Microsoft integrates Skype with Outlook!

Microsoft has announced the integration of outlook with Skype. The Redmond based company will now allow users to be able to voice chat with exciting call quality right from their email box. The new features will allow the users the benefits of connecting their loved ones via a video and voice chats.

A statement from Microsoft blog reads below;

"Starting today, Microsoft is rolling out a preview version of Skype for Outlook.com, bringing two great communication experiences together — all in one place! As part of our commitment to bring you the very best ways to communicate, this Skype for Outlook.com preview is beginning to roll out in the United Kingdom and will be made available in the United States and Germany in the coming weeks. In the coming months, audio and video calling powered by Skype will be available in every Outlook.com inbox. By adding Skype conversations to your modern email, Microsoft is creating yet another way for you to connect to the people you care about most.

With the preview version of Skype for Outlook.com you can enjoy Skype video and audio calls right from your inbox — less typing, more talking!  For those of you that aren’t familiar, Outlook.com is a free personal email service from Microsoft. In the first six months after launch, Outlook.com attracted 60 million new users, making it the fastest-growing email service in history.

Even with the best email service, sometimes text isn’t enough. We all face those situations where it’s just easier to jump on a call to talk something through. Sometimes that quick call can accomplish more than a long email reply. That’s why we are bringing Skype audio and video calling to your Outlook.com inbox. Now, with Skype for Outlook.com, you can choose the right medium for your message, whether it is an email, call, video call or instant message (IM) — you can connect with your Skype and Messenger friends all in the same place".

Get Skype in Your Inbox

Skype for Outlook.com requires a one-time download of a plugin for your browser (available for the most recent versions of Internet Explorer, Chrome and Firefox). After you download the plugin, simply connect Skype to Outlook.com using your Microsoft account.

Customers with an existing Skype account will be asked to link Skype and Outlook.com in a few simple steps. Just merge your Microsoft and Skype accounts and you’re off and running. This will also allow you to add all of your Skype contacts to Outlook.com contacts.

Using Skype for Outlook.com is Simple

Just click on the Skype audio or video call buttons in your IM conversation. To start a call while reading an email from a friend on Outlook.com, move your mouse over the friend’s picture and click on the Skype audio or video call buttons that appear above his or her contact details.

Reach and Be Reachable

We’re excited to offer many of the best ways to keep in touch in one place. With the preview version of Skype for Outlook.com, we’re bringing two great communication experiences together and helping you stay in touch virtually anytime, anywhere.

As we said, this preview experience will start rolling out to UK customers beginning today and is coming to the U.S. and Germany in the coming weeks with worldwide availability this summer.

We hope you like what you see!

Globacom starts $750m upgrade!

Nigerian-based mobile operator Globacom has started an upgrading drive of its current network, and announced that they have signed a $750m contract with Chinese ICT solutions provider  Huawei Technologies. “It is our 10th anniversary and we have been the network of choice for Nigerians because of the unprecedented manner with which we pioneered various technologies and products in the market. We are upgrading in order to continue to serve them better,” said Globacom’s Group Chief Operating Officer, Mohamed Jameel.

Jameel added that the current network will be upgraded ten-fold, and will include the overhaul of infrastructure.

“After 10 years in business, we decided to upscale our network ten- fold to the very latest technology in global telecommunications. The massive expansion project will involve network upgrade and overhaul of infrastructure across the country as well as expansion and densification projects that will on completion in six months enable the network to cater more for its existing and potential subscribers,” he said.

Huawei added that the project is the biggest network expansion that they have been involved with in Nigeria, and look forward to the challenge.

“This is a huge expansion project. We promise Globacom and its teeming subscribers that we will meet their expectation and deliver a network they will all be proud of. Globacom is definitely going places”, said David Fan, Huawei’s Vice President, West Africa.

According to Leadership, “under the partnership, Globacom will build new switches, increase mobile switching centres to ease congestion and construct additional 4,000 km of optic fibre cable which will complement the existing fibre optic facility which is the most extensive fibre coverage of Nigeria.” ITnewsafrica.

The Nokia Asha 210 with a Whatsapp button!

So much fuss about the new Nokia Asha 210, their first ever QWERTY phone (Blackberry users are already bored of that!) with a dedicated Whatsapp button (Now that's new!) that we decided to check it out!

 I have to admit the Nokia Asha 210 is a smartphone with the so much ease of use (am talking about grandma's simplicity!) and packed with all the elements you need for social networking. Check out all the details from their blog:

"The brand new Nokia Asha 210 offers a smarter way to get social. The QWERTY keyboard, WiFi and a dedicated WhatsApp button mean that access to chat is lightning-fast. Not just a socialite, this phone is also a looker, with a distinctive Nokia design and bold colours.

All the details

The great quality keyboard will be a favourite with text addicts. As well as WhatsApp, the phone comes with Facebook, Twitter and support for email accounts, so you’ll never be more than a few moments away from status updates, chat and messages.

The Asha 210 is fully equipped for capturing and sharing great photographs. There’s a 2-megapixel camera on the back that can be activated using a dedicated button on the front. This works even when the phone is locked, so you’ll never miss a shot.

The camera comes with smart imaging software that boasts the latest talents. The self-portrait feature gives you voice-guidance on where to point to make sure your face is in the frame. And once you’ve taken your shot, you can edit images directly in the camera app. Then, of course, you can share them using your social networks or the innovative Nokia Slam technology, which allows sharing over Bluetooth, without pairing the devices.

The smarter Internet experience on the Asha 210 means that when you’re not on WiFi, the phone goes easy on your data plan. The Nokia Xpress Browser uses cloud-based technology to reduce data consumption by up to 90 per cent. You’ll also find the Nokia Nearby web app to help you discover local sights, restaurants and other points of interest.

It comes in Single and Dual-SIM variants, with Nokia’s Easy-Swap technology to allow you to change SIM cards on the go. You don’t even have to switch the phone off to change the SIM in the slot on the side.

Like every Nokia Asha, the Asha 210 offers an astonishing battery life. You’ll get up to 46 days standby with the Single SIM model; up to 24 days with Dual SIM.

The Nokia Asha 210 will be available in yellow, cyan, black, magenta and white. Before taxes or any operator subsidies, it is expected to be priced at around USD 72 (approx. 12,000 naira)  and will go on sale in the second quarter of 2013."

MTN and others launches pre-order BB Q10!

Call it the rave of the blackberry lovers and you won't be wrong! The new Blackberry Q10, a sequel to the BB Z10 has began to garner attention here in Nigeria with network providers all queuing to the deliver the premium Blackberry phone with the popular QWERTY key to users.
Packed with the new BB 10 software, 1.5 GHz dual core processor and a 8-mega-pixel camera with HDR mode See more @ http://efraimsolutions.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/say-hello-to-new-bb-q10.html, the Q10 can be a fascinating smartphone for both business and social networking. A statement from MTN reads

 "The new Blackberry Q10 Smartphone is now available for Pre-Order from MTN. Visit www.mtnonline.com/Q10 to pre-order yours now and enjoy Unlimited BBM"

Though there was information on the MTN website yet as regards the product (something wrong somewhere!) but the we believe their site will be updated soon with others providers like Etisalat, Glo and Airtel all joining the fray!

Say hello to the New BB Q10.

BlackBerry Q10 offers a larger and more spacious QWERTY keyboard and a fresh infusion of the BlackBerry 10.1 operating system. It builds on the greatness of past BlackBerry messaging machines, yet blends this with modern smartphone software powerful enough to run multiple apps at once without skipping a beat. It also surfs Web sites like a champ and has a battery that goes the distance. Of course, the BlackBerry ecosystem lacks a wide app selection, but the Q10's hybrid approach should satisfy traditional BlackBerry addicts who crave a practical upgrade.

Design
A deep and luscious all-black, the slablike Q10 has an appearance that's all buttoned up and ready for business.The Q10 is cut in the same classic flat shape with softly rounded edges that graced other BlackBerrys. Above the 3.1-inch screen sits a large circular notification light that flashes an angry red to compel you to check your messages. Below the display is the phone's large keyboard, right where you expect it.
BlackBerry says the Q10's edges are honed from specially treated aluminum, not plastic, which though black is designed to withstand scratches and scrapes. According to BlackBerry, it also strengthens the chassis and guards against bending and flexing.
On the left side you'll find a Micro-USB port plus a Micro-HDMI connection to output video to TVs. Running along the right edge is a thin combo volume rocker and Play/Pause key that doubles as a way to activate the Q10's voice command feature.
An elegant stainless-steel stripe divides the Q10's back. Above it is a small area which holds the phone's 8-megapixel camera and LED flash. Below the stripe is the Q10's battery door, which conceals a 2,100mAh removable battery, plus slots for microSD and SIM cards. I definitely like the phone's rubber soft-touch coating, which is easy to grip and repels fingerprints. BlackBerry also claims the Q10's thin battery cover is made from reinforced glass that's designed to flex, not crack.
Measuring 4.7 inches tall by 2.6 inches wide, the BlackBerry Q10 is shorter and more compact than many of today's big-screened phone monsters. At 0.4 inch thick, the Q10 isn't quite as svelte as competing handsets, such as the Samsung Galaxy S4 or HTC One, however. Still, in a gadget equipped with a full four rows of physical keys I can forgive this.

Keyboard
The BlackBerry Q10's keyboard is the star of this show. With a full four rows and 35 keys, the device's QWERTY layout is exceptionally comfortable. There isn't much spacing between keys, but the buttons themselves are large. In fact BlackBerry claims the keys are 30 percent bigger than those on previous models.
As on the BlackBerry Bold, the surfaces of the Q10's buttons are sculpted with ridges and concave depressions. The end result is that you can intuitively feel where the center of each key is, and more importantly, know when you stray. Key travel is deep as well, and key presses give a satisfying click.

Display
There's no confusing BlackBerry's tried and true design with that of any other phone maker. One big drawback to relying on physical keys, however, is there's less available room for the screen. Measuring 3.1 inches, the Q10's display is veritably lilliputian compared with the 4.7-inch, 5-inch, and, yes, 5.5-inch panels found on top-tier handsets.
At 720x720 pixels, the Q10's screen resolution is paltry, especially when viewed against phones with full HD resolutions (1,920x1,080 pixels). In fact whether reading Web pages or viewing photos and video, I found my eyes straining to discern detail in the device's cramped display area. The Q10's screen doesn't get very bright either, though thanks to its OLED technology it has wide viewing angles, high contrast, and deep black levels.
Software, UI, and features
As a BlackBerry 10 device, the Q10 runs BlackBerry's most advanced operating system. With it comes all the new features BlackBerry Z10 owners enjoy, including true multitasking (running multiple applications at once) and novel ways to stay on top of your messages, e-mail, and social-networking feeds.
The BlackBerry Hub channels all your messages and alerts into one handy inbox that displays not only the number of incoming missives but also their subject lines. It makes prioritizing and powering through communications either a breeze or difficult to avoid, depending on your perspective. I personally appreciate the Hub and wish Android phones had a similar capability.
You can check your Hub status by performing the Peek gesture, essentially drawing an inverted L, by dragging your finger up from the bottom of the screen and then to the right. With this gesture you can to roll up any app or home screen like a window shade and slide it to the right to reveal the Hub beneath. For more about BlackBerry 10's capabilities, check out our full review of the OS.

Just like the Z10, the BlackBerry Q10 has the power to access multiple e-mail accounts and social-networking services, and can fill your address book and calendar by tapping into these services. Unlike other phone software such as HTC's Sense user interface, BB10 didn't hunt down and suggest links between duplicate contacts with accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Gmail.
Performance
I never would have known that the BlackBerry Q10 was powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, and not one of the cutting-edge quad-core CPUs driving this year's crop of muscular smartphones. The phone felt lively and responsive, smoothly gliding through multiple apps, menus, and browser windows without missing a beat.
Putting the handset through our standard battery of basic performance tests, however, belied my impressions. The BlackBerry Q10 took a long 1 minute and 18 seconds to boot up to its lock screen. That's not as fast as the Z10 (56 seconds) and a snail's pace compared with modern quad-core smartphones such as the HTC One (7 seconds).

The BlackBerry Q10 supports Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.0, and NFC. The music app is decent, as is the basic Maps app. The same goes for Documents To Go, which lets you read, create, and edit Microsoft Word and Excel documents and view PowerPoint and Adobe PDF files.
BlackBerry was kind enough to add a generous supply of social-media apps too in the form of Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, and LinkedIn. Sadly, as with the Z10, the YouTube app isn't really an app at all, but a way to link to the service's mobile Web site. Other notable applications bundled with the Q10 are a notes program and an alarm clock with a nifty bedtime mode (it puts the kibosh on all alerts so you can rest better).
Besides the keyboard, another benefit to holding out for the Q10 is a fresh infusion of software. The BlackBerry Q10 is the first of the company's handsets to ship with the latest iteration of BlackBerry 10, version 10.1. It brings a host of updates and fixes, including special tweaks that take advantage of the Q10's keyboard.
A tool BlackBerry calls Instant Actions lets you jump straight into common functions simply by typing commands. For example, banging out the word "tweet" with text immediately following will post a Twitter update pronto. Typing the command also pulls up options for selecting your Twitter client of choice. Of course there is a wide range of uses for Instant Actions, for functions such as placing calls and crafting e-mails.
I do have to say though that using BlackBerry 10's newfangled touch gestures on a keyboard phone takes some practice. Many times I wanted to use a touch pad that wasn't there rather than rip my thumb away from the keypad and reach for the Q10's display.
Call quality
A huge bright spot in the BlackBerry Q10's performance was call quality. I tested the phone on AT&T's GSM network in New York and both I and my callers were impressed with the results. Callers reported crystal-clear audio with no static or other distractions to speak of. In fact, they had difficulty detecting that I was calling from a cell phone. Callers' voices were mighty loud to my ears as well, from the earpiece or from the device's speakerphone. People on the other end also commented on the clarity of speakerphone calls.
Battery life
In addition to excellent call quality, the BlackBerry Q10 delivered in another area where many smartphones fall short, longevity. In our highly controlled anecdotal battery drain test, the Q10 played back a video for an impressive 14 hours and 4 minutes before finally calling it quits. The device's behavior during my test period mirrored these results, and I consistently managed to go well over a full business day without recharging it.

Camera
One of our chief complaints about the Z10 was its no-frills camera app. That said, the phone was the first BlackBerry to pack an imaging system on par with the competition. The 8-megapixel camera you'll find on the Q10 is no different. It essentially uses the same image maker and software tricks as the Z10.

There is one difference, though: the addition of an HDR mode for pulling out a high degree of detail in low light. You'll also find BlackBerry's TimeShift function, a mode that shoots multiple pictures in succession and then allows you to pick the best one. Interestingly, the phone provides an innovative circular wheel for cycling through moments in time.

The Q10 does fall victim to the Z10's faults, though, namely that there's no way to select image resolution and that the editing tools are designed mainly for use after a picture has been shot. Even so, the phone does take respectable images. Indoor shots were well exposed with an acceptable level of detail. Outdoors, however, both details and colors looked flat and lifeless. Shot-to-shot time was an issue too since the phone required about a second to capture images. This lengthened substantially when the HDR mode was enabled.

Conclusion
How compelling the BlackBerry Z10 is really hinges on whether you believe that the ideal mobile device needs to be an efficient messaging machine first and a gadget for running apps second. If so, and I admit you're in the minority, then the Q10's superb keyboard and message-handling capabilities make it a perfect match. Its long battery life and comfortable keyboard may be what you've been holding out for, and the inclusion of BlackBerry 10.1 is extra icing on the cake. Those who want a phone tied to a bigger ecosystem and one that offers a wider selection of apps and services, however, should look elsewhere.cnet

Availability and Pricing.
There's a possibility of having the Q10 in the Nigeria market by May or early June 2013 and the price range expected may be in the range of the current Z10 which is about an hundred thousand naira.

Assemble multiple shot with the New S4...read on!

Combine multiple shots into one single frame with Drama Shot

While we’re waiting for the #GALAXYS4 World Tour to light up the sails of the Sydney Opera House, here’s an example of how you can turn an ordinary photo of your friend walking before the Sydney Harbour Bridge into a share-worthy snap with the new Drama Shot feature.

Now, sports photography enthusiasts are likely familiar with pictures that show multiple instances of someone going through sequential actions in a single frame. It makes a unique picture and tells a story. However, to create this type of image, chances are you may need to spend some time using post-processing software to merge the shots. But with the Drama Shot feature on the GALAXY S4, you can now do everything on the smartphone.

Fire up the 13-megapixel camera and pick “Drama” in the Mode setting, and you’re good to go. What it does is capture the movement of your subject across the entire screen. So you’ll need to give ample space for the person to move from one side of the preview screen to the other.

Once you hit the shutter, the camera will record a series of pictures and you can see the progress (matter of seconds) via the status bar along the bottom edge of the screen. After the shots are captured, you can select which frames to keep, and which ones to discard, and finally save the image.

No matter where you are, with the advanced camera on the GALAXY S4, you can capture interesting images on-the-go.

#Samsung #SamsungMobile #GALAXYS4 #Sydney #WorldTour #Camera #DramaShot

Free African movies now on iRokotv!

With a growing Entertainment industry that now stands at a staggering US$250 million, Nigeria's entertainment industry also called 'Nollywood' is expanding online and iRokotv has helped to further the frontiers.
Built on a simple business principle that there are millions of Nigerians in diaspora where internet bandwidth is cheaper and readily available, iRokotv have been able to achieve remarkable success in pushing Nollywood movies across the borders and now with Ghanian movies on the offers.
The site, www.irokotv.com have been redesigned to have movies in various categories and genres with freebies included. Viewers can search for their various movies titles or favorite actors and actresses with apps also available for Blackberry users to access their movies from their smartphones in similar fashion to Netflix and others.

The cinema of Nigeria grew quickly in the 1990s and 2000s to become the second largest film industry in the world in terms of number of annual film productions, placing it ahead of the United States and behind the Indian film industry. According to Hala Gorani and Jeff Koinange formerly of CNN, Nigeria has a US$250 million movie industry, creating some 200 videos for the home video market every month.
Nigerian cinema is Africa's largest movie industry in terms of both value and the number of movies produced per year. Although Nigerian films have been produced since the 1960s, the rise of affordable digital filming and editing technologies has stimulated the country's video film industry. The Nigerian video feature film industry is sometimes colloquially known as Nollywood, having been derived as a play on Hollywood in the same manner as Bollywood according to Wikipedia.

So next time you want to watch a Nigerian movie, you can do it online but that's if you have the sufficient internet bandwidth of course!

Welcome the first Firefox OS powered Smartphone - The Geon!

 While hardware giants such as ZTE, Alcatel, LG, Huawei and Sony have publicly committed to building and distributing phones running Mozilla’s HTML5-powered Firefox OS, the first company to actually go to market with Firefox OS devices (albeit only developer preview handsets for now) is a bootstrapped Spanish upstart called Geeksphone.
With a 12-person team, a 20-year-old CTO and co-founder - Javier Agüera below and not a single dime in venture capital raised to date, Geeksphone will be opening its online store for customers worldwide in the very near future – as expected.
In fact, The Next Web has been informed that people will be able to start placing orders for the startup’s entry-level Keon and the more powerful Peak tomorrow (Tuesday) or Wednesday at the very latest.
That will make Geeksphone first to market indeed, which might be something of a competitive advantage – provided there is indeed a market for Firefox OS devices to begin with.
But we’ll get to that part of the equation later on.

The price to pay

Pricing for the Keon, which sports a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1Ghz processor, 4 GB (ROM) and 512 MB (RAM), a 3.5″ HVGA touchscreen and a 3 MP camera, will be roughly 115 euros or 91 euros with VAT excluded.
The Peak, which packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.2Ghz chip, a 4.3″ qHD IPS screen and two cameras (8 MP on the back and 2 MP on the front), will set you back approximately 180 euros or 149 euros without VAT.
The pricing isn’t set in stone yet – as you can tell from the interview – but the objective is to keep the retail cost of the Keon and the Peak under 100 euros and around 150 euros.
This is both excluding European VAT, to be clear. For the pricing in US dollars, we’ll have to wait until the actual opening of the store – we’ll update this post when it goes live.

Firefox OS starts rolling out in the next few months

Geeksphone is initially targeting developers who are interested in building apps for Firefox OS, which shouldn’t be too hard to find because that means mostly Web developers with an interest in mobile and HTML5.
Meanwhile, the big guys are expected to start selling non-’developer preview’ Firefox OS phones with a more polished version of the software – and undoubtedly with much more fanfare – in Venezuela, Poland, Brazil, Portugal and Spain in the next few months, kicking off in June.

Nevertheless, with the startup shipping worldwide and pricing the devices reasonably low, you can bet that many developers who’ve been eager to start building apps for Firefox OS will be tempted by Geeksphone’s offering and not interested in waiting for the majors to come to market.
Geeksphone can theoretically manufacture up to roughly 5,000 devices per day, but that all depends on if there’s enough demand down the line.
Either way, we’ve confirmed that Geeksphone will start shipping the first ordered phones by the end of this week.
The Spanish startup is currently raising funding for the first time since its founding 4 years ago; the round is starting at around 1 million euros ($1.3 million), although I’m told that this figure may grow.

Does Firefox OS fill a need?

While not everyone is convinced that we need another mobile operating system, Geeksphone’s Agüera says everyone at the company is confident that Firefox OS will be able to make a difference – the startup initially focused on building Android smartphones but switched to Firefox OS entirely last year.

The reasons for this are threefold, Agüera says.
He argues that Firefox OS stands a chance because Mozilla already boasts a global, engaged developer audience and a strong brand with Firefox, but can also count on broad industry support (OEMs, hardware suppliers, strategic partners etc.) as well as support from telcos worldwide.
Indeed, when Mozilla presented Firefox OS at this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, it announced initial partnerships with 17 operators, including Telefónica, Deutsche Telekom, Sprint, KT, China Unicom, América Móvil, SingTel, Telenor and Telecom Italia Group.
Many of its current and future carrier partners operate in countries where people are still to purchase their first true smartphone, so Argüera has a point when he says the market is still young and growing, and it does remain unclear how it will continue to develop in the future.
Still, it remains to be seen if and how much of a dent Mozilla can really make in the global mobile OS market, which is dominated by Android and iOS today, with ongoing competition from Microsoft’s Windows Phone, BlackBerry and a range of other platforms.
In this context, it’s also worth noting Canonical’s ongoing efforts to bring Ubuntu to mobile phones and tablets.
We’ll check in with Geeksphone next week to see how developers across the globe responded to tomorrow’s sales kick-off of its Firefox OS developer units, to get the first – albeit small – hint of commercial viability potential for the latest mobile OS on the block.
Either way, it’s impressive that the scrappy Spanish startup is competing in this race. Meet the 20-year-old who’s partially responsible for that.

Samsung, Apple and others provide $32million to China's quake victims.

Samsung and Apple are among the tech companies to provide more than RMB 200 million ($32 million) in donations following an earthquake in Sichuan, China, yesterday.
The companies have responded to the quake which is estimated to have left more than 200 people dead or missing, 11,800 injured and  upwards of 100,000 homeless. Sina Tech reports [via Google Translate] that donations from tech firms in China quickly tipped RMB 200 million within one day, with Samsung and Apple leading the efforts.
The Korean phone maker donated RMB 60 million (around $9.7 million), while Apple pledged RMB 50 million ($8 million). Taiwanese manufacturer Foxconn — which employs more than 1 million staff in China — was among the other donors, also providing RMB 50 million in support.
While we would never suggest that one company would manipulate donations to ‘beat’ a rival, the donations come at an interesting time for both Apple and Samsung in China.
Samsung — which launches its new flagship Galaxy S4 in its first wave of countries (which excludes China) this month — recently topped China’s smartphone market for the first time, according to a Strategy Analytics report from March which found that its sales had tripled in 2012.
Apple has continued to weather criticism of its smartphone sales in China, despite revenue in China from its fiscal Q1 2013 jumping 67 percent to $6.8 billion as iPhone sales doubled year-on-year during the period. More importantly, perhaps, the donations come as Apple has been seen by some as playing the political cooperation game with Beijing.

 A series of incidents — including a very public apology around device warranties, the banning of an app and the inclusion of the App Store on a list of sites with pornography — has seen consumer confidence in the company drop (if you believe the media), with some 60 percent of Chinese consumers said to hold lower opinions of Apple products.
Based on that, it will be interesting to see what the public make — if anything — of the fact that Samsung has pledged more than Apple.
Samsung is certainly being very public with its offering. Details and the figures of its pledge were revealed on its Sina Weibo account in a message (hat tip Tech In Asia) from Samsung China president Zhang Yuanji which said “Samsung China is always with the Chinese people through thick and thin, to tide over the difficulties.”

Apple pledged support through its Chinese website in a message (via Sina Tech) that did not include a figure, but read:

In this difficult time, our hearts are with the victims of the Sichuan earthquake. In addition to cash donations to help the affected people during their difficulties, we are also committing to provide Apple computer equipment to a number of schools in disaster areas. Local Apple employees will be available to provide assistance as needed.TNW

How Twitter could shape Social networks with its #music!

Twitter #music provides people with a striking, and follower-inspired way of listening to music, but don't be fooled by its true purpose. This isn't just about music.
Twitter #Music is about augmenting its follow graph, an important asset that sets Twitter apart from Facebook and others, with explicit data on what members care about.
Twitter's follow graph is a phrase the company uses to describe the map that plots who follows whom. It's a hybrid of a social graph, or a chart of how people relate to other people, and an interest graph, which diagrams how people relate to interests. Twitter's graph is a blend of the two because accounts aren't necessarily people -- they're often bands, memes, television shows, businesses, and so forth. On Twitter, you don't just follow people you know, you follow the things you care about.
Twitter has already deemed this graph, unique from Facebook's social graph, to be of such proprietary value that it won't let competitors such as Instagram or Tumblr touch it. Twitter has no desire to share its graph, the relationships and the tastes hidden behind your follows, with others who could collect that data and sell it to advertisers themselves. Twitter cut off Instagram, in particular, because it also has a strong celebrity contingent, a follower model, and is growing like crazy. At the time, Twitter's reason was this: "We understand that there's great value associated with Twitter's follow graph data."
With #Music, Twitter augments the follow graph by pushing people to press the follow button and share their tastes, a behavior that would allow for specific targeting should the company sell advertisements against these interest-based relationships. Twitter is featuring some of its most fascinating members and providing you with one reason to follow them: they make music you love. It's as if the company is proudly saying, "Hey, look at all the really cool people we have using Twitter."
Did you notice that follow buttons and artist Twitter names are everywhere? How could you not? The buttons are overlaid on top of each track, and they make appearances on artist music pages. They just scream: "Follow me!"

You probably also noticed that Twitter publicly shames #Music users who don't follow many artists. Don't believe me? Just check out your "Me" tab, which highlights the artists you follow. If you're like me, and you've been using Twitter more for information and networking than for entertainment, then this page looks quite sad. "You can make it better. Just go follow some artists," Twitter is telling you.
All of these follow nudges, which at first appear as background to the more ostentatious music experience, are the meat of the application. They act to encourage people to to share with Twitter, and advertisers by association, exactly how they connect to music. There's also plenty of evidence to suggest that Twitter will apply this strategy, rooted in uncovering members' interests, to other entertainment areas such as television.
Twitter #Music magnifies the follow graph in such a way that the data asset, already valuable, would be hard for others to replicate.
I see this as an affront to Facebook's Instagram, which is a haven for tweens and teens, and a social platform beloved by celebrities. A music app that stimulates more interest-based follows is a way for Twitter to stake a claim to the one true follow graph, the way Facebook has done with the social graph.cnet

Just played with the Microsoft Surface made by Samsung. @richardlai

 

that's our weekend one-liner!

Online shopping surges in Nigeria as Jumia, Konga & Tafoo slug it out!

 Call it a generation shift and you won't be wrong! Fueled by Social networks and mobile apps Nigerian shoppers are taking their lists online to find what they want at amazing prices (not too sure about that yet!). There is a growing numbers of consumers both home and abroad that are now taking their shopping from the superstores in popular cities like Lagos and Abuja to various online shopping sites.

Nigerians are finding various offers and deals at these sites such www.jumia.com.ng,www.konga.com,www.dealdey.com e.t.c. What is more interesting is the ability for these online shopping sites to provide concessions like 'pay on delivery' (not everybody trust the cashless transactions yet!) and cool packaging that goes with the items bought.

Though Electricity supply remained moribund and there's less than 1MB internet bandwidth per ten thousand Nigerians (much worse in some states), consumers in major cities are depending on the mobile data networks (EDGE, HSPDA e.t.c) to get around hassles of visiting stalls in heavy traffic of major cities.

The large volume of patronage now experienced by these online shopping sites is also associated with the quality of service delivery they offer (at least for now!) with a friendly customer care lines that helps!

I spoke with a satisfied online shopper who told me he is yet to have any issues with getting what he wants since he started buying stuff online and they even returned his money one time the product didn't meet his specifications. Jumia seems to lead the pack for now, with Konga closing up but we heard that tafoo delivers fast on purchase. 

Please let us know what has been your experience shopping online! happy shopping!

Back in Busine$$...Nokia hits $7.7 billion in Q1 2013 with help from Lumia!

Nokia may have seen an operating loss in Q1 2013, but the news isn't all bad. The company saw revenue of $7.7 billion and managed to sell 5.6 million Lumias, which equates to a 30 percent increase in handset sales over last quarter. As for earnings, Nokia put a shiny buff on them by trumpeting a net profit of $236 million using the non-IFRS accounting method. By stricter IFRS rules, it actually lost $150 million, but that still compares favorably to the vast billion dollar losses it made in the same quarter of 2012.
Of the Finnish outfit's handset sales, North America accounted for a mere 400,000 out of the 61.9 million sold compared to the 700,000 it sold last quarter, making it the only region that saw a decline during the period. Other regions, like China, saw a large bump in smartphone revenues, largely due to the popularity of pricey handsets like the Lumia 920. CEO Stephen Elop said the company's bullish on Lumia sales, considering the (rumored) Lumia 928 coming to Verizon, along with the recently launched Lumia 520, 620 and 720. He said that sales of other devices were a dark spot, however -- so the company's likely hoping all the new WP8 devices will offset those lost sales next quarter.engadget.

Amazon to expand to nearly 200 countries!

Amazon has big plans for its incredibly successful.
Appstore on Android, which include expansion to "nearly 200 countries," -- after rolling out in Europe and Japan -- but it's asking for developers to get on board first. So that its store shelves aren't empty when they open up in places like Brazil, Canada and Papua New Guinea, it's securing app submissions and making sure devs opt-in to international distribution. Peter Sleeman, Director of P2 Games, is quoted in the press release claiming his company saw 4-5x sales of a recent app on Kindle Fire compared to Google Play. That feat is echoed by several others quoted, citing Amazon's in-app purchasing system and features like GameCircle. There's no word whether this global rollout will be followed by wider distribution of its other media services and branded hardware, but given the predictable path it's followed so far that seems like a safe bet.

Before developers get too excited, it's important to note that the apps won't be available in those countries just yet. Instead, Amazon is asking that they be submitted to its marketplace in anticipation of the Appstore's launch in those countries "in the coming months."
Amazon has been slowly but surely growing its application marketplace. Originally only available in the U.S., Amazon announced last August that it had expanded the store to five European countries. Now, it's looking to make its way to scores more.
Amazon's Appstore expansion is important for the company as it tries to deliver a marketplace that can more effectively compete against its chief competitor, the Google Play marketplace. Still, Google Play is on many more devices and is already available worldwide.cnet.engadget.

Check out the new Outlook.com for Android!

Microsoft on Tuesday announced it has updated its Outlook.com app for Android with a revamped user interface and a few new features. You can download the latest version of the app now from Google Play.
Microsoft says it has overhauled the entire user interface so “you can get the same great Outlook.com look and feel you’ve come to love on Windows 8 and the web on your Android device.” Here’s how it looks:

As for the new features, the app has gained conversation threading, filters for unread and flagged mail, as well as the ability to mark messages as junk. You can see the last one in action in the right screenshot above.
Conversation threading in particular will be very useful on mobile where there is limited screen space. It’s frankly a feature that should have been included from the start: grouping related emails together is more of a default thing nowadays than an extra.
For those wondering about ActiveSync support, it doesn’t appear that Google is budging. As such, Microsoft is focusing entirely on its app when it comes to Android:

We believe that the best mobile experience is enabled through Exchange ActiveSync–which provides a rich, powerful, network-optimized experience for Windows Phone, iOS and other mobile devices. However, native support for Exchange ActiveSync on Android devices varies significantly and so we build a separate app to ensure as many people as possible can have a great Outlook.com experience across all their devices.

In this case, Microsoft simply doesn’t have a choice but to keep supporting its Android users in the best way it can. For now, that seems to be the Outlook.com app for Google’s platform.TNW

Google reveals technical specs for Google Glass

Web giant's high-tech eyewear will be capable of capturing 5-megapixel images and video at a resolution of 720p and feature 16GB of storage.

Along with word that Google Glasses are rolling off the assembly line, we get our first look at the specs behind the high-tech spectacles.
The eyewear will be capable of capturing 5-megapixel images and video at a resolution of 720p, according to the technical specs Google released this evening. The first glimpse of the eyewear's hardware come as the Web giant sent out an e-mail today to everyone on the Glass Explorers list to say that a few of the $1,500 wearable devices had already come off the production line.
It will also feature 16GB of Flash storage synced with Google cloud storage, of which 12GB will be usable. The headset will sport Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, although it will be at the older and slower 802.11 B/G standards.
The MyGlass companion app will allow GPS and SMS messaging but run only on devices with Android 4.0.3 or higher.
The full list of Google Glass specs:
Fit

• Adjustable nosepads and durable frame fits any face.
• Extra nosepads in two sizes.

Display
High resolution display is the equivalent of a 25 inch high definition screen from eight feet away. Camera

• Photos -- 5 MP
• Videos -- 720p

Audio

• Bone Conduction Transducer

Connectivity

• Wifi - 802.11b/g
• Bluetooth

Storage

• 12 GB of usable memory, synced with Google cloud storage. 16 GB Flash total.

Battery
One full day of typical use. Some features, like Hangouts and video recording, are more battery intensive. Charger

• Included Micro USB cable and charger.
While there are thousands of Micro USB chargers out there, Glass is designed and tested with the included charger in mind. Use it and preserve long and prosperous Glass use.

Compatibility

• Any Bluetooth-capable phone.
• The MyGlass companion app requires Android 4.0.3 (Ice Cream Sandwich) or higher. MyGlass enables GPS and SMS messaging.cnet.

MTN blazes trail in Nigeria with the Galaxy S4... LTE might be coming soon!

 MTN Nigeria is leading the way with Smart devices deployment, they were first to deploy the Windows 8 based tablets in Nigeria.

see http://efraimsolutions.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/mtn-to-deliver-windows-8-and-windows.html and have set another benchmark with the deployment of the Galaxy S4 from Samsung, which was released earlier this month.The Samsung S4 is Galaxy S4 handset which steadily draws from the same design language as the S3, but takes almost every spec to an extreme -- the screen is larger (5 inches), the resolution greater (1080p), the battery capacity higher (2,600mAh), the processor faster (1.9GHz quad-core or 1.6GHz octa-core), and the rear-facing camera stuffed with more megapixels (13, to be exact).see http://efraimsolutions.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/the-all-new-galaxy-s4-what-you-should.html

News in the grapevine also have it that MTN might be working on providing the first LTE services. LTE, an initialism of long-term evolution, marketed as 4G LTE, is a standard for wireless communication of high-speed data for mobile phones and data terminals. It is based on the GSM/EDGE and UMTS/HSPA network technologies, increasing the capacity and speed using a different radio interface together with core network improvements.^wikipedia.The GSM services which might be marketed commercially as GSM 4G which bring significant improvement data provisioning on the Nigerian Telecommunications space.

Microsoft's making a smartwatch!

The tech giant has requested components for a potential touch-enabled watch device, executives at Asian suppliers tell the Wall Street Journal.
Microsoft is reportedly exploring the idea of joining what promises to be a crowded smartwatch market.
The tech titan has asked suppliers in Asia to ship components for a potential touch-enabled watch device, executives at the suppliers told The Wall Street Journal. One executive told the Journal that he had met with Microsoft's research and development team in Redmond, Wash., but it's unclear whether Microsoft will commit to producing such a device.
CNET has contacted Microsoft for comment and will update this report when we learn more.
Microsoft has dabbled in the sector before, marketing devices running its once-hyped Smart Personal Objects Technology (SPOT). After pouring a lot of money into the effort and partnering with watchmakers such as Fossil, Suunto, and Swatch on high-end, touch-screen models that cost as much as $800, Microsoft pulled the stem out of the project in 2008.
If Microsoft opts to market a smartwatch, it will join a pack of tech leaders reportedly looking to produce the wrist-worn technology. The New York Times reported earlier this year that Apple is experimenting with wristwatch-like iOS devices that feature curved glass, and Bloomberg reported that the company has about 100 people working on a smartwatch project. Apple board member Bill Campbell recently gave more weight to those reports by discussing the value of "intimate" devices such as cell phones and Google Glasses.

A senior executive at Samsung told Bloomberg last month that the electronics giant has been working on wearable devices likes smartwatches and has "been preparing the watch product for so long." Meanwhile, a patent application from Google, which is already taking the spotlight for wearable devices with its Google Glass, shows a timepiece with a clear touch screen that flips up from the base of the watch to serve as a secondary display.
Whatever these companies decide, it's likely going to have to make a significant advance over what is available on the market now to attract consumers' dollars.
A lot of smartwatches, fitness bands, or some hybrid of the two, were talked up earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show. Some of those devices include the the long-awaited Pebble wristwatch, which made its debut at the conference, and the 007-inspired Martian Passport Watch

.

Microsoft, Nokia demand EU action over Google’s Android

Companies including Microsoft and Nokia have stepped up pressure on EU antitrust regulators to take action against Google, accusing it of blocking competition in mobile telephony.

The complaint comes as Google attempts to resolve a two-year long investigation by the European Commission into its internet search practices and avert a possible fine that could hit $5 billion, or 10 percent of its 2012 revenue.

 More than a dozen companies have voiced their grievances about Google’s search practices to the Commission.

The investigation’s initial focus was on its desktop search engine, but European Union Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said last year he had received complaints about Google’s Android, the world’s most popular operating system for smartphones.
Almunia has said he aims to reach a settlement with Google in the latter half of the year. The complainants, however, are frustrated with the pace of his investigation.
In a complaint made public on Tuesday by their lobbying group FairSearch, Google’s rivals accused the company of using Android to divert traffic to its search engine.
FairSearch’s other members include world No. 3 software maker Oracle, online travel sites Expedia and TripAdvisor, French shopping comparison site Twenga, British price comparison site Foundem and U.S.-based adMarketplace.

“Google is using its Android mobile operating system as a ‘Trojan Horse’ to deceive partners, monopolize the mobile marketplace, and control consumer data,” FairSearch’s lawyer Thomas Vinje said in a statement.
“Failure to act will only embolden Google to repeat its desktop abuses of dominance as consumers increasingly turn to a mobile platform dominated by Google’s Android operating system.” he said.
The Commission declined to comment.
Google spokesman Al Verney said the company continued to work cooperatively with the regulator.
Google won a major victory in the United States in January when the Federal Trade Commission ended an investigation without any significant action against the company.channelstv.

Blackberry gets Free-calling Viber updates!

As promised, Skype rival Viber Media has released an updated app for BlackBerry (version 2.4, in beta) that – finally – gives users the ability to make free phone calls to others.
There are limitations, however: free calls over WiFi and 3G only work for supported OS versions, which is to say BlackBerry OS5 and OS7 – but decidedly not OS6, or at least not at this point.
Viber says this is “due to inherent limitations” of the OS, which powers devices like the BlackBerry Bold 9650/9700/9780, BlackBerry Curve 9300/9330, BlackBerry Pearl 9100 and BlackBerry Torch 9800.
Also not supported: BlackBerry 10, although I hear this may be the case when the final app gets rolled out in the near future.
Either way, Viber has earlier stated that adding support for voice calls to its BlackBerry app “represented a significant technical challenge”.
It’s also worth noting that BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) was recently updated for devices running BlackBerry OS5, adding support for free voice calls over a WiFi connection, among other features.
But Viber says it differentiates from BBM because it lets users communicate for free, whether via voice calls or text messages, with users of all other Viber-supported platforms including iOS and Android.
The Israeli startup also just launched a new application for Windows Phone 8 that supports free voice calls.
Meanwhile, Viber boasts more than 175 million users worldwide. The company says BlackBerry users make up the third-largest chunk of its user base, after iOS and Android phone owners.
Viber is currently seeing 15,000 activations on BlackBerry per day.

The battle goes on...as Apple requests $285m damages against Samsung

Contending that the judge presiding over its patent lawsuit against Samsung erred, Apple has asked that $85 million in dismissed damages be reinstated.
In a March ruling in the landmark case, U.S. District Court Judge Lucy Koh cut damages on some Samsung products found to infringe Apple's patents, carving $450.5 million off the original $1.05 billion judgment and calling for a new trial on the damages to recalculate them. However, Apple has complained that Koh made a mistake in reducing at least part of the damages by excluding two devices.
In an effort to get those damages reinstated, Apple filed a conditional motion (see below) this evening with U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California asking Koh to reconsider her order granting a new trial on the jury-awarded damages she tossed related the Galaxy SII sold by AT&T and the Infuse 4G. The motion also asks that she reinstate $40,494,356 for the Galaxy SII and $44,792,974 for the Infuse 4G.

Koh granted the new damages trial after determining that the jury improperly compensated Apple for Samsung sales before April 15, 2011, the date of Apple's original complaint. Both parties have already agreed in a joint pretrial agreement that both Galaxy SII AT&T and Infuse 4G were sold after April 15, 2011, a stipulation Apple called "binding and conclusive on the factual issue."

The patent infringement trial between Apple and Samsung ended last August after the jury awarded Apple the $1.05 billion in damages.cnet