TheNewsGuru

Tag: Android

  • BREAKING: INEC announces new technology for voter registration exercise

    BREAKING: INEC announces new technology for voter registration exercise

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has acquired a new technology which it will introduce for the recommencement of continuous voter registration (CVR) exercise across the country.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu made this known on Thursday during a press conference at INEC’s Conference Hall Headquarters, Abuja.

    He stated that the new technology is Android based and that the commission had been in a process of migrating to the INEC Voter Enrolment Device (IVED) from the old Direct Data Capture Machine (DDCM) that had been in use for about 10 years.

    The INEC Chairman also revealed that in order to reduce crowding at registration centres, the Commission has built a new online registration portal that would enable new registrants to commence registration online and subsequently complete the capture of their biometric data at designated registration centres.

    He stated that previously registered voters who wished to transfer their voting locations, apply for replacement of their PVCs or correct their personal information had to appear physically at the registration centres.

    Prof Yakubu, at the press conference, stated that all these were part of three cardinal reasons why the CVR exercise could not start earlier.

    The first, he said was the establishment of new systems that would ensure safer CVR exercise in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “In this regard, the Commission is building a new online registration portal that would enable new registrants to commence registration online and subsequently complete the capture of their biometric data at designated registration centres. This is designed to reduce crowding. Through the online portal, they can schedule their visits to the registration centres to suit their convenience.

    “Above all, a CVR Locator is integrated into the new portal which will enable online registrants to locate the nearest registration centre available to them to complete their registration.

    “Previously, registered voters who wished to transfer their voting locations, apply for replacement of their PVCs or correct their personal information had to appear physically at the registration centres.

    “The development of this portal, which is being done in-house by our engineers, has taken a little more time to complete than the Commission anticipated.

    “The second reason is the Commission’s determination to expand voter access to Polling Units.

    “You would all recall that recently the Commission embarked on a nationwide engagement with Nigerians in which we raised the fundamental issue of declining voter access to Polling Units across the country.

    “The engagement clearly demonstrated that the existing Polling Units are inadequate. They were initially designed to cater for a projected 50 million voters but presently serve over 84 million voters.

    “In addition, many of the Polling Units are inaccessible to voters, especially Persons With Disability (PWDs), and are not conducive to implementing the Commission’s election regulations, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “We are glad that most Nigerians agree with the Commission on this issue, and we have commenced a far-reaching programme of converting Voting Points and Voting Point Settlements into fullfledged Polling Units and relocating poorly situated Polling Units to better locations.

    “The Commission needs more time to complete this exercise, so that the new Polling Units will be available for registrants to choose during the CVR exercise.

    “Thirdly, the Commission has decided to introduce a new voter registration equipment and technology.

    “The present generation of voter registration equipment, which the Commission introduced in 2011, is the Direct Data Capture Machine (DDCM). This is based on a laptop and a series of peripherals connected to it. In addition, it includes large powerpacks to power the laptops in the field.

    “While the DDCMs have served the Commission well over the last 10 years, we believe that there are now more compact registration devices that will better serve Nigerians during the CVR exercise.

    “The Commission is therefore migrating to the INEC Voter Enrolment Device (IVED), which is based on an Android tablet.

    “The procurement of the new devices, the modification of the registration software by our in-house engineers to make it compatible with the Android Operating System, as well as integrating these with the online registration portal require a little more time.

    “For instance, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our partners abroad who manufacture the IVED hardware, are not operating at full capacity and the pandemic has also made the supply chain and delivery much slower,” Prof Yakubu said.

  • Will WhatsApp actually stop working on millions of smartphones in 2021?

    Will WhatsApp actually stop working on millions of smartphones in 2021?

    From 2016 when WhatsApp turned seven years old, the instant messaging app started ending support for a number of mobile platforms and phasing them out.

    When WhatsApp announced ending support for the mobile platforms, it set a timeline to phase them out as well.

    WhatsApp said at the time that looking ahead to its next seven years, it wanted to focus efforts more on the mobile platforms the vast majority of people use.

    So, by the end of 2016, WhatsApp ended support for WhatsApp Messenger on BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry 10, Nokia S40, Nokia Symbian S60, Android 2.1, Android 2.2, Windows Phone 7 and iPhone 3GS/iOS 6.

    After ending support for the mobile platforms, WhatsApp from 2016 to February 1, 2020 started phasing the mobile platforms out.

    On June 30, 2017 WhatsApp phased out Nokia Symbian S60 and on December 31, 2017 the Facebook-owned platform phased out BlackBerry OS and BlackBerry 10.

    On December 31, 2018 WhatsApp phased out Nokia S40 and also phased out all Windows Phone operating systems after December 31, 2019.

    By July 1, 2019 the app was no longer available in the Microsoft Store.

    Android versions 2.3.7 and older were phased out after February 1, 2020 and iPhone iOS 7 and older were also affected on February 1, 2020.

    WhatsApp said the mobile platforms phased out do not offer the kind of capabilities needed to expand the app’s features.

    Meanwhile, several reports have emerged that WhatsApp will further phase out a number of other mobile platforms not listed in the 2016 announcement that was last updated on June 14, 2019.

    While the Facebook-owned firm is yet to confirm the reports, Yahoo, quoting TechRadar, reported smartphones owners with software older than iOS 9 or Android 4.0.3 won’t be able to use WhatsApp beginning from 1st January 2021.

    Yahoo explained that this means if you have an iPhone 4 or older, you won’t be able to upgrade to the latest software at all and that it also applies to those who have very old Androids, such as the Samsung Galaxy S2 that was released nearly a decade ago.

    While the 2016 announcement that was last updated on June 14, 2019 very well mapped out the mobile platforms to be phased out and the timeline, WhatsApp is yet to confirm the recent reports.

    This means it is yet to be confirmed if WhatsApp is phasing out mobile platforms older than iOS 9 or Android 4.0.3 beginning from 1st January 2021 or not.

    However, WhatsApp had earlier announced it will be updating its Terms of Service next year, forcing users to agree to new privacy rules in order to keep using the app.

  • Google to start helping Netizens avoid slow websites

    Google to start helping Netizens avoid slow websites

    Google has announced testing a new feature in the beta version of the Chrome browser for Android devices that will specifically flag optimized websites that load quickly.

    This means that in the long run, netizens would easily identify slow-loading websites and go for fast-loading alternatives.

    When a Chrome tab just won’t load, users would often wonder if there’s something wrong with the site or if it is the Internet connection. Google’s seemingly aware of this problem has created this tool to help users identify speedy-loading sites.

    “To help users identify great experiences as they browse, we are excited to announce that Chrome will begin to highlight high quality user experiences on the web, starting with the labelling of fast links via the link context menu on Chrome for Android.

    “This change will be rolling out starting in Chrome 85 Beta. We believe the web serves a critical role in our lives, and hope that fast labelling proves helpful to users who are on slow or spotty network connections.

    “Ultimately, our goal is to provide users of the web with a healthy level of transparency into the experience they may have with a page,” a post reads on Chromium Blog.

  • Apple borrows Android features for iOS 14 to make iPhone better

    Apple on Monday at the 2020 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) unveiled the new iOS 14 and a redesigned iPhone home screen with new widgets, and other Android-borrowed features.

    While many of the iOS 14 features might feel new for Apple iPhone users, most of the features are already familiar with users of Android devices.

    Here are all of the new Apple iOS 14 features that Android already had.

    Widgets

    With the iOS, the home screens of the revamped iPhone and iPad will include widgets, which let users see information like the weather on the home screen at a glance. Prior to iOS 14, iPhone users could only have apps on the iPhone home screen. Widgets, which contain more information and are more functional than app icons, have been a mainstay feature on Google’s Android since its inception in 2008.

    App Library

    Another part of Apple’s redesigned home screen is an App Library that organizes apps into groups and lists. With the new home screen in iOS 14, users can also “hide” apps from their main home-screen. This is similar to Android’s app drawer, already in existence long before.

    App Clips

    Apple’s App Clips let users preview “small parts” of apps quickly without downloading them. Google introduced a similar feature, Instant Apps, in 2016. Instant Apps gives apps their own URL so users don’t have to download an entire app, except they really want to download it.

    Translate

    With iOS 14, Apple introduced a new Translate app that is designed for use in real-time conversation. As of March 2020, Google’s 14-year-old dedicated translate app could already transcribe conversations in eight languages in real time.

    Picture-in-picture

    Apple also announced a new picture-in-picture feature coming to iOS 14, which will allow users to be able to watch a video while using other apps. The video will shrink and be able to float anywhere on the screen. It can also be swiped away and the video’s audio can still play. While the audio doesn’t continue to play if the video is swiped away, Android phones already have the ability to float videos over other apps.

    Apple Maps cycling directions

    The updated Apple Maps app will provide ways to travel in a more eco-friendly fashion in iOS 14 and WatchOS 7. The dedicated Cycling option will help users find bike paths while taking into account elevation, whether the route a user takes is busy or quiet, and if a user will encounter any stairs. While Google Maps doesn’t factor in stairs, there has been the option to select “cycling” since 2010.

    Wind Down mode

    Apple also announced a Wind Down mode for iOS 14 that helps users get ready for bed. The feature, which works for iPhone and Apple Watch, let users set a desired bed time and wake-up time, and puts the phone into Do Not Disturb mode. There are also options to add shortcuts for meditation or playing relaxing music. While Google does not have a dedicated app for this, there had been a way to set up a bed time routine through the Google Home app for long.

  • New COVID-19 exposure tool appears on smartphones without users notice

    New COVID-19 exposure tool appears on smartphones without users notice

    A new Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) exposure notifications tool has appeared on smartphones without users having to personally install it.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the new COVID-19 exposure notifications tool showed up on the settings of both iOS and Android smartphones as part of an update of the operating systems.

    The update released by Google and Apple on Friday caused some confusion, with people querying the new addition to their handsets on social media.

    On iPhones, the new COVID-19 exposure notifications tool is located in settings, via the privacy menu and then the health section.

    On Android phones, the new tool is located in the Google section of the Settings menu of your smartphone, where you will find ‘Services & preferences’.

    How the new COVID-19 exposure notifications tool works

    To help understand whether you have been exposed to someone who reports having COVID-19, you can turn on Exposure Notifications, but if you change your mind, you can turn it off as well.

    To use the tool, you would be required to download a public health authority’s app. If you have COVID-19, you share that info with the app to help alert the people you have been in contact with.

    If you have been exposed to someone who has shared they have COVID-19, the app will notify you and give you further instructions.

    After downloading the public health authority’s app, turn on your phone’s Bluetooth, and also turn on your phone’s Location setting. The tool uses this to scan for Bluetooth signals. It does not collect or track your location.

    When you turn on Exposure Notifications within an app from the public health authority, your phone shares random IDs with other nearby phones that also have turned on the Exposure Notifications tool.

    Throughout the day, your phone and the phones around you exchange random IDs. When your phone detects a random ID from another device, it records and stores the ID.

    If someone reports having COVID-19 and their ID is stored on your phone, the app will notify you of next steps to take.

    If the app learns that you have come in contact with someone who reports themselves as having COVID-19, the system shares with the app the day the contact happened, how long the contact lasted, and the Bluetooth signal strength of that contact.

    If you have COVID-19, in the public health app, you may report yourself as having COVID-19. The app may ask you to share your random IDs. This helps the public health authority to notify others.

    The app may then check if your random IDs are stored on other people’s devices. It may alert others who came in contact with you. Those other people won’t know your identity. You decide if and when to share your data.

    All of the Exposure Notification matching happens on your device, which means only you and your app know if you report having COVID-19 or been exposed to someone who has reported having COVID-19.

    Your identity is never shared with other users, Apple, or Google.

    When you download a public health authority app, you can opt in to use Exposure Notifications.

    If you have COVID-19, you can choose to share your random IDs with the app. To help prevent tracking, your phone’s random ID changes every 10-20 minutes. Your phone only stores random IDs from the last 14 days.

    The public health authority app is not allowed to use your phone’s location or track your location in the background. Only official public health authority apps can use the system.

    You can turn off Exposure Notifications in your Android phone’s Settings, or uninstall the public health app.

    Important: By turning off this feature, you won’t be notified if you’ve been exposed to COVID-19.

    You can delete the random IDs stored on your device before they are automatically deleted after 14 days. You can’t delete your random IDs that are stored on other people’s devices or that you shared with an app.

    Important: By deleting this data, you won’t be notified if you have been exposed to COVID-19.

  • Twitter stirs concerns with move to redefine public discourse

    Twitter is currently testing a new feature that will change how users of the microblogging platform interact, going forward.

    The feature, which asks users whether they have read an article before they retweet it, appears to be aimed at slowing the spread of unverified information.

    According to the 280 characters platform, the feature is currently in testing on Android; but there is no word on a wider rollout of it.

    “Sharing an article can spark conversation, so you may want to read it before you Tweet it. To help promote informed discussion, we’re testing a new prompt on Android –– when you Retweet an article that you haven’t opened on Twitter, we may ask if you’d like to open it first,” a tweet by the platform reads.

    Twitter and other social media platforms are struggling to contain misinformation, which often is passed along by users who fail to review details of the comments they are sharing.

    Last month, Twitter decided to limit the reach of some comments by US President Donald Trump, in one case because they were misleading and in another case because of a violation of platform’s rules on promoting violence.

    The president responded angrily and signed an executive order which could strip away some legal liability protections of social media firms, although it was unclear if the measure can be enforced.

    Meanwhile, there are concerns if the Twitter’s new feature is a revenue stream trap, with Twitter saying the new feature is designed only to empower healthy and informed public conversation.

    “For this experiment, if you tap to Retweet an article link, we’ll check if you’ve recently clicked the article link only on Twitter, not elsewhere. When you see the prompt, you’ll always have the option to go ahead and Retweet,” the platform tweeted.

  • Why losing to Android is Bill Gates ‘greatest mistake ever’

    Microsoft Co-founder, Bill Gates has said losing the race of mobile OS development to Google’s Android was his ‘greatest mistake ever’.

    TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports Gates expressed the disappointment while speaking at an event hosted by Village Global.

    He stressed that if Microsoft had managed to recognize and take on the Android onslaught, his firm, still a “very strong” entity, would have been “the leading company” instead of “a leading company”.

    “In the software world, particularly for platforms, these are winner-take-all markets. So the greatest mistake ever is whatever mismanagement I engaged in that caused Microsoft not to be what Android is.

    “That is, Android is the standard phone platform — non-Apple platform — that was a natural thing for Microsoft to win. It really is winner take all,” Bill Gates said in the interview.

    He elaborated further by saying, “If you’re there with half as many apps or 90 percent as many apps, you’re on your way to complete doom. There’s room for exactly one non-Apple operating system, and what’s that worth? $400 billion that would be transferred from company G to company M”.

    During a little over an hour-long conversation, Gates did underline the success of products such as Windows and Office that have helped Microsoft reach new levels over time.

    However, he expressed that due to the lack of bringing a platform like Android and missing the opportunity of powering an operating system against Apple’s iOS, Microsoft is still “a leading company” not “the leading company.”

    “If we’ve got that one [Android opportunity] right, we would be the company,” he said.

    Android, which was originally developed in Palo Alto, California was acquired by Google in July 2005 for around $50 million.

    The search giant initially didn’t reveal its plans of leveraging the acquisition to build a compelling operating system.

    However, a team was formed by Android co-creator Andy Rubin who brought the original shape of the mobile platform based on the Linux kernel.

    While Google was busy with its Android project, Microsoft was handling its Windows Mobile that was succeeded by Windows Phone in late 2010.

    However, in 2017, Microsoft announced the formal closure of its latest Windows Phone version, which was then Windows 10 Mobile, majorly due to growth of Android that overshadowed the Windows platform.

    Microsoft former CEO Steve Ballmer amongst the key faces initially pushing Windows Phone hard against Android.

    However, in 2015, Ballmer even insisted that Windows Phone need to have Android app compatibility in an effort to catch up.

    Interestingly, Gates didn’t blame Steve Ballmer as the culprit for the Android debacle, though many believe that it was Ballmer who largely brought the Redmond company to the failures in the mobile platform market.

    Watch interview video below:

  • How to update your Android device

    How to update your Android device

    There is no singular answer to the question of how to update an Android device as the exact steps vary by manufacturer, Android version, and sometimes even from one device to another, even if both were made by the same company.

    If you are wondering how to update Android on your device, this guide will show you the basic steps, but the exact method may vary slightly.

    1. Open Settings
    2. Most Android devices have a search option at the top. Search for Update. This will show you the System update or its equivalent setting.
    3. Tap System Update.
    4. Tap Check now or Check for updates.
    5. Now you will see an update, if there is any.
    6. Tap Download and Install.

    This will update Android on your device, once the download is complete. Your device may restart multiple times during the update process, so don’t panic.

    If nothing happens after step 4, it means that your device is most probably on the latest version of Android released by the manufacturer.

     

  • Sony announces exciting new handsets with incredible features

    Sony has announced some exciting new Xperia handsets with incredible features at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2019 holding in Barcelona.

    TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports Sony announced Xperia 1, Xperia L3, Xperia 10 and 10 Plus at the world’s largest exhibition for the mobile industry on Monday.

    The Xperia 10 and Xperia 10 Plus have a 21:9 Wide display, while the Xperia 1 comes with unprecedented professional technologies, as well as the world’s first 4K HDR OLED display.

    There’s also been a lot of speculation around 5G – one of the hottest topics at MWC this year, and Sony unveiled a 5G mmWave smartphone prototype, giving an indication of the amazing speed and effectiveness of the technology.

    Sony redefines its smartphone vision with the latest flagship Xperia 1 bringing Sony’s proven professional display and cinematography technologies packed into a beautiful, sleek smartphone powerhouse.

    Sony’s new Xperia L3, a new entry model entertainment-focused smartphones, features a 13MP and 2MP dual camera with a stunning 5.7” HD+ 18:9 display.

    Sony’s new Xperia 10 and 10 Plus brings 21:9 Wide display to the super mid-range line.

    Xperia 1 ships with Android™ 9 Pie and will be available in select markets from late Spring 2019.

    Xperia L3 launches on Android 8.0 Oreo in select markets from February 25th in three fresh colours: Silver, Black and Gold – available in Single SIM and Dual SIM.

    Both Xperia 10 and 10 Plus launch on Android 9.0 Pie in select markets from 25th February, available in both Single SIM and Dual SIM.

     

  • Nigerians react as Whatsapp reportedly crashes worldwide, except in Nigeria

    WhatsApp users in the country on Wednesday rejoiced that the messaging app did not crash on Tuesday contrary to what was experienced in some parts of the world.

    It would be recalled that several users worldwide, both on Android and iOS, were unable to log into their apps on Tuesday.

    The development manifested itself just a few hours after the messenger announced that it would be curbing the number of forwards for users worldwide.

    However, it was observed that the app did not crash in Nigeria as many Twitter users claimed the app worked perfectly well for them throughout Tuesday.

    Some Nigerians reached to the development differently .

    Some said the country’s President Muhammadu Buhari deserves a second term of office since we didn’t experience any crash.

    “We are now the most powerful country in the world. What a time to be alive, “Wizz official tweeted.

    Aquila_Olaniyi tweeted, “At least we can see the evidence of the prayer meetings we have been holding for Nigeria.

    “Even, the Bible worked for us this time, Psalm 91:7 says, `A thousand shall crash at thy side and 10,000 at your right hand but it will not come near us, Oniyi said.

    Nishant Kumar tweeted “Everybody checking on Twitter if Whatsapp is down, including me, reminds me of childhood days when everyone would check with neighbours to confirm a power cut.

    “What a good day to be a Nigerian.’

    Princewill Felix tweeted: “Nigeria WhatsApp is operating on a very high level encryption, reason why the app didn’t crash in Nigeria.

    “In summary Nigeria is the most secured cyberspace in the world, “he tweeted.