Everyday News & Stories

In May, Netflix began opening up its HDR streaming feature to smartphones with HDR-capable screens. At the time, only LG G6 users could make use of it, but now those with a Sony Xperia XZ Premium can too. Netflix supports two different standards of HDR for each of the phones -- Dolby Vision for the G6 and UltraHD Premium for the Xperia XZ Premium -- but, regardless, it means both have access to vivid, high-resolution viewing. For those wondering why the feature hasn't rolled out to the popular Samsung Galaxy S8, which also has an HDR-capable screen, it could be that it supports a third HDR format -- Mobile HDR Premium. To start watching Netflix in HDR on your Xperia XZ Premium, you'll need the latest HDR firmware and a premium subscription. You'll also have to change your video quality streaming settings to "high" and have a connection speed faster than 25mbps.

Last September, Volkswagen's James Robert Lang pled guilty in federal court on charges of conspiring to defraud US regulatory agencies and consumers. The veteran Volkswagon AG engineer admitted to his part in creating software for the EA 189 engine that would essentially cheat on emissions tests. The car company itself agreed to pay $4.3 billion to settle federal criminal and civil charges over the emissions-cheating technology this past January. According to Reuters, yet another executive has entered a guilty plea. Oliver Schmidt faces up to seven years in prison and a fine of $40,000 to $400,000 for his part in conspiring to mislead US regulators. His sentencing is set for December 6th. Schmidt was initially charged with 11 felony counts and could have faced a sentence of 169 years in prison. The guilty plea led to prosecutors dropping most of the charges. Volkswagen told Reuters that it "continues to cooperate with investigations by the Department of Justice into the ...

Mavrodi Mundial Moneybox (MMM), which collapsed months ago, has made a return. A letter displayed on the pages of participants of the scheme, urges them to invite new members. Members must invite new participants and register them as referrals to qualify for the contest. The ponzi scheme is offering cash prizes between N30,000 and N500,000 in a “Promo-Task Contest”. The letter reads in part: “MMM Nigeria launches Promo-Task Contest. “MMM Nigeria launches the first Promo-Task Contest – which a relevant section has been created for the contest in the Personal Office. “Winners are selected based on the number of points received for completing promo-tasks. Whoever receives the biggest number of points becomes the winner. “The contest period is from Monday to Sunday while at the end of each week; winners are announced and awarded Mavros (cash prizes) available for output. “In the first contest, there are 50 prizes. First place will win N500,000; second place N300,000 and t...

In the end of the May, ASUS held an event at Computex in Taipei and the new ZenPad 3S 8.0 tablet appeared at the booth. Fast forward two months and the slate arrives in the United States on Verizon with a new name - ASUS ZenPad Z8s. The retail price is $249.99, but there are cheaper ways to have it tied to a contract with the carrier. The ZenPad Z8s has a 7.9” IPS display with a 2048 x 1536 pixel resolution. The tablet runs on Snapdragon 652, paired with 3 GB RAM and 16 GB storage. There is also a microSD slot that can hold a card with up to 128 GB more. There are two cameras on the Z8s - the main one on the back with a 13 MP sensor and a 5 MP selfie snappert. The OS is Android Nougat 7.0, and the whole setup is powered by a 4,680 mAh battery. Verizon offers two additional options for purchasing. The ZenPad Z8s can be bought for $149.99 with a two-year contract. The other choice is $10.41/mo for 24 months without a down payment. Thanks for the tip! Source: gsmarena

A Chinese man Ma Yongbin, 46, has been arrested by EFCC at Malam Aminu Kano International Airport.The man Yongbin was arrested while trying to board Egypt Air to China,when the sum of N305,000 all in N5 denomination was found on him. According to the anti-graft agency, Investigation is still ongoing.

#WelcomeKelechi pic.twitter.com/FcoO4QFStk — Leicester City (@LCFC) August 3, 2017 Looking good, @67Kelechi ! 👌 #WelcomeKelechi pic.twitter.com/Ab0coXl3nW — Leicester City (@LCFC) August 3, 2017

Smartphones may have effectively killed off dedicated point-and-shoot cameras, but Apple is looking to them for inspiration with iOS 11. Developers have dug through beta firmware for the HomePod, and tucked inside the code for Apple's smart speaker, there are hints that the next version of its mobile OS will feature something called "SmartCam." iOS 11 (or the next iPhone) will have something called SmartCam. It will tune camera settings based on the scene it detects pic.twitter.com/7duyvh5Ecj — Guilherme Rambo (@_inside) August 2, 2017 If you've ever used a point-and-shoot camera, the feature should sound pretty familiar: different scene modes and photo settings depending on what you're shooting. So, one each for fireworks, foliage, pets, skies, snow, sports and others, as SlashGear notes. There's even one for documents. The "smart" in its name suggests that maybe machine learning will play a role here as well, potentially analyzing ...

This year's new redesigned iPhone is all but confirmed thanks to months worth of leaks and Apple's own slip-up with the HomePod firmware that keeps revealing more and more. So we're pretty sure what the hardware will look like, but what how will iOS 11 look on an iPhone with an edge-to-edge display and a notch at the top of the screen? Visual and user interface designer Max Rudberg decided to use his design skills to imagine what it could look like, and it's got us really pumped. The next iPhone (possibly called the iPhone 8, or iPhone Edition, or iPhone Pro) is expected to come with a 5.8-inch OLED screen that stretches edge-to-edge with rounded corners. The screen change would allow a larger screen to fit in a smaller physical form factor. As sweet as that is, it also means iOS 11 will have to work differently compared to an ordinary rectangle. How will Apple approach it? Rudberg mocked up three concepts that Apple could realistically introduce this fall. ...

Neymar completed his world record transfer to Paris Saint-Germain on Thursday when he signed a five-year contract, the French club announced.  The 25-year-old Brazilian earlier broke his contract with Barcelona by paying a 222 million-euro ($264 million, £201 million) buyout clause. Paris Saint-Germain is very happy to announce the arrival of Neymar Jr ➡ https://t.co/lKFj4qPDYA #BemvindoNeymarJR 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/rSvlBiKX6D — PSG Officiel (@PSG_inside) August 3, 2017

Vic O has joined the trend of entertainers declaring their interest in contesting for governorship positions in their various states. He says he is going to contest For Cross River State 2017 Governorship Election. I can see many voting for him already!

Who nailed the look?

Ok! This is getting serious as more entertainers are joining the trend of wanting to contest for governor. Terry G is not only running for governor,but as deputy governor of Benue state. 😀  He wrote MY PEOPLE,THE TIME IS NOW. POWER BELONGS TO THE YOUTHS,SAY NO TO OLD CARGOS...VOTE TERRY G FOR GOVERNOR/DEPUTY OF BENUE STATE ,I WILL MAKE YOU PROUD..WHEN I SAY LEGALIZE YOU SAY GINJAH..

Like it or not,  soccer is moving into the modern era . For the past few years FIFA, the sport's governing body, has been working with the International Football Association Board (IFAB) to bring experiments like goal line technology and Video Assistant Referee to the game. But IFAB, which is responsible for creating and approving the rules of soccer, doesn't intend to stop there. In 2015, the organization announced plans to develop a global standard for   Electronic Performance Tracking Systems   (EPTS), with the goal being to let players use   wearable tech in official matches . A decision on when and how EPTS will be implemented is set to happen next March, IFAB Secretary Lukas Brud confirmed to Engadget in an interview. The devices that IFAB is looking to approve are designed to track players' fitness in real time, including their heart rate, distance covered, speed and fatigue levels. Players already use these types of gadgets in training, but now they ...

Singer Selena Gomez has revealed that despite having completed her 90 days stint in rehab, she still  struggles to stay on track. Speaking with InStyle on keeping negative influences away from her, Selena said that social media can still be tricky as there are plenty of haters that try to get 'negative' things out of her. 'I go to therapy. I believe in that and talking about where you are. But I’m in a really, really healthy place,' she said Selena, who is dating singer The Weeknd reveled he is infact a good influence on her. 'I don’t depend on one area of my life to make me happy. It’s really important for me to love and nourish my friends and family and to make sure that I never get influenced by a guy,' the brunette beauty said. 'I’ve wanted to be in a strong headspace for years, and I really wasn’t. Before, I was so young and easily influenced, and I’d feel insecure. 'You want someone to add to your life, not to complete you, if...

Songstress Omawumi seems to be revamping her image and going with a sexier look. The mother of two looks good in a new photoshoot.

Kcee is the latest entertainer to join the politics train. The musician just revealed he is running for Anambra governor .He wrote It's about time, Big Announcement on Tuesday, August 8, 2017 at 11am.... #Nottooyoungtorun #Attentiontodetail2017 If you recall,actor,  Yul Edochie  declared his intention to run as governor in the same state. 

After collapsing months ago, the money making scam, Mavrodi Mundial Moneybox (MMM), that , has launched a weekly promotional stunt, obviously aimed at wooing old and unsuspecting new ‘investors’. A letter displayed on the pages of participants of the scheme, urges them to invite new members. Members must invite new participants and register them as referrals to qualify for the contest. The letter reads in part: “MMM Nigeria launches Promo-Task Contest. “MMM Nigeria launches the first Promo-Task Contest – which a relevant section has been created for the contest in the Personal Office. “Winners are selected based on the number of points received for completing promo-tasks. Whoever receives the biggest number of points becomes the winner"' The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Central bank of Nigeria (CBN) have warned Nigerians against participating in the scheme which they described as a “Ponzi” scheme.

President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, has assured that the National Assembly will conclude the amendment to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Act before end of 2017. He stated this in Abuja that the Senate had already passed the Bill amending the Act, and that the House of Representatives would do same on resumption from recess. Saraki said that the national assembly wanted to give INEC over one year to prepare of the 2019 elections, based on the amended Act, to avoid hitches experienced in the last general elections.  “Well, you know we passed the INEC Amendment Bill this year; we are working on the House of Representatives to do theirs as well so that we can get that to the President to assent, and that gives them at least one year to prepare.  “I am sure that by the time we come back from recess, the House will take action on theirs within the month and it will be with the President in October. So, that is enough time. “I think...

Samsung has managed to ship over 20 million units of its  Galaxy S8  and S8+ flagships, according to market research firm Strategy Analytics. The milestone was achieved in July. The research firm notes that the per day shipments of the flagship duo stood at 278,800 following its launch on April 21. So in total, the tech giant shipped 19.8 million units in the April-June period. Likely because of that, even the average selling price (ASP) of Samsung phones in that period shot up. There were reports last month that Galaxy S8 sales are slowing down, but Samsung quickly refuted them, revealing that sales of the latest flagships are around 15% higher than their predecessors. Then during a conference call later in July, the company confirmed that Galaxy S8 sales have in fact been double that of the S7 in some markets. And as it stands, the company has yet again topped the global smartphone market.

A new thermal engineering process could finally make it viable to use plastic product components in things such as vehicles, LEDs and computers. Until now, the material has been overlooked for such applications because of its limitations in dissipating heat, but scientists from the University of Michigan have found a way to change plastic's molecular structure, making it as thermally conductive as glass. This advanced plastic could make products lighter, cheaper and more energy-efficient, and would be particularly useful in electric vehicle manufacturing since weight has a direct bearing on range. Previous attempts to improve plastic's conductive properties have seen it packed with metallic or ceramic fillers, which has been largely unsuccessful, not to mention expensive. This new approach uses a chemical process to expand and straighten plastic's tightly coiled molecular chains, giving heat energy a more direct route through the material. The plastic polymer is disso...

Almost four years down the line, GTA V is still drawing big crowds. And players are dropping a lot of dollar on the game's ballistic online mode. That cash is filling up the safes at Take-Two Interactive. The distributor announced on Wednesday that the latest instalment in the GTA franchise was key to it banking $418.2 million in net revenue over the past three months -- a 34 percent spike compared to last year. It seems players are constantly swiping their Shark cash cards to buy pretty toys online, which amounts to more real money for Take-Two. Purchases made via the Xbox Game Store, PlayStation Store, and GTA Social Club helped deliver $268.2 million in digital net revenue for the quarter (up 56 percent over the previous year). Of course, the likes of NBA 2K17, Mafia III, WWE 2K17, and Sid Meier's Civilization VI also did their bit to help out. But, seeing as GTA V vastly outsold those titles, it seems the open-world crime epic is still the kingpin at the Take-Two stab...

"Deadpool 2" is coming in hot and loaded -- literally -- with the unveiling of Domino. Zazie Beetz -- best known for her role on FX's "Atlanta" -- will star as the savage mercenary Domino, who ultimately joins the good guys. Beetz was filming alongside her stunt double in Vancouver, and buzz about her debut started building after Ryan Reynolds tweeted a photo of Zazie in her costume. Her look was so on point, even Deadpool comic book artist, Rob Liefeld, roared with approval on Twitter.

Nemanja Matic made his Manchester United debut against Sampdoria in Dublin on Wednesday night – and it didn’t take long for Reds to make up their mind on the Serbian. The 29-year-old completed a £40million move to Old Trafford on Monday but Jose Mourinho was keen for him to get minutes on the field after being left out of Chelsea’s pre-season tour squad. United fans were split on signing Matic because of the Serbian’s age and the hefty fee but the Serbian converted the doubters in an impressive 45-minute display against Sampdoria. Matic was playing in front of a back three and showed good understanding with his team-mates, who he’s trained with just twice since joining. And United fans took to Twitter to praise the midfielder for his display. Matic is going to be an unsung hero at us, superb piece of work by Jose 🔴⚪️⚫️ — Joel OHara (@Joel_OHara) August 2, 2017 Matic was absolutely fantastic starting to love him already! 😆😍🙏 #MUFC — Marcos 🔴 (@MagicalMar...

Shopify just released its new card reader that makes it easy for merchants to complete credit or debit card-based sales on the go. The reader accepts chip dips or swipes and works with Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover. It connects wirelessly to Android and Apple phones via Bluetooth and at full charge can carry out 400 chip dips and 700 swipe transactions. Shopify's reader is an alternative to the popular version sold by Square, which just introduced a prepaid debit card that lets users tap into their Square Cash while shopping at brick-and-mortar stores. PayPal and Intuit also have mobile card readers, while Amazon's short-lived version is no more. Shopify unveiled its new reader in April and began taking select pre-orders last month. Today, the reader is available to all Shopify merchants. To use Shopify's card reader, you'll have to have nothing older than an iPhone 5 or iPad Gen 3 running iOS 9 or higher or an Android device running version 4....

J. Cole's visit with San Quentin inmates included deep conversation and plenty of photo ops -- but it did NOT include a walk down the green mile ... TMZ has learned. Photos of Cole hanging with San Quentin prisoners surfaced this week -- showing him, and his Dreamville team, sitting and talking in the yard, cell blocks and a classroom. While San Quentin is California's only death row prison, sources close to the institution tell us Cole only took a general civilian tour. That means he only got to see Level 1 and 2 inmates. Everyone above that level, including death row, was off limits. We're told Cole spoke openly about some of his friends who've been incarcerated, and took an interest in San Quentin's media center ... where inmates host a podcast called "Ear Hustle."