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Google Chrome’s new update brings faster bootup time, less crashes and more

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Google Chrome’s new update brings faster bootup time, less crashes and more

The Google Chrome might be the most used browser in the world, but that does not mean that it is without its own flaws.

For one, users have always complained of how much memory the app consumes in the background. That, and we have also had issues with constant freezing of the browser when you relaunch it with a series of tabs open.

It is, thus, great that Google is listening to the complaints of the users as they have brought out a new update (Chrome 89) which fixes those issues and more.

According to the official release, the new Chrome version will see a 13% jump in start times due to a better memory management. Google explains that your other tabs left running will now be loaded into a lightweight version of the browser on next start-up. They show up only as a screenshot of the page you had left open but you can still interact with the links and clickable elements on that page.

Google believes that the new update brings an overall 22% boost in browser performance and does 8% better in GPU rendering.

We know that these tests tend to be carried out in controlled environments so that actual numbers might not be equal to what is reported. Given the standing and reputation of Google in the market, we doubt that they would want to veer too much off real numbers – so you should expect a sizeable boost truly.

MTN Strengthens Position in Nigeria with 800Mhz Acquisition

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MTN Strengthens Position in Nigeria with 800Mhz Acquisition

Just about a week ago, we reported that MTN posted very strong numbers in Nigeria despite the pandemic wave of 2020.

The telecommunications giant is acting on that now, looking to achieve a deeper penetration in the country. As of the time of this writing, the company confirmed that it has acquired an additional 800MHz spectrum in the country.

This will allow them to better the services they are already delivering while also reaching more regions where the network might not have been readily available.

This acquisition is not only underway but has been completed by the telco. The selling partner is Intercellular Nigeria Limited, so all that is left is for MTN to start implementing and rolling out their added capacity.

Seeing how proactive this company can be, and the fact that Nigeria keeps showing its hand to be a strong market for them, we doubt that they are going to rest on these oars.

Android 11 is being snagged up as fast as possible by Android users

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Android 11 is being snagged up as fast as possible by Android users

When a new OS comes out, the adoption rate is monitored for a number of reasons.

For one, it shows user sentiment about the new OS. After all, if it is not as good as it is supposed to be, users would likely stick to their version that they were on before. It is also a measure of how soon an old version can be phased out of the support system so resources can be dedicated to maintaining only one version.

Here, the Android 11 OS has been doing well.

Google’s Android has been plagued by a slow adoption rate in the past years. Most times, this is not the fault of the users but OEMs either not pushing out updates or selling new units with newer versions at a premium first.

With the Android 11, Google now boasts a 25% adoption rate – which happened in just six months of the software rollout.

By comparison, the most widely used Android OS (the 10) enjoys a 33% adoption rate and that will only keep going down as the Android 12 – or whatever the next one will be called – is already in the pipeline.

Note that the numbers above are for the US, which is one of the biggest Android markets in the world. Going global, the Android 10 has an adoption rate of 44% instead.

The coming year will look to see if Google can maintain this success in the adoption rate by looking at what works.

Adumo raises US $15 million from IFC to boost its African operations

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Adumo raises US $15 million from IFC to boost its African operations

This is a good week for payments processors everywhere.

While Flutterwave has achieved a unicorn status in the market, South African Adumo has also raised a $15 million funding in its latest round.

For those that are not familiar, Adumo is a local payment start-up that hopes to help small and medium scale enterprises get better at handing electronic payments within the country. They have also worked with multinational brands to ensure seamless remittances from clients both home and abroad.

This latest funding was provided by the IFC which is a member of the World Bank Group. We expect that the capital injection will help Adumo expand to more than the 14 African countries where it now has a presence while also boosting the quality of its services across board.

In exchange for the funding, the IFC gets the same amount worth of preferred shares from the company.

The fact that the growth of the IFC’s investment is tied to the growth of the start-up means that they will also do all they can to ensure the payments processor only gets better.

As we emerge from the pandemic and business starts moving again, it is sure that more and more vendors, retailers and manufacturers would have more need for the services of Adumo.

The $1bn start-up: Flutterwave now certified unicorn after latest $170m round

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The $1bn start-up Flutterwave now certified unicorn after latest $170m round

Paystack might have made the news first on the back of its $200 million exit but that news is now eclipsed by another amazing one in the same space.

As of the time of this writing, Flutterwave has secured an additional $170M funding through a series C round. That is impressive, but not as impressive as the $1bn valuation that the company now boasts in the market.

A little background into Flutterwave shows that they are the company that processes a lot of payments across multiple African countries. In fact, their financial sheets show that they have processed about $9 billion in transactions so far, lending credence to the legitimacy of the business model.

The most interesting thing in this niche is how the brand is worth more than majority of Nigerian banks. At this valuation, they are also the first payment start-up in the country to achieve unicorn status – an unofficial badge given to companies that have crossed the $1bn mark.

There is stull more to do for Flutterwave as more ecommerce providers open up in the African space. Likewise, they are yet to expand to all African countries so some potential remains there. With an increase in purchase within and outside the continent too, we cannot wait to see where this business climbs to in the nearest future.

Report suggests that the Galaxy Watch 4 is coming in Q2 2021

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Report suggests that the Galaxy Watch 4 is coming in Q2 2021

We are still talking about the Galaxy Watch 3 and we love what Samsung has done with that wearable. What we might not have known, however, is that the South Korean OEM has been planning a successor to this watch as fast as they can.

The report that brings this to our notice also states that the company will be introducing the watches to succeed both the Galaxy Watch 3 and Watch Active 3 in Q2 2021. This is an earlier timeframe than the company introduces its watches – and it could be a move to beat Apple at the game before they bring out any new units in September.

Remember that the biggest thing about the launch of the watches from these two giants last year was the oximeter sensor. This year, they both want to step that up with a blood glucose level sensor. If Samsung makes the launch first, it could claim to be the pioneer of the technology.

We hope that the rush to launch before Apple doesn’t get the company in muddy waters like what happened with the Galaxy Note 7 units, though.

For now, take this report with a grain of salt till the company confirms anything from its stables.

Ten Nigerian start-ups have been selected for the iNOVO accelerator program

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Ten Nigerian start-ups have been selected for the iNOVO accelerator program

The coronavirus pandemic crippled a lot of businesses and brought economies to its knees.

In the midst of all that, though, emerged some start-ups determined to help their economies overcome this impact.

About last month, the iNOVO Accelerator program was born from the partnership between Ventures Platform, Startupbootcamp AfriTech and UK-Nigeria Tech Hub to help these start-ups to achieve their goals.

As of the time the accelerator program was announced, more than 750 worthy applicants submitted for consideration. Only ten would eventually be chosen, though.

The lucky start-ups that would take part in the mentorship and training include:

  • Agriple – provides farmers actionable data to determine what crop is best to cultivate
  • Farmer First Technologies – financial player providing loans to farmers, and putting them in touch with buyers with better offers
  • Foodbank.ng – reduces food wastage while providing food items to households at competitive prices
  • Rural Farmers Hub – almost real-time advisory for farmers on crops, using satellite-based imagery.
  • Afrilearn – gamified learning platform with video-based learning modules
  • DigiLearns – AI-based learning tool with access to high quality educational content.

The others that round up the list are Schoola, Gleeworld Pharmacy, Wellvis and Pharmasev Health Project.

The program is expected to last three months during which these startups will also be exposed to a wide range of investors, amongst other resources that they will benefit from.

CrowdyVest secures new investment, breaks out as a standalone company

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CrowdyVest secures new investment, breaks out as a standalone company

CrowdyVest burst onto the scene in 2019 as a local crowdsourcing platform for small and medium scale businesses to achieve their short- and long-term goals with investment from willing users.

The model has worked and grew the portfolio of parent company, Farmcrowdy.

As of the time of this writing, though, CrowdyVest has now become a company of its own too.

An investment round led by Tope Omotolani saw the new company secure important investment from a handful of investors which allows it to stand on its own. Tope also becomes the first CEO of the new brand as it forays out on its own.

The new company has reacted nicely to this exit by pivoting its business model to serve the target market even better.

One of the new products that has been added is a digital savings service for the thousands of platform subscribers that the company boasts right now.

We wish the company the best in all of its endeavours as it hopes to become one of the leading wealth management companies in the country soon.

Netflix debuts Fast Laughs to rival TikTok and IG Reels

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Netflix debuts Fast Laughs to rival TikTok and IG Reels

Netflix won’t let Instagram and TikTok have all the fun – so they have brought you something for some fast laughs.

We mean it. The name of the platform is basically ‘Fast Laughs.’

This is similar to that TikTok and the IG Reels bring to the table.

However, the company takes a unique approach to how things are done on its own platform.

For the other services, user generated content is the order of the day. Here, interested users create the content that the community consumes.

For Netflix, the company will take short clips from movies that are funny. These very short scenes are designed to bring laughs out of the audience.

The genius behind this idea is that Netflix can get more streams out of users. After all, seeing a funny scene could spur a user into wanting to see a movie again or for the first time.

Study: Nigerians pay the most to use the internet globally

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Study Nigerians pay the most to use the internet globally

We have felt this way for some time now and we are happy that there is data to support this.

According to the Digital Quality of Life Index, Nigerians pay the most to use the internet.

This is not a survey carried out against other African countries but all countries in the world.

Looking at the current internet speeds available to the average user, bandwidth and data allocation to the cost, telcos have to step up their game a lot.

Putting the data into context, it is revealed that an average Nigerian has to work about 27 minutes and 55 seconds to afford 1GB of data. That doesn’t look too disconcerting till you know that the average for other countries is about 10 minutes.

The numbers get ugly.

For those who want broadband internet, they would have to work 33 hours and 42 minutes on the average. That is more than a full straight day of work, and about 4 days of normal work hours.

With these numbers, the digital innovation space in the country will surely not grow as much as it should be. Such high barriers of entry might not keep innovators out, but it will affect their potential customer base.

As a reference, we did a piece on MTN’s 2020 earnings which shows that the company posted strong numbers but suffered a decline in data users (up to 7 million). Now we know some of the reasons why.