Category: For Ghanaians

  • Infinix S2 Pro aka Hot S 2 (2017) available in Ghana – Specs and Price

    Infinix S2 Pro aka Hot S 2 (2017) available in Ghana – Specs and Price

    The Infinix S2 pro (a.k.a Infinx Hot S 2) is the latest in the long streak of Infinix phones to hit the Ghanaian Market and it is the Infinix Hot S’s direct successor. The Infinix S2 Pro X522 is the first phone by manufacturers Infinix with dual camera setup on the front.

    One great feature you would have to look out for on the phone is the front facing dual camera that promises to deliver “Wefies” to the user. The phone has both a 13MP front camera and an 8MP front Camera. The latest Infinix S2 Pro’s 13MP huge lens was made for wide angle selfies called “Wefies” and the 8MP smaller lens for normal selfies. This means that the Infinix S2 Pro X522 has been built to support selfies by groups otherwise referred to as “wefies”.

    The new Infinix S2 Pro X522  has a 5.2-inch 720p display, same size as the  Infinix Hot S –  with 2.5D dragon trail glass and is powered by a MediaTek  MT6753 Octa-core processor with 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage expandable up to 128GB via MicroSD slot.

    The Infinix s2 pro is ecpected to go on sale on Jumia soon
    The Infinix s2 pro is expected to go on sale on Jumia soon

    The fresh Infinix S2 Pro runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow with Infinix  XOS v.2.1 out of the box. It looks good to get the Android 7 update too. The phone also boasts of a fingerprint scanner which is located at the back of the phone, just above the Infinix Logo and below the rear camera flash. There has been no improvement in the area of battery life as it comes with a 3000mAh, same as the Infinix Hot S.

    Infinix S2 Pro Key Specification

    • Model: Infinix S2 Pro X522
    • Security: Rear fingerprint scanner
    • Operating System: Android 6.0 (Marshmallow)
    • Available Colors: Midnight Black, Orchid Gray, Coral Blue, Arctic Silver, and Maple Gold
    • Internal Memory‎: 32GB, expandable memory up to 128GB with microSD Card
    • RAM: 3GB, 2GB
    • Processor: MediaTek MT6753 Processor, Octacore
    • Display Size: 5.2-inch 720p display  with 2.5D dragon tail glass
    • Rear Camera: 16MP with LED flash
    • Front Camera: 13MP + 8MP dual front-facing cameras with dual-tone LED flash, f/2.0 aperture
    • Connectivity: 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS, USB Type-C, USB OTG
    • Battery: 3000mAh battery with Fast Charging

     

    the Infinx S2 pro has a fingerprint sensor
    the Infinix S2 Pro has a fingerprint sensor

     

    Price of Infinix S2 Pro X522 in Ghana

    The Infinix s2 Pro is available at the price of GHS 713.00.

    Need one? Call George on +233245269141

    Excited about this phone? Have you checked out the Tecno Camon CX that was released earlier this year? Will the Infinix S2 Pro be a good competitor for the Tecno Camon CX? Let’s wait and see.

  • Blogging in Ghana: 3 Misconceptions about Blogging and Bloggers

    Blogging in Ghana: 3 Misconceptions about Blogging and Bloggers

    Blogging in Ghana has become very popular. These days, there are a lot of bloggers everywhere, and with them, their blogs. Some people blog on issues and some do lifestyle.

    A lot more people blog on news, and there are some who do the very unreasonable “copy and paste”. But hey, everyone is blogging!

    There are about a whopping 173 million blogs worldwide and this is just an estimation. It is very difficult to tell the number of blogs in the world but one thing is for sure there are a lot more some alive, some dead and some on and off. With a huge interest in blogging nowadays, there is also a lot of misconceptions about it, especially about Ghanaian bloggers and blogging in Ghana.

    Today we look at some of the misconceptions associated with bloggers in Ghana and blogging in general. At the end of this post, don’t forget to tell us what you think by leaving a comment.

    Misconceptions about blogging and bloggers in Ghana

    1. You can start a blog and make money quickly

    How much money can you make from Blogging in Ghana?

    This is a very big misconception here in Ghana and it’s as well funny for me. A lot of peeps think when you start a blog, that’s a sure banker making easy money. Well the whole mechanism of making money with blogging is not as easy as it sounds. Ghanaian readers are discerning enough to know who really is providing them with information and value and who just wants to bait them to visiting their site.

    To think of making money with your blog, you have to provide good value for your readers, build a strong reading community and let you readers identify with you. This is not something you can do overnight, right?

    You can have a fair idea of how much a website is making online. Just search the website on $itemap.org

    1. Bloggers just sit around all day behind their computers and tablets

    Bloggers have a whole different life than you would imagine

    I personally have not met any blogger who sits behind his or her devices all day just blogging! The truth of the matter is most bloggers actually have a job or are students who are busy most of the time. True bloggers have the passion to share information with their readers and therefore make time to do this. They do not have all the time in the world like most people assume. Even full-time bloggers are most of the time not behind the computers. They go out to meet people, have social interactions and look for other ways to advertise their blog and make a business out of it. From experience, I realize bloggers are some of the best volunteers ever. S/O to Skinny Rahim of 247filla.com

    1. Blogging is the easiest thing you could do

    Blogging has never been easy
    Blogging has never been easy

    Hahaha! This one is very funny yet very understandable too.  For a lot of people it takes 2 to 5 minutes to read a simple blog post but have you thought about what goes into just one blog post? Especially for bloggers like myself who are not very gifted writers, you could spend about 3 hours minimum on a blog post. You need to write a blog post, edit and proof read it. Then you need to look for images that are relevant for the blog post; if you don’t get any you might have to take them yourself, edit them to your satisfaction and then add them to the post.

    One of the most difficult things about blogging is getting fresh ideas each and every day or on a regular basis. And sometimes when you have these ideas you do not even know how to present them. After all is done you need to share your blog posts to your audience and that’s another big job. Next time you think blogging is easy, it may be because a lot of work and effort went into it each post to make it “easy” for you to read and comprehend.

    Blogging is not an easy path to success, and most people blog because they have the passion to do so. Professional blogging is expensive and not so cheap like is assumed by many. Any questions for a blogger? Ask below. Don’t forget to check out out “Learn to Blog” Series.

  • Ghanaian Online Habits – 5 Things Ghanaians Do Online

    Ghanaian Online Habits – 5 Things Ghanaians Do Online

    Ghanaian Online Habits have not been well documented like it has been done in other places around the world.

    In fact, in Ghana, there seems to be very little or no research into what we do online. One of the many ways to measure what people do online is to look at the websites they visit.

    Alexa provides this data by ranking websites based on the amount of traffic they get. Website traffic simply refers to the amount of Internet data that is sent or received on a website or different websites by the website’s visitors. Web traffic is the highest form of Internet Traffic globally.

    Let’s look at what people in Ghana do on the internet based solely on web traffic.

    Ghanaians love to be informed

    ghana online news

    The greater percentage of Ghanaians are reading news online. Most of these are local news websites mainly ghanaweb.com, yen.com.gh, myjoyonline.com, peacefmonline.com, citifmonline.com and modernghana.com. BBC and The Daily Mail are also represented on the list.

    The news websites on the list also have a high rank with the local ones collectively reaching an average rank of 16.6.

    Search, Search, Search! Ghanaians are always searching

    Google, YouTube, Yahoo and Ask? Well, Ghanaians seem to understand how search engines work and are using it quite often.

    Google.com.gh ranks highest in Ghana and this comes as a no surprise, especially with a lot of people on Google’s Android platform. A lot of video searches too on YouTube (YouTube is a search engine too, the second biggest in the World, actually) means Ghanaians are not left out on the video search scene.

    It’s fair to assume most of these YouTube searches happen over office Wi-Fi and ethernet. Search Engines have a combined rank of 5. Impressive! Sadly, none of these search engines is Ghanaian.

    Ghanaians love Social Media

    Social Media Influence in Ghana is huge. Photo by Asempa FM

    Ghanaians are in love with Social Media; but you already knew that, didn’t you? Facebook ranks at number 6, Instagram at 25 and Twitter at 45.

    What’s surprising about social media is the rank of LinkedIn – at 15. A lot of people in Ghana seem to be taking the professional social networking site pretty serious nowadays. However, think about this – LinkedIn is an employment-oriented social networking service.

    It could just be we are all on LinkedIn to search for jobs, considering the unemployment rate in the country.

    Ghanaians are picking up on doing business online.

    online business

    AliExpress, Alibaba, Amazon and Jumia? These are all shopping sites and they have a combined rank of 33. Tonaton and OLX are also on the list of websites frequented by Ghanaians.

    You should read the comparison we did: Tonaton or OLX? Also on the business scene are a lot of Ad websites. Well, bloggers are at it again, delivering ads and making some money. Online shopping, online classifieds and online ads, Ghanaians certainly are doing some business online.

    Ghanaians are into sports; they prove it by betting.

    Goal, Livescore and Flash Score? Sports are a big thing in Ghana and it’s no surprise we have taken this online.

    It’s a pity my favourite sports editorial site is not on this list but these sites are visited by the sporting community to satisfy their insatiable need to know whether Hazard is going to be transferred to Real Madrid or not.

    Ghanaians have also taken to betting and this is quite good – proving you love the game by putting your money into it.

    Here is a graph showing categories of websites in the top 50

    50 most visited websites in Ghana April 2017
    50 most visited websites in Ghana April 2017

    Find below the list of the top 50 Websites visited in Ghana

    1. google.com.gh – Search Engine
    2. youtube.com – Search Engine
    3. google.com – Search Engine
    4. ghanaweb.com – News
    5. yahoo.com – Search Engine / News
    6. facebook.com – Social Media
    7. yen.com.gh – News
    8. wikipedia.org – Educational Resource
    9. onclkds.com – Ads
    10. myjoyonline.com – News
    11. peacefmonline.com – News
    12. ghanamotion.com – Entertainment
    13. live.com – News / Mailing
    14. ask.com – Search Engine
    15. linkedin.com – Social Media
    16. tonaton.com – Classifieds
    17. floralinvestment.com – Business
    18. ug.edu.gh – Educational Resource
    19. ***********.biz – Adult Content
    20. thepiratebay.org – Peer to Peer / File Sharing
    21. www.aliexpress.com – Shopping
    22. goal.com – Sports
    23. blogspot.com – Blogging
    24. livescore.com – Sports
    25. instagram.com – Social Media
    26. knust.edu.gh – Educational Resource
    27. bet365.com – Betting
    28. msn.com – News / Mailing
    29. myway.com – Internet Portal
    30. popads.net – Ads
    31. citifmonline.com – News
    32. amazon.com – Shopping
    33. savefrom.net – Video Downloads
    34. olx.com.gh – Classifieds
    35. flashscore.com – Sports
    36. modernghana.com – News
    37. jumia.com.gh – Shopping
    38. bbc.com – News
    39. microsoft.com – News / Mailing
    40. *******.com – Adult Content
    41. wordpress.com – Blogging
    42. go2cloud.org – Ads
    43. alibaba.com – Shopping
    44. reimageplus.com – Software
    45. twitter.com – Social Media
    46. ghanasoccernet.com – Sports
    47. betway.com.gh – Betting
    48. softonic.com – Software
    49. dailymail.co.uk – News
    50. office.com – Productivity

    These website ranks are ordered by their 1 month Alexa traffic rank. What do you find surprising about the ranking?

    Are any of your favourite websites on the list?

  • Vodafone X – A Comprehensive Guide to Bundle Plans and Subscribing

    Vodafone X – A Comprehensive Guide to Bundle Plans and Subscribing

    Vodafone X has been around for a long time now, evolving at great speed and impressing many on its voyage. Ever since I heard “Vodafone X” in the latter part of 2013, it has remained one of the best data plans in the country. In this post, we look at the whole “Vodafone X thing” and which plan may be best for us.


    Who can use Vodafone X?

    Vodafone X, in short, is a “group of youth-centred data plans by Vodafone Ghana”.

    Vodafone X packages can be subscribed to by Ghanaian youth between the ages of 15 to 24. If you registered your Vodafone SIM with an ID that puts you below 15 years or above 24 years, you cannot register for the service. This makes sense on the part of Vodafone, especially as most of the people in the age bracket of 15 to 24 are active online and use data a lot more. This means that Vodafone X will give them the opportunity to do more when they pay less.

    What happens when you are over 24 years?

    As mentioned earlier, you cannot subscribe to any of the Vodafone X packages when you are over 24 years of age. If you are still interested in using Vodafone X even though you are above the age of 24, you could go buy the “already made Vodafone X sim cards”. For users who were already on Vodafone X before passing the 24-age limit, they shall not be affected and will continue to bundle and enjoy the Vodafone X packages so long as they remain active.

    As of now, you can subscribe to Vodafone X regardless of your age.

    The Vodafone X Plans

    There are currently 10 very unique plans you can choose from. 4 of these plans have a duration of a month – and an indication that the monthly plans are very popular. Only one app – the X-treme Monthly Plus provides free app data for Snapchat. All of the plans, however, provide free app data for WhatsApp.

    Check out the table below for full plan details:

    Vodafone X PlansPrice Duration Browsing Data Free Apps Data Cap on Subscription Brought to you by Mfidie.com Quick Fix GHS 1.00 1 Day 50 MB 25 MB - WhatsApp - Quick Fix Plus GHS 1.50 1 Day 100 MB 50 MB - WhatsApp - X-Social GHS 2.49 3 Days 200 MB 50 MB - WhatsApp & Facebook - X-Social Plus GHS 3.49 3 Days 300 MB 100 MB - WhatsApp & Facebook - X-Weekly GHS 5.99 7 Days 500 MB 150 MB - WhatsApp, Facebook & Twitter 3 Times a Week X-Weekly Plus GHS 7.50 7 Days 650 MB 250 MB - WhatsApp, Facebook & Twitter 3 Times a Week X-Monthly GHS 11.99 30 Days 1.20 GB 500 MB - WhatsApp, Facebook & Twitter 3 Times a Month X-Monthly Plus GHS 15.99 30 Days 2.00 GB 700 MB - WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter & Instagram 3 Times a Month X-treme Monthly GHS 24.99 30 Days 3.00 GB 1.50 GB - WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter & Instagram 3 Times a Month X-treme Monthly Plus GHS 35.00 30 Days 4.00 GB 2.50 GB - WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & Snapchat 3 Times a Month
    Vodafone X Plans Table

    Explanation of the Table Items

    • Vodafone X Plans – These are the names of the plans
    • Price – The cost of each plan
    • Duration – The period (in days) for which a plan is active
    • Browsing Data – The amount of data that can be used to browse any site on the internet. When the “Free Apps Data” has been fully consumed, apps in that category will use data from the “Browsing Data”
    • Free Apps Data – This refers to data that can only be used by the apps mentioned as per the plan.
    • Cap on Subscription – The number of times you can subscribe to the particular plan within a specified period. However, there is a total of 4 times for any mix of the monthly bundles within a month.
    Vodafone X TV Commercial
    A snapshot from the Vodafone X TV Commercial

    Which Bundle is right for me?

    This is a very tough question and for most people, it is difficult to answer. I would recommend that you start with the “smaller” bundles and see how long it takes you to exhaust them. A good way to start is with the X-Monthly plan which gives you 1.2 GB of Browsing Data and 500 MB for WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter for roughly GHS 12.

    With this plan, it is easier to assess what your needs are. If you are able to exhaust the X-Monthly in just 2 weeks, you should definitely move to a higher plan. On the other hand, if the X-Monthly bundle is exhausted after in or after the third week, then with a little tweaking of your browsing habits, it should be the perfect plan for you.

    One mistake a lot of Vodafone X users (those on monthly bundle plans) make is that they think they have “a lot of free data” and hurriedly consume more than 50 percent of their data limits in the first week of subscription.

    As a Vodafone X user, you should always watch your browsing limits and abstain from downloading unnecessary content just because you have “a lot of data”. Remember, photos and videos consume bundle the most so you should be mindful of apps like Snapchat and Instagram.

    We wrote an article on how to use less data on your mobile. You can read that here: How to Stop Snapchat and Instagram from Using all your mobile Data.

    How to Subscribe to Vodafone X

    Subscribing to Vodafone X is fast and easy although some people do face problems sometimes. You can subscribe by dialling 5888 or *5888# and following the prompt. For a complete Guide on How to Subscribe, click here: How to Subscribe to Vodafone X

    What happens when my duration is up, yet I still have a bundle?

    Although this does not happen frequently, a lot of users, at the end of their duration may still have some bundle left. Sadly, Vodafone X does not support “data roll-over”. This means that all your remaining data will be lost once you renew your plan or activate a new plan.

    The Bottom Line

    There are a lot of data plans from the various network operators but quite a lot of people seem to be interested in Vodafone X. This may be due to the “difficult to resist” offers or a good marketing strategy or a combination of both. However the case, Vodafone X does not look to be going away soon and will continue to remain the favorite of a lot more people.

    Do you use Vodafone X? What Package are you on? Any Experience to share? Hit the comment section below.

     

  • Tecno Camon CX (2017) in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria: Buy, Swap, Price, Specs

    Tecno Camon CX (2017) in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria: Buy, Swap, Price, Specs

    The Tecno Camon CX  (a.k.a Tecno Camon C10) was launched yesterday in Accra. Since the Camon series was introduced in 2015, over 5 million handsets globally have been sold, helping consumers experience high-quality selfie technology at the touch of a button.

    Apart from the 16 megapixels front camera with dual flash and the 16 megapixels back camera with ring flash, the Camon CX runs on Android 7.0 and has a 1.5Ghz octa-core processor.

    The Tecno CSeries are a family of camera-focused phones, but they do good on productivity and the Tecno Camon C10 looks to be no different.

    Tecno Camon CX Key Specification

    • Body Build: Metal
    • Operating System: Android 7.0 Nougat with HiOS
    • Network: 2G/3G/4G
    • Screen Size: 5.5 inches
    • Resolution: 1920×1080 pixels Full HD
    • Display: 2.5D display with Gorilla Glass 3
    • Weight: 140g
    • SIM: Dual Micro SIM
    • Processor: 2.0 GHz Octa-core (Helio P10)
    • GPU: Mali 860 GPU
    • Front Camera: Front: 16MP with Flash
    • Back Camera: Dual back 16MP with LED flash
    • Memory: 16GBROM Expandable via MICRO SD up to 128GB
    • RAM: 2GB
    • Connectivity: GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, USB 2.0
    • Battery Capacity: 3200mAh battery; 9V/2A fast charging
    • Sensors: Accelerometer, Proximity, and Compass Sensor, Temperature sensor, Hall sensor
    • Fingerprint: Yes
    The Tecno Camon CX is for the Slay Kings and Slay Queens too
    The Tecno Camon CX is for the Slay Kings and Slay Queens too

    Pricing and Availability of the Tecno Camon CX

    Tecno Camon CX Price in Ghana

    The TECNO Camon CX is now available at retail outlets near you for the price of GHS 771.00 and you get 1 Gigabyte free Data each month for 6 months on MTN.
    You should go get this phone if you are big on selfies.

    How to get Free Data on MTN after buying the Tecno Camon CX in Ghana

    Compose an SMS with the words “MBS” without quotation marks. Send the composed SMS to MTN short code 151 and it will be processed for you. Having problems getting the data? Contact your seller.

    Hold your CX in style with a wide array of colours
    Hold your CX in style with a wide array of colours

    Tecno Camon CX Price in Kenya

    Tecno Camon C10 is available in Kenya for Ks 19,100

    Tecno Camon CX Price in Nigeria

    Tecno CX in Nigeria sells around 65,000 Naira.

    The Grey Tecno CX is everyone's favourite
    The Grey Tecno CX is everyone’s favourite

    Swap deals for the Tecno Camon C10

    For swap deals on the Camon CX call George on +233 24 526 9141

  • Airtel – Tigo Merger: What we know; General Expectations

    Airtel – Tigo Merger: What we know; General Expectations

    It all started as a mere speculation in the middle of 2016 – Millicom International Cellular SA (Tigo), and Bharti Airtel (Airtel) are going to merge. A lot of people did not think that would be possible. However, as the days turned into months, it became clearer and clearer that the merger between Tigo and Airtel would see the light of day.

    It was therefore not so surprising when on 3rd March 2017, the two telecommunication operators announced that they have, through their respective subsidiaries, entered into an agreement to combine their operations in Ghana.

    Although the transaction is subject to obtaining approvals from the relevant authorities in Ghana and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, we believe the merger would see the day of light. The merger, when finally completed, is expected to push the new entity (whatever it may be called) to be a real strong force in the telecommunications industry in Ghana.

    What do we know so far about this merger?

    1. Equal Ownership

      Tigo and Airtel are currently the third and fourth biggest telecommunication networks in Ghana. Together, Tigo and Airtel provide millions of Ghanaian residents voice and data services. One would think that the “bigger company” would own more of the new company once the merger is done. However, that would not be the case. Once the merger if complete, there would be equal ownership. As per the agreement on the 3rd of April 2017, both companies are to have equal ownership and governance rights in the combined entity. Good for Business though.

    2. Airtel – Tigo Merger takes them to number two

      What is the number one telecommunications company in Ghana? Quite Obvious. What this merger will do is to bring the new entity to a number two position. The joint entity is expected to be a strong number two operator with nearly 10 million customers, including over 5.6 Million data customers. This means increase in revenue, which is also estimated to reach $300m.

    A lot of Ghanaians are very happy about the merger. Some are of the view that the merger will create greater competition in the telecommunications industry. Such competition would then lead to better services of all consumers and maybe some very cool data and voice deals. We should be looking out for deals that would likely be competing with Vodafone X or an improved version of Tigo Tribe.

    Another general expectation is that after the merger is completed, network coverage of the new entity will be extended. Most people in areas that previously did not have good network connections will want to have a feel of this merger. People will be expecting not to climb ORANGE trees before they get a good network reception.

    Hopefully, this merger is done soon, then we can judge whether it has been for better or for worse on the side of the consumer. After all, we all know entities are always looking at how to satisfy shareholders. What do you make of the merger? Let your view be heard in the comment below.

    Follow Mfidie.com on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook

  • 3 Free Websites to help search for Accommodation in Ghana

    3 Free Websites to help search for Accommodation in Ghana

    It has always been a daunting task to secure your preferred accommodation whenever you find yourself in a new city.

    Most times, we simply need to move because of new job offers or even because we are actively seeking employment.

    For a long time, the traditional way of seeking new accommodation was to go round, asking people in your preferred neighbourhood if they knew any available homes.

    Another option was to rely on Housing Agents who usually charged high and exorbitant agent fees for accommodation that may or may not be exactly how these agents have described it.

    In fact, a lot of agents have done more harm than good, and it is a common saying to hear people clearly stating they do not want to deal with “agents”.

    Like I have always said, it’s the 21st century and websites and mobile apps are running things. Last time, we looked at some mobile apps for Job Seekers and we have had a lot of positive reviews from all of you.

    Today, we look at 2 websites (technically 3) where you can freely search for accommodation mainly to rent in Ghana. Some of these websites have listings for buying, leasing and selling of other properties as well.

    MeQasa

    I first heard of MeQasa in 2017, when I had just moved back to Accra. A friend in a WhatsApp group had just recommended it to another friend. I was truly impressed by the features of the website.

    Currently, MeQasa has improved so much that it attracts the best of home buyers and accommodation (short stay and long stay) in Ghana.

    The Meqasa interface is well designed and has options for one to choose the number of bedrooms, baths, the minimum and maximum amount as well as the duration of stay. What I like about MeQasa is that it provides an option for people who would want to do a short stay.

    Tonaton and OLX

    Sometimes, I wish I do not have to write about Tonaton and OLX anymore. Anyway, the two classified sites are a good way to start your accommodation search.

    Tonaton and OLX have leveraged on their popularity to provide listings for accommodation to individuals who may need it. The truth is, searching for accommodation on these two is easy and usually yields very fruitful results.

    You will need to search for keywords like “House” or “room” and choose your preferred location. You will be presented with results which are often relevant.

    However, beware! The Accommodation Agents have taken their crafts to Tonaton and OLX too so when you call, be sure you are not dealing with an agent unless of course, you want to deal with one. They are not “that bad” after all.

    Renthauz

    This is a new online portal mainly for renting and was launched in late February 2020.

    The platform provides Ghanaians with the opportunity to surf through hostels, apartments and houses and choose which ones to rent. Agents are able to directly post on the platform via their account.

    As a new startup, you may want to try Renthauz as they seem to give more up close customer relationship. They also offer tips and advice on renting in Ghana.

    Conclusion

    Do you know of any other online resources that can help one search for accommodation in Ghana?

    Have you used any of the websites listed in this post?

    Let us know in the comment section below.

     

  • I don’t like the New WhatsApp Update (WhatsApp Status) and this is why

    I don’t like the New WhatsApp Update (WhatsApp Status) and this is why

    Another WhatsApp Update! It has been said countless times that “Change is a Constant” and we should expect it, whether positive or negative. WhatsApp has been one of the best Instant Messaging (IM) apps in a very long time and it has kept this position by constantly changing and offering the best services for a very small charge and more recently, even for free.

    Features such as group chats, end to end encryption, voice and video calling and two step verification have all been necessary updates to make the application relevant. Is the addition of the new Status feature really relevant? I don’t think so.

    To many of its users, WhatsApp is a fundamental IM app – and that’s all they want it to be. Personally, it’s frustrating each minute I pick up my device, launch WhatsApp and see that Status thing. I simply don’t like it and I am thinking of reverting to an earlier version of the app. Well, the feature was not an opt-in and so I may have to cope it with sooner. I may not be a fan of the status feature right now, but in reality, what I don’t like is the new overall update to the app.

    Why I don’t like the Whatsapp Update

    1. Old Status is gone!

      Yeah! If you haven’t realized, old status is gone. You can’t write those one liner text emoji updates there anymore to let people know what you have been up to. Even more recently, most people have used the old status as a way to advertise their goods and services; and in just one update its gone? For most people – even those who enjoy the new status, it would be great to have the old status back. It has been rumored to come back in a new update as “tagline”. I can’t wait for that.

    2. Mobile Data Usage

      When you are not on Wi-Fi all you think about is “Mobile Data”. For Instagram and Snapchat, there is a built in mechanism, which users can use to reduce the amount of data they use in the apps. You can read about that here – How to use less data on Instagram and Snapchat. However, WhatsApp does not have this for their Status. This means you are likely to use 5X more data on WhatsApp if you are going to frequent the status feature. What’s worse in this case is that once you start viewing a status, the next status in line starts loading and plays automatically. Ahba! WhatsApp should have included mobile data controls for their status feature and I expect to see that in subsequent updates. Until then, sorry.

    3. Where are my contacts?

      At first glance, it is difficult to even send a message to a new contact, because that functionality has been “revamped”. You will have to tap the bottom right green floating bar to access your contacts, and there are no statuses attached to them. Well, status now are media files. I loved to be able to scroll through my contacts and snoop, reading status and checking profile photos every now and then. Thanks to this Update, I can’t enjoy that anymore.

    When you first get the status feature in the whatsapp update
    When you first get the status feature in the whatsapp update

    There are other reasons why I don’t like this update, but which may be able to control. One of these is the privacy settings. Well, I don’t expect all of my contacts to be seeing my updates, If I am going to be using it like I use snapchat. This could get a lot of people into trouble. Most people won’t check those privacy settings and as it is in every social media app (I can’t refer to WhatsApp as a mere IM anymore), privacy is key.

    Don’t be surprised if you don’t see status from me. Just know this – I don’t like it.

    Have you tried the status feature yet? Any reason why you like or hate it? Let’s hear you in the comments section below.

  • Why do we say WhatsApp “DP” when it’s just a profile photo?

    Why do we say WhatsApp “DP” when it’s just a profile photo?

    The internet slang that is quite the norm – WhatsApp DP. When I first heard the word DP, I was sort of confused as to what it meant. Someone asked me innocently – “Shepherd, won’t you change your WhatsApp DP?’.

    I was very new on WhatsApp then and in order to prove to the person that I was very tech savvy, I refused to ask what the “WhatsApp DP” actually meant. I spent the next thirty or so minutes scrambling through all of WhatsApp’s settings just to find where this “DP” thing was hidden. I had no luck. There was nothing I could find in the settings like DP or some words which could be shortened as such.

    Later that day though, I realized what my dear friend was referring to as a DP was actually a profile picture. I was confused then, why call something DP when you could just say Profile Picture or PP? Sometime later, I found out the real meaning of “DP”. “DP” actually stood for Display Photo. DP aka Display Photo is how BBM calls its version of “Profile Photo”. BBM was leading the Instant Messaging (IM) race on mobile then and it had quite a lot of users.

    BBM was released in 2006; the first version of WhatsApp came out in 2010.

    Many of the people who started using WhatsApp might have had prior experience or interaction with BBM. It is no surprise that the WhatsApp Profile Photo overtime continued to be referred to as a DP – an unworthy adaptation of the now almost defunct Black Berry Messenger. In my opinion, the continuous use of “DP” instead of “Profile Photo” is typical case of the “Bandwagon Effect”.

    Bonus

    Did you know you can hide your WhatsApp Profile Photo from people who are not in your contact list? This is especially useful if you want to make sure no one is stalking you just because they have your contact on your phone? It’s simple and takes just less than two minutes to do.

    On iOS:

    1. Go to your WhatsApp application and open “Settings”, see the picture.
    2. Tap on “Account” option and then follow “Privacy” button.
    3. On this screen you can see the second and third options of “Profile Photo” and “Status”
    4. Open both options one by one and set them to “My Contacts” if you want to show your profile picture to your contacts only and to hide them from everyone, choose “Nobody” from the options. You’re done.

    On Android:

    1. Open WhatsApp application on your phone.
    2. Go to Settings -> Account -> Privacy.
    3. Look for Profile photo , click on it and select “My contacts” if you want to show your profile picture to your contacts only and to hide them from everyone, choose “Nobody” from the options. You’re done.

    I don’t see people referring to the “DP” rightly as a profile photo anytime in the future. Did you even know DP meant display photo? Let’s hear what you think below.

  • Top Dating Apps in Ghana (2017) according to Google Play Store

    Top Dating Apps in Ghana (2017) according to Google Play Store

    This post was part of the Valentine Series. 

    We look at the top Dating Apps in Ghana, according to Google Play Store! 14th February is Valentines Day. In this era of  technology and smartphones, technology the love affairs go online too.

    In February 2017, Mfidie.com put up posts dubbed “#ValentineSpecial” with a focus on Technology and our love lives. This was the third Post in the series.

    You can read the first part here: #ValentineSpecial: For Lovers – Every Couple should be using this app and the second part here: #ValentineSpecial: Valentine Messages for your Boyfriend or Girlfriend

    Well, if you are single and looking to date, there are a lot of online resources you can resort to. Most likely, you will be tempted to check out an app that would link you to a possible match.

    We look at the top 10 dating apps on the Google Play Store. You should check them out especially if you are single and have still not found a date for Valentine or if you simple want to “explore”.

    Top 10 Dating Apps in Ghana

    Tap on the name of the app to automatically download it from the Google Play Store.

    Rank App Name Publisher
    1 Hitwe – meet people for free Hitwe
    2 Meet4U – Chat, Love, Flirt! WILDEC LLC
    3 OkCupid Dating okcupid.com
    4 Mingle2: Online Dating & Chat Minglenet
    5 FastMeet: Chat, Flirt and Love Mobiljoy
    6 Find Real Love—Premium Dating WILDEC LLC
    7 Jelly – Meet new People Jaumo
    8 Sugar Mommas Dating Apprelate
    9 Adult Dating Găsește Millionai Online Dating, Meet and Date
    10 Moco – Chat, Meet People JNJ Mobile, Inc

    What do you make of these Dating Apps in Ghana? Do you use any dating app that is not on the list? What do you think of these apps?

    Share your thoughts with us in the comments below and don’t forget to share, tweet and rate this post.

    This post originally appeared as part of Mfidie.com’s “Valentine Special” series in February.