Apple Wipes All VPN Apps From Its China App Store, Report says

In a move sure to put Apple's ongoing activities in China under a more intense international microscope, a number of foreign-made VPN software apps have been removed from China's app store, according to a report from The New York Times.

The report cites several VPN makers, including ExpressVPN and Star VPN, after the two companies posted public messages revealing that Apple sent them letters notifying them of their removal from the China app store.

"We received notification from Apple today, July 29, 2017, at roughly 04:00 GMT, that the ExpressVPN iOS app was removed from the China App Store,"
stated ExpressVPN on its website. "Our preliminary research indicates that all major VPN apps for iOS have been removed."
Part of the notification message from Apple, captured and posted in screenshots from the company, stated: "We are writing to notify you that your application will be removed from the China App Store because it includes content that is illegal in China, which is not in compliance with the Apple Store Review Guidelines."

However, that message noted that the ExpresVPN's app is still available in other Apple App Store territories.

"We’re disappointed in this development, as it represents the most drastic measure the Chinese government has taken to block the use of VPNs to date, and we are troubled to see Apple aiding China’s censorship efforts," the message from ExpressVPN continued. "ExpressVPN strongly condemns these measures, which threaten free speech and civil liberties."

When contacted by The New York Times , the paper reports, "An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment about the removals."

But in a statement later provided to
Caristech , an Apple spokesperson offered further clarification. "Earlier this year China's MIIT [Ministry of Industry and Information Technology] announced that all developers offering VPNs must obtain a license from the government," said the spokesperson. "We have been required to remove some VPN apps in China that do not meet the new regulations. These apps remain available in all other markets where they do business."

The policy mentioned by Apple appears to refer to the crackdown by Chinese authorities in January that required VPN's to obtain "prior government approval," according to the South China Morning Post. As that report noted, the policy would make most VPNs in use in the country unauthorized. The move to actively enforce the policy is slated to continue until March 2018, according to the report.

The frequent practice of controlling the flow of internet information in China by the government has led to the nickname of the Great Firewall regarding the Chinese government's censorship policies. Apple's move to adhere to the government's VPN policy may seem unusual, but it's appears to be the cost of doing business in China, and it's just another in a long trail of internet censorship efforts regularly enforced by the Chinese government.

Nevertheless, this particular crackdown represents a major shift that will impact the biggest iOS app market on the planet, not just in terms of sales, but for privacy as well.

Continue Reading

Etisalat confirms 9mobile as new brand name

Emerging Markets Telecommunication Services Limited, which previously traded as Etisalat Nigeria, on Tuesday confirmed changing its trading name to 9mobile.

The company’s new chief executive officer, Boye Olusanya, in a statement released on Tuesday, described the new name as presenting its “0809ja heritage” and “our evolution over 9 years of operations in Nigeria”.

Olusanya said, “Emerging Markets Telecommunication Services Limited, which previously traded as ‘Etisalat Nigeria’ wishes to inform its over 20 million subscribers, government, regulatory agencies and all relevant stakeholder groups that the telecommunication company has changed its name to 9mobile as a further testament of our unwavering commitment to ensuring business continuity as Nigeria’s fourth largest telecom operator,” he said.

“Our new trading name, 9mobile represents our 0809ja heritage, our 9ja-centricity, and our evolution over 9 years of operations in Nigeria. Although our trading name has changed, we remain true to the same values on which our company was built.

“A strong and resilient Nigerian spirit continues to reside in us, uniting us with you our subscribers and we are confident that you will continue to believe in our new brand, which strongly reflects our innate creativity and youthfulness.

“Furthermore, this rebrand is a testament to our dynamism, responsiveness and agility as a business, while we leverage the power of technology to deliver innovative products and services that meet your needs. Our confidence in our ability to continue to make this happen is bolstered by the sheer determination, commitment and passion of our people to do more; and continue delivering excellent service.”

Olusanya asked subscribers of the network to be patient as the migration to the new brand unfold and reaffirms the commitment of the company to its subscribers.

“In order to ensure the change of name is delivered efficiently and responsibly, we will take a measured approach to the migration to the new brand over the next few months. Therefore as we go through this transition, our esteemed subscribers we ask for your patience and reaffirm our commitment to remain a listening brand. We will continue to innovate, support, and empower you to do more – whether as an individual or a business.

“To our business partners, your unwavering belief in the strength of our brand inspires us to do more. We will remain committed to working together and exploring possibilities to achieve our mutual goals; and to our stakeholders, we thank you for your abiding faith in us.”

Continue Reading

NCC: Internet users in Nigeria hits 91m

NIGERIAN Communications Commission, NCC, has said internet users in the country has hit 91 million, with an increased from 90,124,428 in April to 91,565,010 in May, an increase of 1,440,582. The telecommunications industry regulator made the disclosure in its Monthly Internet Subscribers Data obtained at the weekend in Abuja.

According to the information, the data indicates that internet users on both Global System for Mobile GSM, communications and Code Division Multiple Access CDMA, networks increased from 90,154,737 in April to 91,565,319 in May. It said that out of the 91,595,319 internet users in May, 91,565,010 were on GSM networks, while 30,309 users were on CDMA networks. Also, the GSM service providers gained 1,440,582 internet customers after recording 91,565,010 users in May, as against 90,124,428 it recorded in April.

The CDMA operators had retained 30,309 internet subscribers in May as recorded in April. The data also shows that MTN had 31,406,441 subscribers browsing the internet on its network in the month under review and also recorded an increase of 600,464 internet subscribers in May after recording 30,805,977 in April. According to the NCC, Globacom has 27,402,484 customers surfing the net on its network in May, revealing an increase of 211,713 users from the 27,190,771 that surfed the internet on the network in April.

Airtel had 19,912,661 internet users in May, showing an increase of 504,811 customers from 19,407,850 recorded in April. The data also showed that Etisalat had 12,843,424 customers who browsed the internet in May, an increase of 123,594 users from the 12,719,830 users recorded in April. CDMA operators, Multi-Links and Visafone had a total of 30,309 internet users on their networks in May, maintaining the same record of April. Visafone has 30,305 customers surfing the internet in May, while Multi-Links has only four internet users. The increase in the use of the internet in May is in anticipation of the country’s broadband target of 30 per cent penetration by 2018.

Continue Reading

Google’s New Experiment, Triangle, Lets You Block Individual Apps From Using Mobile Data

This one is from Google itself, excessive use of data is one of the problem android users face, especially in emerging countries where data is still very costly to purchase.

So Google decided to develop this app called TRIANGLE themselves.

With this app you can block apps from using mobile data, this will be good for users that have many background running apps that consumes their mobile data. This app currently restricted to users in Philippines so you can't download it from Google Play. 

Anyway the app is available on APK mirror .....

After downloading just click and install then go on and do the necessary settings. And it's all done.

Let's just hope google finish testing it and release it globally to all android users.

Drop your comments below

Continue Reading

Thousands Of Microsoft Staff Worldwide Are Been Sacked

Microsoft is set to become the latest tech company to lay-off employees, this is expected to affect thousands of workers across the world.

According to media report , the company is taking the action in order to ‘reorganize its salesforce’. The restructuring will include an organizational merger that involves its enterprise customer unit and one or more of its SME-focused divisions. The changes are set to be announced this coming week, we understand.

The company has refused to comment on the development.

“At any rate, the time is right for change, historically. The end of Microsoft’s fiscal year typically falls in July, and it recent years it has been a time when the firm has announced headcount reductions,” the report stated.

In 2016, the company said it would cut 2,850 jobs — including at least 900 from its sales group. Two months earlier, it announced it would let go of 1,850 staff related to its smartphone business. Two years ago, Microsoft it made 7,800 job cuts and wrote down $7.6 billion of its Nokia acquisition.

Continue Reading

Instagram: One Of The Main Reasons Videos Won’t Play On Instagram.

Have you ever experienced a situation where Instagram videos take forever to load and at the end, you’d see an arrow-like circle.

For one, it could be that you just have a poor network connection. However, one overlooked reason is “ power saving mode.” Yes, Instagram won’t auto-play videos (sometimes) if you have the power-saving mode enabled.

To fix this annoying issue, just disable power-saving mode and restart Instagram (By clearing it from the recent apps list) and voila, you should start enjoying videos from the likes of KraksTV and LaughNigeria.  If that doesn’t work, then clear caches of Instagram by going to Settings > Apps > Instagram > Storage > Clear Caches, and reopen the app.

Continue Reading

Jumia 5th Anniversary. Don't Miss All The Exciting Giveaways - Check Out The Flash Sales Calendar

It’s Jumia Nigeria’s 5th anniversary. On Monday July 3rd 2017, Jumia will be throwing a super birthday sale! With up to 70% off across Jumia website until July 13th , this is one party you can’t afford to miss! Here we will highlight some Flash Sale Deals available for Jumia Nigeria's 5th anniversary.

The Flash Sale deals have been scheduled and it seems Jumia have better things to offer us this time around, so be fully prepared. I was wondering to see 10 amazing items as Flash Sale deals for day one alone (Monday 3rd July 2017). In point of fact, Jumia is ready to spoil you with the best deals ever.

It is going to be an epic battle of the fastest fingers! Are you ready for the Jumia Nigeria’s 5th anniversary?

YOU BETTER BE READY, YOU BETTER BE FAST, THE RULE IS; FIRST ARRIVED FIRST SERVED!

Here’s a sneak peak of what’s in store during the Jumia 5th Anniversary celebrations:

Online Wheel of Fortune prizes – Thousands have played the Wheel of Fortune on Jumia Spin the wheel daily to instantly win any of the 100,000 discount vouchers up for grabs. Discount vouchers range from N500 naira to 30,000 naira for you to use to get even more discounts during the anniversary sales period (July 3-13th).

Flash Sales – In addition to explosive sales at midnight every day, there will be flash sales during the day for fastest fingers! One of Monday’s featured flash sales is the iPhone 6 at 8 AM, along with the HP 250G5 Intel Celeron at 6 p.m.!

Secret Party – For even more discounts, follow Jumia on social media pages to gather hints and get an automatic invite to the secret party taking place on Wednesday, July 5th, where all invitees get an additional 30% off across the website.

Jumia Birthday Bus Tour – Residents in Port Harcourt and Benin get ready! Jumia is bringing even more party to you, live and direct! Join Jumia in Port Harcourt on July 6th and in Benin on July 8th, along with your favorite online celebrities @Joshtoofunny and Emmanuella. There will be loads of freebies, the Jumia Birthday Bus Giveaway, and of course dance, dance, dance!

Jumia Vendor Fun – Jumia vendors have already started the celebrations, with the free prizes at the Agege Vendor Hub Wheel of Fortune. Smartphones, tablets and gift vouchers were all up for grabs.

Jumia vendors also enjoyed some fun face time during the Jumia Anniversary Vendors Conference, where more than 1,000 vendors Jumia converged at the Landmark Event Centre, Lagos to celebrate their contributions to delivering bigger and better discounts for customers and shoppers!

Here are the products that will be gone in a flash: Are you ready

Day 1. Monday July 3rd 2017:

1st Flash Sale of the day: Samsung S8, its price will be reduced to N244,990 instead of N320,000 actual price. Live at 12 AM Midnight

2nd Flash Sale: App iPhone 6 32GB, 35% off, its price will be reduced to N129,990 instead of N200,000 actual price. Live at 8 AM.

3rd Flash Sale: HP 250 G5 Intel Celeron, 12% off, its price will be reduced to N87,990 instead of
N99,990 actual price. Live at 6 PM

4th Flash Sale: Samsung 32" LED TV, its price will be reduced to N64,999 instead of N112,500 actual price. Live at 10AM.

5th Flash Sale: Canon IXUS 175 Compact, its price will be reduced to N34,999 instead of N46,000 actual price. Live at 12PM

6th Flash Sale: Lenovo Vibe C A2020, its price will be reduced to N23,999 instead of N34,500 actual price. Live at 2PM

7th Flash Sale Molfix Diapers, Size 3, its price will be reduced to N1,099 instead of N2,200 actual price. Live at 4PM

8th Flash Sale : Intel Celeron (HP Laptop), its price will be reduced to N87,990 instead of N99,990 actual price. Live at 6PM

9th Flash Sale M8 G- 5.7" 3G Quard Core 2GB, its price will be reduced to N25,690 instead of N39,000 actual price. Live at 8 PM

Last Flash Sale of the day: Oukitel C5 Pro - 5.0" 4G Android, its price will be reduced to N20,300 instead of
N30,660 actual price. Live at 10PM

Day 2. Tuesday July 4th 2017:

1st Flash Sale of the day: App iPhone 7 (Red)- 128GB, 20% off, its price will be reduced to N229,990 instead of
N289,854 actual price. Live at 10 AM

2nd Flash Sale: Fero A5005 - Black (Smartphone), its price will be reduced to N11,990 instead of
N16,000 actual price. Live at 12 PM

3nd Flash Sale: Lenovo A1000 4" Phone, its price will be reduced to N13,490 instead of N23,000 actual price. Live at 4 PM.

Day 3. Wednesday July 5th 2017:

1st Flash Sale of the day: Philips Hair Clipper, its price will be reduced to N7,990 instead of N12,800 actual price. Live at 10 AM.

2nd Flash Sale: Casio Gents Chrono Watch, 40% off, its price will be reduced to N12,990 instead of
N21,500 actual price. Live at 12 PM
OUD Touch EDP For MBN, its price will be reduced to N6,490 instead of
N14,000 actual price. Live at 4 PM

Day 4, Thursady July 6th 2017:

1st Flash Sale of the day: TCL 24" LED TV, its price will be reduced to N29,990 instead of N45,500 actual price. Live at 10AM.

2nd Flash Sale: PS4 500GB Console, its price will be reduced to N89,990 instead of N100,000 actual price. Live at 12PM

3nd Flash Sale: Samsung HT-E355K, its price will be reduced to N57,990 instead of N63,600 actual price. Live at 4PM.

There are many more... Check the flash sale calendar at
www.jumia.com.ng/flash...

Each offer will only be available while stock lasts. So, you need to be fast to secure the item.

It is normal for an item on flash sale to go out of stock in less than a minute. This is why it is called flash sale, it goes in a flash. So, once again you have to be fast.

How to Prepare For Flash Sale Deals

1. Check the flash sale calendar at
www.jumia.com.ng/flash... and set up a reminder on your phone so you don't miss the flash sale. (Remember the schedule can change so check back often to confirm).

2. Login at least 5 minutes before the sale, and keep refreshing the page so you are one of the 1st to access it when it goes live!

3. Topup your data and make sure you stay in a location with good internet signal, so you can check faster!

4. Download the Jumia app for early release deals, and be the first to access the sales.

Download the Jumia app via your Android or iOS devices

Continue Reading

Smile Communications Introduces New Offer on SMiFi, Router Starter Pack

Smile Communications Nigeria, the leading 4G LTE innovation in Africa. The company which is looking forward to growing its customer base, recently announced its new device and bonus offers aimed at rewarding its customers.

According to the company's Head of Marketing, Lotanna Anajemba this will make it easier for all Smile customers enjoy a more affordable and reliable internet services.

He said;
Through the offers, customers will, upon purchase of a SMiFi or Router Starter Pack, get 50 per cent bonus data on recharge for three consecutive months.

With this customer are hope to get 20GB/7GB plus SMiFi or Unlimited Premium plan, which offers customers unlimited access to the internet, with a router to create their own hotspot, stream, download and connect with family and friends with prices that start from as low as N16,500.
Anajemba said;

We recognize that the Internet is becoming more and more important for nearly everybody in their everyday lives, as such, it is our goal to enable as many new connections as possible. These offers are yet another step towards realizing this goal.

Speaking further, the HM stated that the need to have instant continued access to the internet has resulted in a higher demand from customers for data to be easily accessible at an affordable rate. 

According to him, the new device and bonus offers give customers great value and reward them for their usage.

Continue Reading