August 2016 - ArewaSwag | Best Arewa Celebrities & Entertainment Blog

A Study Revealed How The Same Emoji is Perceived Differently Between Platforms

Emojis have become part of our daily communication when texting or posting updates on our favourite social media networks. We have access to hundreds of emojis on your virtual keyboards and the Unicode consortium is the organization that regulates the addition of these emojis into software. However, different companies usually come up with different forms of the same emoji and this is usually a problem.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9S2ctZzKBkKoC1eE85mg3lM5jbDn0G4_n6x4iP8_6_YruB7Njy2N7AiMJSbKT0k5Q2B180HfgrhCWc9QchTFQa42ei0IglGg89zZ7jIlWEbzumXqBVX1mRj9NLDRb57wLL0BvsFfCsAz1/s1600/emoji-cookies-1-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9S2ctZzKBkKoC1eE85mg3lM5jbDn0G4_n6x4iP8_6_YruB7Njy2N7AiMJSbKT0k5Q2B180HfgrhCWc9QchTFQa42ei0IglGg89zZ7jIlWEbzumXqBVX1mRj9NLDRb57wLL0BvsFfCsAz1/s320/emoji-cookies-1-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>From a report by Group Lens, they highlighted this fact by an example of the grinning face with smiling eyes emoji which is rendered differently on various platforms all the way on Apple devices to browsers like Mozilla.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Lgaj1FZklwil-Ekl9XHwNtYOUz-20qZG5eLkJZK0E-TWz1qLK2KE5Ko1n-QJfdur4lYnaop5-YaMGl7BB15MJng6yF8Slu-uaqQw1IEgmC-2_PRi3f0M1Etxob776Va6J8LnXDuSnq9Y/s1600/GrinningFaceWSmilingEyes-1024x205.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="64" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Lgaj1FZklwil-Ekl9XHwNtYOUz-20qZG5eLkJZK0E-TWz1qLK2KE5Ko1n-QJfdur4lYnaop5-YaMGl7BB15MJng6yF8Slu-uaqQw1IEgmC-2_PRi3f0M1Etxob776Va6J8LnXDuSnq9Y/s320/GrinningFaceWSmilingEyes-1024x205.png" width="320" /></a></div>As you can see, the same emoji looks radically different if you compare lets say the Apple one and the Samsung one where the former seems “negative” and the latter is very jovial. The organization found the same thing where this sort of different emoji styles of the same emoji can be a cause of miscommunication and they plotted a graph to show that.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDrG9czhiVJTAm5K7X_CtBxG85cBM8DZYfjVKDlz0jNJr122YcTBJY8BejStdKyLeUBxhFsBhSSYlmvh6yDJ0B3ikxZOSOrYhSx-rebE3gOTo5YF3THyHjR-WMhMDlyG2Nbc9_X5bJ9R0p/s1600/SentimentAvg-GrinningFaceWSmilingEyes-1024x411.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="129" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDrG9czhiVJTAm5K7X_CtBxG85cBM8DZYfjVKDlz0jNJr122YcTBJY8BejStdKyLeUBxhFsBhSSYlmvh6yDJ0B3ikxZOSOrYhSx-rebE3gOTo5YF3THyHjR-WMhMDlyG2Nbc9_X5bJ9R0p/s320/SentimentAvg-GrinningFaceWSmilingEyes-1024x411.png" width="320" /></a></div>The Apple form of the emoji is the most interesting of the lot as it actually drove different sentiments from the participants that were studied where some people thought it was positive while others thought it was negative.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDDEh01elPjJqncZ8DJbIsHzvSzFuerMd2bMec7dYnowMCTpEAesw31mnUJbOH9s1EiObssMqXCtS0yDEn5W9d1bW65aKjTfqDM4fViLbOGzBpzUp-Em69OnDGFLbM1v5q-w8o8r0fxmff/s1600/SentimentRatings-GrinningFaceWSmilingEyes_Apple-1-1024x650.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDDEh01elPjJqncZ8DJbIsHzvSzFuerMd2bMec7dYnowMCTpEAesw31mnUJbOH9s1EiObssMqXCtS0yDEn5W9d1bW65aKjTfqDM4fViLbOGzBpzUp-Em69OnDGFLbM1v5q-w8o8r0fxmff/s320/SentimentRatings-GrinningFaceWSmilingEyes_Apple-1-1024x650.png" width="320" /></a></div>This research has given light to a fragmentation problem emojis have and how we perceive innately of the various fonts of the same emoji. The Unicode Consortium should probably address this by making sure that all players use the exact same emojis but we have to see if they will do that in the future.

A Study Revealed How The Same Emoji is Perceived Differently Between Platforms

31 Aug 2016

Samsung’s Gear S3 Smartwatch is Official, Comes in Two Variants

<p>As expected, Samsung used its event in Berlin, where IFA 2016 is getting underway, to officially announce its latest smartwatch, the Gear S3.</p><p>As had been previously hinted, the Gear S3 comes in two variants, a classic model (the Gear S3 Classic), just like last year and another model that is a bit more rugged (it even has a military grade rating), the Gear S3 Frontier.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWbXqYBhCvCAKamf6b7B6UYHYY1wi6Y-EkIcG7VSHSXA5ehfs8ZYmY5zghROUW5iugMNUQw7R50CcQUuY2nI37Pda5m8WSE08bBGl4pwyHJ-jiCYiYYhPgaA6Ascno5OKVM0rFFa-siELB/s1600/GearS3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWbXqYBhCvCAKamf6b7B6UYHYY1wi6Y-EkIcG7VSHSXA5ehfs8ZYmY5zghROUW5iugMNUQw7R50CcQUuY2nI37Pda5m8WSE08bBGl4pwyHJ-jiCYiYYhPgaA6Ascno5OKVM0rFFa-siELB/s320/GearS3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>The 1.3-inch display of the two devices is protected by the newly-announced Gorilla Glass SR+. They also include out of the box support for Samsung’s mobile payments service, Samsung Pay since they have built-in NFC. For the first time, Samsung has also included support for Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST) on its smartwatches so that they can be used to pay for items even at non-NFC terminals.</p><p>Other features like the memory and battery have also been bumped up while the rotating bezel that the Gear S2 packed has been retained. The rotating bezel’s functionality has been expanded to include the ability to accept and reject calls. The new watches also have a feature that we have so far been seeing in smartwatches for kids, SOS alerts for when one is in need of help can be set up to ping close relatives or emergency services.</p><p>They also have an Always On display and are water and dust resistant thanks to their IP68 certification</p><p>The Gear S3 Frontier will even have an LTE variant through which users can use mobile data and make calls without having to pair the Gear S3 with their smartphone.</p><h2 class="tablepress-table-name tablepress-table-name-id-9">Samsung Gear S3 specifications</h2><br />
<table id="tablepress-9" class="tablepress tablepress-id-9"><tbody class="row-hover">
<tr class="row-1 odd">
 <td class="column-1">Size</td><td class="column-2">46 x 49 x 12.9mm</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row-2 even">
 <td class="column-1">Display</td><td class="column-2">1.39-inch 360 x 360 pixels (278ppi), Super AMOLED</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row-3 odd">
 <td class="column-1">Processor</td><td class="column-2">Exynos chip clocked at 1GHz</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row-4 even">
 <td class="column-1">Memory</td><td class="column-2">768MB RAM; 4GB onboard storage</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row-5 odd">
 <td class="column-1">Operating System</td><td class="column-2">Tizen 2.3.2</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row-6 even">
 <td class="column-1">Battery</td><td class="column-2">380mAh</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row-7 odd">
 <td class="column-1">Network</td><td class="column-2">3G/LTE (Gear S3 Frontier only) </td>
</tr>
<tr class="row-8 even">
 <td class="column-1">Connectivity</td><td class="column-2">Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi b/g/n,<br /><br />
NFC, MST, A-GPS/Glonass</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row-9 odd">
 <td class="column-1">Sensors</td><td class="column-2">Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Barometer, Heart Rate Monitor, Ambient light</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table><br />
<p>The Gear S3 Classic and Gear S3 Frontier can be paired with any Android device running on Android 4.4.4 (KitKat) or later versions and with at least 1.5GB RAM.</p><p>Pricing for both devices starts at €400.</p>

Samsung’s Gear S3 Smartwatch is Official, Comes in Two Variants

As expected, Samsung used its event in Berlin, where IFA 2016 is getting underway, to officially announce its latest smartwatch, the Gear S3.As had been previously hinted, the Gear S3 comes in two var…

31 Aug 2016

Gorilla Glass SR+ to Provide Protection to Wearables’ Displays

Smartwatches are the new cool. Even though they haven’t caught on like other focused wearables, they still stand out because of their fancy displays and the many things one can do with them. However, so far, those tiny displays have either had no protection or been using protective glass covering meant for smartphones and other devices.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib-SD4apUyQ219SIn_vbvRhIgifJLnl9Nx-jgasHjjvHaDS2xCEGr9Kx0JJVynUuKFsdCMyuHMFS7PBotEl2sZQynue0txiJdcWD4S4_rEhyphenhyphenqoeMQg29i08f5zBZGHEIcR3sQhFQRvFd4_/s1600/Gorilla_Glass_for_wearables.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib-SD4apUyQ219SIn_vbvRhIgifJLnl9Nx-jgasHjjvHaDS2xCEGr9Kx0JJVynUuKFsdCMyuHMFS7PBotEl2sZQynue0txiJdcWD4S4_rEhyphenhyphenqoeMQg29i08f5zBZGHEIcR3sQhFQRvFd4_/s320/Gorilla_Glass_for_wearables.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Take the newly announced Asus ZenWatch 3, for instance. It has Corning’s Gorilla Glass 3 protecting its delicate tiny 1.4-inch AMOLED display. Not exactly what it was meant for but gets the job done, right?<br />
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That will soon change when wearables makers like Asus and others start using Corning’s new Gorilla Glass SR+ which is made with wearables and their unique use cases in mind. According to the long-time maker of protective glass coverings, the new Gorilla Glass SR+ “significantly reduces visible scratches while delivering the toughness, optical clarity and touch sensitivity that make Gorilla Glass famous.”<br />
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The company goes ahead to make some bold claims in the statement it released following the announcement. “In lab tests, Corning Gorilla Glass SR+ demonstrated superior scratch resistance approaching that of alternative luxury cover materials, while delivering up to 70 percent better damage resistance against impacts and 25 percent better surface reflection than those alternative materials. Such step improvements in optical performance enable longer battery life and improved outdoor readability.”<br />
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Since it is not yet on any wearable, we’ll have to wait for the next few months until when the first wearables with Gorilla Glass SR+ hit the market to differentiate the usual marketing lingo from real world use results. Since Gorilla Glass SR+ is already commercially available, the wait is not likely to be long.

Gorilla Glass SR+ to Provide Protection to Wearables’ Displays

31 Aug 2016

Asus Blends Fashion, Luxury and Technology in New ZenWatch 3

<p>Asus took the stage earlier today at IFA 2016 to announce its latest smartwatch, the ZenWatch 3. Like its previous smartwatches, it is just as gorgeous and runs on Android Wear, Google’s platform for wearables.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoNNWckWxpcNiehJAjjOOLooGk8whP7K_LwwMEvuKgz3G1Xi6ygdwR_5l-flFC61WvRkcwpJPV8-g8XfZ50OjA2slTH0HyMa8LHWvfHgNkqH7RpaD9FAaHf6UY7aJDyCKZD3JJ9d27HXDJ/s1600/asus_zenwatch_3_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoNNWckWxpcNiehJAjjOOLooGk8whP7K_LwwMEvuKgz3G1Xi6ygdwR_5l-flFC61WvRkcwpJPV8-g8XfZ50OjA2slTH0HyMa8LHWvfHgNkqH7RpaD9FAaHf6UY7aJDyCKZD3JJ9d27HXDJ/s400/asus_zenwatch_3_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Unlike its predecessors, though, the ZenWatch 3 has a couple of firsts. It has a new three-button arrangement compared to the ZenWatch 2’s two buttons. Also, unlike past ZenWatches, it has a round clock face.</p><h2 class="tablepress-table-name tablepress-table-name-id-7">Asus ZenWatch 3 specifications</h2><br />
<table id="tablepress-7" class="tablepress tablepress-id-7"><tbody class="row-hover">
<tr class="row-1 odd">  <td class="column-1">Size</td><td class="column-2">45 x 45 x 9.95 ~ 10.75 mm</td> </tr>
<tr class="row-2 even">  <td class="column-1">Display</td><td class="column-2">1.39-inch 400 x 400 pixels AMOLED</td> </tr>
<tr class="row-3 odd">  <td class="column-1">Processor</td><td class="column-2">Snapdragon 2100</td> </tr>
<tr class="row-4 even">  <td class="column-1">Memory</td><td class="column-2">512MB RAM; 4GB onboard storage</td> </tr>
<tr class="row-5 odd">  <td class="column-1">Operating System</td><td class="column-2">Android Wear</td> </tr>
<tr class="row-6 even">  <td class="column-1">Battery</td><td class="column-2">340mAh</td> </tr>
<tr class="row-7 odd">  <td class="column-1">Connectivity</td><td class="column-2">Bluetooth V4.1, Wi-Fi</td> </tr>
<tr class="row-8 even">  <td class="column-1">Sensors</td><td class="column-2">Ambient light sensor</td> </tr>
<tr class="row-9 odd">  <td class="column-1">Colour</td><td class="column-2">Silver, Gunmetal, Rose Gold</td> </tr>
</tbody> </table><br />
<p>According to Asus, the ZenWatch 3 has its HyperCharge technology which will see the device go up from 0 to 60% in just 15 minutes when plugged in to a power source, something everyone who doesn’t like leaving their smartwatch on the charging dock overnight will appreciate. Throw in IP67 certification (water and dust resistance) for good measure as well.</p><p>Gorgeous, luxurious-looking and all, the ZenWatch 3 won’t come cheap, though, with its €230 price tag. Asus is throwing in a few customized ZenWatch 3-only watchfaces if that will help make things a bit better. In the event that doesn’t, one can turn to the FaceDesigner app it offers to create their own watchfaces.</p>

Asus Blends Fashion, Luxury and Technology in New ZenWatch 3

Asus took the stage earlier today at IFA 2016 to announce its latest smartwatch, the ZenWatch 3. Like its previous smartwatches, it is just as gorgeous and runs on Android Wear, Google’s platform for …

31 Aug 2016

Samsung Launches First Smartphone With Built-in Digital TV Tuner

In July, Samsung released a sequel to last year’s Galaxy J2 smartphone. Normally, the Galaxy J2 and other members of its extended J family don’t have much going for them as they are mainly targeted at the low-end segment of the market where a strong match between the features on offer and the price has to be made and often results in unsavoury compromises. That is not the case for a new smartphone that Samsung is offering in the Philippines for about $150.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWCIfIjePYiqKy1DamEfw3MX7Rdyb7mYZVBx9KcSmfnUGNKJJspFo52radWe1H36RNK-DBS0LmK6nKeNMV72fcrIbuBqFV4_x2vgREPZ1bwuEQAqKbg3KdROkAb2AFy_jeUD0rGTul0KwM/s1600/Samsung_Galaxy_J2_DTV.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWCIfIjePYiqKy1DamEfw3MX7Rdyb7mYZVBx9KcSmfnUGNKJJspFo52radWe1H36RNK-DBS0LmK6nKeNMV72fcrIbuBqFV4_x2vgREPZ1bwuEQAqKbg3KdROkAb2AFy_jeUD0rGTul0KwM/s320/Samsung_Galaxy_J2_DTV.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The Samsung Galaxy J2 DTV (that stands for digital TV) has a digital TV tuner built in to allow its users access to a broad range of local television channels. But while we are allowed to get a bit excited, that might not be the case for likely buyers of the device as the Philippines is said to be using a different digital broadcasting standard. If you’re a Kenyan, you will notice that locally, we use the DVB-T2 standard after the much-hyped and often misunderstood digital migration finally happened. The Philippines uses the ISDB standard.<br />
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Other features of the device include a 4.7-inch qHD (540 x 960 pixels) Super AMOLED display, 1GB RAM, 8GB onboard storage (expandable up to 128GB via microSD), a 5-megapixel camera at the back and a 2-megapixel selfie camera, a quad-core Samsung Exynos 3475 chip clocked at 1.3GHz and a 2,000mAh battery which means that even if one were to get it, it wouldn’t substitute their living room TV entirely as the battery is unlikely to last long. Just to remind you what you are dealing with, there’s Android Lollipop onboard.<br />
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There’s almost no chance this device will ever be available in your country if you’re not in the Philippines but if it ever does, it will be joining a big number of no-name entry-level smartphones from China that have included a digital TV tuner for so long. For Samsung, it is its first. Will we be seeing more of these from the company, then?<br />
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For everyone else, one can buy a digital TV tuner which can be connected to a smartphone’s microUSB port for accessing free-to-air (FTA) TV channels on the go. In Kenya, these don’t cost more than Kshs 4,000 and can be easily obtained from the various e-commerce platforms available.

Samsung Launches First Smartphone With Built-in Digital TV Tuner

31 Aug 2016

Google Makes it Easy for Android Users to Search for Content in Apps

Android users are getting a new feature from Google. Its working mechanism is dead simple: it lets users search for anything in their installed apps. Those who find the feature a bit creepy will be able to restrict which apps can be searched.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoTNB7Gpzw_CHB-HayuluS1TYeiVeSRRO8JsKRCUMUwwbdMbGN3FFf_NtnmZ_X6thPVJO27cOts7YVUkxoIja7IhWkZAxnDJ02Et_fkM4LXbc75bNjM-wu43vIe-c1E8JXf4lTnVE2L18h/s1600/Google_Search_Bar_Infinix_Hot_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoTNB7Gpzw_CHB-HayuluS1TYeiVeSRRO8JsKRCUMUwwbdMbGN3FFf_NtnmZ_X6thPVJO27cOts7YVUkxoIja7IhWkZAxnDJ02Et_fkM4LXbc75bNjM-wu43vIe-c1E8JXf4lTnVE2L18h/s320/Google_Search_Bar_Infinix_Hot_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Here’s a case scenario: I take a lot of notes on any given day. I use several apps to do this. Google Keep, Evernote, Todoist. Several days later, I may know exactly what note I want to look back at and reference to it but not exactly where I took it. So what do I do? Open each of the three apps and search for it manually. With the new “inside search” feature, this is all in the past now.<br />
<br />
I’ll only need to open the Google app on my phone, swipe to the very end where the “apps” tab is and search for the said note and voila!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhrpJofbq4jgls42oH72ms_L4qaDl7L2f-F5vL2eJrFMCJm96iE78xjmRmnzBfHiqikhAYDQXCXgN9as6J3Z-jdwDHxspwWMfBiqFZ0FsYM-KgbLvG1DXFUlc6X-Z3M2x0rsmHhJMf3PDz/s1600/android_in-app-search_feature_demo_techweez.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhrpJofbq4jgls42oH72ms_L4qaDl7L2f-F5vL2eJrFMCJm96iE78xjmRmnzBfHiqikhAYDQXCXgN9as6J3Z-jdwDHxspwWMfBiqFZ0FsYM-KgbLvG1DXFUlc6X-Z3M2x0rsmHhJMf3PDz/s320/android_in-app-search_feature_demo_techweez.gif" width="157" /></a></div><br />
It’s not just notes that one will be able to search for and find. Messages, contacts and more will all be easy to sift through using the feature. For a start, only a handful of apps are supported. These are Google apps like Gmail and YouTube and others like Spotify. Google is promising to add Facebook Messenger, LinkedIn, Evernote, Glide, Todoist and Google Keep soon as well. For those who will be buying LG’s upcoming V20 smartphone, the device’s second screen (located on top of the main screen) will have a dedicated shortcut.<br />
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Whether this will ever hit iOS devices is not clear at the moment.

Google Makes it Easy for Android Users to Search for Content in Apps

31 Aug 2016

Sony Explains Why the Xperia Z3 Won’t Be Getting Android Nougat

Android 7.0, Nougat, is currently rolling out to Nexus devices and will soon start being available to several high-end devices released within the last one year. One of the companies that has already confirmed which devices it would be releasing the latest Android update to is Sony. Last week, Sony revealed that only 9 Xperia smartphones would be making the jump to Android 7.0.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK9Qn_wki3a3Bb8ltX8UqYmZrk-dwcheJNWox0o-DGyhyANAqtBz4Was2QHtkwyqslkELsiEpu5j0Rf9IzGtoPh3sfstsu6SWY9BXo7tAnLNQBK12RHonxF1taSp1GdJK0fBlBVeg3Phfe/s1600/Sony_Mobile_Android_Nougat.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK9Qn_wki3a3Bb8ltX8UqYmZrk-dwcheJNWox0o-DGyhyANAqtBz4Was2QHtkwyqslkELsiEpu5j0Rf9IzGtoPh3sfstsu6SWY9BXo7tAnLNQBK12RHonxF1taSp1GdJK0fBlBVeg3Phfe/s320/Sony_Mobile_Android_Nougat.png" width="320" /></a></div>This was not that surprising given that most Android device makers concentrate on issuing software updates to their most recent devices and not all the devices they make. What was surprising, though, was the exclusion of a popular device that was even included in the Android Nougat preview tests, the Xperia Z3.<br />
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Sony Mobile has now come out to explain why the 2-year-old smartphone won’t be seeing Android Nougat, at least on an official basis.<br />
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As I had tried to explain at length earlier on, the Xperia Z3 not getting Android 7.0 has everything to do with its hardware. Its Snapdragon 801 processor and the accompanying Adreno 330 GPU to be specific. Part of the requirements from Google for devices to be able to run Android 7.0 include support for the new gaming API, Vulkan. So a device must have a graphics processor that can support either Vulkan or OpenGL ES 3.1. The Xperia Z3 and other devices that shipped with either the Snapdragon 800 or the Snapdragon 801 only support OpenGL ES 3.0.<br />
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[*for those not in the know, OpenGL is, in a nutshell, the API used for rendering 2D/3D graphics. It is what works in the background to render beautiful games like Asphalt 8 properly on your smartphone.]<br />
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So, there you have it, it’s not Sony’s fault, really. There is only so much that the company can do given the old hardware it has to work with and the demands of the new version of Android from Google.

Sony Explains Why the Xperia Z3 Won’t Be Getting Android Nougat

31 Aug 2016

Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1 (2016) With S Pen Shows Up in Leaked Images

It has been 4 months now since Samsung debuted the Galaxy Tab A 10.1 (2016 edition). Unlike last year’s Galaxy Tab A, this year’s model lacked one key feature: a stylus. The S Pen, as Samsung calls its stylus, was there on the Galaxy Tab A when we reviewed it last year.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrrp5oZ8Tnmy2X_ZcWyH_XTlktqA932x8CkKxWrxmFAu3FiWNyVrHzKXN2u98ogwQEt6oujdzvLcvX37sbuMFoLIPL6ch50AENk4UD0ez3nfIYyl5VYbR4UfnjEx2gqd7LNoSzM4BbHHp-/s1600/Galaxy_Tab_A_2016_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrrp5oZ8Tnmy2X_ZcWyH_XTlktqA932x8CkKxWrxmFAu3FiWNyVrHzKXN2u98ogwQEt6oujdzvLcvX37sbuMFoLIPL6ch50AENk4UD0ez3nfIYyl5VYbR4UfnjEx2gqd7LNoSzM4BbHHp-/s320/Galaxy_Tab_A_2016_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Apparently, Samsung still had plans in place to bring the S Pen to its budget tablet. New images leaked online show an unreleased Galaxy Tab A 10.1 complete with the S Pen. According to Sammobile, other than the addition of the S Pen, the tablet’s other specification remain unchanged.<br />
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The included S Pen supports all the new features brought to Samsung’s stylus since the debut of the Galaxy Note 7.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrb5dhssH5_NTDokuvtfNvyQNBwo-7Q7AD652wTh56Tk4wVIY4Nbf9cSZXbDVyuE6TY8JzaiA7EY81tfRMBMvPwsCJ8KSjIhPbVSbfL8cE9TzuzEsKa1bpCVjVSkVdteBpsjgW4eup5Ut3/s1600/Galaxy_Tab_A_2016_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrb5dhssH5_NTDokuvtfNvyQNBwo-7Q7AD652wTh56Tk4wVIY4Nbf9cSZXbDVyuE6TY8JzaiA7EY81tfRMBMvPwsCJ8KSjIhPbVSbfL8cE9TzuzEsKa1bpCVjVSkVdteBpsjgW4eup5Ut3/s320/Galaxy_Tab_A_2016_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Samsung is expected to debut a new high-end tablet, the Galaxy Tab S3, later today at its Unpacked event at IFA 2016.

Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1 (2016) With S Pen Shows Up in Leaked Images

31 Aug 2016

Galaxy Note 7 Shipments Reportedly Being Delayed Due to Quality Control Issues

So far, there have been two reported incidents of Samsung’s latest smartphone, the Galaxy Note 7, exploding and catching fire. While the circumstances surrounding such incidences have never been clear, they should worry anyone involved in the device’s manufacturing considering that one has to part with at least $900 for a Galaxy Note 7.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXh12DRshvtc-J4srwit7LcHiWbuei7s7UeGsOGuu4zIo6iI8H4TcOQCfhVp0FLUFpbG0JQ8kClyv8FtwlIwr_ojn2eTFSzRVBsBOI6XFvbwpGrp8zNCKPzVVTVcK9HQJYI9mLGoC5tYXb/s1600/Galaxy_Note_7_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXh12DRshvtc-J4srwit7LcHiWbuei7s7UeGsOGuu4zIo6iI8H4TcOQCfhVp0FLUFpbG0JQ8kClyv8FtwlIwr_ojn2eTFSzRVBsBOI6XFvbwpGrp8zNCKPzVVTVcK9HQJYI9mLGoC5tYXb/s320/Galaxy_Note_7_3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>According to a Samsung statement sent to Reuters, the company has begun doing additional tests on Galaxy Note 7 units that are yet to be shipped and as a result, there will be delays in shipping the device to various markets globally. This further complicates matters given that the company had earlier been forced to delay sales of the device in various countries due to overwhelming demand.<br />
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The Galaxy Note 7’s battery is said to be behind the issues encountered by users so far resulting in the reported incidences of the device exploding. Other users have also reported other issues that are related with the device’s overall performance over time. Tech publication PhoneArena detailed quite a number of issues recently and it would really look bad on the company if ordinary users experienced the same too.<br />
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Taking a step back to evaluate the Galaxy Note 7’s quality control issues may be a step in the right direction since the company’s name and reputation is on the line but it may also cut the Galaxy Note 7 any headstart it may have had over Apple’s upcoming iPhone 7 which launches next week and is tipped to hit the market before the month ends. This is not the first time such is happening, though. Last year, a shortage of the curved displays on the Galaxy S6 Edge resulted in slow sales of Samsung’s flagship smartphone for 2015.

Galaxy Note 7 Shipments Reportedly Being Delayed Due to Quality Control Issues

31 Aug 2016

Twitter Wants To Share Revenue With Influencers

Videos have gained prominence in social networks of late as these companies have noticed that they usually increase the engagement statistics of the network, which is a very good indicator of the health of the platform. Thanks to this user generated videos, we have seen epic content being uploaded by various people around the world who sometimes become famous thanks to the entertainment value of these videos. Well, Twitter wants to capitalize on that just like how YouTube has been doing for a while.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOwcauhyphenhyphenVlwJS1XY1tL2QU_X4Go59bp8ZwB-PyJtncNMiXHRsJQ-ziUGZaTt-h9WDQVevwFI0CW7IvCrUmavkqrGa74E1UUb-vhcsk19Fyprxem26_mnta9y1HfM1xXk4j49tAfLOyoOmx/s1600/Twitter-logo-3-700x473-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOwcauhyphenhyphenVlwJS1XY1tL2QU_X4Go59bp8ZwB-PyJtncNMiXHRsJQ-ziUGZaTt-h9WDQVevwFI0CW7IvCrUmavkqrGa74E1UUb-vhcsk19Fyprxem26_mnta9y1HfM1xXk4j49tAfLOyoOmx/s320/Twitter-logo-3-700x473-2.png" width="320" /></a></div>According to Recode, Twitter through their Amplify program will partner with video creators in a revenue share program which is what we see with YouTube. Twitter is more generous in that 70% of the ad revenue will be given to the content creator while the company pockets the rest which is better than what YouTube offers its content creators (they keep 45%).<br />
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This revenue split will apply only to videos on Twitter and not on the other platforms the company owns (Periscope and Vine) although Vine is planning a similar program like this. The videos the content creators are not bound with Twitter as an exclusive and they can post the same video elsewhere. In addition, Twitter has made it easy for creators to post content that have the revenue share deal where apparently they only need to click on a rev-share button when they are uploading the video.<br />
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The unfortunate thing is that this feature is only open currently to everyone in the US and you will expect them to roll it out further globally. This is a great move to keep the talent that is on Twitter who may have seen that YouTube is more attractive to them in the financial sense.

Twitter Wants To Share Revenue With Influencers

31 Aug 2016

What Is GoTV Lite? All You Need To Know About The Cheapest GoTV Bouquet

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GoTV Lite is the most affordable bouquet from GoTV plans introduced recently to offer subscribers more flexibility and cheap pay TV services across the federation. <br />
GOtv Lite package was unveiled in Nigeria this month (August) as well as a new look to offer subscribers better experience and affordability. GOtv started operating in Nigeria, first in Ibadan, Oyo State, in October 2011, and has since extended its signals to 24 States in the country.<br />
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As parts of the events to mark its fifth anniversary celebration in October, GOtv introduced the Lite Bouquet which is the most affordable plan to crash down the subscription rate for its customers scattered in 50 cities in about 24 States across the Federation. <br />
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The launch of GOtv Lite increases the options available to subscribers to three, including: GOtv Plus for N1800 with 50 channels, GOtv value for N1200 offering over 25 channels and GOtv Lite offering 20 channels.<br />
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Speaking during the unveiling of the product, the Managing Director, MultiChoice Nigeria, John Ugbe, said: As a customer-focused organization, we understand that subscribers’ needs are not all the same, and their economy might differ. As such, we have introduced GOtv Lite to cater for the down market. GOtv subscribers can now pay less to enjoy more.”<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgedzgJS5d3vs3M1RMjNYZ3rq9EIz3lbR4VuBbMkLHgDVEgz_Cn-9NRpxz7EMvVvmAYuyLvWVO1RZrjPmdPdqafWYJMs6xmtgMfaFz78IRGL8YSqtekPghtgcGGUFbeN7vAuDwmliyCk_XG/s1600/%2525255BUNSET%2525255D%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgedzgJS5d3vs3M1RMjNYZ3rq9EIz3lbR4VuBbMkLHgDVEgz_Cn-9NRpxz7EMvVvmAYuyLvWVO1RZrjPmdPdqafWYJMs6xmtgMfaFz78IRGL8YSqtekPghtgcGGUFbeN7vAuDwmliyCk_XG/s320/%2525255BUNSET%2525255D%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
He also said that GOtv celebrates five years of enabling hundreds of thousands of households join in the digital television revolution, adding that they are giving their subscribers more choice in service delivering. Subscribers can subscribe to the new GOtv Lite by visiting MultiChoice offices, dealers or agents,” he added.<br />
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GOTV LITE CHANNEL LIST<br />
The GOtv Lite channel lineup includes: Afro Music Pop, Al Jazeera, e.TV, FAITH, Islam channel, JimJam, AIT, LTV, MITV, ONTV Max, TVC Entertainment, TVC News Nigeria, Channels, Trybe TV, STV, Wazobia TV, Galaxy TV and NTAi. Subscribers to the GOtv Lite package will also be able to access two audio channels, namely Naija FM and Wazobia FM.<br />
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On his part, General Manger, Sales and Marketing, Martin Mabutho explained that most people are complaining of the affordability of DSTV, this increases the desire of their expert in content creation to create a solution for all. He also said that complaints from consumers on signal stability, arise from either the tuning or positioning of the antenna.<br />
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WHAT IS THE SUBSCRIPTION COST?<br />
The package offers customers the flexibility to choose one of three payment options; N400 monthly (which is about N12:9k per day multiplied by 31 days), N1050 quarterly or N3100 for one year.<br />
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Just to remind you that GoTV is the younger brother to DSTV owned by the same multichoice company from South Africa. Its direct competitor is Startimes but GoTV offers more clearer pictures.

What Is GoTV Lite? All You Need To Know About The Cheapest GoTV Bouquet

GoTV Lite is the most affordable bouquet from GoTV plans introduced recently to offer subscribers more flexibility and cheap pay TV services across the federation. GOtv Lite package was unveiled …

31 Aug 2016

See The Reason Why Facebook Founder Zuckerberg Visited Nigeria

Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg is in Nigeria and it's first of its kind. The young Billionaire didn't come for just fun or visiting sake but have some interesting things in mind which he tweeted. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivq4kokqKcL8o9-TNEdum9xNGlx1BROLwDwbwiBzKdIh3BiGsUlPqtXBipz8C0jjP8un5l6PeyOS_Tn1RHAJg0hyphenhyphenKflU19Q4TSuG0bGC3W5vzI8pMi7EhcDe0WNJeZc04nBfRQnz3RyhKy/s1600/%2525255BUNSET%2525255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivq4kokqKcL8o9-TNEdum9xNGlx1BROLwDwbwiBzKdIh3BiGsUlPqtXBipz8C0jjP8un5l6PeyOS_Tn1RHAJg0hyphenhyphenKflU19Q4TSuG0bGC3W5vzI8pMi7EhcDe0WNJeZc04nBfRQnz3RyhKy/s320/%2525255BUNSET%2525255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Zuckerberg has said that he is in Nigeria to learn about the startup ecosystem in the country.<br />
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He disclosed this via his verified Facebook account.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSwEtfPtZAhf89XAyw0ikSMOvh4hTRPK7avL1nQ322P3jcyXYKx4VupE-PWCMGA3C6uwC4pZxud_7ANIY3QLoHn-pYap1JA92dRUoQZGBCqE7MOZDZ4358zDwwOMctw9eOHs4Rd1zJ_OlU/s1600/%2525255BUNSET%2525255D%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSwEtfPtZAhf89XAyw0ikSMOvh4hTRPK7avL1nQ322P3jcyXYKx4VupE-PWCMGA3C6uwC4pZxud_7ANIY3QLoHn-pYap1JA92dRUoQZGBCqE7MOZDZ4358zDwwOMctw9eOHs4Rd1zJ_OlU/s320/%2525255BUNSET%2525255D%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>“Next stop: Lagos! This is my first trip to sub-Saharan Africa. I'll be meeting with developers and entrepreneurs, and learning about the startup ecosystem in Nigeria. The energy here is amazing and I'm excited to learn as much as I can.<br />
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Our first stop is the Co-creation Hub Nigeria (CcHUB) in Yaba. I got to talk to kids at a summer coding camp and entrepreneurs who come to CcHub to build and launch their apps. I'm looking forward to meeting more people here,”

See The Reason Why Facebook Founder Zuckerberg Visited Nigeria

31 Aug 2016

Snapchat Has Made It Easier To Create Your Own Custom Geofilter

One of Snapchat’s coolest features is geofilters which are special overlays that appear on the app when you turn on your location on your smartphone and are specific to a location. Snapchat has its own general geofilters but the company had made provisions earlier to make custom ones way back in February, but it required some knowledge in graphic design to come up with the filters.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQJA_tWlzo7pxTDPut1DMG4JupoxLRFhUhvfw_377RVKV1WGZUnHrm7-rk2HOBlvCJeTtYDOvsCWof97vScGs-xlJvi-pVopGjh_isET13u4jgLpoq8nM0hKRNAi13NH39JpV4ronApoJE/s1600/Snapchat-on-demand-geofilters-700x366-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQJA_tWlzo7pxTDPut1DMG4JupoxLRFhUhvfw_377RVKV1WGZUnHrm7-rk2HOBlvCJeTtYDOvsCWof97vScGs-xlJvi-pVopGjh_isET13u4jgLpoq8nM0hKRNAi13NH39JpV4ronApoJE/s320/Snapchat-on-demand-geofilters-700x366-1.png" width="320" /></a></div>The company has decided to make the process easy which is great since this is a revenue stream for the company. All you need to do is head to the On Demand Geofilters while on desktop and after logging in, you will be given access to a bunch of tools to create your own geofilter. There are three themes available: Birthdays, weddings and celebrations  and from that you can customize further where you can add the text and choose the colours. When you are done, you will be able to preview the geofilter and then proceed to pay.<br />
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As for pricing, it has not changed since they start from $5 which will be up for 30 minutes and the geofence will cover 20,000 square feet and can go as high as 30 days with a 5 mile radius.<br />
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Geofilters are a popular product in Snapchat since apparently they are viewed more than a billion times per day. The sad thing is that On Demand geofilters are not available in Nairobi at the moment. This is an excellent way for announcing to your friends of an event around you (if they have their location turned on) and the personalization options are a great touch too. This is a cool concept and we have to see if other networks will copy Snapchat in offering such products.

Snapchat Has Made It Easier To Create Your Own Custom Geofilter

30 Aug 2016

2016 Marks the End of the Google Nexus Device as We Know it – Report

Over the last couple of months, we’ve been treated to endless leaks and rumours of two smartphones believed to be what Google was readying for unveiling later this year. To many, this meant only one thing: they would be this year’s Nexus smartphones.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizHYvU5wYNkSltfyE0SztKga_MpJblR3XBNQjc1EhtzKt8ynjcwn2rtizmVyNWnJJi8qkMj3vE2p81MFwhDKIg3fKayXMWc5LwhIQizVDBEBiSCNIjWUepR8zbDnb-6UqStAWr3Hw0i-24/s1600/Nexus-5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizHYvU5wYNkSltfyE0SztKga_MpJblR3XBNQjc1EhtzKt8ynjcwn2rtizmVyNWnJJi8qkMj3vE2p81MFwhDKIg3fKayXMWc5LwhIQizVDBEBiSCNIjWUepR8zbDnb-6UqStAWr3Hw0i-24/s320/Nexus-5.png" width="320" /></a></div>It’s not hard to see why that it was easy to make that assumption. Since 2009, we’ve been treated to at least a new Nexus device every year. After the “Android Silver” rumours turned out to be ahead of their time back in 2014, we had resigned to the fact that there would always be a Nexus device lineup from Google on top of anything else. Remember the Google Play Edition devices?<br />
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However, it looks like Google is keen on moving forward and the Nexus program will be the first culprit of any such plans. According to a new report by Android Central, it is the end of the road for the Nexus line. There won’t be any more Nexus devices. The LG-made Nexus 5X and the Huawei-made Nexus 6P from last year are the last in a long line of Nexus devices that has included devices from HTC, Samsung, Asus and Motorola as well.<br />
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According to the report, in place of the shared branding between Google under “Nexus” and the device maker, this year’s devices that are taking the place of the Nexus lineup will instead place the Google brand front and centre. Instead of a pure unaltered stock Android experience, Google is said to be adding a few things on top to differentiate the new devices from the Nexus lineup as we know it. That could include that new navigation bar and buttons we heard about recently that is conspicuously missing from the Android Nougat update that existing Nexus devices received last week.<br />
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If this turns out to be true, then it will be a teary farewell to an iconic device brand that has become the yardstick of the Android software experience over the years. A part of me can’t wait to see what Google has in store while another part is grieving. There might be a few more months to prepare all Android watchers and Nexus fans for either the inevitable (falling of the axe) or a resurgence. We’ll have to wait, though.

2016 Marks the End of the Google Nexus Device as We Know it – Report

30 Aug 2016

Amazfit is Xiaomi’s First Smartwatch for Adults

Back in April, word went round that Chinese device maker Xiaomi was planning to enter the smartwatch market with a new wearable targeted at adults. The company’s existing smartwatches have all been targeted at kids complete with features that would excite the young ones. For the adult population that its rivals have been targeting immensely over the last one year, it has only offered its fitness-focused budget wearable, the Mi Band.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRGoT2sdvcG-sgd1QCvCWZGiJT3MFW9KncNG9kyTHslQ1KwS5CUhujebh1kLcTWMpoxc5P03hKKvRUt10dOQYCLjfMl-yGGA-XfUC9h3jd-n4bN0ypXAw2rrU1wbrxGjOsYi93lE8gkI_L/s1600/huami-amazfit_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRGoT2sdvcG-sgd1QCvCWZGiJT3MFW9KncNG9kyTHslQ1KwS5CUhujebh1kLcTWMpoxc5P03hKKvRUt10dOQYCLjfMl-yGGA-XfUC9h3jd-n4bN0ypXAw2rrU1wbrxGjOsYi93lE8gkI_L/s320/huami-amazfit_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>That is now changing with the company’s subsidiary, Huami, unveiling Xiaomi’s first ever smartwatch targeted at the adult population.<br />
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According to Xiaomi, the smartwatch, which is called Amazfit, is the first in the world to sport a 28 nanometer GPS sensor. Those big words shouldn’t bother you that much, though. They just imply that if you’re to use the Amazfit for your fitness needs e.g. calculating workouts and location tracking, it will be much better and accurate. It’s Xiaomi’s way of playing up its latest device since it is entering a crowded field already dominated by Apple’s iPhone and a host of dirt-cheap alternatives from other small brands from its motherland.<br />
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Smartwatches from Android rivals like Samsung and Huawei haven’t faired so well and the two companies, have, as a resulted to extensive price cuts to attract buyers. Samsung has even gone a step further to open up its closely-guarded platform to iPhone users and is unveiling new smartwatches this week.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKfmPAMsmvLflzDnx_g-giUrsf7IE3AcVKZR6deNHIkseHOusmmopm7GPTvnQ-X36uxdwROTsVAR2fJgPSlSRSaTvO_NUUtTPb0uKOyY8UO22hJUIElWq6Hr_F1fDkCZfAC9p7__MS14y6/s1600/huami-amazfit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKfmPAMsmvLflzDnx_g-giUrsf7IE3AcVKZR6deNHIkseHOusmmopm7GPTvnQ-X36uxdwROTsVAR2fJgPSlSRSaTvO_NUUtTPb0uKOyY8UO22hJUIElWq6Hr_F1fDkCZfAC9p7__MS14y6/s320/huami-amazfit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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The Amazfit packs a 300 x 300 pixels 1.34-inch display, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 512MB RAM, 4GB onboard storage, Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy, Wi-Fi, a dedicated heart rate monitor, support for mobile payments (Alibaba’s AliPay), IP67 certification (for water and dust resistance) and a 280mAh battery which Xiaomi claims lasts for over 11 days when the watch is used as just that, a watch with only the pedometer functions turned on. When GPS is on and the heart rate sensor is put through its paces, battery life drops to just 35 hours.<br />
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The watch works when paired with a smartphone using the MiFit app which syncs any data to the phone. In addition to supporting mobile payments, the watch’s internal storage, according to Xiaomi, can be used to store up to 500 songs thus eliminating the need for users to constantly have a smartphone paired for entertainment purposes. There’s also a partnership with a local company in China to provide music streaming on the watch.<br />
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The 22mm straps are interchangeable.<br />
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The device is on sale in China for an equivalent of $120, still cheaper than most smartwatches we’ve seen in the market from Xiaomi’s global rivals. There is no word on it ever leaving China for foreign shores, yet.

Amazfit is Xiaomi’s First Smartwatch for Adults

30 Aug 2016

Facebook to Launch Express Wi-Fi in Lagos Nigeria following success in India

A few weeks back, Facebook announced it was rebooting the free basics service in India by launching Express Wifi. With Express Wi-Fi, Facebook was partnering with internet service providers allowing users to purchase data.  Facebook will then offers these ISPs software that helps them sell with a 15% commission on each data sale. At the same time, the ISPs will work to provide internet service in rural areas, which can be accessed via public Wi-Fi hotspots. The success of the project in India was to act as a launching pad for the service in other developing nations across the world.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBKH81JHZfJBBVzTlZZ3dFOdC9nMS80-7MWiyyxN88TZILZ8q_nopxx9M8b_jdP-jTVdeOzNGq-RAHZ60GLfl9yjJnO4Fm5ViMOvUDUAgHAs_MFAo9uSpEl7dD5kZU3_Op7aXzyiZ8oPj6/s1600/Internet.org_logo_techweez%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBKH81JHZfJBBVzTlZZ3dFOdC9nMS80-7MWiyyxN88TZILZ8q_nopxx9M8b_jdP-jTVdeOzNGq-RAHZ60GLfl9yjJnO4Fm5ViMOvUDUAgHAs_MFAo9uSpEl7dD5kZU3_Op7aXzyiZ8oPj6/s320/Internet.org_logo_techweez%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>According to Tech Cabal, Facebook has partnered with Nigerian ISP Cool Link in launching the service in Lagos. Express Wifi hotspots will have service speeds of 10Mbps with plans ranging from as low as N40 (Kshs. 12) for 100MB daily to N1,600 (Kshs. 514) for 5GB monthly. Tech Cabal also says that users in Lagos will have a 14-day free trial for the service with daily usage capped at 100 MBs.<br />
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Express Wi-Fi was preceded by Free Basics which was an ambitious plan by the social network to bring the internet to parts of the world that do not have it.  Through it, users 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. In India, Free Basics faced criticism from the tech community stating that would disadvantage them in terms of users accessing their sites. Others were of the opinion that the scheme violated their privacy as developer guidelines stated websites should not include HTTPS, TLS or SSL encryption technologies. We certainly hope Express Wi-Fi lands in Nairobi soon.

Facebook to Launch Express Wi-Fi in Lagos Nigeria following success in India

30 Aug 2016

Instagram Now Has A Feature In Stories Snapchat Has Never Decided To Integrate

Instagram introduced Stories at the beginning of the month to the surprise of many and one thought that crossed everybody’s minds was “Why was Instagram copying Snapchat?” It made sense since Snapchat’s Stories model was working since millennials and older people alike love it, the network was growing and the engagement numbers are high.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtB_uhrkfG9D-gBTiy0BwR7h19c5AZmvj56u0XQQv4CNRkpx42IKIAfOkxuYU288HEIwsvKetuJKF7X3mGQfuWLewlN6-UMVko-_FNzDUIfwHqO8kZKf0woNY2UMP7eoweNexzi0-81d8f/s1600/Instagram-new-icon1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtB_uhrkfG9D-gBTiy0BwR7h19c5AZmvj56u0XQQv4CNRkpx42IKIAfOkxuYU288HEIwsvKetuJKF7X3mGQfuWLewlN6-UMVko-_FNzDUIfwHqO8kZKf0woNY2UMP7eoweNexzi0-81d8f/s320/Instagram-new-icon1.png" width="320" /></a></div>However, the company has decided to add a feature that we wonder why Snapchat has never decided to add before. According to a report by TechCrunch, Instagram will suggest users for you so as to follow their stories.<br />
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How will Instagram do this? Well when you tap the Explore tab, Instagram will populate a list of accounts you could follow so as to see their Stories. This bar has Suggested Stories and will be at the top as shown by the following screenshot.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50zT4iQD3-MWKVDeDfGZqq8Gz7cikBVRcImRkBJZoL2wCqxCQlq4tz8wUbtZyukYRpV1tMOL3dH5oqvWAiTGm8ZRzq90fBjbDVXK34zjIyiki2yi8Bbacr4fpqTx9hOeiSaDtzfui8Fc_/s1600/instagram-explore-stories.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50zT4iQD3-MWKVDeDfGZqq8Gz7cikBVRcImRkBJZoL2wCqxCQlq4tz8wUbtZyukYRpV1tMOL3dH5oqvWAiTGm8ZRzq90fBjbDVXK34zjIyiki2yi8Bbacr4fpqTx9hOeiSaDtzfui8Fc_/s320/instagram-explore-stories.png" width="227" /></a></div>This system will use algorithms to suggest people to you which follows the company’s move to use algorithms to curate your Instagram feed. Judging from your activity from who you follow or the topics that you like, you will get tailored recommendations of people you should follow.<br />
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This is actually a sleek move by Instagram as you might be bored with the Stories your friends churn out on your feed and might want to see what Stories are out there being published by other people. Apparently 100 million people use Explore which is 20% of the daily monthly active user base of Instagram and the move by Instagram to show suggested stories within the tab can be seen as a way to drive interest on the product.

Instagram Now Has A Feature In Stories Snapchat Has Never Decided To Integrate

30 Aug 2016

Meet Onda V80 SE, The Tablet That Costs Just $93.14 See Features

When it comes to purchasing electronic devices especially mobile phones, Tablets and PC, price is always a defining factor and in some cases, a deal breaker. Having said that, let me introduce this cheap and beautiful Tablet PC to you. Check out the features and know if it's cool for you. <br />
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Onda V80 SE Tablet PC runs android 5.1 with Onda ROM 2.0. Designed with an 8" screen at resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels resolution and 178 degree Visible Angle. <br />
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<font color='brown' size='11px'>Checkout the Key Specs Below</font><br />
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<b>ONDA V80 SE SPECIFICATION</b><br />
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1. Android 5.1 Lollipop OS<br />
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2. Intel Baytrail Z3735F Quad Core Processor 1.33GHz, up to 1.83GHz for faster phone operation <br />
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3. Screen size is 8.0 inch IPS Touch Screen with 1920 x 1200 Resolution<br />
The 1920 x 1200 resolution brings impressive color and clarity and IPS technology provides wide viewing angles<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyn6lfpzmz5oY9aO1XI7jACELZe8GE2P0uJMlVSneGNrJpHY7hsmc3_SZoJQr7CbFjmInS0D2Z8L60kzQ20bfrC1Dtw9XDC_PmwQJKfHH-H56zhYVeU5EPt4C3aFDuuRJQy0k5d7YpRyLj/s1600/%2525255BUNSET%2525255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyn6lfpzmz5oY9aO1XI7jACELZe8GE2P0uJMlVSneGNrJpHY7hsmc3_SZoJQr7CbFjmInS0D2Z8L60kzQ20bfrC1Dtw9XDC_PmwQJKfHH-H56zhYVeU5EPt4C3aFDuuRJQy0k5d7YpRyLj/s320/%2525255BUNSET%2525255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
4. The memory capacity like this; 2GB DDR3L RAM and 32GB EMMC ROM (internal storage) <br />
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5. Dual Cameras support for Photos and Face-to-face Chat<br />
0.3MP front camera and 2.0MP rear camera<br />
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6. It uses a Polymer lithium battery with 4200mAh large capacity supports long duration and standby time, more convenient for work and recreation<br />
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Plus many other features. <br />
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<b>WHERE CAN I GET IT?</b><br />
Buy it from <a href="http://m.gearbest.com/tablet-pcs/pp_429775.html?lkid=10102814">gearbest here</a> <br />
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I hope you like it. It's one of the cheapest you can get right now even though the brand isn't popular.

Meet Onda V80 SE, The Tablet That Costs Just $93.14 See Features

30 Aug 2016

Apple Sets the Date for Big iPhone 7 Reveal

<p>Apple executives led by CEO Tim Cook will take the stage on September 7th to announce new devices. Of course, you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to figure out what those new devices are.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpECNBEVv2x_Yz1GwTnGSFDgfNDeaH9G_rQ9hi3DCof05T0TJq10JUrMgfc5cWFJR1JTXkeabvPrsAcFsBBFs0N9Li6FVJz-Edf6xmSyBnjjiw6zQcyocmmY-zR0V2wb34ef5hdVRR4kxb/s1600/ceoiphone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpECNBEVv2x_Yz1GwTnGSFDgfNDeaH9G_rQ9hi3DCof05T0TJq10JUrMgfc5cWFJR1JTXkeabvPrsAcFsBBFs0N9Li6FVJz-Edf6xmSyBnjjiw6zQcyocmmY-zR0V2wb34ef5hdVRR4kxb/s320/ceoiphone.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Even though the invite the company has sent out to some members of the tech press is subtle on giving away any hints, the Cupertino-based company is widely expected to unveil its latest iPhones at the event.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">And here it is! Apple iPhone (maybe Apple Watch?) event on Sept 7 at 10AM in SF. <a href="https://t.co/wmio7USJ6m">pic.twitter.com/wmio7USJ6m</a></p><p>— Joanna Stern (@JoannaStern) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoannaStern/status/770291561678725120">August 29, 2016</a></p></blockquote><p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p><p>The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are likely to be accompanied some other new hardware. Maybe new Mac computers or even the second iteration of the Apple Watch.</p><p>There have been enough rumours and purported leaks making rounds on the internet these last few months and it will be exciting to see what eventually makes the cut. A dual-camera setup in the larger iPhone 7 Plus is said to be one of the features we’re likely to see once the device is officially unveiled in over a week’s time. Other than a new version of iOS (iOS 10) which is a given, one feature that we’re now resigned to bidding farewell to in the new iPhones is the 3.5mm headphone jack. Apple is reportedly doing away with it.</p><p>September 7th is not far off and we can’t wait to see what Tim Cook and company have been cooking.</p>

Apple Sets the Date for Big iPhone 7 Reveal

Apple executives led by CEO Tim Cook will take the stage on September 7th to announce new devices. Of course, you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to figure out what those new devices are.Even thou…

30 Aug 2016

Uber and Rival, Careem Suspend Services in Abu Dhabi

Uber and its rival Careem have suspended services in the Capital of United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi following clashes with regulators. The two have had their drivers arrested by authorities for what is claimed as failure to comply with regulations. However, these regulations are unstated. According to Financial Times, 9 drivers from Careem have been arrested while other Media Sources claim a total of 50 drivers between the two apps have been stopped or arrested by police.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizL1PCAED4UtxjTqvbFRip2qmrOYJLXqdaqow9nrQfXU2ZA3RO-7l6WYY-oQU7tf1FWJyZE3ajnk_8_LS6hcsrcTKB0CXu3_j0nzq2CtzdgN-53g-qapeyUK9Ge2jmbAgBjstrD1AvVYqM/s1600/uber-1-700x5253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizL1PCAED4UtxjTqvbFRip2qmrOYJLXqdaqow9nrQfXU2ZA3RO-7l6WYY-oQU7tf1FWJyZE3ajnk_8_LS6hcsrcTKB0CXu3_j0nzq2CtzdgN-53g-qapeyUK9Ge2jmbAgBjstrD1AvVYqM/s320/uber-1-700x5253.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Uber, which launched services in Abu Dhabi in 2013 has posed competition to some of the established taxi companies in the UAE, which according to FT are owned by some of the most prominent families, which could explain the regulatory spat. The Abu Dhabi government’s Center for Regulation of Transport by Hire Cars had earlier this year asked that ride-hailing apps to raise fares and comply with licensing requirements that limit the number of drivers available for hire. These moves were meant to offer a fair-play ground for all player including some partly owned by the government.<br />
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Careem on its part has managed to capture a large segment of the Middle East and north Africa and Pakistan market outpacing Uber.  Careem which is based in Dubai is owned by Saudi and other regional investors. The two services have pledge to restore services once the issue is clarified.

Uber and Rival, Careem Suspend Services in Abu Dhabi

30 Aug 2016

Report: Twitter Is Working on An Anti-Harrasment Filtering Tool

Twitter is a great place to meet new people from all over the world thanks to the chatroom nature of the network. However, this system has led to one problem that has been plaguing the network for a while now and that is cyber-bullying. We have seen cases of people being harassed by others on Twitter and they end up deactivating accounts and such behaviour is quite detrimental to the growth of Twitter which has rather stagnated over time.<br />
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To counter cyber-bullying activities on the network, Twitter has been adding features that help people report these trolls. One of the more effective ways of weeding out trolls is by blocking them and that is why Twitter added a way to share block lists of known trolls and by fixing how the block button to make it more effective.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1acrhsARBGqd1xDn264ahzPiddScrG_Y93SQHKq5UwN2ykneN-6TgMGRO4jKjK18bK7NM3RkuXnu0QhOlN94-aYJSOja6RJwZrcgt-Oe9WgP0tDExMLBml-ZB3HDmE-lww05625kwBv_/s1600/Twitter-verification-checkmark.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1acrhsARBGqd1xDn264ahzPiddScrG_Y93SQHKq5UwN2ykneN-6TgMGRO4jKjK18bK7NM3RkuXnu0QhOlN94-aYJSOja6RJwZrcgt-Oe9WgP0tDExMLBml-ZB3HDmE-lww05625kwBv_/s320/Twitter-verification-checkmark.png" width="320" /></a></div>Now the company is being reported by Bloomberg that they are trying another way of curtailing abuse on the network. Apparently Twitter is working on a keyword based tool that will help the 313 million active users the network has to filter posts they see. These keywords will help people block certain words that they dont want to see.<br />
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This move is strikingly similar to what Instagram was reported testing where some of its users will be able to filter comments they see on their posts. On Instagram, the person could choose certain words they don’t want to see in the comments or just go ahead and close the comments section altogether.

Report: Twitter Is Working on An Anti-Harrasment Filtering Tool

30 Aug 2016

Huawei Tipped to Launch Two New Smartphones at IFA 2016

So, yes, Huawei won’t be releasing the Mate 9 (or was it going to be the Mate S2?) at IFA 2016 in Berlin. What are we getting instead? Probably a smartphone codenamed Nova made with just women in mind. Or so goes the rumour mill.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu6simO4Qh8hGrICFLtbGnDYpDBJYcxItt_6Jkbeek4YtGbFuwmAfjyP0xBcSvnzK7daJBqI8FyaqOfNf_9b62cRLRFj3mtJsqC7FiZGdsNGph-5bOx-KhzSoLanouGmONs3bVDUMIlzsJ/s1600/Huawei.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu6simO4Qh8hGrICFLtbGnDYpDBJYcxItt_6Jkbeek4YtGbFuwmAfjyP0xBcSvnzK7daJBqI8FyaqOfNf_9b62cRLRFj3mtJsqC7FiZGdsNGph-5bOx-KhzSoLanouGmONs3bVDUMIlzsJ/s320/Huawei.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>While we don’t know the specifics of that smartphone, chances are that it will show up in good company, it won’t be alone. Apparently, Huawei has two smartphones slated for unveiling this week at IFA 2016 if the invites it sent out to sections of the tech media are anything to go by.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiie7N5woqt9DGmQCCzeYNew2AdW4vQHvzqQfkwmhiDe65EB5gT5gjaZSBfIc5HNQl_Tw-PIHpLIHigUErTXkWnPFjOaxHriqcyys3LEXJguhwtt3xMAcxLjtb0Sgv0QHt7wDP__7II1EFF/s1600/Huawei_IFA_2016_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiie7N5woqt9DGmQCCzeYNew2AdW4vQHvzqQfkwmhiDe65EB5gT5gjaZSBfIc5HNQl_Tw-PIHpLIHigUErTXkWnPFjOaxHriqcyys3LEXJguhwtt3xMAcxLjtb0Sgv0QHt7wDP__7II1EFF/s320/Huawei_IFA_2016_3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The above invites show that the unreleased smartphones really aren’t at the high level that the Mate belongs to. Why do I say so? Well, if anything, we expect all top-of-the-line Huawei smartphones to have the dual-camera setup heralded by the P9 and if the above invites are anything to go by, the two new devices won’t have any of that.

Huawei Tipped to Launch Two New Smartphones at IFA 2016

30 Aug 2016

Opera Sync May Have Been Hacked, Opera Advises Users to Change Passwords

Users of the Opera browser on either desktop or mobile will be familiar with Opera Sync, the service that allows them to back up their browser data and settings on their devices across all platforms. According to Opera, unauthorized parties, in this case hackers, may have breached the service’s servers and possibly gained access to sensitive user data like login credentials.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQVkUP5VlU1pQ1lG6NVjoBUV7YE8WWOKfI09sGHLjOtnAggVFtzAub6kw6tr5lybKU8eIMgu5tjmcGyw6e1a32EZuFy6eCSOmsCdFimTUwfbjcCF-7vbdYKC2RrzL291jUUXwI4_KEHkkv/s1600/Opera_rebrand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQVkUP5VlU1pQ1lG6NVjoBUV7YE8WWOKfI09sGHLjOtnAggVFtzAub6kw6tr5lybKU8eIMgu5tjmcGyw6e1a32EZuFy6eCSOmsCdFimTUwfbjcCF-7vbdYKC2RrzL291jUUXwI4_KEHkkv/s320/Opera_rebrand.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>As such, the company has been sending users emails alerting them of the potential breach and advising them to enter new passwords after it reset the old ones in order to protect them from the hackers. In some instances, data harvested by hackers in such instances has ended up being put on sale in the dark web to the highest bidder.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijbssgFBfCdUWP6Htff5QzAUmspbobMaz7OXRJakUq_uxcTtqOk2hV3CELLvFf7jDLHia0LWzAUTkCfqmT-yHIbBvV376mRhpVEUymal3FMf4PLW88DvEEOayEZIuimYDi9UzTNJ8xsmqd/s1600/Opera-breach.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijbssgFBfCdUWP6Htff5QzAUmspbobMaz7OXRJakUq_uxcTtqOk2hV3CELLvFf7jDLHia0LWzAUTkCfqmT-yHIbBvV376mRhpVEUymal3FMf4PLW88DvEEOayEZIuimYDi9UzTNJ8xsmqd/s320/Opera-breach.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
“We take your data security very seriously and want to sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this might have caused you,” reads part of the email which was sent to me and many users of the service. According to Opera, only under 1.7 million people used Opera Sync in the last one month, a far cry from the over 350 million people that use Opera. “The remaining Opera browser users who do not use Opera sync, do not need to take any actions,” adds a statement released by the company on August 26th while reporting the breach.

Opera Sync May Have Been Hacked, Opera Advises Users to Change Passwords

30 Aug 2016

No New Mate Smartphone for IFA 2016 – Huawei

Huawei has an event confirmed for September 1st in Berlin just as IFA 2016 gets underway. For a while now, it has been widely rumoured that this may be the company’s chance to show off a new member of its phablet device range, the Mate series. Whether it would be called the Huawei Mate S2 since last year’s device was the first Mate S or the Huawei Mate 9 following in the footsteps of the last member of that series from early this year, was still anyone’s guess.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOkw7P-NjDApyKoRQRsKmln-LOudfVIK-Zvb424Q_8W-TrMnCDl9J8oxKtqwhHR5TXJZmuQPk6xXEyuO_UjfaP9PIgBDFw6cGTzAF_XCDI1J1-7-mPPK1li7Gq4eGjojKO3rtRG5W364uL/s1600/Huawei_Mate_8_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOkw7P-NjDApyKoRQRsKmln-LOudfVIK-Zvb424Q_8W-TrMnCDl9J8oxKtqwhHR5TXJZmuQPk6xXEyuO_UjfaP9PIgBDFw6cGTzAF_XCDI1J1-7-mPPK1li7Gq4eGjojKO3rtRG5W364uL/s320/Huawei_Mate_8_7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>However, it seems that this won’t be the case. An unnamed company executive is quoted by technology blog GizmoChina as confirming that there won’t be a new Mate device at IFA 2016. Instead, the company will use the September 1st event to showcase a new device range we haven’t seen yet. Multiple reports last week hinted at a Huawei smartphone designed specifically for women so our first guess is that this might be it. However, since we’re completely in the dark now that the Mate series has been ruled out, we really can’t be sure until something major is thrown our way or we wait to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth this Thursday.<br />
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Be it as it may, it is still about time we saw another Mate smartphone from Huawei. The company may be reserving this for its own separate event since the Mate series has morphed from just another side experiment with extra-large smartphones into a highlight for the second half of the year after the flagship P series hits the market.

No New Mate Smartphone for IFA 2016 – Huawei

30 Aug 2016

Android 7.0 to Receive 7.1, 7.1.1 and 7.1.2 Updates in Quarterly Releases

<p>Android 7.0 Nougat is here with us. Like previous Android releases, Google will be updating it going forward to fix any emerging issues.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUY-khRMacXn2oMyNJOfcEP-SD1S3TfQXnwtObVE4rvFWWP8ReEKYY23_MKyD8he4mvMIyCNh_yw-l5zFNu2ZrOgq9GxDD41mTliVx7gtsO4UXchNAGtGgfj0rOjN3_aoWTWoklWfwHFXf/s1600/Android_Nougat.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUY-khRMacXn2oMyNJOfcEP-SD1S3TfQXnwtObVE4rvFWWP8ReEKYY23_MKyD8he4mvMIyCNh_yw-l5zFNu2ZrOgq9GxDD41mTliVx7gtsO4UXchNAGtGgfj0rOjN3_aoWTWoklWfwHFXf/s640/Android_Nougat.png" width="640" /></a></div><p>For Android Marshmallow, the only update it’s ever received was the bump from Android 6.0.0 to Android 6.0.1. Minor but important. These days, such a minor update that results in a point upgrade to the version number does not just entail bug fixes and stability improvements but also the monthly security updates we’ve come to expect from Google.</p><br />
<p>In the case of Android Nougat, this will come in the form of Android 7.1, Android 7.1.1 and Android 7.1.2. This, according to Evan Blass, will be done on a quarterly basis. If the past is anything to go by, this should start happening before the year ends.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The next three quarterly maintenance releases of Android Nougat will be Android 7.1 / 7.1.1 / 7.1.2</p><p>— Evan Blass (@evleaks) <a href="https://twitter.com/evleaks/status/769883870992879618">August 28, 2016</a></p></blockquote><p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p><p>Last week, within hours of Android 7.0’s official rollout, various web admins reported sightings of Android 7.1 in their site logs which means that Google has been testing this internally for a while now.</p>

Android 7.0 to Receive 7.1, 7.1.1 and 7.1.2 Updates in Quarterly Releases

Android 7.0 Nougat is here with us. Like previous Android releases, Google will be updating it going forward to fix any emerging issues.For Android Marshmallow, the only update it’s ever received was …

29 Aug 2016

Facebook Has Ditched Human Curators For Its Trending Topics

Facebook’s search usually gets love from the company from time to time and the last time it was given an update, it brought about trending topics that were of great interest in the network. Unlike trending topics on Twitter, Facebook’s was maintained by a team which was under fire after a report by Gizmodo shun a light of how the team maintains it.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzL1a_Lw1BXPtbS3WlnmMQce07iWkq-ZrWU_bvxedcOWw5ykKUq57VZrL-V2oJRKaTC4v0-boGGhJj-VcHr2MtbZoAk-SB2A52UhvCGUkMqyyh3qLu6HJ6FfECkRFXD9jNljS5pqk8V9Bl/s1600/Facebook-trending-topics.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzL1a_Lw1BXPtbS3WlnmMQce07iWkq-ZrWU_bvxedcOWw5ykKUq57VZrL-V2oJRKaTC4v0-boGGhJj-VcHr2MtbZoAk-SB2A52UhvCGUkMqyyh3qLu6HJ6FfECkRFXD9jNljS5pqk8V9Bl/s320/Facebook-trending-topics.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The company wants to change that from a blogpost where Facebook has updated trending topics by eliminating the human aspect of it. The process to determine the trending topics will be now algorithimically driven and you will see a change when compared to the human curated version.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihFHuIqau3yKNpz7HGdHedJMpzeqxEkgoFlsikMFoS7QP_ngMuIOiQ22czBJgleaH5j2-SNqgzBhtvB92j6kY9ua-HEmpi7z4PB58QOsG42e0g4VyuUXr0RAqGTyyuNbzUhS9MUIju7pdF/s1600/before_after_newcallout-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihFHuIqau3yKNpz7HGdHedJMpzeqxEkgoFlsikMFoS7QP_ngMuIOiQ22czBJgleaH5j2-SNqgzBhtvB92j6kY9ua-HEmpi7z4PB58QOsG42e0g4VyuUXr0RAqGTyyuNbzUhS9MUIju7pdF/s320/before_after_newcallout-1.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
As you can see, you will notice the simpler description of the topic in the new version as compared to the old human curated way which was more descriptive. It looks like what Twitter does with its trending topics where you have the trending topic and below it and the engagement numbers. As usual, the topics shown will be custom from the pages you liked, your location, trending topics you interacted previously or what is trending on Facebook.<br />
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However, it is not “human free” as the company points out that some aspects need human intervention to make the list “high quality” like example #lunch can be a trending topic every day during lunchtime but it will not be shown as a trending topic.<br />
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It is commendable Facebook has decided to rely on algorithms to make sure trending topics reflect what is happening in the world which will make it catch up with Twitter.

Facebook Has Ditched Human Curators For Its Trending Topics

29 Aug 2016

How To Stop Etisalat Night Data Plan Auto Renewal With USSD Code And Via SMS

Am very sure some people subscribed to Etisalat night plan without knowing how to opt out of the autorenewal of the plan. Well, auto renewal of data is no more a new word in the telecom industry as most of the data plans now have automatic renewal once subscribed to. This is why i published a post sometime ago on how to opt out of data autorenewal on Etisalat, MTN, Glo and Airtel <br />
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Well, it's certain that many people didn't key in to this Etisalat night plan as it's very expensive when compared to what other networks are offering. I mean, Airtel Night Plan is one of the best among all available at the moment. So this post is meant for the few people who activated the Etisalat plan maybe due to lack of better airtel and MTN network or whatever. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9dV17uu8aGgEhqGXHcj12oYuV_Jn28kcA8nD4-JuHfCXj6zADSFuvEUBL23CjkZQpEQoa2XXsQZBRe2fw56lu5kMPqSm472FQfp9KIvgbOgLQLyUt7WjiZjIvC3I2mwm6WT5aoXMrhE-F/s1600/etisalat-1gb-for-200-naira.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9dV17uu8aGgEhqGXHcj12oYuV_Jn28kcA8nD4-JuHfCXj6zADSFuvEUBL23CjkZQpEQoa2XXsQZBRe2fw56lu5kMPqSm472FQfp9KIvgbOgLQLyUt7WjiZjIvC3I2mwm6WT5aoXMrhE-F/s400/etisalat-1gb-for-200-naira.jpg" width="395" /></a></div><br />
Permit me to remind you that Etisalat offers 1GB for N200 naira for their night plan which is usable starting from 12am midnight to 5am early morning and in case you are not comfortable with the auto renewable, i have provided the code to stop it right now. <br />
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<b>HOW TO OPT OUT OF ETISALAT NIGHT PLAN AUTO RENEWAL</b> <br />
You can cancel Etisalat Autorenewal of 1GB for 2GB or any other night plan. To opt out from Etisalat Autorenewal kindly dial <b>*229*0#</b> or just sms <b>STOP</b> to <b>229</b> and immediately, you will receive a message notifying you that you have successfully canceled Etisalat Night plan autorenewal.<br />
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That's just it. If you have any other question let's know via the comments section and i will try my best to respond as fast as possible and possibly solve your problem the way i can.

How To Stop Etisalat Night Data Plan Auto Renewal With USSD Code And Via SMS

29 Aug 2016

List Of Night Plans On All Networks And Their Working Subscription Code

The competition among network providers in Nigeria intensifies with every new data and tariff plan they release as everyone of them is trying to get the most costumers at the end of the day.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi64V9B7puD83AAA3-_Irq6ue0b4CNTGajGs8CS8pkdrHi5EiCEs66Foa1o21JuoGw7byX4cTdmAChN_V2l41yASU0DhAvVHgP2Je3lAHK_l26W_hwzua_9BSZPpssFUC8ntgLukXgXlk9o/s1600/all+networks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi64V9B7puD83AAA3-_Irq6ue0b4CNTGajGs8CS8pkdrHi5EiCEs66Foa1o21JuoGw7byX4cTdmAChN_V2l41yASU0DhAvVHgP2Je3lAHK_l26W_hwzua_9BSZPpssFUC8ntgLukXgXlk9o/s400/all+networks.jpg" width="385" /></a></div><br />
U know Feelbaze.com Is The Best When It Comes To Freebrowsing Cheat. The latest trend is with the night plan.<br />
But this is only for those who are ready to sacrifice their night rest for cheap data plan.<br />
<br />
Although Mtn actually started the night plan, others have also followed suite with their different night packages.<br />
So now you can decide to go for either Mtn, Airtel, Etisalat or Glo depending on the one that suites you most. I will list out all available night plans, validity, price and also data cap.<br />
Mtn Night Plan:<br />
This started it all and it's arguably still the most popular of them all. Although Mtn claims that this plan is valid from 12a.m to 4a.m the same day, it actually expires at 3.30am and not 4a.m. With the Mtn night plan, at just N25 you get 500mb of data after which fair usage policy will be applied. And it last from 12a.m to 3:30a.m the same day.<br />
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<b>How To Activate Mtn Night Plan.</b><br />
==> First, you must be on Mtn pulse. To migrate just dial *406#.<br />
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==> Make sure you have at least N25 on your Mtn line.<br />
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==> To subscribe, SMS "night" to 131.<br />
Unfortunately this plan can't be renewed same night. Which means you can only subscribe once in a day.<br />
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<b>Airtel Night Plan:</b><br />
The Airtel Night Plan to me is inarguably the best of them all as long as you have a good network reception in your area. Airtel actually offers two options. You can either subscribe for 500mb at N25 or 1.5Gb at N50 and it's valid from 12:00a.m to 4:00a.m.<br />
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What makes the Airtel plan better is that, unlike the Mtn night plan, you can renew the Airtel Night Plan the same day. But this plan is only available for those on Airtel Trybe tariff plan. <br />
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<b>How to Activate the Airtel Night Plan</b><br />
==> Make sure you are on Airtel Trybe or migrate by dialing *312#.<br />
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==> Make sure you have enough airtime on your line.<br />
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==> Dial *312*2# and follow the command prompt. Like I said earlier, you can subscribe for the Airtel Night plan more than once in a day.<br />
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<b>Glo Night Plan:</b> <br />
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Unlike the rest, Glo actually offers night and weekend plan. Which means that the Glo night plan is valid in the night on weekdays and all day during the weekend. <br />
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<b>How To Active Glo Night/Weekend Plan</b><br />
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==> To subscribe, dial *127*61#.<br />
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==> Or dial *777# and follow the on-screen command prompt.<br />
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<b>Etisalat Night Plan:</b><br />
<br />
This to me is the worst of all four, in spite of multiple criticism by their customers, etisalat night plan still remains the most expensive of them all. With the etisalat night plan, you get 1Gb for N200 which is valid from 12a.m to 5a.m<br />
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<b>How To Active The Etisalat Night Plan</b><br />
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== > Make sure you have at last N200 on your Etisalat line.<br />
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==> Dial *229*3*11# to Activate.<br />
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The etisalat night plan is valid from 12a.m to 5a.m the same day.<br />
Aside the Etisalat Night plan, they also have another weekend and night plan of 2Gb for N1,000 and 5Gb for 2,000 which runs from 7p.m to 7a.m on weekdays and all day on weekends. You also get extra 100mb for WhatsApp only which can be used anytime, any day .<br />
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<br />
So guys that's all. Above is the full list of all available night plans and detailed information on each of them.<br />
It's now your choice to choose the one that you think suites you most.<br />
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If you have any question, feel free to ask and also don't forget to share this post on your various social media platforms.

List Of Night Plans On All Networks And Their Working Subscription Code

29 Aug 2016

How to Get Free 150MB Weekend Data On Your MTN Sim

Guys Today I am going to share your how how to get free 150MB on your mtn Sim when you buy 30MB for N100 you will be given free 150MB usable on weekend. One one good news to this plan is if you are using double data plan on your Sim you will be given 60MB For N100 and Free 300MB.<br />
Many people received this message from mtn and didn't eve look at it, but its important. Almost all weekends I use to received this message from MtN.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggNEznDWz4QYCkRpvgaQAm9XkhqxeSIIlC2DlavOlYYiode9efaGqDVVR_xoeFA18II3QSqE0wWMV0DceP0vjr4pyMzmYTUGNc3Vh9lEof8_4fodumUuY3mqqGqoHyFLChZrrno3WIlUrF/s1600/Screenshot_2016-08-27-08-31-40.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggNEznDWz4QYCkRpvgaQAm9XkhqxeSIIlC2DlavOlYYiode9efaGqDVVR_xoeFA18II3QSqE0wWMV0DceP0vjr4pyMzmYTUGNc3Vh9lEof8_4fodumUuY3mqqGqoHyFLChZrrno3WIlUrF/s320/Screenshot_2016-08-27-08-31-40.png" width="180" /></a></div><br />
And this message for double data plans<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYFp9kiqUrI8GlKUWBM8nal-HihoedALLV2Xp9OFPP_UFAPdgg9Tf4_Noo8LxDXiYh8cWRQ1_cdsy2jyvGCmR1PA-t1nxCjngmpTFI5cdWMUCh64oj4gQa_qIJuEJ4Fr49gaOrLuSGAkXl/s1600/Screenshot_2016-08-27-08-44-18.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYFp9kiqUrI8GlKUWBM8nal-HihoedALLV2Xp9OFPP_UFAPdgg9Tf4_Noo8LxDXiYh8cWRQ1_cdsy2jyvGCmR1PA-t1nxCjngmpTFI5cdWMUCh64oj4gQa_qIJuEJ4Fr49gaOrLuSGAkXl/s320/Screenshot_2016-08-27-08-44-18.png" width="180" /></a></div><br />
<b>How To Get Free 150MB On MTN Sim?</b><br />
<br />
It's very simple Load N100 MTN Airtime and Dial <b>*131*104#</b> to activate.<br />
Dial <b>*131*4#</b> to view bonus.<br />
Bonus is Valid for  24 hrs.<br />
<br />
<br />
That all enjoy!. Don't forget to Receive Our Latest Updates Direct To your Phone As SMS just Send <b> Follow Tutowapblog</b> To <b>40404</b> Its Absolutely <b>Free</b><br />
Finally share the post to your friends.

How to Get Free 150MB Weekend Data On Your MTN Sim

27 Aug 2016

6GB RAM Galaxy Note 7 Goes Official in China, Already a Hit with Consumers

That 6GB RAM Galaxy Note 7 variant that we previously heard was headed to China actually made it on time and it is already a fan favourite.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEKFLoKl_ZcN3uSoSkLGB9HLS0dTc2Bmzy6_3a7UhruRDf6ZjXBC7LqFARuAs3nO77i0CJXAAJ8iyd9Iew6FWjkFuoqz-axFunEg9ZXuYt3nk2oCNqGB5KeSZRDQQK6M5D0HQ4qMoiJGo-/s1600/Galaxy_Note_7_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEKFLoKl_ZcN3uSoSkLGB9HLS0dTc2Bmzy6_3a7UhruRDf6ZjXBC7LqFARuAs3nO77i0CJXAAJ8iyd9Iew6FWjkFuoqz-axFunEg9ZXuYt3nk2oCNqGB5KeSZRDQQK6M5D0HQ4qMoiJGo-/s320/Galaxy_Note_7_3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>According to reports from the Asian nation, pre-orders for the device crossed the 1 million mark within 2 hours of opening.<br />
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That goes to show that Samsung’s realization that China was a spec-hungry nation was spot on. The company is hoping to beat the several options available from local players such as Huawei, Oppo, Vivo, LeEco, ZTE and Xiaomi and other global brands like Apple whose latest iPhones will soon be seeing the light of day.<br />
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Other than the increase in storage, which users will definitely appreciate and which some will argue, should’ve come as standard to all the Note 7s after reports of the device’s embarrassing performance results when pitted against a year-old iPhone, the Chinese Note 7 is not any different. Not even in pricing. It is pretty much what the ordinary model is both in design and other specifications.

6GB RAM Galaxy Note 7 Goes Official in China, Already a Hit with Consumers

That 6GB RAM Galaxy Note 7 variant that we previously heard was headed to China actually made it on time and it is already a fan favourite. According to reports from the Asian nation, pre-orders for t…

26 Aug 2016

Galaxy Note 7’s New Notes App is Coming to Older Galaxy Notes Too

Previously, Samsung has had several note-taking apps on its devices. That is even complicated on its Galaxy Note smartphones that are entirely built around the concept of taking note-taking (see?) to a whole new level using the included stylus (S Pen).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6SSo368pnnbnMAm3CAGiC_b-Tju4mk_MAnzHKmMIalVtI-ZSGFOPlSwsh51l31ZTJaEa37YJyx6BD-qeo8aK9_heuv4ZwwwVhM62DZ26vfDo0mJE_85MxcFNyQeAGdElAh4PkvgUvvXQS/s1600/Samsung_Notes_app.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6SSo368pnnbnMAm3CAGiC_b-Tju4mk_MAnzHKmMIalVtI-ZSGFOPlSwsh51l31ZTJaEa37YJyx6BD-qeo8aK9_heuv4ZwwwVhM62DZ26vfDo0mJE_85MxcFNyQeAGdElAh4PkvgUvvXQS/s320/Samsung_Notes_app.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
There is, for instance, the Memo app, then another notes app, S-Notes, then whatever else Samsung bothered to include for, again, note-taking (Action Memo, Scrapbook, sigh). With the new Galaxy Note 7, the company took a step back and removed all the clutter, opting, instead, to stick with just one note-taking app, Notes.<br />
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That app will soon make its way to older Galaxy Note devices.<br />
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Samsung does not give specific details so we really can’t tell if that includes devices that go a long way back like my beloved Galaxy Note 3. Knowing device makers, though, by that statement Samsung likely means devices that are still within its software support terms. That is usually 2 years. So, for now, until we get further information, Galaxy Note 5 users can rest easy while Galaxy Note 4 users can cross their fingers.

Galaxy Note 7’s New Notes App is Coming to Older Galaxy Notes Too

26 Aug 2016

Truecaller Will Now Come Pre-installed in All Future Huawei Smartphones

Tens of millions of Huawei smartphones that will be entering the market going forward will arrive with Truecaller pre-installed. This is after the makers of Truecaller, the app that is widely known for identifying unknown callers and blocking spammers, entered into a “strategic deal” with the Chinese device maker.<br />
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According to a statement released to announce the deal, there is no money changing hands and the two companies believe that the deal is in their best interests as, according to them, each side stands to gain.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaPdekcQavqVd3qvGVtOEojVdJBtVSGRrP6TQjHddUtkEcuysDxxK43JPw9U9k0mO-ImuBXZaobTmwlYDKY3fDZWki9r6N4q0fLLIYr8m8Lexf5hyrbqWkyBc3BNQLvQWuDFyUaoTWZoP4/s1600/Truecaller-and-Huawei.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaPdekcQavqVd3qvGVtOEojVdJBtVSGRrP6TQjHddUtkEcuysDxxK43JPw9U9k0mO-ImuBXZaobTmwlYDKY3fDZWki9r6N4q0fLLIYr8m8Lexf5hyrbqWkyBc3BNQLvQWuDFyUaoTWZoP4/s320/Truecaller-and-Huawei.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The first device to arrive with the Truecaller integration is the flagship device of Huawei’s Honor sub-brand which specializes in smartphones that are mid-range in price and premium in everything else, the Honor 8. Starting in September, all new Huawei devices in America, Middle East & North Africa (MENA), South East Asia and India will arrive with the app preloaded. Since there is no mention of our region, Sub-Saharan Africa, is it safe to say we’re safe?<br />
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TRUECALLER USERS ARE MAKING OVER HALF A BILLION CALLS EVERY MONTH<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1pee5Ar7cuy-p6P89MRxRLeQg6lDbaxGXCQ9Ni75T_yvILmHXaD1O_ePQAGO5DcOs4psgtHYsVaiGGP8l9yIlBIfn4EPAPyVwc7ZmVSsvu6qYdcTwQ-EmlH7nBb7BndVknnIjKR2k2H30/s1600/Truecaller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1pee5Ar7cuy-p6P89MRxRLeQg6lDbaxGXCQ9Ni75T_yvILmHXaD1O_ePQAGO5DcOs4psgtHYsVaiGGP8l9yIlBIfn4EPAPyVwc7ZmVSsvu6qYdcTwQ-EmlH7nBb7BndVknnIjKR2k2H30/s320/Truecaller.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The pessimism in that last statement is because Truecaller is a double-edged sword, at least to some users. Some see it as invading users’ privacy while others see it as a very useful tool in their day-to-day lives. Indeed, the company confirmed the latter by announcing that it had hit the 90 million monthly active users mark and that its users were making half a billion calls every month.<br />
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The deal with Huawei is certainly Truecaller’s biggest, yet, but not the first. The company has had a similar arrangement with Cyanogen Inc that has seen the app’s caller identifying function built into the dialer app of devices that run on Cyanogen OS like the Wileyfox Storm and others.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbhzb23okWfiXdVgXmb49GDckDbnwWyZiNYsS5wvA3niIesnr2h7WjGSFQMi7wwHoJQIkLzcpDvjPljsxdlfn-tP33CK6kn6iYCXUMW5Q2V0bSG9Q5n0EO-nVnOfZul8T6iKSVwBnqYup8/s1600/Android_SpamCall.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbhzb23okWfiXdVgXmb49GDckDbnwWyZiNYsS5wvA3niIesnr2h7WjGSFQMi7wwHoJQIkLzcpDvjPljsxdlfn-tP33CK6kn6iYCXUMW5Q2V0bSG9Q5n0EO-nVnOfZul8T6iKSVwBnqYup8/s320/Android_SpamCall.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Industry-wide, there has been a shift towards integrating some of the features that have made Truecaller popular and recognizable worldwide. In certain regions, Samsung’s 2016 flagship smartphones, the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge, for instance, ship with a caller ID and spam caller detector built in thanks to a partnership with US company Whitepages that is behind Hiya, a solution similar to Truecaller’s. Hiya is also powering similar functionality on Samsung’s latest high-end smartphone, the Galaxy Note 7, in 28 countries. Google is also in the mix. The search giant updated the phone app on the latest Nexus and Android One smartphones to automatically flag spam callers.

Truecaller Will Now Come Pre-installed in All Future Huawei Smartphones

26 Aug 2016

Twitter Is Testing a Permanent Page For Livestreams

<p>Twitter has always been the network of choice to follow live events that are happening all over the world thanks to the unique nature in which the network is built.</p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7zdns1ultAmQ0stDbzqeTPJcNaRauFMpPq2VatIP_HBOABYOR9mLRmNtwZ7u1dBykaQtg2-LKJOn7EEotoScMfJx4CmH6tyxPnojNVNkiecb29nSbmoEP2fyFHoR0CoGAvQJM3k7THvxj/s1600/Twitter-logo-2-700x473-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7zdns1ultAmQ0stDbzqeTPJcNaRauFMpPq2VatIP_HBOABYOR9mLRmNtwZ7u1dBykaQtg2-LKJOn7EEotoScMfJx4CmH6tyxPnojNVNkiecb29nSbmoEP2fyFHoR0CoGAvQJM3k7THvxj/s320/Twitter-logo-2-700x473-2.png" width="320" /></a></div><p>Live broadcasts usually draw a lot of attention and since this is Twitter’s forte, you would assume that it is in their plans to incorporate that in their platform. Well it is and it was confirmed by Twitter’s CFO, Anthony Noto from a tweet.</p><p>Well one Carter Mansback asked Anthony of the test thanks to a pop up he saw on his feed where the app urged him to tap on a Live Feed to see the PGA Tour which is one of the popular golfing tournaments.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/jack">@jack</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/anthonynoto">@anthonynoto</a>  This is great but once gone we can't find it Why is that and/or why can't you address it to us? <a href="https://t.co/7adVD9VDIi">pic.twitter.com/7adVD9VDIi</a></p><p>— Carter Mansbach 🌎📈 (@CarterMansbach) <a href="https://twitter.com/CarterMansbach/status/768837792126242817">August 25, 2016</a></p></blockquote><p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p><p>Anthony responded to the query by giving more information about the test where he revealed that Twitter has a plan for a “permanent location for events that are live” complete with a hashflag <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/golive?src=hash" data-query-source="hashtag_click"><s>#</s><b>golive</b></a><b><a dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/golive?src=hash"><br /><br />
</a></b></p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Stay tuned. Still testing. We have a plan for a permanent location for events that are live. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/golive?src=hash">#golive</a>  <a href="https://t.co/F9bzmh0U67">https://t.co/F9bzmh0U67</a></p><p>— Anthony Noto (@anthonynoto) <a href="https://twitter.com/anthonynoto/status/768852649357651969">August 25, 2016</a></p></blockquote><p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p><p>This is great since it has always been my wish for Twitter to have a specific page where you could view live broadcasts of events from all over the world. Sure enough, the company has been showing signs of an eventuality like this thanks to their numerous deals they have made with the NBA, NFL and Wimbledon. In the case of Wimbledon, they were able to show the tournament with a dedicated feed provided by ESPN on the left and a stream of tweets that was arranged to the right. If the permanent livestream page is finally launched, Twitter will be the go-to place to follow the live events in the world and will give serious competition to traditional media and new age media like Facebook Live.</p>

Twitter Is Testing a Permanent Page For Livestreams

Twitter has always been the network of choice to follow live events that are happening all over the world thanks to the unique nature in which the network is built. Live broadcasts usually draw a lot …

26 Aug 2016

Zain follows MTN in Cutting Cost for South Sudan Operations

South Sudan has faced economic turmoil since conflict broke out in 2013. This has seen its currency,  South Sudan Pound collapse, and inflation levels rise and the economy of the oil-rich nation tanking. Foreign companies including Kenyan banks have been the most affected by the economic turmoil that has followed the conflict.<br />
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Kuwaiti Telco Zain has been operating in South Sudan and is also set to restructure its operations in the country. Zain has pumped in $500 Million into the venture and says it will not pump in more money since the operations were not making a profi according to Bloomberg News.<br />
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Zain on its part says the restructuring efforts will involve reorganization of its 88-strong workforce by cutting the number of foreign staff and hiring more locals. The telco will also focus on its operations in major towns and reducing the coverage in other non-core areas.<br />
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Zain has a total of 288 sites in South Sudan and owing to increasing conflict, maintenance of these sites has becoming dangerous especially in far-flung areas.  Zain currently has 773,000 subscribers and was hoping to increase them to 1 Million by the end of the year.<br />
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Early this year, MTN South Sudan made an announcement that it was scaling back on its operations in the nation despite pumping $170 Million dollars into it. The move by MTN included staff reduction measures from where the staff was set to reduce from 170 to around 80 employees MTN also suspended plans to lay infrastructures such as communication towers beside encouraging its 1.1 Million customers to make airtime purchases from bank transfers which would then eliminate distribution costs and the need to import airtime.

Zain follows MTN in Cutting Cost for South Sudan Operations

26 Aug 2016

WhatsApp Gave Two Ways for You To Opt Out From Sharing Your Account Info

We tend to breeze past the terms and conditions of any application we install but there are hidden gems inside those lengthy publications. One of these “gems” can be found on WhatsApp’s Terms and Conditions and it involves yesterday’s decision by the company to share its data with its parent company, Facebook in order to serve ads.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAuDyhTIlllPR_JtJMPbVMc06POLWXBiinkAB-55F_EvVE_ZdsDk1zGpu_EVwG22W9K7vwieEdM1nC69__b8Um9DKJe_3Saabc3kvokjVB-PUQM11QtQ-PYE9Vn6aDhEXLt-TGjyGG-LHp/s1600/whatsapp_facebook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAuDyhTIlllPR_JtJMPbVMc06POLWXBiinkAB-55F_EvVE_ZdsDk1zGpu_EVwG22W9K7vwieEdM1nC69__b8Um9DKJe_3Saabc3kvokjVB-PUQM11QtQ-PYE9Vn6aDhEXLt-TGjyGG-LHp/s320/whatsapp_facebook.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
If you check WhatsApp’s FAQ’s, you can actually choose not to share your account with Facebook for the purpose of serving you ads. There are two ways of doing this:The first option is in the screen you are shown when you tap “Agree” to accept WhatsApp’s Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSA4BTBZ7c6hSfJjuGySntFcK4KWSr3xTY1X72JZY6GDCteO5XiEBCWFlUyTHcMA_jsughoq5UjtcN057QO7BDXTYoFpfEQKP6IClkzV-jkg243CJ6TspCdjvALBRQTh3Yj107bDjgGy74/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSA4BTBZ7c6hSfJjuGySntFcK4KWSr3xTY1X72JZY6GDCteO5XiEBCWFlUyTHcMA_jsughoq5UjtcN057QO7BDXTYoFpfEQKP6IClkzV-jkg243CJ6TspCdjvALBRQTh3Yj107bDjgGy74/s320/1.jpg" width="190" /></a></div><br />
Before you agree to WhatsApp terms, go and tap “Read More about the key updates to our Terms and Privacy Policy” which brings up the following message:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0UTSdLTGcXnZAEt7QR5h8Viy0QbJFcAkIfghyphenhyphenHwG5oL1yB7xQfne_2M07IG-_PqsThumQ56JKzc6pe6sCepGwXqYddL40BecajOQxn7RxBzKyhJSFXd77WhyphenhyphenZ4yCjXS4FoeBnRlE7bXdM/s1600/f6b9fb0d5667c84f47ce0c58dc58b283076bf851.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0UTSdLTGcXnZAEt7QR5h8Viy0QbJFcAkIfghyphenhyphenHwG5oL1yB7xQfne_2M07IG-_PqsThumQ56JKzc6pe6sCepGwXqYddL40BecajOQxn7RxBzKyhJSFXd77WhyphenhyphenZ4yCjXS4FoeBnRlE7bXdM/s320/f6b9fb0d5667c84f47ce0c58dc58b283076bf851.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
If you uncheck that option of sharing your Whatsapp data with Facebook, your chats and phone number will not be shared with Facebook as per the company.<br />
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The second option of preventing WhatsApp from sharing your data with Facebook involves going to your settings.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ej2cQPOGPhxqJmwfMGUelO-v9YNra3xaIrq7ji3q9mFLnCw6csEQ39pzfNd3OU58NYRESSAydW-b4ZMG69OHJkLtC6kzW2_g1m-dzih9LEB-mkZ05rHGdd_9tsMB-y6fYWxIro0R04b2/s1600/share-my-account-info-with-facebook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ej2cQPOGPhxqJmwfMGUelO-v9YNra3xaIrq7ji3q9mFLnCw6csEQ39pzfNd3OU58NYRESSAydW-b4ZMG69OHJkLtC6kzW2_g1m-dzih9LEB-mkZ05rHGdd_9tsMB-y6fYWxIro0R04b2/s320/share-my-account-info-with-facebook.jpg" width="190" /></a></div><br />
When you go to Settings > Account > Share my account info, you will be able to uncheck that option of sharing your account information. Interesting enough, when you uncheck that option, WhatsApp bombards you with this notice:<br />
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The notice advises you in the event you uncheck the option, you will not be able to change this in the future which is frankly something you can live with. WhatsApp also explains that in the event you agreed to their updated terms and condition, you have 30 days to uncheck the “share my account info.”

WhatsApp Gave Two Ways for You To Opt Out From Sharing Your Account Info

26 Aug 2016

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