2016 - ArewaSwag | Best Arewa Celebrities & Entertainment Blog

Good News: WhatsApp To Extend Support For Older Devices To June 2017

In February this year, WhatsApp announced it was dropping support for older devices and platforms by the end of the year. This meant versions of BlackBerry OS, older versions of Android and Windows Phone will no longer be supported come 2017. 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoYTYkB7qpM109Wo1c662ZKHFw5tZstsZmP9mMaJDnaIm_u2LVwYL9qOAJn3oKIllveOMBVovWMlSLV3GL9PsJboBw9Psddnk2rAiH0-XTY86ZpTwP_y4VtHF8SvydUeCl8mpFAFQkM-_1/s1600/WhatsApp-video-calling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoYTYkB7qpM109Wo1c662ZKHFw5tZstsZmP9mMaJDnaIm_u2LVwYL9qOAJn3oKIllveOMBVovWMlSLV3GL9PsJboBw9Psddnk2rAiH0-XTY86ZpTwP_y4VtHF8SvydUeCl8mpFAFQkM-_1/s320/WhatsApp-video-calling.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>In the announcement, older versions of Android, 2.1 (Eclair) and 2.2 (Froyo) were no longer to be supported while users of Nokia’s old and abandoned Symbian were also to face the axe as Series 40 and Series 60 support was to end. Microsoft’s ill-fated Windows Phone 7.1 was set to join the short list of platforms that WhatsApp no longer deems meaningful. While Blackberry 7 OS and Blackberry 10 devices were also to be phased off. 
 
Following the announcement, an online petition was created on petition platform change.org seeking to convince Facebook, the owners of WhatsApp, to reverse its decision to drop support for these platforms. Touting WhatsApp’s new status as “the de facto standard for mobile communication”, the petition stateD that more than 10 million users would be affected when WhatsApp ends support for the old platforms. 
 
However, Crackberry reports that WhatsApp has changed its mind and that these devices will continue to receive Support until June 30th 2017. In the announcement which was posted with the latest update of the App to Blackberry 10 users, WhatsApp says: 
 
As announced in our blog, we will soon be ending support for certain devices. On June 30, 2017, we will no longer support the following platforms: 
<ul><li>BlackBerry OS and BlackBerry 10</li>
<li>Nokia S40</li>
<li>Nokia Symbian S60</li>
</ul>However, support for Android 2.1 and Android 2.2; Windows Phone 7 and iPhone 3GS/iOS 6 will end on 31st December 2016. In the statement WhatsApp says these platforms no longer offer the capabilities necessary to extand the app’s feaures in future. The messaging services further advises users to upgrade to newer versions of Android OS (2.3+, a Windows 8+ phone, or an iPhone running iOS 7+ before the end of 2016 to continue using WhatsApp.

Good News: WhatsApp To Extend Support For Older Devices To June 2017

17 Nov 2016

Twitter’s New Strategy To Acquire New Users Is Implementing A Snapcode-like Feature

One of Twitter’s main problems is the slow acquisition of new users which has been shown time and time again from their quarterly results. They have acknowledged the problem and have pushed new features to remedy this like a brand new homescreen to implore people to sign up and to change confusing UI stuff like the favourite button and the reply buttons. 
 
Well, it seems they are trying out another way to let people easily add other users to Twitter and it is one we have seen from Snapchat. 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUStrii38b0RWvwefpwiHTq7cTapE8L2HKloh3yZKH2FfScOuhaG6Xi68wUy56M2sC6Xw64noEVqnGReXaMQyneKnpl4rBb7SnSWLjQie55KG50z5nCJyV7bZyBI1-9kYrYvHPLB3tQRm9/s1600/Twitter-QR-code.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUStrii38b0RWvwefpwiHTq7cTapE8L2HKloh3yZKH2FfScOuhaG6Xi68wUy56M2sC6Xw64noEVqnGReXaMQyneKnpl4rBb7SnSWLjQie55KG50z5nCJyV7bZyBI1-9kYrYvHPLB3tQRm9/s320/Twitter-QR-code.png" width="520" /></a></div>Yes, Twitter now gives you the ability to add friends via a QR code. This is an implementation that we saw being implemented by Snapchat first, Messenger later on and it is a fast way of adding friends on the go. 
 
It is quite easy to do this. On Android, you only need to swipe to get into the menu bar on the left and click on the QR code menu. It will first show the QR scanner on the right that allows you to scan someone’s QR code. You can also import scanned QR codes from your gallery from the camera button shown on the bottom right. Tapping on the “my QR code” will reveal the code that you can either screenshot or share (there is a share button on the top right) to the platform of choice. 
 
This feature is available to some users (ver. 6.24 for the Android app has it) so you only need to check if you have the QR code menu. It has also been spotted on iOS so this is not a platform specific update.

Twitter’s New Strategy To Acquire New Users Is Implementing A Snapcode-like Feature

17 Nov 2016

WhatsApp Has Launched Video Call To Everyone

Video calling has become quite the standard on messaging platforms and WhatsApp was only the big boy left that didn’t offer this feature to all of its users. Not any more, as they have finally launched video calling to anyone, which will sure make the over a billion of its users happy.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJd2DcpETldyzg7jBEwa7H-ANA2iCdkEb5YDYpg9nxve2lH5FK3X5v-EkvypGkJ6nh4bPq31bkjcG2I0xxPih6kAhfXinBceBQpU_dT2KOhJjOoLn9jAumdiddzpc3MxI6OTplK51Ie5AZ/s1600/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJd2DcpETldyzg7jBEwa7H-ANA2iCdkEb5YDYpg9nxve2lH5FK3X5v-EkvypGkJ6nh4bPq31bkjcG2I0xxPih6kAhfXinBceBQpU_dT2KOhJjOoLn9jAumdiddzpc3MxI6OTplK51Ie5AZ/s320/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The rumours of the feature started last year which later on became serious when we noticed that they had launched it late last month to beta Android users. At the time, it was quite hard to make a video call to someone on WhatsApp (unless they had the specific version) but now, you will be able after updating your current apps.

Making a video call is as easy as making the traditional voice calls WhatsApp announced earlier too. When you want to make a video call, you only need to go to the specific contact, tap on the call button, select video call and right away, you will be connected to the person. If you are not able to make the video call, one of the reasons is that the recipient has not yet updated his/her app so you can go ahead and advise.

This move will now make WhatsApp catch up with Facebook Messenger and Viber which have had the feature for a while now. This is also being released to other platforms like iOS and Windows Phone which will join Facetime and Skype that are owned by Apple and Microsoft respectively. The only thing remaining is comparing the var

WhatsApp Has Launched Video Call To Everyone

17 Nov 2016

Microsoft appoints new General Manager for West, East, Central Africa

Amr Kamel as the new General Manager for the West, East, Central Africa and Indian Ocean Islands
Microsoft has announced the appointment of Amr Kamel as the new General Manager for the West, East, Central Africa and Indian Ocean Islands (WECA) region. Kamel who will be based in South Africa will report to Ali Faramawy, Corporate Vice President for the Middle East and Africa. Kamel joined Microsoft Egypt in 2004 and has held several roles, including account manager, communication sector lead, sales excellence lead, and public sector director for the WECA region.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUbne9-6APJrFsO4ve8vCzC-WaqquCUK6LrDRJyE4FUh4qbSZkXpTTxj2KEy_4MJuEkuM6IdnGmwteDGy2btRGLUZ09dbMAmMCDPAIGwf9QIpz36LKldbFEsndMgnZjTkTmT_glz1bpLbs/s1600/Amr-Kamel-the-General-Manager-for-the-West-East-Central-Africa-and-Indian-Ocean-Islands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUbne9-6APJrFsO4ve8vCzC-WaqquCUK6LrDRJyE4FUh4qbSZkXpTTxj2KEy_4MJuEkuM6IdnGmwteDGy2btRGLUZ09dbMAmMCDPAIGwf9QIpz36LKldbFEsndMgnZjTkTmT_glz1bpLbs/s320/Amr-Kamel-the-General-Manager-for-the-West-East-Central-Africa-and-Indian-Ocean-Islands.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Speaking on his appointment, Amr said “I’m excited to be working in West, East, Central Africa & Indian Ocean Islands region, I believe that our Microsoft’s unique value proposition for the region can help our customers transform their business in a way that enables them to achieve more growth, better customer experience & faster time to market. Our focus will be around instilling trust in cloud solutions, partnering with governments to enable citizens’ services, skills for youth & government automation, enabling our channel partners to have the required competencies to compete on a worldwide scale”, he said. “From geographical presence and value added relationships to transformational opportunities within both the public, commercial and non-governmental sectors, we will work to empower every organisation to achieve more, while ensuring impact in how they use our technology,” Kamel added.

Ali Faramawy, Microsoft Corporate Vice President for the Middle East and Africa commented on the appointment stating that “Amr brings solid experience in strategy and execution while driving sustained business performance across the region, to his new role. The relationships he has nurtured with clients and partners will serve to reinforce Microsoft’s commitment to helping the region reach its full potential while uncovering growth opportunities for the business and its ecosystem”.

Microsoft appoints new General Manager for West, East, Central Africa

08 Nov 2016

Affordable Smartphone: Xiaomi Redmi 4A Specifications and Price (Jumia & Konga)

Xiaomi Redmi 4A is the cheaper version of the Redmi 4 which is also a budget smartphone with impressive features. The Redmi 4a price is surprisingly very cheap when compared to what it offers in terms of specs and features. At just NGR22,200 Naira, the phone with 4G LTE support, 2GB RAM, Android Marshmallow, Quad-core chip and lots more is absolutely the biggest surprise of the month. Below is the full specifications of the phone. 
 
XIAOMI REDMI 4A SPECIFICATIONS 
✔ TECHNOLOGY 
NETWORKS: GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE 
2G bands GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 & SIM 2 
CDMA 800 / 1900 
3G bands HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 
CDMA2000 1xEV-DO & TD-SCDMA 
4G bands LTE band 1(2100), 3(1800), 7(2600), 38(2600), 39(1900), 40(2300), 41(2500) 
Speed HSPA, LTE 
GPRS Yes 
EDGE Yes 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNyR2G5HS7zkiLJjNTqprsZ4dcZ_rZiGCGhRVIdzwkq6QLET5X2rNYlgqx5uUH0YRl2MuzkBZK3I5OUMK2S4KOm6oYrrcik3oWOBW16V2SyPc1SGkPRTTgccwU4Ca9YPGAAjqKYvAHQE2v/s1600/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNyR2G5HS7zkiLJjNTqprsZ4dcZ_rZiGCGhRVIdzwkq6QLET5X2rNYlgqx5uUH0YRl2MuzkBZK3I5OUMK2S4KOm6oYrrcik3oWOBW16V2SyPc1SGkPRTTgccwU4Ca9YPGAAjqKYvAHQE2v/s320/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg" width="242" /></a></div> 
✔ BODY DESIGN 
Dimensions 139.5 x 70.4 x 8.5 mm (5.49 x 2.77 x 0.33 in) 
Weight 131.5 g (4.66 oz) 
SIM Dual SIM 
Colors Gold, Rose Gold 
 
✔ DISPLAY 
Type IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors 
Size 5.0 inches (~70.2% screen-to-body ratio) 
Resolution 720 x 1280 pixels (~294 ppi pixel density) 
Multitouch Yes 
MIUI 8 
 
✔ OPERATING SYSTEM 
OS Android OS, v6.0.1 (Marshmallow) 
Chipset Qualcomm MSM8917 Snapdragon 425 
CPU Quad-core 1.4 GHz Cortex-A53 
GPU Adreno 308 
 
✔ MEMORY 
Card slot microSD, up to 256 GB (uses SIM 2 slot) 
Internal 16 GB, 2 GB RAM 
 
✔ CAMERA 
Primary 13 MP, f/2.2, autofocus, LED flash 
Features Geo-tagging, touch focus, face/smile detection, HDR, panorama 
Video 1080p@30fps 
Secondary 5 MP, f/2.2 
 
✔ MULTIMEDIA 
Alert types Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones 
Loudspeaker Yes 
3.5mm jack Yes 
Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic 
 
✔ CONNECTIVITY 
WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot 
Bluetooth v4.1, A2DP, LE 
GPS Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS 
Infrared port Yes 
Radio FM radio 
USB microUSB v2.0 
 
✔ SENSORS 
Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass 
 
✔ OTHER FEATURES 
Messaging SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM 
Browser HTML5 
Java No 
DivX/Xvid/MP4/H.265 player 
MP3/WAV/eAAC+/FLAC player 
Photo/video editor 
Document viewer 
 
✔ BATTERY 
3120 mAh battery, Non-removable Li-Ion Battery 
 
✔ LAUNCH 
Launched: November 2016 
Availability: Yes 
 
✔ PRICE 
The Redmi 4a cost only $74 (NGR22,200). Can you beat that? 
Well, you can buy it from Jumia or Konga**

Affordable Smartphone: Xiaomi Redmi 4A Specifications and Price (Jumia & Konga)

Xiaomi Redmi 4A is the cheaper version of the Redmi 4 which is also a budget smartphone with impressive features. The Redmi 4a price is surprisingly very cheap when compared to what it offers in terms…

07 Nov 2016

Investment Tips For The First Time Trader, Are You New To Trading?

There can be many misapprehensions concerning investing in stocks and shares, so it’s important to fully understand the key principles behind trading. It’s easy to get the wrong impression of the stock market – probably not helped by certain racy films and dramatic accounts from those who ‘made a killing’ playing the markets with high stakes. 
 
The reality is somewhat different, and it’s very much a case of taking the long view and keeping emotions in check in order to trade effectively. Some aspects to consider before taking the plunge: 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAFUkMNsfXHuNfCbDPCuyIzZmTdoOc1EH2Oo32i3xzKcxE8t3jaqm08POccO2q2a_rVs3QTfnb15AHn9IncPfxu3sVKTZLSr5_hVntOarTMFlJVK5saauxwAvfqIVgG477PwYxWvdN0l3B/s1600/investment.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAFUkMNsfXHuNfCbDPCuyIzZmTdoOc1EH2Oo32i3xzKcxE8t3jaqm08POccO2q2a_rVs3QTfnb15AHn9IncPfxu3sVKTZLSr5_hVntOarTMFlJVK5saauxwAvfqIVgG477PwYxWvdN0l3B/s320/investment.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Determine what type of investor you are 
 
There’s a not so subtle difference between being a ‘trader’ and an ‘investor’. If you’re a trader, then your strategy is mainly to buy and sell frequently to make shorter term profits – a steep learning curve for the beginner as you are relying more on ‘gut instinct’. 
As a beginner, taking an ‘investor’ approach is likely safer. You build a portfolio steadily and take a longer term view based on the strategy you’ve planned and your investment goals. 
 
Strategy 
 
A coherent strategy keeps you on track and ensures you’re less likely to be seduced by headline market news. For example, if you saw that the JSE (Johannesburg Stock Exchange) had climbed several percentage points you might impulsively decide to invest. This may not be the best idea as the market could have peaked which is the opposite of basic trading advice; buy when markets are low. 
 
Manage expectations 
 
Trading stocks and shares is not a get rich quick scheme. You’ll have heard of traders who made spectacular gains, but the reasons these make news headlines is because they’re just that; news and therefore not an everyday occurrence. 
 
Also, if you hear people talking glowingly of big gains they’ve made then be aware that people mostly talk only of their gains – not necessarily their losses. The old maxim ‘slow and steady wins the race’ very much applies when building a stocks and shares investment portfolio. 
 
Build a varied portfolio 
 
Diversifying – with a range of different types of investments such as stocks, shares and commodities – widens your investment options. Different types of investment product are worth considering. Your attitude to risk and reward will reflect whether you, for example, are more inclined to invest in a vehicle such as a unit trust or a higher risk yet highly flexible CFD (Contracts for Difference) provided by stock market experts such as IG. 
 
As part of your diversification strategy, it’s advisable to have a mix of different types of business within your stock portfolio including steady household names and other stalwarts. A good base to start is perhaps investing in South Africa’s top 20 companies as you’re likely to be familiar with them – but do some basic market research first directly or by subscribing to newsletters and consulting other information sources. 
 
By contrast, there’s no harm in having some stock in growing companies in fast developing industries such as technology, but be aware some of these may make for a bumpy ride in the short term as they grow. Newer companies are often very much investments for the long term and should not be abandoned at the first sign of a mild dip. 
 
The long game 
 
The key takeaway from this is to remember that trading the markets is very much for the long term, and losses and gains are part and parcel of this type of investing. Don’t panic when you experience a few losses and don’t get carried away when some of your trading shows larger gains.

Investment Tips For The First Time Trader, Are You New To Trading?

07 Nov 2016

Facebook’s Internet.org has connected 40 Million people to the Internet

In 2014 during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled a plan aimed at providing internet access to two-thirds of the world not yet connected. This then led to the launch of Internet.org, a partnership between Facebook, industry giants such as Nokia, Qualcomm and telecom carriers, to use solar-powered drones and spacecraft to beam the internet to the developing world. Internet.org provides basic web services such as weather reports, Wikipedia, messaging and Facebook to users at no cost and now reaches 1 billion people around the world. 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfIxDAJX9vnmTFITl0FH-gg0cd6z7VomAPUakB1N-vii4kRMt5m8-qEkq9X2egnKVtjeIcESzf4Hv0X1CC_eCBF38I9zQE0jbYn6cwagKStxP03SGZko8CTiNZcmfpM03Yw87kWOc4Cbwy/s1600/Internet.org_logo_techweez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfIxDAJX9vnmTFITl0FH-gg0cd6z7VomAPUakB1N-vii4kRMt5m8-qEkq9X2egnKVtjeIcESzf4Hv0X1CC_eCBF38I9zQE0jbYn6cwagKStxP03SGZko8CTiNZcmfpM03Yw87kWOc4Cbwy/s320/Internet.org_logo_techweez.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Since then, Internet.org has grown in scale and projects and now includes Free basics; open cellular; project Aquila and express wifi. Free basics, that allows users to access basic web services such as weather reports, Wikipedia, Facebook at no cost. The grand scheme of things is to have these users enjoy these basic services which would, in turn, inspire them to explore the rest of the web. project Aquila uses solar powered planes the size of Boeing 737 to beam the internet to remote parts of the world without it. These planes can be on air for 3-6 months which makes them beneficial. 
 
Express wifi which recently launched in India and Nigeria, where Facebook partners with internet service providers to offer cheap internet in different places. With open cellular, Facebook is looking to create an open source, “wireless access platform” designed to drive down the cost of setting up cellular networks in places where it has been expensive to achieve the same. This would dramatically lower the cost of infrastructure necessary to roll-out such services making it possible for others to access the internet. 
 
In its recently released Q3 earnings, Facebook announced that internet.org had connected 40 million people to the internet since launch, which represents 0.5% of the world population. Facebook further said that the project had been responsible for the growth of active users on the social media platform. The growth of interenet.org beneficiaries to 40 million represents a 15 million user growth from 25 Million in may last year. In the first year of launch, internet.org projects connected 3 million users with the number growing 15 million in 2015. In Kenya, Facebook partnered with Airtel allowing for millions of users to access the internet.

Facebook’s Internet.org has connected 40 Million people to the Internet

07 Nov 2016

Meaning and Features of "MyEtisalat" App + Download Links

MyEtisalat is a newly introduced self-service platform designed to help Etisalat customers access all the services and functions provided by the network as well as help them tackle most of the issues they may encounter on their Etisalat line without the need of calling customer care or the need to text or dial codes. 
 
According to the Chief Product and Information Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Otuyemi Otule, who highlighted the desire Etisalat has in satisfying her subscribers also continued with below statements: 
 
<blockquote>MyEtisalat can be accessed via an app and on the web. The app is available on all major application platforms such as iOS, Android, Blackberry and Windows and is zero-rated, which means customers do not need data to use the application</blockquote> 
 
FEATURES OF MYETISALAT SELF SERVICE APP 
✔ Customers can view the package they are subscribed to and also add plans, remove plans or move across plans with the self-service platform. 
✔ At the click of a button, customers can buy airtime and data with a variety of payment options including their naira debit cards. This is particularly important, as it saves customers the stress of having to hunt for recharge cards especially in an emergency. 
✔ The app provides security options for customers’ number, so if they lose their device, customers can easily use MyEtisalat self-service to block their numbers remotely. 
✔ Etisalat customers can manage several numbers with the same app. This makes airtime transfer and data transfer much easier. 
✔ MyEtisalat makes it easier to monitor airtime and data usage. 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPam_VCeKftejyzr10WpiZZWBSv02zAq3R35u_XSPCk0eatDSqWhCQWYe5I3SFaCukwqiJnC6cs-9JXoGxt7_gFou7VBGhqaPjqcOsi6P-lftDEzTr7XVogI7KvZRMBTonXIlWv-IHses6/s1600/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPam_VCeKftejyzr10WpiZZWBSv02zAq3R35u_XSPCk0eatDSqWhCQWYe5I3SFaCukwqiJnC6cs-9JXoGxt7_gFou7VBGhqaPjqcOsi6P-lftDEzTr7XVogI7KvZRMBTonXIlWv-IHses6/s320/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>WHERE CAN I DOWNLOAD IT? 
✔ <a href='https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.etisalat.easymobile&hl=en'>Download MyEtisalat App Apk</a> for Android users 
✔ <a href='https://itunes.apple.com/pk/app/myetisalat-app/id640770087?mt=8'>Download MyEtisalat App</a> for iPhone users 
✔ <a href='https://itunes.apple.com/pk/app/myetisalat-app/id640770087?mt=8'>Download MyEtisalat App</a> for iPad users 
 
CAN I ACCESS MYETISALAT SERVICES ON THE WEB? 
Yes! Whether you download the app or not, you can still access the self-service platform on the web using your favorite web browser. To do this, you just need to login to My.etisalat.com.ng 
 
This platform is really cool and it will surely save you a whole of time of endless calling of Etisalat customer care representatives which takes forever for them to answer in most cases. Remember that MTN also have similar app called MyMTN App

Meaning and Features of "MyEtisalat" App + Download Links

MyEtisalat is a newly introduced self-service platform designed to help Etisalat customers access all the services and functions provided by the network as well as help them tackle most of the issues …

07 Nov 2016

Which Mobile Web Browser Do You Use On Your Android Smartphone?

One of the things I do religiously on my mobile devices is read stuff on the web. From a browser, of course. That has been the case over the years. While what I do is mainly a constant, how I do it has evolved. This has mainly been informed by the type of applications accessible to me.Back in 2010/2011, browsing on mobile was not that much fun. At least on Android devices which is what I shall dwell on in this article. That was mainly because of the hardware limitations of the time as well as the software not being up to scratch.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfezh-Og2Go2zkbjkG3JoCt4wwtbdTCYrl182lcLpTnZ9bv-B0MkvFuMUvGxJWX5xA6yQE7I02uXEk6II2dYt2oGU5yaAyg3dlAZCdv7_EP6x48-0DoVQ8w9jh_emN7YDS1JNfvW62wyuq/s1600/mobile_browsers_Main.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfezh-Og2Go2zkbjkG3JoCt4wwtbdTCYrl182lcLpTnZ9bv-B0MkvFuMUvGxJWX5xA6yQE7I02uXEk6II2dYt2oGU5yaAyg3dlAZCdv7_EP6x48-0DoVQ8w9jh_emN7YDS1JNfvW62wyuq/s320/mobile_browsers_Main.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Over five years later, things have really changed. Hardware is no longer really an issue since I am able to keep my usual 100+ Chrome tabs open on sub $80 Android smartphones that we get every now and then for reviews and what not. The software, on the other hand, has never been better. Save for extreme cases, Android holds up just fine and the apps are more than okay.Now that we’re there, what browser do you use?Here are a few options that I have sampled over time:<h2><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.android.chrome" rel="nofollow">1. Chrome</a></h2>Since early 2012 when Chrome became available on Android, it has grown to become one of the most popular browsers on the platform. That it comes pre-installed on most devices is not lost on me and that has certainly been a big contributor since most users just go with whatever they can lay their hands on.Chrome also has a head start in the fact that most people already use it on the desktop and familiarity plays a big role here. Never mind that most features of the desktop version of Chrome are yet to become available on the Android version. 
However, some of the features that we may desire that are not available on Chrome mobile like the ability to extend the browser’s functionality using add-ons and extensions, are not really a must-have on mobile (I, for instance, can’t remember the last time I used a mobile browser extension).Chrome works just fine. If you are on a good connection, pages will load fast and the rendering is good. You will not miss a thing. And that’s what has me ditching almost every other browser that smartphone makers bundle on their devices that is not Chrome. Some of those browsers like the ones on Huawei, Xiaomi and Samsung devices, are really good and it’s just a personal preference that has me going for Chrome. However, others like the stock browser on old Tecno phones make me want to scamper for safety every time I encounter them. They are awful. 
 
Late last year, Chrome for Android also got a feature that many will love, data saving. It is not Opera’s Max but it has been trying (without much success) to get the job done. With Google doubling down on its efforts to make it easy to browse content on slower networks, it is in fact getting much better..Whatever your preferences or loyalties (sworn Apple, Microsoft or BlackBerry fans), you can never go wrong with Chrome on Android. For those who like being in the fast ring of app updates, Chrome Beta is also a good version of the app. You get the same stable performance (there will be a bug here or there once in a while since it’s a beta) but with access to new features before they make it to everyone else.<h2><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.mozilla.firefox" rel="nofollow">2. Firefox</a></h2>Firefox has one major feature that Chrome lacks: add-ons. It even has a <a href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/android/">dedicated store for add-ons</a>. While I have already noted that add-ons and extensions are not such a big deal on mobile, they are nice to have.Overall, Firefox on Android, just as is the case on desktop, won’t disappoint. I only find it annoying that the browser doesn’t keep in memory all my opened pages. I always have to go to the history tab to reload them while Chrome can keep them for as long as I want.What Mozilla is doing wrong about the browser I have no idea. May be it needs to enter into a good number of partnerships that will see Firefox preloaded on mobile devices. This is because of all the data I could access on mobile browser usage, Firefox never featured anywhere at the top.It’s a very good mobile browser but just not that many people are using it. I guess that is what you get when you are competing with at least two pre-installed browsers on mobile devices (Chrome which is preloaded as part of Google Mobile Services – GMS – and the smartphone maker’s own browser app).<h2><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.UCMobile.intl" rel="nofollow">3. UC Browser</a></h2>Chinese app UC Browser may not be so successful on the desktop but it is killing it on mobile. It has managed to beat both Chrome and Opera Mini (the other high flyer of so many years on this list) to the top slot in a number of markets and going arm in arm with the two in many others.The browser has been able to score a number of partnerships with regional smartphone brands like Tecno, Infinix and many others that have seen it pre-installed on their devices. With regional brands increasingly accounting for a huge chunk of smartphone shipments into their respective regions, that strategy has paid off handsomely. That is even before you begin considering the feature set that keeps drawing users to UC Browser leading to it being consistently on top of app store charts.It has, for instance, a ‘Data-Saving Mode’, it is fast and the interface is good. It has, for a long time now, been the go-to mobile web browser for anyone who loves the data compression genius of Opera mini but still needs access to features powered by JavaScript on web pages since Opera mini suppresses them. In addition to the above listed features, it also has a night mode, an incognito mode (like Chrome) for when you just don’t want to be tracked and it also gives users the ability to change themes. Oh, and there’s an ad blocker as well in case pop up banners become too much.<h2><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.opera.mini.native" rel="nofollow">4. Opera Mini</a></h2>For a long time, Opera mini has been “the browser” every time anyone talked about mobile browsers. While we all agree that Opera has seen its better days and its mother company has gone through enough turbulence, Opera mini is still one of the best that there is. Its legendary overzealous suppression of JavaScript on websites so as to achieve its data compression goals notwithstanding, it has aged gracefully. 
The latest update to Opera mini on Android (and other platforms as well) has seen it acquire VPN and ad-blocking capabilities, two features that users have been increasingly clamouring for. Not long ago, the compression was also refined and users no longer have to suffer lacking various components of web pages. All they do is pick their preferred level of compression (choosing a lower compression mode or no compression at all, for instance, is the only way you can read this article on your phone using Opera mini).While there’s still the more 2016 smartphone-friendly fully-fledged Opera browser app on the Play Store, Opera mini is still a top choice for mobile web browsers. With Opera adding the ability to download videos for later offline viewing, if you are using an entry-level smartphone whose resources may be strained by the demands of the likes of Chrome or on a tight data plan, it is even a no-brainer.<h2>5. Others</h2><h3><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jiubang.browser" rel="nofollow">Next Browser</a></h3>It’s from the guys who make Go Launcher, a third-party Android launcher that I have never liked. Unlike the launcher, the browser is really good. Unlike Chrome and Firefox which are in its league, it is just a little under 4 megabytes when you install it from the Play Store.What is impressive about it, however, is its features and speed. It is fast, lightweight, good-looking and has a couple of features that you’ll find handy like a night mode. In terms of going slow on the data consumed, it lets users load web pages without images, just plain text.The ads that show up in various parts of the browser from time to time are definitely a big turn off but hey, how much are you paying for it?You definitely need to try it out if you haven’t. It’s been 3 years since I first encountered Next Browser and while I may not be actively turning to it for my daily needs like I do Chrome, it doesn’t mean it’s because it is an inferior alternative. Oh, and it has extensions, just not the type you are used to.<h3><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=mobi.mgeek.TunnyBrowser" rel="nofollow">Dolphin Browser</a></h3>Just like Opera mini has been around since my days with a Nokia feature phone, Dolphin browser was one of the very first high-quality apps available on Android in its early days. Back when we had Android Market and not the Play Store and Chrome on mobile was a distant rumour.Dolphin is still a good choice for Android smartphone users but I am struggling to see why you will go with it and not Chrome or Firefox.<h3><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.adblockplus.browser" rel="nofollow">AdBlock Browser</a></h3>This one is rather controversial.We all know what AdBlock does so any product is likely to just be an extension of that. AdBlock browser is exactly that. Since building extensions for mobile browsers is still not a thing and support is very limited, why not just build a browser in its entirety and make it available for anyone who does not want to see any ads on their browser? A repackaged Firefox browser with emphasis on the ad-blocking, AdBlock browser is exactly that. 
According to PageFair and Adobe’s 2015 Global Adblocking Report, the number of people using ad-blockers in the last one year went up by 41%. There are about 200 million people out there with ad-blocking software of some kind installed or turned on on their devices.The problem with AdBlock browser is that besides blocking ads, there’s really nothing going for it if you are used to your usual everyday browser. It’s as basic as basic gets. I don’t know about you but it just doesn’t cut it for me. With browsers integrating ad-blocking, you may be well served elsewhere. For instance, the feature-rich <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sec.android.app.sbrowser&hl=en" rel="nofollow">Samsung stock mobile web browser</a> has <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.adblockplus.adblockplussbrowser&hl=en" rel="nofollow">an add-on for ad-blocking</a> from none other than the team behind AdBlock browser.<h3><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.appsverse.photon" rel="nofollow">Photon Browser</a></h3> 
Flash is dead.No piece of software has been vilified and derided more than flash. Yet flash content still exists despite its support being dropped left, right and centre. With the release of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, Google officially dropped support for flash on its mobile platform. However, I still need a browser with flash support in some instances in order to stream live TV on my mobile browser using a few hacks. For that need alone, Photon browser has been my first choice. The problem with these specialized browsers, like the AdBlock browser highlighted above, is that they don’t do well elsewhere. Who said we were in need of jacks of all trades anyway?I know Dolphin still supports flash but you already know why I don’t always use it so…

Which Mobile Web Browser Do You Use On Your Android Smartphone?

One of the things I do religiously on my mobile devices is read stuff on the web. From a browser, of course. That has been the case over the years. While what I do is mainly a constant, how I do it ha…

07 Nov 2016

Good News: Popular Nigerian Blogger Launches A Social Network

Social networking sites have been the zeitgeist for the last decade or so where some have ended up becoming huge news gathering organizations valued in the billions of dollars. You may get the feeling that we have reached peak social media but that is not true since we get to see new sites cropping out.Some of you may know the popular Nigerian blogger, Linda Ikeji and it seems she want to breakout from the blogging circle into owning an actual social network. Her new social network is called Linda Ikeji Social (or LIS in short) and this is how it is described in a <a href="http://www.lindaikejisblog.com/2016/11/lis-is-finally-here-yay.html" rel="nofollow">blog post</a>:<blockquote class="td_quote_box td_box_center">LIS is basically Facebook meets Linda Ikeji Blog meeets ebay.com! You can connect with friends on LIS, chat, get the latest breaking news, sell your eye witness stories to us and get paid. You can also buy and sell your goods and services from authentic buyers and sellers.</blockquote>When you check out the <a href="https://www.lindaikejisocial.com/">website</a>, it is true that in practice, it resembles a weird portmanteau of a social network and an ecommerce site. 
You can also join my Lindaikejisocial profile <a href="https://www.lindaikejisocial.com/profile/idris-ibrahim-1">https://www.lindaikejisocial.com/profile/idris-ibrahim-1</a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxiDiGJPnre3gx654IAgIm-bKkUW7NEe1AwpN0cVBZ3KmbI1exDmKeIaoe6fHh5F-lOFSGzV2KL_YOP7g-TUGW_cWixgSKr6zPWk4_wV5b_dMoZMefAliVpQfw14koQSZH_a7c8rJSHV5k/s1600/Linda-Ikeji.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxiDiGJPnre3gx654IAgIm-bKkUW7NEe1AwpN0cVBZ3KmbI1exDmKeIaoe6fHh5F-lOFSGzV2KL_YOP7g-TUGW_cWixgSKr6zPWk4_wV5b_dMoZMefAliVpQfw14koQSZH_a7c8rJSHV5k/s320/Linda-Ikeji.png" width="320" /></a></div>The social network comprises of users posting updates, checking out updates from other users, submitting a story and receiving notifications. The ecommerce part of it involves “deals” which seems to involve creating an ad that would run on the site and there are some currently that run on the right side of the page.This looks like an interesting experiment for Linda and it will only be a matter of time until we see how it will blossom into be.

Good News: Popular Nigerian Blogger Launches A Social Network

Social networking sites have been the zeitgeist for the last decade or so where some have ended up becoming huge news gathering organizations valued in the billions of dollars. You may get the feeling…

06 Nov 2016

Huawei Mate 9 Porsche Specifications and Price

HUAWEI MATE 9 PORSCHE SPECIFICATIONS 
✔ TECHNOLOGY 
Networks: GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE 
2G bands GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 & SIM 2 
CDMA 800 / 1900 
3G bands HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 
CDMA2000 1xEV-DO & TD-SCDMA 
4G bands LTE band 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 9(1800), 12(700), 17(700), 18(800), 19(800), 20(800), 26(850), 28(700), 29(700), 38(2600), 39(1900), 40(2300), 41(2500) 
Speed HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE-A Cat12 600/150 Mbps 
GPRS Yes 
EDGE Yes 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdQn79z8hd3yWRWW6BgmGtBo9r5kDlsUX1-sJ3ROEyiHOZ_uwlIbDQyn-n1vYGsApV8dPf90B14Z2zlsTSS4osQdFn7_61EgBY-Xp_gcv6oNVv8WkMvMbirYKV2qcyqe75xUbKqZPrq2oH/s1600/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdQn79z8hd3yWRWW6BgmGtBo9r5kDlsUX1-sJ3ROEyiHOZ_uwlIbDQyn-n1vYGsApV8dPf90B14Z2zlsTSS4osQdFn7_61EgBY-Xp_gcv6oNVv8WkMvMbirYKV2qcyqe75xUbKqZPrq2oH/s320/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg" width="242" /></a></div> 
✔ BODY DESIGN 
Dimensions 152 x 75 x 7.5 mm (5.98 x 2.95 x 0.30 in) 
Weight 169 g (5.96 oz) 
SIM Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) 
 
✔ DISPLAY 
Type AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors 
Size 5.5 inches (~73.2% screen-to-body ratio) 
Resolution 1440 x 2560 pixels (~534 ppi pixel density) 
Multitouch Yes 
Protection To be confirmed 
EMUI 5.0 
 
✔ OPERATING SYSTEM 
OS Android OS, v7.0 (Nougat) 
Chipset Hisilicon Kirin 960 
CPU Octa-core (4x2.4 GHz Cortex-A73 & 4x1.8 GHz Cortex-A53) 
GPU Mali-G71 MP8 
 
✔ MEMORY 
Card slot No 
Internal 256 GB, 6 GB RAM 
 
✔ CAMERA 
Primary Dual 20 MP +12 MP, f/2.2, OIS, 2x zoom, Leica optics, phase detection & laser autofocus, dual-LED (dual tone) flash 
Features Geo-tagging, touch focus, face/smile detection, panorama, HDR 
Video 2160p@30fps 
Secondary 8 MP, f/1.9, 1080p 
 
✔ MULTIMEDIA 
Alert types Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones 
Loudspeaker Yes 
3.5mm jack Yes 
Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic 
 
✔ CONNECTIVITY 
WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, DLNA, WiFi Direct, hotspot 
Bluetooth v4.2, A2DP, EDR, LE 
GPS Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO 
NFC Yes 
Infrared port Yes 
Radio To be confirmed 
USB Type-C 1.0 reversible connector 
 
✔ SENSORS 
Sensors Fingerprint, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, barometer, compass 
 
✔ OTHER FEATURES 
Messaging SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email 
Browser HTML5 
Java No 
Fast battery charging 
DivX/XviD/MP4/H.265/WMV player 
MP3/eAAC+/WMA/WAV/Flac player 
Document editor 
Photo/video editor 
 
✔ BATTERY 
Non-removable Li-Po 4000 mAh battery 
 
✔ LAUNCH 
Announced 2016, November 
Status Coming soon. Exp. release date 2017, January 
 
✔ PRICE 
Launch Price: N/A

Huawei Mate 9 Porsche Specifications and Price

HUAWEI MATE 9 PORSCHE SPECIFICATIONS ✔ TECHNOLOGY Networks: GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE 2G bands GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 & SIM 2 CDMA 800 / 1900 3G bands HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(A…

06 Nov 2016

YouTube Rolls Out New Comment Features And A Tool That Handles Inappropriate Comments

The comment section on YouTube videos are one of the most vibrant communities you can see on the web. It is not perfect as some people find a way of messing them up by trolling people or the video on the comments. However, YouTube is not giving up on the comment section as they have announced three new features that will sure make them better. 
 
First we have pinned comments. YouTube creators will be able to pin specific comments on top of the feed for the purpose of showing engagement with the audience or to share information about a particular thing. 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvNgDs8I6Sy42vC80vA9j8FmiA8Ar2DZQggF83i2X44BWazB9LUBLL7nY_8bh9B42W6hRnIX-P-zqQVTTxz2EIlmGym0fJZvRbMNjZzb446lrDYi74gS2WvNp9jo2chkJRJS8JNAhng515/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvNgDs8I6Sy42vC80vA9j8FmiA8Ar2DZQggF83i2X44BWazB9LUBLL7nY_8bh9B42W6hRnIX-P-zqQVTTxz2EIlmGym0fJZvRbMNjZzb446lrDYi74gS2WvNp9jo2chkJRJS8JNAhng515/s320/images.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The other feature is creator hearts where the creator will be able to show their appreciation towards a certain comment by giving a ‘heart.’ This seems akin to Twitter’s ‘Like’ button and Facebook’s Like button and the aim is to acknowledge the top comments made by your audience. 
 
Creator usernames is the other new feature announced by YouTube where your username will appear with a pop of colour when you make a comment. The purpose of this is to make sure that viewers are able to quickly identify you on the comment stream and if you are verified, the checkmark will appear beside the username. 
 
There is also a beta feature that YouTube announced too: Holding potentially inappropriate comments for review. “If you choose to opt-in, comments identified by our algorithm will be held and you have the final decision whether to approve, hide or report these comments,” YouTube said on the post. They acknowledge that the algorithms might fail from time to time and by your actions of manually reviewing the comments, it will take that feedback to account. 
 
Other features that were announced earlier on include choosing moderators where creators delegate moderation duties to trusted individuals and blacklisting words and phrases. 
 
These changes will definitely make the comment section on YouTube a bit better while still maintaining their legendary status of being a source of entertainment for all.

YouTube Rolls Out New Comment Features And A Tool That Handles Inappropriate Comments

06 Nov 2016

Huawei P9, P9 Plus Have Sold 9 Million Units So Far

The last time we had about the sales figures of Huawei’s flagship smartphones the P9 and its bigger sibling the P9 Plus, was two months ago when it was reported that the P9 itself had managed to sell 6 million units on its own without factoring in the P9 Plus. 
 
At yesterday’s launch event for the new Mate 9 in Munich, Germany, we got to know the latest milestone. 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipduTAwKV_S4NqRC8DY2MLKhktUzIvBCvqSuAHnKg9_Cca61U7wVCrp3Ub9Oz-pfM1Fofm_JmfhyphenhyphenqHWB6vC3Lcup4pSLNNzXUhsX5sUlurI0sjfwRnJe84fODtk89ZcS7lXKjmTlKA6sW2/s1600/images+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipduTAwKV_S4NqRC8DY2MLKhktUzIvBCvqSuAHnKg9_Cca61U7wVCrp3Ub9Oz-pfM1Fofm_JmfhyphenhyphenqHWB6vC3Lcup4pSLNNzXUhsX5sUlurI0sjfwRnJe84fODtk89ZcS7lXKjmTlKA6sW2/s320/images+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>According to a figure shared by Leica CEO Oliver Kaltner as he took the stage to elaborate on Huawei and his company’s partnership in coming up with the dual cameras on the Mate 9, the two devices which are now joined by the new (standard) Mate 9 and Porsche Design Mate 9, it became clear that they have managed to hold just fine 7 months down the line. 
 
The Huawei P9 and P9 Plus have sold a combined total of 9 million units. 
 
Previous unconfirmed reports have put Huawei’s own sales target for the P9 and P9 Plus at 10 million units. If that is the case, then the company may be just on course to achieve its goals this year.

Huawei P9, P9 Plus Have Sold 9 Million Units So Far

05 Nov 2016

How To Use Diamond Bank Online Self Service

Diamond Bank Online Self Service is a newly introduced service that allows customers to access some basic features on their bank accounts. This makes it more easier to perform certain fundamental transactions and enquiries without the need to visit the bank halls physically or cueing at the ATM. 
<a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixdwF819dZYozKivbgbieqx3CqQsBV1tMsNQcYVjk6B4VDvLkV3FbElrW-KnnWM17j_hRGYUkQkdxBsmMgwu5m0lisZl6l1c_IY6X7c3mPLEftWsY3-CqSYqVqk7l7uPgqvxG87fkoJ2o2/s2560/%25255BUNSET%25255D.jpg' onblur='try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}'><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixdwF819dZYozKivbgbieqx3CqQsBV1tMsNQcYVjk6B4VDvLkV3FbElrW-KnnWM17j_hRGYUkQkdxBsmMgwu5m0lisZl6l1c_IY6X7c3mPLEftWsY3-CqSYqVqk7l7uPgqvxG87fkoJ2o2/s350/%25255BUNSET%25255D.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;"/></a> 
SOME SERVICES YOU CAN ACCESS WITH DIAMOND BANK SELF SERVICE 
✔ Debit Card requests 
✔ Managing transaction alerts, 
✔ Transaction limit increase or decrease, etc. 
 
HOW CAN I USE DIAMOND BANK SELF SERVICE? 
There is definitely no big deal in using this service as it's very easy and doesn't require you to be a tech savvy before you can have access to it. Just carefully follow the guidelines below and you are good to go. 
 
✔ First and foremost, click <a href='https://diamondonline.diamondbank.com/web/guest/login-page'>here</a> to open the Diamond bank online (internet banking) web page 
✔ Then, login to Diamond online banking. 
✔ After that, simply select the "other services" icon. 
<a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8pP6Lf4PZmy5AMiT05-aUOPR2eme6rJu9woYsKOnJAHh7QYYtOZSJLXjC2o-ctiVmrochTz8UzIX7oclV_fyZND38vQPdJwZKyztIkLZR0kK3Yh9RrCOf-wx7ZD3sXutJgudewKp_ZK74/s2560/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png' onblur='try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}'><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8pP6Lf4PZmy5AMiT05-aUOPR2eme6rJu9woYsKOnJAHh7QYYtOZSJLXjC2o-ctiVmrochTz8UzIX7oclV_fyZND38vQPdJwZKyztIkLZR0kK3Yh9RrCOf-wx7ZD3sXutJgudewKp_ZK74/s350/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;"/></a> 
✔ Now, select "self services" from the bottom of the list. 
✔ Finally, input your username and OTP code that was generated from your token. 
And that's it.

As simple as ABC. You can now access some of those basic features and do some transactions by yourself on your Diamond bank account. 
Do you have any question? Let me know via the comments section.

How To Use Diamond Bank Online Self Service

05 Nov 2016

WhatsApp Is Testing A Snapchat Story-like Revamp For Status Updates

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmGwuu8u1Tl9Hi54Zoeg_zWANGKtmhqRyOD6L0xyXratjH0KGHI97i4n-MbsjrkvuJZyokredIt-iyGktLfH24x8L4JcJxIXlhxcQAkdc03emUd7t2X9Xbl9wnRUYlNvRjiCilposWLPLd/s1600/Whatsapp1-1-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmGwuu8u1Tl9Hi54Zoeg_zWANGKtmhqRyOD6L0xyXratjH0KGHI97i4n-MbsjrkvuJZyokredIt-iyGktLfH24x8L4JcJxIXlhxcQAkdc03emUd7t2X9Xbl9wnRUYlNvRjiCilposWLPLd/s320/Whatsapp1-1-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>WhatsApp has accumulated a sizable active user base of a billion and it needs to periodically add new features so that it doesn’t become redundant. The messaging app world is very competitive and it has resulted in them copying features between one another in order to survive. 
 
WhatsApp is not new in copying features from other messaging apps. They copied Snapchat’s Snap camera layout just recently and it seems they are not done copying them. According to WABetaInfo, there is a new tab on WhatsApp that allows you to publish status updates. 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha705tL03zeqYe4qS6AwVYPyAOx_W37SO3j4f-sNYI9EEVU4_83lMX_-C_K5BfUaUjJN3fqvmkQIsXgfM3O2OS-_oshfamQZXUfeT9D4rKKnMFsyIR3sXti9CLvjVe8tcqYWoO4-sxI8CQ/s1600/whatsapp-status-update-tab.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha705tL03zeqYe4qS6AwVYPyAOx_W37SO3j4f-sNYI9EEVU4_83lMX_-C_K5BfUaUjJN3fqvmkQIsXgfM3O2OS-_oshfamQZXUfeT9D4rKKnMFsyIR3sXti9CLvjVe8tcqYWoO4-sxI8CQ/s320/whatsapp-status-update-tab.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>From the screenshot above, you can see that the new ‘status’ bar has been placed between the chats and calls bar. A report done by Tech2 reveals how the new status update refresh looks like: 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdQcwW4bj-IyL9dpi-9u8tjRNQftBREIe_eGK941gCpXQFc-X4bx9JAxrNRUN_tgxXzta2UqUrXq4gaGj5imaPsCQuoWpHJ2A88FaVPGLie35cNNN248g4rQ4AxBEJjxnvGMjEonGTq35t/s1600/whatsapp-status-update-screenshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdQcwW4bj-IyL9dpi-9u8tjRNQftBREIe_eGK941gCpXQFc-X4bx9JAxrNRUN_tgxXzta2UqUrXq4gaGj5imaPsCQuoWpHJ2A88FaVPGLie35cNNN248g4rQ4AxBEJjxnvGMjEonGTq35t/s320/whatsapp-status-update-screenshot.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Fro the above screenshot, when you tap on the “add status” icon which is between the search and options button on the middle screenshot, you will be ushered in a camera UI, which looks like the one WhatsApp launched recently. You will be able to take a photo by hitting the virtual shutter or holding it to take a video, add a Snapchat like caption marquee, add doodles on it in various colours and when you tap on the ‘send’ button on the bottom right, it will be sent as a status message. The whole system ha been shamelessly copied from Snapchat and WhatsApp is not even hiding the fact. 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgOuptEJDWL7zFfaCP557Kj9BxAxbSEXUbZZkQ8MDMjIK1gQyy321mSc4dz33z_T5a7DaTePud11bEXqpT7E4aR0kPOCvyWkO_7SYXM-DaAmBartpus4Xtt3cru7XdnSIFGA3qiIpgTERz/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgOuptEJDWL7zFfaCP557Kj9BxAxbSEXUbZZkQ8MDMjIK1gQyy321mSc4dz33z_T5a7DaTePud11bEXqpT7E4aR0kPOCvyWkO_7SYXM-DaAmBartpus4Xtt3cru7XdnSIFGA3qiIpgTERz/s320/2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>This is very reminiscent of what Snapchat does with Stories where you take a photo or video and post it for your friends to see. WhatsApp seems to be keen on copying this strategy for its users so that they can continue using the messaging app which is becoming a trend of late. This feature apparently is on the public betas of both the iOS and Android app (ver. 2.16.366 for Android) and I’m yet to see it on my beta Android app which is same version as the one highlighted.

WhatsApp Is Testing A Snapchat Story-like Revamp For Status Updates

WhatsApp has accumulated a sizable active user base of a billion and it needs to periodically add new features so that it doesn’t become redundant. The messaging app world is very competitive and it h…

05 Nov 2016

Airtel Will Pay a Customer N5million over Unsolicited Messages - Court

Mr. Emmanuel Anene is a lucky man and very happy at the prospect of adding free millions of Naira to his bank account after the Federal High Court in Maitama fined Airtel N5 million for the violation of a customer’s right to privacy, this is in accordance with the Consumer Code of Practice Regulations, under the Nigerian Communications Act: 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS1vnMJnHeGQvwpLgu1gxwAWn2rPZRF0ubh4w0y9v2ujS8hBY4Wy7HEJurnQHIGYAelGPLZCFILgrqKez4qiRL-zYAsZSr8oXkCxKjkAtn6oYgHrF0jDvFvzXf3uKdIQiCFvGEMGL8KPVz/s1600/%255BUNSET%255D.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS1vnMJnHeGQvwpLgu1gxwAWn2rPZRF0ubh4w0y9v2ujS8hBY4Wy7HEJurnQHIGYAelGPLZCFILgrqKez4qiRL-zYAsZSr8oXkCxKjkAtn6oYgHrF0jDvFvzXf3uKdIQiCFvGEMGL8KPVz/s320/%255BUNSET%255D.gif" width="320" /></a></div> 
Evidently, Mr. Anene filed a suit against Airtel for its unsolicited messages since December 21st 2015 (last year), but the court's rule was made known on 2nd of November, 2016 on his favor. According to the ruling, Airtel has been ordered to pay a sum of N5 million to Mr. Emmanuel Anene. 
 
Below is the statement from the court: 
 
“The defendant, having received complaints from the plaintiff, but continued to disturb the plaintiff from quiet enjoyment of the line. 
 
“In every wrong there must be a remedy, to vindicate the plaintiff’s right which has been violated in the forth going circumstance by the defendant; the plaintiff shall be awarded damages based on the discretion of the court. 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijwri9mTdc-dnNIhSNLdEr3wqp5Q3rlAaa_B4829kfj2YgRPheLB8e366c7anIJxCjBVfAzZ-3W9sR9QJpG6kXT98cP6dWGHqmdBdFFgiDYuXhMsb6mCVYqIdmnDnGJA-zkuoU0sL6PJCb/s1600/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijwri9mTdc-dnNIhSNLdEr3wqp5Q3rlAaa_B4829kfj2YgRPheLB8e366c7anIJxCjBVfAzZ-3W9sR9QJpG6kXT98cP6dWGHqmdBdFFgiDYuXhMsb6mCVYqIdmnDnGJA-zkuoU0sL6PJCb/s320/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> 
“Against this background putting into consideration the obvious inconviencies, discomfort and the embarrassments the plaintiff had undeniably gone through."

Airtel Will Pay a Customer N5million over Unsolicited Messages - Court

Mr. Emmanuel Anene is a lucky man and very happy at the prospect of adding free millions of Naira to his bank account after the Federal High Court in Maitama fined Airtel N5 million for the violation …

04 Nov 2016

Glo Borrow Me Data: How To Borrow Data From Glo

Globacom has launched a new offer called Glo Borrow Me Data that enables you to borrow Data credit of up to 2GB whenever your data bundle gets exhausted and you have no airtime balance to recharge or renew your data plan. 
 
Glo is arguably the best network when it comes to price of data plans and data offers but lags behind in quality data service delivery. This new package is yet another one to make data more easily accessible to glo subscribers. 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7waDShC18wZSYt8PdFTo8QvF972WdKxEUSAVzhq7vxcNTG-kQNxr19oGPAmM9i0W4so4Fd0sk57-goZMG8QThKe3RZamusHJtWtxd2FIDO1yiEUjUgrAu_lhGm8z_87lVvywa_GS1CJM/s1600/AddTextToPhoto%25284-11-2016-3-0-46%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7waDShC18wZSYt8PdFTo8QvF972WdKxEUSAVzhq7vxcNTG-kQNxr19oGPAmM9i0W4so4Fd0sk57-goZMG8QThKe3RZamusHJtWtxd2FIDO1yiEUjUgrAu_lhGm8z_87lVvywa_GS1CJM/s320/AddTextToPhoto%25284-11-2016-3-0-46%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> 
AM I ELIGIBLE TO BORROW DATA? 
Speaking during the launch at Mike Adenuga Head office of Globacom, Mr. Sola Mr. Arowogbadamu, Globacom’s Head of Usage and Retention said that 'subscribers will be eligible for consideration based on average monthly data usage and how long they have stayed on the network.' So you must be actively using glo for at least one month before your Glo line will be eligible to borrow data. 
 
HOW TO BORROW DATA FROM GLO 
To borrow data dial *321# and follow the menu options. 
 
HOW TO PAY BACK 
Glo will deduct the equivalent amount of data you borrowed on your next airtime recharge until it's completed. 
 
Apart from the Borrow Me Data, Globacom also re-packaged three (3) other existing products that includes: 
 
Glo Double Free Tomorrow: 
It is a package that gives back to the subscriber 200% of whatever is spent on calls, SMS or data today to use for free the next day. In the re-loaded offer, Globacom calculates all the value of airtime a subscriber used in a day for internet services, phone calls and SMS, and credits the subscriber’s phone with double this value at the start of the next day. 
 
This means, when you spend more today, you get much more tomorrow. For example, if a subscriber on the Glo network uses N500 credit in a day on calls, SMS and data, Glo will give back N1,000 credit to the subscriber the very next day to call all networks, SMS and browse free according to glo. 
 
To enjoy the service, subscribers are to dial *300#. 
 
Glo Gbam Plus 11k per second: 
This package has been in existence for years and i once used it some years back but now it's reloaded. It is a simple flat tariff plan which enables you enjoy incredibly reduced call rate on local and international calls. 
On this plan, calls are charged at just 11k/s to all local networks and for international calls to 30 top destinations. 
 
How To Migrate To Glo Gbam Plan 
Simply dial *211# to migrate to the plan. Note there is daily access fee of N5 
 
Glo IDD Packs: 
"The IDD pack covers calls made from Nigeria to 30 major international destinations for as low as N6.60 per minute. The IDD 100 gives the subscriber 12 minutes of call valid for 3 days, while IDD 200 gives 24 call minutes for 7 days. The IDD 500 bundle gives 60 minutes of call for 14 days, while the fourth bundle, IDD 1000, will avail the user 150 call minutes valid for 30 days." 
 
Now you cannot just borrow credit (airtime) but data. Good initiative from the indigenous Nigerian Telecom operator.

Glo Borrow Me Data: How To Borrow Data From Glo

Globacom has launched a new offer called Glo Borrow Me Data that enables you to borrow Data credit of up to 2GB whenever your data bundle gets exhausted and you have no airtime balance to recharge or …

04 Nov 2016

Mark Zuckerberg Got All Sorts Of Suggestions To Voice His Virtual Assistant Project

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9PKf_X3IoeapC3-BGH6EsG0MQkT1QUzFSsDWfxQz5UAD0uPBHBVq9avUy6jR6YR1MLtLhfTXjIoAy7bQkjbVhDRxp1L4AR9lTOVrbVYQHbkIa5ZK-vJasS6wFl_Wt5HRVfRMxLbCYzeHg/s1600/Facebook_Zuckerberg-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9PKf_X3IoeapC3-BGH6EsG0MQkT1QUzFSsDWfxQz5UAD0uPBHBVq9avUy6jR6YR1MLtLhfTXjIoAy7bQkjbVhDRxp1L4AR9lTOVrbVYQHbkIa5ZK-vJasS6wFl_Wt5HRVfRMxLbCYzeHg/s400/Facebook_Zuckerberg-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Facebook’s CEO and founder, Mark Zuckerberg is known for coming up with eccentric resolutions for a calendar year and for 2016, <a href="http://www.techweez.com/2016/01/04/mark-zuckerbergs-digital-assistant-for-his-house/">he decided</a> that one of his goals is to build a virtual assistant for his house.This was his goal as described in a post in January this <a href="https://www.facebook.com/zuck/posts/10102577175875681" rel="nofollow">year</a>:<blockquote><blockquote class="td_quote_box td_box_center">My personal challenge for 2016 is to build a simple AI to run my home and help me with my work. You can think of it kind of like Jarvis in Iron Man.</blockquote></blockquote>If you’ve watched the IronMan movies, you will instantly recognize the brilliant virtual assistant Tony Stark has and Mark wanted to create something that is similar to that. We are in the 10 month of the year and Mark Zuckerberg decided to ask this question to his audience.<iframe style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fzuck%2Fposts%2F10103170675742191&amp;width=500" width="500" height="142" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>AI systems (and especially virtual assistants) are voiced by humans to make them feel as human as possible, or else you will be served with a robotic face that can be quite jarring at first. Mark’s query of course generated a lot of buzz and here are some of the people who endorsed themselves or were endorsed by others:First, Jarvis in the Iron Movies was voiced by Paul Bettany and people thought it was only fitting for him to be given the job<img alt="bettany" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-52935" data-recalc-dims="1" src="http://i1.wp.com/www.techweez.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/bettany.png?resize=488%2C68" />Robert Downey Jr (Who pays Iron Man) had conditions for Mark if he gave him the job to voice his AI<img alt="robert-downey" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-52936" data-recalc-dims="1" src="http://i2.wp.com/www.techweez.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/robert-downey.png?resize=488%2C88" />Well after that we started to see some notable people being mentioned like:1. Morgan Freeman (You remember his voiceover on the Shawshank Redemption)<img alt="morgan" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-52937" data-recalc-dims="1" src="http://i0.wp.com/www.techweez.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/morgan.png?resize=482%2C73" />2. David Attenborough who is famous for voicing nature documentaries<img alt="attenbourough" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-52938" data-recalc-dims="1" src="http://i1.wp.com/www.techweez.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/attenbourough.png?resize=480%2C75" />3. Neil DeGrasse Tyson, the famous astrophysicist (Mark loved this idea)<img alt="neil-de-grasse" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-52939" data-recalc-dims="1" src="http://i2.wp.com/www.techweez.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/neil-de-grasse.png?resize=485%2C124" />4. T-Pain (Zuckerberg is not too apprehensive about autotuned AI)<img alt="t-pain" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-52940" data-recalc-dims="1" src="http://i2.wp.com/www.techweez.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/t-pain.png?resize=487%2C126" />5. Hodor from the Game of Thrones ( Zuck quickly dismissed that option)<img alt="hodor" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-52942" data-recalc-dims="1" src="http://i1.wp.com/www.techweez.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/hodor.png?resize=483%2C131" />Well Zuckerberg clearly got a lot of options from people out there and judging by the fact that he wants it to perform features like run the house or help him “visualize data in VR”, it would be interesting to see what person he’ll pick for the job.

Mark Zuckerberg Got All Sorts Of Suggestions To Voice His Virtual Assistant Project

Facebook’s CEO and founder, Mark Zuckerberg is known for coming up with eccentric resolutions for a calendar year and for 2016, he decided that one of his goals is to build a virtual assistant for his…

15 Oct 2016

Finally, Official Instagram App For Windows 10 Is Available For Download

At last Windows 10 users can now have a breath of fresh air as Instagram app for Windows 10 is now available for download on Windows store. 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLUKgScO6mCDq-HJztLgEBA70CGuaLeeAMjm0p-CqL-1QFn7rnMMLKVF7zFIE8tyiuKlb5j5-tT5FTz3oCRKeu7tP0r4KfymF7D9BEoPYn0_d2n6qO5iOa-I_ObO7oTZ7DCImTlA2CZ4S7/s1600/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLUKgScO6mCDq-HJztLgEBA70CGuaLeeAMjm0p-CqL-1QFn7rnMMLKVF7zFIE8tyiuKlb5j5-tT5FTz3oCRKeu7tP0r4KfymF7D9BEoPYn0_d2n6qO5iOa-I_ObO7oTZ7DCImTlA2CZ4S7/s400/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> 
Well, it's not as if we haven't been using Instagram on PC before now but the method we used was via third-party apps and web-based Instagram platform but now, the official app is ready for everyone on PC. 
 
With the new app, you can easily upload pictures directly to Instagram from your PC camera roll folder, as well as been able to get notifications, chat via Instagram Direct, and of course use Stories, Search, Explore, Profile, and Feed. 
 
Meanwhile, the main bug in the app is that it crashes whenever you try to add a Story, especially if you’re using a PC without a backward-facing cam. 
 
We hope subsequent updates will fix that bug. 
 
WHERE CAN I DOWNLOAD IT? 
<a href ="https://www.microsoft.com/en-nz/store/p/instagram/9nblggh5l9xt" rel=nofollow>Download Instagram For Windows 10 Here</a> 
 
Feel free to share with your friends on social media.

Finally, Official Instagram App For Windows 10 Is Available For Download

At last Windows 10 users can now have a breath of fresh air as Instagram app for Windows 10 is now available for download on Windows store. Well, it's not as if we haven't been using Instagram on PC…

15 Oct 2016

Facebook Messenger Has Rolled Out A Way For Its Users To Chat In Secret

Privacy has become a pertinent issue in the web today thanks to the news of all the hacks and the release of sensitive information. A platform that does not take seriously the issue of privacy runs the risk of losing users and that is why they always assure them of their security in a number of ways. 
 
Secret chats have become a cool feature on messaging apps which allow you to have conversations that are more “private” than the standard ones. Back in July, Messenger was testing Secret Conversations with a limited number of users. Now according to WIRED, it has been rolled out to all users. 
 
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9w1ubzKlTysVd-0JjK-ioYv0pT5y8KK_xfkOMZIZr-KDy0gSx3J9mUkqJQx7JHF9UmFyIB_gLzFCeOSv2Sy5p45_NSoghhpJytUaDTHiZpRee6_4Tum6daJd2vdtcBzLgx8sQxBIGdfdJ/s1600/secret-conversations-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9w1ubzKlTysVd-0JjK-ioYv0pT5y8KK_xfkOMZIZr-KDy0gSx3J9mUkqJQx7JHF9UmFyIB_gLzFCeOSv2Sy5p45_NSoghhpJytUaDTHiZpRee6_4Tum6daJd2vdtcBzLgx8sQxBIGdfdJ/s320/secret-conversations-1.png" width="320" /></a></div>
 
 
This feature is opt-in which means you have to manually toggle the secret conversations feature in order to use it. On Android, you only need to go to your profile tab, scroll and look for “secret conversations” and switch on the feature. However, if you want to use the feature with a specific constant, you have to go to a contact’s thread, tap on the ‘i’ button and select “secret conversation.” This will usher you to a new thread with a black and white theme where the conversation is now encrypted end-to-end. 
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0h-ottGtP_CmuqXDVL5CNaFMKRkXWYRZYcVmIZMR15BEybOgyyuc_5VvpTdQZMlatj_vRRwgMtlif5PLVhlrxSLNMMauZYVioPYZirLdYno3HCgOGE9ozUR98pGoQckmGPq54JSFIbAxE/s1600/photo_2016-10-05_11-06-30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0h-ottGtP_CmuqXDVL5CNaFMKRkXWYRZYcVmIZMR15BEybOgyyuc_5VvpTdQZMlatj_vRRwgMtlif5PLVhlrxSLNMMauZYVioPYZirLdYno3HCgOGE9ozUR98pGoQckmGPq54JSFIbAxE/s320/photo_2016-10-05_11-06-30.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
 
This does not mean your current standard chats are not secure, they are encrypted in general but the secret conversations are similar to Telegram’s Secret Chat where the conversation is encrypted between the two people so that no one can read them. In addition to the usual features you see on regular chats like adding photos, emojis or location, there is a timer where you can set the conversation to disappear in 5 seconds all the way to 24 hours. 
 
Apparently, Facebook Messenger uses Open Whisper’s Signal encryption system which is the one they also used in encrypting chats on WhatsApp or Google Allo. However, it is good news for privacy advocates as another major platform has managed to add this secure system for people to talk to one another.

Facebook Messenger Has Rolled Out A Way For Its Users To Chat In Secret

05 Oct 2016

WhatsApp for Android Beta Now Has GIF Support

Back in June, a changelog revealed several features that were dormant within the WhatsApp for iOS which included such features like temporary group participants, video calling and GIF support. It was only a matter of time for them to be activated from the server side and we are now seeing that for GIFs. 
 
GIFs are one of the oldest form of media that have been used in the World Wide Web and have only become more entrenched in our day to day activities in various social networks. WhatsApp is a pretty big social network on its own and the lack of GIFs was downright embarrassing. 
 
Well, we can put that aside as now WhatsApp has activated GIF support as shown from the beta version of the WhatsApp for Android. My current beta version is 2.16.290 and it shows the new GIF support. 
 
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WhatsApp has decided to give GIFs a special tab under the attachment menu which is rather interesting. When you open a chat and you would like to send a GIF, just tap on the attachment menu (has a paperclip icon), click on gallery and you will be able to see the new GIF tab. This will make it easy for you to find the GIFs that you have in your gallery easy to find which is awesome. You can now go ahead and send a GIF to your friend to make those chats way more lively. 
 
Since this feature has appeared on the beta channel, you can expect it to be on the way to the general public in the future. This is a better late than never case for WhatsApp but they have to put in effort since the likes of Telegram have cool GIF integration which is yet to be bested due to its speed.

WhatsApp for Android Beta Now Has GIF Support

04 Oct 2016

Pricing of Google’s Daydream Virtual Reality Headset Revealed Ahead of Launch

It’s October 4th everyone! For the Google fans, it may as well be what you can call Google Day, G Day or whatever you fancy. 
 
The company is set to take the stage at an event in Silicon Valley later today (7PM East African Time) where we expect it to unveil its two new smartphones, the Pixel and Pixel XL, a reference model of its virtual reality platform, Daydream, a Chromecast dongle that can stream Ultra HD content, Google Home as well as plans for its Android-Chrome OS hybrid OS, Andromeda. 
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However, we won’t have to wait for the next 5 or so hours to have a rough idea at how much the Daydream VR headset will cost. According to Variety, it will go for $79. 
 
Daydream is Google’s mobile VR platform. In other words, the Android of virtual reality. As mobile VR headsets, any Daydream hardware will depend on Daydream-certified Android smartphones for their displays. Google’s new Pixel and Pixel Xl smartphones are likely to be the first smartphones to ship as Daydream-ready. Partners like Xiaomi and Huawei are also expected to ship similar hardware before we wrap up the year. 
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Unlike other mobile VR headsets we have seen like Samsung’s Gear VR, Daydream VR headsets have a hand-held controller for navigation and interaction with the virtual world instead of the tedious (and cumbersome) touch pad that can be found on Samsung and Oculus’ device. 
 
Daydream is expected to launch with a lot of content after Google managed to get on board several big-name partners like HBO, EA Sports and others early on. 
 
The $79 pricing of the Daydream VR is expected to boost its standing in the market when it finally arrives since as things stand, virtual reality head gear is still pretty much expensive. Samsung slashed the price of its Gear VR to $99 some time back but full-fledged VR kits still cost up to 10 times the purported price of the upcoming Daydream VR (cough HTC Vive cough).

Pricing of Google’s Daydream Virtual Reality Headset Revealed Ahead of Launch

It’s October 4th everyone! For the Google fans, it may as well be what you can call Google Day, G Day or whatever you fancy. The company is set to take the stage at an event in Silicon Valley later to…

04 Oct 2016

WhatsApp Is Now Rolling Out The New Snapchat-like Camera Interface

A month ago, it was spotted that WhatsApp was testing a new camera interface in its app which looked oddly similar to what Snapchat offers. WhatsApp and other companies with messaging apps have noticed how Snapchat’s implementation has made it so popular and ended up imitating the same functionality in their camera user interfaces. 
 
Well WhatsApp has made that test official where you can now use the new camera interface we had the opportunity to see a while back. “With WhatsApp’s new camera features, you can now write or draw on photos and videos, as well as add emoji to express yourself,’ the company said in a blogpost. 
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Just like how you use the Snap interface, after taking a photo or video, you can add a text, big emojis or doodles. These text captions or doodles can be typed or written in a variety of colours and specifically on texts, you can magnify them (by doing a pinch to zoom gesture) or drag them around the interface. The zooming feature also applies for videos where you only need to slide your finger up and down. They have also added another handy gesture where you only need to quickly double tap the screen in the camera UI to switch between the selfie and primary cameras. Finally, they’ve added a “front-facing flash” which is the same implementation of what we saw with Apple for their iOS devices where the screen will light up and act as a flash. 
 
This comes at a time when Messenger has also been reported testing a similar feature for Messenger and shows how Snapchat has managed to influence these huge platforms in adopting an emoji-sticker-doodle like camera interface.This feature is currently being rolled out to Android phones first and to iPhones later on.

WhatsApp Is Now Rolling Out The New Snapchat-like Camera Interface

04 Oct 2016

Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow Update Now Available For First-gen Samsung Galaxy A8 Duos

Good news to all Samsung Galaxy A8 Duos users as a new update is now available for your device. 
 
The update size is 890mb and it has already started hitting users in India. This update brings along Android Marshmallow version 6.0.1 as well as latest Android security partch 
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Meanwhile, the update could take some time to hit every device as it's the case with OTA updates but you can manually checkout the update by going to your phone's settings menu and checking for the update.

Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow Update Now Available For First-gen Samsung Galaxy A8 Duos

Good news to all Samsung Galaxy A8 Duos users as a new update is now available for your device. The update size is 890mb and it has already started hitting users in India. This update brings along An…

04 Oct 2016

Chinese Companies Ban Staff From Buying Apple’s iPhone 7, Threaten to Sack Them

Apple has the swanky new iPhone 7 and 7 Plus out in the market that users are falling over themselves to get them. Some even going as far as buying plane tickets (when they obviously don’t intend to travel) just so that they can get access to airport shops and buy the devices before anyone else. 
Guess who’ll not be among the millions in China getting new iPhone 7s? Workers in several companies. 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLg_2eJT4XqkHDJQvlK934MMnnjtzmx6nnUhWWzHO521_olC8G0En72AnOl9q-5grzv2oAP3UZabXqEnI3LL-et5NbF9z48HhK-WKfLYg0KY8ce4oAfhHAccqEOlWDCHnzPJsffewCadEy/s1600/apple-iphone7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLg_2eJT4XqkHDJQvlK934MMnnjtzmx6nnUhWWzHO521_olC8G0En72AnOl9q-5grzv2oAP3UZabXqEnI3LL-et5NbF9z48HhK-WKfLYg0KY8ce4oAfhHAccqEOlWDCHnzPJsffewCadEy/s320/apple-iphone7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>According to the BBC, some employers in China have resorted to issuing warnings that employees caught buying the pricey iPhone 7 will face dire consequences ranging from being forced to resign (a nicer way of getting fired?), being forced to return the device to the shop in exchange for a cheaper device or being denied the highest grade during staff appraisals thus resulting in little to no pay raise. 
<blockquote>workers are being encouraged not to “acquire an Apple habit”</blockquote>The move, according to the employers and other people who spoke to the BBC, is aimed at making employees understand the importance of living within their means as the iPhone 7, in some instances, costs up to three times the average worker’s wage in some companies. As such, going out to buy one is being seen as a display of extravagance. 
Previously, there have been numerous reported incidences of young men and women in China selling their body parts like kidneys so that they can be able to purchase the latest Apple devices in a market where Apple’s iPhones and iPads are held in high regard.

Chinese Companies Ban Staff From Buying Apple’s iPhone 7, Threaten to Sack Them

04 Oct 2016

Telegram Messenger Beefs Up Its Bot Platform By Offering In-Chat Games

Telegram Messenger, just like any other instant messenger platform has moved from the traditional system of providing people with a way of sending messages in form of texts or video. 
 
They have become complex platforms in their own right which include other features that are geared to make the active user base to be more engaged. 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-GH-GTKjMc5e_5C8u87dW4ibZujUld9LVzhQUEmXhdN7MC0m3eWtYhNW1l402LkL137h02lb65b3KOf3EiYNR7kKWBSds20ckBRzkga4C6Rod4dl_5DBWMMmvAr4hoYyLB2AKktgyOmlA/s1600/Telegram-Messenger-bot-game.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-GH-GTKjMc5e_5C8u87dW4ibZujUld9LVzhQUEmXhdN7MC0m3eWtYhNW1l402LkL137h02lb65b3KOf3EiYNR7kKWBSds20ckBRzkga4C6Rod4dl_5DBWMMmvAr4hoYyLB2AKktgyOmlA/s320/Telegram-Messenger-bot-game.png" width="320" /></a></div>Telegram has a sticker platform, a bot platform and now today they have announced a gaming platform. Now Telegram will allow its users to play HTML5 games within groups or on one-on-one chats. 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNrz1-QcSKhiTliR3yTTRR5MX1Gr1KcXniMeTdmmiiEVYTW_OHASRF5KvfuvoXdDA27rnd7oMiSKE7sTk1AOtdp7Ej1n99ZBq8P-nMV6r7XiO8trjkLtVnEG8hl2LYfLMYmsJ9vmeL9MgK/s1600/Telegram-Messenger-bot-game%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNrz1-QcSKhiTliR3yTTRR5MX1Gr1KcXniMeTdmmiiEVYTW_OHASRF5KvfuvoXdDA27rnd7oMiSKE7sTk1AOtdp7Ej1n99ZBq8P-nMV6r7XiO8trjkLtVnEG8hl2LYfLMYmsJ9vmeL9MgK/s320/Telegram-Messenger-bot-game%25281%2529.png" width="320" /></a></div><div align='right'>Via Telegram</div>“You can now use bots to play games in your chats, complete with graphics and sound,” Telegram says in their blogpost. You can check the roster of games by clicking on the link to this Telegram blot <a href="https://telegram.me/gamee">@gamee</a>. 
 
There are two ways of starting a game on Telegram. First, you can interact with the gamee bot directly and follow the prompts or you can invoke it by typing its handle (@gamee) either in a group or one-on-one with a friend. 
 
That is not all, Telegram will save the high scores of the game syou have played in your chats and you can check the high scores of your friends too and you will be notified if someone tops the list. Telegram has also made it easy to share these games all over the platform so that if you spot an interesting game, you can just share it to your chats and play with your friends. 
 
Telegram says that there are about 30 games that can be played right away. The company says that these games could range from simple arcade games or puzzles to more complex games like 3D shooters or real time strategy games. In order to play these games, you will need an Android phone that has Android 4.4 or higher, iPhone 4 and newer and you must have Telegram v. 3.13 or higher.

Telegram Messenger Beefs Up Its Bot Platform By Offering In-Chat Games

03 Oct 2016

Facebook Has Launched Marketplace In 4 Countries

Facebook is a community of over 1.7 billion people and naturally, they have used this platform as a place to sell goods and services. The company has noticed this behaviour over time and introduced features like sale groups but now they are upping the ante with a dedicated tab called Marketplace. 
 
This feature has been leaked for a while thanks to various sightings on Android and iOS but now Facebook has come forward to explain what exactly Marketplace is. “To help people make more of these connections, today we’re introducing Marketplace,” they said on their blog, ” a convenient destination to discover, buy and sell items with people in your community.” 
 
There is a dedicated Marketplace tab with a generic shop icon which when you tap lets you either search for something, check out the various categories or sell your product. You can search for items within Marketplace also by location where you will be fed with a list of products that are being sold within your area. 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu5p2yJHEVXfvbz3oT6qQxD7iY0aUGv9vM7YWBN6UrF0OCTFWPN62isGkIqu3fZeqABDw8j4DuzVHwUnSgZ_68d2Gp0aE1pZeFI8tzrBcefYjC6PE1DZd6xxuAImnrWJpg7rgoh8NvpicQ/s1600/marketplace-newsroom.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu5p2yJHEVXfvbz3oT6qQxD7iY0aUGv9vM7YWBN6UrF0OCTFWPN62isGkIqu3fZeqABDw8j4DuzVHwUnSgZ_68d2Gp0aE1pZeFI8tzrBcefYjC6PE1DZd6xxuAImnrWJpg7rgoh8NvpicQ/s320/marketplace-newsroom.png" width="320" /></a></div>When you are interested in a product, you only need to tap on the image, check the details of the seller, see the description of the product and you can decide to make an offer or send a message to the seller. You can also save the item if you want to revisit at a later time. 
 
If you want to sell something on Facebook, you only need to tap on the sell button, take a photo of the item (or add from your gallery), add a description, its price, add the location, category and proceed to post it. 
 
If you want to keep tabs with your activity within Marketplace, there is a “Your Items” tab where you will see your items you’ve posted for sale, saved items and all the messages you’ve sent with people. 
 
This move should worry two kinds of companies: The ones that let people sell or buy goods on their site (OLX) or those that allow people to find and purchase goods on their site (Fancy). Facebook has clout and a massive reach and might be quite successful in this venture. 
 
This is currently being rolled out to 4 countries: US, UK, New Zealand and Australia for both the Android and iPhone app and they promise to continue rolling it out to other countries. For those people who use the desktop version of Facebook, the company has promised that it will be available in “the coming months.”

Facebook Has Launched Marketplace In 4 Countries

03 Oct 2016

[No Surprises Here] All Details About Google’s Pixel Smartphones are Out in the Open Ahead of Unveiling

Google is holding an event tomorrow (October 4th) to unveil, among other things, the two smartphones (Pixel and Pixel XL) we’ve known for a while now that it has been working on with partner HTC. 
 
We’ve seen the two devices up-close but as if that was not enough, carriers eager to be the first out of the door with offers for their customer bases have outed the devices at least several hours before the launch. 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpic5XzwnNJACOhxN2CYoe3VxhkXQgNAT37iO37g0rQgKzFBaaY_0dQGWaJYiNyp_EhAepVppnLjcaLKjRa95-S4gRSX5yEhU_MFc5JMPqObb_i8kBdKAlFa23ITJ-uuL0z4rmFMrGwE-_/s1600/Google_Pixel_leaks.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpic5XzwnNJACOhxN2CYoe3VxhkXQgNAT37iO37g0rQgKzFBaaY_0dQGWaJYiNyp_EhAepVppnLjcaLKjRa95-S4gRSX5yEhU_MFc5JMPqObb_i8kBdKAlFa23ITJ-uuL0z4rmFMrGwE-_/s320/Google_Pixel_leaks.png" width="320" /></a></div>The leaked details, as a result, offer as pretty much everything we need to know about them while also removing any doubts about some of the features we thought they may or may not pack. 
 
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We’re seeing a couple of updates to the spec sheet we’ve had for a while from these leaks by Canadian carrier Bell. There is, for instance, the inclusion of a microSD card. Traditionally, Google does not include an option to expand the internal storage on its devices with memory cards. The company has for a long time dropped the feature because external memory tends to be slow. That is the official explanation even though we know that El-Goog will be more than happy to sell you additional storage on Google Drive. So, for all it’s worth, treat the inclusion of expandable storage as a bad rumour. A mistake on the carrier’s part. It’s not happening, people. Also, Google’s phones will also arrive with the latest high-end processor from Qualcomm. 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnn02lUIvFhrXf1W6MpFh9OvHPS43v2VfxR4w0Q1HF_PvmBD57QyUrIFmJIwD0PgKoPckC5DyEBY2lov_jokSfNv4lSOPgfZDr_Qz5i7kWgDRWX5RhZ2-5tdemI5HOQ1VasHYpIZe8I0kF/s1600/Google_Pixel_leaks_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnn02lUIvFhrXf1W6MpFh9OvHPS43v2VfxR4w0Q1HF_PvmBD57QyUrIFmJIwD0PgKoPckC5DyEBY2lov_jokSfNv4lSOPgfZDr_Qz5i7kWgDRWX5RhZ2-5tdemI5HOQ1VasHYpIZe8I0kF/s320/Google_Pixel_leaks_3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnKau2tXtBUytpjE0obJPelUv1lLW7kt48cOg_qZd7lbg5ykDFuTOHVZKBlJcUtCpGQbFM4C3gBplpza-VY97R_AdA1ujAz2OEiUFbweyPvVq_vnb8EoICs8i_NCTwOUGtmCrVLm9kUWE_/s1600/Google_Pixel_leaks_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnKau2tXtBUytpjE0obJPelUv1lLW7kt48cOg_qZd7lbg5ykDFuTOHVZKBlJcUtCpGQbFM4C3gBplpza-VY97R_AdA1ujAz2OEiUFbweyPvVq_vnb8EoICs8i_NCTwOUGtmCrVLm9kUWE_/s320/Google_Pixel_leaks_4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Oh, and Google Assistant, the intelligent chat bot included in messaging app Allo, will be front and centre of the Android experience on the new Google phones. Allo and companion messaging app Duo are expected to be preloaded on the device.

[No Surprises Here] All Details About Google’s Pixel Smartphones are Out in the Open Ahead of Unveiling

03 Oct 2016

Huawei Could Switch to Tizen from Android Wear for its Smartwatches

It’s about time we saw another smartwatch from Huawei. It’s over a year since Huawei finally released the Watch to the market after several delays. So, we are betting that we will get to see a new Huawei smartwatch, the successor to last year’s gorgeous Huawei Watch, this November at the Mate 9 launch event. 
 
However, if news coming in from the East are anything to go by, the second generation Huawei Watch (and other smartwatches that come after it from Huawei) will be very different from the first generation Watch thanks to the software it will run. 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Pe9GWYksFeWQUdaYQBhSQie1MogO0S_wBU_QEp-YVa6kGq5qn0dyjUN0Ret9luYQ8X9MNsFsytj5aXsVbPiAg4B3WnDpNOpVg4nWz1K96OtOoxSRk-jy4J35zKDzNqW-82BqFtS7im4p/s1600/Huawei_Watch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Pe9GWYksFeWQUdaYQBhSQie1MogO0S_wBU_QEp-YVa6kGq5qn0dyjUN0Ret9luYQ8X9MNsFsytj5aXsVbPiAg4B3WnDpNOpVg4nWz1K96OtOoxSRk-jy4J35zKDzNqW-82BqFtS7im4p/s320/Huawei_Watch.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Sources quoted by Korean media indicate that the Chinese device maker has been considering dumping Google’s platform for wearables, Android Wear, in favour of the Samsung-backed Tizen platform. 
 
Tizen is the operating system that has powered all of Samsung’s wearable devices so far with the exception of two devices. Samsung’s first smartwatch, the Galaxy Gear, shipped with a customized Android Jelly Bean build long before Android Wear became a thing. It has since been updated to join the Tizen bandwagon. The second device, the Gear Live, was one of the two devices that Google paraded on stage at I/O 2014 when it introduced Android Wear to the world. It remains the only Android Wear device that the Korean company has ever made even though it keeps saying that it is committed to the platform. 
 
And now, reportedly, Huawei wants in too. 
 
The reason? Android Wear, which Google just recently announced a new update for, is not as versatile as the Chinese company may want and as such its devices are being limited by Google’s software vision for wearables. It believes that it can be able to do so much more on another platform like Tizen. Unlike in smartphones where Google has ceded much ground to device makers to tinker and toy around with Android as they please, the company has been very clear that it won’t allow wearable device makers to customize Android Wear as it aims for a standard experience across the board. Huawei is not so happy with that. Tizen may be the out that it needs if it is to bring an Emotion UI-like vibe to its smartwatches. 
 
Huawei is a founding member of the Tizen Association even though it is Samsung that has become the poster child of the platform by building several of its products around the platform and growing it step by step since 2012. 
 
If indeed it does switch to Tizen, Google’s Android Wear platform would have lost a valuable partner while Tizen will have gained immensely. Android Wear, despite attracting several big watch industry names like TAG Heuer and managing to convince Sony to dump its proprietary efforts, has struggled to impress in its first two years of existence.

Huawei Could Switch to Tizen from Android Wear for its Smartwatches

03 Oct 2016

Twitter Takes A Jab At Storify By Letting Everyone Create Their Own Moments

Twitter announced Moments almost a year ago which is a collection of curated news generated from the tweets, Vines or videos published in the Twitter ecosystem done by a dedicated team. It is available on selected countries and you can see these moments which are arranged in categories by tapping on a specific button that looks like a lightning bolt. 
 
This system was organized by a team on Twitter who scoured through the mass of tweets and Vines and created these curated lists so that you could get a broad glimpse of what is happening in the world. However, the company decided on August that they would now let influencers create their own Moments which was great. Well yesterday, Twitter made this official where now anyone can create compelling stories in a Moment. 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIWx5STonnO5U0T59dH-e5Ri1XzQR_zczkbDNHkke1RaLCPlpxY65JzkM7Hn3a9yU8gjpa12TSgkxunxhUfvQf0gFu7gY2EMPbiarg0-IZfqV2Oh-uv-O_jqcz5jwyHq9m5Vo2Zkz3ZwBv/s1600/Twitter-moments-tutorial-700x311.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIWx5STonnO5U0T59dH-e5Ri1XzQR_zczkbDNHkke1RaLCPlpxY65JzkM7Hn3a9yU8gjpa12TSgkxunxhUfvQf0gFu7gY2EMPbiarg0-IZfqV2Oh-uv-O_jqcz5jwyHq9m5Vo2Zkz3ZwBv/s320/Twitter-moments-tutorial-700x311.png" width="320" /></a></div> 
So how can you create these moments? Well if you are creating the Moment from twitter.com, you only need to go to your profile and tap on the “create new Moment” tab. This will open a new graphic where you can give a title to your Moment, a description and later on can add the tweets either buy searching for them, by account, via a link or by looking for tweets you have liked. You can choose any picture from your list of tweets as a cover for the moment and share the moment via tweet. 
 
Twitter gave some pointers in coming up with great Moments where you need to: 
 
Keep your titles short but descriptive 
Add a description to show people what they will find in your Moment 
Add an “irresistible” cover photo 
make sure your Moment is not too long or too short, around 10 tweets long. 
make it a bit lively by adding a bunch of tweets that have Vines, videos, GIFs or regular photos.

Twitter Takes A Jab At Storify By Letting Everyone Create Their Own Moments

03 Oct 2016

Microsoft’s Latest Android App is Targeted at News Junkies

Microsoft’s experimental projects lab aka Microsoft Garage is back at it again. This time round, the band of engineers from Microsoft that has developed a reputation for designing some good-looking apps for platforms other than Microsoft’s own has a new Android app. 
 
The app, News Pro is, according to its description on the Play Store, meant to “help you search for news around your work and life every day”. Still, it is not that Newscast app that reads news to you that we heard about last year but which, unfortunately, is yet to see the light of day. 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Nt7W2_EaAeTIuzLl-AvEiiTEcafTjAuhSSep4v8s_MVqgOJTG3Ki-Ia3bMEplU8N2B9y12lConBJUJxpBJGogQDAAo9J9xAG7NBzndB5ab7MmoI10xKBHS4qdpmbmbj5T0MhTf7C-LAi/s1600/Microsoft_News_Pro_Android.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Nt7W2_EaAeTIuzLl-AvEiiTEcafTjAuhSSep4v8s_MVqgOJTG3Ki-Ia3bMEplU8N2B9y12lConBJUJxpBJGogQDAAo9J9xAG7NBzndB5ab7MmoI10xKBHS4qdpmbmbj5T0MhTf7C-LAi/s320/Microsoft_News_Pro_Android.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The app’s availability appears to be limited to a few countries at the moment. I have not been able to access it for download and installation even though I can see it listed on the Play Store. 
 
However, according to Android Police‘s Phil Oakley, the app does not present the news to the user in a realigned way. Rather, it just serves up headlines with accompanying images and one is redirected to a web view page upon clicking any news item. 
 
News Pro reportedly tries to automatically guess your interests based on your social media history (that is if you sign up using Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter) and what one reads on the app. So it is pretty much a personalized news app along the lines of Flipboard and other popular news apps but without the fancy user interfaces. 
 
According to the Play Store description, the app has an interactive bot (personal news agent) whose work is to learn as much about you as possible and help in delivering tailored content. It also has news discussion boards and forums where users can interact with one another. Users can also annotate on news articles and then share them. 
 
I’ll give News Pro a spin when it becomes possible to download it through the Play Store or when I can download it from APK Mirror, whichever comes first, and probably give my thoughts then.

Microsoft’s Latest Android App is Targeted at News Junkies

03 Oct 2016

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