Instagram launches mobile web sharing to make sharing content easier

Instagram wants to be the photo app for the whole world, even if you can’t or won’t download it. In pursuit of international growth where networks are slow and data is expensive, Instagram has given its mobile website a massive upgrade that adds core features of the main app, including photo sharing and a lightweight version of the Explore tab.

Photos and video embeds provide the same features available on the Instagram webfeed, allowing users to like and comment. All embedded content will also appear with the uploader’s Instagram username and clicking the Instagram logo will bring people to their page on Instagram.com.

Web embedding has been a highly requested feature for the service since the company stopped supporting Twitter embeds to protect its brand. With the introduction of video last month, the update makes perfect sense. In comparison, Vine has already had embedding tools in place since its launch at the beginning of the year. The ability to embed video makes it easier to share photos and videos on the web helps provide ubiquity to the Instagram brand.

With this move, Instagram seems to be taking steps to establishing itself as a real-time sharing platform. Similar to Twitter, sharing on the Instagram platform can be enticing for journalists and reporters for sharing video on location. With over 130 million active users, bringing Instagram content outside of the native apps can only spell for more widespread recognition.

Google Assistant bests rivals for questions answered and overall accuracy

Earlier this year, Stone Temple Consulting released a virtual assistant consumer survey showing the majority of respondents wanted the assistants to provide “answers” rather than conventional search results. Today, the firm published a follow-up study that measured the relative accuracy of the four major assistants.

It compared results of “5,000 different questions about everyday factual knowledge” on Google Home, Alexa, Siri and Cortana, using traditional Google search results as a baseline for accuracy. The following table shows the study’s top-line results.

As one might have anticipated, the Google Assistant answered more questions and was correct more often than its rivals. Cortana came in second, followed by Siri and Alexa. Of the questions it could answer, Amazon’s Alexa was the second most accurate assistant. Siri had the highest percentage of wrong answers of the four competitors.

One of the interesting observations in the report is about featured snippets. Cortana had more featured snippets integrated than any of the others, even Google Home, although Google search had more. Siri and Alexa lagged far behind in the category, although they want to use third parties to deliver “answers” and transactional capabilities.

Google now let's you submit URLs in Google's search results

Google now lets you submit your URLs to their index directly from their Google search results page as seen in the image above. To get this done, all you need to do is search for "submit URL to Google", and Google will display a box at the top of the search results that enables you to submit a URL to Google’s index.

This is exactly same as the functionality of the public submit URL form tool but places it directly as a smart interactive answer directly in the search results.

With this tool, you can submit any URL you want to the Google index. Google will then review and see if they want to index the URL and show it in their search results. Of course, submitting a URL to Google for inclusion in their search index does not assure you that it will be included in the index.

You can now scan docs with Dropbox on Android

Dropbox for Android has finally received the doc scanner feature, which amgives its users opportunity to scan their printed or handwritten documents right from within the app. iOS received this feature a long time ago, Android users will finally be able to make use of the feature, which can serve to save time as well as provide convenience.

Users can crop or rotate their scans to capture exactly the right image, and even scan multiple pages into a single PDF. In addition to these standard features, Dropbox Business teams have the added benefit of searching for keywords inside their scans," Alexander Embiricos, product manager at Dropbox, said in a blog post.

Notably, users of Dropbox Business will get the added benefit of searching for keywords inside their scans, thanks to optical character recognition (OCR) technology, as pointed out by VentureBeat.

Apart from adding the scanner feature to Dropbox for Android, Embiricos also announced that the company has added an offline mode to its Dropbox Paper app on both Android and iOS. "Even if you lose your Internet connection, you can continue to create new docs, or access, edit, and comment on your favourite and recent docs. And once you're back online, your changes get synced so you have a smooth, seamless experience when you're working on the go," he said.

Notably, with the update, Dropbox Paper now supports up to 20 languages on both mobile platforms.

Nigeria ranks 7th place on PoS transactions in Africa

Nigeria ranks seventh position among African countries where the use of point of sale (PoS) form part of transactions, Nigeria Communications Week has learnt.

According to a report by Indexmundi only 21 percent of total transactions in the country are done through the PoS device.

South Africa stands at the top with 91 percent followed by Ghana 80 percent while Tunisia is third with 79 percent. Other countries ahead of Nigeria are Egypt, Morocco and Kenya in that order.

According to Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the PoS density per 100,000 people in Nigeria is 13, while India’s is 67; Uganda, 453; Namibia, 338.

The target for Nigeria, according to the bank, is to meet Brazil’s PoS deployment rate of 2,247 per 100,000 people by 2020.

As to why this is so, Kevin Chung of Avante International Technology revealed at the recentlg concluded CashlessAfrica Expo that while the communication network and bandwidth are adequate, the data centers in the financial communities in Nigeria need to upgrade from Tier 1-2 to Tier 3-4 to enable the cashless economy. 

You Can Now Get Free Medical Consultation From A Doctor Across Nigeria On DoctorsHub Nigeria

DoctorsHub Nigeria was launched on the 20th of November, 2016 by Dr Damian Avar who saw a need to connect people in need of a doctor’s’ opinion about their medical symptoms or conditions. He brought in Everest Nwagwu a communications expert and Ayopo Onafowokan to handle operations and branding respectively. The trio are all graduate of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).

Consultations on DoctorsHub Nigeria can be done at any hour of the day and, in a bid to reach a wider audience, any preferred major Nigerian language — be it English, Pidgin, Yoruba, Igbo or Hausa. According to the founder, having these features all for free particularly gives them an edge over their counterparts.
Also, Dr Avar assures that the dealings of clients with doctors on the platform are strictly confidential. Apart from providing medical consultations, there is a blog on the platform, on which health articles that address peculiar medical conditions are frequently published. To further facilitate an effective reach, Dr Avar assures that content on the blog is rid of medical jargon so that readers can easily grasp them and embrace their relevance.

In less than 6 months of operation over 2000 people with diverse health complaints since inception have been successfully attended to without any form of advertisement.

Many Nigerians can relate to the ordeals faced when trying to secure a medical appointment with a doctor in Nigeria — a scenario mostly ubiquitous in government hospitals. Asides the tension over attempts to see a doctor, the hurdles faced while queuing up for medical attention can be daunting.

DoctorsHub Nigeria seems to have indeed placed itself as a bridge to this daunting gap — the joy of circumventing queues, coupled with the ease of consulting a doctor at any preferred time in any preferred language. DoctorsHub Nigeria also educate and attend to cases such as depression, autism and Meningitis.

Don’t just take our words for it, try out the service for yourself. Engage a doctor on the website.

Payporte announces suspension of Payment on Delivery

Following the recent calls for the abolishment of Payment on Delivery (PoD), because of the insecurities like robbing and killing of delivery agents, Payporte has taken the first leap as the first Nigerian online shopping store to announce the suspension of Payment on delivery service.

The company has placed an header on their website which clearly announces the suspension of the pay on delivery payment model.

The company promises 48 hours returns on deposited funds in the event of any arising liability.

Before now, the company had previously announced that it  would be done with this payment method by end of December 2016 but it’s quite surprising that it has taken several months after to effect it. It is probably the unfortunate incident involving the death of a Jumia delivery man, Mr. Chukwuma Eleje, that initiated the company to finally take this decision.

I think this is a wise decision the company has taken. At least until the insecurities of PoD can be settled.

Tecno Unveils Its 3rd Generation Camon In Kenya

One of Africa’s leading phone maker, TECNO Mobile unveiled its latest CAMON flagship at the brand’s maiden continental launch hosted in Nairobi, Kenya, last Thursday.

Addressing the media on TECNO’s decision to host market partners and a cross section of its local marketing teams to one continental launch – a clear move away from its usual individual market launches, Mr. Attai Oguche, TECNO Deputy Marketing Manager and PR Lead said that the smartphone maker decided to adopt a new strategy in a bid to streamline the brands messaging and experience while maximizing budget for African markets.

“We want to achieve consistency and uniformity in all our (TECNO) brand messaging and further strengthen our products experience” says Attai Oguche.

Over the years, the TECNO CAMON Series has progressively transformed and the latest device in the series – the CAMON CX is not an exception. Debuting a stunning 16MP dual front and rear camera, the CAMON CX cameras are optimized to capture strikingly beautiful pictures with zero shutter lag. Under lowlight, the dual flashlights of the CX front camera takes photos that are 30 percent brighter by using “4 in 1” technology which gives the same moment different exposures in other to produce a brighter image.

TECNO has completely improved the consumer experience on the CAMON CX by adding several cutting-edge features like a 0.1s fingerprint fast-capture for taking pictures and 8 real-time portrait photo filters to make sure that every Selfie is Social Media worthy.

The CAMON CX comes in four different premium variants – Sky Gray, Champagne Gold, Elegant Blue and Rose Gold. It is built with a 5.5’’ FHD display screen and a visual slim 2.5D screen design that creates a borderless visual effect. Users of the CAMON CX can enjoy digital content from over 1000 artistes on Boom Player, an inbuilt music player. Charging the CAMON CX for only 1hour will give 70% battery juice due to the device’s light speed charge technology while 10minutes charging can take up to 1000 photos.

Full Review, Specification and price of this device will be made available shortly.

You Can Now Send And Receive Money in Gmail on Android

Google Wallet was integrated into Gmail on the web since 2013, but now here is the latest update from Google wallet. Google has rolled out a new integration on mobile, which allows users of the Gmail app on Android to be able to send or request money with anyone, including those who don’t have a Gmail address, with just a tap.

Google explains in its announcement that this feature has been designed to make exchanging money as easy as attaching a file. To access the new feature, you tap the attachment icon (the paperclip), then choose either send or request money, depending on your needs. A pop-up window appears where you can input the amount and add a note, and send.

The entire process takes place in the Gmail app — you don’t have to have Google Wallet installed. In addition, recipients can configure it so the money they receive through Gmail goes directly into their bank account and the  best part if it is, there are no fees involved.

The goal, seemingly, is to take on quick payment apps like PayPal, Venmo or Square Cash, by offering a feature to move money right within Gmail’s app. This could be useful for those times where the money is already a topic of an email conversation — like when you’re planning a trip with friends, or getting the family to go in together on a gift for your parents, for example.

This feature is not yet available to users in Nigeria. Let us know what your take is on this update.

iPhone 6: A Complete Review

As a smartphone brand, Apple needs no particular introduction: ever since the release of the first original iPhone in 2007, every new model produced by Apple is met with anticipation from the buyers and favorable reviews from the critics. The iPhone 6, presented two years ago, is no exception: the redesigned body, the upgraded operating system, and the brand new variety of features made the iPhone 6 a top selling device until nowadays. Learn more about this iconic model and the best way to get it in Nigeria.

Design

The iPhone 6 became the largest iPhone released by Apple since the launch of the iPhone lineup, which is not surprising, considering the ever growing popularity of enormous Android-based devices. If you’ve always found the 4-inch iPhone models to be too small for your needs, the screen size and the way the new iPhone 6 feels in your hands may be exactly what you’re looking for.

The bigger size and larger dimensions didn’t make the iPhone heavier or bulkier: at just 129 grams it’s actually one of the lightest smartphones available in the market. The iPhone 6 features a curvaceous body made of brushed aluminum and is available in three colors: Silver, Space Grey, and Gold. Traditionally, the build quality of the iPhone 6 is extremely high, which is exactly what you expect from a brand as renowned as Apple.

Hardware

The 2014 additions to the iPhone lineup feature an 1.2 GHz A8 processor instead of the A7 found in the previous models. Apple claims that the A8 chip is 50% more power efficient than the A7, which positively influences the device’s battery life. The processor is paired with 1GB of RAM, which may not seem enough for a device as powerful as the iPhone 6, but only until you remember that Apple is much better at utilizing RAM than most Android smartphone manufacturers. The combination of features allows the iPhone 6 to deliver superfast performance compared to other leading models from renowned brands.

Software

Originally, the iPhone 6 ran the iOS 8, although if you buy this iPhone today, you can easily upgrade it to the new iOS 10 within minutes. Even though the iOS 8 has significant differences from the previous versions of Apple’s operating system, you won’t find any difficulties in trying to navigate the new OS. In addition to the usual set of operating system features and apps, you will also find a variety of new ones to try.

Buy iPhone 6 in Nigeria

Apple devices, including the iPhone 6, are undeniably great, but prices for brand new Apple phones can be somewhat disappointing. Finally you don’t have to waste a fortune to own an iPhone - simply buy iPhone 6 on Jiji. Enjoy smartphones at the lowest prices ever and make deals with the top Nigerian sellers.

Google Search For Android Now Available In Offline Mode

Google stuns its search users on android devices with the introduction of an offline mode. This mode will allow you to store up your searches on the Google app so you can see the results later when there’s stable connection. An effective feature, especially for the absent-minded ones.

Whats your take on this feature?
Is it really needed when you can use your notepad to save information and get them back anytime you choose to.

To get this feature simply update your Google app from the PlayStore.

Huawei Achieves Major Breakthrough in Graphene-Assisted High Temperature Li-ion Batteries

Huawei has announced a major breakthrough in its research into Li-ion batteries, unveiling the world's first long-lifespan graphene-assisted Li-ion battery able to withstand high temperatures. The announcement was made by Watt Laboratory, an organization under Huawei's Central Research Institute, at the 57th Battery Symposium held in Japan.

Huawei's research results show that new graphene-assisted heat-resistant technologies allow Li-ion batteries to remain functional in a 60°C environment, a temperature 10°C higher than the existing upper limit. The lifespan of the graphene-assisted Li-ion batteries will also be twice as long as ordinary Li-ion batteries.

Dr. Yangxing Li, Chief Scientist at Watt Laboratory, pointed out that three technologies contributed to the breakthrough in the graphene-assisted high-temperature Li-ion battery. First, a special additive in the electrolytes can remove trace water and prevent the electrolytes from decomposition in high temperatures. Second, modified large-crystal NMC materials are used for the cathode, improving the thermal stability of the cathode powder. Third, graphene allows for more efficient cooling of the Li-ion battery.

Dr. Li said, "We have performed charging and discharging tests in a high-temperature environment. The tests show that when working parameters are the same, the graphene-assisted high-temperature Li-ion battery is 5°C cooler than ordinary Li-ion batteries. Over 70% of the graphene-assisted battery's capacity is left after it is recharged 2,000 times at a temperature of 60°C. Less than 13% of its capacity is lost after being kept in a 60°C environment for 200 days."

Huawei's research results will reshape the storage systems of communications base stations. In high-temperature regions, outdoor base stations powered by the graphene-assisted high-temperature Li-ion batteries can have working lifespans longer than four years. These batteries ensure a high mileage for electric vehicles per charge in high temperatures. They can also guarantee the safe operation of drones, which often generate a significant amount of heat.

At the 56th Battery Symposium also held in Japan in 2015, Huawei's Watt Laboratory revealed its quick charging technology, which recharges 48% of a 3000mAh battery in just 5 minutes. This technology turned many heads.

The country manager, Huawei Devices, Nigeria, Leo Jiang stated that Huawei has commercialized the quick charging batteries and will announce a super-quick charging mobile phone in 2017.

Huawei partners Porsche Design to Create“A dream machine”- the Porsche Design Huawei Mate 9

Leading Technology Innovator, and premium smartphone company Huawei has collaborated with luxury lifestyle brand Porsche Design to introduce the revolutionary Porsche Design Huawei Mate 9.

The Porsche Design Huawei Mate 9 is a limited edition smartphone which combines Porsche Design’s signature brand aesthetic, Leica Camera AG’s iconic photography perfection; and Huawei’s mobile engineering expertise, to give high-demanding individuals unprecedented luxury and performance in the palm of their hand. It’s no wonder the phone has been dubbed the Dream Machine.

Withseamless curved edges, a graphite finish and stylish colorcombined with the latest technology, the Porsche Design Huawei Mate 9creates an equilibrium of innovation, precision, aesthetic ideal and function. This is perfectly complemented ‘under the hood’ by a unique, intuitive user interface that exudes sophistication.

The collaboration between the two companies underscores their shared commitment to functional design, innovative craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology, and delivers highly discerning customers an unrivalled, premium smartphone experience; with revolutionary speed, extensive battery life and luxurious design cues.
The Porsche Design Huawei Mate 9 comes equipped with the high performing Kirin 960 chipset, which Geekbench has labelled as the world’s highest performing smartphone processor, 4.0.0 multi-core CPU performance and DDR performance. It’s EMUI 5.0, an intuitive user interface that streamlines the user experience with the OS.

For the ambitious business traveler, the dual SIM card enables convenient switching between two different SIM cards everywhere in the world.

Commenting on the functionality of the Porsche Design Huawei Mate 9, CEO, Huawei Consumer Business Group, Richard Yu said: “We identified a new type of luxury consumer that is emerging. One who needs a smartphone that matches the special demands of their successful, global lifestyles.The Porsche Design is synonymous with excellence in innovation, unique design and perfection. It sets a new benchmark in design and performance and delivers a revolutionary smartphone experience that will enhance even the fastest-paced business and personal lifestyles.”

With regard to the perfect partnership between the two companies, COO and spokesperson of the Management Board of Porsche Design Group, Dr. Jan Becker said “Huawei’s brand ethos mirrors our own commitment to premium innovation and functional design so we are delighted to partner with Huawei to bring high-performance individuals the smartphone that they demand, and deserve, says “The DNA of our brand is reflected in the device’s signature Porsche Design, giving consumers a smartphone that is as beautiful to hold, as it is to use.”

On his part, the Country Manager, Huawei Devices Nigeria, Leo Jiang highlighted features of the phone which would no doubt appeal to a wide array of users.

Jiang said “The Porsche Design Huawei Mate 9 has breakthrough SuperCharge technology, and its battery lasts up to two days with normal use. According to him the Mate 9 Porsche comes equipped with one of the best smartphone cameras the company has produced after the Huawei P9:  “Users can capture the best shot with the Mate 9’s second generation Leica dual-lens co-engineered with Leica which has a world leading camera with 20 megapixel monochrome camera and 12 megapixel color camera, Hybrid Zoom, delivering spectacular photography and videography to match users’ own high-performance lifestyles”.

The Porsche Design Huawei Mate 9is indeed a manifestation of smartphone lovers’ most ardent dreams which has amazing features and functions like a machine due to the engineering perfection and technical innovation that has gone into its creation.

Although the revolutionary limited edition Porsche Design Huawei Mate 9doesn’t come cheap it is well worth the costas it is one of the most finely crafted premium devices available to consumers on the smartphone market today.

The premium smartphone company stated that the limited edition Porsche Design Huawei Mate 9 will be available in Nigeria from 2017.