Shahriar Rahman

Engineer-turned-Journalist, Shahriar Rahman has a strong knowledge of all things digital. He started his career working in the telecom industry but later switched to media and journalism to follow his passion of 'playing with gadgets' for a living. Shahriar did his Master's in Global Media & Communication from the University of Warwick as a Chevening Scholar. He also holds an MBA from IBA, University of Dhaka, and a Masters in Engineering from AIUB. Shahriar is a State Department Fellow with the University of Oklahoma. He is currently the Editor of Toggle- the tech, career, automobile publication of The Daily Star.

A startup that’s made cooking a revenue-generating affair

Social entrepreneur Ben Jeffrey is leading the operation of ATEC, a green-tech startup working to solve clean cooking and climate change.

5G will come when time is right

Jørgen C Arentz Rostrup, chairman of Grameenphone, and head of Telenor Asia, was recently in Dhaka to take part in the Bangladesh Business Summit. On the sidelines of the mega event, he spoke to The Daily Star about Telenor’s vision in Asia and Bangladesh, the future of the digital economy and the roadmap to 5G, among other issues.

Realme 10 Pro 5G Coca-Cola Edition: A fizzy red phone for the fanboys

In this review, we will take a closer look at the Realme 10 Pro 5G Coca-Cola Edition and see how it stacks up against the competition.

Going BIG with the Zenbook Fold

The Zenbook 17 Fold OLED is a laptop that stands out from the crowd thanks to its unique design, featuring an OLED display that can be folded down the middle to create a dual-screen setup.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4: Flexing with the flip

In the context of Bangladesh, the Z Flip 4 is a device that stands out for its compact form factor, improved ergonomics, and, most notably, a better battery life.

Brainstorming session at Sheba Platform with the CEO.

A peek inside SHEBA Platform

In 2017, Sheba Platform Limited received The Daily Star ICT Awards in the ‘ICT Startup’ category.

Xiaomi Mix Fold 2: Unfolding a powertool

The Xiaomi Mi Mix Fold 2 is a premium foldable smartphone designed with a focus on camera and performance.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: How does it fare almost a year later

Maintaining its OG form factor, Galaxy S22 Ultra was expected to meet the expectation of both – the S Series users and the Note series users. To appease these two camps, Samsung went all-in terms of hardware and performance.

Xiaomi 12S Ultra: Kicking it up a notch

Xiaomi has been playing the safe game in Bangladesh for a while now. Churning out generic yet market-tested devices is in its local DNA. We understand that and it does not mean it is a bad thing. In fact, quite the contrary- it has been able to secure the top seat in the market in the last quarter by following the safest playbook. But at its root, Xiaomi is an innovator and pusher of boundaries.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4: Unfolding a grand experience

Samsung has been betting a lot on its foldables. In the past few years, it has made iterative improvements to its foldable Z series of smartphones. Samsung is betting so much on it that it has streamlined its product line-up and discontinued the popular note series. Inspired by the ‘bigger is always better' mantra, Samsung’s relentless attempt to make screens bigger has somewhat paid off. At least that’s what we felt from using the latest flagship Galaxy Z Fold4. Although we had our hands on the device for just a week, we tried to make the best use of the phone by making it our daily driver.

Towards an integrated multimodal transportation ecosystem in Bangladesh

Ride-hailing service has been operating in Bangladesh for almost six years. It has been an integral part of the public transport ecosystem in major metropolises in Bangladesh. On the occasion of the launching of Uber's 2021 Bangladesh Economic Impact Report, we spoke with Mike Orgill, Senior Director, Public Policy & Government Relations, Asia Pacific at Uber. Here’s the gist of the conversation that we had:

Palki: An affordable locally assembled Electric Vehicle on its way

In today’s world, many countries are now changing lanes and embracing electric vehicles (EVs). In the past decade, we have seen a tectonic shift in the automotive industry - we have seen brands like Tesla, Rivian and NIO take off. We have also seen conventional automakers like Volvo, GM, Nissan and Ford fast-track their EV product line. Globally, electric vehicle sales figures have soared to a record high. Countries like Norway, Germany and Netherlands have adopted electric vehicles swiftly. Even in China, the electric car market own consists of 28% now, which is a massive pie compared to just five years back.

Daraz to invest Tk 1,000cr in 4 years

Daraz intends to invest Tk 1,000 crore in Bangladesh in the next 3-4 years to ramp up its operation by building infrastructure and ecosystem, the Alibaba Group-backed e-commerce venture said yesterday.

Grameenphone Academy: A step towards getting the workforce future-ready

In a sit-down interview, Toggle had a conversation with Cecilie B. Heuch, EVP and Chief People Officer, Telenor Group; Yasir Azman, CEO, Grameenphone and Syed Tanvir Husain, CHRO, Grameenphone, to understand the philosophy, motivation, outlook and impact of Grameenphone Academy.

Review: OPPO F21 Pro -- phone with the bling ring

OPPO has been doing a great job with their devices in the last couple of years - putting innovation in the forefront, addressing customer pain-points and improving the tech in every iteration.

Zilingo debacle: Bangladeshi woman executive facing suspension, says she was discredited

Zilingo, the unicorn B2B apparel-tech startup, has shocked the startup and venture capital community in the past few weeks.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 11: The fabled ”JATIO” phone?

Today we are going to share our take on the locally manufactured Xiaomi Redmi Note 11. As phone aficionados can attest, Note series of Xiaomi has been enjoying an inherent hype for the last several years now.

Bridge the gap between learning and earning

Generation Unlimited (GenU) launched in Bangladesh in February 2019 is a public-private-youth sector-driven multi-stakeholder initiative and partnerships platform with an ambitious goal of enabling 17 million opportunities for youth with quality education and training, employment, youth entrepreneurship and youth engagement in the country by 2025. GenU CEO Dr Kevin Frey shares the journey so far and what lies ahead.

Transcending boundaries

Mahbubul Matin is a seasoned Bangladeshi tech entrepreneur and the founder of Dotlines, a technology-powered service and business solution group, working across 12 countries with its headquarters in Singapore.

Women take lead in f-commerce

Since the Covid-19 pandemic crippled many businesses and impacted livelihoods of thousands, many were forced to resort to alternative means of income including exploring alternative channels.

Learn, Unlearn and Relearn Mantra to Success

In a candid interview with Md. Muyeedur Rahman, Samsung Electronics Bangladesh’s General Manager & Head of Business, we take a look at some intriguing details

OPPO Reno6: The dazzling mid-ranger

Reno is the upscale camera-focused device lineup of OPPO. Usually, these phones are aesthetically pleasing and have above average hardware and come with a price tag of upper mid-range.

VIVO X70 PRO 5G A True Pro

Vivo has unveiled a very recent flagship in the market – the X70 Pro 5G. Inspired by the successful X60 series, the X70 Pro 5G brings quite a handful of upgrades in terms of hardware and software.

OPPO F19 Pro - A phone for noobs and pros

After a very long time, we are back with OPPO’s exciting upper-midrange device- the F19 Pro. F19 is an iteration of OPPO’s mid-tier product segment and since its launch several months back readers have been asking us for a review of the device. OPPO handed us this review unit almost a month back and here’s what we have to say about the device:

It’s all relative

We have designed this issue with one thing in mind: career! In the pandemic, many of our readers wanted to know how to get back to the workforce.

3 million Bangladeshi Facebook users' personal data exposed during a massive data leak

Hackers have recently exposed the personal details of 533 million Facebook users across the world which includes data of 3 million (3,816,339) Bangladeshis. Published in a low-key cybersecurity forum, these data remain accessible to everyone. The leaked information consists of and is not limited to FB ID no, profile names, email addresses, basic location data, gender, employment etc.

Mail servers of some firms compromised

Some Bangladeshi organisations running Microsoft Exchange mail servers have been compromised by cyberattacks, says the e-Government Computer Incident Response Team (BGD e-GOV CIRT) in an advisory.

The only constant is change- or is it?

This week, we themed our issue keeping in mind March 8- World Women’s Day and Proof-reading day. Our cover story is about Femtech, a branch of technology that’s dedicated to female healthcare.

Amazfit GTR 2: A must-have

Amazfit GTR 2’s design is a major upgrade compared to the previous model of the device. Starting from the colour accent to the sleeker bezel- the smartwatch has brought a cleaner retro vibe to design.

Bangladesh Bank Heist: US charges North Korean hacker

Almost five years after the Bangladesh Bank heist, the most sensational cybercrime involving a financial institution to date, the US Department of Justice has formally announced charges against Park Jin Hyok, a North Korean hacker.

Hackers launch malware posing as Bangladeshi critical service websites

A malware campaign targeting Bangladeshi critical service websites has been uncovered recently. Cyber Threat Research team of Bangladesh Government's e-Government Computer Incident Response Team (BGD e-GOV CIRT) recently observed and identified these ongoing development of attacks and malware campaign by the well-known threat actor ‘KASABLANKA’ specifically targeted to Bangladeshi infrastructure.

Virtual Book Fairs elate booklovers in the month of February

Due to the pandemic, Amar Ekushey Book Fair, one of the most sought-after events got halt this year. This book fair, which is largest of its kind in this region, was paused after much deliberation by the decision of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs.

Five places to AVOID during Pahela Falgun

With pandemic still affecting many of our near and dear ones, we encourage everyone to stay indoors. If you really want to visit, then chose places that are semi-secluded or not packed with people. Despite all the public advisories, people are bound to gather on the first day of Falgun. So here we bring you a list of five places that you definitely should avoid for this year:

Haylou Solar LS05: The real deal

Today we bring you an interesting wearable: fitness band or smartwatch- however you term it, this gadget is being sold like hot cake.

Why the overnight popularity of BiP in Bangladesh?

WhatsApp is being criticised globally for its security issues and forced to delay the enforcement of its newest privacy policy. This resulted in a rise of non-mainstream apps like Signal, Telegram and Line to rise up. Among these, BiP seems to have caught on with Bangladeshi netizens.

Gojek writes off Pathao investment

Gojek Singapore, the main investor of Pathao, had a tenfold increase in year-on-year loss in 2019, largely stemming from its investment in Bangladesh’s ride-hailing service as it moved to clean up its balance sheet.

Gojek tidies up ledger by writing off Pathao investment as 'cosmetic loss'

Gojek Singapore, the main investor of Pathao, has reported a tenfold increase in Y-o-Y loss, of which most was attributed from investment in Pathao, in a move to clean up its ledger books.

The year of Zoom calls and Google meets

Zoom- probably this word this year is equivalent to what Facebook was back in 2012. Thanks to the pandemic, zoom call has become a household staple.

Apple iPad 10.2 (7th Gen): The perfect study buddy

The form factor: The dimensions of the tab is perfect. You can use it in one hand as it doesn’t weigh much. It’s also easy to carry on your bag.

Edtior's Note

2020- A year that humanity is going to recall for a long time, a year we lost so many that we became oblivious about our achievements.

Tecno Camon 16 Premier – the new toy in town

After a year of hiatus, I am finally back in gadget review- and today we are reviewing Tecno's Camon 16 Premier. Tecno, Africa's one of the top smartphone brand, has been pacing its operation in Bangladesh. They have opened a production plant here and this device is manufactured (assembled would be the right word). Let's see what this device is like:

Growing demand for bandwidth to result lesser interruption, higher speed at lower price: experts

To cater to the growing demand, the government has decided to go forward with the plan to join a third submarine cable. This submarine cable, third of its kind, will be fully functional by 2024 and will be added around 7200 Gbps of Bandwidth to the national information infrastructure.

Preventing Cyber-Attacks: Most banks ill-prepared

Only four of the 60 banks in the country have set up cyber security operation centres in line with a Bangladesh Bank directive to thwart large-scale cyber-attacks.

What’s new in the arena of civil aviation?

If you are someone who loves travelling particularly by air, then being homebound for the last few days must have been really the dullest period of your life. To make your mundane life a bit tolerable, we bring you a compiled list of stuff related to aviation travel that you might find interesting:

2020 - Not the best year for Apple

Hot water- that’s probably the perfect way to describe Apple’s current situation. Mediocre stock market performance, slower sales, bribery scandal, Battery-gate, Watergate – the company has been knee-deep in legal and financial troubles this year.

Bangladeshi freelancers to get fresh credibility through identity card project

Freelancers in Bangladesh are finally getting a state-endorsed electronic/virtual identity card.

No imminent targeted threat for Bangladeshi banks: Computer Council

Bangladesh Computer Council’s e-Government Computer Incident Response Team (BGD e-GOV CIRT) said that they did not have any specific credible intelligence regarding any imminent attack in the financial infrastructure of Bangladesh. Sources in the ICT Division informed that no such imminent threat was raised to CIRT in the last few days that might be deemed out of the ordinary.

China accelerates plans to put a leash on its internet giants

It all started when China’s poster boy Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba and one of the richest men in China, took a shot at the Chinese financial regulator at a global conference. Ma pointed out some risks and ill-practices of the Chinese financial system which the government did not take lightly.

April 21, 2023