Ntel Introduces Three truly Unlimited Night Plans

Without a doubt in mind, Ntel has gradually become one of the top providers of 4G connectivity in the country since launching last year. Although it doesn't have coverage in many states in the country.

After recently increasing the price of their unlimited plan, they have introduced really cheap unlimited night plans to console their enraged users.

They made the announcement on their social handles saying:

"Get the unlimited data that fits your pocket! Ntel Unlimited U data from as low as N500. No Data cap! No Throttling! Truely Unlimited!!"

N500 Unlimited U from 10pm - 6pm (valid for 2 days)
N1500 Unlimited U from 10pm - 6pm (valid for 7 days)
N5000 Unlimited U from 10pm - 6pm(valid for 30 days)

Personally, I believe this is a really helpful plan especially when you have large files to download.
Although, I don't think this plan is here to stay, according to Ntel the plans expires March 4th 2018.

Click here for more details

Airtel Unfortunately Stops Their Newly Launched Unlimited Data Plans

Few months ago, AIRTEL launched three new unlimited plans that really excited its users unknown to them that their excitement would be cut short before the end of the year.

The "10, 15 and 20" unlimited plans have been curbed for reasons best known to them.

According to them, the 10k, 15k and 20k data plans were promos and now they have been stopped.

According to YomiProf, when you subscribe to the unlimited 10 data plan you are only limited to 20GB of use and the unlimited 15 plan gives 40GB valid for 30days.

Also you can now check your remaining data by dialing *140# unlike before when it was unlimited.

For those that already have an active data plan, they can unlimitedly use their data till it expires.

Whatsapp To Stop Working On These Platforms Come December 31st

According to a blog post on WhatsApp blog, WhatsApp will stop working on some smartphones and mobile platforms in the new year(2018).

From 1 January 2018, the messenger app won’t work on any device running Windows Phone 8.0 (or older versions of the operating system), BlackBerry OS or BlackBerry 10.

According to whatsApp, “When we started WhatsApp in 2009, people’s use of mobile devices looked very different from today. The Apple App Store was only a few months old. About 70 percent of smartphones sold at the time had operating systems offered by BlackBerry and Nokia,” it reads.

“Mobile operating systems offered by Google, Apple and Microsoft – which account for 99.5 percent of sales today – were on less than 25 percent of mobile devices sold at the time.”

See Also: Whatsapp End Support For Blackberry Devices, Some Windows And Others

The platforms that are being unsupported are unpopular, and have been for some time. The company ended support for Nokia Symbian S60 devices back in June.

They are also planning to stop support for Nokia S40 devices on 31 December 2018 and phones running Android versions 2.3.7(GingerBread) and older on 1 February 2020.
Although these devices are still supported, WhatsApp is no longer actively developing for them, which means some features could stop functioning at any moment.

“While these mobile devices have been an important part of our story, they don’t offer the kind of capabilities we need to expand our app’s features in the future,” the company's blog post said..

“This was a tough decision for us to make, but the right one in order to give people better ways to keep in touch with friends, family, and loved ones using WhatsApp.

“If you use one of these affected mobile devices, we recommend upgrading to a newer Android, iPhone, or Windows Phone."

I don't think this would affect a lot people because I doubt people still use the targeted devices.

Apple Sued For Intentional Slowing Down Older iPhones

Some users of the popular iPhone devices recently came out to accuse Apple of slowing down their phones after a period of use and suprisingly, rather than coming out to refute the claims Apple actually admitted to doing what it was accused of.

Apple stated that because of the degradation of lithium-ion batteries over time, the measure was put in place to prevent phones from shutting down suddenly and to protect their internals. The software updates, according to Apple, would prolong the lifespan of batteries.

The statement by Apple may turn out to be a disaster, as angry customers have continued to express their anger at the company. According to TMZ, a class action suit has been filed against Apple by Stefan Bogdanovich. He claims that Apple’s action of slowing down older iPhones causes customers to suffer, especially those with the iPhone 7 and 7s.

Stefan Bogdanovich is unhappy that the company never requested permission from customers before going ahead with the plan. Stefan claims that slowing down older models reduces the value of the phones. Stefan also alleges that slowing down the phones is a tactic to encourage customers to buy the newest models. Bogdanovich is requesting damages and wants Apple to stop slowing down older iPhones.

Some iPhone users have threatened to ditch their iPhones for Android phones, but we all know that Apple fanboys are one of themost loyal customers in the world and most likely stick to their iPhones.

Facebook Introduces Snooze Feature Allowing You To Mute Unwanted Friends

If you follow happenings on Facebook, Whatsapp and other Zuckerberg companies, you would know that there is a similar thing between them which is regular updates and introduction of new features.

See Also: How To Add Facebook Page Box To Blogger Blog

As usual, Facebook is now rolling out a new feature called the Snooze feature to all users after a period of testing which occurred back in September. The new feature allows you mute a friend, page, or group for 30 days. Within this period, you would not see any of their updates on your News Feed.

Personally, I think this feature is really needed because certain people on my timeline are starting to talk about things that are of absolutely no interest to me while some updates are just really annoying, at least this will reduce the torture i have to go through everyday reading these updates.

I know what you're thinking ("Why don't I just unfriend them, right?) The thing is I don't want be seen as the guy that unfriends/blocks people on Facebook but most importantly I just to lazy to locate and press the "unfriend button".

However, if you're not like me and you actually have the time to unfriend someone, then you can stick with that.

Glo, Airtel And Smile Among Last 5 bidders For 9Mobile

I recently wrote a post about the 16 companies that where bidding for 9mobile including our very own Globacom. Right now, more companies have been booted out and we are down to 5 companies.

The last five companies are;

Globacom

Airtel

Smile

Teleology Holdings Limited

Helios

These five companies are cleared to proceed to the final stage where only one would emerge winner.

9Mobile Introduces New Data Plans 5.5GB For N4000

9mobile, one of the major telecom providers in Nigeria recently introduced a new data plan and if you ask me, I'd say the plan is pretty laughable comparing to what other providers are offering.

According to Yomiprof, he got a text saying

Buy 5.5GB at N4000 and get free 1.3GB data valid for 14 days. Unlock FREE data when you buy 1GB or more within 30 days. Dial *229*2*36# valid/30days.

.

That means you get 6.8Gb worth of data at N4000 on 9mobile when you can get 24GB at the same price of N4000, isn't that plain crazy?

He said he also got another text saying;

Get 5GB data at N2000 to browse from 7pm - 7am and weekends from Friday 7pm till Monday 7am. You also get all-day FREE access to Whatsapp. Dial *229*3*13#. Valid 30 days

I don't think this new plan should have even be introduced at all.
In a market where you have many competitors, you need to everything possible to entice customers t your side not scare them away.

UC Browser Has Returned To Google Playstore

About a week ago, Alibaba group's popular browser UC browser was taken off the google playstore however, it has returned to the popular App store.
Reason for its removal being that UC Browser was allegedly using unhealthy and misleading practices to promote its app.

According to the group, this has been rectified in the latest build which was uploaded to Google Play. The company in a statement said the new version is available for users with updated technical settings strictly in line with Google Play's policy.

UC browser currently has over 500,000 installs on play store and it is without a doubt one of the fastest browser when it comes to downloading stuffs online.

After all the craziness, UC browser is back online and you can get it from the google play store now.

I'll try to install the app, see if I can spot any differences.

Google Stops Tracking Android Users' Location

I recently made a post reporting that Android phones sends its user's location to Google without permission.
Google has come forward to state that it will no longer track user's locations, a practice which impacts users' privacy.

Google said it chose to end the practice right after the report was brought to its attention.

In a statement emailed to USA TODAY, Google offered an explanation regarding the practice: "To ensure messages and notifications are received quickly, modern Android phones use a network sync system that requires the use of Mobile Country Codes (MCC) and Mobile Network Codes (MNC). In January of this year, we began looking into using Cell ID codes as an additional signal to further improve the speed and performance of message delivery."
Android phones regularly ping Google's servers using a system known as Firebase Cloud Messaging.

Google said that the location data were never stored in its network sync system, "so that data was immediately discarded."

Nevertheless, Google states that it is no longer requesting such Cell ID codes.

Google however reach out to advertisers who want to target customers based on their locations, through the company's online AdWords advertising program. Google can determine location through data collected via GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or in some instances a cell tower.

I think this is a good step, no one likes to be tracked without prior notice or permission.

9Mobile Is Up For Sale - Who Do You Think Would Buy It?

9mobile is currently up for sale after the initial saga that led them into changing names from Etisalat to 9mobile. The scramble to acquire 9mobile, Nigeria’s fourth largest network operator, has advanced to the next stage.

10 bidders are left out of the 16 who expressed interest in the purchase. And the highest bidder will acquire 9mobile.

Here is a List of The 10 bidders of 9mobile

1. Globacom Nigeria Limited, Nigeria’s second largest network operator
2. Airtel Nigeria
3. Dangote Group’s telecoms business unit
4. Alheri Engineering Limited
5. Smile Telecoms Holdings
6. Centricus Capital and Africell
7. Abraaj Capital (Based in Dubai)
8. Teleology Holdings Limited
9. The Carlyle Group
10. Africa Capital Alliance (ACA)

The 10 firms above have been pre-qualified to submit their financial bids for the acquisition of 9mobile, this will be the final process through which a winner with the highest bid submitted for 9mobile, will emerge.

9mobile, formerly Etisalat Nigeria, was put on the block early this year after it defaulted on a $1.2 billion loan from a consortium of 13 Nigerian banks. Etisalat Group the mother company in Abu Dhabi backed out leaving its Nigeria arm of business to its own fate, to survive on a new name.

The question is, who do you think should acquire 9mobile among the 10 bidders?

Android Phones Has Secretly Been Sending Your Location To Google

Android phones gather your location data and send it to Google, regardless of if you have location services turn on or not, even if you don’t have a SIM card.

Since January, all kinds of Android phones and tablets have been collecting the addresses of nearby cellular towers and sending the encrypted data to Google when connected to the internet.

According to Google, An update that removes this cell tower data-collecting feature will roll out by the end of this month.
Google’s terms of service, at the time of publish, still states;

“When you use Google services, we may collect and process information about your actual location” using “various technologies... including IP address, GPS, and other sensors that may, for example, provide Google with information on nearby devices, Wi-Fi access points and cell tower.” 

There is no way to prevent your location data from being sent to Google even if you turn off location/GPS services or even factory reset the phone.

Personally, I frown at such acts because I don't really like my location getting out. Not because I'm doing anything illegal or nothing I just like my privacy

I really hope Google does something to stop this.

Upcoming WhatsApp Updates Will Give Specialized Powers To Group Admins

Whatsapp has seen countless updates since coming under the management of Facebook, One of the coolest being the recently added recall/delete message feature that allows you to delete already sent messages.

Now, what we are expecting to see an update which gives group admins specialized powers, though no specific time has been stated for the release of this update.

Admin Super Powers: The update will prevent the group creator from being deleted from the group by other administrators. This will help the group creator to have the total control of the group.

Subject Modification: The administrators will be able to choose if other participants can change the subject of the group,group icon and its description, as shown below in this Android screenshot:

Chat Restriction in Groups: Administrators will be able to disable the chat features in the group: that means all participants won’t be able to send text messages, images, videos, GIFs, documents or voice messages to the group. They won't be able to do anything in the group, and a notification will appear in the chat sayong “only admin can send messages to this group”

Only admins will be able to interact within the group while other participants can only read messages but won’t be able to reply. This is necessary if admin want to pass an info or a training is going on in the group.

However, all this features have already been seen on Telegram.
I think Whatsapp needs to increase its maximum group limit too, 256 is quite inadequate.

Airtel Introduces 4.5GB For 1000, 9.5GB For 2000 plus Free YouTube Streaming

Airtel has introduced a new data package for YouTube lovers; just like 9mobile's free YouTube offer when you buy a package.

According to Airtel,
Recharge N1000 and get 4.5GB data (1.5GB android data + 3GB YouTube streaming)
Recharge N2000 and get 9.5GB data (3.5GB android data + 6GB YouTube streaming)
Recharge N2500 and get 15GB data (5GB android data + 10GB YouTube streaming)
Recharge N3500 and get 17GB data (7GB android data + 10GB YouTube streaming)
Recharge N4000 and get 19GB data (9GB android data + 10GB YouTube streaming)

Each of the data will last you for 30 days but the YouTube free data is only usable at night.

How Can I Get it?
Dial *323# and follow the prompt.

Also with Anonytun, the YouTube data can be forced to work with your browser, download and rock the hell out of it.

What do you think?

Check Out The World's First 5G Device

Though a lot of people haven't even gotten to taste the speed of 4G, technology waits for no man as 5G has recently been introduced.

Recently, at the 2017 Qualcomm 4G/5G Summit, Qualcomm announced that they successfully demonstrated 5G data connection on a single-chip 5G modem—the Qualcomm Snapdragon X50 5G modem.
 The company was able to achieve a download speed of more than 1 gigabit per second😱😱


Sherif Hanna the marketing lead for LTE and 5G NR modems at Qualcomm posted a picture with a caption which read: “Hard to believe that I have the world's first 5G smartphone in my hand!”

The image which displays the rear camera of the phone, shows horizontally aligned dual-camera and vertically aligned dual LED flash. A logo of Qualcomm Snapdragon appears towards the bottom of the phone.

The phone is a reference design and for the testing and optimisation of their 5G mmWave performance within the constraints of a mobile form factor.

He further clarifies that the device is designed to support multi-mode i.e. 2G/3G/4G/5G.
Even though some locations are still struggling with 3G stable connection, 4G technology looks strange to them and here we are, 5G is knocking at the door.

Qualcomm Seeks To Ban Manufacture And Sale Of iPhones In China

Qualcomm, the world's largest mobile chip maker recently got into a legal spat against Apple.

Now,Qualcomm has filed several lawsuits against Apple in China, looking to stop the sale and manufacturing of iPhones in the China.

The legal battle between Apple and Qualcomm has been on for months now. The companies are in a disagreement over how much Apple should pay for the radio chip it uses to power the iPhone's cellular connection.
Apple thinks Qualcomm charges too much. Qualcomm believes Apple isn't recognizing the other technologies that go into the component.

Qualcomm charges its client based on the value of the phone not by the value of their chips. Apple disagrees with this as it thinks it should pay a fee based only on the value of Qualcomm's connectivity chips, not the entire phone. It says Qualcomm is "effectively taxing Apple's innovation" and that Apple "shouldn't have to pay them for technology breakthroughs they have nothing to do with."

Qualcomm also makes the processor for marquee phones like the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and LG V30.

TSTV Promises 5000 Free Decoders To Nigerians

Satellite TV service provider, TSTV, says its TSTV decoders will begin commercial operation on November 1.
Its Managing Director, Bright Echefu, made this known while briefing newsmen on Saturday in Abuja.

Echefu also added that TSTV would launch its services with about one million decoders nationwide.

He said at least 5,000 free TSTV decoders would be released to the public next week, he also added that the first set of decoders would come with one month free subscription to test run its services.

Echefu said: “Commercialization of our decoders will resume officially on November 1 and by that time, every part of Nigeria would have TSTV decoders for people to buy."

“We are releasing about one million decoders, which can go round, and our target for the first quarter is one million units.
“In every quarter, we will bring one million units and we are targeting four million units within the next one year.
“I can tell you categorically that some decoders will be released next week for Nigerians to test and we are going to cover the 36 states of the federation.
“These decoders are going to be free and close to 5,000 units to test and that will last for two weeks.”

Twitter Plans To Double Its Tweet-Count Limit

Originally, I wasn't really a dedicated twitter users, honestly I didn't really understand how it worked. Until earlier this year when I was practically forced into using the app by one of my friends and trust me I didn't regret it.

Among other social networks, Twitter stands out in its own unique way and believe it or not, the 140-character tweet limit adds to its uniqueness.

However, Twitter announced on Tuesday that it is doubling its character count for tweets -- from 140 characters to 280 characters.
This new development is currently in its test-phase and is currently available for a very small group Twitter users who were chosen at random.
The test group will include those who tweet in certain languages, including English, Spanish and Portuguese.

Twitter says it hopes people will embrace the change. But considering the move strays from its original design, it's likely to cause some backlash.

Why You Shouldn't Use Unlock Patterns To Protect Your Phone

One of the beauties of the Android OS is that it gives users the option to pick from different security options to secure their phone. However most users end up using the most basic and easiest to copy.

Android unlock patterns are easy to copy and less secure than fingerprint scanners and passcodes, research has revealed.

Bystanders with little technical expertise can copy your pattern from a distance. Trust me it's true, can't count how many unlock patterns my brain has stored from just a single glance😂

The study found that numbered passcodes, which are used on the iPhone and also available on Android phones, are far more secure.

"PINs are the most secure means of phone security from people around.

This is because patterns are easier to remember, and because the shape is easier to spy on compared to typed numbers, according to the researchers.

Android users can opt to secure their phone with a password or passcode by going to Settings > Lock screen and security. The safest and fastest way, though, is to use the device's fingerprint scanner.

Get 100% Return Of Your Donations In 16 days With Treasureminers

TreasureMiners is a revolutionary peer-to-peer platform that offers financial opportunities to her participants in a bid to establish independence.
TreasureMiners is a result of frantic, consistent brainstorming, we have carefully reviewed the reasons for the failure of other peer-to-peer platforms and carefully come up with a system that we believe will rise above the mistake of others.

TreasureMiners is a well-designed Peer-2-peer donation platform that is built to last. It is very disheartening and unfortunate that most of us have lost huge amount of money in one hit-and-run ponzi scheme or the other, this is the chance to get your losses back.


TreasureMiners will officially launch on October 1st 2017.

Key Features Of TreasureMINERS

• 100% of your donation in 16days in local currency (No bitcoin).
• Strong recommitment policy
• 20% down payment to kick out fake participants
• 48hrs time frame for payments
• Active support
• Minimum donation of 10k and maximum of 500k

How Does TreasureMiners Really Work?

TreasureMiners Offers 100% Return On Investments in 16 days. Immediately you "Donate Treasures", you'd be matched to pay 20% of your total donation, after the 20% has been confirmed, you'll be matched to pay the remaining 80% anytime.

The system has a Recommitment policy of 50% of your previous donation before Mining.

On your withdrawal date you'll be required to recommit 50% of your previous donation in this process 20% first then the remaining 30% will be matched almost immediately after that you'll be matched to Mine the 100% after which you'd be required to complete the remaining 50% anytime within 16days.

OFFICIAL WHATSAPP GROUP LINK
https://chat.whatsapp.com/BdawfPhq0U3DutmLuE7lU0

OFFICIAL TELEGRAM GROUP LINK
https://t.me/joinchat/EAwqbkI2qSXL-xoWddjL

WEBSITE LINK- Treasureminers.com

Referral Commission?
Ordinary participants get a one-time bonus of 5% from their direct Down lines while those who have up to 30 downlines automatically become a MENTOR and will be entitled to a life time bonus...

Note: Participant wouldn't be able to GH their bonuses if their Donation isn't up to at least half Of Their Bonuses

Twitter Bringing Its Data-saving 'lite' App To Developing Countries

Twitter Lite was launched earlier this year as a Web app. However now, Twitter is packaging its data-friendly, space-saving Lite mobile web app into a regular app version, starting with Android.

Twitter is currently testing out the Android app only in the Philippines for now, which might lead to a large scale later on.

The Twitter Lite app takes up less space on your device (less than 3MB), and demand less resources, so it can load faster on low-end to mid-range smartphones.

More importantly, the app is made to work under poor network conditions, so it'll have some caching to work offline. It'll also show a preview of images and videos, and will only download media if the user chooses to.

Remember that Facebook launched its low-data version, Facebook Lite on Android two years ago.

By February this year, Facebook Lite already grew its user base to 200 million.

Infinix Note 4 Pro Users Experiencing Charging Issues?

According to Yomiprof, some Infinix Note 4 Pro (recently users are complaining bitterly about the charging quality of the device.
For now, we don’t know if all Note 4 Pro users are experiencing this issue or if it's affecting just a few.

A user complained saying,

The note 4 Pro takes more than 5hours to get to 67% while charging

The Charger dont work at all when the current is low... I read about this charger before I bought this phone I was told its Xcharge 4.0..... The charger that came with infinix note 3 works better, charges fast and even charge more faster when current is low...

According to him, he got the Note 4 Pro few days ago and is already experiencing these issues. Another user also said "too bad mine is one month old now. but I somehow believe you".
As I said earlier, I don’t know if other Note 4 users are experiencing this same issue. Is your fast charge working well?

GO Keyboard Caught Stealing Users Data Sending To Third Party Servers

GO Keyboard, a really popular Android keyboard app was caught collecting user data and downloading and running code from a third-party server.

The discovery was made by engineers at AdGuard, a provider of ad-blocking technology. AdGuard said they noticed suspicious requests while analyzing the app's web traffic following its installation.

The company was looking into GO Keyboard's behavior after an incident with another custom keyboard, TouchPal, that started showing ads over the typing area this past July.

While investigating GO Keyboard for similar intrusive ads, AdGuard says it detected the app collecting a large amount of data from the device right after installation and sending it to a remote server.

"GO keyboard reports to its servers your Google account email in addition to language, IMSI, location, network type, screen size, Android version and build, device model, etc.," said Andrey Meshkov, AdGuard co-founder.

Meshkov found that the app also communicates with dozens of third-party trackers and ad networks.

Collecting user data without user consent and downloading and executing code from a third-party server (bypassing the app review process) — is forbidden for apps uploaded on the Google Play Store.

AdGuard says it informed Google of the app's behavior, but at the time of their investigation publication, the Google team had not answered their report.

iOS 11 Out - How To Update Your iPhone, iPad and iPod

The new iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X are here and everyone wants a feel of that new iPhone, but what if you don't have enough money to make that happen?

You can easily transform your older iPhone, giving it new looks and new features with the new iOS 11.

In this post, I will guide you on how to update your iOS devices to the latest iOS 11 version.

How to Update your iOS Device to iOS 11

Before we proceed, there are three things you need to do first.

1. Back Up your iOS device.
2. Charge Up your device, to prevent interruptions
3. Make space on your device, You need over 2GB of space to make it work.

Now that you have all that set up, let's proceed…

There are two methods to updating your iOS devices and I'll be covering both methods.

Updating To iOS 11 via OTA Upgrade 

If you have an available Wi-Fi network, you can upgrade to iOS 11 right from your device, no need to connect to any computer or iTunes.
Make sure you have about 80% of battery or connect to a charger source and go to Settings > General > Software Update. iOS will automatically check for the latest update, then prompt you to download and install iOS 11.

If you are using a mobile network, make sure you have data that is enough for the update size.

Updating To iOS 11 via iTunes

To do this, make sure your iTunes is updated to v12.7.
Connect your iOS device to your PC.
Itunes should automatically pop up.
Click the iPhone or iPad icon in the top-left corner of iTunes, next to the drop-down menu for the various sections of your iTunes library.
Click on Check for Update > Download and Update.
Follow the prompts, accept the terms, and let iTunes complete the process.

That's all... Now you can enjoy features like editing Live Photos, customizing the new Control Center, Emergency Mode, the hard G GIF,  Do not disturb while driving and lots more.

Google's N13,000 Freetel Ice 2 Has Been Launched

Google announced sometime back that it'll be launching the Freetel Ice 2 device in Nigeria.
The Freetel Ice 2 is not a Google smartphone, but Google partnered with a Japanese smart phone brand TD Mobile, to launch the smartphone in Nigerian.

The smartphone has been launched and is Google GMS certified, meaning that the device meets Google’s performance requirements and properly runs Google Apps. The device was also launched in partnership with MTN and comes pre-loaded with MTN’s latest apps including MTN Music Plus.


In addition, all customers who buy the device will enjoy double data bonus on every data bundle they purchase for three months

The device also comes pre-loaded with World reader’s free e-library of 50,000 e-books – an app that enables users to read their favorite books at no cost.

FREETEL ICE 2 SPECS

• 5.5 inch
• 1GB RAM + 8GB ROM
• 3G enabled
• Dual sim support
• 5MP Rear + 2MP selfie camera
• Quad-core MediaTek MT680 processor.

The phone is budget friendly and I think it will go well with the Nigerian market.
Its currently available on Konga for N13,000

GLO Declares September 28th As Free Data Day

After holding the first Free Data Day on August 11th which came with a lot of mixed reactions, Glo has declared Friday 28th of Sept 2017 as the second Data Free Day on Glo network.

The conditions for the coming Free Data Day is the same as the last one.
Subscribers who use 100MB plus N150 on voice calls OR N250 on voice calls a week before the D day will enjoy a FULL DAY of FREE browsing, chatting, streaming, downloading, uploading and lots more on the 28th of September.

You don’t need to do anything special to qualify for Glo Free Data Day… Just spend N250 or more on call 7 days to the free data day. Fair usage policy will be applicable

TSTV Decoder Coming To Threaten DSTV prominence?

TSTV has partnered with Europe-based TV station ABS Global to launch their Satellite into the Nigerian market.

Telecom Satelite Tv (TSTv) offers a Pay-As-You-Consume plan unlike the fixed monthly subscription seen on other TV providers in Nigeria.
TSTV also offers a lot of local and international channels and packages for your Entertainment, News, Sports, Kids, Health etc.

It uses a technology called HBB TV tech, HBB is a combination of satellite and internet service for TV service, TSTV will run on 4.5g network every subscriber will get 20gig of data for 3k monthly, the data can also be used for video calls and wifi.

Below are some FAQs about TSTV;

How much is the TSTV decoder and what are its features?

The TSTV Decoder + Dish costs N5000. The TSTV Decoder Offers 100+ Channels, FREE 20GB Data, Video Calls, Pause Subscription, Record & Playback Feature And More

How much is TSTV Subscription Fee?

TSTV Subscription Fees go as low as N200, N500, N1000, N1500 and N3000. Note that with TSTV, as mentioned earlier, you don't pay for subscriptions monthly or periodically. Instead, You pay as you consume.

Where are TSTV service locations?

TSTV Africa will function in ALL states in Nigeria.

When is the official launch date of TSTV?

TSTV will be officially launched on the 1st of October 2017.

What channels can I watch on TSTV?

TSTV shows Live Sports like Premier League, UEFA Champions League, Europa League and so much more. Sports Channels on TSTV Africa are bein Sport 1-10, Fox Sport HD, and Ts Sports.
Some of Entertainment Channels on TSTV are E entertainment, Tele Novela, Fox, MBC 4.

Below are the Full list of channels available on TSTV;

Where can I purchase TSTV Decoders?
TSTV Africa decoder shall be available on sale nationwide from 1st October. But before then, dealers outlet location addresses shall be made known for easy accessibility of the decoders.

You can also become an official TSTV dealer or installer by clicking Here to register.

Chinese Government To Shut Down Bitcoin Exchanges

Over the past year Bitcoin has greatly increased in value, mostly due to its popularity in China.
Unfortunately for Bitcoin, the Chinese government is not a fan of cryptocurrencies, which are mostly traded by Chinese citizens who are hedging against falls in the yuan.

In the past, the Chinese government has banned Bitcoin transactions at banks and retailers, and recently it banned ICOs, Initial Coin Offerings. Now it’s going further:

Chinese authorities are ordering domestic bitcoin exchanges to shut down. China’s central bank, working with other regulators, has drafted instructions banning Chinese platforms from providing virtual currency trading services.

It’s still legal to mine and invest in Bitcoins, but for how much longer? China seems really determined to keep Bitcoin from gaining any more traction. Will it work? Or will determined traders figure out a way to keep using Bitcoin regardless?

 In the past, China’s actions have pushed down the value of Bitcoin for short periods, but it always rebounds, soaring even higher. Recently it hit $5,000 before falling to a bit over $4,000 and as at the time of writing this article, it has fallen even further below $4,000.

The latest Chinese action could push Bitcoin down even further. And if it doesn’t, will China get tougher, banning Bitcoin investment entirely?.
If China goes, so does Bitcoin.

Apple Unveils iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus And iPhone X

Apple has officially announced the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, which are successors of last year’s iPhone 7 and 7 Plus models.
The new models come with faster processors, a True Tone display, and upgraded cameras.

One of the biggest design changes in the new devices is a glass back, in order to enable inductive wireless charging, which wouldn’t have worked through the aluminum casing of the old model. And, like the iPhone 7 models, there’s still no 3.5mm headphone jack.

The wireless charging works just like on other smartphones. Simply place the phone on a charging pad, and it’ll charge up.
Apple will be using the widely used Qi charging standard, which is good news for anyone who’s already bought wireless chargers.

Apple has improved the display on the iPhone 8 line, adding the same True Tone technology it offers on the 10.5-inch iPad Pro to automatically adjust the screen based on the ambient light in the room to offer more accurate colors.

Internally, Apple has upgraded the processor from the A10 Fusion found in the iPhone 7 to the A11 Bionic. It’s a six-core chip with two performance cores that are 25 percent faster than the A10, and four performance cores that the company says are 70 percent faster that the old model. There’s also a new Apple-designed GPU that’s 30 percent faster, with the same performance as the A10 at half the power.

For the camera, there’s a new 12-megapixel sensor on the iPhone 8 that is larger, faster, and finally has optical image stabilization(OIS). The iPhone 8 Plus also has new sensors, and offers f/1.8 and f/2.8 apertures now. The dual cameras on the 8 Plus also has a new “Portrait Lighting” feature that adjusts the lighting for portrait shots.
And Apple says that the improvements apply to video too, with Apple executive Phil Schiller claiming that the new devices have the “highest quality video capture ever in a smartphone,” with support for 4K/60fps video. Slow motion videos now support up to 1080p resolution at 240fps, doubling the the iPhone 7’s 120fps option.

Apple is touting the iPhone 8 as the first smartphone designed for augmented reality(AR), with cameras calibrated for AR, along with a new gyroscope and accelerometer for better motion tracking.

The iPhone 8 pricing start at $699 for the 64GB model, while the 8 Plus start at $799 for 64GB of storage. Both models will also have 256GB variants which for now has unannounced prices.
Both phones will be available for preorder starting Friday, September 15th, with a release date a week later on September 22nd.

MTN Unveils Time Based YouTube Data Plan

MTN recently introduced a timebased Youtube plan for people who love to stream videos, watch shows and live streams.

The two new plans offers 1hour of streaming for N150 and the 3hours for N400. For now, it is unknown if fair usage applies to the plans that is they are limited or unlimited what we know for sure is that at the end of your 1 or 3 hour period, the data will expire.

How can To Subscribe To MTN YouTube Plan

Dial *131*8# or dial *131# and reply with 8.

And to check your Youtube hourly bundle balance, dial *559*18#.

How To Get 1GB For N200 or 5Gb for N1000 on 9mobile

Since their transition from Etisalat to 9mobile, there has been a lot of complaints about that quality, people complain that the speed is nothing to write home about.

However, lately there has been noticeable improvements, and to compliment this improvement the Telecom provider has unveiled a new data plan called Special Data.

With 9mobile Special Data, you get 1GB of data for just N200.

HOW TO ACTIVATE 9MOBILE 1GB FOR N200

It's simple, load your 9mobile line with N200 and dial *929*10#

To check your Special Data balance, dial *228#

The plan is valid for 3 days and usable on all devices including PCs. Also, it works all day long.

You can subscribe multiple times, when you subscribe to the 9mobile special data plan five times you get 5GB for 1000.

What do you think about the new plan?

GIONEE M7 Coming Soon

Popular Chinese phone maker, Gionee is warming up to unveil its newest device in its much acclaimed M series.
According to reports, the phone will have a full screen Edge-to-Edge display with ultra-narrow bezels, similar to its teaser.

The company teased a promotional poster of the upcoming Gionee M7 which shows the device with no bezels at sides and very thin bezels at the top & bottom just like the other full-screen devices like the SAMSUNG S8. The teaser talks about collaboration with bicycle company Ofo for “doing things” and comes with a tagline of “M7 Joint card invites you to see the world in full screen”, clearly indicating that the phone is designed with full-screen as confirmed by the phone image in the teaser too.


Other details revealed on GFxbench listed a 6-inch (2160 x 1080 pixels) Full HD+ screen with 18:9 aspect ratio, latest MediaTek Helio P30 SoC, 6GB RAM, 64GB storage, Android 7.1.1 (Nougat), 16-megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel front-facing camera.

Nigerians Spend Over N197B On Data Subscription Monthly

According to the recent statistics released, it is recorded that Telecoms subscribers in Nigeria spend over N197 billion on data subscriptions every month.


Research by Daily Trust from the four GSM operators revealed an estimate of the categories of data users and how much they spent on data monthly.

According to the survey, about 70% of internet users or 64m use up to N1000 data monthly each, raising the operators’ revenue base by N64bn.


Also, about 15% or 13.8m data users, mostly small business owners and middle-class people, purchase an average of N3000 data monthly, contributing N41.1bn every month to the figures.

Similarly, 10% of internet subscribers or 9.15m use N5000 each every month, growing the operators’ revenue by N45.6bn.

About 5% of internet subscribers or 4.6m buy N10,000 data each, increasing the mobile internet companies’ revenue by N46bn, according to findings made by Daily Trust.

Recall that the latest Monthly Subscriber/Operator Data released by the regulator last month showed that MTN had 58,121,427 users, and Glo 37,270,100 customers, Airtel 34,336,802 while 9mobile has 19,621,806 users.
The remaining figures are shared between the other smaller operators.

Although 92m of the 149.5m subscribers are active internet users, and they depend on data provided by the telcos to access the Internet and socialise on the social media.

Source : DAILY Trust

UBA Cards No Longer Support Dating, Betting or P0rn Subscription

The United Bank of Africa, UBA, has placed a ban on the use of its ATM Cards for subscription to p0rn, Betting, Dating and escort websites.

An email was sent across to customers on Thursday evening indicated that UBA debit and prepaid cards are now restricted from carrying out such transactions.

The email reads
“We wish to inform all cardholders that we have placed restrictions on the Bank’s debit and prepaid cards from carrying out transactions with merchants that are transacting on the following business categories; -Jewellry
-P0rnography
-Dating and Escort Services
-Betting (including lottery tickets, casino gaming chips, off-track betting and wagers)
“This has become necessary with the increased need to protect our customers and the institution from fraud, litigation and reputational damages.”

If you ask me, I think this is a really dumb move.
After all it's my money and I don't appreciate my bank deciding how I spend it.
Their duty is solely to hold my money for me, not decide what I can and cannot spend my money on.
PS: I don't subscribe to such😇

Iflix, An Alternative To Netflix And iRokoTv Launches In Nigeria

Iflix just launched in Nigeria, an alternative to Netflix and a direct competitor to iRokotv. IFlix was founded two years ago in Malaysia, and is operational in 19 countries across Asia, the Middle East and North Africa.

Iflix Nigeria Subscription Video on Demand (SVoD) hopes to position itself as the leading provider of SVoD with relevant contents tailored with quality that resonates with the viewers.


Iflix understands that data is life hence they make their content data effective, as such you can watch a 20min video with only 33MB.


iflix Important Features Includes;

1. You get unlimited access to iflix’s vast library of thousands of first-run exclusive shows, award-winning TV series, blockbuster movies, popular local and regional content, children’s programs and much more.

2. You have Access to iflix on up to 5 devices at once, including phones, tablets, laptops, desktops, TVs and other connected devices.

3. You can download TV shows and movies to any phone, tablet or mobile device to binge-watch offline, when not connected to the Internet.

4. You can share your iflix subscription with family or friends and watch shows on two different devices at the same time.

How Much is the Subscription?
Subscription for the first 1 Month is free without credit card required.
Subsequent monthly Subscription costs N799
While annual Subscription costs N6,392

Where To Download the App?
You can download the Iflix app from the Google playstore and iOS users can download the app from the Apple store and if you are using a PC you can watch directly from their official site.

Google Is Recruiting Beta Testers For Its Google Plus App

Google is seeking people to help test new features and give them feedbacks.

If you sign up for Google's beta test program, you will be granted early access to new updates of Google+. Yes, that means you will get new features on Google+ before anybody else. You'll also interact with the product team at Google to provide feedback.

So if you are a regular poster on Google+, and would like to help Google improve G+, you can fill the form here and wait for you to be chosen. Not all who apply will be accepted, though.

Google isn't the first to do this though, I'm a beta tester for both WhatsApp and Snapchat(Even though I don't use snapchat that much).

Android 8.0 O Release Date + Smartphones That Will Receive The Update

One of the major setbacks with the android platform is the poor distribution of new versions.
According to Apple, 86% of apple devices are running on the recent iOS 10 while over 30% of android users are still stuck on Lollipop.

However, Google is not waiting for you as a new android version Android 8.0 O is coming soon.

Android O is coming with a lot of new updates. Beginning from early to mid-August 2017, Android O is expected to be released to eligible android devices.

As usual, Pixel users will be the first to receive the update.

What Android Phones will be Getting Android O?

According to speculations, here are the devices that will be getting Android O.

Google Pixel, Pixel XL — Being Google's own devices, the two Pixels are ought to begin receiving Android O as soon as it's officially out.

Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X — Google's former flagship phones will likely begin receiving Android O immediately after the Pixels, but should be running it before the year ends.

Samsung
Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+: No Info yet, but will like receive Android OTA update in February 2018

Galaxy Note 8: May like come with Android O out of the box… worst scenarios, Jan – Feb’18

Galaxy S7 & S7 Edge: Between March to April 2018
Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 edge, Galaxy S6 edge+: Spring time of 2018

Nokia
HMD promised that Nokia 3, 5, 6 and 8 will be getting Android O 8.0 but there are no projected time for it.

LG
LG V30, LG G6, LG V20 and LG G5: rumors suggest that these LG phones may likely get the Android 8.0 O early 2018.

For other Manufacturers, there are no word for now…
Do you think your smartphone would be getting the update?

New WhatsApp Update Allows You To Watch YouTube Directly On WhatsApp

A lot of new updates have been added on WhatsApp since coming under the management of Mark Zuckerberg and we are still expecting more features.

The most recent added features was the ability to transfer any files to your WhatsApp contacts.

Now, a new update that has been added to WhatsApp is the ability to watch Youtube videos directly on your WhatsApp instead of redirecting to Youtube app.

Though this feature is still under development but it is available for iOS users… Android users coming soon

Etisalat Officially Changes Its Name To 9Mobile

A while back, the entire Nigerian Techsphere was shocked to hear that Etisalat as we know it would be leaving and the company would getting a new name.

According to Etisalat, internal operations will not be affected and staffs will not be retrenched, the only change would be the brand's name which has now been changed.

On Thursday, July 13, Etisalat Officially changed its name after weeks of debt related crisis. The management of the company at the end of a management meeting held in Lagos adopted the name 9Mobile as the new brand name.

This happened after Etisalat International issued a 3-week ultimatum for the company to have a change of name.
Now that the name has been changed, we should begin to see effect of the name change from any moment soon, adverts, notifications on mobile devices etc.

Personally, if you ask me I think 9Mobile is a horrible choice of name.

Airtel Introduces Three New Unlimited Data Plans

Early this morning, I was going through YouTube just watching random videos when I came across something that caught my eye.

Unlimited Data Plans on Airtel??

Though there hasn't been any official statement about this, I think the video and title are self-explanatory.

From all indications, we should be expecting unlimited data plans from Airtel Soon, who else is happy?

Update:
The plans have been unlimited airtel data plans have been launched and these are their prices;
The plans come in three variants,

• N10,000 plan - dial *471# to subscribe
• N15,000 plan - dial *463# to subscribe
• N20,000 plan - dial *351# to subscribe

All plans are valid for 30days, since the plans come in different variants with different prices I believe Fair Usage applies to them. So they aren't "UNLIMITED".

How To Remove People Sharing Your Data On GLO

You might have shared your data with friends or family and you want to remove them.
Just follow the easy steps below to do it.

Simply dial *127*02*Number#

After dialing the code you would receive a message that you have stopped sharing your data with the person.

The person you removed from your data sharing list would also get a notification about it.

To see a list of people sharing your data, click here.

How To See People Sharing Your Data On Glo

GLO made sharing of data easy to do, a little bit too easy if you ask me.

Its so easy that a third party that has access to your phone can easily share your data, delete the message and you wouldn't know what had happened.

This was what happened to me, I subscribed less than a week ago only for me to wake up this morning to find out that my data has exhausted... I jumped up, how come???

Immediately, I called the customer service to find out what happened and how it happened. After much long talk, they told me that I wasn't the only one using my data, imagine my shock!

Then they told me how to see a list of people that were helping me to use my data.
After all the procedures, I got their(more than one person) numbers and kicked them out.

To see list of people sharing your data on GLO, dial *127*00# or Send “List” to 127

You will get a notification of those using your data, then you can copy out there numbers then Remove them.

I hope this helps.

Etisalat Fighting Till The Last! Unleashes New Airtime Offer

Regardless of all the issues of the rebranding or reconstruction going on at ETISALAT, the company has decided to give its customers a really interesting offer.

Etisalat has introduced an airtime bonus offer called #SBORevamp, a special offer that gives up to 10x your Recharge for 30days. The offer is open to both existing and new customers.

For new customers: get 10 times the value of your recharge daily for voice calls and data to all networks in the first month.

For existing customers: Get 7 times the value of your first recharge daily for voice calls only to all networks for 30days.

How To Activate?
Dial *819*1# to enjoy

Note that new customers also get 7times the value of their recharge in the second and third month.

Could This Be The End Of Etisalat As We Know It??

Etisalat has terminated its management agreement with its Nigerian arm and Etisalat Nigeria has been given three weeks to phase-out the brand in the country. This was as a result of the $1.7 billion loan talk collapse.

Nigerian regulators intervened last week to save Etisalat Nigeria from crashing after lenders were calling for the probe and total takeover of the company.

However, Etisalat International announced on Monday that it was pulling out after all UAE shareholders of the company have exited and left the board and management of the Nigerian brand.

Etisalat Nigeria has just three weeks to use the brand name, after which it'll have to change it to something else or other companies will buy it off.
For now, we don't know what will happen to the millions of subscribers on the network.

GLO Launches Two New Products; GLO Café And Sharp Sharp E-Top-up

GLO recently launched two new products Sharp Sharp E-Top-Up and Glo Café.


Glo Sharp Sharp E-top-up gives customers 8 times value when they recharge from any electronic channels like Glo Café, ATMs and POS terminals etc.

For instance, if a subscriber recharges with N201, he or she will get over N1,601 made up of N201 in his or her main account he/she would also get N100 bonus airtime for calls to all networks and N900 bonus airtime to call other Glo subscribers.

The customer will also receive 50MB data bonus for personal use and extra 25MB data, which can be gifted to another Glo customer.

Glo Café on the other hand is an app which offers world class games including Gameloft; thousands of movies and video content, two million songs including 10,000 music videos, jokes, sports, entertainment and e-commerce.

The biggest attraction added to the Glo café is Glo Live Cast, where Globacom as the first operator to launch Mobile TV (Glo live cast) in Nigeria avails its subscribers the opportunity to watch live TV channels (such as NTA, AIT, WAP TV, etc.) with HD quality streaming on their Glo mobile phones.

The Glo Café app can be downloaded from playstore.

This New iPhone 8 Render Shows A Fingerprint Reader On The Back

By now, The iPhone 8 design is 100% final at this point, and Apple’s partners will soon start manufacturing the device if they haven’t already.

But no official design of the iPhone 8 has been released so all we have at the moment are series of leaks and renders of the iPhone 8.

Talking about renders of the iPhone 8, a new was recently dropped by a leaker.

The render shows an iPhone 8 that features a Touch ID home button on the back.

According to Benjamin Geskin, this is what we expect the iPhone 8 to look like:

According to Geskin, he got the inspiration for the render from a person that has access to the parts Apple imports and exports, also said that the iPhone 8 has a Touch ID sensor on the back.

According to the source, Mass production of the iPhone 8 'MIGHT' have begun.

Since this no way to confirm the design, we just have to keep an open mind and wait for the iPhone 8 launch.