LG announces new Bluetooth and AI Speakers to its XBOOM audio lineup

August 21, 2018

With the intention of improving its XBOOM line of audio products, LG Electronics will be introducing 2 new wireless and smart speakers to the series at the upcoming IFA 2018 expo — a consumer electronics and home appliances trade show which will commence from 31 August in Berlin, Germany.

The upcoming audio products are the LG XBOOM Go and XBOOM AI ThinQ smart speakers.

Designed with user convenience and quality in mind, the LG XBOOM Go is a wireless speaker (the first of its kind) that will adopt Qualcomm’s aptX HD support for a lossless 24bit/576kbps hi-res audio streaming experience. The XbooX Go will also come with unmatched quality in terms of clear treble and thumping bass.

Other features of the XBOOM Go include external multicolour mood lighting, Grab-N-Go and X-grip handles for portability and stability, Pro DJ Wheel for creative mixing and scratching. The XBOOM Go will be available in three variants; the PK3, PK5, and PK7.

The LG XBOOM AI ThinQ speaker, on the other hand, will have features of the XBOOM Go and Google Assistant-enabled; allowing users control the speaker via voice commands and function in similar fashion as the Google Home does.

The audio quality of the LG XBOOM AI ThinQ speaker is expected to blow users away as the device was made in conjunction with Meridian Audio, an English manufacturer of high-performance, high-fidelity audio and video components and systems. The XBOOM AI ThinQ will arrive in two variants, the WK7 and WK9.

The WK9 model of the XBOOM AI ThinQ will reportedly launch with an 8-inch display. With the display and Google Assistant on top, the WK9 XBOOM AI is expected to function the same way the Lenovo Smart Display works, but with better speakers.

Other feature of the speaker include water resistance and long battery life. No pricing details are available but it is expected that information regarding all models of both speakers are expected to be unveiled at the upcoming IFA 2018 event.

Gmail’s ‘Confidential mode’ feature makes it way to mobile

Olanrewaju Sodiq

August 18, 2018

According to Google’s latest update to its email platform, Gmail, users will now be able to send and receive ‘confidential’ emails; just when we thought email security couldn’t get any better.

Google has, no doubt, furnished Gmail with quite a number of feature over the past couple of months (Nudge and Smart Unsubscribe, for example), but this one’s definitely a super cool addition…and a big deal.

Although the confidential mode has been around for a while (say July) as part of Google’s redesign of the Gmail platform, it is now making its way to mobile devices.

When turned on, the new feature allows Gmail users send and receive confidential emails by setting an expiration period to mails; expiry date can be set to 24 hours, a couple of weeks, months or even years (max 5 years).

Sender of a confidential email can also withdraw the recipients access to the email at any time. To make the mail even more confidential, receivers of such mail cannot reproduce the mail either by copying, printing, downloading, or forwarding the content to a third-party.

However, there is no measure in place to restrict recipients of a confidential mail from showing someone else the mail, or taking a screenshot of the content. While Google doesn’t have total control over the recipients device, it can at least notify the sender whenever a screenshot of his/her mail tagged ‘confidential’, just how SnapChat does.

In addition, the recipient(s) could set a mail to request a password (which will be sent to the receiver by Google via SMS) before accessing the content of such mail. The sender, however, has to provide the receiver’s phone number before such message is sent.

Passcodes to unlock a confidential mail will be sent to recipients using a Gmail address via SMS while recipients using other mail providers can receive passcodes either through SMS or in their email box.

How to use Gmail Confidential mode

To send a confidential mail:

1. Ensure you have the latest version of the Gmail app

2. Launch Gmail

3. Compose mail

4. Click on the three dots menu button

5. Click ‘Confidential Mode’

6. A new page will open up, then you can proceed to set expiration date or turn off confidential mode

Google’s GBoard gets support for 28 new languages in new update

Olanrewaju Sodiq

August 1, 2018

GBoard, the official keyboard of Google, is arguably one of the best and most popular keyboard on Android and iOS platforms. The app just got an updated version that comes with new improvements that will surely snowball its popularity and usage.

As seen on the new changelog on the app page on the Google Play Store, there are 3 major changes made to the keyboard app:

Add text to Make a GIF
Search stickers in 15 more languages
Support for 28 new languages

The new GBoard comes with a “Make a GIF” icon/feature which allows users create customized GIFs with the front or rear-facing camera. In addition, users can further customize their GIFs by adding text.

The “Make a GIF” icon is next to word suggestion bar and GIFs can be created in either “Fast Forward” or “Loop” mode.

Another highlight feature is the support for 28 new languages: Bagri, Batak Toba, Bench, Bhili, Capiznon, Chavacano, Eastern Min, Fiji Hindi, Ge’ez, Gurani, Ingush, Karachay, Khorasani Turkic, Kipsigis, Maharashtrian Konkani, Lezgian, Mizo, Maguindanao, Malay (Brunei), Maranao, Southern Min, Northern Sami, Qashqa’i, Rinconada Bikol, Surjapuri, Tausug, Upper Saxon, and Vasavi.

With over 500 millions downloads on the Google Play Store, this new update is sure to trigger more downloads and it won’t come as a surprise if download hit the 1 billion mark.

Yahoo discontinues “Yahoo Messenger”

Olanrewaju Sodiq

June 11, 2018

Yahoo messenger shutdown — Yahoo Messenger shutdown

Through this help page on its official website, Yahoo announced that the popular, used-to-be our favorite messaging platform and app will longer exist later this year.

This news took many by surprise because, albeit the usage and popularity of the platform has been clouded by popular (and better) messaging platforms like Facebook’s Messenger, WhatsApp, Google Hangouts etc. that have surfaced over the years, nobody really saw this coming.

Yahoo’s Messenger say the light when it was launched (as Yahoo Pager) on March 9, 1998 before it was rebranded a year after to Yahoo Messenger. The platform is scheduled to be put down on July 17, 2018 — lived 20 years, 4 months, and 8 days.

R.I.P, Yahoo Messenger ?

As to why Oath, the company (controlled by Verizon) that runs Yahoo!, is killing the messenger, the quote below is the company’s explanation:

We know we have many loyal fans who have used Yahoo Messenger since its beginning as one of the first chat apps of its kind. As the communications landscape continues to change over, we’re focusing on building and introducing new, exciting communications tools that better fit consumer needs.

After shutting down the platform on July 17, 2018, Yahoo says you will no longer be able to login to the Messenger, either through the mobile app or on desktop. Yahoo, however, recommends that you delete your Messenger app after it shuts down.

Interestingly, for record sake, you can download your entire chat history for the next six months — even after the shut down date. All you need to do is the visit the data request page, enter your details, go through some verification steps, and input the preferred email address where you want your chat history sent to.

What’s your reaction to the Yahoo Messenger shutdown? Will you miss the messaging platform? What alternative messenger will you be switching to?

With Gmail’s new “Nudge” feature, you won’t miss important mails anymore

Olanrewaju Sodiq

May 18, 2018

Google has laced its mailing service, Gmail, with a new feature (incorporated with AI) to help solve the problem of forgetting to reply or follow up on important emails and conversations. Google calls the feature “Nudge”.

It wasn’t too long ago that Google announced a “Snooze” feature that allows you mute emails to carry out actions on them later. Snoozing a particular mail (for a specified period) will bring back the mail to the top of your box when the set time clocks.

The Snooze feature helped people remember to take actions on certain emails later..but there was still a problem; users still miss important mails. For some reasons, people forgot to snooze mails probably because of the unbearable number of the they’ve got in their box.

Interestingly, Google will henceforward help solve that problem automatically with the newly introduced “Nudge” feature. So irrespective of whether you remember to favourite or snooze a mail so you can remember to take action(s) on it later, Google will remind you of important mail using Artificial Intelligence (AI).

“When your inbox is flooded with emails, some will inevitably slip through the cracks. Luckily, the new Gmail can help. It will now ‘nudge’ users to reply to emails they may have missed and to follow up on emails for which they haven’t received a response,” says Google in its official statement about Nudge in a blog post.

The AI powering through nudge feature will scan through all your emails, try to find the important ones and pushes them to the top of your inbox. Then at the top right corner of the message, you will informed how many days it has been since you have received the mail and left it unanswered.

You can then proceed to click on mail to read it reply, or ignore — your choice. The Nudge feature will be automatically “on” for every user but you can deactivate it in the settings menu.

It’s about time you never miss any important mail anymore.

Facebook Stories hit 150M Daily Active User

Olanrewaju Sodiq

May 18, 2018

It’s been more than a year since Facebook introduced the “Stories” feature to its social networking platform… and it seems to be doing some numbers. Recently, Facebook announced that the Stories on the platform have hit a daily usage count of 150 million.

When Stories was announced in March 2017, Facebook said it was diverting away from the “text and link focused” mode of updates to experiment with the trending visual (photos and videos) updates are preferred by most users. To continue, Facebook also admitted that the 150 million daily user milestone of Stories on Instagram also the move to start testing the feature on Facebook.

Now, a year and a couple of months later, Facebook Stories have hit the 150 million daily users and Facebook is taking it to the next level…by incorporating Ads — just like Stories on Instagram.

The Ads that will debit in Facebook Stories are still in their basic and initial stages as advertisers will only be able to display their products or services to their targets. There will be no click-through or call to action for now but they will debut later as the feature age.

For the time being, ads will be pictures or videos that will have a 5- to 15-second duration. You can skip these ads though by just tapping/swiping left or right of the ads.

In addition, since Facebook and Instagram are owned by the same parent company, advertisers can easily extend their Instagram Stories Ads to Facebook Stories Ads. Interestingly, Facebook can also automatically help reformat ads placed on the News Feed to fit Facebook Stories Ads; Facebook will recreate the Ads to have matching borders and background as well as text.

This Facebook Stories-Instagram Stories, as well as News Feed-Stories Ads flexibility, are features I’m sure will attract advertisers and business to put up their businesses on Facebook Stories.

Facebook Messenger to get a ‘simpler and neater’ design after overhaul

O. Christopher

May 2, 2018

Facebook Messenger to get a ‘simpler and neater’ design after overhaul

While the F8 – a global event held by Facebook where next-gen tech and other innovations in the company and industry are discussed – is still ongoing, we have already had a number of changes. One of the will directly affect the Facebook Messenger app which will now be made cleaner and simpler.

Over time, Facebook has been riding on the wings of ‘adding features’ to the platform to make things harder for people to find. That just goes on to make the app clumsier as time goes by. However, with the new design overhaul set to happen, all that will become a thing of the past.

Having been working on this design overhaul since the beginning of the year, we are sure to get the update soon after the announcement by Mark. According to him,

When you’re messaging, you really want a simple and fast experience. We’re taking this moment to completely redesign Messenger to focus on these ideas

When this kicks into full gear, Facebook will be reliving the idea that bore the first Messenger app – to allow users communicate without having to jump through hoops to get there

Brace yourself! “Group Video Call” to debut on WhatsApp soon

Olanrewaju Sodiq

May 2, 2018

Number one instant messaging platform, WhatsApp, is about to launch a feature within the app which will take it steps far above other rivals and counterparts.

At its recently concluded 2018 F8 Developer conference held in San Jose, California, Facebook (WhatsApp parent company) announced the instant messaging app will be getting a “Group Video Calling” features in the coming weeks — though no date or time was specified.

Just like the recently added “Statuses”, the soon-to-be-launched Group Video Calling features will, no doubt, revolutionize the way user text, interact, and overall lifestyle.

The Group Video calling feature will create an enabling environment where 2 or more users, but a maximum of four, can visually interact with the app. It isn’t sure (yet) if the platform will allow more than four users in a group video call, but from the demo presented by the company (and as seen in the above image), it looks pretty much like not more than 4 users can feature in a group video call.

Interestingly, Instagram (also a Facebook-owned photo and video sharing platform) will also be getting the “Group Video Calling” feature.

Asides the Group Video Calling, Facebook also announced some other features that will grace the instant messenger soon. One of them is the “WhatsApp Stickers”.

Truth be told, this feature is (or was) somewhat overdue. In reality, WhatsApp is most people’s favorite messaging app. So switching between WhatsApp and Skype for group text and group video conversations can be sometimes annoying. The introduction of the Group Video Calling feature is gradually transforming WhatsApp into an all-in-one, or all-round app.

And it’s a good thing, really. I guess it’s only a matter of time before we can perform financial transactions (as in Facebook Messenger) on WhatsApp too.

What do you think about the WhatsApp Group Video Calling feature? Are you psyched up about it? I, for one, can’t wait to try it out when it is officially released in the upcoming app updates.

Facebook to rollout ‘Clear History’ feature in the coming months

O. Christopher

May 1, 2018

Facebook to rollout ‘Clear History’ feature in the coming months

Facebook was in a lot of trouble just last month when it was found out that they sold a lot of their data to Cambridge Analytica. Since then, a lot of people have left the platform and general stocks have dropped.

To give users even more control over their data and prevent such a breach from happening again in the future, the social media giant has planned the rollout of a new update to its platform.

To be dubbed ‘Clear History,’ this will work in the same way browsers do by allowing you clear any information that is being collected about you. The good news is that the functionality of this new feature extends beyond the website alone but goes on to include third-party applications too.

However, you should note that some things may still not be cleared even after using this feature. Afterall, even clearing your cookies does not mean that everything will go as planned.

Expected to start hitting the app in the coming months, this is one welcome update we cannot wait to have.

LG Electronics Provides Free Laundry Service To Ogba Community In Lagos

O. Christopher

April 6, 2018

LG Electronics Provides Free Laundry Service To Ogba Community In Lagos

LG Electronics recently inaugurated a free laundry service for the people of Ogba, Ikeja and its environs who are facing the difficulty of water and power to efficiently carry out their washing chores.

The laundry cabin is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities to effectively take care of laundry needs of the people for free.

The event which held at the LG showroom located at Ogba was attended by top officials from Korea; Mr. Choong Hak Lee, Executive Vice President, Business Support Officer, LG Electronics; Mr. Dae Sik Yoon, Vice President, LG Electronics as well as top management of LG Electronics West Africa operations led by Mr. Taeick Son, Managing Director, LG Electronics West Africa operations; Mr. Mohammed Fouani, Managing Director Fouani Nigeria limited; Mr. Jiung Park, General Manager, Home Appliances Division, LG Electronics; Mr. Hari Elluru, Corporate Marketing Manager, LG Electronics West Africa operations alongside other dignitaries and the media.

The Free Laundry tagged “Life’s Good with LG Wash” is part of the company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) program for the year which has been designed to help people, homes and the community at large lacking sufficient water and power to carry out their laundry requirement.

It is designed to serve over 50 people per day and it will operate on a daily basis from morning till evening in order to ameliorate the living conditions as well as support the daily washing requirement of people in the area.

It is interesting to note that, LG Electronics has, over the years, continued to receive accolades from Nigerian consumers for having their interest at heart in the development of cutting-edge technological products. LG plans to be replicate this initiative in other strategic locations across the state and indeed the country.

The Executive Vice President, LG Electronics, in his opening remarks, said

As a global company, LG Electronics wants to use its capabilities to help local communities all over the world solving some of their regional issues. In this regard, I hope that ‘Life’s Good with LG Wash’ will help make your lives more convenient and comfortable. I hope that the opening of ‘Life’s Good with LG Wash’ will bring more spare time and comforts to residents here. LG Electronics will continue to support communities even in the future.

However, the feat which seems to be the first of its kind in the country by any brand in the country will create a real difference in improving society and helping address social issues in Ogba and its environs. The facility contains several LG Washing machines, LG Dryers, LG Air Conditioning units, uninterrupted power supply, a constant supply of water among others to ensure the facility operates seamlessly.

Also commenting at the occasion Managing Director Fouani Nigeria Limited, Mr. Mohammed Fouani, said:

This is what I truly call giving back to the society, because the real beneficiaries of this project are the masses, I believe they will take advantage of this initiative from LG Electronics to make life better for them. The laundry is fully equipped with modern facilities for a standard laundry service.

More so, LG Electronics has vigorously pursued its CSR initiatives with all sense of responsibility and commitment, placing it at the forefront of giving back to the society.

In the educational and health sectors of the economy, the brand has contributed immensely by touching lives and institutions which is its CSR core thrust which should tilt toward human-centric projects. Recently, LG made donations to health institution in Port Harcourt, Abuja and Kano all in a bid to give a facility lift to the health sector in the country.

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