HTC U11 Plus may be the device for you if you’d somehow wished the flagship smartphone U11 were a little bigger. While sharing most features in common, it packs a larger, higher-res display and shows a different design.
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This phone sports similar alluring rear panel design as the HTC U11, which some describe as one of the most beautiful phones of the year. It retains the premium Liquid Surface glass finish on the rear. The HTC U11 Plus adds a Translucent black variant, which many people have instantly taken to. With an IP68 rating, it is dust and water resistant.
A design improvement sees the 6-inch display make great use of its huge size. HTC U11 Plus boasts a screen-to-body ratio of 82 percent, better than that of the HTC U11. Unlike the standard variant, it has an 18:9 aspect ratio, putting it in the same class as the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S8. It has a resolution of 2,880 x 1, 440 pixels.
CameraHTC maintains the 12MP primary camera of the U11 on this one. It chooses not to be a party to the latest dual camera trend. The single sensor looks very capable, though. It uses HTC’s UltraPixel technology and has an f/1.7 aperture. There is optical image stabilisation (OIS) to improve shot taking. You can record high quality 4K videos with it.
The Taiwanese phone maker slims the selfie shooter to 8 MP on this one. But the camera boasts an 85-degree wide-angle lens and HDR.
Hardware and Other FeaturesThe HTC U11 Plus also comes with Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset. This is what most latest flagship devices of 2017 come with, so you can expect robust performance. You can get the phone with 4GB RAM and 64GB onboard storage or 6GB RAM and 128GB onboard storage. There is a microSD card slot for expansion as well.
The HTC U11 Plus boots latest Android 8.0 Oreo operating system out of the box. It comes with a bigger 3,930mAh juicer with Quick Charge 3.0 support – you may expect up to two-day battery life. HTC U11 Plus also offers a USB-C port. You also get the Edge Sensor that allows you perform certain functions by squeezing.
Pricing and availability
HTC U11 Plus is not yet officially available in Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya. HTC U11 Plus is expected at a price of around 799 Euros. We currently have no data on pricing and availability for Nigeria, Ghana, or Kenya. When available, HTC U11 Plus Price in Nigeria is expected to range from 400,000 Naira to 495,000 Naira at launch.
Here are a few specs of the HTC U11 Plus:
General Features Platform: Android 8.0 (Oreo), HTC Sense UI Processor: Octa-core Processor: 2.45 GHz quad-core Kryo & 1.9 GHz quad-core Kryo (Qualcomm MSM8998 Snapdragon 835) GPU: Adreno 540 Memory: 4 GB RAM or 6 GB RAM Colours: Translucent Black, Ceramic Black, Amazing Silver Dimension: 158.5 x 74.9 x 8.5 mm Weight: 188 g SIM Type: Nano-SIM SIM Count: Single SIM or Dual SIM, Dual stand-by Display Display: 6.0 inches, Super LCD6 capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors, 1440 x 2880 pixels (538 ppi) Screen Protection: Corning Gorilla Glass 5 Camera Rear Camera: 12 MP Camera, f/1.7, 2160p HD Video@30fps, 1080p HD Video@30/60/120fps Rear Camera Features: 1.4 µm pixel size, geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, HDR, panorama, phase detection autofocus, OIS, dual-LED (dual tone) flash Front Camera: 8 MP Camera, f/2.0 Storage Built-in Storage: 64 GB or 128 GB Memory Card Support: Yes, up to 256 GB Bundled Cloud Storage: – Network Support 2G GSM: Yes 2G CDMA 1X: – 3G WCDMA: Yes 3G CDMA EVDO: – 4G LTE: Yes, LTE band 1(2100), 3(1800), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700), 17(700), 20(800), 28(700), 32(1500), 38(2600), 39(1900), 40(2300), 41(2500) Internet & Connectivity GPRS: Yes EDGE: Yes 3G/WCDMA/HSPA: Yes HSPA+: Yes, HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps CDMA EVDO: – 4G LTE: Yes, LTE-A (4CA) Cat15 800/150 Mbps WLAN: Yes, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA Wi-Fi Hotspot: Yes Bluetooth: Yes, Bluetooth v5.0 A2DP, aptX HD, LE NFC: Yes Infrared Blaster: No USB Port: Yes, 3.1, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector Messaging SMS/MMS: Yes Instant Messaging: Yes Push Emails: Yes Email Protocol: – Entertainment Music Player: MP3/eAAC+/WMA/WAV/FLAC player Video Player: XviD/MP4/H.264/WMV player FM Radio: No Loudspeaker: Yes 3.5mm Jack: No Navigation Navigation: Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS Maps: Yes Sensors & Control Digital Compass: Yes Accelerometer: Yes Proximity Sensor: Yes Light Sensor: Yes Barometer: No SpO2: No Pedometer: No Heart Rate Monitor: No Gyroscope: Yes Fingerprint Scanner: Yes (Rear) Iris Scanner: No Face Unlock: No Intelligent Digital Assistant: Yes Motion Sensing / Gesture Control: – Voice Control: Yes Other Features Video Streaming: Yes Active Noise Cancellation: Yes Wireless Charging: No Built-in Mobile Payment: No Water Resistant: Yes (IP68) Dust Resistant: Yes Image Editor: Yes Video Editor: Yes Document Viewer: – Document Editor: Yes Battery Battery: 3930 mAh Li-Ion Battery (Non Removable) Talktime: Yes, Up to 25 hours Standby Time: – Fast Charging: YesThe post HTC U11 Plus Specs and Price appeared first on Nigeria Technology Guide.
Parading a large Full HD display, the Sony Xperia XA1 Plus is an entertainment-focused smartphone. It is also one to appeal to photography enthusiasts with a high resolution rear camera.
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Sony describes the design of the Sony Xperia XA1 Plus as ‘premium.’ But you may find it a bit hard agreeing with that when you consider plastic features in the construction. The sides feature aluminium to enhance durability. While the side bezels are thin, those at the top and base are rather thick.
Sony Xperia XA1 Plus rocks a 5.5-inch IPS display, which straddles the middle ground between the Xperia XA1 and Xperia XA1 Ultra. Screen resolution is 1,920 x 1,080 pixels. There is Corning Gorilla Glass 4 protection.
CameraSony’s marketing strategy for the Xperia XA1 Plus also revolves around its 23MP primary camera. This looks ready to serve up very high quality images, if resolution is anything to go by. The Exmor RS sensor comes with features such as Hybrid Autofocus and SteadyShot EIS. Sony Xperia XA1 Plus shoots Full HD videos.
The 8MP front facing shooter also looks ready to provide quality selfies. It has similar f/2.0 aperture. You also get autofocus and Full HD video recording capability.
Hardware and SoftwareThe Sony Xperia XA1 Plus features an eight-core MediaTek Helio P20 processor. Its maker promises ‘super-smooth performance’ with this 2.3GHz Cortex-A53 CPU. There is respectable 3 GB or 4 GB of RAM for support.
Internal storage has a capacity of 32 GB and you can add extra 256 GB with a microSD card. Sony Xperia XA1 Plus comes with Android 7.0 Nougat operating system from factory.
Other FeaturesStrangely, the Sony Xperia XA1 Plus packs a 3,430mAh battery, which is higher than the capacity of that in the bigger Xperia XA1 Ultra. The choice of processor also suggests you can expect impressive runtime. There is support for quick charging to allow you get hours of use in minutes of charging.
Sony embedded a fingerprint scanner into the power button on the side. Among the connectivity features offered by the Sony Xperia XA1 Plus include 4G LTE (Cat. 6) and USB Type-C (v2.0).
Pricing and availability
Sony Xperia XA1 Plus is not yet official in Nigeria, but a third party seller is currently offering the smartphone on Jumia Nigeria as part of the Jumia Global program. We currently have no data on pricing and availability for Ghana and Kenya. Sony Xperia XA1 Plus Price in Nigeria ranges from 138,000 Naira to 170,000 Naira depending on your location in the country.
Here are a few specs of the Sony Xperia XA1 Plus:
General Features Platform: Android 7.0 (Nougat) Processor: Octa-core Processor: 2.3GHz, ARM Cortex-A53, 64-bit, 16 nm (MediaTek Helio P20 MT6757) GPU: Mali-T880MP2 Memory: 3 GB / 4GB RAM Colours: Black, Blue, Pink, Gold Dimension: 155 x 75 x 8.7 mm Weight: 189 g SIM Type: Nano-SIM SIM Count: Single SIM or Dual SIM, Dual stand-by Display Display: 5.5 inches, IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors, 1080 x 1920 pixels (401 ppi) Screen Protection: Corning Gorilla Glass 4 Camera Rear Camera: 23 MP Camera, f/2.0, 24 mm, 1080p HD Video@30fps Rear Camera Features: 1/2.3″ sensor size, geo-tagging, touch focus, face/smile detection, HDR, panorama, phase detection autofocus, LED flash Front Camera: 8 MP Camera, f/2.0, 23 mm Storage Built-in Storage: 32 GB Memory Card Support: Yes, up to 256 GB Bundled Cloud Storage: – Network Support 2G GSM: Yes 2G CDMA 1X: – 3G WCDMA: Yes 3G CDMA EVDO: – 4G LTE: Yes Internet & Connectivity GPRS: Yes EDGE: Yes 3G/WCDMA/HSPA: Yes HSPA+: Yes, HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps CDMA EVDO: No 4G LTE: Yes, LTE Cat4 150/50 Mbps or LTE-A (2CA) Cat6 300/50 Mbps WLAN: Yes, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct Wi-Fi Hotspot: Yes Bluetooth: Yes, Bluetooth v4.2, A2DP, aptX, LE NFC: No Infrared Blaster: No USB Port: Yes, 2.0, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector Messaging SMS/MMS: Yes Instant Messaging: Yes Push Emails: Yes Email Protocol: – Entertainment Music Player: MP3/eAAC+/WAV/Flac player Video Player: Xvid/MP4/H.265 player FM Radio: Yes Loudspeaker: Yes 3.5mm Jack: Yes Navigation Navigation: Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS Maps: Yes Sensors & Control Digital Compass: Yes Accelerometer: Yes Proximity Sensor: Yes Light Sensor: Yes Barometer: No SpO2: No Pedometer: No Heart Rate Monitor: No Gyroscope: No Fingerprint Scanner: Yes (Side) Iris Scanner: No Face Unlock: No Intelligent Digital Assistant: – Motion Sensing / Gesture Control: – Voice Control: – Other Features Video Streaming: Yes Active Noise Cancellation: Yes Wireless Charging: No Built-in Mobile Payment: No Water Resistant: No Dust Resistant: No Image Editor: Yes Video Editor: Yes Document Viewer: Yes Document Editor: – Battery Battery: 3430 mAh Li-Ion Battery (Non Removable) Talktime: Yes, up to 22 hours Standby Time: – Fast Charging: YesThe post Sony Xperia XA1 Plus Specs and Price appeared first on Nigeria Technology Guide.
Sitting quietly on the wooden bench and resting his head on the wall in front of his master’s shop, Monday sure had a lot running through his mind, given the way he suddenly sprang to life when our correspondent said hello.
Two weeks ago, he had a taste of the brutality of the policemen at Pen Cinema police station in Agege area of Lagos State. And up till now, Monday, who runs a shop in Ogba, had been battling to stay alive and strong as the pain inflicted on him by the policemen-turned-attackers had yet to fade away, several days after.
With face swollen, eyes looking red and signs of torment in his shaky voice, it was obvious he must have gone through hell in the hands of the policemen, who invaded Anthony Ojekere and Bishop Hughes streets at about 8:30 pm and unleashed serious terror on everyone they came across.
Monday, who appeared to be in his mid-30s, told our correspondent that he was thoroughly beaten to the point of death for committing no particular offence. His submission was echoed by his neighbours who said it was by grace that he didn’t lose his life that night, given the way the policemen, about three of them – all in mufti – pounced on him.
Barely audible, he recalled, “It was on Friday night, two weeks ago. That should be October 27. It was around 8:30 pm. We were two in the shop and we were closing the shop already. As we were about locking the doors, three yellow buses suddenly pulled over in front of the shop.
“Immediately, three men jumped down and rushed to where I was standing. My colleague was able to escape, thinking they were thieves, but they dragged me on the floor to the bus and started beating me. I even thought they were armed robbers because everywhere was dark and they all wore black T-shirts.
“When one of them said they were policemen, I was shocked that policemen could be so inhuman. So, I asked what my offence was and then I told them to allow me to close my shop. But that angered them the more.
They started beating me again until I could barely see anything. They used everything in sight to beat me. They pushed me into the bus where I met a crowd – people they also picked up at different places. The bus was full already and we had to sit on one another.”
READ: Policeman beat up soldier for refusing to follow the queue at the ATMMonday said by the time they got to the Pen Cinema police station that night and everybody was forced down from the bus, they were about 150 to 200.
After detaining them for some time and taking down their names, they were later released to go home around 11 pm, but not without some scars and bitter experiences. Some, like Monday, lost their phones and others lost other valuable items. It was such a terrible time for most of them.
Whether in the past or recent times, there have been series of reports and allegations of brutality and maltreatment levelled against policemen attached to the Pen Cinema police station.
The already bad impression people seem to have about the police station was further exacerbated in 2012 when the serving divisional police officer at that time, CSP Femi Fabunmi, killed a protester, Ademola Aderintola Daramola, during the protest in Lagos against the removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government.
Apart from the manslaughter charge, the Lagos State High Court in Igbosere also found the DPO guilty of shooting three other persons – Alimi Abubakar, Egbujor Samuel and Chizorba Odoh, during the protest, thereby causing them grievous bodily harm.
He was arraigned by the state government on a seven-count charge bordering on murder, attempted murder and causing grievous bodily harm. Thus, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2015, a decision that was upheld by the Appeal Court in December 2016.
Fabunmi, who was a Chief Superintendent of Police, has been dismissed from the police force and he’s currently serving his term.
But according to some Lagos residents and some persons who live around the police station, not much seemed to have changed about the police station. Our correspondent gathered from some people around the station that victimisation of innocent Nigerians is a regular occurrence in the station and that anyone brought into the station could only be set free by luck.
Across the length and breadth of the police station, including some motorists who ply the road regularly, they said police authorities in the state needed to monitor policemen in the station closely.
To some of the victims of the “violent” raid that night, the ranking of the Nigeria Police Force as the worst police organisation globally could not have come at a better time
The World Internal Security and Police Index International gave a pass mark to Singapore, Finland and Denmark as the first, second and third best respectively, noting that of all the 127 countries that were assessed, Nigeria police was the worst.
The report partly read, “There are 219 police officers for every 100,000 Nigerians, well below both the index median of 300, and the Sub-Saharan Africa region average of 268. This limits the capacity of the force to measure up to its law and mandate.
“In terms of process, legitimacy and outcomes, the story is not different; which makes the Force fall short of the required standards.”
Meanwhile, still on the same night when Monday was nearly killed for committing no offence – at least he wasn’t confronted with any throughout his travails in the hands of the policemen, some other victims of the raid also shared their “unpalatable” experiences with Newsmen
One of them, who preferred to be identified as Ola, told our correspondent that the way he was beaten that night marked the worst experience of his life and that since then, he had not been able to sleep well because his body still ached.
He explained that he was on his way from work when he quickly delivered some drugs to his ailing dad and stopped to buy noodles from a mallam (aboki) on Bishop Hughes Street at Ogba. He said he had barely placed his order when the policemen suddenly stormed the shop and arrested all of them, leaving one person behind.
He said, “I left my dad’s house around 8 pm so the drama happened around 8:30 pm. I was on a call when I entered the shop, but shortly after, I saw that people started running. Before we knew what was happening, we saw that three big yellow buses suddenly pulled over in front of the shop. They didn’t come in their van and they were not in uniform, neither did they introduce themselves. It was later we knew they were policemen.
“They told everyone to go on the bus. They said we were under arrest. So, I was still telling the person I was talking to on the phone that we would talk later when one of them gave me a slap in the face for “making calls.” He said I was reporting them. That was how they started beating me. All of them pounced on me. They even wanted to collect my phone but I was able to resist.
“When I entered the bus, it was filled to the brim. In that bus, we wouldn’t be less than 50 because people already sat on one another’s laps. And that was the situation in the other buses.”
As if that was not enough, Ola said they started picking people on the street as they drove towards the station.
“From Bishop Hughes Street, they entered Anthony Ojekere Street, where they arrested Monday and some others. The way they beat Monday, all the pain I was feeling disappeared. It was as if they meant to kill him. I had to look away because I couldn’t bear it. No, that guy is lucky to be alive today. They went to the other side of his shop and carried someone that was lying down on a bench, maybe due to the heat inside the house. They carried him like a dead man and he was wearing only boxer shorts.
“A couple that was walking on the road were accosted and thrown into the bus. They stopped a tricycle on Oba Ogunji Road close to their station and packed everyone in it into the buses. That was how they picked many other people. I tried to call my brother but unknowingly, I called my dad and I didn’t know one of them was watching me.
“He started finding his way to where I was and he was saying he would kill me. He said he would show me hell when we got to the station. I’m sure my dad heard that because I had not dropped the call and that was how he knew that I was being taken to the police station. For that call, the policeman beat me mercilessly.”
On getting to the station, he said they were all locked up in the cell and others had to stay in the passage.
By the time Ola’s brother and his ailing dad got to the station, some other relatives had also arrived, pleading for the release of their relatives.
Ola’s brother, who joined the conversation, said, “When the pleas and protest became too loud for them, they used tear gas, which landed my dad at the Ifako General Hospital. The DCO came out and saw my dad on the floor, saying they should carry him away. I know how much we paid to take care of him that night. Some persons called their lawyers and some people they knew. A woman who was visually impaired was also there to seek her son’s release.
“If police can’t protect us, why can’t they leave us alone, because if it were to be armed robbers, they suddenly wouldn’t have fuel and if they did, they would come after the robbers had left? They would give all manner of excuses, and if you make a report, they demand money. I mean is this a country?”
Ola said when the situation became heated, they were all released to go home at about 11 pm. “Even though I didn’t pay them, the trauma was too much and they must have thought they would make some money from us because I found out that after we were released, they picked up another set of people,” he added.
“I blame myself for waiting to buy the food that night; I could have cooked in my house but I felt it was too late to start cooking. They used to say police is our friend but they are our real enemy. I could neither sleep nor eat that night. I’m tired of this country.”
While policemen attribute all their raids to investigation, findings by newsmen had revealed that a number of the raids were meant to exploit, extort and harass innocent members of the public.
A recent report detailed how some policemen have turned raids to intimidation techniques and money-making ventures, as well as extorting and abducting at will while leaving low-profile and high-profile cases unsolved.
The owner of the noodles shop where Ola was arrested escaped being arrested, but he told our correspondent that it wasn’t the first time policemen would invade the area and arrest people indiscriminately. He said they did the same thing about two months ago and that till date, no reason had been adduced for the harassment.
“It was just as if they used us to do exercise. They didn’t arrest me but they promised to come back,” he said, adding that they took the phone of one his workers, which they had yet to return till date.
“My phone is still with them,” the owner of the phone said, adding, “When I went back for my phone, they said the person with it was not around. Since then, the number has not been available. My boss also went there, but they threatened to deal with him.”
Another victim of the raid, who introduced himself as Daniel, said, “They came suddenly and started beating people. We would be up to 200 when they took us to the station that night. We had to sit on ourselves in the bus. They packed us like fish in a sardine. Some of them were armed while some were not. Nigeria policemen are wicked.”
When asked if they noted the name or force number of any of the policemen, they said they could not as the policemen all wore mufti. They were also too distressed to pick the number plate of any of the buses.
The brutality of some policemen seems regular as the passing of each day. The experience of a newlywed couple in the hands of policemen attached to the Maitama police division in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, a few weeks ago was yet another sad tale of policemen’s inhumanity to the people they were paid to protect.
Two policemen were engaged in a fight in the public when one of them cocked his gun and started shooting sporadically. In the process, one of the bullets hit the left leg of the husband who, in company with his wife and a friend, was leaving the premises. One of the policemen was named Akpabio Daniel, while the couple had only been married for two months.
As of today, the leg had been amputated, while the man had been confined to the hospital bed, still writhing in pains. Even though the DPO of Maitama police station where the policemen are attached to, gave N150,000 to the family for treatment, the wife of the victim said they had spent over N1.6m on hospital bills.
As of today, the FCT Police PRO, Anjuguri Manzah, said the policeman who fired the shot had been arrested and that investigation had been ongoing since then. Nothing had been said about the shooter or what the police would do for the victim, who has lost his leg.
When contacted about the raid at Ogba, the Police Public Relations Officer in Lagos State, Olarinde Famous-Cole, said the police carry out raids from time to time based on complaints and intelligence reports, but that their men had been warned not to harass innocent persons in the process.
He said the DPO of the station pointed out to him that a lot of complaints, bordering on armed robbery, were received from the residents in the area raided by the policemen from the station.
“He confirmed that they raided those black spots and that since that raid, they had not received any such negative report again. He said there was no form of assault and that among the men arrested were screened, some were released while some were further interrogated.”
READ: Woman breaks housemaid’s head over missing jewelleryThe post Notorious Lagos police station where you can never be innocent appeared first on Within Nigeria.
Pius Anyim, GEJ
The EFCC also accused the former SGF of giving N13bn contracts to companies linked to him. The money was said to be part of the N58bn Ecological Fund he handled while he was the SGF between 2011 and 2015.
Anyim, who also served as the Senate President from 2000 to 2003, is the most senior former government official ever to be arrested by the EFCC.
A source at the EFCC said Anyim was previously invited by the anti-graft agency but he refused to show up.
The commission was said to have obtained a search warrant and stormed his house on Thursday evening and searched the entire house and arrested him.
The source said, “Anyim was arrested on Thursday, November 16, by operatives of the anti-graft agency after he failed to honour a 10 am appointment by the agency.
The arrest took Anyim by surprise as the EFCC team, armed with a warrant, immediately executed a search on the property during which they recovered documents relevant to the investigation.
“Anyim is accused of abuse of office, misappropriation of public funds and money laundering. Apart from false assets declaration, he received N520m from the ONSA on the eve of the 2015 general elections for unclear reasons and he also used proxies and companies in which he had interest to corner contracts from the Ecological Fund.”
The source said Anyim allegedly awarded contracts to some companies linked to him through which ecological funds were diverted.
The companies include: Foundation Years Limited, Precious Integrated, Precious Petroleum, Mak & Mak, Chap Construction, Eldyke Engineering, Pryke Limited, Chipa Nigeria Limited, Prima A11 Limited, Pima International, Chanto Engineering, Ishiagu Microfinance Bank, Mulak Ventures, Vitro Engineering and Tip Top Nigeria.
READ: EFCC attempted to assassinate me, bugged my phones — Patience JonathanThe source added, “Anyim was SGF from May 2011 to May 29, 2015. During this period, specifically from May 2012 to May 2015, the SGF Ecological Fund Account with the Central Bank of Nigeria received an inflow of N58, 146,983,677.85.
“From this fund, three of the companies linked to Anyim — Foundation Years, Obis Associate and Eldyke Engineering — received contracts worth over N13bn. Foundation Years alone received a net payment of N10,308,017,838.85 between 2014 and 2015.
“Curiously, on receiving the fund, Foundation Years and another Anyim company, Br-Kthru, made several transfers to 37 entities. Some of the organisations and individuals have no nexus at all with ecological issues. Investigators are probing the reasons behind the wild disbursement.”
A House of Representatives panel had in March asked the EFCC and the Code of Conduct Bureau to investigate Anyim and a former FCT Minister, Bala Mohammed, over the Centenary City project.
The committee said the two agencies should ascertain the role played by both the former SGF and the ex-minister in the promotion and selection of investor as well as management of the entire project.
READ: ‘We have taken Nigeria out of hell, nobody should pray for PDP’s return to power’ — Lai MohammedThe post Dasuki gate: EFCC arrests former SG, Pius Anyim for receiving N520m from Dasuki appeared first on Within Nigeria.
