There is a negative review of formerly Google+ (Plus) on play store (1 out of 5), from an angry user who is not a fan of Plus who asks “I don’t use Google+, and you shut it down, but one question, why it’s on google play store? It’s getting updates and still pops up…”.
However, as if to answer him specifically and several other similar reviewers, the brand name Plus appears to have been trashed, replaced with Currents. Currents has been in the making and even gets Google+’s 4.1 aggregate rating, 6 million reviews, and 1 billion+ downloads.
As of 6th July 2020, a search for Google Plus in the play store returns (Google) Currents as the first result in the stead of Plus. This is because Google has officially replaced any traces of Plus with Currents and any URLs like plus.google.com redirect the user to currents.google.com conclusively killing the existence of Plus.
These new changes follow Google’s announcement last month in an email to G Suite administrators that Currents would be replacing Plus and that it would be available for G Suite users starting 6th July 2020.
G Suite is a premium service and a collection term for Google Apps with over ten apps like (read Google) Drive, Hangouts, Vault, Keep, Mail, Docs, Forms, and now Currents, among others.
When Google discontinued the app last year as a social network citing low usage reasons, it only did so for personal accounts, and maintained the platform keeping it available for enterprise users, as it launched a beta version of Currents on the side.
What is the new Google Currents?
According to the description of the service on play store, “Currents by G Suite allows you to connect with your colleagues while you’re in office or on the go” while enabling one to exchange ideas and documents, have group discussions that will not flood the Gmail inboxes, connect with like minded colleagues, find communities that match one’s interests, and follow tags about interest topics among others.
Other reviews describe it as just “formerly Google+ for G Suite”. It is therefore a modification for Plus to make it more enterprise friendly.
It is also described an exclusively “G Suite customers only” platform.
The same changes that have been made to Google play store (Android) are also reflected on iOS platforms, where Google apps can be downloaded.
MTN Uganda has run several mobile money promotions over the years and this year they are launching the MoMoNyabo Together promotion. Unlink previous years where only customers won prizes, MoMo agents will be able to win together with customers.
MTN Uganda says “that we all need to stand together in these challenging times hence the motivation behind this year’s unique MoMoNyabo promotion format.”
All you need to do to enter this promo is dial *165# or use the MTN MoMo app to pay for airtime or bundles as well as other payments like Yaka, National Water, TV subscription, shopping, school fees among others.
Below is the press statement from MTN Uganda;
MTN Uganda has today launched the 3rd edition of the highly rewarding MoMoNyabo promotion. Under the theme “MoMoNyabo Together”, this year’s promotion is designed to help MTN customers with the much-needed support following the negative effects of the covid19 pandemic on the wellbeing of many Ugandans.
Unlike previous editions which were characterized by fanfare around the country and giving away of cars, motorbikes and other prizes, this year MTN is focusing the promotion on supporting customers meet their most urgent needs such as domestic welfare, rebuilding small businesses or meeting outstanding obligations among others.
“Life has not been the same for many. Times are tough, and every Ugandan is trying to find a way to rebuild following effects of covid. It’s in this spirit that MTN is stepping in to be part of several efforts aimed at supporting Ugandans to rebuild”, said Somdev Sen, MTN Uganda Chief Marketing Officer.
MoMoNyabo Together is one of several ways that MTN Uganda is standing with Ugandans in the midst of today’s disruptions,” he further commented.
The MoMoNyabo Together promotion will reward customers that have embraced MoMo, and use it to pay for airtime, bundles, utilities like Yaka, NWSC, TV subscription plus shopping, school fees among several other services, everywhere they go.
MTN has earmarked over UGX 1.2billion in mobile money prizes to be given away to lucky customers and MTN MoMo Agents and/or merchants. The winners will be chosen in draws to be broadcast on NBS and Bukedde TV every day, starting at 8:20pm.
Every week day, two customers that have used MTN MoMo to pay for airtime, bundles or another service, will randomly be chosen and each will win a guaranteed UGX 1m/- with a chance to triple that amount and also win an additional UGX 2m/- for friends and loved ones through an exciting game show. This brings the total amount available for each winner and their beneficiaries to UGX 5m/-.
All this will be broadcast on TV.
To win money for their friends and loved ones, customers’ will be given a chance to participate in a quiz in which they will be asked 5 general knowledge questions each with a multiple choice of answers, for the winners to select the correct one. Each question is worth UGX 800,000 which will be equally split between the winner and their preferred beneficiary. The winner has the option to choose one beneficiary for all the answers they get right or nominate several beneficiaries for each question answered correctly.
Nominated beneficiaries can be individuals, families, organizations/causes who should be active MTN customers.
“MTN MoMo not only saves our customers the inconveniences of having to leave their comfort to get airtime, bundles or other services, it also gives them the chance to win much needed money though this promotion”, Somdev further explained.
Customers don’t have to deposit all their money on the phone but just keep some on MTN MoMo to use it when they need it the most. For example, if you have 5,000/-, you can deposit 2,000/- on your MTN MoMo account and use it to pay for airtime, bundles or other services and enter the MoMoNyabo Together promotion for a chance to win money.
It saves to have MTN MoMo. It’s safe, reliable and convenient.
Terms and Condition about the MoMoNyabo Together promotion are available at www.mtn.co.ug/mtnmomo
For all beginners there is already a welcome bonus up to 1500 $.
Recently the clients of betting companies prefer the eSports section. Such events give an opportunity to quickly earn money, and the bookmaker offers favorable conditions on them. Thus, users of the well-known brand can make any bets on FIFA VPL bet on 1xBet. This is a football tournament, which is held as part of the popular game simulator FIFA 20.
It should be noted that such events are held daily. This will allow the company’s clients to do not miss the opportunity to have a constant income.
Besides, eSports are quite spectacular. They are sure to appeal to any category of people. They have the following advantages:
high graphics quality picture, with which it is impossible to distinguish the virtual players from the real ones;
additional realism through sound effects;
realistic movements of the modeled players;
improved artificial intelligence.
The duration of one match is much shorter than a real one. This, in turn, will not cause customers to wait for a long time for the result of the game, thereby calculating the bet.
And with the help of the mobile application from the developers of the company, it is even more convenient for customers to make any bets on FIFA VPL and bet in 1xBet. The application is available for any platform – both Android and iOS.
It is possible to download the mobile application on the official website of the company 1xBet.com.ug. By downloading it, you will discover many advantages, among which the following ones should be highlighted:
Speed;
Funds I/O capability;
user-friendly interface.
This application will completely replace the full version of the website and facilitate the process.
Best slot casino only on 1xBet
Surely among the company’s clients there will be those who prefer gambling entertainment. The management of the bookmaker’s company has provided a special section where the best slot casino – 1xBet.com.ug are available.
After moving to the online casino of the company, a wide range of popular slots, which are typical of a real gambling establishment, will be available to the user. It is possible to try each of them right at home. Colorful graphics, stylish design and user-friendly interface will give each player an unforgettable experience.
The company regularly offers promotions in order to make the game using the best slots of casino 1xBet even more comfortable. Thus, for all beginners there is already a welcome bonus up to 1500 $, which is credited after registration and the first deposit in the system.
MTN Uganda has today released a press statement where it has announced and launched a new campaign under the theme “Keep some MTN MoMo on your phone. It saves” to encourage its “customers to keep some money with MTN MoMo on their phones”, stating that it is very “convenient, safe” to have some balance within the App. This MTN says could come in handy in rescuing the customers in emergency situations most especially during these times of COVID 19 and the antecedent curfew where shops are closed.
In the released statement about the campaign, MTN continues to restate the convenience of using MTN MoMo system to pay for products and services like “airtime, voice and data bundles, Yaka electricity units, national water, school fees, shopping and much more” as an alternative to using physical cash to make the same payments physically.
“This new campaign” states Stephen Mutana, the General Manager, Mobile Financial Services at MTN “is about encouraging our customers to keep some MTN MoMo on their phones, because it saves”. Withing the MTN MoMo, a customer can make a deposit as low as UGX. 500.
Mutana however, while he encourages using MoMo, cautions customers against sharing their PINs with persons other than themselves in order to make sure that their accounts are protected at all times.
Uber has announced that the app has partnered with Mastercard to provide up to 120,000 free trips for frontline workers in the fight against Covid-19 across the Middle East and Africa region. This will provide essential workers with the opportunity to get to and from their life-saving jobs, to keep Uganda and its people safe and protected.
The partnership was announced in a statement, issued by both Uber and Mastercard. You can read the statement below;
As cases of COVID-19 continue to escalate, those assisting communities continue to forge ahead. As they work tirelessly to continue to support, feed and protect communities, Mastercard has committed 120,000 free trips and meals to those supporting communities across the Middle East and Africa, which will be facilitated through Uber.
Uber is utilizing their technology and making available their wide network of drivers to ensure those who are supporting communities and the many frontline workers who need to be mobile, have a reliable and efficient way of getting around. Once qualifying workers have successfully signed up through Uber’s website, they can arrange transportation to and from their homes and to where they are needed, such as healthcare facilities or to feed the vulnerable. Uber has shared relevant health information with drivers to ensure they are well-informed in COVID-19 related safety protocols and have been provided with masks and sanitizer reimbursements.
Mastercard is helping people around the world navigate these challenging times. While ensuring that its network remains secure, resilient and reliable, Mastercard is also applying its technology, philanthropy, and data science expertise to rebuild healthy communities and ensure that economic growth is inclusive. As millions of people across the world come together to support, feed and protect their communities, Mastercard is extending its support to help those who help others.
This strategic partnership between Mastercard and Uber spans across the region and through key partnerships will aim to support cities, hospitals, front line workers and marginalized communities with free rides.
Amnah Ajmal, Executive Vice President Market Development, Mastercard, MEA explains, “Mastercard continues to partner with digital players across the value chain to build a more connected world by supporting our communities. With our partner Uber, we are committed to supporting healthcare and essential workers who are working tirelessly to take care of us. Uber’s mission to improve lives is matched with Mastercard’s mission of doing well by doing good, together we are focused on helping frontline workers across the region feel confident and safe with access to free transportation.”
Anthony le Roux Regional General Manager, Uber, the Middle East and Africa, “It is our role to help the society by providing relief, especially those who work tirelessly to support our communities. This is the largest partnership for us across MEA and we are amazed at Mastercard’s relentless effort to make a difference. We are proud to be working alongside them to ensure those supporting our communities, especially those on the frontline, have access to safe and reliable transport.”
This is just a start and this commitment comes as part of Uber’s global pledge to help communities in need to “Move What Matters”.
On Monday, Apple offered a glimpse at how the experience of using an iPhone is about to change.
The company on Monday officially unveiled iOS 14, the next version of its iPhone operating system, which will offer new ways to discover and organize apps, and will even let you unlock your car with your iPhone.
The new features, announced at Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, heavily focus on organizing, discovering and accessing apps. For example, Apple introduced a new feature called App Library, which automatically organizes the apps on your home screen so you don’t have to scroll through several pages.
Apple said new software features will be available this fall for iPhone 6s models and later. The developer preview of iOS 14 will be available starting Monday.
The new widgets present timely information at a glance and can be pinned in different sizes on any Home Screen page. Users can create a Smart Stack of widgets, which uses on-device intelligence to surface the right widget based on time, location, and activity.
Home Screen pages can display widgets that are customized for work, travel, sports, entertainment, and other areas of interest. At the end of the Home Screen pages is the App Library, a new space that automatically organizes all of a user’s apps into one simple, easy-to-navigate view, and intelligently surfaces apps that may be helpful in the moment.
Users can choose how many Home Screen pages to display and easily hide pages for quicker access to the App Library.
Incoming FaceTime and phone calls and Siri interactions take on an all-new compact design that enables users to stay in the context of what they are doing. With Picture-in-Picture support, iPhone users can now watch a video or take a FaceTime call while using another app.
“iOS 14 transforms the most iconic elements of the iPhone experience, starting with the biggest update we’ve ever made to the Home Screen,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “With beautifully redesigned widgets on the Home Screen, the App Library that automatically organizes all of your apps, and App Clips that are fast and easy to discover, iPhone becomes even more powerful and easier to use.”
A New Way to Discover and Use Apps with App Clips
An App Clip is a small part of an app experience designed to be discovered the moment it is needed. App Clips are associated with a particular product or business, and load within seconds to complete a specific task, such as renting a scooter, purchasing a coffee, or filling a parking meter. They can be easily discovered and accessed by scanning a new Apple-designed App Clip code,1 or through NFC tags and QR codes, or shared in Messages or from Safari, all with the security and privacy expected from apps.
App Clips are fast and easy to discover and allow users to get a part of an app the moment they need it.
Powerful Updates to Conversations in Messages
Messages is central to communicating with friends and family, and now it’s easier to stay connected and quickly access important messages. Users can pin conversations to the top of their messages list, easily keep up with lively group threads through mentions and inline replies, and further customize conversations by setting a group photo using an image or emoji. New Memoji options in Messages are even more inclusive and diverse with additional hairstyles, headwear, face coverings, and more.
Favorite conversations can be pinned to the top of a Messages list, with recent messages, Tapbacks, and typing indicators featured right above the pin.
Greener Ways to Explore and New Guides in Maps
Maps makes it easier than ever to navigate and explore with new cycling directions, electric vehicle routing, and curated Guides. Cycling directions take into account elevation, how busy a street is, and whether there are stairs along the route. Electric vehicle routing adds charging stops along a planned route based on current vehicle charge and charger types.2 Guides provide a curated list of interesting places to visit in a city, created by a selection of trusted resources. Guides are a great way to discover hot new restaurants, find popular attractions, and explore new recommendations from respected brands, including AllTrails, Complex, The Infatuation, Time Out Group, and The Washington Post, among others.
Enhanced Privacy Features for More Transparency and Control
All apps will now be required to obtain user permission before tracking.3 Later this year, App Store product pages will feature summaries of developers’ self-reported privacy practices, displayed in a simple, easy-to-understand format. In addition, users can upgrade existing accounts to Sign in with Apple, choose to share their approximate location with app developers rather than their precise location when granting an app location access, and get even more transparency into an app’s use of the microphone and camera.
App Store product pages feature a summary of the privacy practices of each app before downloading it.
Additional iOS 14 Features
Translate is designed to be the best and easiest app for translating conversations, offering quick and natural translation of voice and text among 11 different languages.4 On-device mode allows users to experience the features of the app offline for private voice and text translation.
Siri expands its knowledge, helps find answers from across the internet, and can now send audio messages. Keyboard dictation runs on device when dictating messages, notes, email, and more.5
The Home app makes smart home control even easier with new automation suggestions and expanded controls in Control Center for quicker access to accessories and scenes. Adaptive Lighting for compatible HomeKit-enabled lights automatically adjusts the color temperature throughout the day, and with on-device Face Recognition, compatible video doorbells and cameras can identify friends and family.6 The Home app and HomeKit are built to be private and secure, so all information about a user’s home accessories is end-to-end encrypted.
AirPods gain the ability to seamlessly switch between Apple devices with automatic device switching.7 Spatial audio with dynamic head tracking brings a theater-like experience to AirPods Pro. By applying directional audio filters, and subtly adjusting the frequencies each ear receives, sounds can be placed virtually anywhere in a space to provide an immersive listening experience.
Digitalcar keys give users a secure way to use iPhone or Apple Watch to unlock and start their car. Digital car keys can be easily shared using Messages, or disabled through iCloud if a device is lost, and are available starting this year through NFC.8 Apple also unveiled the next generation of digital car keys based on Ultra Wideband technology for spatial awareness delivered through the U1 chip, which will allow users to unlock future car models without removing their iPhone from their pocket or bag, and will become available next year.
Find My will add support for finding third-party products and accessories with the new Find My network accessory program. This will allow customers to use the Find My app to locate other important items in their lives, in addition to their Apple devices. User privacy remains central to the Find My network with end-to-end encryption built in. A draft specification is available for accessory makers and product manufacturers starting today.
Safari offers a Privacy Report so users can easily see which cross-site trackers have been blocked, secure password monitoring to help users detect saved passwords that may have been involved in a data breach, and built-in translation for entire webpages.9
Health has all-new experiences to manage sleep, better understand audio levels that may affect hearing health, and a new Health Checklist — a centralized place to manage health and safety features — includes Emergency SOS, Medical ID, ECG, Fall Detection, and more.10 Health also adds support for new data types for mobility, Health Records, symptoms, and ECG.
The Weather app and widget keep users up to date on severe weather events and a new next-hour precipitation chart shows minute-by-minute precipitation when rain is in the forecast.11
Accessibility features include Headphone Accommodations, which amplifies soft sounds and tunes audio to help music, movies, phone calls, and podcasts sound crisper and clearer, and sign language detection in Group FaceTime, which makes the person signing more prominent in a video call.12 VoiceOver, the industry’s leading screen reader for the blind community, now automatically recognizes what is displayed visually onscreen so more apps and web experiences are accessible to more people.
Availability
The developer preview of iOS 14 is available to Apple Developer Program members at developer.apple.com starting today, and a public beta will be available to iOS users next month at beta.apple.com. New software features will be available this fall as a free software update for iPhone 6s and later. For more information, visit apple.com/ios/ios-14-preview. Features are subject to change. Some features may not be available in all regions or all languages.
The showdown of the season in the Italian football championship is near. Now, thanks to the development of advanced technologies, it has become much easier to learn livescore results of all matches. It is enough to visit a website of sports statistics, where fans can always find the latest information.
This season, the Italian football witnesses a quite unexpectable and tense struggle for the champion title. For the first time in the past few years, Juventus has real rivals, Lazio and Inter. Despite the fact that these clubs are full of motivation, Mauricio Sarri’s players are considered undisputed favourites.
In general, the team’s livescore results tell fans that the club gained good pace. The rise of competitors happened only because other teams learned to consistently beat the middling teams and outsiders of the championship.
If we look at the in-person matches of Juventus against its direct competitors, then it’s obvious that the Old Signora has the absolute advantage over others. This once again proves that the current champion is in excellent form and is able to defend its title.
In the remaining games, Sarri’s team only need to demonstrate their high class to once again finish at the first position. Will the team manage to win the 9th title in a row? The fans will learn the answer to this question very soon.
Variety of Juventus livescore
Given all of the above, there is no doubt that the team will be able to confront its rivals in the remaining matches. Fans can easily follow Juventus livescore results on the website of sports statistics. Here, information on the course of the confrontation is always updated in real time, and everyone can make sure of this themselves.
If we talk about the potential advantages of the team in the fight for the title, then among the most obvious of them are the following:
Lineup. None of the competitors has such a selection of performers, which allows Sarri to easily shuffle the team and put only the strongest performers on the field.
Individual skills of leaders. For example, Ronaldo is always able to single-handedly decide the outcome of any confrontation in favour of his team, as seen in the Juventus livescores.
Experience. Players of the team are well aware of how to distribute their forces for the remainder of the tournament distance in order to win gold medals.
In any case, fans can expect to see a fascinating conclusion of the season, which has not been in Italy for many years. That is why it is so important to keep track of it on the website of sports statistics.
Uber Uganda has sent out messages to their customers about an increase in prices for Uber X.
Uber says they have increased UberX prices because of increased costs by driver partners who now spend more money on fuel as a result of increased traffic jam which sees drivers spend more on fuel.
This is not the first price increment as Uber always adjusts their prices based on market trends in different regions, countries and cities.
These Are The New UberX Fares
Base fare: UGX 1,500
Per kilometer fare: UGX 900
Per minute fare: UGX 140
The new fares do not affect Uberboda is currently disabled and UberConnect.
The Email Uber Uganda is sending out
This also follows a deduction in the maximum number of riders to 2 in response to local guidelines which include; a maximum of 3 people per car as well as curfew at 7pm.
You will need to gear your digital marketing efforts towards maximizing your reach regardless of whether your goal is to increase brand awareness or encourage more website visits and conversions. The question is, how exactly do you go about doing this, especially if you are looking to market to an international audience? Here are some helpful guidelines to keep in mind.
Expand on how and where you use your content
The content that you create is your most powerful resource when it comes to reaching a multitude of different audiences. There is no doubt that plenty of time, effort, and money goes into putting it together, so be sure to optimize how and where you use it. The good news is that most content can be transformed into a variety of different content types and posted or published on several different channels.
For example, an interview with an influencer regarding their thoughts on your products can be both recorded as a video and transcribed. Its contents can be used to create several blogs, a white paper, and a few share-worthy social media posts. You could even extract audio files and turn them into a podcast.
The bottom line is the more content that you have, and the more places in which you distribute it, the lower your content production cost and the higher your overall reach will be.
Work on becoming an authority within your industry
When you solidify yourself or your brand as an authoritywithin your industry or niche, both consumers and search engines will begin to trust you more. But how can you stand out as an authority? You should:• Speak at various small venues or hold motivational or informative talks via Facebook or Instagram Live;• Create high quality guest posts for other respected websites;• Create plenty of content that is unique and engaging;• Collaborate with influencers and other experts;• Pop up everywhere both online and offline – basically, just be as involved as you can within your industry.
Perfect your SEO
The benefits of a comprehensive SEO strategy are obvious. When you have high rankings, you will logically generate a higher number of visits to your website and, as a result, reach a greater number of potential customers.
Overcome the language hurdle
Appealing to an international audience means connecting with its members authentically, and the only way to successfully do this is to speak to them in their own language. This may sound challenging, but it is achievable if you enlist the help of the correct experts. A digital marketing agency specializing in international SEO will be your best bet and help you to reach your goal of maximizing your reach both locally and further afield.
Be as responsive as possible
There is no point in reaching more people if your business is not properly equipped to engage with them in a timeous and personalized manner. Strive to be more responsive to emails, comments on your blogs, and all social media messages and engagements. It can help to diversify your customer service team or to invest in outsourcing your community managementto achieve these goals.
Put the aforementioned advice into practice and you will reap the benefits of maximized reach and a much more attractive bottom line.
Apple Music has been available in Uganda since launch at $4.99 per month for individual subscribers which is billed after a user has enjoyed a trial of 3 months.
GURU8 blog has learnt that Apple has lowered the cost of subscription for the music streaming service to $2.99 per month for individual subscriptions and $4.99 per month for family subscriptions and students per $1.99 per month.
The change appeared in the Ugandan portal of the Apple Music website and the billing alerts via SMS show a lower price.
Here are the changes to the Apple Music subscription prices.
Subscription
Old Price
New Price
Student
$2.99
$1.49
Individual
$4.99
$2.99
Family
$9.99
$4.99
The new Apple Music rate is now estimated at UGX 11,934/- for individuals which puts it slightly higher than the cost of Tidal on MTN Uganda which costs 10,000/- which supports mobile money payments.
