Author: Shepherd Yaw Morttey

  • Review: Tuxler VPN

    Review: Tuxler VPN

    Tuxler VPN is becoming increasingly popular in Ghana for some reasons I do not know. Today, we look at what VPN is and review Tuxler.

    What is a VPN?

    VPN is an acronym which stands for “Virtual Private Network”. A VPN connection, gives a network of internet devices the ability to securely connect with others on the Internet as if they were part of the same private network. It’s Virtual. There are no physical cables present in this type of connection.
    VPN was mostly used to access sensitive information across large corporate networks, This time, it is available to almost all internet users.

    Why would you need to use a VPN?

    1. Anonymity on the internet

      There are many reasons a person would want to stay anonymous on the internet. Mostly for the bad, but a few more people stay anonymous for all the good reason. You would not want someone tracking you everywhere you go, right? Internet stalking could be dangerous. A VPN helps you to stay anonymous but you should also watch your browsing habits.

    2. Privacy

      There are some things that are best done Privately – like sharing sensitive information or online banking. Even when you are shopping online, you would need a certain amount of Privacy. Believe it or not, everyone on the internet is a target of a hack. A VPN can help you gain a fair amount of privacy when you surf the internet.

    3. Freedom and Security

      Not a lot of people would have imagined the Internet would get this big in the 21st The internet seems to be a real world, coupled with real world problems – Freedom and Security. VPN provides security by “hiding” your actual location. This gives you the freedom to say and do things you couldn’t have done with your real identity. Heard of Edward Snowden?

    Tuxler VPN in Use
    Tuxler VPN in Use

    My experience with Tuxler

    1. Easy to Set Up

      It was very easy to set up Tuxler on a PC running Windows 8.1, with the Google Chrome Browser. I opened Chrome, Installed the Tuxler app and Installed the Extension. That was all and Tuxler was well set up.

    2. Slow Internet

      Using Tuxler slowed my internet by more than 80%. Maybe because it was free and a paid version would be much better. The slow nature of Tuxler got my spirits down.

    Should you use Tuxler? It’s a matter of what you need to do. Are you willing to sacrifice speed for Privacy and Security? The Choice is yours. However, there are various other ways to be secured on the Internet without a VPN. They shall be covered in the coming weeks.

    Download Tuxler VPN from the Chrome Store and Start using now

    Have you used a VPN before or would you try one? Let’s hear what you make of Tuxler. Leave a comment below.

  • Is an antivirus necessary for an android smartphone?

    Is an antivirus necessary for an android smartphone?

    Do you use an antivirus on your android phone?

    Sometime this year, a friend posted in a WhatsApp group that he had lost all of his contacts because his phone was attacked by a virus. Another friend quickly suggested that he installed a certain anti virus on his phone to prevent such loss.

    I couldn’t help but think of the many reasons that could lead to the loss of contacts. At a point, I imagined his contacts may just be “hidden” or his “contacts” app does not even have permission to access this “contacts’. Anyway, I later realized he was running Android version 5.1 Lollipop. Did he really need an antivirus on his phone? I doubt it.

    What is an anti-virus?

    In simple terms, an antivirus is any software (or app) that is used to detect and destroy computer viruses. Your smartphone is a computer too. The Android OS has been taunted over the years has been very vulnerable to viruses and with this “fear of viruses”

    Do you need an antivirus?

    You certainly don’t need an antivirus if you run Android version 4.2 and above. This is because Google includes automatic scanning as part of the Play Services to keep you and your device safe.

    Google’s security services for Android are designed to provide the best security for mobile devices — by default and free for all Android users. As a result, data about the Android ecosystem has shown that Android users face very low risk from potentially harmful applications and other threats. Users can, of course, use any solution they would like, either in addition to or as a replacement for the Google solution, but our goal is to make that purely a matter of choice, not a matter of protection.

    As an added step of protection, you should only install apps from the Google Play Store and avoid pirating or installing apps from other sources. Most often, these side-loaded apps (apps that have been installed) outside of the play store. Most of these “cracked” apps contain malicious software.

    Percentage of Android Version Users Worldwide
    Percentage of Android Version Users Worldwide

    What can you do to be safe?

    • Make sure Android Device Manager is on
      Be prepared if you ever lose your phone by confirming Android Device Manager is set up on your device. Make sure to sign in with your Google Account and turn on “Remotely locate this device” and “Allow remote lock and erase.”
    • Encrypt your device
      Encryption helps keep your data safe if you lose your device. If your Android device is running Jelly Bean (Android 4.1) or higher, you can encrypt the data on your device in Settings > Security > Encrypt phone.
    • Review Security Settings
      Go to Settings > Security and review all of the options there. Make sure they are satisfactory enough for you and you understand what all of those mean.

    If you are still interested in android antivirus and would want to check them out, there is a lot on the play store. My favourite of them is ESET Mobile Security & Antivirus. Most of these anti-viruses apps on the play store offer additional functionality you can explore. All the best!

    Have you ever used an antivirus on your android smartphone? Do you look forward to using one? Let us know in the comments.

  • Tonaton vs OLX Ghana, where should you buy from?

    Tonaton vs OLX Ghana, where should you buy from?

    It’s a battle. Tonaton vs OLX!

    Recently, I have been using Tonaton and OLX for a variety of purposes. Most importantly, in January alone, I have bought and sold more than 4 goods between these two services. I decided to write this for users of these sites or for those who would want to start buying from either Tonaton or OLX.
    If you have not tried online classifieds before, you should check out the last part of this post.

    History

    The name “Tonaton” means “Buy and Sell” and is by far the most popular online classifieds. Tonaton.com started somewhere in 2013 at a time where online business was not quite the thing. I heard about tonaton first time on Viasat 1 television. About two years later, Tonaton.com moved forward to enhance online security by becoming Ghana’s first online classifieds to require physical or electronic ID verification of posters on the platform.

    OLX is the world’s leading classifieds platform in growth markets and is available in more than 40 countries and over 50 languages. Here in Ghana, OLX.com.gh became Tonaton’s competitor and fierce rival with a lot of adverts coupled with the very good OLX app. “OLX” is said to have been derived from “OnLine eXchange”.

    Where should you buy from?

    Security

    When buying from online, one of the factors we all have to look at is security. How sure are you the person selling the goods actually has the good. How do you know he/she claims to be who they are? What about buying something and realizing it is totally different from what was advertised? Both Tonaton and OLX offer some level of security for their users.

    OLX verifies it’s sellers using three main parameters. These are phone, email and Facebook. A user can be verified once they complete the phone verification and can post ads straight away. OLX also displays clearly which verifications a user has passed. Therefore, the buyer knows and is able to make a sound decision. Personally, I would prefer to buy from someone who has at least a phone and facebook verification on OLX. Emails can always be created and dumped and there is nothing scammers would not do.

    Tonaton has more stringent verification procedures and when followed, these users become “Tonaton Members” with a blue badge to show. These users are verified by phone, a photo ID and their business or home locations if any. This means you can trust that these sellers are real people. According to Tonaton, verified members can easily be traced by them if they ever perpetuate evil or dupe buyers. Sounds easy, huh?

    Value Added Services

    VAS is very important to users. What else can we benefit from an online classifieds website? Well, I dare to say Tonaton is way ahead of OLX in this regard. Tonaton have their very own “delivery system” where you can choose for Tonaton to deliver what you have bought. How does this work? It’s simple! Tonaton goes to the seller, inspects the goods and brings it to you. You inspect the goods delivered by tonaton and only pay when you are satisfied it is what you want. I did not readily find any any VAS exclusive to OLX. There is the usual contact the seller via email directly on the website, and the option to view the locality of the seller.

    Customer Satisfaction and User Interface Friendliness

    It took a while to get this post together, as I did not want to it solely reflect my views only. I spoke to a few friends and sought out to understand why they would use either OLX or Tonaton. I realised when wanting to buy something, most people visit both classifieds site to check if there are any people selling the stuff they needed. One observation I made was people claimed the stuff on OLX were less expensive than those on Tonaton. A lot of the people I spoke to were happier to have bought from OLX rather than Tonaton. This was because of the unverifiable claim that prices on OLX were less. A friend also added that more ads on Tonaton had already been sold but were still lurking on the site. The storry was different for OLX.

    Moreover, I personally think OLX has a better User Interface (both website and mobile app) than Tonaton. The OLX site is somewhat kind of semi-minimal and allows you to focus on the most important thing: buying! Tonaton’s website is a bit more clumsy and sometimes annoying, coupled with adverts; makes it less user friendly.

    The Verdict

    Tonaton OLX
    Security 4 3
    VAS 4 2
    Customer Satisfaction 3 4
    UI Friendliness 2 4
    Total (Out of 20) 13 13

    The decision as to where you would buy from should be an informed one based on what is most important to you. Security, Value Added Services, Customer Satisfaction and User Interface Friendliness.

    A friend posted this ad on OLX and got 3 different buyers in just 2 hours

    What do you think? Does Tonaton beat OLX? Don’t forget to read our 6 tips on how to buy safely on Tonaton and OLX.

  • How to Send Secret Messages on Facebook

    How to Send Secret Messages on Facebook

    ​Facebook Messenger’s End-To-End Encryption Is Now Live For All Users after being in beta for some time now.

    WhatsApp (which is also owned by Facebook) already has end-to-end encryption. Now, Facebook has finally introduced this end-to-end encryption to it’s Messenger platform.

    You can also access the option when you click on “details” on any of your contacts on Messenger

    There are an estimated 900 million Facebook users and they can all now access this “Secret Conversations” option on Messenger. Secret Conversations is an opt-in (meaning you have to choose to use it) functionality that allows users to encrypt their messages so no one can read them, not even Facebook itself.

    Due to encryption, you can only use one device at a time to chat when using the feature.

    Once you make use of the Secret Conversations, you are presented with a message that reads, “Your messages are already secure, but Secret Conversations are encrypted from one device to another.”

    If your Messenger app has been updated, you will see a Secret option located on the top right-hand side of the “new message” screen.

    The encryption feature allows users to choose an expiration time for the message, like on Snapchat.

    Secret Conversations take you to a whole new chat screen

    The time period will range from five seconds to a complete day. This way, your messages will be deleted from the core as soon as the set time expires.

    You can choose how long it takes for your message to disappear after it has been seen.

    Remember, the feature is only available to those who have updated their apps. If you want to secure your conversations, then be sure to update your Messenger app.

    What do you think about this feature? Would you use it?

  • Tigo Tribe: How to Subscribe and all you need to know

    Tigo Tribe: How to Subscribe and all you need to know

    Tigo Tribe: What is it?

    Tigo Tribe is a data and lifestyle package by Tigo Ghana that was launched in 2016. Tigo Tribe is an offer that gives prepaid customers on Tigo the following; – Free Social Media every month (Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter and IMO. When it was launched, Tigo gave the chance for 25,000 already existing subscribers to jump into the offer

    How to Subscribe to Tigo Tribe in Ghana

    Get on Tigo Tribe by simply sending START to 5060. If you are an existing Tigo subscriber, you would need to get a new Tigo Sim to be able to subscribe to the offer. Check below for the Full Tigo Tribe offer.

    Tigo Tribe Offers

    • Free Social Media every month (Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter and IMO) – 1GB
    • Get all you use from Monday to Friday back on weekends (Saturdays and Sundays) for Tigo to Tigo calls and internet browsing
    • Free 100MB for internet browsing and 100mins for Tigo to Tigo calls for 7days
    • 2X Bonus on Voucher & E-pin Top-Ups
    • 3X on Tigo-Cash Top-Ups
    • No subscription fee
    • Subscriber automatically gets free 100MB to browse the internet and 100mins for Tigo to Tigo calls upon subscription.
    • Bonus received after recharge cannot be used to browse.
    • Bonus received after recharge cannot be used to make international calls.
    • Subscribers on Tigo Big 6 can subscribe to this product but will lose all the benefit of being on Tigo Big 6.
    • Offer is available for all prepaid subscribers (New, MNP and Existing). However, there is a cap on subscribers that can join from the existing base.
    • Subscribers on Tigo Tribe can still buy data packages.
    • Resource given over the weekends can only be used for internet browsing and Tigo to Tigo calls.
    • Dedicated volume given for social media will be given on a monthly basis.
    • Free social media will only be given for free for the first one month. Subsequent months, subs have to do a cumulative minimum reload of GHC 2 in other to unlock free social media.
    • Subscribers cannot subscribe to this product again once they opt out.
    • Unused Internet volume for social media cannot be rolled-over.
    • Social media volume given every month can only be used for WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter and IMO
    • Resource given on weekends applies to spend on main wallet only.

    How to Unsubscribe from Tigo Tribe (De-activate)

    To Unsubscribe from the service, you would have to dial *555*1# and select another calling or data plan. Kindly note that you wouldn’t be able to join again after the deactivation.

    What do you make of Tigo Tribe? Would you use it? Also, check out Vodafone Ghana’s VodafoneX Offer.

     

  • Infinix Zero 4 in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria: Buy, Swap, Price, Specs

    Infinix Zero 4 in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria: Buy, Swap, Price, Specs

    The Infinix Zero 4, successor to the powerful Infinix Zero 3  was launched in Ghana somewhere around late November 2016.

    The Infinix Zero 4 is designed for professionals from all walks of life, to experience the smartphone world in a pro way.

    The Infinix Zero 4 with Xcharge 3A gives you a powerful fast charging experience
    The Infinix Zero 4 with Xcharge 3A gives you a powerful fast charging experience

    The Zero 4 is 4th in line in a set of “Zero Devices” by the Hong Kong based Manufacturer. It comes bundled with the popular Android 6.0 Marshmallow pre-installed and customized with the XOS from Infinix (as always).

    Infinix Zero 4 Key Specifications

    • Operating System: Android 6.0 Marshmallow
    • Display: 5.5 FHD IPS screen with 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution, 440 PPI
    • RAM: 3GB RAM
    • ROM: 32GB internal memory
    • Processor: MT6753 1.3GHzprocessor (Octa-core 1.3 GHz processor)
    • Dual SIM capability: Micro SIM cards
    • Primary Camera: 16MP auto-focus rear camera
    • Secondary Camera: 8MP front-facing camera
    • Battery: 3,200mAh non-removable battery with fast charge
    • Sensor: Fingerprint identification
    Take control of your photography with a full range of Pro Mode manual camera controls including focus and exposure, ISO, white balance, shutter speed, and macro photography; all built into the native Infinix Zero 4 camera.
    Take control of your photography with a full range of Pro Mode manual camera controls including focus and exposure, ISO, white balance, shutter speed, and macro photography; all built into the native Infinix Zero 4 camera.

    The Infinix Zero 4 and Photography

    Photos and videos shot with the impressive optical image stabilization (OIS) from Zero 4 help to prevent hand shake and low light blurring that often ruin the perfect shot. Laser auto focus technology paired with the 16 megapixels rear camera gives you the power to shoot amazingly detailed photos with speed and accuracy. Time-of-flight laser photo sensing identifies and focuses on your subject at the speed of light. The Zero 4 also allows you to capture selfies that include more friends, more detail, and more environment with an 8-megapixel front facing camera equipped with panoramic selfie functionality, f/2.2 lens, and front-facing flash.

    Fingerprint Sensor for Security on the Infinix Zero4

    Scan your fingerprint to experience the convenience of secure ID access. The Smart Fingerprint key eliminates complicated passwords and provides secure unlocking, wakes dormant apps, and enables privacy control in various other applications.

    Infinix Zero4 Performance

    The Zero 4 is made for professionals, and as such does not compromise on performance. With the latest technology in Fast Charging, Stay charged and connected and never miss a shot thanks to a powerful, fast-charging 3200mAh battery with XCharge 3A PE + 2.0 technology. Zero 4 is the perfect device for on-the-go photography and video capture.

    Pricing and Availability of the Infinix Zero 4

    Infinix Zero 4 Price in Ghana

    The Infinix Zero4 is available in Ghana, at a recommended retail price of GHS 920

    Infinix Price in Kenya

    The Infinix Zero4 Price in Kenya starts at around Ksh 16,999.00

    Infinix Zero 4 Price in Nigeria

    Infinix Zero4 price in Nigeria ranges from 72,500 Naira to 94,000 Naira.

    Swap previous Infinix model with Zer0 4

    We currently do not have swap deals for the Infinix Zero 4

    With the release of the Infinix Note 4 / Note 4 Pro, do you think the Zero 4 stands a chance?

  • Taxify Ghana Launches in Accra, Read and Download

    Taxify Ghana Launches in Accra, Read and Download

    Taxify Ghana, an online transport technology company, has begun operations in the nation’s capital, Accra, Ghana.

    The Taxify app will allow customers to use their smartphones to request trips from the nearest Taxify driver, who will use GPS to locate the customer, then take the customer to an agreed destination. With competitive rates and reliability, Taxify is set to be the go-to online transportation app upon its launch.

    Taxify Ghana would like to rival Uber with lower prices for passengers.
    Taxify Ghana would like to rival Uber with lower prices for passengers.

    Taxify allows both public and private taxi drivers to join their network of over 700,000 riders and drivers.

    Taxify already operates in some cities in Africa. These include Cape Town and Johannesburg in South Africa and Nairobi in Kenya with plans of also launching in Nigeria soon.

    Download Taxify Ghana

    To download Taxify app for Android, click here: Taxify App.

    What do you make of Taxify? Would it be a mere “Uber Clone” or it is really going to serve a good purpose?

    Taxify Ghana Contact Number

    You can contact Taxify via their facebook page on https://www.facebook.com/pg/TaxifyAccra/

  • Protected: The Barber, Your Lover and Trust!

    Protected: The Barber, Your Lover and Trust!

    This content is password-protected. To view it, please enter the password below.

  • How to Gain Followers on Twitter and Become Popular

    Everyone on twitter needs followers in one way or the other. You need followers, I need followers too. Twitter without followers is boring. Who do you get to retweet and like your tweets? But how do you get more followers?​

    1. Follow others Twitter Rule 101: Follow people and they will follow you back. Want to know who really follow? Let me “show” you a quick way!

    All you’ve got to do is go and on of these into Twitter: Followback, Ffback, Follow me, Follow for follow, F4F.

    Then you just have to go and follow everyone who followers the biggest follow back networks. You can do say 150 to 300 a day, without getting suspended by Twitter.

    Oh, you can choose to unfollow some of them, but that’s a bad habit. 🙁

    2. Great Profile – Killer Avatar + Championing Bio

    Most people will follow the “cool” people on social media. You have to really really look cool if you want real good followers. A good header photo and a brilliant avatar is fine. Then put something very sweet in the Bio. Most people use very nice logos but you could use your very own photo.

    For the header photo, you can get some very beautiful ones off Google Photos. Make sure each section of your profile complements each other and your visitors will be compelled to follow you.

    3. Trending Issues

    What’s trending on twitter is what gets attention on twitter. Sometimes, you need to follow the crowd to get the crowd to recognize you. Whatever! One rule, however, do it in a better way and get better attention.

    You should check out what’s trending and join in.

    Check the trending topic, tweet on it, get some retweets and likes and rack up following in the process. Some people can not “create” so you may as well “steal” tweets and reference the author. Hahaha!

    Other Tips: Use photos, vines, engage your audiences and follow me.

  • Download + Review: Omar Sterling – Victory Through Harmony

    Download + Review: Omar Sterling – Victory Through Harmony

    It is the mixtape that all fans of @Paedaezy have been waiting for. Victory through Harmony! The title alone is not enough as the mixtape captures the rapper’s theme of life and Music.

    Download all tracks from the mixtape here.

    Review of the mixtape soon.