UAE masjid goes Hi Tech

The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowment (GAIAE), through the leadership of His Highness, Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the president of the UAE, is set to implement the very first centralised digital signage system in mosques across the UAE in order to promote awareness of Islamic moderation in line with the country’s strategic plan. Alpha Data, a leading systems integrator, has been chosen to deploy the system. A replicating software has been installed that will distribute information for the signage from a central location.
In the first phase, Alpha Data is set to change the software and GSM module of the existing LCD screens from 300 mosques across the UAE. In the second phase, Alpha Data will install 250 LCD screens in mosques across the country which will be controlled from a central location via a replicating software which organises content and distribution.

These LCD screens will display

specific occasions,

prayer timings,

verses,

morals and greetings,

these LCD screens will also be used to present live lectures from main mosques in the country

It will also serve as video conference facilities for the imam’s meetings.

Each LCD screen has a built-in PC facility and GSM (Global System for Mobile communication) module and will be connected to the main server located in the control room at the GAIAE office. All information entered in the main server will automatically be updated on every LCD in the mosques nationwide.
Well I hope it doesn't disturb the worshippers .

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Dubai commercial rents start to slow down

Rents in Dubai’s commercial real estate sector are showing the first signs of levelling off, according to research from CB Richard Ellis (CBRE), the world’s largest commercial real estate services company.

“We are seeing now for the first time a drop of commercial rental prices. Property purchase prices have been coming down for some time now, but rents had until now been holding strong,” managing director Nick Maclean said.

Prime rents in each of the three main commercial real estate sectors – industrial, office and retail, remained static in the fourth quarter of 2008, after a period of very strong growth since 2007.

Dubai retailers are blaming high rents in the city’s malls for prices that are now up to 50 percent higher than in Europe and North America.

Smart road humps in dubai

Smart road humps will be the next hurdle to overcome for criminals who consider themselves innovative and strap weapons and drugs underneath their vehicles to dodge the law.

The humps, fitted with four digital cameras, were on display for the first time at the Intersec exhibition and conference at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

"The cameras can capture very detailed images from underneath the cars, along with providing the date and time when the cars were driven over the humps," said K. Sankaranarayanan, head of marketing, Mahindra Logisoft.

Sankaranarayanan pointed out that as the cameras would be installed at a safe distance inside the hump, there would be no danger of them getting damaged. "The smart humps are an innovation from the old technology because it provides high visibility and accurate information," he said, adding that this unique technology would be most suitable for use at hotel entrances and high-security zones.

"The device analyses digital phones and if someone is eavesdropping, the soundwaves will shoot up on the display screen, indicating the line has been tapped," said Winningham.-gulf news

No increase in rents -a bit relief

Rents for Dubai tenants whose contracts were signed in 2008 cannot be raised this year so long as the rent in 2008 is equal to or up to 25 per cent lower than the average market rate, according to a decree issued on Monday.

According to decree No 1 for 2009 issued by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, rents for both residential and non-residential properties in Dubai whose contracts were signed in 2008 cannot be increased in 2009 so long as the rent in 2008 is equal to or up to 25 per cent lower than the average market rate.

The new decree includes a mechanism to deal with low rents, where rents for the current year can be raised as long as the rent for 2008 was up to 25 per cent less than the average market rate.

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Mohammad Ebrahim Al Shaibani, Director of the Dubai Ruler's Court, said Shaikh Mohammad's decree aims to curb the soaring rents in Dubai and bring them to reasonable levels.

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Top Searched Terms of 2008 In UAE-Google Zeitgeist

Each of these lists shows either the fastest rising searches and most popular searches. The most popular searches mean these were the top searched terms of 2008 in UAE. While the other categories (restaurants, concert tickets, vacation destinations and famous people) were the fastest rising search terms that saw the largest spike in searches during 2008 in UAE

Fastest Rising

1. بكين 2008 (beijing 2008)
2. ناصر بن زايد (nasser bin zayed)
3. facebook
4. bahrain air
5. obama
6. هانا مونتانا (hannah montana)
7. يوتيوب (youtube)
8. emirates id
9. atlantis dubai
10. heath ledger

Most Popular

1. dubai
2. uae
3. الامارات (the emirates)
4. العاب (toys)
5. دبي (dubai)
6. صور (images)
7. news
8. أغاني (songs)
9. youtube
10. games

Top Economic Terms

1. uae economy إقتصاد الإمارات
2. indian economy
3. إقتصاد الكويت (economy of kuwait)
4. world economy
5. inflation
6. recession
7. النفط (oil)
8. economy of japan
9. imf
10. gold price

Vacations (Fastest Rising)

1. hawaii
2. الفجيرة (fujairah)
3. maldives
4. greece
5. النمسا (austria)
6. لبنان (lebanon)
7. thailand
8. turkey
9. صلالة (salalah)
10. italy

Famous People (Fastest Rising)

1. ناصر بن زايد (nasser bin zayed)
2. obama
3. heath ledger
4. miley cyrus
5. تامر حسني (tamer husni)
6. راشد الماجد (rashid al majid)
7. rihanna
8. اليسا (elissa)
9. العفاسي (al afassi)
10. فيروز (fairuz).

Google Zeitgeist 2008 website

Uae topped at Arab Information and Communications Technology

The UAE topped the 2007 Arab Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Use Index with a score of 2.19 and became the only country in the Arab World to break through the index's 2.00 barrier, according to a survey conducted by Madar Research Group and Orient Planet.

Mobile phone subscriptions in the region registered a 40.51 per cent growth in 2007, helping sustain the significant progress in ICT adoption in the Arab economies, whose ICT Use Index increased to 0.83 in 2007, rising 30.21 per cent from the previous year.

Gulf countries meanwhile registered 43.93 million mobile subscriptions in 2007, up 40.04 per cent over the previous year.

In terms of computer penetration, the UAE has maintained the No 1 position, recording 26.44 per cent rate with 1.58 million installed computers. Qatar followed with 26.32 per cent and 352,000 installations.

Source

Dubai's property bursts

"There is fear the worst is yet to come as a glut of properties arrives on the market. About 70,000 units are scheduled for completion in 2009, more than half were originally planned for 2008 or even earlier, according to a September report from EFG-Hermes. Buyers willing to commit to purchases before construction are harder to find now. Before the credit crunch, speculators accounted for 50 percent of the market." yousef abdulla

Banks have tightened lending or frozen it altogether. Amlak Finance PJSC, one of the biggest mortgage lenders in the UAE, announced on November 19 that it had suspended new home loans. London-based Lloyds TSB Group Plc stopped offering mortgages for apartments in Dubai on November 11 and reduced the amount it will lend for villas from 80 percent to 50 percent of the price. This has naturally had a negative effect on property values. For instance, in November, the cost of a seven-bedroom villa on Palm Jumeirah dropped to 19 million dirhams ($5.2 million), still an exorbitant price, down from 30 million dirhams in September, according to the Dubai unit of German real estate company Engel & Voelkers AG.

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