Instagram To Introduce Video Calling Feature For Its Users

As we all know, Instagram is one of the numerous companies owned by Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and it is not news that the Facebook boss loves to constantly add improvements to his apps and he doesn't look to be stopping anytime soon.

The Instagram team is looking to integrate video calling into their photo/video sharing app.
The new feature will work just like WhatsApp's video calling, there will be an icon for video calling and a video call will only be successful if the person on the other end accepts the call.

Video calling for instagram is currently in the works and will be made available to its Android and Apple users as soon as work is completed.

Glo Drops Out Of 9mobile bid As Final two Companies Emerge

The final two companies involved in 9mobile bid has emerged and contrary to public opinion, GLO didn't make the cut.
Before now, GLO was seen as the best match, plus GLO subscribers were hoping that their beloved company won the bid so that they could use 9mobile existing tech and broadband to improve their poor connectivity. I hoped for the same thing too but it seems we have all been disappointed as GLO didn't reach top two.

The last two companies remaining in the race are Smile Telecom Holdings and Teleology Holdings Limited and interestingly, both companies have former MTN CEOs leading them. Smile has Ahmad Farroukh and Teleology Holdings Limited has Adrian Wood both ex-Mtn CEOs.

Adrian Wood of Teleology Holdings was the second CEO of MTN Nigeria, he lasted 2 years in the said position before heading on to become Group Managing Director of Daily Times Nigeria.

Ahmad Farroukh joined MTN 18 months after Adrian left and is currently Group Executive Director for Smile Telecom Holdings.

According to records, Ahmad had a better running than Adrian during their tenure as Ahmad Farroukh increased MTNs customer base to 40 million subscribers and achieved a healthy margin of 62% between July 2006 and April 2011.

A table has been provided listing the abilities and strengths of both companies, view below;

Judging by the table above, Smile is seen as the better competitor however if there is one thing this bid for 9mobile has it is that nothing is certain.
Stay tuned to see matters as they unfold and to see the final winner of the 9mobile bid.

Whatsapp Launches New WhatsApp Business App On Playstore

A new version of WhatsApp has hit the Google Play Store in some countries. The new app named WhatsApp Business is built to help small businesses communicate with their customers.

For now, the app is available for download to small business owners in the US, UK, Italy, Indonesia, and Mexico to register their business account. The registered account becomes a Confirmed Account once WhatsApp checks that the phone number details matches your business.

The app also contains profile space for details like a company email, address, website, and a description of your business, the app also includes “smart messaging” tools such as automatic replies to frequently asked questions, greeting messages, and customizable away messages for when you're not online.

WhatsApp Business also has a simple analytics tool that shows business owners which messages are the most effective. It is also compatible with WhatsApp Web, so you can check your messages and respond via a PC.

It also gives users have the option of registering a landline number. This is different from the regular Whatsapp App which only allows you to use one mobile number.

The business account does not stop you from using the regular WhatsApp App as users can use both apps on the same phone.
If you're in one of the five selected countries, you can test out the new WhatsApp Business app by clicking the Play below.

GET WHATSAPP BUSINESS AT PLAY STORE

For the rest of the world, WhatsApp said in a blog post that the app will roll out around the world “in the coming weeks”.

YouTube To Come With Dark Theme, Incognito Mode And More

The YouTube app was recently torn down down by 9to5Google, and while inspecting the source codes it was noticed that the YouTube app includes code for a dark theme. This would make sense, since the recent redesign on YouTube web allows you to switch between a light or dark theme, while YouTube Music made use of a dark theme since it was launched.

Another big feature that could come to the YouTube app is Incognito mode. The Incognito mode on the YouTube app would let you pause your watched and search history.
Another smaller feature that might eventually pop up is the ability swiping to skip ads, a feature which is useful if you are too lazy to tap the bottom right to skip ads after they have been displayed for five seconds.

Just because these features were seen in the YouTube app’s code does not guarantee that they will make it to future versions the app although there are high possibilities that they would.

Truecaller Introduces Backup Feature For Its Android App

Truecaller, the popular caller ID app, has launched a new feature "Truecaller Backup for Android", which allows users to backup and restore their contacts, call history, block list, and settings.

The feature comes in handy when you’re switching to a new phone, getting a new SIM card, or resetting your device. Truecaller Backup simplifies transition to a new phone without losing contacts, call logs, etc.

For example, I recently lost my simcard causing me to lose all contacts, my only saving grace was that I previously synced my contacts with Google which backed some of my lost contacts, so I got about 60% of the lost contacts due to inconsistent syncs(beats losing them all right?)

At first, the backup will be hosted only on Google Drive but the company plans to expand the options to other backup storage soon.
Users can customize how often the backup takes place between daily, weekly, monthly, and on-demand.

The Truecaller Backup for Android feature has been rolled out already, but it will officially be available to users  over the next couple of days.

Sony To Launch Xperia XZ with 6 Gb RAM And 4K Display

Although Sony may have unveiled just three new devices at the recently concluded CES 2018, but it looks like another monster android device is on the way soon. Rumors hints that Sony would be unveiling the Xperia XZ Pro, a new flagship device set to be launched at MWC 2018 in February.

The XPERIA XZ Pro is said to come with a 5.7-inch OLED display with 4K resolution support, a Snapdragon 845 chipset, 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. The device is said to also come with a dual rear-camera setup featuring a 18 MP sensor with 1.33µm pixel size and 12 MP sensor at 1.38µm pixels. The front camera is hinted to come in at 13 MP.

Finally, the Xperia XZ Pro is reported to be coming with a slightly impressive 3,420 mAh battery and IP68 certification for dust and water resistance

Below is a concept render of the Xperia XZ Pro;

The Xperia XZ Pro is rumored to cost around $930.

Although this is mere rumors and speculation at the moment, if it’s accurate, the Xperia XZ Pro could be one of the first flagships of 2018.

How To Download And Install Android One Launcher On Your Android Device

The Android One launcher is an android launcher which is very similar to the launcher found on the Google Pixel, most of the difference are in the looks, and it also supports a fully working version of the Google Now panel a feature which is hardly seen on other launchers.

The Android One launcher gives your android device a very stock Android-like look without going through too much trouble tweaking your android device. You can download the Android One launcher here, but make sure you don’t have the Google Pixel Launcher or Android One Launcher already on your device before installing it.

New Whatsapp Update Allows You To Demote Admins

I recently wrote a post saying that Whatsapp was going to give group admins more powers, and just as I said, the features are currently live on the new beta update of whatsapp.

On the new whatsapp beta version which was just released is a new feature tagged "Demote as Admin" which allows an admin to sack(demote) another admin from his/her administrative duties without having to remove the person from the group first.

Before the arrival of this feature, whenever an admin wanted to relieve his fellow admin of his duties, he'd have to first remove the person from the group then add them back as an ordinary participant.
However, with the new you save yourself the stress/trouble of having to remove the person then add them back.

If you are currently a beta tester on whatsapp, check to see if the new feature is available on your app. If it isn't update your app to the latest beta version.

Tecno Launches Camon CM Device: View Specifications and Price

I recently wrote a post about the TECNO Camon CM suggesting that it'll be TECNO's first Full Display smartphone.
Fast forward to now, the CAMON CM has been launched and the earlier speculation has been confirmed as the device Camon CM indeed launched with Full Display/

Specifications For The CAMON CM are as follows;

• 5.7 inches Full Display
• Android 7.0 Nougat
• MediaTek MT6737 processor
• 2GB RAM/16GB ROM (expandable to 128GB via microSD)
• 13MP back camera with auto focus and Quad-LED flash
• 13MP Front Camera with flash
• 3000mah Li-Ion Battery
• Price - 47,000 Naira

Battle Of The Smartphone Camera Heats Up

There really is no one single smartphone camera that’s best for all kinds on photography. That is mostly because the parameters that make a photo taken in a museum, for example don’t look as good as when you’re trying to take a selfie when you’re out camping.
Simply judging by the megapixels a camera boasts doesn’t work; more important camera statistics like the camera’s aperture or even the kind of flash used are often overlooked, when they shouldn’t. A more comprehensive evaluation of smartphone cameras can be made by authoritative reviews, such as the DXO scores for a camera’s photography or videography.

Image Source: Techiespad.com

The smaller aperture of the Google Pixel, for example, makes it great to capture better pictures. Going as low as f1.8 (lower is better), it becomes easy to see why the camera works so well despite being 12.3 MP. Not to say cameras higher in MP should make you suspicious either.
For example, the HTC U11 is capable of being used as a pretty amazing professionally suitable camera, coming with 16 MPs and an aperture as low as f1.7. The iPhone 8 plus comes with a new dual lens feature which processes images with stunning clarity , almost borrowing the concept from the human body in how we perceive depth through two eyes. This also makes the iPhone 8 Plus great for depth-based effects such as Bokeh.

When it comes to videography, image stabilisation and low noise in recordings is very helpful. Google Pixel 2 does very well in the matter, getting an impressive score for 96 from DXO for videography.
Closely following it is the iPhone 8, which is the model from which Apple started incorporating HD recording only, instead of requiring the user to toggle the mode as was the case earlier. This ensures that videos recorded are crisp and mighty impressive.

Smartphones are hard to judge when it comes to low-light photography. The human eye captures a stunning amount of detail due to millions of years of evolutionary trial and elimination; a machine inevitably finds it hard to capture such detail with the limited light incident on the objects you’re trying to click photos of.
Nevertheless, Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8 does a fair job capturing details and color contrast in dark conditions. However, it doesn’t score as well in terms of videography.

Written by Lisa Brock | Techiespad

MTN Conducts First 5G Network Test: Hits 20GbPs

Although a lot people are yet to experience the beauty of 4G network, Technology waits for no man as 5G network has already been launched and was recently tested by Qualcomm with the world's first 5G enabled smartphone.
MTN, one of the top service provider in Africa has followed as its conducted its first 5G network test at its headquarters in Johannesburg.

The test was conducted alongside Ericsson and is part of the company's 5G demonstration.

According to MTN, the conducted test is in line with the company's official deployment of 5G connectivity to the public which will happen in the near future. They achieved a download speed of 20Gbps which is the highest speed to be reached on any network in Africa.

Regardless of the successful testing, I doubt if MTN's 5G network would be commercially available to its users anytime soon, because even its 4g network isn't available in all locations yet.

How To Convert iTunes Gift Card To Bitcoin Or Cash

Due to certain restrictions, receiving money from some countries has become really hard and as such people have devised the means of receiving the cash by telling the sender to purchase all sorts of gift cards and send the picture.

The main issue however isn't in getting the gift card but in converting the gift cards to real cash, that's the essence of this post I'm writing today.
I know a lot of people won't be happy that I'm revealing this method because believe me a lot of people have made businesses out of converting gift cards to cash, a process that won't take 30 minutes of your time.

If you're ready to roll, let's dive in!

 All you need to complete this process are:

1. A picture of the gift card (iTunes, Amazon, Stream, Netflix etc)
2. A data enabled device
3. Common sense.

• First thing you have to do is register on paxful by clicking here.
• After a successful registration you would see the screen below, click on "Buy Bitcoin"
  
   
• Fill in the required details, in the space for 'Amount', put the amount of the Gift card; if its a 100$ iTunes gift card for example put 100 in amount, USD in currency and iTunes gift card in 'Way to pay' then click Search.
  A list of buyers that are willing to buy the gift card and give you Bitcoins would show on the next page, find a good deal and sell the Gift Card. PS: You won't get the exact value of the gift card in Bitcoin, i.e you could get 30$ bitcoin for a 50$ gift card(Strike a good bargain though)
• After you've gotten the Bitcoins, all that's left is to sell the Bitcoin and get paid in cash. To do this, click on the Buy Bitcoin button, on the next page that shows select "Sell Bitcoin". Fill in the amount and currency just like when you wanted to buy the Bitcoin, select the way your want to be paid in "Way To Pay".
• Again, find a good deal and sell the Bitcoin, that's all! you have successfully converted your Gift card to cash.

TECNO Currently Working On A Full Display Smartphone

A few leaked images emerged recently, hinting that TECNO is working on its first "All-Screen" smartphone. For years now, TECNO has had a good streak, releasing amazing, top-of-the-lines smartphones ranging from their Phantom line-up to the Camon line-up to the L line-up and now it is rumored that this yet to be launched "All-screen" device would be debuting under the Camon series and it is hinted to be called the TECNO CAMON CM

Although there's no specific time when we are to expect this device, Tipsters believer it would be appearing sooner than later.

For now, we just have to hold our horses and see what TECNO has in store for us, if you ask me though I believe it's gonna be an interesting one and would be worth the wait.

Telegram's Android App Now Supports Multiple Accounts

Telegram, one of the top instant messaging apps decided to welcome the new year by introducing a new feature to their android app.

The new version 4.7 of the Telegram app comes with support for multiple accounts; which means you can log in different accounts(maximum of three) on the same app on the same device. With the new feature, you can easily switch between the different accounts. You also get notifications from all accounts regardless of which one is currently active

At the moment the feature is only supported on the android platform but iOS users got something new too.
iOS users can now change the appearance setting on their app, switching between several themes including dark themes for night-time.

Though switching appearance settings on the app is cool but not as cool as multiple accounts