Empire. After landing at Bombay he traveled for two days and two nights to reach Lacknow. For the next two years he would work on several assignments at various locations in northern India.

 

After the first two years, for his next assignment he was sent 1500 miles away to work in Karachi where he arrived via Lahore in summer of 1885. British had captured Karachi in 1839 when it had a population of only ten thousand. However at the time of his arrival Karachi had become an important sea port for overseas commerce for Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab provinces and its population had increased to hundred fifty thousand.

Even though prior to his arrival he did not know a soul in Karachi, he was soon able to meet a Barrack Master Richardson who belonged to the Scottish Lodge of Freemasons, the organization Bremner had joined earlier. Richardson took him as a paying guest and also introduced him to a chemist friend who allowed the young photographer to set up his studio tent in his yard. Bremner worked in this set up for next five months. During this time he also hired two local assistants who helped him with retouching, printing, finishing and hand coloring. At the end of his assignment he left Karachi in 1886 and did not return to the city for the next two years. In April 1888 his contract with Lawrie had ended, his sister had died and he wanted to go home. So he returned to Karachi to take a ship for the British Isles.

In 1889 Bremner returned to Karachi to set up his own business. Through his savings he had bought some equipment from Glasgow and paid for the fair for himself and his one assistant whom he also had brought to Karachi with him. However after paying for all that, he had very little money left to sustain. Luckily a new market had just been inaugurated in Karachi and there were enough townsmen to be photographed to mark the occasion.
Another help came when the Sukher bridge, named after Viceroy Lord Lansdowne across the Indus river was inaugurated on March 25, 1889 by Lord Reay, Governor of the Bombay Province with which Sindh was attached at that time. Bremner had traveled to Hyderabad and then to Sukher to take remarkahref="http://www.harappa.com/bremner/b2.html">ble photographs of this new magnificent structure. Sensing limited opportunities in Karachi, Bremner decided to explore work possibilities in Quetta which after being captured in 1876 by Lord Robert Sandeman was made capital of Balochistan and by 1889 had become a hub of significant military and political activities.

Journey to Quetta took Bremner through Jacobabad where he was able to pick up more business taking pictures of Cavalry and Infantry men stationed there. While in Quetta he was called upon to photograph the Viceroy who was on a visit there at the invitation of Governor Balochistan, Sir Robert Sandeman. The Khan of Kalat was also invited for the occasion and he too along with male members of his entourage was photographed by Bremner. In Balochistan, Bremner also photographed the Bolan Pass, traveled to border town of Chaman and took pictures of the under construction Khojak or Koh Zak Tunnel near Shelabagh.

In 1892 Bremner closed his Karachi studio and moved to Rawalpindi where he would work in the winter months. The city had become a major garrison town and there was plenty of work taking pictures of military officers and listed men alike. One of his note able subjects was Lord Roberts, Commander-in-Chief of the British Army in India. Around 1895 Bremner was making an album titled ‘Types of the Indian Army’ while based in Rawalpindi. This album had sixty pictures showing men of various ethnicities, races and ranks in groups of four or five together. However in order to complete his project, he had to close his shop one more time and travel back to England.

Upon his return from England Bremner decided to settle in Quetta. In 1900 from Quetta he issued an album of 45 photographs titled ‘Balochistan Illustrated’ featuring people and landscape of that province. While in Quetta he was detected for having heart problems and was advised to return to England but he instead decided to visit Kashmir for few months. He traveled from Quetta to Rawalpindi and then left for Srinagar on a two horse Tonga, crossed river Jhelum by a rope bridge and visited the temples of Murtand on the way. His three months trip to Kashmir allowed him to capture the beauty of the mountain state where he took some of the memorable photos of her people, lakes and mountains alike. Bremner stayed in Quetta for two years and then decided to move again.

This time he moved permanently to Lahore even though he kept his place in Quetta as his summer residence. Lahore as capital of Punjab under British had grown to its Civil and Military prominence. Bremner had got married by now and set up his house and studio in a building opposite to the Roman Catholic Cathedral. From here in 1902 he traveled to Delhi to photograph the pomp and show organized by the Viceroy Lord Curzon to impress the Nawabs and Maharajas he had successfully subjugated earlier.

In 1910 Bremner sold his summer house and business in Quetta in favor of Shimla where he had the opportunity to photograph Lady Eileen Elliot, daughter of Viceroy Lord Minto as well as Viceroy Lord Reading. He had also photographed Lord Hardinge, Lord Chelmsford, Lord Kitchener and Sir Michael O’Dwyer, Governor of Punjab. In 1922 he photographed then Prince of Wales who later became King Edward the VIII. Finally in 1923 he sold his places in both Lahore and Shimla and returned to Elgin, England where he finally published his memoir in 1940.

His exact date of death is not known but most likely he died in 1941 and was survived by a son.
Acknowledgement: The factual information in this essay is taken from a larger essay “Bremner’s Indian Years” by Brij Bhushan Sharma. The photographs here are linked from, and more are avilable at Harappa.com. We are thankful to Harappa.com for so elegantly preserving this heritage. Click on pictures to get details on the picture

Tags: Photographer, Phoftography, Built Heritage, Fred Bremner, Pervaiz Munir Alvi

All of us love to drink coffee. There will hardly be a house without a coffee maker. But all of these are operated and powered by electricity. Here is one powered and operated by solar energy. It is eco friendly and has no wires connected to it. So, you can carry it in your car and enjoy fresh coffee whenever and wherever you so desire.

Solar coffee maker houses a battery that is charged by sun. It has an LCD display indicating the amount of power, hot plate and pod filter. It's the first one in the market made by Gun ho Lee.

source: hometown.org

The latest 3-wheeled electric vehicle, known as the GoPet Personal Electric Transportation scooter has been released by GoPet. Once on the road, it will just not remain unnoticed. It is easy-to-ride and earth-friendly. You can move from one place to another quickly at a speed of 16 mph. It is operated by powerful 48 volt, 350 watt front hub direct drive motor system. It has a range of up to 25 miles on a single charge. Single charge uses about 10 cents worth of electricity. It takes 4-6 hours to recharge with a 110 volt smart charger that turns off when the battery is fully charged. Riding on it is safe and comfortable.

Its thick rubber pads prevent rider fatigue. The hand braking system is reliable. It has adjustable handlebars that make GoPet perfect for riders of all heights. The scooter comes with assembly tools, headlight, taillight, horn and basket. You can also opt for other accessories such as a seat, folding handlebar and trailer.
SOURCE MyGoPet, Inc.

"Conventional wars are being replaced in computer age by access on control as cyber war methodologies have become much more sophisticated," Cyber Warfare - column by your truly appeared in the Nation today. Read here...

The CIA has given hundreds of millions of dollars to support Pakistan's spy network since the September 11 attacks, contributing as much as a third of the foreign agency's annual budget, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday. Additionally, a secret State Department program pays Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency tens of millions of dollars for capturing or killing wanted militants, officials tell the newspaper. All of this money has some in the U.S. government concerned because of fears that the ISI also supports Taliban extremists. "There really are two ISIs," a former CIA operative said. "On the counterterrorism side, those guys were in lock-step with us," the former operative said. "And then there was the 'long-beard' side. Those are the ones who created the Taliban...," reports Los Angeles Times.

Sony is introducing its Reader Daily Edition in the e-book reader market. It accompanies its other sisters, Reader Pocket Edition and the Reader Touch Edition. It features 3G connectivity. With Reader Edition, you will be able to access AT&T’s 3G mobile broadband network wirelessly, connecting to Sony’s eBook store. The only limitation being that you are within a decent signal range and now a days you have access anywhere in the US. You can browse, buy and download books and also select various newspapers and magazines to read on demand. It has a 7″ wide touchscreen display. The layout of contents is good. In portrait mode, you can view anywhere from 30 to 35 lines of text, just the way you are reading a printed book.

The basic wireless connectivity option accompanies no monthly fees or transaction charges. You can also side load personal documents or content from other compatible sites through USB connectivity. It has a high contrast ratio with 16 levels of gray scale. It can store up to 1,000 eBooks and has also got a memory card slot. The price is $ 400.

source: press release

Powerful web presence is vital for every business and even individuals. Unintrupted Web hosting allows anyone with a connected computer to use the power of the web and to take advantages of this information age. This growing demand has given birth to Web hosting companies that provide users an environment to use cyberspace on the internet 24/7 without much cost.

There are so many sources available and selection of web host becomes overwhelmingly difficult sometime. The best place to start looking for a suitable host is Web Hosting Choice – free research guide to help users choose the right web host for their personal or business website. This is one of the best guide to web hosting.

Their site is neatly laid, users friendly and information rich. Those who are looking for Linus hosting must start at Web Hosting Choice and see what they are recomending. Linux is one of the most popular operating system which sets the standard for reliability, power and low price. Linux is suitable for Perl or PHP programming and MYSQL database. If you are using Linux then have a look at best linux web hosting and try Web Hosting Choice recomended Linux host. 

What is more, there are some basic guidelines for those who are new to hosting. I learned a lot from their learning center and picked up some new ideas for my own use. Explore Web Hosting Choice and find out how they guide you to most suitable hosting sources.

Northern Pakistan has some of the most beautiful and mightiest mountain terrain — Hindu Kush and Karakorum — in the world. Besides raw natural beauty, the territory is very difficult for men and machine to work even in this modern age. The road is in fact reflection of man’s incessant struggle against transcendental power.What one sees while commuting on the highway? Extinct writings, Chinese traveller’s diary and quoted in the North West Frontier Province Gazetteer that reads, “the path is certainly narrow, and often clung to the sheer faces of the many deep resonant gorges that confine their turgid, animated rivers.

A traveller along the path sees at one glance the shadowy valleys from which a shiny mist columns rise at noon against a luminous sky, the forest ridges, stretches fold behind fold in softly undulating lines — dotted by the white specks which mark the situation of Buddhist monasteries — to the glacier draped pinnacles and precipices of the snowy range. He passes from the zone of tree ferns and endless colonnade of tall stemmed magnolias oaks and chestnut trees, fringes with delicate orchids and festooned by long convolvuluses to the region of gigantic pines, junipers, firs and larches. Down each ravine sparkles a brimming torrent, making the ferns and flowers nod as it dashes past them. Superb butterflies, black and blue, or flashes of rainbow colours that turn at pleasure into exact imitation of dead leaves, the fairies of this lavish transformation scene of nature, sail in and out between the sun light and gloom.

The mountaineer pushes on by a track half buried between the red twisted stems of tree-rhododendrons, hung with long waiving lichens, till he emerges at last on open sky and the upper pastures — the Alps of the Himalaya - field of flowers: of gentians and edelweiss and poppies, which blossom beneath the shining store house of snow that encompass the ice mailed and flouted shoulders of the giants of the range.”

A young student sent me this question paper that I am finding difficult to answer. Can anyone help to answer?

All questions compulsory.

Q 1. Describe the difference between load shedding and blood shedding.

Q 2. How do Sugar, Wheat, Ghee taste? Describe in your own words.

Q 3. Describe the few remaining Naan plants (Tandoors) in Pakistan.

Q 4. Draw a labelled diagram of a suicide jacket.

Q 5. What is petrol used for? Support your answer with available evidence.

Q 6. Differentiate between Atta and FATA?

Homepages, a new online genre thanks to the internet, is indeed the most "hip" thing to do these days . Everyone who uses the internet has a homepage. Some users keep having the same homepage that came when they bought, while others pick new ones.

The new stylish S Series Walkman Video MP3 players released by Sony comes with integrated high-quality stereo speakers. With these inbuilt speakers you can share your favorite tunes with others better than the headphones. The new Sony S Series Walkman player slim and in compact form factor. It measures no more than 0.5″. It has also got a 2.4″ QVGA LCD display. The response time is super quick. Using Digital Linear Phase Speaker System” technologies, the audio quality is good and clear, and so is the video quality. The continuous audio playback time is 42 hours and video playback time is 6.5 hours. While using speakers the continuous audio and video durations are 17 and 5 hours respectively.

Voice recording and FM recording capability, and file transfer are its other features. File transfer is as simple as drag-and-drop. The Sony S Series Walkman is available in black, red, violet and pink colors. It is in two models; 8GB and 16GB priced $110 and $130, respectively.