The app can be downloaded for free on all Android phones. Not only can people get Pakistani news on the app, they can also share the news with their friends and family. PHOTO: FILE
Two students from the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) Sukkur, Asadullah and Imran Leghari, have developed a new app for Pakistani news watchers. The app – Pakistan News Cloud – collects Pakistan-related news from the internet and compiles them on the user’s Android phone.
“People are developing mobile apps for foreign companies and clients and making money, but we have designed this particular app for Pakistanis either living in the country or overseas,” says Asadullah, who is doing Masters in Computer Networks at IBA.
The app can be downloaded for free on all Android phones. Not only can people get Pakistani news on the app, they can also share the news with their friends and family through their mobile phones, he adds.
IBA has supported the app through its incubation centre.
Before this app, Asadullah says, people had to visit sites of different news agencies or newspapers for looking for news related to Pakistan, but now they can get all types of Pakistani news on one page. Initially, “we have developed this app for Android phones, but in the second phase we are going to update it for iPhones and Window phones.”
Imran Leghari is doing Masters in Marketing and is responsible for launching and marketing of the software. “Our next move is to launch this software for iPhones and Window phones and we are also planning to develop software for health and education issues,” he says.
They will also develop a software for Pakistani children living abroad, he adds, which will deal with Islamic education, teachings of the Quran and the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and Namaz.
Leghari adds that in the near future they are also going to develop a security app for the people using Android phones. In case of an accident or mobile snatching, simply pressing a button will activate the software and five messages will be sent to five of the user’s contacts in five minutes, through which the receivers of the messages will know about the exact location of that person.
Both students praised their college and teachers for the help they provided.
Director Centre for Entrepreneurial Development and Leadership IBA, Ali Akbar Rizvi, while talking to The Express Tribune, said “We have developed the incubation centre for students to develop entrepreneurial skills.”
Rizvi expressed pride in his students’ work. People, he said, design such softwares to make money, but these students have come up with their product to serve the masses.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 11th, 2013.
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COMMENTS (38)
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This was the initiative took by these 2 gentlemans, I really admire the effort they into this apps, hope the upcoming apps will be the best apps for all users, willing to work and support you if you start any Islamic apps In Shaa ALLAH and JAZAK ALLAH
Soeday back there was this AnJee-near guy from Interior Sindh claiming to run auto vehicles on water ,everybody was so delighted and going off-board to appreciate him.
We need to do some reserch before getting carried away .
Oh BTW , IBA sukkur might be good , but confusing it with IBA Karachi .This is simply absurd .There are no comparisons at all .
If this the standard of graduate students' projects, then we are going nowhere!
Great work... Keep it up...
Dont want to discourage anyone but these kind of already existed ideas with newname and headlines like they have done something equal to Dr Salam's work, are really disgraced for talented Pakistanis.
That's a good effort but GUI needs a serious re-do!
@Danish: Do you really know the meaning of innovation?
This app is good, but I tried sharing a specific Dawn news post, instead of sharing that post its sharing homepage of Dawn news. Not sure if its doing same problem with any other sources.
@Danish: "nowhere article claims to have exclusive development of the app". Do you even know the meaning of INNOVATION?
Congratulations to Imran and Asadullah! Dear critics, I agree that a lot of people can develop such kind of apps but the intention behind their work is usually money. I thoroughly appreciate Imran and Asadullah that they have done this endeavor to benefit others more than their own self. I am readily downloading this app because for a person like me (least interested in news), it would be good to get news updates on my phone.
Bravo!! very well done. Please keep it up!
This is a great beginning, and I pray you success. This act of yours spreads a positive vibe and inspiration to many more who wants to succeed.
Keep it Up. Shehzad Hong Kong
Don't unsult the meaning of innovation by applauding such ordinary things. Innovation can be called things such as the Iphone and the app store itself, there are thousands of such ordinaryu apps to have them considered an 'Innovation'.
Its not IBA Sukkur. Its Sukkur Institute of Business Administration. No doubt Sukkur Institute has progressed a lot in terms of both students and faculty, but trying to confuse it with IBA Karachi will not bear good result.
@Patriot: @Blunt: An 'app' makes you feel proud? This is a standard app and there are thousands of such apps! We should reserve our accolades for much higher! An invention has papers, publications and patents! This app is more relevant from an entrepreneural point of view, not technological.
Good work. But as for as security App is concerned please note that Indians have already launched that kind of App, you can see ads all over Indian Media, in which Kareena is endorsing the App.
To Critics: If anyone can develop such an app, it never means that their effort shouldn't be appreciated. Plus, nowhere article claims to have exclusive development of the app. Please grow up and learn to appreciate if someone contributes positively.
Keep it up boys!
Great work...Keep it up
good effort :)
@Azfar: exactly
Im using this app and its very good to use....
Thumbs-up :)
Even a class 10 student with android knowledge can develop this app.
Great work! Much Appreciated.
Asad,Imran and Mr Rizvi Keep it up (y)
Great Job Done, Thumbs up for both.
The title is misleading.. it refers to IBA (Karachi) whereas the story is about 'Sukkur IBA'.
Dear IBA and its community, You people keep us feeling proud over and again. Just keep it up. Best of luck.
Bravo!
good work may be but that is really not an innovation. Again poor reporting & research by ET.
What is so innovative about this? There are thousands of apps like this on the play store
round of applauds :) keep it up
Great work guys. Keep it up.