₦airaland Forum

Who is really winning the war between dollar scarcity and businesses in Nigeria?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJ8Om77aTzI

The Infinix Hot S and Infinix Note 3 are two of the newest devices on the stable of Infinix Mobility. They both have very similar specifications that make them perfect for side by side comparison.

Both run on Android 6.0 Marshmallow and have excellent camera, but regardless of the extensive battery power of the Infinix Note 3 and sleek fluidity of the Infinix Hot S, one of the devices is better in more areas than the other. Due to popular demand, phone battles today is going to feature these two giants practically slugging it out.

Speed

Device lag is a serious problem with smartphones nowadays regardless of the sizes of their internal memory. The Infinix Note 3 and Infinix Hot S both run on 2GB internal memory, but one is faster than the other.

Boot time

The Infinix Note 3 came up in 1 minute 42 seconds and 75 milliseconds. But the Infinix Hot S came up first at 1 minute 94 seconds and 48 milliseconds beating the Note 3 by nearly 9 seconds.

Both phones were painfully slow considering Android Marshmallow 6 and all.
Winner: The Infinix Hot S takes this round by nearly 9 seconds.

Design

The two smartphones are beautiful in their gold coating and trimmings. They are both functional on different levels. And the fingerprint scanner at behind the phones makes unlocking easy and convenient.

The Infinix Note 3 is heavy and awkward in handling, but as a phablet, it is great for typing and gaming especially in landscape mode.
The Infinix Hot S is light and nearly half the size and weight of the Note 3. It fits squarely into the pocket without creating a weighted bulge.

Winner: The light weighted sleekness of the Infinix Hot S earns an extra round and automatic lead for it in this round.

For the full Phone Battle, click here: https://techpoint.ng/2016/10/11/infinix-hot-s-vs-infinix-note-3/

Small business the world over have always had a hard time staying alive. Let’s face it, they’re underdogs in a fight against corporations, chain stores and multinationals. Setting the generalisation aside, things aren’t very different on the local front. From the brass ceiling of loans to laws and taxes that do not help them in any way generally, the Nigerian environment has not always been conducive for startups and small businesses.

According to a Facebook post by serial entrepreneur Sheriff Shittu,

[center]Nigerian tech entrepreneurs will not only have to think about paying salaries, but fuelling generators, getting customers, building products, optimising UI/UX, marketing, office rental and on top of that have to confirm if your bank will support international transactions , at what rate and whether the transaction will eventually go through. I have not mentioned being competitive, innovative and changing the world. You don’t take bow and arrow to a nuclear war. This is our reality.
[/center]

Every small business is an individual country of its own.

Things are taking a positive turn in recent times but is still hard nevertheless. The entrepreneurs that thrive in these climes are resilient and tough as nails.

Considering the intrinsic value startups can add to a growing struggling economy like ours, it is imperative they be given preferences and allowances that allow for ease of operations and a soft landing.

Concessions

With a reduced cash flow, smaller markets that lead to a loss in demand, small businesses and startups are always hit the hardest in any economic squeeze. These lack of cash is harder because most are bootstrapping in one form or the other and still haven’t generated enough revenue to be self-sustainable.

An allowance was made for 65,197 pilgrims going on Hajj to get an exchange rate of ₦197 for 1 dollar as against the set ₦380.

This totalled ₦11.92 billion and as much as I do not have a problem with the religious standpoint of the initiative, it felt very wrong coming at a time when startups in Nigeria were struggling to smuggle Forex up and down like cocaine.

Reports in certain quarters showed that over 50 manufacturing firms had packed up shop for a lack of foreign exchange to get materials that cannot be sourced locally.

These monies should be can be funnelled to startups and small businesses giving them ease of operations. Tech startups especially always have pressing needs for Forex at every giving time to offset bills abroad.

The limitations on credit card usage outside the country should be relaxed for business accounts. All these may sound far-fetched, but under not too favourable conditions, they can serve as incentives for young people to actively contribute to the economy and become employers of labour.

Entrepreneurial Education

Some species of sharks die if they are not constantly on the move;swimming. There’s a quote that says entrepreneurs are like sharks, they die when they stop moving forward. Movement in this context is tied in to a constant learning process.

Entrepreneurs are the mainstay of an economy, so imagine combining a proper business education with the right mix of entrepreneurs.

Even though the internet had made it easy to learn with free and relatively cheap resources, some entrepreneurs are not aware of their existence or simply cannot afford them.

The United States government has an Office of Entrepreneurship Education that caters exclusively to the information and educational needs of entrepreneurs.

The Nigerian government should set up educational programs to enable budding entrepreneurs manage time, money and resources effectively towards maximising output.

Funding

Typically, it is assumed a government does not have a financial role to play in the development of entrepreneurs and startups. But more than 780 state-owned funds in China raised over $338 billion, making them the largest VC in the world.

The Chinese case may have a lot counter arguments as the Chinese ecosystem has not been properly chronicled for a long while for a general lack of data, but one way or the other the yields of the investments are evident on the economy.

In an interview with Techpoint, Dr. Vincent Olatunji the Director General of NITDA said Nigeria was hoping to make the shift to a knowledge based economy. With laudable initiatives, NITDA and other government agencies are already driving the initiative.

With ICT already contributing 10.58% to Nigeria’s GDP, Dr. Vincent said it is expected to reach 20% in the next 5 years. But with a government-backed fund for startups and entrepreneurs, the Nigerian economy can fully shift from a resource based economy (RBE) to a fully knowledge based economy.

[b]Suggested Read: [/b]https://techpoint.ng/2016/09/20/nigerian-government-can-enable-startups-small-businesses/

There has been so much going on in the micro blogging site over the past weeks with popular Hollywood comedian and actor Kevin Harts getting his own custom emojis on Twitter and Persicope to American talk show host Jimmy Kimmel also getting custom emojis in time for the Emmys.

But in all the buzz and activities, Twitter announced they were finally extending the 140 character limits on tweets by ensuring images, GIFs, polls, quoted tweets and videos do not add up towards the final word count.

The move was first announced in May and the micro blogging platform said when the upgrade is eventually rolled out, the “@name” and all forms of media would not count towards the character limit.

Suggested Read: https://techpoint.ng/2016/09/20/twitter-removes-character-limit/

It’s no longer news that the founder and CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg is in Lagos, Nigeria.

His first stop was the Co-Creation Hub, in Yaba where he watched children learning to code and interacted with at least 50 local startup founders and developers. More impressively, he trekked over 2km through the streets of Yaba to get to Andela, the talent accelerator he recently invested $24 million in.

But if there’s anything most exciting about Mark Zuckerberg’s surprise visit, it’s the fact that he chose Nigeria as his first destination in Sub-Saharan Africa. This is more than enough validation for the Nigerian technology ecosystem

Without a doubt, Mark Zuckerberg is beginning to take Nigeria seriously. But that didn’t happen suddenly. You’ll find proof in the increasing number of Nigerians on his payroll.

1. Chukwuemeka Afigbo
2. Nmachi Jidenma
3. Ebele Okobi
4. Laurence Aderemi
5. Morin Oluwole
6. Lauryn (Hale) Ogbechie
7. Francis Ebong
8. Teniola Adedipe
9. Monica Ugwi
10. Olaoluwa Okelola
11. Ibrahim Shekoni

For more info: https://techpoint.ng/2016/08/31/nigerians-working-with-mark-zuckerberg-facebook/

guydangerous:
More pictures please like the back side.

Here it is.
You can actually check out Techpoint's unboxing...https://techpoint.ng/2016/08/27/infinix-note-3-unboxing/
They have good pictures, got the ones I shared from there.

Infinix Mobility launched the Infinix Note 3 on Friday to a lot of fanfare in Lagos. Jumia and MTN Nigeria were in on this one as partners hence the #JIMSbigthing tag; JIM being an acronym for Jumia, Infinix and MTN.

The 6 inches big screen device is another golden showcase like the Infinix Hot S, but that device really lived up to its promises and I hope this one.

With a promise of 5 minutes charge giving a 2oo minutes talk time, the Infinix Note 3 does seem to be confident.

But before we take an in-depth look into the workings of the device, let us examine what is packed into the box of this phablet.

For the full unboxing, visit https://techpoint.ng/2016/08/27/infinix-note-3-unboxing/

I’m exhausted, it’s been a roller coaster for the past 12 years having started my first startup then and ever since, it’s been from one to the other.

I really felt I could succeed, I have read the right books, the right blogs. But in execution and drafting right business plans, I have fallen short. Maybe it’s time to change things a little, something is quite wrong I think.

The height of it was last year end, business was doing fairly well then everything started crashing. Somehow I survived the robbery at gun point in the middle and rallied round to try to make things work. But things were getting worse and every now and then the thought would always come around, “what if it all ends here?” “What if I just have an accident right now (while driving home at 11 pm on third mainland bridge)?” Maybe it was law of attraction but somehow I had an accident but in the daytime when I didn’t think about it.

I launched Showroom.ng almost 2 years now and within months with all the permutations (maybe strategy) we were on a super roll; the dream roll. I think personally I wasn’t introspective enough as I was just riding with the tide. That’s super wrong for a CEO, “you don’t just work in your company you work on it”, so they say. I only read it, I didn’t live it.

I personally won’t attribute the failure to wrong market, or wrong product. It was a wrong execution.

You can find the full story here: https://techpoint.ng/2016/08/24/sheriff-shittu-is-shutting-down-showroom-ng/

As part of its Ready Set Work (RSW) program, the Lagos State government has approved ₦15.5million as seed funding and grants for final year students enrolled.
https://techpoint.ng/2016/08/22/ready-set-work-lagos/

https://techpoint.ng/2016/08/15/infinix-dnc-headphones-review/

Specification
Diameter- Microphone- 6*2.2±0.2mm, Speaker- Ø13.6mm
Frequency; Microphone- 100Hz — 10kHz, Speaker- 20Hz- 20kHz
Plug- 3.5mm jack
Directivity- Omni-Directional
Battery- 105mAh battery
Feature- Dual Noise cancellation

Most of them are slowly leveling the gender playing field and shifting tech from the traditional all-male domain to an equal opportunity sector.
https://techpoint.ng/2016/06/14/powerful-women-african-tech/

Being a techie isn’t a bad thing in this age, actually it is a much coveted thing now that money seems to grow in a techie’s backyard. It is interesting to note that some of the world’s richest dudes are techies. The myth of a poor techie is gradually becoming a mirage. Dating a techie is like dating every other regular guy or girl out there, just that they are super heroes when it comes to geeky stuff. If you are dating or considering dating a techie then you will need the following tips.

Chats should be timed and outings scheduled

Are you tired of reminding your partner about appointments and family engagements? The answer is to use a calendar that sends notifications to the recipients of the event.

Good meals without having to enter the kitchen

Small chops and most finger foods are very useful for keeping a techie’s stomach tamed for a coding while. Most caterers I think will like techies because their delicacies will be adored and cherished always.

The TV is all yours, the Computer is mine

The TV is the least of a techie’s concern as long as there’s internet and a computer to keep them company. If you are used to dragging the TV remote control with your partner then dating a techie will give you almost 90% control over the TV remote control. Especially if it is your safe haven.

Warning: Never describe a techie’s computer as a cinema screen. That little window is precious to them

Q & A game on gadgets make for better conversation

If you want to prove you are the boss in by playing a game with your techie partner, try playing a Q & A game on gadgets. Winning such a game raises your rank amongst your partner’s peers, you will start gaining their respect because you seem to care about techie stuff too.

See the rest of the story here:
http://techpoint.ng/2015/12/14/dating-nigerian-techie/