TechNerdNG

If you have been following this blog, you will notice that we have been posting a series of reviews on various fast selling budget smartphones in Nigeria. T his has been done in an effort to help you our readers choose the best smartphone for you according to your needs and your budget. The series has been cross platform and has covered a wide range of devices between the prices of 25,000-35,000. We have decided to do a concise comparison between all these devices and hopefully give you a general view of this phones and make it easier for you to choose the best one for you INFINIX RACE EAGLE The Infinix Race Eagle is a "Mid Range" device from french Manufacturer Infinix. If you have read the full review I did about this device, you will know this device received a very low rating (5/10),  this is because the phone failed to live up to expectation. The Infinix Race Eagle  had a lot of issues that needed to be sorted out before they brought it to the market, for ...

Biometrics have become a part of our daily lives in many ways than one and to have them on our smartphones wouldn't be such a bad idea. Apple as its their custom to set trends when it comes to revolutionary smartphone features and hardware have begun to chart this course, other manufactures such as Samsung have flirted with the idea with rumours that we might be getting a fingerprint scanner on the Galaxy Note III set to be announced later in Q4 of this year but they have since rescinded that decision for logistics reasons. Apple can barely hide developments they are working on these days, different information about the upcoming iPhone 5S and 5C have leaked all over the internet, this is a new trend from Apple and i'm beginning to believe it might be a marketing stunt of some sort to get people excited about the phones, if that is their plan though i congratulate them because its working, i have been intrigued by the changes Apple recently brought to iOS 7 , the new featu...

Motorola has been one of the key players in the smartphone business for a while but they have suffered from innovation Amnesia (For lack of a better description) in the past few years. If you can remember the days of the iconic Motorola Razr which was once the highest selling phone at the time of its release you would know that motorola has not been able to match the success of those glory days in the recent past. However Google has decided to stick their hands into Motorola's pie since they gobbled up major stakes in Motorola's Mobile Phone development division, we expect to see a boost in innovation and a better marketing campaign. Google has already pledge to spend close to  $1Billion on marketing/Advertisement. That said, Motorola Recently launched their latest flagship device the Moto X, this is the first fruit of the marriage between Motorola and Google. Based on the several leaks of this device we have seen, I believe most people would be expecting to see a device clo...

In recent times, research has shown that Android has overtaken Apple in terms of smartphone marketshare, I believe this is as a result of  various Android OEM's offering different varieties of phones from high-end aluminium cladded, expensive phones to plasticky,   Budget friendly Smartphones , this has positioned Android as the phone for every Tom, Dick and Harry who wants to enjoy a smartphone experience without having to pay dearly for it. In light of this development, Apple has refused to "Carry Last" and they now plan to release a cheaper version of their Flagship phone the iPhone 5 in plastic. This is not the first time we have seen leaks about this device , we first thought they were prototypes of Apple's iphone 5S as its apple's tradition to release a follow up to the iPhone in the fourth quarter of the year but we were later convinced that they were a cheaper version of the iPhone. Apple has been notorious about keeping projects like this under w...

One of the perks of having a Nexus phone besides the stock android ROM is the rate at which updates are delivered to these devices. It was just yesterday that Android executive Sundar pichai announced Android 4.3 and today its already everywhere. Now nexus owners can easily update to this new flavor of jellybean while some of us are still stuck on jellybean 4.1.2, even Samsung hasnt released the android 4.2.2 update for Galaxy SIII and Note II yet while the nexus community gets to take a huge slice of that jellybean while we wait on the sidelines. If you have a LG Nexus 4 all you have to do to get this update is; 1. Go to settings 2. Scroll down to About Phone 3. Tap the System Updates option The update should begin immediately simple as ABC, this is why I love the simplicity of nexus devices, no long gruesome waits for updates. If you do get these update please use the comment box to tell us what you feel about this new flavor of android, should they have moved on to key lime p...

The Motorola X phone, dubbed "Moto X" has had its fair share of leaks, not too long ago one of its most proprietary feature "The always On Mic" a feature that allows the user have access to voice controls at anytime was leaked to the media, other specifications such as its ease of customization was also leaked but this is the first time we would see the phone in its true glory. Motorola has already announced that the device would be released to the public on the 1st of August and this renders are allegedly claimed to be the official press renders , they give us our first full glimpse of the phone, At first glance, we can see motorola has kept it simple with the phone, it has really thin bezels to maximize space and to reduce the entire surface area of the phone, we can also see the phone appears to have a 5.0" display. The Renders depict the phone in two colors, white and Black but motorola has over emphasised how easy it would be to customize the phone, ...

Its time to roll out the drums and jubilate....or NOT? Blackberry has kept us in the dark since they announced that they would make their famous BBM application available to other platforms hopefully its not too lates since people are getting bored and they have begun to look elsewhere for their Messaging needs, applications like, Hangouts, Whatsapp, Viber, WeChat, ChatOn, etc are already filling that void BBM would not even have enough elbow room to fight for. Blackberry India M.D Sunil Lalvani has reaffirmed claims that BBM for android will be available before the end of this summer as was originally announced by the Manufacturer. The Blackberry Executive was quoted in an interview with IBN live saying "The service is coming to Android this summer. but summer as per North America, where it remains till september" .  This is no longer news however it reaffirms the fact that Blackberry is still interested in sharing some of their goodies with other platforms, many peo...

its been almost three months since Blackberry announced that their proprietary BBM messaging service would be made available to other platforms, Android and iOS especially. we haven't stopped salivating at the possibilities this could bring of course there's already a variety of  cross-platform Messaging Services available of which Whatsapp is king, we can not stop thinking about what this would mean for android, IOS and blackberry users alike. I switched over from blackberry since Samsung released the Galaxy S II and i have not looked back, sure recent developments have made me cast a longing look at blackberry's latest offerings but I have remained adamant and my faith was strengthened when it was announced that BBM might be coming to Android this summer. Making the jump from one platform to the other was a hard decision for me because i had most of my friends and social contacts on BBM and most of them were not yet seeing the green light that was Android or should i ...

The Blackberry Q5 has started popping up everywhere in Nigeria lately, some people who had pre-ordered the phone from either MTN or the various online stores are beginning to receive their devices. If you are like me and you haven't pre-ordered yours, you might get a little jealous but this can be a good thing since we all know early adopters experience the most issues with their phones such as design flaws, equipment malfunction, etc. This is not to say that the Q5 is not an awesome phone or its not well designed but a little heads up about what you might be getting into when buying this device is always welcome. The Blackberry Q5 is the third device released by Blackberry this year, It was designed with the form-factor of older blackberry curve phones in mind, it has curved edges and its covered in a cheaper matte plastic finish than its other BB10 relatives. Although This phone was designed to be cheaper than other BB10 phones, Blackberry hasn't scaled down the OS ...

Twitter has finally released an update for the Twitter for  Blackberry 10 users. The previous app had a lot of issues and BB10 users were really dissatisfied and many people switched to third party apps such a Blaq for twitter The new update comes with a massive change log, lots of improvements has been made on the app in response to user complains.The app now allows users to have multiple accounts, and also check their DMs so you can now catch up on those gist you have been missing. Other new features include enhancements to the app's search utility, the ability to save pictures that are being shared on the platform, delete tweets, view full conversation threads and a host of other little tweaks here and there that might not be quickly noticeable. if you have got a Q10, Z10 or even the recently released Q5 , you can head up to blackberry world and download the app and also give us a quick review about it using the comment section. Be sure to subscribe to our blog for ...

Are you tired of paying through the nose for data connections? this might be a method that would help.With the recent hike in the cost of data connections in the Nigerian Telecoms Market, many Nigerians have been devastated and are looking for alternative means of saving data. I have decided to post a tip I have been using on my Galaxy S3 since Google rolled out chrome 28 beta. Most people forgot about the data compression feature that comes with this new version of Chrome BETA , basically Chromes routes your HTTP connections (browsing connections) through their own proxy servers and simply compresses data to and from your phone while you are browsing. Google claims this feature can help save 50% on your data connections hence you consume less data and save on your data bills. This technology existed on older blackberry devices that was why most blackberry data plans in the past were unlimited but the new BB10 devices only compress BBM data and not browsing/download data this is ...

its a usual phenomenon that when smartphones are close to being released, we are usually covered in an avalanche of leaks as sources from every nook and cranny of the world give details about how the phone would look like and what specs it would have. We have been expecting Apple to release a follow up to the iphone 5 but it has been delayed probably as a result of the iOS 7 upgrade or their ongoing suits and countersuits with Samsung their once cordial OEM partner that made their previous display technology and the A5X ARM based SoC chip used in the iPad 3 Today we got more information from our sources on the reasons for the delay and few new shots of the actual phone. Apparently the device is being delayed because of  issues Apple's Manufacturers are experiencing with the LCD display (P.S: they should have stayed with Samsung :P) and the circuitry that is supposed to handle the fingerprint scanner feature supposedly to come with the phone.  Sources have...

Today on our Budget Smartphone Series we review the LG Optimus L5 II. LG has been recognized for their prowess with Optimus range of devices and even gained more popularity with their Nexus 4 project but not everyone can afford such devices and some people are not even interested in the specs of a phone, they don't need phones with opta-cores and 1080p screens, they just need a device that can do day to day activities without any hiccups and not burn a hole in their pockets buying it. The Optimus L5 II is this kind of device. OVERVIEW Out of the box, you will notice that the Optimus L5 II is an improvement on its predecessor the L5, they have really improved on the build quality as this device is made to look like its made out of  brushed metal but its still really plastic. When it comes to looks, the Optimus L5 is beautifully designed, LG has managed to fit a 4.0" screen on this device and with a very thin bezel the phones dimension remains at 117mm X 62mm X 9mm. its easil...

If you live in the US you might be lucky enough to get a free Nokia Lumia 1020 camera grip courtesy of microsoft. The Lumia 1020 will be going on sale on july 16 and if you place your order through Microsoft you will be getting the $80 camera grip for free. The phone itself will be on retail through regular carrier channels for a pricey $300 so if you order yours through Microsoft while they still have it in stock you get a free camera grip. At the time of writing this post, we can only hope Microsoft would extend this courtesy to the rest of the world, especially in Africa. Most manufacturers overlook the potential profits that can be made from emerging markets like Africa and Asia.Although Nokia has always maintained good presence in Nigeria we hope they would subsidize this awesome 41mp device here as well, so more people can afford it.

Motorola has been through a lot of ups and downs before Google swooped down and acquired their Mobile division.Since then they have had some sort of Epiphany when it comes to innovation, from tattoo chips to digestible computing they have continued to impress us here at TECHNERDNG. The latest innovation from Motorola is the "always on mic". This is a feature that Motorola has added to their much talked about Moto X phone.  This feature allows users of the phone to always have access to voice commands even when the phone screen is off. The device listens to phrases and when it recognizes a command phrase such as the default " ok moto magic " or a custom phrase of the user's choice it unlocks the device and transfers whatever command, task or search terms to Google Now. The feature can be used to perform varoous task such as voice calls and opening webpages. At this point we can not estimate the effects of this feature on the battery life of the pho...

MTN continues to lead the way when it comes to mobile technology in Nigeria, in recent past we have seen them develop apps specifically for the Nigerian Market such as Afrinolly, and provide services such as their mobile TV service and Mobile Money service. They have further diversified and launched The MTN NextAppstore , Nigeria's First App store in a bid to app development in Nigeria. The success of app stores is basically determined but the quality of apps it stocks which is a function of how relevant these applications are to the General public. The store would stock some free and premium afro-centric/ Naija-centric apps such as The Nigerian Constitution, NewsBasket, etc. The Premium apps will be billed using the buyer's airtime on their devices irrespective of the user's carrier (network service provider). The MTN NextAppstore would carry blackberry, java, symbian and android apps but presently it only stocks android apps. Developers who wish to publish their apps...

The iPad Mini has been my favorite apple tablet device since it was released. The miniature Tablet has really lived up to expectations and people have been expecting even more, there have been rumours that the Apple was planning to release the iPad mini sometimes this year and that the device would be upgraded to have a retina display but at this moment it seems we can kiss our dreams of having a new iPad Mini anytime this year goodbye.  Some Sources have even claimed that it might not be arriving with a retina display  at all, these might be because Apple no longer does business with Samsung since Samsung has been responsible for manufacturing their displays up until allegations of patent infringement between the two tech giants began to unfold, but these are still all rumours and nothing is written in concrete about the fate of the iPad mini 2 yet but subscribe to this blog and follow us on twitter @technerdng for ti mely updates as the details continue to unfold...

Nokia has finally announced the Nokia Lumia 1020 this happened at an event organised in New York City held to launch the Smartphone.The much rumoured 41 Megapixel Smartphone that makes the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom look like an obese dwarf. The Lumia 1020 takes advantage of the pureview technology that Nokia debuted on the Nokia 808 pureview. Nokia has had to wade through muddy waters for the past few years but as Nokia's CEO stephen Elop said nokia has turned the "Next chapter in Smartphone Photography". The Lumia 1020 vs Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom Nokia also confirmed most of the specs that have been floating around the rumour mill lately, the Lumia 1020 will come with 2.0GB of RAM which is a first for WP8 since the OS is so light but we believe most of that RAM would be used for image processing. Nokia also confirmed that it would be powered by  2000mAh battery and a 1.5Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 System-on-Chip processor favored by the manufacturer as its used in m...

Nokia Lumia 520 Today we continue on our review of   Budget Smartphones that have made their way into the Nigerian Market. Our subject for today is the Nokia Lumia 520. This is the baby of the Nokia Lumia series, its hard to find fault with this device at all because it has set out to do exactly what it was intended to do. without much ado let me take you down a Lumia coloured rainbow and show you that there might be a rising sun after Nokia's recent stormy Nights. Its no news that Nokia has lost its position as the numero uno smartphone manufacturer in the world to Samsung/Apple, The Lumia series is an attempt to regain that crown and they have a strong contender in the Lumia 520. OVERVIEW Nokia has not failed to impress us with their impeccable design language and world-class build quality. The Lumia 520 is an epitome of Nokia's craftsmanship.When most manufacturers make budget smartphones they usually sacrifice a lot of specifications just to make the budget cut b...