Category: Mobile Phones and Computers

Unboxing The Tecno WX3P 5,000mAh Phone + Full Specs

I wonder what Tecno was thinking when they launched a Tecno W3, W3 LTE and WX3P all with close to similar price tags and not very different specs aside from addition of LTE connectivity, battery upgrades and different Android versions. I got the Tecno WX3P for N26, 600 via Konga […]

Things to Do Before And When You Get An Apple MacBook Pro

As some of you already know by now, I finally received my 13" Apple MacBook Pro Retina last week Friday. All plans to announce its arrival was shut down abruptly that same day when in the process of setting up Windows 8 via BootCamp, I messed up the partitions and ended up with a MacBook sans operating system.

I cried myself to sleep that night (I kid you not) pissed at myself for playing the geek in murky waters.

It took a visit to the iStore showroom at Ikeja City Mall in Lagos, to get things fixed partially. They were able to fix the partitions via thunderbolt in target mode but restoring the operating system had to be done online and the network was pretty f**king slow. In the end I returned to Sokoto with a dead MacBook which I later revived in 2 hrs at night thanks to the amazing download speeds offered by MTN Nigeria.

The list below should guide on what to do before and when your MacBook arrives so you don't end up wasting extra dough on stuff like high volume data plans

Let's begin

Things To Do Before Your Apple MacBook Arrives

If you plan on installing Windows 8 via BootCamp on your Mac, your Windows 8 upgrade license won't cut it at all. You need to get Windows 8.1 full version which costs like $120 at the moment. I was able to purchase the much cheaper students only offer at $69.99. Check out Windows 8.1 Pro for Students.

You need to get an 8GB flash drive for the whole BootCamp thingy. I tried using my 500GB hard drive but the damn thing wouldn't budge and it was the initiator of my woes that fateful night.

You can get a branded 8GB flash drive from Amazon from $5 - $10 depending on brand and your taste. Click here to purchase an 8GB flash drive

 

You also need dedicated external hard drives to store your Time Machine backups and other backups. Time Machine is a pre-installed app that helps you back up your Apple MacBook OS for easy offline recovery should your OS crash. It only works on HFS+ drives, so if you have different partition formats on your system, only the HFS+ one will be backed up by Time Machine.

I'm currently using my old copy of  Acronis True Image 2013 to backup my Windows partition only while Time Machine handles the Mac OS partition. Paragon Hard Disk Manager 14 seems to be support backing up the entire HDD or SSD irrespective of the partition formats within. I'm yet to test it though as I don't have a spare external HDD.

When purchasing an external portable HDD, please do yourself a favor and get one that supports USB 3.0. My 1TB Western Digital My Passport works so much faster on the MAC than on my previous Dell PC. Thanks to USB 3.0 technology and thanks to @AdNikky for the cool advice.

Click here to purchase dedicated external hard drives for your data and backup needs

Read More "Things to Do Before And When You Get An Apple MacBook Pro"

Direct Download Link: Official Google Adsense For Android APK

The Google Adsense dashboard has over the past months undergone some pretty interesting changes that have been quite useful in my honest opinion but the latest one is a serious buzz kill.

For some reason, they removed Last Month’s and This Month’s total earnings from the dashboard and replaced them with Last 7 days and Last 28 days. If just like me, you’re fond of keeping tabs on your total earnings for the month directly from the dashboard, now is the time to give the Official Google Adsense Mobile App a go.

Download Google Adsense For Android, iOS

Unfortunately the android version is not compatible with some android devices

Google Adsense Incompatible With Device

 

Not to worry though. Simply click here to download the latest Google Adsense for Android APK file instantly to your android device and install it.

The app is simply amazing and gives you instant access to all the financial data that matters as you can see from the official screenshots from Google Play Store. For access to stuff like Payment settings, Blocking Ads, Creating Ad Units etc, you have to use the desktop site.

Read More "Direct Download Link: Official Google Adsense For Android APK"

Used Samsung NC215S Solar Netbook For Sale = N45,000 Only

This will be the first time I’m putting up a gadget of mine for sale. It just so happens that my previous Compaq CQ60 is practically dead now and my Samsung NC215S isn’t powerful enough to handle the bulk of the tasks I’ve thrown it. Thus I’ve upgraded to the […]

Three Great Ways RIM BlackBerry Can Boost Their Earnings In Nigeria

Boost BlackBerry Earnings In Nigeria

While the launch of BlackBerry 10 is months away, Research In Motion keeps bleeding funds in the developed world but in Africa most especially Nigeria, they seem to be WINNING in quote. I say in quote ‘cause despite being the undisputed leader of the pack in the smartphone terrain, second hand (used) devices account for a huge bulk of BlackBerry phones in circulation given that new ones don’t come cheap at all.

In other to boost their earnings, they launched a cheaper version of their BlackBerry data plans which allows users access to the network for half the normal price BUT with limitations such as no access to BlackBerry Protect and access to only one email account.

I can bet you that most BlackBerry users are hooked on the cheaper BlackBerry plan and thus RIM isn’t making as much as they are supposed to. Left to me alone, they aren’t doing much to raise their earning potential and thus I’ll feed them two bones to chew on.

May I get the attention of someone at Research In Motion please? Thank you. Here goes.

Read More "Three Great Ways RIM BlackBerry Can Boost Their Earnings In Nigeria"

Top 5 Features I'd Love To See In BlackBerry 10

With the Samsung Galaxy SIII set to hit to market before this month runs out, I'm dying to hear a release date for the new BlackBerry 10 devices. At the moment, RIM seems to be wooing developers to create apps for the new operating system and I really hope they come up with pretty interesting stuff.

Meanwhile, I've had quite a good run with the BlackBerry Curve 3G and I'm now using a Bold Touch 9900 but still I must say there are quite a number of features a part of me wishes the folks at RIM would just pay attention to immediately.

To the guys at RIM, if you're reading this, here are the top 5 features I wish the new BlackBerry 10 phones would come with. Read More "Top 5 Features I'd Love To See In BlackBerry 10"

My Top 10 Must Have BlackBerry Apps

Top BlackBerry ApplicationsBlackBerry Appworld unlike every other mobile application market out there today is poorly stocked with just over 60,000 applications to date but for folks like me, 99% of the apps we need are readily available there or via developer websites.

I'm always on the look out for new apps that could help boost productivity or enhance the features of my Bold 9900. Some have found their way into my heart while others have fallen by the way side after a few days or weeks of use.

Of all the apps on my BlackBerry phone, here are the top 10 without which my blackberry experience would be so DULL!

Socialscope For BlackBerry: still in private beta phase thus only accessible by invitation, this social networking app supports Facebook, Twitter and FourSquare. In my opinion, it's like Ubersocial on steroids and now replaces two apps on my phone (Twitter and Facebook for BlackBerry) Read More "My Top 10 Must Have BlackBerry Apps"

Top Three Facts You Ought To Know Before Purchasing A BlackBerry Phone

With each passing day, more and more folks here in Nigeria are being drawn into the BlackBerry circle which in my opinion is a good thing 'cause I'm on #TeamBlackBerry all the way and would love to see RIM rise above its recents financial losses.

Despite being a fan, I do have to admit that Research In Motion's BlackBerry smartphone has its' shortcomings just like the mighty Apple iPhone does. If the BlackBerry is going to be your first smartphone, you can go ahead and purchase one without much hesitation but if you've been a proud owner of one of those hi-end smartphones like the Nokia N8, N900 and E7, there are a few things you must take into consideration before doling out cash for a BlackBerry device.

BLACKBERRY DATA SUBSCRIPTION IS COMPULSORY

Without a BlackBerry Internet Plan or Wi-Fi access, your blackberry device is just a texting and voice call device with mediocre camera. Internet traffic on BlackBerry phones is routed through RIMs servers in different strategic locations across the globe. Access to these servers is limited to those with an active BIS plan. I think Nigeria uses the servers in the UK. Your regular smartphone data plan will not work on the BlackBerry Platform. Even the Wi-Fi itself requires an active blackberry data plan.

There's nothing as annoying as having BIS connection go awol while regular internet is still working just fine especially when you have important stuff to do online. It makes you want to slam the device across the nearest wall.

LACK OF PLETHORA OF APPS

Mobile application guzzlers and those of you who have experienced the richness of the Android Marketplace and Nokia Ovi store, will have a hard time adapting to BlackBerry's Appworld as it practically has
just a little over a mere 60, 000 applications only.

You can imagine something as simple as an effective download manager is still missing from the BlackBerry Appworld. Read More "Top Three Facts You Ought To Know Before Purchasing A BlackBerry Phone"