All About Mobiles

Twitter Has Introduced Tweet Translation for its iOS and Android Users.

2015-01-25T21:48:00.000+01:00

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

However, for now, the translations are available for 40 language pairs only. You can access this via a browser, Twitters own Tweetdeck and Twitter apps for mobile devices.

Users can turn tweet translation on or off by signing into Twitter on a desktop computer or laptop, then go to your Account setting in the Content area and select the tweet translation service to turn the setting on or off.

A little globe icon at the side of a tweet indicates that it was originally published in a different language and also that a translation is available between your language and the language of the tweet.

However, Twitter warned that translations may sometimes be of low quality, though Bing says that its researchers are continuously working on improvements but warns that it will take years before effective browsers translation can be achieved.

For this reason, the original text is always displayed above its translation as they think it will make it easier to understand by comparing the translation with the original if necessary.

According to Twitter, it’s a great way to disseminate worldwide news and information. We can now follow Twitters tweeting in other languages by overcoming language barriers.

Google Translate’s Latest Update Taking Translation to another Level with 2 Awesome New Features.

2015-01-22T18:18:00.000+01:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You can download the update Here

How to Take a Screenshot on your Smartphone and PC’

2014-12-31T15:20:00.000+01:00

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

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

Android

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

Windows 8 and 8.1 phones

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

Windows PC devices

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

Blackberry Playbook, 5, 6, 7 and 10 OS devices There is no pre-installed screen capture app for Blackberry OS 5, 6 and 7 devices so you will need to download a screen capturing app from Blackberry App World. Examples of some very good and reliable applications for capturing your screen include Capture It, Screen shot, Screen muncher, Screen shooter and Screen Capture. Just search for any of them in BlackBerry App World on your Blackberry phone, then download and install.

When you find a a screen you want to capture, just press the Menu button and select the screen shot app you downloaded, open it and snap whatever it is you want. All screenshots will be saved automatically in the pictures application on your Blackberry device.

For Blackberry Playbook and OS 10 devices, first find the screen of which you want to take a screenshot. When you are ready to snap, press the Volume Up and Volume Down keys on the right hand side of the device at the same time until you hear a camera shutter sound. The screenshot will be saved to the camera folder on your device.

iOS devices

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

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

Microsoft is Rumored to be Developing a New Web Browser for Windows 10.

2014-12-29T23:58:00.000+01:00

Fresh information which very recently surfaced suggests that Microsoft is developing a new internet browser for Windows 10, which is code-named “Spartan” but is not Internet Explorer 12 which typically was being expected to drop along with Windows 10. They aim to make Spartan look and feel more like other popular browsers like Mozilla’s Firefox and Google’s Chrome by making it support extensions and upgrading the UI.

Despite the changes, Spartan is still going to use Microsoft' Chakra’s JavaScript engine and Microsoft's Trident rendering engine unlike other browsers like safari which uses webkit and Chrome which uses a upgraded modification of webkit, as reported by ZDNet

According to the report if they are correct, we should be expecting Windows 10 (at least the desktop version) to ship with both Spartan and Internet Explorer 11 and Spartan will be available for both desktop and mobile (phone/tablet) versions of Windows 10.

Microsoft has an event fixed for January 21 where it is expected to unveil more details about Windows 10. ZDNet also reports that Spartan is just a code name for the new browser project for now and don’t know what Microsoft plans to call it when it is released or if will be functional enough for inclusion in the Windows 10 January Technical Preview and mobile preview builds that are expected to be available to testers in early 2015, as they are not sure.

If it will be made available at some point to other non-Windows OS is not clear for now but the possibility can’t be ruled out as Microsoft for some time now has been releasing much of its software and services to non-Windows OS.

Source: ZDnet

BlackBerry Classic detailed specifications

2014-12-20T21:02:00.000+01:00

BlackBerry announced the release of its latest smartphone, the Blackberry Classic, three days ago with a full QWERTY keyboard and a 3.5-inch touchscreen. Here are the detailed specifications of the device compiled by yours sincerely….

GENERAL

Release date	December 2014
Form factor	QWERTY
Dimensions	131 x72.40 x10.20 mm
Battery capacity	2515 mAh
Weight	178g
SARS value	NA

DISPLAY

Screen Size	3.5 inches
Screen type	Capacitive touchscreen
Resolution	720 x 720 pixels
Pixels per inch	294 ppi
Protection	Corning Gorilla glass 3

SOFTWARE/HARDWARE

Operating system	BlackBerry 10.3.1 OS
Chipset	Qualcomm MSM 8960 snapdragon
CPU	Dual core 1.5 GHz Krait
GPU	Adreno 225
Java support	No
Browser supports flash	No
RAM	2GB
Internal storage	16GB expandable via MicroSD to 128GB

CAMERA

Primary	8MP, 3264 x 2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
Features	Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, HDR, panorama
Video	1080p @30fps
Secondary	2MP

CONNECTIVITY

WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual band
Bluetooth	Version 4.0 A2DP, EDR, LE
GPS	Yes with A-GPS support
NFC	Yes
Radio	Yes
USB	MicroUSB v2.0
Network	2G, 3G, 4G (LTE).

BlackBerry officially launches the Classic, with a full QWERTY physical Keyboard.

2014-12-18T21:05:00.000+01:00

BlackBerry yesterday officially released the BlackBerry Classic with a full QWERTY physical keyboard, physical navigation keys, and a touchscreen. The company has for over a year now been stressing the fact they are going “back to their root” – making QWERTY keyboard phones (as the name Classic even suggests) with mainly business features. It has a striking resemblance to the Blackberry Bold series but of course with significant upgrades. The Classic is actually possible to use in one hand, unlike the huge Passport. BlackBerry formerly Research in Motion believes this phone will appeal to those who love the traditional BlackBerry (QWERTY) experience that made the company a market leader some years back.

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

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

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

Top 10 Best Selling Smartphones in Nigeria, 2014.

2014-12-17T21:29:00.000+01:00

As we approach the end of the year, 2014, it’s only important that we take a look back at what happened during the year as far as mobile smartphones is concerned. We have seen huge demand and sales of some products and most of the top brands like Samsung, Apple, HTC and LG have really lived up to expectations but there has also been some surprise hits from some before now less respected brands.

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

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

10 Blackberry Q10 Smartphone

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

Blackberry Q10 and LG G3

9 LG G3

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

8 Samsung Galaxy S4 mini

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

Galaxy S4 mini and Gionee Elife S5.5

7 Gionee Elife S5.5

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

6 HTC one M8

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

iPhone 5 HTC one M8

5 iphone 5

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

4 Infinix Zero

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

Infinix Zero Galaxy Nore 3

3 Samsung Galaxy Note 3

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

2 iPhone 5s

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

iphone 5s

1 Samsung Galaxy S5

Despite the many competitors in the top brands category, the Samsung Galaxy S5 is still regarded doubtedly as the number one smartphone in the world at the moment by many even after the release of the iphone 6 and 6 plus. It was released this year to succeed the Galaxy S4 and it’s a truly worthy successor with some upgrades. Some of the main features of the Galaxy S5 include a 5.10 inch 1080x1920 display, Android 4.4.2 Kitkat, 1.9GHz Octacore CPU, 16MP back camera and 2.1MP front camera, 16GB/32GB internal memory with 2GB RAM, all powered by a 2800mAH battery. The Galaxy S5 is currently selling for between 96,000 to 100,000 Naira from Jumia or Konga.

Samsung Galaxy S5

Top 10 Best Social Dating Apps for Android Mobile devices.

2014-12-08T23:03:00.000+01:00

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

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

1. Badoo

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

2. Qeep

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

3. Tagged

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

4. OkCupid

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

5. MeetMe

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

6. Skout

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

7. Zoosk

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

8. Eskimi

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

9. Tinder

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

10. Lovoo

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

Privacy Policy

2014-12-06T17:04:00.000+01:00

This Privacy Policy governs the manner in which All About Mobiles collects, uses, maintains and discloses information collected from users (each, a "User") of the mobilesandgadgetsng.blogspot.com website ("Site"). This privacy policy applies to the Site and all products and services offered by All About Mobiles.

Personal identification information

We may collect personal identification information from Users in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to, when Users visit our site, register on the site, subscribe to the newsletter, fill out a form, and in connection with other activities, services, features or resources we make available on our Site. Users may be asked for, as appropriate, name, email address. Users may, however, visit our Site anonymously. We will collect personal identification information from Users only if they voluntarily submit such information to us. Users can always refuse to supply personally identification information, except that it may prevent them from engaging in certain Site related activities.

Non-personal identification information

We may collect non-personal identification information about Users whenever they interact with our Site. Non-personal identification information may include the browser name, the type of computer and technical information about Users means of connection to our Site, such as the operating system and the Internet service providers utilized and other similar information.

Web browser cookies

Our Site may use "cookies" to enhance User experience. User's web browser places cookies on their hard drive for record-keeping purposes and sometimes to track information about them. User may choose to set their web browser to refuse cookies, or to alert you when cookies are being sent. If they do so, note that some parts of the Site may not function properly.

How we use collected information

All About Mobiles may collect and use Users personal information for the following purposes:

- To improve customer service
Information you provide helps us respond to your customer service requests and support needs more efficiently.
- To personalize user experience
We may use information in the aggregate to understand how our Users as a group use the services and resources provided on our Site.
- To improve our Site
We may use feedback you provide to improve our products and services.
- To process payments
We may use the information Users provide about themselves when placing an order only to provide service to that order. We do not share this information with outside parties except to the extent necessary to provide the service.
- To share your information with third parties
We may share or sell information with third parties for marketing or other purposes.
- To run a promotion, contest, survey or other Site feature
To send Users information they agreed to receive about topics we think will be of interest to them.
- To send periodic emails
We may use the email address to send User information and updates pertaining to their order. It may also be used to respond to their inquiries, questions, and/or other requests. If User decides to opt-in to our mailing list, they will receive emails that may include company news, updates, related product or service information, etc. If at any time the User would like to unsubscribe from receiving future emails, they may do so by contacting us via our Site.

How we protect your information

We adopt appropriate data collection, storage and processing practices and security measures to protect against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure or destruction of your personal information, username, password, transaction information and data stored on our Site.

Sensitive and private data exchange between the Site and its Users happens over a SSL secured communication channel and is encrypted and protected with digital signatures.

Sharing your personal information

We may use third party service providers to help us operate our business and the Site or administer activities on our behalf, such as sending out newsletters or surveys. We may share your information with these third parties for those limited purposes provided that you have given us your permission.

Third party websites

Users may find advertising or other content on our Site that link to the sites and services of our partners, suppliers, advertisers, sponsors, licensors and other third parties. We do not control the content or links that appear on these sites and are not responsible for the practices employed by websites linked to or from our Site. In addition, these sites or services, including their content and links, may be constantly changing. These sites and services may have their own privacy policies and customer service policies. Browsing and interaction on any other website, including websites which have a link to our Site, is subject to that website's own terms and policies.

Advertising

Ads appearing on our site may be delivered to Users by advertising partners, who may set cookies. These cookies allow the ad server to recognize your computer each time they send you an online advertisement to compile non personal identification information about you or others who use your computer. This information allows ad networks to, among other things, deliver targeted advertisements that they believe will be of most interest to you. This privacy policy does not cover the use of cookies by any advertisers.

Google Adsense

Some of the ads may be served by Google. Google's use of the DART cookie enables it to serve ads to Users based on their visit to our Site and other sites on the Internet. DART uses "non personally identifiable information" and does NOT track personal information about you, such as your name, email address, physical address, etc. You may opt out of the use of the DART cookie by visiting the Google ad and content network privacy policy at http://www.google.com/privacy_ads.html

Changes to this privacy policy

All About Mobiles has the discretion to update this privacy policy at any time. When we do, we will revise the updated date at the bottom of this page. We encourage Users to frequently check this page for any changes to stay informed about how we are helping to protect the personal information we collect. You acknowledge and agree that it is your responsibility to review this privacy policy periodically and become aware of modifications.

Your acceptance of these terms

By using this Site, you signify your acceptance of this policy. If you do not agree to this policy, please do not use our Site. Your continued use of the Site following the posting of changes to this policy will be deemed your acceptance of those changes.

Contacting us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, the practices of this site, or your dealings with this site, please contact us at:
All About Mobiles
mobilesandgadgetsng.blogspot.com
Lagos, Nigeria
07052256441
luckeylife041@gmail.com

This document was last updated on December 06, 2014

How to Download and Install Android 4.4 Kit Kat with Playstore and run it seamlessly on Your Windows PC.

2014-11-30T13:27:00.000+01:00

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

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

1= Download Bluestack App Player.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: Phone Arena

Gionee gears up to set another World Record by releasing Gionee W900 - the First dual 1080p display Smartphone.

2014-11-29T16:34:00.000+01:00

Gionee, a handset maker founded in 2002 with its factory in China is mostly known for its record breaking smartphones – first the Gionee Elife S5.5 then the Gionee Elife S5.1 which at the time of their release separately were the World’s slimmest smartphones before being dethroned recently by the Oppo R5. This time around, they are in the news as they are set to release a new mobile device, the Gionee W900 which will be the World’s first Smartphone with double 1080p displays.

The Gionee W900 looks similar to a number of Samsung's dual-screen flip Android smartphones but with an upgrade. It comes with two 4.0 inches full HD (1080 x 1920 pixel) AMOLED screens (with an amazing 550 ppi density).

The device which weighs 172 grams and is 14.8 mm thick when closed, runs on Android 4.4.4 Kit Kat, with the other features being a Quad core 1.5 GHz processor with 2 GB of RAM to run on and 16 GB of internal storage which is expandable via MicroSD card to 64 GB,. It also comes with a 13 MP back camera and a 5 MP front facing camera for selfies and video calls, high speed LTE (4G) and Wi-Fi connectivity, GPS and a 2050 mAh battery to power it.

Presently, there is no word about when it could be upgradable to Android 5.0 Lollipop and also the pricing of the device is not known yet but it could drop before Christmas in China, its home country where it has passed through screening and certification from Tenaa (the communications regulatory agency in China).

Microsoft adopts Opera Mobile Store to replace Nokia store as default for Nokia phones.

2014-11-25T19:28:00.000+01:00

Microsoft have made a deal with Opera to use Opera app store as the default preloaded app store in Nokia’s series 40, series 60, Asha, symbian and the Nokia X series mobile devices with the exception of the Lumia devices. The transition will happen in the first quarter of 2015 and will affect all existing devices as users will be redirected to the Opera mobile store from the Nokia store whenever they want to download from the store.

As reported on Microsoft’s website, Opera Mobile Store boasts close to 300,000 apps and games with support for more than 7,500 devices ranging from feature phones to smartphones. 40,000 developers from around the world have contributed to the store's range of app offerings.

After the transition from Nokia store to Opera, Microsoft intends to shut down the Nokia store.

Would You Go for the Regular iPad Air 2 or A 24K Gold iPad Air 2? The Choice is Yours!

2014-11-24T19:02:00.000+01:00

Have you got taste for allure and enough cash to throw around? Do you want something unique and special? If yes!, Apple and karalux, the renowned Vietnamese jeweler have got something for you – an Apple iPad Air 2 plated in 24 karat gold.

The special plating of course comes at a price – quite for those with enough money to throw around. A 64GB version of the tablet coated in real gold costs about $1315 – which is over double the amount for the regular 64GB iPad Air 2 which comes at about $600 and even lesser if ordered from the Apple store directly.

The 16GB and 128GB iPad Air 2 models will also be released and Karalux will reward customers who pick up one of their creations by the end of the month with a gold-plated tie pin or a Zippo lighter with the same finish.

Source: GSM Arena

Infinix Hot X507 budget smartphone set to be launched in Nigeria in partnership with etisalat and Konga.

2014-11-22T22:22:00.000+01:00

Infinix is set to launch a new smartphone in Nigeria which will be its second device running on Android 4.4 Kitkat. This is expected to take place in collaboration with Konga and Etisalat. It packs some great specs and it comes at a quite affordable price.

Below is the rundown of the specifications of the device.

General Information

2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900

3G Network HSDPA 900 / 2100

4G Network No

SIM Dual mini SIM

Status Announced November 2014

Body

Dimensions 142.4 x 73.2 x 10.1 mm, 160 grams

Keyboard Touchscreen

Colors: White, Black

Display: IPS, capacitive touchscreen with 16,000,000 colors, 5.0 inches screen, 480 x 854 pixels, 196 ppi.

Memory: Internal 16GB, Expandable to 32GB via MicroSD Card slot, 1GB RAM

OS: Android 4.4.2 KitKat

Processors: 1.3GHz quad-core Cortex-A7 CPU,

MediaTek MT6582 chipset, Mali-400MP2 GPU

Connectivity

2G GPRS – up to 85.6 kbps; EDGE – up to 236.8 kbps

3G Up to 21 mbps downlink; Up to 5.67 mbps uplink

4G No

Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, Wi-Fi hotspot

Bluetooth Version 4.0, MicroUSB v2.0, NFC No

Camera: 5MP front camera, 2592 x 1944-pixel with LED flash

Video 1080p@30fps

Secondary 2MP up to 1600 x 1200-pixel

Navigation: Yes, GPS with A-GPS

Maps: Yes, Google Maps

Browser HTML

Java No

Battery: 2000 mAh Li-Ion battery

Sensors: Accelerometer, Proximity, Gyroscope, Light

Messaging: SMS, MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM

Entertainment

Music Player: Yes, mp3, WAV, FLAC, eACC+

Video Player: Yes, MPEG4, H.263, H.264,

XviD

FM Radio: Yes (with RDS)

Loudspeaker: Yes

Video Streaming: Yes

Wireless Charging: No

Water Resistant: No

- FM Radio

– MP4/H.264/H.263/WMV player

– Image viewer and editor

– Document viewer and editor

Price: Expected to range between 16000 and 22000 Naira.

WhatsApp begins end-to-end encryption of messages on Its Android App.

2014-11-21T20:48:00.000+01:00

In what is believed to be good news for users of WhatsApp on the Android platform, WhatsApp has added an end-to-end encryption for your messages to protect users of the popular instant messaging platform. The functionality will come with the next update of the app and the encryption is turned on by default.

This encryption system being applied to WhatsApp was developed for them by Open Whisper Systems and is called “TextSecure”.

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

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

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

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

Facebook introduces standalone Groups app to ease communication

2014-11-19T23:12:00.001+01:00

Facebook yesterday announced Groups, a new standalone app for iOS and Android platforms that helps users keep in touch with all the groups they’re part of on Facebook from their mobile phone.

Facebook group app

The app displays all the groups a user belong to and the user can easily tap on each one to see new updates, share a new post, images and more and see who in the group is online at the moment. Users can also create groups from within the app, and invite their friends from their mobile device.

Creating standalone apps for various features of the main Facebook app has become somewhat of a trend for Facebook now as it has previously before now removed the messaging feature of the main Facebook app completely forcing you to install its Messenger app and just some weeks back released Room- another app quite similar to the just unveiled Group app. Facebook also has Pages -another standalone app and Slingshot in its coffers.

The good news about this Group app is that those people who don’t want to add yet another Facebook app to their phone don’t have to: it’s still possible to access Groups from the social network’s website and its other mobile apps.

Nokia Returns with the launch of the Nokia N1 Android Tablet with 5300mAh battery running on Android 5.0.

2014-11-18T21:48:00.000+01:00

Nokia in a move to return back to business has launched a new tablet today called the Nokia N1 which is a 7.9” aluminium framed tablet with a striking resemblance to the iPad Mini.

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

Nokia N1 Android tablet

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

Here are the complete specifications of the device:

2G/3G: NO

SIM slot: NO

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

Weight: 318 g (11.22 oz)

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

OS: Android OS, v5.0 (Lollipop)

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

Sensors: Accelerometer, gyro

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

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

Video: 1080p@30fps

Secondary: 5 MP

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

Messaging: Email, Push Email, IM

Browser: HTML5

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

Radio: No

GPS: Yes

Java: Yes, via Java MIDP emulator

Colors: Natural Aluminium, Lava Gray

Battery: Non removable Li-Po 5300mAh battery

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

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

Google takes another step at dominating your life with the release of its Android TV (Nexus Player).

2014-11-17T12:48:00.000+01:00

Google, over the years has been making products and services which has been both very useful and dominating from its search engine (Google search), to operating systems (Android and Chrome), device making, among other impressive products. They are not slowing down either as earlier this year, Google at one its events introduced us to quite a few new things they were working on, which included Android L, Android wear, Nexus 6, Nexus 9, among others. Obviously the biggest part was Android L, which we now know to be Android 5.0 Lollipop (its latest operating system). Towards the end of the Nexus 6 launch last month,, they announced the release of an Android media player which has turned out to be the Nexus Player. The Nexus Player designed by Asus for Google could be Google’s response to Apple’s release of the Apple TV .

The Nexus Player and its Accessories

Below is a brief summary of TechRadar's verdict of the nexus player:

For Against

Icon-heavy, Intuitive interface No ethernet port

Google Cast screen-sharing Only 16 entertainment channels

Remote with built-in mic No Amazon Prime or HBO Go

Gaming controller Weak game choice

The Nexus player does everything that the Chromecast does and more. It lets you stream, download and play music and videos and brings gaming to your TV. It also brings a rather intuitive search and interface to the device. In appearance, the Nexus player looks round and sleek with the Nexus logo firmly crested on it and comes with a remote which is connected to the player via bluetooth and an optional gamepad, it is pretty light but still nice that it is portable. On the back end is a DC connector for powering the Nexus Player, a micro USB port and a HDMI port for connecting to your TV. And that’s about it. No power button or anything.

Specs on the Nexus Player include an Intel Atom 1.8GHz quad-core processor with Imagination PowerVR Series 6 Graphics. There’s also a gig of RAM and 8GB of storage. It has a HDMI port – as mentioned above which can do 1920×1080 @60 hertz output. For WiFi it has 802.11ac MIMO and there’s also Bluetooth 4.0. It does use 2 AAA batteries, for the remote, which are included in the box. And of course, it’s running Android 5.0 Lollipop.

The UI is actually really simple. At the top of the “home screen” there’s the search bar. Which you can use as you would Google Now. Following the search bar, there are movies and TV Shows that Google shows you based on recommendations from what you have watched before, not just from Google Play Movies & TV, but also from YouTube and Netflix. Below that section, are your apps and games and then settings down below that. Some of the apps that are pre-installed include the Google Play Movies & TV, Play Music, Google Play, Play Games, Hulu+, Netflix, and Songza.

The Nexus player also has game play functionality bundled with it and a gamepad for that purpose. Currently there is not a whole lot of games available for the Nexus Player, but it can play any game in the Playstore. The remote controller feels really comfortable, nice and sturdy in the hand and it is made by ASUS too. On the controller, you’ve got your usual controls including two joysticks, the power button, home and back buttons to control Android TV. The remote controller is powered by two AA batteries, which you’ll need to replace with time. You can also control or share contents from your phone or watch with the player, via Google Cast screen sharing.

The Player is already available for pre-order in North America for 99$ but is expected to be available in other regions before Christmas. So let’s keep our hands crossed and I promise to bring the full review of the player when it lands in our shores. Google is selling the Gamepad separately from the player for 40$.

Microsoft finally drops the Nokia name with the New Lumia 535 as Its First Non-Nokia Smartphone.

2014-11-16T12:57:00.000+01:00

Microsoft has announced the release of a new Lumia smartphone with its name on it rather than the Nokia brand name that has been appearing in all previous Lumia devices. The phone which was announced on the 11^thof this month is aimed at the emerging markets (mostly Asia) . It looks much like its Nokia Lumia siblings but with an upgrade in some aspects and an obvious branding difference - the Nokia logo has been replaced with Microsoft on the front (above the screen) — and crested horizontally on the back of the device. This comes after the complete acquisition of Nokia by Microsoft a few months back.

Microsoft Lumia 535 Smartphone.

The major updates of note are the RAM which received an upgrade to 1GB compared to its predecessors which mostly had a petite 512 MB of RAM and the front camera which was missing also in some of the older budget Nokia Lumias mobile devices. as a hint that this phone was made to target the emerging markets of Asia, this phone has a dual SIM model along with the single SIM version of it.

Microsoft said the phone will go on sale in China, Hong Kong and Bangladesh this month, with other countries to follow. Though they did not mention if or which already existing Nokia Lumia devices will get a change of logo, they stated that the existing ones will continue to be available. Below are the specifications of this phone:

BODY
Dimensions: 140.2 X 72.4 X 8.8mm
Weight: 146 g

OPERATING SYSTEM AND PROCESSORS Operating System: Software release: Windows Phone 8.1 with Lumia Denim.
Processor: CPU Snapdragon™ 200, 1200MHz Quad core
GPU: Adreno 302

DISPLAY
Screen size: 5 '' LCD; IPS Touch screen technology: Capacitive Multipoint-Touch; 220 ppi Display resolution: qHD (960 x 540); 16M colours Protection: Corning Gorilla Glass 3

MEMORY
Memory: 8GB Phone memory expandable via micro SD to 128GB; 1GB RAM.
Free cloud storage: 15 GB

CONNECTIVITY
SIM card type : Micro SIM
2G Network: GSM 850 /900/ 1800/1900
3G Network: HSDPA 900/ 2100     USB 2.0; Bluetooth 4.0
Wi-Fi: WLAN IEEE 802.11 b/g/n
Wi-Fi hotspot: Up to 8 Wi-Fi-enabled devices
Location technologies: A-GLONASS, A-GPS, Cellular and Wi-Fi network positioning.
Location and navigation apps: HERE Drive+, HERE Maps, Bing Maps

CAMERA
Main camera: 5.0 MP, 2592 X1936 pixels, Auto Focus; Aperture f/2.4; LED flash.
Front camera: 5.0 MP; f-number/aperture: f/2.4 . Supports video call and video recording.
Video resolution: FWVGA (848 x 480 pixels) @30fps

CALL MANAGEMENT
Call types: Audio call, Conference call, Skype video call
Noise cancellation: Yes

OTHER FEATURES INCLUDE:
Sensors: Ambient light sensor, Accelerometer, Proximity sensor
Messaging: SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email, IM.
Browser: HTLM5 Internet browser capabilities: Internet Explorer 11
Radio: YES
Music player supports: MP3/WAV/eAAC+/WMA player
Video Player supports: MP4/H.264 player

Java: NO

Battery: Replaceable Li-ion 1905 mAh; BL-L4A model
Maximum standby time: 23 days
Maximum talk time (2G): 11h
Maximum talk time (3G): 13h
Music Play: Up to 78h

Price: U.S $144 ( It may varies by region).

Apple responds to iOS ‘Masque Attack’ threats.

2014-11-15T22:15:00.000+01:00

Once again, another iOS vulnerability has been reported that allow malicious software to be installed in your iphone or ipad in place of an app without your knowledge.

Mobiles and Gadgets groove

This prompted the U.S. government to warn Apple gadget owners on Thursday to look out for hackers exploiting a newly discovered vulnerability in the mobile operating system (iOS). According to the report, the technique takes advantage of a security weakness that allows an untrusted app (with the same “bundle identifier” as that of a legitimate app) to replace the legitimate app on an affected device, while keeping all of the user’s data, the warning states. “This vulnerability exists because iOS does not enforce matching certificates for apps with the same bundle identifier.”

This “Masque Attack” was revealed earlier this week by the network security firm FireEye. In FireEye’s report, this vulnerability has been identified in iOS 7.1.1, 7.1.2, 8.0, 8.1, and the 8.1.1 beta on both jailbroken and non-jailbroken devices. The government warns iOS users not to install apps from sources other than Apple’s official app store or their own organizations, among other precautions.

However, Apple has released a statement addressing this breach via a spokesperson to iMore: Below is an excerpt of Apple's statement to iMore:

"We designed OS X and iOS with built-in security safeguards to help protect customers and warn them before installing potentially malicious software," an Apple spokesperson told iMore. "We're not aware of any customers that have actually been affected by this attack. We encourage customers to only download from trusted sources like the App Store and to pay attention to any .warnings as they download apps. Enterprise users installing custom apps should install apps from their company's secure website."

Though Apple says it hasn't received any reports from users yet, there are reports in the media that thousands of users have fallen victim to this vulnerability.

Windows 10 will be released to all Windows Phone 8 Lumia phones

2014-11-15T20:46:00.000+01:00

Here is wonderful news to all Lumia phone owners around the world. Microsoft, a few days back announced via its Lumia twitter account that all Windows Phone 8 based Lumia smartphones will be treated to the upcoming Windows 10 OS expected to be released next year.

Windows 10 Models

This announcement was made in response to a tweet om its official Lumia twitter account. The Windows 10 model was announced recently and it will unify the Windows OS and make it compatible to phones, tablets and PCs with just one installation. Windows 10 is coming sometime next year and it is currently in development.

It's a welcome development to be able to upgrade to Windows 10 even even with devices with less RAM. Also worthy of note in the tweet is Microsoft’s reference to Windows 10 mobile devices as models. Tjat is a new development of its choice to address Windows 10 smart devices as “models” and analyst are already seeing it as a marketing strategy – and a good one at that.

Instagram’s new update to correct typos with caption editing.

2014-11-15T18:03:00.000+01:00

Instagram has released an update to its app for mobile android and IOS platforms with some very noticeable and timely features. This features includes:

Instagram for Mobile

Editing Captions

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

New Icons

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

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

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

15 POWERFUL BATTERY SAVING TIPS FOR YOUR ANDROID PHONE.

2014-11-15T14:53:00.000+01:00

Battery life still tops the complaint charts for smartphone owners tired of the daily charging routine and going everywhere with your charger.There are various features present in our mobile devices that drains batteries and some of them we can’t avoid. They range from the screen size of these smartphones to running apps in the background, to gaming and browsing. The first Android smartphone, the HTC Dream, has a 1,150mAh battery, but it also had a 3.2" display. The Samsung Galaxy S5 has a 2,800mAh battery and a 5.1" display. Average battery capacities have been climbing steadily since 2008, but so are screen sizes.

If you are using a powerful smartphone you definitely want to enjoy these features and value for your money. So its awkward for anybody to tell you to use your smartphone less or turn off some important features when taking into consideration the amount you coughed out to get it. So I have pulled together a list of very useful and painless tips to keep your Android going that little bit longer.

1. Use power saving mode
Some form of power-saving mode. mostly come pre-installed in most Android smartphones this days. Power savers can automatically hobble your phone's features or shut down specific apps when your battery dwindles below a predetermined level.

Stock Android only offers battery stats for now, but Android Lollipop has a battery saver option built in (which means most phones running Android 5.0 will too in the future).You can use DU battery saver if you don’t have one as it have enough features for efficient battery saving.

Use Power Saver apps

2. Use 2G ( Edge) more often
We all know 4G or 3G are more faster than 2G (Edge) so we enjoy using them because of that. But what not everybody know is that as sweet as 4G or 3G is, they are among the main battery drainers of their phone. So using 2G in an area with good network coverage will go a long way in making your battery last longer

3. Automate your phone
You don't need your phone syncing away through the night, so why not introduce a bedtime routine that automatically silences it and kills GPS, data and Wi-Fi connections? With apps like Tasker which is a paid app or Condi which is a free app, you can also automatically turn things on and off based on settings you define.

4.Uninstall or disable less used apps
There are some apps in our phones which we use less often or don’t use at all. Yet some of this apps runs on the background and we may not even notice, so why don’t you uninstall or disable such apps. Delve into Settings > Apps and flick over to the 'All' tab to find a complete list of your apps. Anything there that you don't use is a candidate for the uninstall pile. Some carriers and manufacturers sometimes block you from uninstalling their apps, but you can still uninstall them with an app like Titanium Backup or NQ mobile security ( this feature in both require rooting your phone) or just usually have the option to disable them instead and it's worth doing.

5. Set Schedule Power ON/OFF
Telling users to turn off their smartphones is not really appealing but what about at nights when you are asleep or in that important meeting when you don't need to be disturbed? So scheduling your phone to power itself Off and On (second screenshot below) at a certain time is quite an effective way to save battery. It also prevents those annoying notifications from disturbing your night or meeting and draining your battery. Most of them will come in when the phone turns On at your set time, so it’s a win-win situation

  Uninstall or disable fringe apps, Schedule Power ON/OFF, Hibernate or Freeze apps.

6. Hibernate or freeze apps
You may also consider installing an app like Greenify (third screenshot above) which is one of my best apps because of its effectiveness, to monitor running apps and automatically hibernate apps that you aren't using. You can set it to automatically hibernate apps that you are not using too but this feature requires rooting.. It has a Hibernate shortcut key too which hibernates all the pre-selected running apps on clicking it.

7. Streamline your home screen
The busier your home screen, the more battery life it's going to suck. Get rid of widgets that you don't need, and consider reducing refresh rates. Animation costs power, so ditch the live wallpapers and themes

If you have a phone with an AMOLED display (such as nearly all of the high end Samsungs, HTCs, LGs and the rest), then use a dark background for the home screen and a dark theme in general. The technology achieves deep blacks by not lighting up those pixels and so dark backgrounds can save you some power.

8. Tweak display settings
Your screen brightness is going to have a big impact on your battery. Auto-brightness isn't really the most effective, so reduce brightness manually and keep it as low as is comfortable. You can always pull down the notification shade and tweak it quickly via the quick settings when you have to or have a special widget (second and third screenshots below) which may be included as part of a power saving app like I do.

You should also reduce the screen time out in display settings under sleep. The faster your phone’s screen turns off when not in use, the more power you'll save. This could also be part of the Power saving widget like in DU power saver I recommended earlier.    Streamline your home screen, Tweak your display settings and leave only important widgets.

9. Turn off vibrations
Most vibrations are avoidable battery killers. Imagine turning on vibration for notifications for social messaging and email apps. So your phone vibrates everytime you receive notifications and down goes your battery with each vibration. Some users even have vibration on key press on. Your battery will serve you longer if you cut off these unnecessary vibrations.

10. Turn off notifications
Do you need to know every time someone likes a post or comments on something you've engaged with on Facebook? Do you want to hear about the latest special offer or new app in your notification shade? When you install any app, it automatically gains the right to fire notifications at you, but you can stop it in Settings > Apps by tapping on the app and clearing the 'Show notifications' box.

11. Reduce or stop auto-syncing
Do you need to check for emails every five minutes? Reduce the frequency of your syncing and use push settings for email wherever possible.For non-essential apps and services you could just stop background syncing altogether and tell them to only refresh when you actually start the app up. This is usually done through the settings in the app itself.

12. Location services
You don’t need your phone’s GPS turned On always except for good reasons.so why don’t you turn it off by simply going to: Settings > Location and turn off GPS service and location access you can see which services and apps are trying to track you.

13. Get a spare battery, an extended battery case or power bank or portable charger
It's an obvious suggestion, but having like 3 or the 4 accessories listed above are sure-fire methods of extending your battery life. Power banks and extended casing are becoming very handy this days as good ones offer adequate backup power to your battery and they are appearing in sleek and portable forms this days too that you can even put them in your pockets or purses.

14. Remove live widgets
Live widgets like weather and clock widgets are always running and consuming battery in the process so disabling or uninstalling them completely from your phone would surely help reduce battery drainage. Only important widgets like Power saving widgets is advisable.

15. Underclocking the CPU
If you're willing to root then you can sweep away bloatware and get an optimised custom ROM, you can even download an app like SetCPU for Root Users and tell your processor to run at a slower speed in order to use less power. It's an extreme step, but it definitely has an impact.

Mark Zuckerberg finally explains why Facebook forces you to use Messenger.

2014-11-11T22:54:00.000+01:00

Some months back, I noticed I was unable to send or reply messages directly from my Facebook app. I thought it was a problem with my own app until I asked other android and ios users and found out they were having the same issues. I was forced to make inquiries and found out it was a decision from Facebook to make you download its stand-alone Messenger app

Mark Zuckerberg recently completed a public Q&A session and explained why we are being forced to download Messenger.Below is an excerpt from his reply - The reason is that what we're trying to do is build a service that's good for everyone. Because Messenger is faster and more focused, if you're using it, you respond to messages faster, we've found. If your friends are slower to respond, we might not have been able to meet up.

This is some of the hardest stuff we do, making these choices. We realize that we have a lot to earn in terms of trust and proving that this stand-alone Messenger experience will be really good. We have some of our most talented people working on this. According to Zuckerberg, the experience of using the main Facebook app to send messages created too much friction when compared to dedicated messaging services like iMessaaage and Whatsapp

You see, as unhappy as the masses seem to be about the forced migration to Facebook Messenger, they are apparently using it anyway. Today, facebook reports the app now has over 500 million active monthly users as reported by Peter Martinazzi, Facebook's Director of Product management below:

“Messaging is an important part of how people stay connected and since Messenger launched in 2011 we’ve been passionate about giving people a faster and more expressive way to communicate. This is an exciting milestone but with a half billion people relying on Messenger to communicate and connect, it is also a reminder that there is so much left for us to do". Facebook Messenger is free, but not everybody is happy about being forced to download the app.

Pleaase, do feel free to share your opinions below lets know what you think about this latest revelation by Zuckerberg.

Source: The Verge.

Apple finally releases web tool to deregister phone numbers from iMessage.

2014-11-11T21:28:00.002+01:00

At last, Apple has made a de-registration web tool available to former iPhone owners who have struggled to receive messages on their new handset because their phone number was still associated with the iMessage service, which allows iPhone users to send free messages to each other. The site, first spotted in a post on Reddit should solve the problem of disappearing text messages.

Many former iphone users have complained that they were not receiving text messages from their friends who were using iphones and this prompted one former Apple user in the US who was affected by the issue since she replaced her iPhone with a Samsung Galaxy S5, to launch a class-action lawsuit against Apple, claiming that she was being penalized for adopting Android. The issue is as a result of Apple rerouting iMessage text messages over its own servers rather than an operator’s network, bypassing SMS costs and providing additional features such as the ability to see when a recipient is typing or reading a message.

Since iMessage is proprietary to Apple's platforms, users who switched away from iOS but didn't disable iMessage first would no longer be able to see messages sent from friends with Apple devices. Before now, Apple only recommended that anyone preparing to leave iOS should turn off iMessage before they dispense with their iPhone – hardly an ideal solution if the smartphone is no longer in their possession

But with the recently released web tool, users just need to input their phone number so they can receive a confirmation code via SMS which, when entered back on the webpage, removes the number from Apple’s records and ensures any text messages sent from an iPhone should make their way to the user’s device.

If you don't switch devices often, the new tool may seem insignificant, but for those who often swap SIM cards into different devices for work, it should make the transition smoother.