All About Mobiles

Twitter has reportedly announced via a tweet on its official twitter account that it has partnered with Bing Translator to introduce tweet translation for its iOS and Android users. Windows 8 phone users have already been enjoying this service for about two years now.

Google, just some days back released an update to its Google Translate app for Android and iOS. This updates are huge and offers a lot of convenience and satisfaction to its users. One of the updates include the ability of Google translate to translate foreign languages real time.

The update is already available for download or update from Google Playstore for Android users or Apple apps store for iOS users. The update includes voice recognition for seven languages for now. All users have to do now is to speak one language into their phone and have the app into text in another language.

For example, if the user is translating from English into German, he simply has to tap the mic icon and say "keep it up." Google Translate takes a few moments to process the sentence and come back with "J'ai faim." The user then won't have to tap the mic if he wants to translate other sentences; the app will be able to recognize his voice and what language he speaks in.

At the same time, the app also automatically recognizes the voice input from the other user, so it can also translate the other person's sentences into the first language.

Google only released voice recognition for Google Translate for seven languages for now: English, French, Spanish, German, Russian, Portuguese and Italian. However, Google is planning to add several languages in the future. In the meantime, the app also offers text translations for 90 other languages.

The second update is the addition of Word Lens capabilities to Google Translate. This new feature allows users to take a photo of text and receive a translation of it in 36 languages. Users only need to point their camera at the text, and Google Translate will provide the text translation over the image.

Word Lens for Google Translate works without Internet or data connection. Voice translation is also possible offline, but users will have to download separate language packs for it to work.

You can download the update Here

Did you see something interesting on your smartphone that you want to take a picture of? Whether you are having issues with your phone and don’t  know how to explain it and need to show someone online for help or an app or phone setting, an interesting score in a game you just played, or something else, be it on android, blackberry, iphone, windows (phone or PC’s) OS, you can take a screenshot of it. Screenshots are saved in picture folders in this devices and it’s easy to share them.

Capturing screenshots is very easy on most devices as most OEM’s now add shortcuts in form of buttons on these devices depending on the operating systems they are running on. In this article, I will be showing you how to take screenshots on Android OS, iOS, Blackberry 6,7,8 and 10 OS, Windows phone 8 and 8.1 OS and  PC windows 7, 8, 8.1 OS.

Android

Its as easy as pressing and holding down the Power and Volume Down buttons together until you hear the shutter sound and see the screen flash. The screenshot snapped is saved to a screenshot folder in your gallery where you can view,edit and share it.  

Windows 8 and 8.1 phones 


                                                                         

Press and hold down the Start button and Power button at the same time why you just have to press and hold down the Power and Volume Up buttons together to snap your screenshot. You can view and share the screenshots from the screenshots album in the phones Photo Hub.

Windows PC devices                                                                                     

Some Window PC’s have a keyboard button for capturing screenshots. All you have to do then is click on the button after you have opened what you want to capture. If the screenshot button doesn't come with your PC’s keyboard, you can use a pre-installed software on your Windows PC called snipping tool. To take a shot of a screen with Snipping tool, all you have to do is to open it via Start menu >> All Programs >> Accessories >> Snipping tool. Click on new then use the cursor that will appear to select the area of the screen you want to capture, and then release your mouse to capture. After capturing, a new window will open showing you your captured screen. You can edit it via the Snipping tool before saving or emailing it. Alternatively, you can download an app like PC Screen Capture, Tiny Take or Screen Grab, install and run. The images you capture can be saved in any folder you select.    

iOS devices                                                                                                   

Only devices running on iOS 2.0 or higher can take screen shots. To take a screenshot on your iPhone or iPad, press and hold the Home and Lock/Power buttons at the same time

The screen shots you take are automatically saved in the default Photos app under an album called Photos or Camera Roll depending on your device and iOS version.

 A brief rundown of the specifications of the BlackBerry include a 3.5-inch 720x720 touchscreen, 1.5 GHz Dual Core CPU, 16GB internal memory, 2GB RAM, 5MP front camera and 8MP back camera, all powered by a  2515 mAh battery. The screen size is a bit smaller than that of the already released BlackBerry Passport but still very convenient to hold in one hand.  The 1.5GHz dual core Qualcomm processor is a bit old but can perform relevant functions like browsing and emailing purposes and that is what BlackBerry was originally known for.

The Classic runs on the recent Blackberry 10 loaded with features like Blend, the Hub, BlackBerry Assistant, and the Amazon App Store pre-installed through which it can access and run Android apps. 

BlackBerry says the Classic is available starting from the 17^th of December. The Classic is also available unlocked through BlackBerry and Amazon's online stores for $449.

In compiling this list, we are taking into consideration mostly the ratings of these products from sales and orders from major online shopping giants like Konga, Jumia, Kaymu, DealDey and other online stores. We are also taking into account reviews of these products in forums, websites and blogs posts and comments.

 Below is our Top 10 selling Smartphones in Nigeria from 10 to 1

10  Blackberry Q10 Smartphone

This smartphone was a hit in 2013 when it was released and demand for it is still much in 2014 as it was Research in Motion’s flagship smartphone before the Q30 and recently the Blackberry Passport. It is the second Blackberry smartphone to feature Blackberry 10 OS and comes with the traditional and improved Blackberry’s QWERTY keyboard coupled with a touchscreen. Its other features include a 3.2” 720 X 720 AMOLED display, 3G and 4G connectivity, 2GB RAM and 16GB internal memory, 1.5GHz dual core CPU, 8MP back and 2MP front camera and a li-ion 2100mAh battery. This phone is currently selling for 60000 Naira from Konga or Jumia.

Blackberry Q10 and LG G3

9  LG G3

The LG G3 which is the successor to the hugely successful LG G2 can be rightly placed in the same class with top brands like Samsung Galaxy S5, HTC One M8 and iphone 5 or 5s. In comparison, it even surpasses this top brands in some aspects like being the first smartphone with an amazing screen resolution of 534ppi (pixels per inch) at launch. The LG G3 features a 5.5” screen, 2.46GHz Quad core CPU, 2GB or 3GB RAM for 16GB or 32GB internal memory variants, 13MP rear camera and 2.1MP front camera. It runs on Android 4.4.2 Kitkat and is powered by a 3000mAh battery. The G3 is still receiving patronage from stores and is currently selling for between 80,000 to 95,000 Naira from, Konga or Jumia.

8  Samsung Galaxy S4 mini

The S4 Mini released in 2013 is an almost identical variant of the Galaxy S4's design. Internally, it features a dual-core 1.7 GHz processor with 1.5GB of RAM, 8 GB of expandable storage, and a 4.27 inch qHD (540 x 960 pixel) Super AMOLED screen. The S4 Mini also includes a 1.9MP front-facing camera and an 8MP rear-facing camera all powered by a 1900mAh battery. The S4 mini is an affordable variant of the S4 which was one of the best phones of 2013 and this is one of its selling points. This smartphone is still very much in demand and is selling for 58,000 Naira from Konga or Jumia.

Galaxy S4 mini and Gionee Elife S5.5

 7  Gionee Elife S5.5

Gionee Elife S5.5 smartphone with 5.00-inch 1080x1920 display powered by 1.7GHz Octacore processor running on Android 4.2 with 16GB phone storage alongside 2GB RAM, 13MP rear and 5MP front camera all powered by a 2300mAh battery set a new world record as at the time of its release in February this year for the slimmest smartphone measuring just 5.5mm thick. This phone put Gionee which was before now less regarded here in Nigeria in the league of hit phone makers and the phone has been a hit since then. Presently, this mobile phone is selling for 47,000 Naira from Konga.

6  HTC one M8

The HTC One M8 is an awesome smartphone that does a lot of amazing things. With a stunning design, loads of power and some upgrade from the original HTC One, the HTC one M8 is efficient in performing tasks. The key specifications of this phone are a 5 inch display with a resolution of 1080x1920 pixels, Android 4.4.2 Kitkat running on a 2.5GHz Quad core processor, 16GB internal storage and 2GB RAM, 4 Ultra- Pixel back camera and 5MP front camera all powered by a 2,600mAh battery. You can get the HTC one M8 from Konga or Jumia for 103.400 Naira.

iPhone 5                 HTC one M8

5  iphone 5

Apple’s iPhone 5 released in 2012 is still very much trendy and still selling fine worldwide. Most Nigerians don’t like Apple’s products mostly because they are very expensive but that is not preventing those with enough cash to spend from getting this trendy mobile device. A brief rundown of the specifications include a 4-inch (620 X 1136 pixels) display, dual core 1.3GHz  processor, 8MP back camera and 1.2Mp front camera, 1GB RAM, 16GB internal memory, iOS 6.1.4, powered by a 1440mAh battery. The iphone 5 is currently selling for between 100,000  and 110,000 naira from Konga or Jumia

4  Infinix Zero

I mentioned earlier above that there was some surprise entries into the smartphone sphere from some before now less respected brands and Infinix falls into this category. The Infinix Zero took the smartphone world in Nigeria and most other African and Asian countries by surprise when it was released in September this year. This phone is loaded with high-end features and is already  competing with some top brands and the major high point of it is its low cost compared to what it will cost to get a smartphone with the same features or even lesser from top brands makers like Samsung, Apple, LG, HTC and Sony. Some of the features of the Infinix Zero include a 5” HD IPS screen running on Android 4.4 Kitkat with a 1.4GHz Octacore processor and a 1920mAh battery to power it. Other features include a 13MP back camera, 2MP front camera, 8GB and 16GB versions with 1GB of RAM. This smartphone is still very much in demand and you can get yours now for 23,900 Naira from Konga or Jumia.

Infinix Zero           Galaxy Nore 3

3 Samsung Galaxy Note 3

If you need a mobile phone that can help you tackle almost everything your work life throws at you, then the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is the answer. Being the first phone ever to feature 3GB of RAM makes it stand out in the crowd and gives it an edge over most of its competition. The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is an Android phablet smartphone running on Android 4.3 OS with 5.70-inch 1080x1920 display powered by 1.9GHz Octacore processor alongside 32GB internal memory and 13MP rear camera and 2MP front camera.  On top of all that, this device has an amazing 3200 mAh Li-ion battery to power it. Samsung sold over 5 million units of this device in its first month of release only and demand for the Note 3 is still high. The device is currently selling for 75,000 to 90,000 in various stores across the country.

2  iPhone 5s

The iPhone 5s released in 2013 is an updated version of the iphone 5 with lots of great specifications. This phone received a lot of rave reviews when it was released and was undoubtedly among the best smartphones made in 2013. It was Apple’s flagship smartphone until the release of the iphone 6 this year. The features of the iphone 5s are almost the same with the iPhone 5 with some upgrades like the operating system upgrade from iOS 6.1.4 to iOS 7.0 and the battery capacity also increasing from 1440mAh in the iphone 5 to 1570mAh in the iphone 5s. The iphone 5s also has memory variants of 16GB, 32GB and 64GB, with different prices ranging from 110,000 130,000 Naira in various stores.

iphone 5s

The number of flirting, chatting, dating and relationship Groups in Facebook alone and the number of e-products on sale on Clickbank and other such sites relating to dating and relationships lays credence to the fact that huge number of people turn to dating sites to hook up or to solve relationship issues and use mobile apps for convenience. Therefore, there has been an escalation in the number of such dating sites apps available in Google Playstore as this mobile apps makes it easy to stay in touch.

Check out our Top 10 dating apps for Android on Mobile devices based on their popularity, users’ ratings and number of downloads from Playstore:

1. Badoo

Hahahahaha!! You may wonder why I am laughing. It’s because not everybody will agree with me that Badoo is one of the best dating app because they may have had some ugly experiences with fraudsters on the site. Yea, I agree that the number of fake profiles and scam on the site is much but must also admit that Badoo has got one of the finest UI and UX I have ever seen on social networking sites. You can chat with people nearby anonymously until you decide to show each other’s pictures, browse for people nearby which is very cool, view or rate pictures, and decide to meet or match with someone in the encounters. You can download Badoo from the Google Play Store here.

2. Qeep

Forgive me if I get carried away by my opinion of this social dating site which is one of the fastest growing social networks in the World. Founded in 2006 by Blue Lion GmbH which also develops its mobile app, Qeep already has an estimated over 30 million users and over 5 million downloads of its Android app alone. Qeep’s web or app version has one of the best and easy to use interface and experience and is loaded with features to keep you occupied throughout the day. You can find dates easily either from the Search, Pet zoo, Photoblog or Wall. Some of its other features includes Search to find locals near you which is very efficient, Poke or send Sound attack to other members who have it enabled in their own profiles, QMS (Qeep messaging service) for chatting, Photoblog where all your uploaded in-app snapped pictures appear and can appear public if you choose to enable it - you can view all pictures by all members in the Photoblog feature and search for any particular picture by title if you want and you can also send gifts. The profile arrangement is so cool and loaded with almost everything you need in a profile arranged neatly from sending sound attacks to poking, QMS, matching, viewing members personal details and Photoblog and every member’s got as wall too. But one of the best feature of the app is the online games (over 12 in number) which are so addictive – from  friend zoo (buying other members), to Flirt-O-Rama for matching to Daily spin for earning free qp (Qeep points) and many more. You can challenge your friends to a game or get matched up with any available player online to kick asses and view games dashboard to see where you rank for a game. You can download Qeep for Android devices here

3. Tagged

Tagged (formerly Hi5) is a social networking dating app that connects you to new friends for chatting, flirting, dating, and hooking up. Its features include filters that help you to filter your search results and find people nearby, Meet Me for meeting new people quickly, Pets where players compete to collect other players, Send Luv and more features like checking your profile visitors which is available on upgrade to premium. Its free to join and you can download Tagged from the Google Play Store here.

4. OkCupid

This is another cool dating App available in the Playstore for Mobile devices with quite a high user rating and downloads. One stand-out feature of this site is that it doesn't just show you the matches to your profile but also show you the percentage match you have with any member. You can find people, chat, arrange a date or just flirt or rate profiles. You can download it from Playstore or here.

5. MeetMe                         

MeetMe (formerly MyYearbook) is a social networking service founded in 2005 with its dating App for mobiles also developed by Meetme. You can chat and connect with locals near you and match or secretly admire other members too. Upgrading to premium gives you additional features like checking out who has viewed your profile and unmask members that have asked you anonymous questions, see who has viewed your photos and which ones they viewed and all ads will be removed. The user rating for this Site and its App is high suggesting its popularity and credibility. You can download MeetMe from the Google Play Store here.

6. Skout

Skout is a social networking dating app developed by Skout Inc for meeting and chatting with new people and do fun things and is one of the most downloaded dating Apps with over 10 million downloads.. Skout enables you to interact with people by chatting, sending emojis, wink bombs to many members at a time, voice messages, pictures and exquisite gifts. Other features include the Buzz feed for public communications with other members online and travel to other countries through the App. You can download Skout from the Google Play Store here.

7. Zoosk

Zoosk is an online dating service available in 25 languages and over 80 countries with over 27 million singles already using it. You can chat, flirt and date with Zoosk on its mobile app, wink other members if you don’t know what to say or don’t feel like chatting. If you don’t feel like chatting but still want to hook up, you can use the  sophisticated SmartPick to get matched with members matching your criteria using advanced behavioral matchmaking technology and see who’s been checking you out. You can download Zoosk from the Google Play Store for mobile devices here.

8. Eskimi

The speed with which Facebook grew in Africa is well known but that of Eskimi is alarming. Founded in the late 2000’s, Eskimi has got a mobile app for android which for now lacks many features but never the less can match you up quicker than almost any other social dating network in existence right now. I regard it as the number one dating social network in Nigeria and many other African countries and don’t be surprised if you are matched with the girl of your dreams or your neighbor next door as you will hardly find a Nigerian who is not a member of the dating network. You can chat, flirt, search and meet or match other members or do other fun things like viewing and voting pictures and using Eskimi Ask to know what others like. You can download Eskimi here.

9. Tinder

Tinder is a social networking dating app which was just two years old in September but has amassed a large member base already. With its mobile app which is available for Android and IOS mobile platforms, users can simply swipe right to like or left to pass a member and if the person like you back, it’s a match. Interestingly, its one of the first apps to include Android wear support - dating on your wrist!! You can chat, search and connect with other members from the app. Download Tinder from the Google Play Store here.

10. Lovoo

Lovoo is a social networking site rated as one of the top social discovery networks for its Live Radar’s sleek user interface which enables you to search and connect with locals near you. You can chat, wink, send pictures to other members or play the match game to get matched up with  someone. You can download Lovoo here.

Android Operating system is the most popular OS in the World and the number of Android Smartphone users as at this year far beats that of other OS. Some android users like myself have become so fond of it because of the huge variety of features, Apps and ease of tweaking that we have become addicted to it. Have you ever wondered how it will look like to run Android OS on your PC? How playing your favourite game like PES 2014 and Asphalt 8 or connecting with your friends via your favourite social networks will feel like on your Windows PC?.

I craved for it and decided to do something about it. I carried out research, found out a very cool way to accomplish it without altering any set-ups of your PC and anybody that can operate a PC can do it. You can Install and run Android 4.4 Kit kat on your Windows XP, Vista, WIN 7 or 8 PC by following this simple procedures:

1= Download Bluestack App Player.

2= Click on the green download button. You will be redirected to another page after which the installer will start downloading. 

3= After the downloading is complete, open the .exe file and choose a folder to save it to if you don’t want it to save by default. Then click to install.

4= After the installation is complete, the App will auto-start and initialize itself.  

5= Wait a while for the App to start auto-downloading the required files to enable communication with Playstore or click on any App icon to force it. If you clicked on any App icon to force start downloading the files, just okay the prompt that will come up and it will start downloading the files.

6= When the files finish downloading, your Android installation on PC is set.

7= Next step is to add a Google account like in every other Android device to be able to use it. You can do this by clicking on Settings> Bluestack settings> Advanced settings> Add account.

8= On trying to download your first app, it will be requested of you to re-enter your Google account sign-in details. Just enter it, complete the other prompts and you will see a screen like the one below. 

9= After the above process, you can start downloading your favourite Apps and games for use on ur PC. You can use the search button in the App to search for any Android App available on the Google Playstore.

10= You know how to operate your Droid already.. So enjoy the fun!!!.

Note: Add the Bluestack shortcut to your desktop for easy access of launching.

Bluestack offers a one day trial after which you will be required to subscribe to Premium with $2 per month or download and install their sponsored Apps of the day to  continue using it. I recommend the subscription package where you get unlimited usage for a month and its faster.

Source: Phone Arena

Unlike other encryption systems, which often scramble messages only as they travel from a device to the company’s servers before being re-routed to the recipients, TextSecure encrypts the message from end-to-end (from handset to handset) throughout a message's journey meaning even the tech firms don’t even have access to your messages anymore.

This encryption has been described by tech experts as the most secure giving WhatsApp the bragging rights as the most secure messaging platform.

Law enforcement agencies are not happy with some tech firms because of the encryption being applied to messages as they say it makes it difficult for them to fraudsters and criminals

For now, the encryption is only available on Android, but is expected to be available at some stage for the iOS app and only messages are being encrypted initially with videos and group messaging encryption expected to follow soon.

The N1 runs on previously announced Nokia's own Z Launcher user interface (which allows users to search for contents like apps on the screen by drawing letters with their fingers  and changed the apps presented on the tablets homescreen according to the time of the day and the tablets location) on top of Android 5.0 Lollipop.

“We are pleased to bring the Nokia brand back into consumers' hands with the N1 Android tablet, and to help make sophisticated technologies simple," said Sebastian Nystrom, Head of Products at Nokia Technologies, who announced the N1 at the Slush technology conference in Helsinki.

Here are the complete specifications of the device:

2G/3G: NO

SIM slot: NO

Dimension: 200.7 x 138.6 x 6.9 mm (7.90 x 5.46 x 0.27 in)                                           

Weight: 318 g (11.22 oz)                                                                                                       

Display: 7.9-inch, 2048x1536 (4:3) IPS LCD with Gorilla Glass 3 and fully laminated zero air gap display                                                                                                          

OS: Android OS, v5.0 (Lollipop)                                                                                

Processor: 64-bit 2.3GHz Intel Atom Z3580 processor, PowerVR G6430 GPU.          

Sensors: Accelerometer, gyro                                                                                 

Memory: 32GB built-in memory (non-expandable); 2GB RAM.                             

Camera: 8 MP, 3264 x 2448 pixels, autofocus, Geo-tagging                                       

Video: 1080p@30fps                                                                                            

Secondary: 5 MP                                                                                                                 

Connectivity: Dual channel 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi with MIMO, DLNA, Wi-Fi Hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0, Micro-USB 2.0 with a Type-C reversible connector.                  

Messaging: Email, Push Email, IM                                                                         

Browser: HTML5                                                                                               

SOUND: Vibration, Polyphonic, MP3 ringtones, loudspeaker with stereo speakers, 3.5mm jack                                                                                                       

Radio: No                                                                                                            

GPS: Yes                                                                                                            

Java: Yes, via Java MIDP emulator                                                                      

Colors: Natural Aluminium, Lava Gray                                                                           

Battery: Non removable Li-Po 5300mAh battery                                                                   

                                                                                                                                                             

Aside the Z launcher, another new feature on the phone is the reversible USB Type C connector which is rumored to be able to transfer data at a speed of 10,000Gbps. Though the USB update has been announced for some months now, the Nokia N1 is the first device to feature it.

The Nokia N1 will be launched first in China before the Chinese new year in Q1 2015 at a price of about $249 (without taxes) and in other regions at a later date.

Editing Captions                                                                                          

The most noticeable feature of this update is that  instagram now lets you edit captions for images after you post them. This extends only to captions on your own photos, not to comments. Unfortunately still, it's a welcome change - Prior to this update, users who misspelled a word or a name or tagged a wrong person where forced to delete such picture posts.

 New Icons                                                                                                                                          

The second update of note is the "Explore" tab icon in Instagram's IOS and Android apps .In place of the compass star icon is a magnifying glass. The Explore tab has been redesigned to let you more easily search for other Instagram users.

The other updates are “type-ahead” search which gives you quicker search results and “discover new people”

This update hit the app on both mobile platforms on the 10^th of this month and Instagram promises more improvements "over the coming months.