Author: Alvin Wanjala

Google has been trying to have their social network, but they haven’t been successful so far. Their last project, Google Plus, was shut down in April after running for the last eight years since 2011. However, that doesn’t mean Google has given up on that dream yet; the company has been reported to be working on another social network in the US. As spotted by Android Police, Google is working on a new social network dubbed Shoelace. Well, I’m not in support of the name, but I’m glad to inform you that it’s exactly what Google hopes to do with…

Google’s I/O 19’ developer conference was majorly focused on taking care of user privacy, the principal basis of Google’s next Android version. However, efforts have also been made in the past as from Android 6.0 and up, where one could manually permit a given application to access their information including location, storage, microphone, calendar, among others. Despite the efforts made by Google to hand over permission keys to the end user, some apps still play against these rules. This has been revealed by a study performed by researchers at PrivacyCon 2019. The study found that over 1000 applications are abusing…

Like any other social media platform, Instagram has had trouble dealing with cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is real, whether on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or whichever social media platform you use. Instagram has hinted; they will be launching two new tools that aim to combat cyberbullying on the platform. The new tools revolve around the offended party and then on Instagram as a platform. Giving the users control over their experiences on the platform is a better way of addressing bullies on platforms such as Instagram. The Facebook-owned company has been accused of not doing enough to address this problem. AI-powered Rethink tool…

In a move to utilize resources for smartphone devices with minimalistic specs, Lite apps have become a new trend. Lite apps are increasingly becoming common for most daily applications, and many tech companies are embracing it. Look at Twitter, Google, and even Facebook. Spotify hasn’t been left behind on this trend either and is the latest company to join the bandwagon. Spotify Lite has been under testing for a while, but today the company has officially rolled out the feather-weight alternative for Spotify in 36 countries in Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa (Kenya is not on this…

Earlier last week Xiaomi launched their new Mi CC Series by debuting three devices at a go; Mi CC9, CC9e, and CC9 Meitu Edition. Among the exciting features announced were the 3D animated avatars dubbed Mimoji. Despite the fact that the new 3D avatars are similar to Apple’s Memoji, Xiaomi stated clearly that they didn’t plagiarize Apple’s Memojis. The company clarified on the matter stating the implementation of the two features is quite different. Surprisingly, it was recently discovered that Xiaomi was using an Apple Memoji Ad to advertise their AR-based Mimoji avatars. The company attracted even more criticism from…

Google Chrome has been reported to be testing a play,/pause feature in Chrome’s toolbar. The tool dubbed Global Media Controls is currently under trial in Google’s test ground Canary browser. If enabled, you can easily access the new feature near the Browser URL.  When one clicks on the media button a drop-down menu appears which enables one to play, pause, or skip through videos or music independent of the tab the media is playing from. Since the feature is still in early stages, several people have reported the functionality as extremely buggy and only works on few websites. It only…

Telegram stickers that were launched first in 2015 have been updated into more fun interactive ones. The messaging app has now been updated with a new format for animated stickers. The new high quality animated stickers as Telegram states are aimed at making communications on the platform more fun and interactive while at the same time minimizing on bandwidth usage. With their tiny size and format, Telegram explains via their blog that their focus lied on creating the small animated stickers that would occupy less space, run smoothly and consume less battery as compared to GIFs. This was achieved through…

We are months away from Apple’s launch of their new iPhone models this year. Probably the iPhone 11 or X1, whatever Apple will name it. It’s not uncommon though that we see some leaks and rumors flaunted around on what could be coming our way. Leaks and rumors create a buzz around upcoming phones these days. So we are used to that, lest we think about resisting. Google already tipped on what to expect with their upcoming Pixel 4. With Apple, the case is different. Everything is a secret, but some few signals are intercepted at times as well. The…

The misfortunes that befell Samsung with their foldable screen device has been reportedly fixed. In a report, Samsung’s executive last week revealed the company was testing more than 2000 prototypes of Galaxy Fold. Well, that’s good news now for those who have been anxiously waiting for the Galaxy Fold. The Galaxy Fold has been redesigned and mass production is almost underway. Sources familiar to the matter indicate that the middle hinge has been pushed up a little bit to equal the screen. The redesign reportedly makes the Galaxy Fold feel more natural than before.  With the hinge flush with the…

Google Play store is with no doubt the safest place to get your apps for Android as per Google, but safety guarantee is still an issue for a fact. With over 2.5 million applications, Google’s Play store is made of thousands if not tens of thousands of gibberish and malware-ridden apps that could potentially harm your device. Despite the efforts that have been previously put into place, there’s still a long way to go. Recently a CSIS Security Group revealed the fake “Updates for Samsung” which has been plundering users on Google’s Play store and has attracted over 10,000,000+ installations…