KARACHI: Dubai-based mobile app Lock&Stock, which works to curb “digital addiction” among students, is all set to launch its operations in Pakistan on September 15, 2020, the country head of the company said on Tuesday.
The app, founded in 2017 in the United Arab Emirates, rewards students for not using their phones while studying, working out and spending time with friends and family, among other activities. Students can then use their rewards to redeem exclusive discounts from the app’s partner brands, apply for jobs and internships, and secure scholarships.
So far, 50,000 students have spent the equivalent of a combined 586 years and 12 weeks offline due to the app. In 2019 alone, Lock&Stock students secured over half a million dollars in scholarships and fee waivers at various universities around the world.
“In universities and colleges, students mostly remain on devices during the lectures, that is why the app is developed to incentivize the students ... by giving them rewards so they could stay away from these devices and concentrate on education,” Omar Mirza, country head of Lock&Stock, told Arab News. “The app is ready to be launched on September 15, 2020, available as a free download on Android and iOS.”
In a statement released on Monday, Craig Fernandes, the 23-year-old CEO of Lock&Stock, said “digital addiction” among students was on the rise, especially among 16-18-year-olds who spent hundreds of hours glued to their smartphones.
“Our brand purpose is to improve the lives of students and we aim to fight digital addiction among students from around the world,” Fernandes added.
The Lock&Stock app works by locking up other apps in your phone while you use it.
“Every time you are locked up you can’t use any other app on the mobile phone,” Mirza explained. “The app then rewards students for the amount of time they lock their phones.”
Minutes away from the phone can earn rewards from food, leisure and retail brands, as well as job opportunities and scholarships at top universities around the world.
“In the UAE, we have 400 vendors including retail outlets, cinemas and over 100 restaurants where this key could be used,” Mirza said.
A major objective of the app, the Pakistan country head explained, was to link students with 100 global universities located in the United States, Europe, Turkey, and the UAE and make the admission process simpler.
“Earlier it was a very complicated process if you want to apply for ten universities, that required offline visits or online visits to these universities’ websites, which was a time-consuming process,” Mirza said. “But now all 100 universities have been uploaded in the app as a single source.”
The developers also intend to provide a one-window platform through the app for students seeking admission in Pakistani universities: “Through this app we are digitizing this process and they will be able to apply from a single platform to any of the [Pakistani] universities,” Mirza said.
Students who apply for admission through Lock&Stock get up to 10 percent discounts on their tuition fees and also earn weekly prizes by competing with one another.
Dubai startup fighting ‘digital addiction’ to launch in Pakistan on Sept 15
https://arab.news/vu5by
Dubai startup fighting ‘digital addiction’ to launch in Pakistan on Sept 15
- Lock&Stock app rewards students for not using their phones while studying, working out and spending time with friends and family
- So far, 50,000 students have spent the equivalent of a combined 586 years and 12 weeks offline due to the app
Pakistan Air Force conducts ‘Exercise Golden Eagle’ to test combat readiness, agility
- The exercise follows an intense, four-day Pakistan-India military conflict in May 2025
- It focused on AI-enabled operations integrating disruptive technologies, military says
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has conducted “Exercise Golden Eagle” that successfully validated its combat readiness and operational agility through synchronized employment of the PAF’s complete combat potential, the Pakistani military said on Tuesday.
It comes months after Pakistan’s four-day military conflict with India in May, with Islamabad claiming victory in the standoff after the PAF claimed to have shot down at least six Indian fighter aircraft, including the French-made Rafale. New Delhi acknowledged some losses but did not specify a number.
The exercise was conducted on a Two-Force construct, focusing on AI-enabled, net-centric operations while integrating indigenous niche, disruptive and smart technologies in line with evolving regional security dynamics, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistani military’s media wing.
Operating within a robust Integrated Air Defense System, friendly forces shaped the battlespace through seamless fusion of kinetic operations with cyber, space and electro-magnetic spectrum operations.
“The kinetic phase featured First-Shoot, First-Kill swing-role combat aircraft equipped with long-range BVR air-to-air missiles, extended-range stand-off weapons and precision strike capabilities, supported by Airborne Early Warning & Control platforms and Air-to-Air Refuelers,” the ISPR said in a statement.
“A key highlight of the exercise was Manned–Unmanned Teaming, with deep-reach killer drones and loitering munitions operating in a highly contested, congested and degraded environment, validating PAF’s capability to conduct high-tempo operations in modern warfare.”
In recent months, many countries have stepped up defense engagement with Pakistan, while delegations from multiple nations have proposed learning from the PAF’s multi-domain air warfare capabilities that officials say were successfully employed during the May conflict.
“The successful conduct of Exercise Golden Eagle reaffirms Pakistan Air Force’s unwavering commitment to maintaining a high state of operational preparedness, leveraging indigenous innovation and effectively countering emerging and future security challenges,” the ISPR added.
