Time for alittle gaming... Check out the latest Max Payne 3

Max Payne 3 is well-suited for three displays. To be able to run the game on three Full HD monitors you will need a high-end graphics card with at least 2 GB of video memory. Out of the single-GPU cards only the nVidia GeForce GTX 680 and AMD Radeon HD 7970 were able to reach 60 fps or more on Normal settings. The nVidia GeForce GTX 670 and Radeon HD 7950 fall just short of 60 fps. Since 40 fps is enough to enjoy this game, you're fine with a GeForce GTX 660 or a Radeon HD 7870.

Five quick steps to stop your bb from "hanging"

So you were talking with your friend and you want to show him or her a quick info on your bb then you get the annoying 'booting cycle' or it's the office, you want to check an email from the client then you had to wait for awhile before you even log into the phone :(.. Welcome to the frustrating world of blackberry users but thank God, we've got a few tricks to get you smiling again :) read on...

1.) If your blackberry device freezes, most times it's probably running low on memory. The easiest way to findout, if you have a blackberry memory issue is to check under |Options | Status and see what your File Free number is. You need atleast a minimum of an 100MB of free space for improved performance. You can backup some files such as pictures, music, e.t.c and delete them from the device.

2.) Uninstall unneccesary applications - Though the blackberry is a smartphone but it's really poor on the application management compared to the others smartphones. So we suggest that you keep application on it to the minimum and always close an application that is not in use rather than skipping to a different one. To delete applications, go to |Options |Device | Application Management and select |Delete.

3.) Clear browser cache & close 'chats' - Most browsers often store temporary files that may lead to poor performance of your blackberry. We recommend  you go to |Options - |Security - |Memory cleaning (Please backup before doing this as you may lose all your data  - enable it. The BB will now clean memory when idle for 5 minutes.you will have an icon on you screen for memory cleaning make sure you press it.Then |Select Browser |Options |Clear now. Make sure you use the CLOSE button each time you are done with an application especially 'chats'.

4.) Perform a 'Soft reboot' - If your blackberry device should 'freeze' or hangs, you can perform a 'soft reboot' by pressing the ALT|Right SHIFT|Del keys together to get the blackberry to reboot but if that doesn't work go to step 5

5.) Do a 'hard reboot' - With the blackbery on, remove the battery and wait for a minute. Then put the battery back and wait for 5 minutes for the device to come back up.

We also recommend using Wireless connection for the device if available for data, you turn on your blackberry Wifi when you go to |Manage Connections |Wi-fi - check the Wifi. It will help with issues with the service providers acquisitions issues - Blackberry device often tries to re-aqcuire all the time to 3G/EDGE networks especially in Nigeria. Let us know if this helps and tell your friend about the blog :)

Tired of losing data... get on the Ms.Skydrive for free in three simple steps

Yeah... that's right! You can dump your external hard disk, drives even your file server (we wouldn't recommend that just yet though) for unlimited disk space in the cloud.
So here they are;
1. Visit the Ms. Skydrive site - https://apps.live.com/skydrive
2. Create an account and download the apps to your device.

3. Select the Skydrive icon on under ' My Computer (Windows Users) or under drives and start 'clouding' your files.
The SkyDrive (officially Microsoft SkyDrive, previously Windows Live SkyDrive and Windows Live Folders) is a file hosting service that allows users to upload and sync files to a cloud storage and then access them from a Web browser or their local device. It is part of the Windows Live range of online services and allows users to keep the files private, share them with contacts, or make the files public. Publicly shared files do not require a Microsoft account to access.

The service offers 7 GB of free storage for new users. Additional storage is available for purchase. Users who signed up to SkyDrive prior to April 22, 2012 could opt-in for a limited time offer of 25 GB of free storage upgrade. The service is built using HTML5 technologies, and files up to 300 MB can be uploaded via drag and drop into the web browser, or up to 2 GB via the SkyDrive desktop application for Microsoft Windows and OS X.One of the excitement of the Ms. Skydrive is the multi-platform support it's offers but the downside is the low bandwidth availability situation we have in Africa.However, with minimal speed and fairly good connection, you can clouding your files in the sky.. enjoy!

Google launches new Maps API with better tablet maps, Google Play services, new layers and more

Google has today launched v2 of its Google Maps API, bringing along better support for maps on tablets, integration with Google Play services, new information layers and more. The new API is available now for developers to start playing and using maps that are more on par with Google Maps for Android’s capabilities.
The new API has been integrated with Google Play services 2.0, the platform that Google launched to help developers roll out updates to Google products more quickly. This enables features like the display of Photo Spheres and new data layers to be integrated more quickly.
The new API is available for any devices from Android Froyo and up. Google points to three major new features in the new API:

• More dynamic and flexible UI designs for large screen Android devices, such as tablets.
• Adding more Google Maps layers in their apps including satellite, hybrid, terrain, traffic and now indoor maps for many major airports and shopping centers.
• The ability to create markers and info windows with less code.

The focus on tablets makes a lot of sense, as this is still a very weak spot in the Android app ecosystem at large, and Google has been taking steps to correct that. This includes better templates for Android developers making tablet apps, a genuine focus on creating specific tablet layouts for apps and more. The addition of tablet-friendly UI elements to the Maps API can’t hurt.
More layers and an easier way to display fragments of maps inside other apps are also features of version 2.0.

Version 2.0 of the API also includes the ability to display and manipulate Photo Spheres, the images captured by a special camera mode in Android 4.2. Since Photo Spheres’ are captured in JPG, with open XMP metadata, they can be tweaked or added at will via the API. Google says that you can even create Photo Spheres from normal panoramic images by adding this data. Source: thenextweb

Glo now offering the cheapest internet service in Nigeria...

Yea... you heard it here first! Glo telecoms Nigeria with its 30% bonus on it's internet service might be the cheapest internet solution at the moment but we can't provide any guarantees on the service quality or data throughput (you might need to judge that yourself or see our earlier post - 7 things you should know before buying a modem this season..).
GLOBACOM announced that the new Glo Bolt Internet modem has been loaded with spectacular free benefits including a free Glo SIM card; 500 MB of data once the SIM is registered and activated. The package will also have free monthly data for six months for new and existing data subscribers on the Glo network.
According to Glo, new and existing subscribers who subscribed to any of the pocket friendly plans such as Always Macro, Always Min, Always Max, the Silver, Gold or Platinum plans will get a 30 per cent instant bonus and 200 MB free data every month for six months. The free data will be automatically given to the subscriber as soon as he/she activates a plan of N1, 000 and above each month.

Globacom’s GM, Marketing, Ashutosh Tiwary, said that Glo Bolt thrives on “speed and performance and, with the service, the subscriber is always a winner because we recognize that speed is a driver of value”.
Tiwary said that Glo Bolt offers unparalleled value since the cost of the modem has been significantly reduced and bundled with a free SIM and 500 MB free data on activation. “Our innovative plan sharing and plan gifting capability will also make Glo Bolt the Internet service of choice in the market”, Tiwary added.
On the gifting feature, Tiwary said a Glo customer can now buy an Internet subscription and send it to friends, family members and loved ones as ‘gifts’. This feature is especially useful when the person buying the gift does not want to share his subscription with the intended recipient. The gift recipient will be notified of the gift via customized SMS from the sender. The sharing feature allows up to five Glo customers to share one data plan.
Also speaking on the subscription plans, Tiwary explained that the sharing feature offers the subscriber convenience and affordability by enabling him to share his internet subscription with his friends, family and loved ones instead of buying multiple subscriptions for each and every one of them.
“For instance, a customer with a wife and two kids can buy only one subscription plan and share with his three loved ones instead of buying four subscription plans. The beneficiaries will receive an SMS notifying them of the shared plan and how they can share the plan. The customer just needs to visit http://hsi.glo.com from his Glo line to access the new world-class self-care portal through which the customers can use all the new functionalities. Only Glo offers a Self Care Portal for its Data & BlackBerry customers,” he explained.

Pope Benedict XVI comes on twitter...

Vatican has officially announced that Pope Benedict XVI is now officially on twitter with handle @pontiflex and he will start tweeting from December 12 at the feast of the Madonna of Guadalupe. The 85 year pope might have up to 1.2billion followers  and the first papal tweets will be answers to questions sent to #askpontifex.with a few concerns about hacking.
The tweets will be going out in Spanish, English, Italian, Portuguese, German, Polish, Arabic and French. Other languages will be added in the future.
“We are going to get a spiritual message. The pope is not going to be walking around with a Blackberry or an iPad and no one is going to be putting words into the pope’s mouth. He will tweet what he wants to tweet,” Burke said.
Primarily the tweets will come from the contents of his weekly general audience, Sunday blessings and homilies on major Church holidays. They will also include reaction to major world events, such as natural disasters.
Benedict will be sending his first tweet himself on December 12 but in the future most will be written by aides and he will sign off on them before they are sent in his name.
But while the pope will be one of the world’s most high-profile tweeters and have many followers, he will not be following anyone himself.
The pope’s Twitter page is designed in yellow and white – the colors of the Vatican, with a backdrop of the Vatican and his picture. It may change during different liturgical seasons of the year and when the pope is away from the Vatican on trips.

FEAR OF HACKING
The Vatican said precautions had been taken to make sure the pope’s certified account is not hacked. Only one computer in the Vatican’s secretariat of state will be used for the tweets.
“The Pope’s presence on Twitter is a concrete expression of his conviction that the Church must be present in the digital arena,” the Vatican said.
“This initiative is best understood in the context of his reflections on the importance of the cultural space that has been brought into being by the new technologies … the pope’s presence on Twitter can be seen as the ‘tip of the iceberg’ that is the Church’s presence in the world of new media,” it said in a statement.
The pope, who still writes his speeches and books by hand, has given a qualified blessing to social networking.
In a document issued last year, he said the possibilities of new media and social networks offered “a great opportunity”, but warned of the risks of depersonalization, alienation, self-indulgence, and the dangers of having more virtual friends than real ones. source: channelstv

First five things to do to get your dream job...

I know what you are thinking, how is it possible for one to get a good job with 50% unemployment rate but people do and we have a few tips to help you do the same... So read on.

1.) Your resume. A lot of people are so concerned about getting their dream job that they focus on everything else apart from one of those things that should sell them to their prospective employers. Your Curriculum Vitae CV is one major selling point and you should make sure it's the best with emphasis on updating regularly... See your of these websites for useful tips on putting together one..http://www.cv-surgeon.co.uk/
2.) Your Skill. It has been discovered that 65% or more of graduates don't read daily (apart from Newspapers) to improve themselves once they graduate from the University. However, today's information technology world is rapidly expanding and they are new development almost at the speed of thought. If you going to be relevant, you need to read up. Check www.engadget.com, www.pcadvisor.co.uk

3.) Interview Skills. Well... someone once argue that while one you might have done all you can to get into that interview room, the one or two hours you spend in that room could be a difference maker. Prepare for your interview, if's technical, read about the field, the company and prepare scenarios especially for behavioral interviews... See some of these websites for some useful tips..http://career-advice.monster.com/job-interview/interview-preparation/boost-your-interview-iq/article.aspx, http://jobsearch.about.com/od/behavorialinterviews/a/behavioral-interview-questions.htm
4.) Maintain positive outlook. Positive affirmation especially based on your true beliefs is a major key to achieving life-changing success or progress. So start your day with a few positive statements about your career, don't engage with 'gloomy talks' but positive network with others to search and develop new opportunities.

5.) Make yourself visible. We live in a global community, which means most of the what you are looking could be a few clicks' away. So take advantage of it all. Signup for career websites and job hunting sites. Build a professional profile online and market yourself using networking sites like LinkedIn, e.t.c. Always keep an attractive profile outlook on the internet and make yourself 'searchable'. You never know who might what possibilities exist.Check. www.jobberman.com www.linkedin.com/company/

Buenos dias... we made changes to our blogspace.. Let us know what you think!

Ericsson heads to court with Samsung over Patent

Ericsson has sued Samsung over Wireless patent after two years of negotiation over which Ericsson claims 'was frustrating' according to the statement released by the company.
“Ericsson has concluded that it has no option other than legal action after negotiations have not been successful since Samsung has refused to take a license on FRAND terms,” a company statement read.The company says that the issue centers around one of its patented technologies that is “essential to several telecommunications and networking standards used by Samsung’s products”, in addition to other technologies that it claims are used in wireless and consumer electronics products.

In a swift reaction, Samsung has issued an official statement in response to the suit.

“Samsung and Ericsson have previously negotiated and entered licensing deals. Now that the deal has to be renewed, we have faithfully committed ourselves to conducting fair and reasonable negotiations with Ericsson over the past two years, but this time Ericsson has demanded significantly higher royalty rates for the same patent portfolio.
“As we cannot accept such extreme demands, we will take all necessary legal measures to protect against Ericsson’s excessive claims.”  Source:NextWeb.

Bill Gates partners Aliko Dangote to fight Polio in Nigeria

Microsoft founder Bill Gates’ foundation and that of Aliko Dangote, the Nigerian businessman labelled Africa’s richest by Forbes, announced an alliance during a ceremony in Kano.
Nigeria is one of only three countries still considered to have endemic polio, alongside Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Under the four-year alliance, the Bill and Melinda Gates and Dangote foundations would provide funding, equipment and technical support to the Kano state government to strengthen polio immunisation.
Eradicating polio “will be Kano’s gift to Nigeria and Nigeria’s gift to the world,” Jeff Raikes, the head of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, said at the ceremony.
Mr Dangote, whose Dangote Group includes interests ranging from cement to flour and real estate, said “myself and Bill Gates met in New York and agreed to partner and intervene in polio eradication.”
“There is no reason for any one of us not to assist in keeping our people healthy,” said Mr Dangote, who is from Kano.

Forbes has labelled Dangote Africa’s richest man, while the magazine says Gates is the richest man from the United States — as well as “the planet’s most generous person.”
The amounts the two foundations intend to commit in the partnership were not disclosed.
Since 2003, Kano has been especially hard hit by the transmission of the polio virus in Nigeria following the state government’s suspension of immunisations for 13 months.
The suspension followed allegations by some Muslim clerics that the vaccine was laced with substances that could render girls infertile as part of US-led Western plot to depopulate Africa.
Despite the resumption of polio immunisations, Kano has continued to record polio cases as many parents still reject the vaccine.
According to the most recent World Health Organisation weekly report on polio, Nigeria accounts for 104 of the 193 cases so far recorded worldwide this year, with Kano having 22 cases.
In 2011, Nigeria recorded 62 polio cases, including 17 in Kano.
The WHO said earlier this year that an Islamist insurgency in the country’s northeast was harming efforts to eradicate polio due to insecurity. Source :dangote.com/forbes, Channelstv.com

Cybercrime bill scales through second reading at the Nigerian House of reps.

Two bills seeking to provide a legal framework to combat computer misuse and cybercrime in Nigeria have passed second reading in the House of Representatives.
The bills, which were presented by rep. Aisha dahiru, seek to amend the criminal and penal codes to provide for offences and penalties for computer misuse and cybercrimes as she cited the recent gruesome killing of Cynthia Osokogu who was lured to Lagos, raped, robbed and strangled by her “friend” on a BlackBerry chat room as one of the ills of cybercrime which must be fixed during her lead debate on the bill.
According to her, the absence of cybercrime laws portrayed Nigeria as “very porous nation” for cybercrime.
Ahmed who described cybercrime as “well organised and coordinated enterprise” said the absence of cybercrime legislation has exposed sensitive economic, intelligence and security and sundry government outfit to hacking by cybercrime syndicates.
The Taraba lawmaker told lawmakers that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has made 288 cybercrime- related arrests but 234 of the cases were still pending in court largely due to absence of cybercrime legislation to prosecute the cases.
Most members who contributed to the debate on the bill were unanimous in their submissions that it is time for the nation to have a cybercrime law.
Minority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila in his contribution to the debate said, “This issue (cybercrime and computer misuse) has become a menace to society that needs to be dealt with frontally.”
Most of the lawmakers supported the bills, saying it will empower law enforcement agencies to combat the crimes which have negatively affected Nigeria’s image internationally. Source : channelstv.

Antivirus software a waste of money for businesses, report suggests

Antivirus Software is now so ineffective at detecting new malware threats and most firms are probably wasting their money buying it, an analysis by IT security firm Imperva has concluded. A research team ran a collection of 82 new malware files through the VirusTotal System that checks files against 40 different antivirus products, finding that the initial detection rate  was a zero and its took three weeks for even the best-performing products to add the previously undetected sample to their database.

 The researchers recommend two free antivirus products, Avast & Emisoft and McAfee came up as an acceptable performer too.
Let's talk about businesses. Organisations continues to insist on licensed antivirus software but stipulation should allow them to "buy free products" instead and put the saved money into other forms of security. "To be clear, we don't recommend eliminating Antivirus. We do, however, recommend rebalancing and modernizing security spend to meet today's threats, " said the Imperva report.

In August NSS Labs noticed that many antivirus products were unable to block malware attacks exploiting two prominent Microsoft vulnerabilities that had been patched weeks before.

We think the Nokia Lumia 920 is the best smartphone ever made...Do you agree?

If you've never developed much of a fondness for either Android or iOS, it goes without saying that Windows Phone deserves your attention. The Lumia 920 packs some serious treats for camera junkies, which offers superb low-light performance and peerless optical stabilization technologies -- a boon for those who tend to shoot shaky videos. In all, the Lumia 920 promises to be a thoroughly premium smartphone, and it'll even offer wireless charging via a pillow, of all things & we believe it is the best ever made by Nokia. What do you think?
with bits from Engadget.com

How is the PS3 still just as slow at downloading updates in 2012, as it was when it was launched? @rjcc

Quote of the day

Unilag trio wins Google+ Apps developer challenge

Three University of Lagos (UNILAG) students, have won the Google Apps Developer Challenge for the Enterprise/Small Business Solutions category in sub-Saharan Africa.

The students: Bolutife Ogunsola, Michael Adeyeri and Willie Aniebiet, created the Form+ application software; an interface that creates application forms by just dragging and dropping components. The user can create forms – such as curriculum vitae (CV) or resume submission forms for businesses and coursework submission page for lecturers.

Emeka Afigbo, Program Manager, Google, stated: “Our expectation is that this motivates more young Nigerian developers to develop apps that change the way we live in Nigeria and Africa at large.”

The winners were rewarded with Chromebooks and $20,000. They also won a grant worth $18,000 for their school’s department.

Congrats from us guys!

Cheer up guys.. it's Cyber monday... hooray!!!

 Black Sunday has passed but many online stores are offering deals for online consumers from Amazon to Wal-mart because not everyone can get to the stores especially if you are not in the US.
Not everyone was willing to wait in line. Online sales soared over the two-day shopping period, climbing more than 17% from last year on Thanksgiving and nearly 21% on Black Friday, according to IBM Benchmark. Sales made from mobile devices grew by nearly two-thirds over 2011.

A long list of online retailers -- including Wal-Mart, Amazon (AMZN, Fortune 500), Best Buy (BBY, Fortune 500) and The Disney Store -- unveiled "pre-Black Friday deals" even before Thanksgiving.
"We've absolutely seen this whole weekend turn into one big promotional event," said Jay Henderson, strategy director for IBM Smarter Commerce. "Black Friday deals are no longer just for the [brick-and-mortar] store, and Cyber Monday deals are no longer just for Monday."
However, the initial surge is likely to be temporary. By Sunday morning, Cohen expects shopper traffic to fall back to normal pre-holiday sales levels. "There are more hours to shop, but consumers don't have more relatives or more money in their pocket, so once all the dust settles, we won't see too much growth overall," he said.
 with input from CNN money.

Breaking news...

Samsung adds iPad mini, iPad 4 and iPod touch to patent lawsuit

Samsung targets yet more Apple iPads and iPods in latest patent battle

Read more: http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/tablets/3412545/samsung-adds-ipad-mini-ipad-4-ipod-touch-patent-lawsuit/#ixzz2CzISQash

Read more: http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/tablets/3412545/samsung-adds-ipad-mini-ipad-4-ipod-touch-patent-lawsuit/#ixzz2CzISQash

Samsung adds iPad mini, iPad 4 and iPods in its latest patent suit with Apple.

Hold your breath guys... the hits keep coming :)
Source : PC Advisor

Speaking of RIM, I recently got to play with final @BlackBerry 10 hardware and I was pretty impressed!@tnkrl

Wanna buy your Christmas smartphone?... See our editor's pick :)

Holiday season 'buy wagon', and we know it's hard to make up your mind with the plethora of choices but we have chosen what we think is the top three to help you decide.. read on and find out if we have you want...

Which is it gonna be 'Samsung Galaxy SIII, Apple Iphone 5 or Nokia Lumia 920. read this first..
Design - pickup any of these smart phones and let's see if we agree on the smoothness of their curves on your thumbs :)
SIII :) improves on its S II version but it's leaves a lot of room for improvement though it is well put together but the ergonomics is not at par with the Iphone 5 which has got better curves. The Samsung Galaxy SIII has got better weight (135 grams (4.7 ounces) but Iphone 5 is even 20% lighter than the 4S :) :)

The Nokia Lumia 920 :) :) 4.5-inch 1280x768-pixel PureMotion HD+ display covered in Gorilla Glass,  forgive the geek words, all we are saying it's worth your 'feel' though it's not at par with Iphone 5.

Camera & display - more than what you see... Let's find-out!

I know you've heard it all but the SIII has the 4.8 " AMOLED display and gives superb excellence with raw speed when it's comes to picture :) :) while the Iphone 5 is a 'no push-over' with its 4" 176pixels screen with a 8-megapixel, backside-illuminated sensor shooting through a five-element, f/2.4 lens camera :) :) but the Lumia wins this one with a  4.5-inch 1280x768-pixel PureMotion HD+ display covered in Gorilla Glass, optically image-stabilized 8.7-megapixel autofocus camera (with BSI sensor, 26mm f/2.0 Carl Zeiss lens and dual-LED flash) in back :) :) :)

 Speed - forget the fancy words (A6 processor, icore7 etc.)... time to find out how fast can they get you running with your applications, gaming and stuffs.
The SIII incorporates Exynos Quad processor which is a state of the art processor - a testimony to Samsung prowess when it's comes to chip set - leading to quickest boot-time, no stalling and generally savvy :) :) :) while the Iphone 5 brings competition with the new A6 processor which is a lot of improvement over the SII but not too sure it's as twice as fast :) :). The Lumia has under its hood a speedy 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor (plus 1GB RAM) on board which I must admit it's hard to compare to the SIII :)

Storage - how much can you keep under your "hood" or how much extra you can add...
The SIII offers 50GB drop-box storage with option of the cheap micro-SD expansion :) :) :) but the Iphone 5 offers a more pay as go option depending on price you can get 16, 32 or 64GB models, squeaky except you dig the icloud :). Lumia challenges with a built-in 32GB storage but you can get more if you want. :) :)

Battery Life - The SIII has a processor that makes it use less of battery which means long-life battery life for your application :) :) :) while the Iphone 5 comes with a battery life that is actually twice longer than the Iphone 4S. Nokia is renowned for battery life which they deliver again with the Lumia :) :) :)

Services - Most telecoms operator provides Galaxy SIII on contract package which means you can get a good service with your SIM especially in Lagos. You check out the Etisalat package for SIII  (they offer a 4GB extra data at no cost) while MTN also offers the same with three (3) months free subscription but like I always make sure you read the lines :) :). The Iphone 5 is also supported by most operators in Nigeria with a good contract package & deals :) :). Lumia is not yet available by most telcos so you might be on your own when it's comes to support but you can always buy a standard data SIM for it.

Enjoy!

7 things you should know before buying a modem this season..

It's the holiday season, time to get that modem for grandma, girlfriend or yourself but with all the advertisement drama (HSPDA, best effort speeds etc), its hard to choose. So we broke it down for you. enjoy!

 N.B: Please note that the information provided do not represent the official position of the NCC but based on opinion surveys and actual modem test.