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.

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. 

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.

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.

Meet The Winners Of The 2016 Edition Of The Etisalat Prize For Innovation

As expected, the circle of innovators and entrepreneurs was abuzz as the winners of the 2016 edition of the Etisalat Prize for Innovation were unveiled at a prestigious award ceremony which held at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos following the submission of innovative products/services and ideas.

The Most Innovative Product and Services category award was won by a team of three men comprising Ojeniyi James, Adegoke Olubusi and Oluwole Gbenga whose entry called “OneMedical”, came out tops to win the N5 million coveted prize.

In the Most Innovative Idea category, Tobilola Ajibola took home the N2 million prize money for her idea, “Dresses by Aloli”, which was adjudged the most outstanding.

The prizes were presented by the Chief Executive Officer of Etisalat Nigeria, Matthew Willsher. Some of the notable dignitaries who attended the event include the Director General, National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) Dr. DanAzumi Mohammed Ibrahim and the Chief Executive Officer, MainOne, Ms. Funke Opeke.

“With Etisalat Prize for Innovation, we demonstrate our belief that innovation is timeless and can be found in the most unlikely places, and created by the most unlikely people. We believe that the change Nigeria needs to move forward can be created through innovative products, services and ideas,” says Matthew Willsher.

Etisalat Prize for Innovation was created in 2012 and has discovered and empowered a number of young creative Nigerian entrepreneurs by giving them the opportunity to showcase innovative products, services and ideas that address specific problems in the society and contribute to the nation’s socio-economic growth.

Source: TechCabal

Jumia Launches Jumia Local, An Initiative that Promotes Made-in-Nigeria Products

Due to popular demand, JUMIA,  Nigeria’s biggest e-commerce startup and company have decided to set the trend by launching an initiative to promote locally made products in Nigeria "Jumia Local". Jumia Local was launched on the 1st of October 2016, that is Jumia's way of marking Nigeria at 56.

Jumia Local is Jumia’s way of supporting local entrepreneurs and brands that manufacture their products in Nigeria. Merchants on the site will be able to sell their products on at 0% commission, and their products will be promoted through all Jumia’s marketing channels.

According to Jumia, this a social responsibility initiative that’s aimed at growing the local economy. According to Bili Sule, Head of Business Development, Jumia Nigeria, “To build a sustainable and healthy ecosystem for Nigeria, we need to focus on products made in Nigeria. The change starts with each and everyone of us and Jumia will lead the way by taking the responsibility to promote our own Nation’s products.”

So if you are a Nigerian entrepreneur and want to make proper use of this opportunity, you must have your products made or assembled in Nigeria. Another condition is that you have to sell online exclusively through Jumia for the first six months.

Jumia is indeed helping to grow the local economy in Nigeria.

Google Apps For Work Rebranded, Now G Suite

Google has re-branded and enhanced its productivity suite with new intelligent capabilities. G Suite is the new name for the group of applications that include Gmail, Google Calendar, Docs, Sheets, and Slides. It's a group of apps that the company is trying to push on organizations looking to make their employees more productive, with an emphasis on collaboration capabilities.

Docs, Sheets, and Slides will each be getting new features that is aimed at making it easier for users to create files quickly with the help of Google intelligence. Also, Google Calendar is getting a new feature that will make it easier to schedule meetings, while Drive has a new feature making it easier for teams to use.

A standout amongst the announcements for enterprises is a new Team Drives feature that lets organizations set up groups that own files inside Google Drive. It's a shift from the product's previous design, which required every document, spreadsheet or slide deck to have a single person own it. The change could be important for organizations that want to more easily manage files as people come and go from teams.

Now, teams can have their own folder inside Drive and can own all of the files inside of it. Administrators can control access to the team Drive, and people can come and go.

In addition, the Google Hangouts video-conferencing service will gain capabilities that make it possible for people to join meetings from any device, without needing to have an application or plugin installed.

Docs, Sheets, and Slides are each getting new features that is aimed at making it easier to intelligently create documents. In Docs, the existing Research feature has been rebranded as Explore and enhanced to quickly and automatically surface information about the subject of a document, both from the web and from files shared in Google Drive.

In Sheets, the Explore feature will now let users ask questions in natural language about data in a spreadsheet and get information back. It's similar to the Q&A feature in Microsoft's Power BI service, which makes it easier for people to get insight from potentially messy data without knowing complicated spreadsheet editing capabilities.

The Slides feature makes it easier for users to find images that fit into their presentations with its Explore functionality and will automatically help lay out text and images to make them more visually appealing, thanks to the power of machine learning.

Android users will also get access to a new Quick Access capability in Google Drive that's designed to give people fast access to the files they need to work on after they open the app. It's powered by machine learning and designed to reduce the amount of time that people have to spend searching Drive for the files they need.

Do you think this re-branding will help Google better compete with Microsoft Office 365?

You Can Now Schedule Rides In Advance On Uber

Uber has rolled out a new feature to its users called ‘Scheduled Rides’. this feature allows you book rides 15 minutes to 30 days in advance.

With the new Schedule ride feature, you can schedule ahead of time with the comfort of knowing that your Uber will arrive when you’re ready to head out. For now, Scheduled rides are available for just UberX vehicles and no extra cost is added

You can cancel a scheduled ride at any time before your ride is on the way. Riders can also cancel the ride after it has begun, but a fee is applied after first 5 minutes of the ride.

How to schedule a ride:

To schedule a ride on Uber, all you have to do is follow the process below:

=> Select uberX and tap “Schedule a Ride.”

=> Set your pickup date, time, location, and destination.

=> Confirm the details of your upcoming trip and tap “Schedule uberX.”

You will be reminded every 24 hours and 30 minutes in advance of your pickup. You’ll also be notified after your ride is on the way.

Uber is dedicated to serving you better and they are proving it with this new feature.

If you are a new user on Uber you can use this promo code "kaesynue" to get a free ride worth 1,000 Naira.

Say Hello To Google Allo, Now Available For Download

Google has finally released it’s new instant messaging app, Allo and it is now available for download on Google Play Store and Apple App store.

Allo was announced at Google I/O 2016 and was promised to be available to users by the end of the summer. Just like Duo that was released a couple of weeks back, Allo is tied to your phone number. That means you won’t need to sign up for an account, all you need do is input your phone number and you are good to go.

Allo is packed with lovely features like stickers, smart reply, ability to draw on the screen, but the most amazing feature on Allo is the Google assistant.

You will be able to chat up Assistant by typing “@google” and Assistant will readily answer your questions and queries with fast and accurate answers. On Android, the backgrounded Google Play Services will ping contacts you message via Allo, even if they have yet to download the app and upon receiving the notification, they can even reply to your message whether or not Allo is installed. This feature will not be available to those on iOS or any other platform.

Allo is now available for download on Play Store and App Store, so you can go and download it now.

Download Allo For Android | iOS

Founders Conference To Host Over 200 Tech Start-ups

Founders of tech-driven start-ups, technology enthusiasts and other stakeholders within the Nigerian business ecosystem will gather at the first edition of Founders conference organised by Venture Starter Company.

The conference will be held on the 3rd October,2016 at the Four Points by Sheraton, Victoria Island, Lagos. The event tagged "founders conference 2016" is designed to foster innovation and sustainability in the country's entrepreneurial space as start-up founders will have the opportunity to gain new insight, forge entrepreneurial alliances and meet with venture capitalists.

According to the organizers, 20 most innovative business ventures among the 240 attendees expected will be selected to pitch to investors for funding opportunity.

The event's convener and Chief Executive Officer, Venture Starter, Bunmi Jembola said the speakers scheduled for the conference are successful start-up founders and will focus on the approach needed to accelerate growth and profitability running a business.

They include the Founder/CEO ,IrokoTV - Jason Njoku, Founder/CEO, supermartng.com - Raphael Afaedor, CEO, tolet.com.ng - Fikayo Ogundipe, Bilikiss Adebiyi Abiola - Founder/CEO, Wecycler, Founder/CEO, Printivo.com - Oluyomi Ojo among others.

"Founders Conference is targeted at Nigeria's technology start-up founders, co-founders, venture fund providers, and SME regulatory agencies and technology enthusiasts." says Jembola.
"Nigerian technology  start-ups are faced with several problems but chief among them is knowledge. Many founders start out knowing too little and very often that results in disaster. This conference seeks to substantially bridge the knowledge gap by bringing Nigeria's most successfully tech start-up founders.
"Another major problem is infrastructure. It is common knowledge that every business person in Nigeria provides virtually all his infrastructure. In other climes where start-ups record more accelerated growth a sharing economy is created around start-up hubs and this is actively supported by government to such an extent that it substantially reduces take-off cost.
"Government can provide work space, cheap internet, power, water and even finance.This in itself is enough incentive to get several youths on the bandwagon of technology and innovation.
He also added that the conference intends to foster an engagement between start-up founders and key decision makers in government on a panel  specifically meant for policy makers.

Individuals interested to attend can register for free at www.foundersconference2016.com.

Google Removed Over 1.75 Billion Websites From Search Results

Google has removed as many as 1.76 billion websites from Google search results as of the time this article was being composed. This can be confirmed on the Google transparency report counter.

In March 2016, Google recorded about 75 million takedown request in other to keep pirate websites out of its search results. There have also been a major increase in the takedown requests. The overall amount of copyright requests is estimated to have increased by 53% Year over Year.

Within the transparency report counter, you can also track the amount of takedown requests Google has received over time. Google has zero tolerance for such issues so they have decided to take the bull by the horn, by responding to the requests. Currently there is no pending requests available.

You can also apply for a takedown request but you have to note that such requests made to Google have to go through a 4-stage review process, which is as follows:

• A copyright owner sends us a takedown notice for allegedly infringing material.
• Google reviews the request, and complies if there aren’t issues with it.
• Following DMCA process, a webmaster may issue a counter notification.
• Upon receiving a counter notification, we decide whether or not to reinstate the material.

The company has also made it quite clear that it does not act as a mediator. If the copyright owner or the webmaster is still unhappy with the decision, they can file a lawsuit and leave the matter to be decided by the courts.

You Can Now Play Solitaire And Tic-Tac-Toe In Google search

Google recently announced the adding of a couple of fun little nuggets to Google search. The company will now allow you play solitaire and tic-tac-toe right inside your search results.

Google's Solitaire Game

Goolge's Tic-Tac-Toe Game

To play these games, you just need to search for "Solitaire" or "TIc-Tac-Toe." Both searches will bring up the games, which you can play directly in your browser or the Google app.

The feature is available for users accessing Google either from desktop or mobile device. When searching for the keywords “solitaire” or “tic-tac-toe” you will see the usual search results, but featured prominently alongside them you’ll also now see a “tap to play” option that takes you directly to play the game.

The Tic-Tac-Toe game has both single and two-player modes. Single players can also choose the level of difficulty they want to play at.

This new feature from Google actually saves you the stress of searching for or downloading apps that has these games.
What do you think about having this games on Google search?

SpaceX Explosion Sets Back Facebook Internet Connectivity Plan

Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg recently announced Facebook's plan on bringing affordable internet connectivity to Africa which he properly explained at the Town hall Q&A session held in Lagos Nigeria.

But all his plans have suffered a serious setback on Thursday morning when a SpaceX rocket – owned by Elon Musk exploded during a routine pre-launch check. The Space rocket was containing Facebook/Spacecom’s AMOS-6 communications satellite.

This satellite was to provide at least 14 countries on the continent and the Middle East with affordable broadband service.

Zuckerberg took to his social media account to express his feelings towards this mishap. But the good news is Facebook has developed another alternative.

"Fortunately, we have developed other technologies like Aquila that will connect people as well," he wrote. "We remain committed to our mission of connecting everyone, and we will keep working until everyone has the opportunities this satellite would have provided."

Instagram Now Allows You Zoom In On Photos And Videos

"Over the past six months, you’ve seen many exciting changes come to Instagram, from a new icon to longer videos and even a new way to share everyday moments with Instagram Stories," the company wrote in a statement on Instagram. "And as things change, we’re still focused on improving the core parts of Instagram."- Instagram posted on their Instagram account.

Zooming in on photos and videos in Instagram is a feature that has long awaited from Instagram and finally its here.

Instagram just announced an update to its iOS app that will let users pinch to zoom on photos and videos. The new feature will be available across the entire app. According to Instagram, pinch-to-zoom will work on the media that shows up in your standard feed as well as on people’s profiles and in the Explore tab. Instagram said the new feature will be rolling out to Android "in the coming weeks."

We hope to see more improvements on Instagram features. Let us know what you think about this new feature by leaving your comments in the comment section.

Apple Is Set To Start Removing Unmaintained Apps From The App Store

Apple is making some changes to its App Store Review Guidelines for developers ahead of the launch of iOS 10 and macOS Sierra and they have announced this via email to their registered developers. The reason for this change is to remove the outdated apps and make it easier for users to find better apps.

The biggest change is that Apple will begin to remove outdated apps from the App Store that no longer comply with the new current guidelines or haven't been updated to support new APIs or features. Removing old apps will also reduce the number of apps that haven't been updated for compatibility with newer iOS versions or iDevices.

Apple isn't saying exactly what criteria it will use to remove apps, just that it is "implementing an ongoing process of evaluating apps for these issues, notifying their developers, and removing problematic and abandoned apps." People who have already downloaded these apps will still be able to download them, developers will be given 30 days to issue an update before their app is removed, and if their apps are removed they will still be associated with that developer's account and other developers won't be able to use the names for other apps.

The company is also ready to start the fight against spammy app names. For instance, if you search for “Instagram” on the App Store, one of the first results is an app that is called “Photo Collage, Picture Editor” These apps will get cut off.

Apps that crash on launch are also not left out, They will be removed immediately.

Another change is related to app names. Apps submitted to the App Store will now have their names capped at 50 characters. This is meant to cut down on the number of apps that are having long names with multiple keywords intended to improve search ranking.
Apple will start reviewing old apps on September 7. Below, see one of Apple's official messaging as regards this change.

Facebook CEO - Mark Zukerberg Pays Visit To Lagos, Nigeria

We’ve just confirmed that Mark Zuckerberg is at the CoCreation Hub, Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria at this very moment. He arrived this afternoon from Rome and is currently meeting with a few key players in the Nigerian technology sphere. In CcHub, he engaged with students and was in apparent wonderment at children coding.

Mark was in Rome with his wife, Priscilla, until a few hours ago (according to his Facebook page). He held a Q&A session, visited the Pope and did a few “touristy” things.

There’s been a lot of Facebook-related development in Nigeria so there’s a ton of reasons why Mark may be visiting. First, Free Basics launched in Nigeria and Mark showed his support for the Jobberman team. Then the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative invested $24 million in Andela. Facebook’s developer workshop is happening tomorrow, and yesterday, we reported that Facebook is partnering with Cool Link to launch Express Wifi in Lagos some time this week.

There is going to be a Facebook Developer’s event tomorrow and I was expecting top devs from the Facebook team to show up, but apparently it is Zuckerberg himself that will be chairing the event tomorrow.

I reckon Mark is in Nigeria to kill all these birds – visit Jobberman, the Andela team he’s invested in, attend the developer workshop, launch Express Wifi AND have policy-centred conversations with the Nigerian government to further Facebook’s cause.

Infinix Unveils 5 minutes fast charge smartphone ‘NOTE 3’ in Nigeria with Partners JUMIA and MTN

Infinix Mobility is Africa’s leading mid-ranged smartphone brand with the most innovative product portfolio in 2016. The brand received 2 awards in Nigeria for best smartphone brand of 2015/2016 from Beacon of ICT and also Titans of Tech. The brand unveiled its latest smartphone ‘Infinix NOTE 3’ as the first ever smartphone with the remarkable 5 minutes charge function for users.

Infinix ushered ‘NOTE 3’ into Nigerian market with a launch event themed #JIMSbigthing in partnership with Jumia & MTN at Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos. The smartphone comes with more remarkable features which will delight all mobile phone lovers in Nigeria.

Apart from the highlighted 5 Minutes charge for 200 minutes talk time, it also comes with 6inch HD screen, 4500mAh battery, Finger print recognition, 13MP back camera, 5MP front camera, water-cooling technology to prevent battery overheating. The Fast charge feature is specially tailored to suit the unique needs of the African market, where customers need fully charged phones at all times to connect with family and friends!

The Infinix Note 3 is also preloaded with the latest Infinix User interface ‘XOS’. XOS comes with fast RAM speed, stylish wallpapers, efficient gestures, which allows users to optimize their Infinix smartphone.

Speaking about the launch of Infinix NOTE 3, Regional country manager Infinix Mobility, Bruno li, stated, “We are very proud of our latest smartphone NOTE 3 and also the partnership for JIM with Jumia & MTN 2nd year in a row. We intend to make history with Infinix NOTE 3’s 5 Minutes fast charge technology and we are sure the product will be welcomed by our users and fans in Nigeria.”

Customers can purchase the phone on Jumia.com.ng. As strategic partners for Infinix NOTE 3 launch, the Jumia team will ensure prompt delivery to customers anywhere they are in Nigeria. Speaking about the partnership Thomas Simonet Head of Vendor Management, Jumia "Today, Jumia is incredibly proud to team up again with Infinix and MTN, offering Note 3 with MTN data bundle exclusive to Jumia. More than ever, we want to help our customers and fans to afford top quality product and data at unbeatable prices through an effortless shopping experience."

On its part, Nigeria’s leading network, MTN continues to offer fast and reliable internet to its customers and this will enable Infinix NOTE 3 users to optimize their smartphone use with a 7GB data bundle for N2,000 or a 3GB bundle for N1,000 only. The offer is exclusive to Infinix Note 3 users and it is part of the MTN 100% bonus offer.

Speaking on this partnership with Infinix and Jumia, The General Manager Consumer Marketing, MTN Nigeria, Richard Iweanoge, said, “the launch of this phone is coming at a time we have commenced the roll out of 4G/LTE services in the country. As such, we are excited about the possibilities that this phone brings to our customers. We also look forward to providing users with quality service and internet speeds that will enrich their digital experience.”

Microsoft Rewards Will Now Pay You To Use Its Edge Browser

Microsoft has a new browser. It launched with Windows 10 and it’s called Edge. The company says it’s faster, more battery efficient and all-round better than Chrome or Firefox.

This week, Microsoft announced that it is re-branding the former Bing rewards to Microsoft rewards. This platform will pay you to use the Edge browser and Bing. Edge users who sign up for Microsoft Rewards, would be awarded points simply for using the browser. The bad news is this feature is currently available to users in the USA.

How? Microsoft would actively monitor whether you are using the program for up to 30 hours a month, you also have to make Bing as your default search engine to earn points. Points can then be traded in for vouchers or credit for places such as Starbucks, Skype, Amazon and ad-free Outlook.com.

So if you are currently running on windows 10 and you are a USA user, you could try out the Microsoft rewards.