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How to load funds in your Uber Cash wallet using MPESA

Taxi hailing app Uber has unveiled the Uber Cash digital wallet facility across various territories in Africa including Kenya thanks to its partnership with a San Francisco based – Nigerian fintech firm Flutterwave. The move allows Uber riders to load cash directly into their digital wallets prior to requesting a ride.

Having its own dedicated wallet is anticipated to reduce the amount of fraud Uber drivers have recently engaged in as earlier revealed by tuvuti. Drivers just like many people out there have engaged in fraudulent activities to escape paying Uber its fair share of the trip amount and often hide the number of trips a driver has made to the owner of the vehicle during this difficult economic time.

 You can top up your account using various methods including EFT but MPESA is set to appeal to many Kenyans as the service is widely used across the country. The latest feature to allow customers load their Uber Cash digital wallets is set to complement MPESA payments where instead of sending money to the driver’s phone number, riders can just have their wallets loaded in advance and make the payment after every ride.

Furthermore, Uber’s decision to add its own digital wallet will heed to the government’s appeal for Kenyans to avoid using cash in transactions as a move aimed at curbing the spread of corona virus. The feature is expected to work more or less like Swvl which has its own wallet that allows customers to load funds through MPESA.

How to load funds into your Uber Cash wallet via MPESA

  • To load funds, launch the Uber application on your mobile phone
  • Head over to “Payment”
  • At the very top, you’ll see “Uber Cash” amongst other options (Google Pay) and Cash
  • Tap on “Add Funds”, and choose from the available amount (between KES500, KES1000 or KES2000) you intent to top up with
  • Then tap on “Purchase” You should get a prompt on your MPESA phone asking to input your MPESA PIN
  • After confirming, the amount should be loaded to your wallet and subsequently get a confirmation message from MPESA

The digital wallet is also set to remove one of the most annoying aspect of paying in cash – there won’t be need for change as the trip amount will directly be deducted from your wallet.

Google’s Live Caption feature now working in Canary builds of Google Chrome slated for mass roll out later

Google’s live caption feature lets users see a direct translation of audio into text just like how sub title feature works in movies. While subtitles are embedded directly into the videos, live caption comes in handy when watching videos that do not have native subtitles embedded and of late very useful during Google meet chats. The feature made a debut during last year’s Google I/O in android 10 dubbed “Live Caption”. The feature presents automatic captions for audio that’s currently playing on your android 10 smartphone.  

Live Caption works with videos, podcasts, audio messages, and other supported media, where users are presented with matching text translations of audio making it a great accessibility tool for those with impaired hearing. For a while now, Google has been working on bringing the feature to chrome browser and from the look of things, mass rollout could happen soon but for now canary builds get to test and enjoy the feature.  

I’ve been a big fan of the Live Caption feature on my phone where I have used it numerously on certain YouTube videos that lack captions. The best part is, this feature doesn’t limit users to Google’s own apps. As long as you’ve enabled it on your android 10 phone once there’s supported audio playback, you’ll start seeing the captions right away.

In some instances, the Live Caption feature hasn’t really been as smooth as native captions and sometimes you’ll experience certain lags especially during Google Meet chats. But the feature does really help in places with a lot of outside noise interference or if you just need a clarification on a statement.

How to enable Live Caption in Chrome

Note: the feature is currently only available in canary versions of chrome but a public release is now imminent.

  • First, you’ll need to enable a flag and enable the feature in the Accessibility options.
  • head over to #enable-accessibility-live-captions, toggle it on, and restart Chrome To enable the flag
  • after which, you’ll need to go to Chrome Settings > Advanced > Accessibility, and toggle “Live Caption.”
  • Live Captions will now start appearing when a video is played in the browser.

Huawei Y6p specifications and what you need to know before buying

Huawei’s next sequel on its mid-level themed Y-series lineup is expected to officially launch and pre-orders to start soon after on the 15th of June 2020, we’ve therefore gathered enough info so you could decide if it fits your needs or move on to the next. And just like current Huawei devices, the Huawei Y6p comes amidst bad blood between the tech giant and the US government that has resulted in lack of Google Play services onboard, though you still have the Huawei AppGallery for some of the android applications.

The standout feature rests within the massive 5000mAh battery that the company says should last 20hours plus surfing on 4G networks, 32hours of video playbacks, 36hours on 4G calls and 37 hours of FM radio without headsets. Though lithium ion batteries still have a long way to go, we kind of like the idea of having such an incredible amount of mAh in a mid-tier device; with normal use, Huawei Y6p should last at least a day or two. Huawei was kind enough to include reverse charge capability in this handset; meaning, you could easily charge other devices with a compatible cable, though there’s no wireless charging yet.

Huawei Y6p packs a 6.3inch Dewdrop Display that stretches all the way with minimal bezels. The only obstruction on the front panel emanates from that notch housing the front selfie camera. According to the tech giant, the handset manages to cover a decent 88.4 percent of the entire front panel with the display screen the rest of it being taken by a narrow frame and a discreet front camera. However, don’t expect the kind of sharpness you get on pricier siblings or top tier competitors; Huawei only managed to equip this device with a low rated 720x1600pixels resolution that sums up to 278pixels per inch which is way low in the smartphone world.

On the backside, there’s a triple Rear Camera setup that includes a 13 MP clear main lens, a 5 MP wide angle lens and a 2 MP depth lens. This ample combination should produce standard images that you can confidently share with your peers or on social media. We acknowledge that there’s quite a bit of effort that goes in producing those sharp detailed vivid images under varying conditions; however, we expect the Y6p to do just fine in the arena given the price tag.

The front 8 Megapixels selfie camera is touted as the beauty camera which basically means that Huawei included some software enhancements to process photos taken by adding a few details such as automatic retouching.

Huawei Y6p Specifications

DIMENSIONS159.1 x 74.1 x 9 mm (6.26 x 2.92 x 0.35 in)
 185 g (6.53 oz)
 Glass front, plastic back, plastic frame
 Single SIM (Nano-SIM) or Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
DISPLAYIPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
 6.3 inches, 95.8 cm2 (~81.3% screen-to-body ratio)
 720 x 1600 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~278 ppi density)
PLATFORMAndroid 10, EMUI 10.1, no Google Play Services
 Mediatek MT6762R Helio P22 (12 nm)
 Octa-core (4×2.0 GHz Cortex-A53 & 4×1.5 GHz Cortex-A53)
 PowerVR GE8320
MEMORYmicroSDXC (dedicated slot)
 32GB 3GB RAM, 64GB 3GB RAM, 64GB 4GB RAM
 eMMC 5.1
MAIN CAMERA13 MP, f/1.8, (wide), PDAF
 5 MP, f/2.2, 120˚ (ultrawide)
 2 MP, f/2.4, (depth)
 LED flash, HDR, panorama
 1080p@30fps
SELFIE CAMERA8 MP, f/2.0, (wide)
 HDR
 1080p@30fps
COMMUNICATIONWi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot
 5.0, A2DP, LE
 GPS, with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS
 FM radio; built-in antenna
 microUSB 2.0, USB On-The-Go
SENSORSFingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, proximity
 
BATTERYNon-removable Li-Po 5000 mAh battery
Charging 10W
Reverse charging
COLORSPhantom Purple, Emerald Green, Midnight Black

Huawei Y6p Price in Kenya: (TBA)

Samsung is set to add wireless charging feature on its “A” series mid-range lineup

Wireless charging on smartphones is yet to get the anticipated mass rollout we’d expected coming into 2020, however several manufacturers such as Samsung, are planning to unveil the feature on their budget themed devices with Samsung set to include on its “A” series handsets coming in 2021. Wireless charging capability is an awesome feature that allows devices to be wirelessly charged via known standards such as Qi.

The feature has far too long lacked on most devices and the chargers haven’t been adopted to a reasonable level either. We recently highlighted some of the best wireless power banks you could buy locally and prices have at least been dropping ever since.

Samsung’s A series lineup offers some of the best devices in the industry and have for a while been making headlines when it comes to the overall smartphone shipments across the globe. Here in Kenya, the likes of Samsung galaxy A31, A20s and A10s are performing exceptionally well than other Samsung devices, thanks to their mid-tier prices while still offering a lot.

The A series is set to get a boost at least according to latest reports from the Elec, Samsung is planning to expand wireless charging to the series to stay afloat in a crowded market. At the moment, within the series, only the highly priced Galaxy A90 supports wireless charging, besides the tech giant’s flagship Galaxy S and Note series. The feature is expected to come aboard more affordable Galaxy A50 and Galaxy A70 lines.

We expect Samsung to unveil the feature in the coming year as at the moment even highly placed Galaxy A51 5G and Galaxy A71 5G don’t support wireless charging. The decision to bring wireless charging to affordable series might have been influenced by Apples decision to include in the more affordable iPhone SE 2020.

Get free 2GB airtel data bundles when you swap your 3G SIM card for a 4G SIM card

Airtel Kenya just gave millions of Kenyans who hadn’t swapped their old SIM cards for a 4G enabled a humble reason to do so. If your looking to benefit from free data bundles from Airtel and currently own a 3G SIM card, all you have to do is visit airtel retail outlets and replace it with a 4G capable one. It’s still unclear how long the promotion is going to last but from the look of things and looking at Airtel’s past behavior, the offer should be active for a while.  

Competition in the data segment has so far been fierce amongst mobile service providers in the country with Airtel and Telkom offering some of the amazing data offers on the table. We recently highlighted how Telkom Kenya subscribers could make use of night time data bundle offers that automatically activate between 12am and 6am when you subscribe to certain data offers.

Airtel Kenya has also had some of the best priced data offers on the table with amazing data bundles that could last and last for a fraction of what you’d spent on Safaricom. Kenya’s largest mobile service provider Safaricom has had it’s share of complaints from Kenyan’s who accuse the service provider of illegitimately making their data disappear due to expiration and sometimes without reason.

Safaricom tried to address customer’s issues by introducing data bundles that do not expire but are still relatively overpriced in comparison with Telkom and Airtel. Practical example is on daily data bundles; for Ksh50 on the Safaricom network, you get 150MB data, 150sms and WhatsApp while the same amount on Telkom Kenya you get 700MB plus 2GB night bundle.

How to activate free 2GB airtel data bundle after replacing your old SIM card to a 4G SIM

  • On your Airtel mobile phone, dial *544#
  • Then from the options, select option “6”
  • Alternatively, just dial *544*6#
  • Enjoy free data bundles on Airtel

Xiaomi’s Mi Band 5 offers substantial upgrades from the former band 4

Xiaomi is expected to officially unveil its latest sequel in the Mi band lineup with some substantial upgrades over the former. I’ve been a big fan of the Xiaomi’s bands lineup for really good reasons. Unlike the competition, Xiaomi’s alternatives have been known to offer very good battery lifetime with my band 4 going all the way to 21 days. They also have some pretty mazing combination of features and price.

The tech giant has at least confirmed some nifty features coming on the band 5 correcting some of the band 4’s flaws. In its own way, the band 4 isn’t a bad choice for many, it has some of the best features in the industry and costs just a fraction of available alternatives. However, as we all can acknowledge, something good can always become better.

Upgrade of charging system to magnetic charging for the Mi Band 5

Previous Mi bands such as band 3 and 4 required users to separate the band from the tracker in order to charge. The band 5 will instead utilize a magnetic charging connection that’ll be hooked below the band without having to remove it from its housing as has been the trend.

In addition to the magnetic charging, the band 5 is set to come with more upgrades over its predecessor such as 20% larger screen giving users a much-needed upgrade as the previous model had a somewhat tiny display.

We also expect a range upgrades on sensors that will be included such as a heart rate sensor, as well as oxygen level sensor. It’ll also come packed with a range of tracking features to track your sleep, stress, and respiratory health.

According to android authority, the band 5 will come equipped with women’s health tracking and remote camera control, in addition to 11 sports modes plus NFC support.

The best wireless power banks you can buy locally in Kenya for less than ksh.5,000 in 2020

Smartphones have undoubtedly evolved over years with some interesting tech inside, we can now choose from a range of features that suit our style and preferences such as whether to go for a punch hole front camera or notch, the same way we have an option to choose between an under display fingerprint sensor or a physical button and so forth. However; unlike other aspects of our handsets, batteries still have a long way to go. There hasn’t been a noticeable development in the mechanics used in the lithium ion batteries used in almost all phones currently available. There isn’t a smartphone out there that can comfortably promise to take you through an entire day under heavy use and still have some battery juice in the evening, hence the need to have a power bank just in case.

Power banks basically stores power to charge your devices when you need it. And there are a couple of power bank technologies you could choose from such as those that have alternative charging methods such as using solar and so forth. But as much as they can offer some kind of reliability, carrying power banks can sometimes be a tedious endeavor, I for example cannot have it for more than a day without simply misplacing or sometimes not even using it. But if you are let’s say travelling or moving to a remote location that power isn’t much of a necessity, then perhaps power banks could offer some solace.

While the batteries inside our smartphones haven’t evolved that much, the modes of charging them has tremendously improved from the gone days. We now have wireless charging option that you don’t need to hook a cable between your phone and the power source. Not all power banks support wireless charging technologies such as Qi. If your phone supports wireless charging technologies, then here are a couple of reliable power bank options you could opt for.

Reliable wireless power banks you can buy here in Kenya for less than Ksh.5,000

  • Promate AURAPACK-10 10000mAh Power Bank /Wireless Charger

Promate isn’t a common name internationally, but they do have some interesting products you should really try them out. Take for example their wireless power bank – Promate AURAPACK -10 10000mAh going for around Ksh5,600 here in Kenya. It comes equipped with the Qi wireless charging technology and has a battery charge capacity of 10,000mAh.

  • Samsung wireless Power bank EB-U1200CPNG

The Samsung Wireless power bank comes with fast charge capabilities and from our list of best power banks available locally, it features the best combination of price at only Ksh.3,500 and features. Features include fast Wireless Charging output (FAST CHARGE, Qi, Galaxy Watch), Fast Wired Charging In and Out (AFC, QC2.0 max.15W)

Xiaomi is known for its feature pack that doesn’t churn out as much cash to own. And its wireless power bank is no different, it comes with Qi Certified 2-Way Fast Charging capability, 10W Fast Wireless Charging and 18W Fast Charging via the Output Port. This power bank solution also offers great value for your money with a price tag of only Ksh.3,500.

Faiba’s 4G Wonder phone costs only Ksh3,000 and comes with Google Assistant onboard

Feature phones have had their share of handsets market for the longest time, at least until budget smartphones started encroaching on their territories with matching prices. But that’s not to say they don’t have a place in the current world; at least Faiba has found a way to keep them a float amidst diminishing trends. The latest Faiba 4G wonder feature phone probably won’t turn heads for someone shopping for a decent smartphone with either the android or iOS goodies onboard, the handset comes with KaiOS and will mostly appeal to Fibas customer base looking for a cheap way to connect to Fibas WiFi while working at home.

So, what exactly is KaiOS? Well in layman’s language, KaiOS just like android or iOS, is a mobile operating system based on Linux, the operating system as the name suggests was developed by Kai OS Technologies Limited, a US-based company. Android and iOS have pretty much locked up a huge chunk of the smartphone operating system market leaving feature phones in the gallows of history, but KaiOS seeks to revert that with release of feature phones running on its OS.

Faiba 4G wonder phone is packed with interesting features targeting its customer base such as free Faiba to Faiba calls and even accommodates the ability to use two separate SIM cards with dual SIM capability. Of course, there isn’t a direct competitor for this new entrant as the handset is targeting a specific niche that will find solace in its unique features.

As expected, the handset packs basic tech inside with a 4GB internal storage and 512MB system RAM driven by the KaiOS. The phone should appeal to those looking for the simplest way to connect to the internet or establish a hotspot WiFi while at home and be able to make calls.

Faiba 4G Wonder feature phone specifications

upgradable:Yes
Battery:1400mAh
Bluetooth:Yes
FM radio:Yes
Memory:4GB + 512MB
Network:GSM/HSPA/LTE
OS:Kaios
SIM:Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
Video:MP4
WLAN:WiFi Hotspot