Mobilink and Warid merge!

Well, we have been hearing news about this huge merger between two huge telecommunication providing giants in Pakistan, Warid and Mobilink, for quite a few weeks now. Today, however, it has been officially confirmed by the parent company of Mobilink known as VimpelCom.

#News: #VimpelCom and Dhabi group signing merger deal in #Pakistan to combine @Mobilink and @OfficialWarid #mobile pic.twitter.com/vpY8ZMhPYC

— VimpelCom (@VimpelCom) November 26, 2015

VimpelCom’s #Mobilink joins with #Warid to provide leading #mobile and data service to 45M customers in #Pakistan https://t.co/bzIX7RCZSP

— VimpelCom (@VimpelCom) November 26, 2015

#Video: a few words from the team in #Pakistan on today’s @mobilink @officialwarid merger #news https://t.co/v9kinNWQ7I #mobile

— VimpelCom (@VimpelCom) November 26, 2015

As stated in the three tweets above from the official VimpelCom account on twitter, the two giant companies are now merged into one combined company. The company will provide services to 45 million users(combined).
It is being said that later today, maybe as we speak, there will be held a press conference by Mobilink where the details will be shed some light on.

Although the completion of the two companies being combined into one huge venture might take upto a year, the current CEO of Mobilink, Jeffrey Hedburg will become the CEO of the combined venture and the current CFO of Mobilink, Andrew Kemp will become the CFO of the combined venture.

The merger was signed between VimpelCom(Parent company of Mobilink) and Dhabi Group(Parent company of Warid). The board of directors will consist of 7 members, of which 6 will be nominated by VimpelCom and Mobilink while 1 will be nominated by the Dhabi Group Shareholders.

Speaking about the merger, the CEO of VimpelCom, Mr Jean-Yves Charlier, said

"We are delighted to announce the agreement with the Dhabi Group shareholders today to combine our businesses in Pakistan.With the addition of Warid to our already strong customer base at Mobilink, we will serve more than 45 million customers and offer a best-in-class mobile and high-speed data network – a key factor in the digital enablement of Pakistan’s economy.This transaction follows a number of strategic milestones for the company, including our recent joint venture announcement with WIND and 3 Italia in Italy and the agreement to sell our operations in Zimbabwe.This is yet another important step in our journey to continue delivering on our strategy to transform VimpelCom and improve our competitive position in our operating markets.”

Also, the chairman of Dhabi Group, Sheikh Nahyan Mubarak Al Nahyan, said

“Creating the largest operator in Pakistan is a significant milestone for Mobilink and Warid but also for Pakistan as a whole.Warid’s partnership with Mobilink will create value for all stakeholders and pave the way for exceptional and cost-efficient telecommunication services for customers.Both parties bring their unique strengths to this merger. Warid, with its strong post-paid base and high quality 4G/LTE network will complement Mobilink’s position in the market.We are very pleased to continue to contribute to the strengthening of the competitive landscape for the broader telecom sector and the overall economy of Pakistan. The transaction reaffirms my own and my fellow investors’ long-standing and continuing commitment to Pakistan.”

Xiaomi Mi Pad 2

Xiaomi also announced the Mi Pad 2 alongside the Rednote 3 yesterday. Now the Mi Pad 2 doesn't bring much improvement over its predecessor. The successor focuses more on the design and the beauty. The weight has been decreased from 360g to 322g. And the thickness has been decreased from 8.5 to 6.95mm. It also kinds of relates it looks to the iPad mini 4.

It runs on the new 14 nm Intel Atom X5-Z8500 processor, which is based on a 64 bit architecture and to gigs of ram. It has the new USB type C connector.

Rest, it has the same 7.9 inch 2048*1536 display, a 5 MP front camera and a 8 MP back camera. The battery has been decreased from 6700 mAh to a 6190 mAh unit.

The iPad related device will be available for purchase at $156 for the 16 gb model and at $203 for the 64 gb model.

Xiaomi Rednote 3 official.

Xiaomi just announced the Rednote 3 yesterday. Now those of you familiar with Xiaomi might be wondering what could they have possibly improved in the Rednote 3 from the Rednote 2 because it was already a pretty spectacular device. Well, here's your answer: Everything. They have improved almost everything, enriching the Rednote 3 with their own new fingerprint sensor and a full HD panel. Moreover, a full metal body, a huge 4000 mAh battery and some other new stuff. The new device is 8.65 mm thick and weighs 164g. It has a full aluminium unibody design with curved edges.

Specifications include a 5.5 inch 1080p panel, 2 gigs of RAM and 16 gigs of storage or 3 gigs of RAM and 32 gigs of storage. That's your choice. The processor is provided by MediaTek, the Hello X10 processor. The camera unit is a 13 MP one with phase detection autofocus. It provides 4G dual sims. The interface being MIUI 7.

Now coming to the new fingerprint sensor, it is a brand new unit which Xiaomi claims that it opens the phone within 0.3 seconds. Now it's located on the back and fairly comfortable to reach.

The phone is priced at $140 for the 2gb/16gb model and $172 for the 3gb/32gb model. The color options are gray, silver and gold.

OnePlus's new child; OnePlus X.

Yesterday at a press conference, OnePlus, the small company that has the status of making two flagship killers, has unveiled their latest device; the OnePlus X. Baed on the Lollipop 5.1.1, OnePlus X is going to be shipped with the Oxygen OS 2.1.0. Now this phone is targeted at a different market, the mid range one probably. But don't let that fool you, the guys over OnePlus worked a great deal to get the design of this beautiful sleek device done properly. It is a 5 inch Super AMOLED panel with resolution of 1920*1080. This gives it a PPI of 440. While the design itself speaks for it a lot, the specifications are not bad either.

Now getting deeper into the functions, it has a Snapdragon 801 chipset ticking inside with 2.3 Ghz of Quad Core processor, with Adreno 330 providing the graphics and 3 gigabytes of RAM handling the multi tasking and apps. Now that surely does look a lot like a flagship. It has a metal frame and a glass or ceramic back depending on what color you want. The rear camera unit is a 13 MP Isocell with phase detection autofocus, single LED flash and full HD Video recording. The front camera is a 8 MP camera which will cover all the selfie basics. It has 16 gigabytes of storage which is expandable through SD card slot. It has dual sim reception, LTE support, Bluetooth 4.0 and other basic connectivity features. The battery is a 2525 mAh unit and I am guessing, it will get you through a day of normal use. Currently priced at $250, I think the price is perfect and it is a must buy in this range. Hope this article helped! :)