WhatsApp Friday announced that it was expanding its group calling limit from four people to eight people. This would make it easier for users to stay in touch with their friends and family during the lockdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The announcement was part of a bunch of new product updates announced by Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg. Earlier this week, the company started to roll out this feature to users of the app’s beta versions on iOS and Android. Now, this functionality will start rolling out to everyone starting next week. For comparison, Houseparty allows eight participants and Google…
Author: DigitalTimesNG
As a part of its effort to address the social paradigms emerging from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Facebook Friday announced new features heading to Messenger, Portal, Facebook Live, Instagram, and Facebook Dating that aim to make it easier to connect with close friends, followers, and significant others. A report by VentureBeat showed that perhaps the most notable is Messenger Rooms, which creates joinable group video calls on Facebook and Facebook Messenger. Hosts can invite anyone to join even if they don’t have a Facebook account and rooms will soon hold up to 50 users without a time limit. The account-free…
Apps using Apple and Google’s contact tracing solution, due out soon, will be able to encrypt metadata associated with smartphones and randomly generate keys for identifying phones to make it harder to identify an individual or track people. A seed version of the app will be released Tuesday for iOS users, supporting Apple devices released within the last 4 years, in order for public health authorities to begin testing it, according to a report at VentureBeat. Apple and Google spokespeople, as well as privacy advocates, insist that high levels of user trust are needed for a voluntary app approach to…
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is once again joining the global community to mark the Girls in ICT Day. The day is marked annually on the fourth Thursday in April and this year’s celebration falls on the 23rd April 2020. NITDA is, therefore, highlighting the need to promote technology career opportunities for girls and women in ICT, the world’s fastest-growing sector. During this year’s celebration, NITDA is drawing attention to the critical need for more girls and women to participate actively in the ICT sector of our economy. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) had estimated skills shortfall of…
As the COVID-19 pandemic bites harder, and movements are restricted in some major parts of the world, Nigeria inclusive, Firstmonie Agents, an agent banking initiative from First Bank of Nigeria Limited is bridging the gaps and helping people to meet their needs of accessing the funds to buy food items and groceries as well as to send money to their loved ones. With many Banks and business reengineering efforts to improve the adaptability of their customers to electronic ways of carrying out business, this is one of the many measures by the premier financial institution in Nigeria to support the…
Access Bank, Nigeria’s leading retail financial institution, says it will reward 10 customers with N10 million in its May edition of DiamondXtra monthly draw. Group Head, Retail Products and Segments at Access Bank Adaeze Ume, who disclosed this in a statement in Lagos on Monday, said the bank would continue to deliver on its promise by continually rewarding its customers for their loyalty and savings culture. She said that 10 lucky customers would be rewarded with one million naira each in the May monthly draw slated for May 13. “We have been encouraging our customers to stay safe and stay…
Verraki, a leading business and technology solutions firm, has urged business leaders in Nigeria to embrace disruptive innovation as a means to thrive and generate future income even as the world struggles with the COVID-19 global pandemic; which has now been reported in about 192 countries around the world. In a newly published report: ‘COVID-19 and Nigerian Businesses: From Survival to Thriving in a Changing World,’ Verraki expounded the ripple effects the coronavirus may likely have on the Nigerian economy, its expected impact on Nigerian businesses and people, as well as the course of action for businesses, focused on staying…
By Brad ANDERSON Success doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Never has that been clearer than during COVID-19, the pandemic currently roiling the world economy. Small- and medium-sized businesses compete with larger companies, but they also depend on them. Here’s how some of the biggest players in tech are making life easier for SMBs: Microsoft Microsoft was a big tech before big tech existed. While most of the companies on this list got their start during the dot-com boom or after, Microsoft marked the new millennium by celebrating its 25th birthday. In the wake of COVID, Microsoft is leveraging its perspective…
Facebook has unveiled a raft of measures to help tackle the coronavirus crisis in recent weeks. Its latest is a new interactive map that displays reported county-by-county COVID-19 symptoms from users across the US. The data, obtained via Facebook surveys in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University, will be updated throughout the outbreak. The company also says it plans to roll out symptom surveys globally in the coming days, in order to create similar symptom maps for other countries where Facebook operates, according to a report in engadget.com. In a post on Facebook, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that the platform is…
As the Coronavirus pandemic and its attendant lockdown bites harder, Direct-To-Home services provider, DStv and its sister company, GOtv are lightening the load with some great news. From Monday 20 April, DStv and GOtv customers who are fully paid up on their subscriptions will automatically get upgraded to the next higher package at no extra cost! Martin Mabutho, Chief Customer Officer MultiChoice Nigeria says this offer is a way of thanking their valued customers for their loyalty “It is our priority to put customers at the heart of everything we do, and in line with our mission to make great…