Oppo much like some smartphone OEMs out there released two similar smarphones only different by RAM size and internal storage space. The Oppo A5 is the exact same model has the Oppo A3s except for the higher 64GB storage space and 4GB RAM the former have. There is also another catch, the Oppo A5 is made primarily for the Chinese market which makes it a geographical variant of the Oppo A3s. More RAM means it’ll be faster and multitask smoothly and then the bigger storage space, although, both have the same expansion limit of 256GB.

You can check out our Article on the Oppo A3s to have the full details about the Oppo A5.  The two smartphones look exactly the same way with the same dimension and weigh the same 162g. What differentiates the two smartphones like said earlier is that the Oppo A5 have 64GB storage space unlike 32GB in the Oppo A3s alongside 16GB of storage space while this smartphone has 64GB storage.

Oppo A5 Pricing and Availability

The cost of getting the smartphone is around 57, 000 Naira depending on your location and the deal.

The post Oppo A5 Specs and Price appeared first on Nigeria Technology Guide.

It is likely that you have already heard about many contemporary smart devices that can be operated by using your voice. As a consequence, it is now possible to search for various subjects and items online by using voice search. What is exactly voice search and why is it becoming increasingly popular?

Well, the great news is that we can now be lazy when we want to search for something on the internet. Typing text into Google search bar is not necessary anymore, all we have to do is simply speak to a smart device and then wait for it to give us the relevant data.

To some people this may sound a little futuristic, but many companies are already investing heavily in this industry, with many products out there already offering this service.

To put it into a context, seotribunal.com’s infographic states that in 2016, only 23.3% of millennials were using voice search. A year later, that number increased to 29.9%. Today, 35.8% of the same age group are using it on a regular basis. If this trend continues, we should expect to see a huge rise in the use of voice search in the years to come. As of this moment, between 20% and 35% of queries conducted on mobile devices are voice searches.

We know that not all new technological developments actually end up catching on in the long run, but if we take a look at the figures, things are certainly starting to look interesting.

The likes of Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, and Samsung are the biggest players in this industry. In addition to computers and smartphones, these companies have been working on software to further develop home assistants. They allow us to do a lot more than conduct a simple online search.

A recent NPR study shows that 65% of people who currently own an Amazon Echo or Google Home system simply cannot imagine life without their smart speaker.

Voice search is already changing how we live our everyday lives, and in the future, it is looking likely that it will be even more disruptive.

You can find out more about voice search and its role in our world today by checking out the infographic below.

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The post The Age of Voice Search is already here and here is why appeared first on Nigeria Technology Guide.

UmiDigi has been consistent this year with the release of some greatly affordable smartphones that looks quite good. The UmiDigi A1 Pro is one of the Chinese OEM’s 2018 releases, and it is quite a package. It is crafted in a fancy way in which modern smartphones are made to boost its aesthetic appeal. The smartphone which packs low-level specs has some nice additions like USB Type-C that are not usually seen in this category. According to UmiDigi, this is the first smartphone to feature MediaTek’s new MT6739 budget chipset.

Design and Display

You have to give kudos to UmiDigi on this smartphone because it has found a way to make a smartphone that looks good and sells cheap. The smartphone has rounded edges and well built plastic rear covering with a metallic frame coated in silver colour. Also, the rear appears to be curved with the dual camera, LED flash and fingerprint sensor arranged vertically at the mid-upper area of the rear.

Screen size is not as big as in some of the other smartphones and resolution is not top notch either. Instead, what you’ve got is an average sized screen with a budget HD+ resolution. In accordance with recent development, the screen has reduced bezels but there is no notch on the 5.5-inch display.

Battery and Camera

The display on the smartphone is not the only thing average as you also have a somewhat average battery capacity too in play with the rest of the meagre specs, Inside, you will find a 3, 150mAh battery which is enough till the end of the day depending on usage. You also get a USB Type-C port and quick charge, an uncommon occurrence for budget smartphones.

The camera performs adequately with available background blur effect and a number of other features. The main shooter is made of a 13MP primary sensor assisted by a 2MP camera that gathers more details. Over to the front camera, the UmiDigi A1 Pro has a 5MP sensor in charge.

Hardware and Software

The UmiDigi A1 Pro is not a powerful smartphone rather it is a budget smartphone which makes it alright that it only offers a MediaTek M6739 quad-core processor. As for the graphics, instead of the arbitrary Mali GPU, there is a PowerVR IMG 8XE GPU.

To make multi-tasking a bit easier, the smartphone ships with a 3GB RAM but much lesser storage space of 16GB out of which about 12GB is available for use. This is not really a problem has a memory card can expand this to 128GB at maximum. On a good side, it comes with Android 8.1 Oreo and it is also free from bloats as it is a stock ROM.

UmiDigi A1 Pro Pricing and Availability

You can get the UmiDigi A1 Pr from online stores for about 40, 000 Niara depending on the deal and your location.

The post UmiDigi A1 Pro Specs and Price appeared first on Nigeria Technology Guide.

We all know about the Android Go movement that started earlier this year and we saw phones from Alcatel, Nokia, ZTE and others joining the merry band. The Go circus just got an additional member with the release of the Moto E5 Play Go smartphone. Similar to the bunch of other smartphones carrying the Go moniker, the Moto E5 Play Go has entry-level specs which is why it runs the Go Edition of Android Oreo optimised to perform better on this type of smartphones.

Design and Display

Conventionally, the Moto E5 Play is the blueprint for making this smartphone hence no surprise that they look more alike except for the difference in size. Bezels at the front have been reduced according to recent traditions, although there is still quite a chunk at the chin and forehead. Just in case you are looking for the fingerprint reader, it is the Moto logo at the back same as in other E5 series.

A modest display is also featured not in terms of size but in the aspect of resolution, speaking of which it has a rather low figure. Sized at 5.84-inch, the display only has a 960 x 480 pixels resolution. What to expect is a screen with not too vibrant colours considering pixel density is 184 ppi.

Battery and Camera

The Moto E5 Play Go does not eat up much power because of its low specs. Thus, it is only befitting that you have a small battery capacity on the smartphone which by the way is at the 2, 100mAh mark with no fast charge, not like you really need one with such low capacity battery.

To take pictures, the smartphone has a rather low standard camera which is normal for an entry-level smartphone like this. In light of this, the smartphone has an 8MP camera at the rear and a 5MP front camera.

Hardware and Software

Supplied by Qualcomm, the processor here is a Snapdragon 425 chip that clocks at 1.4GHz, all four cores. Not impressive right? Welcome to the world of entry-level smartphones. It is followed by 16GB of built-in storage space and 1GB RAM. Since there is not much space for storing files, you might want to use the memory card slot which can increase the space up to 256GB. The OS as pointed out earlier is the Go-Edition of Android Oreo which comes with the Go versions of system apps like Google map, play store and so forth.

Moto E5 Play Go Pricing and Availability

The smartphone is available in some online stores or about 42, 000 Naira based on the deal you choose and your location.

The post Moto E5 Play Go Specs and Price appeared first on Nigeria Technology Guide.

Do you have a phone of your dreams? A particular smartphone or gadget you’ve been fantasizing about? That device you can’t seem to get your eyes off? You really would love to own and use it but you can’t ’cause…financial constraints. That problem will now become an issue of the past.

…thanks to Jumia and Afara Partners, you can “Buy Now, Pay Small Small”

As every single day passes, the smartness level of our smartphones goes higher, likewise their price. Everyone wants to use the best of phones but it is as though OEMs are making them unaffordable for the average phone lover — smartphone prices are hitting the roof! To add fuel to the fire, the economic situation in this part of the world doesn’t reflect well on the purchasing power of its citizen. Hence, not all can afford to pay for a pricey flagship smartphone in a one-off manner.

With Jumia Flex, paying for your dream smartphone in (monthly) installments is now possible.

Top e-commerce website, Jumia, has partnered with one of Africa’s leading provider of alternate financial services, Afara Partners, to provide flexible payment plans for smartphones of interest and other gadgets at large. Jumia Flex, as a subsidiary of Jumia, is a platform that allows customers pay for gadgets in monthly installments that aligns perfectly with their financial capability.

To buy any phone or laptop, a small initial deposit (or security deposit) has to be made, and afterward, fixed deposits will.be made for a specified duration. Presently, there are only 3-month and 6-month payments plan available.

How to get started with Jumia Flex

Purchasing any gadget using the Jumia Flex platform is a combination of online and offline process.

First off, you have to visit the official website of the Jumia Flex platform to check the list of available gadgets (be it smartphone or laptop). If you find any gadget of choice, process to click the “Apply Now” button below the device to fill the application form. Proceed to fill the application form and a decision on your application will be communicated to you within 72 hours.

What are the requirements?

On the application form/page, an applicant will  be required to submit the following documents:

• Bank Statements from last 6 months (in PDF format)
• Valid means of identification (ID); could be international passpor, drivers license, voters card, or National ID (also in PDF format)
• You will also be required to supply the following:
• Bank Verification Number (BVN)
• Monthly Income bracket/range
• Phone number (associated with BVN)
• Employment status and company/name of employer
• Applicants signature

Terms and Conditions

For the Jumia Flex program, there are some set rule in place.

1. A customer / applicant can only apply for one device.

2. Upon accepted or approved application, customers /applicants will be required to pay up the device in person in Lagos, at Jumia Flex’s Experience Centre in Yaba, Lagos.

3. Jumia Flex is currently only available for customers in Lagos

4. No hidden or extra fees or charges. Jumia Flex doesn’t charge for application. You are only required to pay in installments iinstallmentse to the plan you choose.

Jumia Flex is a relatively new platform and idea and at the moment, the only devices available for purchase in installments are:

• iPhone X
• Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
• Samsung Galaxy S8
• iPhone 6S (Refurbished)
• iPhone 7 (Refurbished)
• MacBook Pro Retina
• MacBook Pro Retina (with Touch Bar)

All the devices are high-end flagship devices, have 3 months and 6 months payment option, and are all in good working conditions. In fact, all devices come with a warranty of 12 months.

If you are a salary earner on a tight budget, and there is need to purchase a device (smartphone or laptop) for personal or business use, the Jumia Flex program is the perfect plan for you. Now you can buy that dream device without breaking the bank or messing with your savings.

The post Jumia Flex: Buy & Pay for your dream phone in installments appeared first on Nigeria Technology Guide.

Today, we will be talking about one thing that has changed the way the whole world functions, the Internet. It has broadened possibilities offering opportunities to learn, make money, and so much more to every single user. It has made us remain in touch with our closest friends far away from 7 seas, play games on our small mobile phone, and much more.

I think the internet is the only thing that keeps the majority of us up-to-date with happenings across the globe and also, it is the thing that is used by people irrespective of age, sex, occupation, and nationality, A user can surf the web from around the globe at any time and from anywhere.

There might be people in certain countries where they aren’t allowed to surf a particular topic or use a specific application such as Facebook ban in China, and many other instances, there’s where the use of proxies come in handy!

Before making a deep dive into top-notch proxy providers, we will make you understand about the proxy server and list top 3 proxy servers.

What is a Proxy Server?

A web proxy server is a tool/application that will allow a user to surf the web without declaring user’s location regarding IP address of the PC/internet.

The whole data surfed is processed through servers that are set up across the globe and other IP addresses which enables users in China to access Facebook on other country’s internet provider’s IP address. The whole process makes it tough for anyone to track you and your activities when online.

In simple words, A secured proxy acts as a mediator to hide your information that is processed between your computer and the websites you wish to visit when online.

As long as you keep using proxy servers, everything you serve has specific benefits; anonymity, privacy, and freedom. You can learn more about  how a proxy works when you go through the full article piece.

Now, we will have a look at the top 3 free and paid proxy server providers. Here are the proxy servers as follows.

1. HideMyAss:-

First on our list is HMA, it is not only a favorite proxy server provider company but also provide amazing and highly rated VPN services; HMA (HideMyAss) VPN and proxy niches;

They’re primarily located in the UK and also have an operation in other European countries. It offers an easy and simple to use solution for your browsing needs be it 18+ content in some countries, or social media, or anything else.

The company owns a nearby address bar connected through a tunnel of 50+ satellite, and it allows its users to take advantage of, to access a particular site without revealing your identity/ IP address in public.

2. Proxy Site:-

Second on our list is the proxy site that is hosted on a gigabit network, guaranteeing that your identity is never shown to your world and your browsing experience doesn’t experience a hassle as the speed will never slow down.

The company provided with both paid and free plans wherein you will have options for you to use your current and their given address bar, only to optimize your browsing experience.

3. Whoer Web Proxy:-

Whoer.net/webproxy  is third on our list that states themselves as a free and quick way to change your IP Address and enjoy your browsing experience without a hassle.

That’s not all; a user can also carry out a small test which is aimed to test your internet provider’s IP address and integrate them in their system which helps to find out a server’s response time and hence, improve user’s browser experience.

Final Word:

In The article , we have talked about  the internet revolution, a brief introduction was given to web proxy, 3 of the best web proxy server, and much more.

Thank you for reading this article and let us know if we have missed out on anything via comments section. It’s been a pleasure making such awesome guides.

The content is in no way sponsored by any of the web proxy service provider and it’s development team.

Read More:

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2. Best Cloud Hosting Providers in 2018
3. Top 10 Best and Working Torrent Websites in 2018

The post The Internet Revolution and The Boom of Proxies appeared first on Nigeria Technology Guide.

In this article, we will be talking about a couple of apps that act as a search engine for different applications, videos, and many others.

The two apps that we are going to talk about is 9apps and Vidmate. We will also talk about their top-notch features besides giving a brief introduction to both the application.

What is 9Apps?:

It is a tool that allows you to download any of the premium apps for free, premium wallpapers, ringtones, songs, videos, and much more. In Short, 9apps is a go-to place for everything you want and has to pay when you try to get it from their original provider, aka. The search engine for all of the premium tools.

What is Vidmate?

As we have talked all-in- for one platform, we’ll take you through a tool that allows you to download any movie, shows, serials, web series, and much more from multiple video streaming sources such as YouTube, DailyMotion, and others.

Well, the above one is a search engine for everything available online, but Vidmate is explicitly made to provide highest (1080hd) quality video downloads.

Now, we move ahead with features of both the apk:

Here are the following feature of 9apps:

#1. The platform works as a search engine for all kind of premium tools, apps, content, wallpapers, and much more.

#2. You can directly search on the tool about an application but you would need to perform the download activity in a third party website which is not associated with 9 apps.

#3. Third and last on our list is that it allows people/users to download videos from all of the sources ,  Premium content from scribd and many other such websites, and so much more.

That was it from us on top notch Features provided by 9apps. We will now talk about features of Vidmate app

Here are the features of Vidmate app as follows:

#1. It is a one in all tool made specifically to download premium and not-allowed downloadable content from the internet through any form of provider.

#2. It mainly focused on giving users the privilege of Downloading content through YouTube and thus, has a nickname of ‘Youtube Downloader’.

#3. Third and the last Feature on our list is that Vidmate has all of the security measures and doesn’t need to gain access to any other app/ third party apps so that users can download content within the app. Thus, it makes the application a safe and secured.

Final Word

In The article , we have talked about 9 apps and Vidmate apk, the internet revolution, features of 9 apps and Vidmate, a small comparison between both the apps and much more.

Thank you for reading this article and let us know if we have missed out on anything via comments section. It’s been a pleasure making such awesome guides.

The content is in no way sponsored by 9apps and Vidmate app and it’s development team respectively.

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The post Comparison Between 9apps and Vidmate app in 2018 appeared first on Nigeria Technology Guide.

Smart home owners and business owners usually prefer to opt for options that could ensure them of restricting themselves to the fuss that goes around their property all the time.

Why would you choose to run to your home and check in to see if everything is at their place? Z Wave cameras are extremely amazing to serve your purpose in this regard.

It alerts you about all kinds of unusual activities that go around your property. Also, it will give you complete peace when you are out. So, the next time, you don’t stay at home, be relaxed for you have the spy on!

A wide range of Z wave cameras are available in the market, while some of them are wired, others are wireless. It is an extremely compatible home automated product. Any device that runs on this Z-Wave network (it is a wireless signal that is NOT your WIFI signal) is basically connected to a central hub or a controller.

It fields the messages from each and every Z-Wave connected “smart” device that you have in your home. It is absolutely easy to add devices to the hub.

Once you see that the device is talking to the corresponding hub, it will be able to respond to, send and receive alerts and notifications via your smartphone or tablet.

There are a variety of best Z wave products present in the market today, and each of them claims to come up with their own unique features.

Z wave cameras have successfully managed to withstand the test of time. Just as all homeowners do not have the same need, it is important to understand that the product you are choosing is able to meet your family requirements.

You can even use this product in business areas. This is truly an awesome gadget that will meet all your necessities at a scoop. In case you need to get any detailed information about a particular gadget, feel free to contact the Z Wave products’ team or purveyors.

The strength and price of the product vary from one item to another as both the interior and exterior have different necessities.

Best Z Wave products vary according to the clients’ specifications. They are praised for sturdiness, ease of use and high-quality “night vision.” The infrared technology that the product comes along with helps in getting a clear view even during the night time.

It comes with a productive and outstanding lifespan. The easy setup of z wave cameras makes it even more appealing to the consumers. It lets any user to accommodate or handle the device right from its initial setup to that of troubleshooting.

It even comes with a built-in mic and speakers that functions wonderfully without any interruption. Besides, this item comes with features a 180-degree field of vision and monitors humidity, sound and light level. All these features together make this item as one of the best deals in the market.

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The post Z Wave Cameras – The Spy on your Property appeared first on Nigeria Technology Guide.

Jumia is, unarguably, the biggest online e-commerce shopping platform in the whole of Africa. And it doesn’t seem the company is ready to vacate that spot for any new or old rival or competition.

Ever since the company’s inception (as AIG — Africa Internet Group) in Lagos, Nigeria in 2012, Jumia has achieved a quite a lot: expanded operations to over 23 countries in Africa, has over 3,000 workers on its payroll, and have birthed many news services — the Jumia Flex gadget installment payment plan being the latest.

One of the company’s product that has also led to the significant growth of the company is the JumiaPay payment initiative. When Jumia started off, one of the major challenges faced by the company was that of payments.

Sometime in 2016, before JumiaPay was introduced, statistics had it that more than 70 to 90 percentage of orders made on Jumia were paid for via “Pay on Delivery”. And this could be partly attributed to the reluctance of users to adopt online payment. Or perhaps the stress and hassles that comes with it.

This was why Jumia introduced the JumiaPay payment initiative in 2016.

What is JumiaPay?

JumiaPay is a third-party online payment solution that the company assures will provide a safer, faster and more convenient online payment experience for it’s users.

Before JumiaPay, users had to use other payment platform to make payments for items purchased. While some of the transactions goes through smoothly, some do come with their respective hiccups.

Say an item you ordered for wasn’t delivered, getting a refund would take days or even weeks. JumiaPay works with banks to provide a more secure option of payments where you get reimbursed instantly if anything goes wrong with your order — late arrival, damaged order, order doesn’t match website description etc.

With JUMIAPAY, Jumia holds your money in escrow for you until the delivery of your order.

In addition, ease of usage and transaction is also pretty easy as all you are required to provide for payment is your JumiaPay email address, password and a verification code sent to your mobile. This eliminates the stress of having to enter your card details for every payment you wish to make.

How does JumiaPay Works?

JumiaPay is available to all users of Jumia at checkout. Once you have made an order and want to proceed to checkout items in your cart, look out for the JumiaPay payment option and click on it. If you are a first time user of JumiaPay, you will be required to register before you can proceed to use the services.

Registration is also pretty easy as all that is required is your Nigeria Uniform Bank Account Number (NUBAN) and a verification code sent to you via text by your Bank. You will also be required to supply an email address and a new password unique to your JumiaPay account. And that’s it, a simple one-time set-up.

Upon successful registration, you will be redirected to the checkout page. Click on JumiaPay as your payment option and login with your Jumia Pay email address and password.

Select the bank account you want the payment deducted from and a unique one-time password will be sent to your mobile by your Bank to complete the transaction. As simple, fast, secure and convenient as it comes.

According to Jumia, it is following in the footsteps of Chinese e-commerce Giants, Alibaba, to help improve cuatomers’ online shopping experience. Alibaba also runs its native secure mobile payment platform called AliPay.

Jumia assures users of Jumia Pay 100% safety of their data and transaction as it boasts of an experienced anti-fraud team and top-of-the-line security measures.

JumiaPay for Businesses

Interestingly, Jumia Pay was also created for small and big businesses looking to offer flexible payment plans to their customers. Jumia Pay offers a wide range of local Nigerian payment system (Credit cards, debits cards, and direct debit from bank account) to customers.

Other notable perks of using Jumia Pay for your business include transparent and affordable price plans, easy one-step integration process and daily payouts.

Take the first step, shop at Jumia today, Click Here.

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The post JumiaPay – Secure and Convenient Payment Solution for Online Shopping appeared first on Nigeria Technology Guide.

Following the release of their flagship, Huawei just took the Lid of the Huawei Nova 3, a flagship in its own league. The mid-range smartphone is a combination of premium features from the quad camera to the top of the line Huawei’s own processor. Although not a premium flagship, the smartphone hold a torch to the likes of Huawei Mate RS Porsche Design or Huawei P20 Pro. Like most flagship, the smartphone is also AI-powered to further improve the smartphone’s performance.

Design and Display

For a mid-range flagship like this one, you have to look the part which is why the Huawei Nova 3 appears quite stunning especially the model with the cascading colours depending on lights hits it. Enveloped in glass front and back, the smartphone sport a notched screen and a rear that has the dual camera with flash arranged in a single file at the top left side while the fingerprint sensor creates a dent towards the middle.

Visuals on the smartphone is big and bold with a notch on top, the screen covers most of the surface besides the obvious chin, Premium smartphones have large displays nowadays and the same goes for the Huawei Nova 3 that has a screen towering up to 6.3-inch and quite colourful too. Despite not being on par with the rich blacks of OLED screen, the resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels delivers a good show.

Battery and Camera

The Huawei Nova 3 is well equipped with a good battery to get you through the day without worrying about where to charge your phone. Although it all bores down to usage, even a reasonably intensive use will still carry you to the evening before having to plug it in. Now, charging the 3, 750mAh battery has been made easier with 18W fast charging.

Taking pictures with smartphones is a thing most people do on a daily basis, on the Huawei Nova 3 you get to this with not just two cameras like most smartphones or three but with four cameras. So there is a dual camera at the back comprising of 16MP and 24MP cameras while the selfie camera is 24MP plus 2MP combination.

Hardware and Software

One of the upsides to having the Nova 3 is the flagship processor it comes with, ensuring that you have a smooth performance on the device. The Hisilicon Kirin 970 processor is paired with Mali-G72 MP12 GPU both of which have high-grade benchmark results.

To improve performance, the smartphone has 6GB RAM and can either ship with 128GB or 64GB so you have to know which before purchase. Regardless of your choice, you can still extend the storage space to 256GB if you wish. There is also EMUI 8.2 alongside Android 8.1 Oreo on the smartphone.

Huawei Nova 3 Pricing and Availability

The smartphone is available for sale in a number of online stores for about 140, 000 Naira depending on the deal and your location.

The post Huawei Nova 3 Specs and Price appeared first on Nigeria Technology Guide.

Meizu celebrates its 15 years anniversary which is the reason the Meizu 15 was released alongside a lesser Lite version and a more premium Plus model. Normally the jump to number 15 is unprecedented, due to the fact that the last in the iteration was Pro 7. However, it was only done to mark the 15 years of the Chinese OEM’s existence and from rumours, it might just continue from there. The new smartphone ignores the recent trends with its traditional design which I’ll be talking about later on.

Design and Display

Meizu decides to do a throwback on the smartphone while still borrowing some of today’s design flares. Firstly, the Meizu 15 has a 16:9 aspect ratio which is gradually going out of trend but obviously not for Meizu anyway. Then there is the mBack fingerprint sensor below the display that also serves as the home button when pressed as well as a back button when tapped. These features are trends seen in phones years ago, however, a modern trend trimmed down side bezels is also implemented. The rear panel is made of brushed metal with cameras at the upper centre half of the phone and a six LED ring at the bottom.

By today’s standard, a smartphone with a 5.46-inch display might be considered to be on a lower side but with a 16:9 aspect ratio this is appropriate to maintain the compact look. On a good side, this is an OLED screen from Samsung advantages of which you would know if you’ve used one before with its nice contrast and punchy colour display even with a Full HD resolution.

Battery and Camera

There is not much of battery capacity on the smartphone and might even be termed mediocre if you are a heavy user. Powered by a 3, 000mAh battery, the smartphone might need plugging in before the end of the day and for such occasions, there is mCharge 4.0 for a faster top up.

The dual rear camera smartphone family just got bigger with the Meizu 15 being one of its latest members. The duo here is made of 12MP and 20MP (telephoto lens) cameras while the front has a 20MP camera both capable of bokeh effect accompanied by other additional fun features like 3x lossless optical zoom amongst others.

Hardware and Software

On the Meizu 15, you’ll be relying on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 to keep things going as it should. From a performance standpoint, the chipset does a good job alongside the Adreno 512 GPU. Also, there is 4GB RAM added to the mix in line with 64GB or 128GB internal storage. Be advised there is nothing like memory card extension, you would have to make do with the internal storage so choose wisely. It runs FlymeUI 7.0 based on Android 7.1.2 a setback from Oreo seen in most phones this year.

Meizu 15 Pricing and Availability

For about 130, 000 Naira, you can get the smartphone from various online stores depending on the deal and your location.

The post Meizu 15 Specs and Price appeared first on Nigeria Technology Guide.

When did buying a smartphone become so hard? We know! Ever since hundreds of models are released by hundreds of different brands and manufacturers vying for customer’s attention and dough.

These days, you just go to the mall and pick up the latest brand or sign up with a carrier offering it through a monthly plan where you pick out a phone and pay a cheap and subsidized up-front price and signing a contract.

In any case, carriers have since moved away from contracts along with the subsidized phones that came with them.

Currently, there’s no big price variance when purchasing a phone locked to a specific carrier and getting that same device unlocked that you can use on any network, though big carriers let you pay off that device in installments.

This means you don’t need to go to a local store to get your next device, although if you need a unit immediately, it’s still a good option.

Things to consider

After zeroing on the phone, you like, the next step is to consider whether to get on with a carrier-locked phone or go for the unlocked route.Once you’ve picked the phone you want to buy, here’s some of the factors you need to consider before deciding on a carrier or going the unlocked route.

Ensure that the unlocked phone will work on your preferred network since this can cause a big issue when unlocked phones work solely on a network.

Why you should buy an unlocked phone

Unlocked phones let you switch carriers quickly: Would you really like to change from carrier to carrier every time? These days, carriers are avoiding contracts for device payment plans. In the case of unlocked phones, you are locked to no one. If you’re going to a different country, then jump to that location’s carriers. No lock-in and additional purchases will hinder you.

There’s a lot of plans that use unlocked phones: Most major carriers and many of the cheaper ones sell their own phones. However, if you’re keen on saving money with an obscure carrier, you’ll need to bring an unlocked phone.

Unlocked phones have better upgrades and security: Carriers are reportedly delaying updates to Android software and this includes crucial security upgrades. While you’re still at the mercy of your unit’s phone manufacturer, purchasing an unlocked phone will give you the best chance to get the latest plus more secure software updates.

You get less bloatware through unlocked phones: It’s a nasty habit of carriers to add unnecessary applications on every smartphone they sell. These apps take up precious internal memory. While some can be uninstalled, some cannot. This is not an issue with factory unlocked phones since they’re not weighed down by carrier apps.

The deal is that getting a new phone comes down to your budget and preferred cell service. If you’re looking for a phone that a carrier that provides then, by all means,that’s a good option as well.

However, if you don’t like being tied to a carrier and have the budget for a flagship phone, then choosing an unlocked phone is the right option. You can check out unlocked Androids and iPhones at Harvey Norman. They also offer a plethora of accessories and GPS devices as well. Assess the models you want, do your research and choose wisely.

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Your Car, your sanctuary:

Unless and until you are someone who drives a Rolls Royce or a Bentley, then it goes without saying that cabin noise is definitely something that you will face with your automobile no matter what.

It’s pretty astonishing how car companies are investing and coming up with advanced and modern technology to improve their cars. Yet, a simple thing like cabin noise still isn’t fixed. Cabin noise is something that is immensely irritating and will surely ruin your ride.

And Also Your Sound System:

Growing up when we had our first car, almost all of us can admit the guilty pleasure of putting in huge subwoofers and a sound system to pump up those songs.

And for some of us, listening to good music is always a must while being inside our cars. Sadly, when there is cabin noise, the sound system often comes of no use.

WHERE IS THE NOISE COMING FROM?

Before you go on jumping to solutions and how you can solve the cabin noise problem, it is very crucial to identify where the noise is actually coming from. Let’s take a look at some of the areas.

FROM THE HOOD:

Car engines are a huge transmitter of noise, especially if you have a car with a bigger engine, then you will surely be able to hear the pops and crackles from the cabin.

Luckily, with more environment-friendly government regulations and standards, more and more small engined and hybrid cars are being used. Such cars will not only help you to get a sound free cabin but is also great for the environment as well.

SOLUTION TO THIS?

Be it noise coming from the engine or whatever, the only possible way you can get a nice and quiet cabin is through car soundproofing.

The mere topic of soundproofing stretches very far and is a broad topic. However, car soundproofing is something very simple. And with just by using a few materials and tools, you will be able to do it without needing any specialized help.

If you have identified that engine noise is penetrating through your cabin, then what you will need to do is get some Fatmat soundproofing material.

The Fatmat Self-Adhesive RattleTrap Sound Deadener Bulk Pack is something that will help you to get a quieter cabin. These materials have a nominal thickness of around 80 mils, and that gives them the ability to absorb all sorts of noise that it faces, and engine noise is no exception.

You do not have to worry about using them on the hood of your car because they are certified for automobile use. Installing them won’t be a problem at all because they are self-adhesive and will also come with an installation kit as well. So you are good to go.

NOISE THROUGH THE WINDOWS:

We all love putting the pedal down on broad highways and country roads. The sheer excitement of empty and twisty roads is just amazing.

However, at high speeds, wind noise will enter through your windows and ruin the serene environment inside your car. And you can’t just slow down on such roads, can you? The solution to this would be to get laminated windows on your car.

Laminated windows consist of layered glass where the additional plastic material provides an extra sound barrier. Most car manufacturers today are providing laminated windows as standard options, however, if not then we would suggest you add it. It won’t cost you a fortune for the service that they will provide.

UNDERNEATH THE FLOORS:

There are multiple different parts and components that make your car run smoothly on a daily basis. As a result, it is very common for it all to make noise and slide through the floor of your car.

However, there is a very easy solution to this as well. What you can do is put some extra layers of thick carpet under the usual carpet of the car, and that would pretty much be able to absorb all sorts of unnecessary noise from entering through the cabin. However, if you want the best possible solution, then you can use FatMats under the car carpet as well. It will surely work.

CAR DOORS:

The main reason why most people think that car sound deadening is very complicated and all is mainly because when they start researching about it, the first thing that they see is “how to soundproof a car door”.

As easy as soundproofing might be, it goes without saying that disassembling the doors and all is a huge hassle and will surely make you do the extra labor.

Nonetheless, if you are determined and really do want to approach the process, then you surely can. Be sure to thoroughly check the instructions and tutorials first and also have someone to help you with it all.

JUST GET A NEW BOOMING SOUND SYSTEM:

A good sound system will give you a very good music experience and spread good vibes all around. However, getting a high quality and loud sound system will also be able to diminish the cabin noise as well. No matter where it’s coming from. The MTX Audio Terminator Series TNE212D 1,200-Watt Dual 12-Inch Sub Enclosure is one hell of a beast and will surely help you in this case. It also comes at a very good price as well.

DOES CAR SOUNDPROOFING REALLY WORK?

If you are someone who is new to this and you haven’t used or tried soundproofing before, then it goes without saying that you will surely have lots of questions on your mind surrounding it.

Feel free to ask all soundproofing questions to us. We will try our best to respond. Nonetheless, the most common question regarding soundproofing that we get is that if it really works or not. And there is only one answer to that.

Yes, it does work. However, that does not necessarily mean that it will work like magic and all. You would have to be precise and use soundproofing materials according to the ideal situation. If you follow the right steps then you will be very good to go.

BEWARE:

The internet is a dark place, and every day many people are being deceived through fraudulent businesses. The soundproofing market is no less.

If you do your bit of research on the internet, then you will find multiple different businesses selling soundproofing solutions and what not. We are not saying that they do not do their job well or anything.

However, the insane price tag they charge is just baseless. Whatever they do can be done at home by yourself just by using the right methods and materials, that too at a very cheap rate. So we would definitely suggest you do soundproofing yourself, no matter what type of soundproofing it might be.

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The post Tired of Cabin Noise in your Car? Then Read This appeared first on Nigeria Technology Guide.

Nowadays, everything you have in your home can be connected to your phone. This ranges from your robot vacuum cleaner to your fork.

You can now connect your fridge to the internet and let it play your favorite song. Technology has improved so much that now jobs around the house can be accomplished whilst you are chilling on the couch.

In addition to this, with voice assist, you can order the groceries or make online shopping easier. Thus, you never have to do anything that requires too much bother.

However, where do you begin? Companies have created so many smart gadgets that make it difficult to choose what product is required where.

Sure, a smart home doesn’t have to be full of gadgets, but you do have to remember that these products are an investment rather than a meaningless purchase. In fact, in a Business Insider article, it has been noted that 24 billion gadgets will be installed globally by 2020. Thus, we see an increase in demand.

So, what are these gadgets?

Voice Assistant

In order to fully control these gadgets with ease, you need to have a voice assistant. This will eliminate the need for having a phone constantly in your hand.

Additionally, you can also set alarms, order takeaway and google search whatever you want. With a simple voice command, you will be able to dim the lights, set the shower, and even warm up the toilet seat before you get to the bathroom.

If you are seriously considering purchasing such a product, you should look in the Echo family. These speakers will allow you to make phone calls with video and it even lets you watch your TV show. These are the pros and cons of such a product:

Pros:

Automating your life gives you more free time that you can spend with your loved ones. With a simple “Good Morning Alexa” your virtual assistant will start your coffee machine, and it will start preheating your oven.

It’s able to release you from your daily chores. If you’re not a big fan of cleaning, you can command your assistant to start the robot vacuum cleaner and even your robotic lawn mower. Thus, you no longer have to worry about doing a lot of manual work.

It’s practical for the elderly. Since it’s so smart, it will remind you to take your pills, and it can set alarms by itself. Thus, someone who is suffering from diseases such as Alzheimer can benefit greatly.

Cons:

The only bad thing about this is the fact that it limits your movements. Having everything done for you is great. However, are you exercising daily to make up for it? You need to stay healthy somehow, and if you’re not cleaning, you should spend a few minutes extra at the gym.

Smart Lock

A smart lock will keep you safe, and it will bring convenience. It will completely remove the need for keys and key locations such as a fake rock and a doormat.

Seriously, it’s very obvious that the rock in your garden that hides the keys to your precious home looks very fake. You will be able to install it within seconds, and it provides a peace of mind right after.

Some models are so smart that they can detect you when you are close, and it will start opening the door for you. In addition to this, you will be able to unlock the door for someone even if you’re miles away. As long as you are connected to Wi-Fi.

Pros:

The convenience it brings is astonishing. You no longer have to worry about the pain of losing your keys and wasting a long time to get another one. Around 2 million people are rescued by their local locksmith. Don’t be one of those people.

Smart locks are much safer than the usual locks because it’s impossible to override the system. In addition to this, you cannot break them as they are made from heavy-duty materials. As well as, it triggers an alarm and a notification to your phone. Take that James Bond.

If you have visitors and they need a code to get in, you can give them a code that lasts for 24 hours. After the timer runs out, they can no longer enter the home with that PIN code.

Cons:

Some brands will not allow you to install the smart lock yourself. Someone from the company will show up, and they will do it for you. Whilst this is a pro, it’s also not very convenient as you will have to wait around for that person to show up.

Robotic Pool Cleaners

These have been created with award-winning designs. They only weigh a few pounds, and they have a tangle-free operation. You can set the options that are suitable for your needs, and you can go on with your day.

They can work with pools that are up to 50 ft in length within a few hours. The powerful brushes will be able to remove Algae, bacteria, and biofilm. No one wants to enter a pool that has a weird green, and it smells funny. With this product, you will ensure that your pool will be squeaky clean without you having to do any manual work.

Pros:

All of the models are able to run a smooth operation. In addition to this, they run very quietly, thus, it’s very unlikely that you will disturb your neighbors whilst the gadget is running its course.

It removes the use of excessive chemicals that can throw the water balance overboard. Thus, you no longer need to use excessive amounts of chlorine or any other dangerous chemical that can be very bad for the skin.

These are much more effective than human hands. It will effectively remove any debris without too much power consumption. Any other tools will require you to empty out the water first, or they require you to do a lot of scrubbing. Robotic pool cleaners will remove these needs.

Cons:

The only setback that they have is the fact that they cost few hundreds of dollars. Thus, if you’re not looking to spend any more money, this isn’t a gadget suitable to you. However, if you want a smart home, this product is a must-have.

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The post Gadgets that turn your Home into a Smart Home appeared first on Nigeria Technology Guide.

To the most intriguing of the ’15’ series smartphones and of course the flagship of the bunch which has a divergent approach to what a premium smartphone should look like. The Meizu 15 Plus have a rather unconventional look but its a break from the norm seen nowadays like display notch, slender build and it looks quite good that way. It’ll probably soothe the classic kind of people rather than a recent trend fanatic. Now let’s dive into the spec sheet of the smartphone and explore what it has to offer.

Design and Display

Meizu has a track record of not going with the crowd when it comes to the way they build their smartphones. This notion has only be affirmed once again with the release of the Meizu 15 Plus, a flagship with no notch or 18:9 aspect ratio. However, it has reduced bezel which is nice to accommodate a bigger screen and makes the design it look clean. SPorting a well polished metallic finish made with cutting edge technology that makes it lighter.

Being the Plus model, the smartphone has a bigger screen and not only that the display resolution has taken a boost compared to what you have on the other lesser variants. There is the joy of AMOLED screen to bask in and which one of the perks is its nice contrast and also, in this case, the impressive 1440 x 2560 high resolution. With the great resolution comes a fairly large size of 5.94-inch space to watch movies in, play games and do other kinds of stuff.

Battery and Camera

There is also a significant bump in battery capacity by 500mAh which might not be much but is definitely not insignificant. Whereas it is only normal, for it to power the additional pixels and large-sized display as well as drive other functions. The 3, 500mAh battery can be mCharged – the name given to Meizu’s own quick charging, however, its lacks wireless charging ability.

Optics remains the same with the Meizu 15 and that involves a duo on the rear side and a single camera at the front which is the same in all the ’15’ series. The rear has a 12MP camera with a 20MP telephoto lens for lossless zooming and background depth to capture cleaner portraits. Social media worthy selfies are taken by the 20MP sensor which also the bokeh effect image optimisation and other goodies.

Hardware and Software

Unlike most of the high-high-end flagships this year, the Meizu 15 Plus comes with last year’s Samsung flagship chipset featured in the Galaxy S8. Nonetheless, it is still a powerful SoC and that is talking about the Exynos 8895 processor alongside a Mali-G71 MP20 GPU.

In segue, the smartphone has a befitting 6GB RAM as well as storage options of 64GB and 128GB respectively. Storage space can be extended to 256GB if you desire to. Sadly, it also boots Android 7.1.2 Nougat covered with Flyme UI 7.0.

Meizu 15 Plus Pricing and Availability

The smartphone will cost about 170, 000 Naira depending on the deal and your location.

The post Meizu 15 Plus Specs and Price appeared first on Nigeria Technology Guide.

Introducing the bottom shelf version of the Meizu 15 or you could put it has the modest version – Meizu 15 Lite. The smartphone is not so down the line from the Meizu 15, in fact, they are structurally very similar to each other. Areas, where significant differences can be seen, include the hardware and camera. The smartphone saves you some money while still giving you a close experience to the ordinary model. Read on to know how much of a difference there is or how good this Lite model actually is.

Design and Display

Fundamentally the Meizu 15 Lite has a striking similarity with the Meizu 15 only that the former has a less glossy finish. Thanks to this, the smartphone is not a smudge magnet and it does have less obvious antenna lines. The presence of a single camera at the rear also gives the smartphone away but you still have the ring flash. The volume rocker is located on the left side, power button on the right while the bottom house the audio, jack, speaker and charging port while the top is left bear.

Still sticking with the traditional 16:9 aspect ratio, the display is also kept at 5.46-inch with ever so thin bezels at the side. It is commendable that the AMOLED panel is retained for the Lite model as well as the same 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution.

Battery and Camera

Battery capacity is not the Meizu 15 Lite forte and neither is it a weakness per se, it is more or less average at best. minimal usage will see that the smartphone goes well to the dead of the night before having to plug it in. In addition, you would still be able to enjoy mCharge 4.0 to fill up the 3, 000mAh capacity in no time.

The camera on the smartphone is clearly not as good as the original model especially on the rear side where you now have a single camera as opposed to the dual setting on the Meizu 15. The absence of the 20MP telephoto lens means no lossless zooming on this one as you have a 12MP camera only to shot with. Selfies are handled by the 20MP camera and you can also have wefies with your friends with its wide-angle range.

Hardware and Software

It is only logical that the skimming gets to the processor being used as there has been a downgrade to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 626 which by the way is still a very good chipset. Also, there is the Adreno 506 GPU taking graphics head-on on the smartphone.

Furthermore, the smartphone has quite enough RAM of 4GB and 64GB of storage space some of which have been taken by the Android Nougat OS. Atop the OS, there is Meizu’s own FlymeUI 7.0 running and remember, the smartphone has no SDcard slot.

Meizu 15 Lite Pricing and Availability

The smartphone will be sold at various stores online and otherwise for around 97, 000 Naira depending on your location.

The post Meizu 15 Lite Specs and Price appeared first on Nigeria Technology Guide.

Since its birth in 2012, Jumia has graduated from being just an e-commerce shopping platform to one of the biggest and best processor of payments (see: JumiaPay), flight and ticketing platform (Jumia Travel), food service and restaurant discovery platform (Jumia Food), party drinks and supply (Jumia Party), and recently, the launch of a platform that allows payments of gadgets in installments (Jumai Flex). Interestingly, Jumia wants to do even more across Africa.

Earlier this year, Jumia introduced “Jumia One” — an application that conglomerates and unites all of its services (and more) onto one easily accessible platform. The Jumia One app is more of a “lifestyle app”, an all-in-one platform for one-stop shopping of groceries, electronics, gadgets, automobiles, real estates, hotel booking, flight tickets, get party stuff, view the best available deals on Jumia and many more.

What can you do with/on Jumia One?

The Jumia One app / platform was first introduced on the Android platform but is now available for iOS users. Also, at the moment, only users in Nigeria and Egypt can use the Jumia One app to:

1. Pay bills

With Jumia One, you can pay for your several personal bills like airtime purchase, data and internet subscription, TV subscription, and other utility bills (electricity).

Asides fast transaction time and zero transaction fee, another advantage to using Jumia One to pay your bills is the discounts and cash back that accompanies it. When you purchase data or airtime via Jumia One, you will get a 5% cash back on the total amount (in naira) of airtime or data you purchase.

Paying other utility bills attract variable percentages off the amount to be paid.

2. Shop

The Jumia One app is incorporated with the Jumia shopping platform of your respective country. This eliminates the need for the Jumia shopping app, save for when there are “App-only” discounts and promotions. On the JumiaOne app, you will have access to all the deals and offers on the Jumia shopping platform.

3. Book Flights and Hotels

The “Jumia Travel” pltfropl is also incorporated into the JumiaOne app. Basically, the Jumia One app is the ideal go-to platform for anything Jumia.

Search for hotels, flights, book and get the best discounted travel deals. Using the Jumia One for hotels and flights even comes with additional discounts.

4. Shop Groceries

It is safe to say that the Jumia One app has almost everything you need. Need some groceries, home essentials, toiletries, drinks, snacks, fresh foods, and ingredients? You can place orders directly from the Jumia One app. No stress, no hassle.

5. Buy or Rent houses and spaces

Are you new to a place and in search of the best apartment in a city of choice? Or you need to move your business/office to a more cozy space? You can search for cool spaces and apartments to rent or purchase.

Price, pictures, and contact details (email address, phone numbers, and WhatsApp numbers) of any property that catches your interest are provided in the description section. You cannot order, purchase, book, or rent properties directly on the JumiaOne app.

6. Other services

In conjunction with third-party companies, startups, and brands, you can book bus tickets (with ABC Transport), hail taxis (Uber), get tickets to the latest shows in town and purchase cinema tickets (Nairabox), stream musics, movies and other media contents (MTN Music Plus and Ladios) and many more services.

You can also place sport bets and fund your betting accounts on your favourite bookies from the Jumia One app.

Jumia One: Payment

For any service, bill, or product you purchase on the Jumia One app, you can choose to pay using either Credit/Debit card, or Online Bank Transfer. When you add your card(s), it saves you the hassle of having to re-enter your card details for every payment or purchase you make on the app.

Again, there are no service charge or hidden fees deducted by Jumia for using the JumiaOne platform — it is absolutely free.

Although the Jumia One platform was created first for the Android OS, it is now available for iOS users as well and can be downloaded on each platform’s respective app store.

Transactions on the JumiaOne platform are secure and there is an option to authenticate every transaction or purchase via fingerprint (of your device has the feature). Lastly, if you already have a Jumia account, no new registration is required. Input your Jumia email address and password, and you are good to go!

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Nigerian startups CredPal and Zowasel win in the Merchant Payments and Financial Inclusion challenges respectively

Lagos, Nigeria; 25 July 2018: Visa (NYSE:V), the world’s leader in digital payments, announced Nigerian startups CredPal and Zowasel as winners in the Merchant Payments and Financial Inclusion challenges of its first ever Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) Everywhere Initiative, a global program aimed at startups and designed to encourage the development of the next big thing in payments. The winning solutions beat 10 other contenders selected from 238 submissions to emerge as champions.

The SSA program was structured around three real life business challenges:

1. Merchant Payments Challenge: How to enable smaller merchants to accept payments in-store digitally OR Provide a safe and secure solution for online merchants to drive eCommerce and reduce cash on delivery?
2. Social Business Payments Challenge: How can startups use Visa’s APIs to leverage mass reach and social media partner platforms like Facebook to help businesses operating in fast-paced consumer centric environments improve cash flow and receive payments?
3. Financial Inclusion Challenge: How can startups leverage technology to provide services that are functional for illiterate customers to provide them with secure transaction experiences that build and enhance their confidence in the banking system?

Nigerian startup, CredPal, won the “Merchant Payments” challenge and US$25,000 for its solution that allows business and individuals to pay for purchases in installments across online and offline merchants by providing them with instant access to credit at the point of checkout. The merchant then fulfills the order and is paid in full while the customer pays CredPal back in fixed monthly installments.

Zowasel, another Nigerian startup, developed a solution which connects under-financed smallholder farmers with investors via mobile phone-based P2P lending and marketplace sales, as well as gives them access to best agricultural practices. They won in the “Financial Inclusion” challenge. The SSA edition of Visa’s Everywhere Initiative is also the first time that startups have been given a challenge specific to financial inclusion since it was launched in 2015.

Mookh Africa developed a social business payments solution which makes it easy for people in Africa to buy and sell on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Once the seller creates an online store on Mookh, they can embed it into their Facebook page.  The Kenyan startup won both the “Social Business Payments” challenge as well as the overall prize for its idea. The company took home US$50,000 and the opportunity to work with Visa to develop the concept further.

Geraldine Mitchley, Senior Director – Digital Solutions, sub-Sahara Africa at Visa, said:

“We have had the privilege of working with some of the best minds in the region over the last few months and the selected three category winners have the potential to truly change the way people pay in the region. We congratulate Mookh Africa, CredPal, and Zowasel and thank all the finalists for participating in the Everywhere Initiative.”

She added:

“The future of digital payments will be shaped through collaboration and we look forward to working with our startup partners to transform the payments landscape over the coming years to the benefit of consumers, merchants and issuers alike. It’s an exciting time in Africa’s payments and fintech space.”

Oluwakemi Okunsanya, General Manager: Visa West Africa, said:

“Visa is proud to play its part in Africa by enabling a smart economy powered by secure digital payments. This vision comes to life when we can collaborate with passionate minds and foster an entrepreneurial ecosystem where innovators can thrive.  Today, we saw this passion and innovation first-hand; and we are excited to build on the technologies that have secured the top positions in each of these challenges. Together with Visa and our financial institution partners, we would love to see at least some of these become a reality for consumers in the near future.”

Carmen Whatley, Managing Director, Accenture Digital Financial Services and one of the judges for the final said:

“VEI is a very powerful initiative. Africa is always made to feel like the lost continent and today we saw what is coming out of the continent. It was mind-blowing and a reminder that good ideas are everywhere. I am energized. It was amazing for me to see that we had a panel of judges who came from very different backgrounds and looked at this from very different angles; and we unanimously decided on the winners. There were very clear, innovative ideas; or ones with phenomenal social impact. All the winners have incredible ideas for Africa – from opening up access to finance for customer, to linking up small farmers with financers – biggest highlight has been seeing these ideas and their social impact.”

Visa’s Everywhere Initiative is a global program designed to support the company’s goal of fostering the growth of next generation payment technologies.

This is the first time Visa has rolled out its Everywhere Initiative in Sub Sahara Africa and shortlisted fintechs from Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia took part in the final pitch event. To date, nearly 2,100 fintech startups from across North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia have participated.

Related Topics

• E-Payment for Merchants & Shops in a Cashless Nigeria
• Mobile Money e-payment in Nigeria
• e-payment in Nigeria
• ATM card security
• Stopping one transaction scratch cards
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• Valucard e-payment
• Internet Banking in Nigeria
• Mobile Banking in Nigeria

The post Nigerian Startups Win Big at Visa’s Everywhere Initiative SSA Finals appeared first on Nigeria Technology Guide.

As a business seeking to thrive online, there are a couple of SEO strategies you must have already taken up as well as tools to better your chances of ranking high on search engines, which explains why many website owners use SERP tracker online, for keenly keeping tabs on any further advancements that might have an implication on your SEO efforts.

Without a doubt, content generation is among the top areas of consideration for any SEO strategy, simply because it is the value you provide to your audience, who ultimately control your performance on search engines. This means that your content should be unique and relevant to your course.

Lucky for you, there are a couple of ways to ensure you create content that is unique and free from plagiarism, and here are 5 of the best:

Quote Sources

This is perhaps the commonest way to stay off the plagiarism route. Quoting acknowledges the original writer of the content. While quoting, ensure you pick out phrases and sentences exactly as they are especially because no one wants to be misquoted or have their information misrepresented.

If you resolve to quote people’s sentences and statements, be sure it naturally blends with the flow of your content. Quoting must be done correctly, and avoid over-quoting someone’s work, because that strikes off as you not being well informed about the topic you are writing on.

Cite and Reference your Sources

Especially for complex topic matters, it can be difficult to independently come up with content, forcing you to rely on other sources to find out more on what they have already determined.

Still, this does not excuse you to plagiarize, which is why you should cite your sources, using the different formats, that is, APA, MLA, Chicago, among others. Depending on the nature of your website, pick out a format that gels well with your type of writing and brand specifications.

Be sure to correctly cite journals, books, and other sites correctly as would the preferred citing style, by creating a comprehensive reference list at the end of your article.

Paraphrase Phrases and Sentences

This is ideally common for blogs and personal websites that are not necessarily academic in nature, even though is occasionally relied on by other websites too. Paraphrasing is a great way to share information that has already been shared in a clever manner that does not entirely use the same perspective of structure or thought.

When paraphrasing, be careful to structure your sentences and phrases differently so that in no way will your content be identically similar to that in another site.

Determine Unique Topic Approaches

Plagiarism is bound to happen if all you do is recreate topics that have already been discussed over and over again. The problem with this is, apart from struggling to compete in the already saturated topic space, you risk duplicating the same content, which is even distasteful to search engines.

As per your keyword research insights, come up with unique topic approaches, so that you can stand out as a legit source of information while still staying away from plagiarism.

When creating your content, ensure you pick out a topic you are interested in, and if the topic is already determined for you, invest in it to gain interest, so that you can swiftly patch in different ideas into your own original content.

Try to incorporate the different types of content, so that the images, videos and info-graphs not only increase the richness of your content but also sets you apart from other peoples content.

Even though plagiarism checks will still pick up similar wordings and phrases, these different formats potentially push you to further elaborate your points in your own words, which will result to plagiarism-free content.

Review your Work before Publishing

Sometimes plagiarism is not intentional, and with a simple act of reviewing your work before publishing, you can ensure that your site is free from plagiarism. Ensure you further revise your paraphrased phrases and statements, ensuring that they are not only unique and in your style of writing, but that they actually make sense and naturally flow with the rest of the work.

Manually check that all your efforts to achieve a plagiarism-free piece of work are in order, and consider taking a step further by running a plagiarism check for your content.

There are a couple tools that technology has provided that scan through your work to determine the percentage of plagiarism detected from your work. The higher the percentage, the more plagiarized your work is, and this can taint your overall reputation.

There are so many types of plagiarism, all of which can direly negatively implicate your website, which could cost you your credibility, ranking, or worse, your entire brand. With these easy tips, get ready to create exciting unique content for your website, but more importantly, do proper research to fully understand the topic so that you do not feel the need to plagiarize.

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The post 5 Ways to Produce a Plagiarism-Free Content for your Website appeared first on Nigeria Technology Guide.

So you want a best Xiaomi smartphone this year? Well! We have rounded up here five best smartphones you can pick from. We have listed smartphones from different ranges so you can easily decide and pick the best option in time.

Xiaomi is one of best smartphone in the world with tons of impressive options. The company is the addict of rapidly introducing new smartphones, it has covered all segments out there, from entry-level to high-end flagships. In many regions, the company has emerged as one of the leading brands because of its quality products.

This is an innovative brand with a keen focus on trends, it does produce new phones covering all trends along with some innovative features, Mi Mix series is one nice example to prove this. It is not necessary to buy a smartphone from a company whose name you see first.

Be sure to find out what it is in general, examine everything before making a selection. The price of range in affordable-market is now capable to open access to the choice of smartphones with trending innovations, chasing them is not worth the head. Remember that innovation has its price. It is possible to install a dual camera, which will be useless, the manufacturer gave up the quality screen.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2s

One of the great options with powerful specs under eye-catching design. You can consider it one of the best bezel-less smartphone that can meet your demands at peak. This is a nice to pick the option with the shiny body you can pick in white and black colors option.

It has a large 5.99 inches display based on 1080 x 2160 pixels (Full HD+) resolution. It offers you 18:9 aspect ratio with around 82% screen to body ratio.

You get the aluminum frame and 2.5D glass material on the back and front side. The rear side contains ceramic material which looks quite beautiful. It has a minimal chick featuring the front-facing camera. Overall, it gives you premium feelings when using.

This phone is powered by an Octa-core processor and you can pick it with 6GB or 8GB RAM option. Storage options range from 64GB to 256GB and you do not have an option to extend internal storage with SD card.

It has power camera setups for both sides. The rear side is equipped with two 12 AI cameras. AI (artificial intelligence) effect does try to give you a great photography experience.  One main 12MP sensor contains f/1.8 aperture, 1/2.55″ sensor, and 1.4 µm pixels.

The secondary 12MP camera tries to enhance performance with an f/2.4 aperture (helpful for amazing daylight photography). You can record sharp 4K videos and slow-motion videos at 240 frames per second. The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2s has a 4000mAh huge battery which let you live more than a day.

Xiaomi Mi 8

Do you like to have a powerful phone with trendy stuff out there? You should focus on Xiaomi Mi 8, this is another bezel-less smartphone that comes with the so-called notch.

The company has made it available in gorgeous design under the premium material and yes you can hide the notch if you hater of it. This is one of a top-class rival to other flagships available in the market including Galaxy S9, iPhone X and OnePlus 6. It does offer you minimal design, very thin bezels and solid material for a shiny look.

It does offer you 6.21 inches Super AMOLED display, the OLED display panel is optimized for high color contrast at 600nit. It has Octa-Core processor clocked at 2.8 GHz processing power. It has a 6GB RAM and you can pick it in three options, 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB.

What about photography? This phone has amazing cameras for capturing images that can inspire others. It comes with a 12MP primary camera which is equipped with a f/1.8 aperture, 4-axis OIS for smooth image stabilization and dual pixel PDAF.

The secondary camera is 12MP which has an f/2.4 aperture you can use to have great impressive daylight photography. This setup containing two cameras can capture vivid photographs at night as well. When it comes to the front side, it offers you 20MP camera with f/2.0 aperture and it can record full HD videos.

And it has no 3.5mm jack but does not worry as you can use USB C to 3.5mm convert to handle this issue. Xiaomi has powered this phone up with a 3400mAh you can charge fast. This should easily let you stay connected with the world for more than a day.

Xiaomi Mi A2

This is one of best mid-ranger with AI dual camera setup. This smartphone has a 5.99-inches display with 1080p resolution. You can pick the phone in many stunning colors including Flame Red, Sand Gold, Black, Pink, and Blue.

This is another handset with an 18:9 aspect ratio you can buy. This phone has an Octa-Core processor, 4 x 2.2 GHz + 4x 1.8 GHz, you can get it in 4GB and 6GB RAM option. For internal storage, Xiaomi has used 64GB and 128GB ROMs, along with up to 256GB SD card slot.

The interesting part, it comes with an AI dual camera setup which let you have amazing photography experience at the normal price tag. It has two Sony sensors, one is main 12MP Sony IMX486 sensor with 1/2.9″ size and one is 20MP IMX376 with 1/2.8″ sensor size.

The camera has f/1.75 aperture so you can capture sharp images in low light conditions. Even, the front-facing camera has the ability to inspire the world, it comes with a 20MP front-facing camera with AI tools.

You can enjoy a wide range of photography tools that let you enhance your experience with Xiaomi phones among mid-rangers. This smartphone is powered by a 3010mAh battery, a normal improvement to A1. You can charge this phone fast with 5V/2A chargers.

Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro/Mi A2 Lite

This smartphone comes with a 5.84 inches display and resolution 2280 x 1080 points, the aspect ratio is 19:9. The choice of memory manufacturer is not stinted and offered three modifications: 3/32 GB, 4/32 GB, and 4/64 GB.

The set of cameras in this smartphone standard: frontal single and double rear. Taking front-sided photo is possible sensor to 5 MP, and the main camera received two sensors, where the main is 12 MP and to help given the second is 5 MP.

Almost certainly, with good daylight, the camera will give a decent picture, but in the evening the image will lose in detail and contrast.

One of the pleasant moments in Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro, the presence of battery on 4000 mAh. With such a battery, the device will easily survive until the end of the day and the stated time of work in talk mode, p to 34 hours. Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro fully meets those tasks that put ordinary users in front of the smartphone. This is one of the most inexpensive devices that does not offer anything supernatural. Average performance, normal cameras, and faceless design-alas, the mandatory costs of the budget segment here legislated.

Xiaomi Redmi 6

Xiaomi Redmi 6 is not very tall, it does offer a sleek and beautiful design. Dimensions of devices from a ruler Remis dimensions of the device more or less everything is clear. Only the thickness of the Redmi 6 is thrown in the eye, compared to the Redmi 5 – 8.3 mm against 7.7 mm.

That’s a pretty noticeable difference. The capacity is the same as that of Redmi 5a, with a similar thickness of smartphones. The weight of Redmi 6 is 164 grams.

The appearance leaves much to be desired, at least in the photos the smartphone looks just unpresentable. Huge side frames around the screen, this is not what you would like to see in the smartphone mid-2018.

This phone does not have a cutout in the screen, although the screen does have proportions of 18:9 as the predecessor. The frames on the top and bottom are quite impressive, although the machine is still more compact than last year’s smartphones with 16:9 screens with the same diagonal display.

The case of the phone is made of metal, but there are two small end inserts made of plastic. The main camera is double and located in the upper left corner at the junction of the plastic insert and metal panel.

To the right of it is a flash, and in the middle of the upper part of the rear panel, fingerprint scanner. It is noteworthy that the external speaker grille is located in the lower part of the rear panel, as in the model Redmi Note 3 of the year 2015.

At the bottom end there is only a micro-USB connector and a conversational microphone and on the top-the second microphone and headphone jack. The IR port in the smartphone is not provided, and it is perplexing.

It has a dual camera sensor. The double main chamber, installed in Redmi 6, is devoted a lot of time to the presentation, telling how much it has become better, compared to the previous generation. The camera is equipped with sensors for 12 and 5 MP (F/2.2), pixel size 1.25 microns.

There is a LED flash. Comparing them to the picture, it seems that the framework on Redmi 6 is almost twice wider than that of Redmi 5. If this actually turns out to be so, this fact can alienate many users who are accustomed to living up to the times and get with the new device more and more subtle frames, and not vice versa.

The company has used the processor from MediaTek. The company’s progress in this direction is not clear. Smartphones of the company with Chip MediaTek produced very seldom and in most cases did not enjoy high demand. But it is not necessary to write off processors Helio from accounts. It looks pretty good on paper.

The battery on 3000 mAh, battery capacity I’d like more. But again, we cannot say anything about the autonomy of these smartphones. Reduced to 5.45 inches diagonal screen and processor made by a 12-nanometrology process, perhaps this is exactly what makes the battery of this capacity-a good choice for this device.

The main “driving force” of the smartphone is a new 4-core processor Mediatek Helio A22 with a clock frequency of 2.0 GHz. The Redmi 6 will be available in two versions: 3/32 GB and 4/64 GB.

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