NBC bans radio stations from playing Wizkid's & Phyno's songs.

According to Beatfm OAP Gbemi Olateru Olagbegi, The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has instructed them not to play two songs - Wizkid ft Maleek Berry - The Matter and Phyno - 'Man of the Year. Were they singing ashewo things in the songs? 

Google has a 'near perfect' universal translator -- for Portuguese, at least.

Google continues its efforts to bring us the world of "Star Trek" and life on the U.S.S. Enterprise four centuries ahead of schedule -- minus the really hard stuff like the warp drive. The company's latest effort along these lines, according to Android product guru Hugo Barra, is a real-time universal translator.

Barra told the U.K. Times that "several years" from now, he envisions devices (likely Android phones or something similar) that allow people to travel around the globe without having to be concerned about language barriers. Barra also spoke of the ability for calls to be translated from one language to another in real time, so that a person on one end of the call might speak in English, and that speech would then be instantly translated into Portuguese for the person listening on the other end in Sao Paulo.

In fact, English and Portuguese was one language pairing that Barra specifically cited as already providing "near perfect" translations on Google's prototype devices. Translation from Mandarin to the recently extinct Eyak language of southeast Alaska? Yea, that might be a little trickier.
Before we go praising Google for another forward-thinking humanitarian initiative, it's worth noting that the ability to listen to and translate countless conversations across the world amounts to a brand new mountain of data for the company to parse for ad targeting and other revenue-generating possibilities.

Also, Google might not be the first to master instant translation. I recently was given a demonstration of a similar instant real-time translation service for phone calls from an Israel-based startup called Lexifone that's not only available right now, it's also pretty cheap and accurate, if a little jarring (the translation essentially adds two loudmouth digital voices to a phone call).

Nonetheless, I'd certainly welcome a universal translator feature integrated into Android at some point in the future, particularly if it does a better job than the current crop of third-party translation apps, most of which suffer from subpar speech recognition. Perfecting speech recognition is one area where Google already has a significant investment with its all-in approach to Google Now.
Perhaps by the end of the several years that Barra mentions, we'll not only see perfected universal translators, but the full-blown "Star Trek" computer that people at Google seem to be so obsessed with.

Waterproof phones you can take to the beach.

You don't have to be a hard-core rock climber or surfer to reap the benefits of water- and dust-resistant smartphones. In fact, our most precious handheld computers could all benefit from designs that protect their delicate electronic innards from the wet and grime.
These recent five smartphones all have waterproofing characteristics in common -- to a limit. You shouldn't have to worry about them falling into a puddle, but neither should you plan on taking them into the hot tub for a nice, long soak.




NEC Terrain (AT&T)
A ruggedized offering from AT&T and little-known smartphone maker NEC, the Terrain ($99 on-contract) has midrange Android features, a portrait QWERTY keyboard, and push-to-talk features. It's certainly among the most legitimately rugged phones of the bunch, at least on paper. You better believe we'll give the Terrain a thorough dunking in the coming weeks. Read our NEC Terrain preview.
  

 The next generation in Verizon and Casio's tough phone relationship, the Commando 4G LTE, tweaks the rugged phone's design with no-slip rubberized edges, sharp peaks, and red accents for flair. Inside, an older version of Android -- 4.0 instead of 4.2 -- is somewhat disappointing, but it meets military standards for shock, water, dust, vibration, salt fog, humidity, solar radiation, low pressure, and high and low temperatures. Read our Casio Gz'One Commando 4G LTE preview.
  

Windows XP endgame: Firm moving 30,000 PCs to tablets

 

The end of the world, er, the end of Windows XP support is nigh. To ease the transition, Microsoft Japan will help a major Japanese insurance company move 30,000 XP machines to Windows 8 tablets.
Meiji Yasuda, one of the largest Japanese insurance companies, is teaming up with Microsoft Japan and Fujitsu to upgrade 30,000 insurance sales personnel from Windows XP to Windows 8 tablets for use as mobile sales devices, Microsoft said Wednesday.

The clock is ticking: support for one of the world's most popular operating systems -- that would be Windows XP -- will end on April 8, 2014.
"Previously, the sales team prepared proposals on their Windows XP-based PCs and then printed them out in order to share with customers," Microsoft said.

Windows 8 will put end to those old ways. The tablets -- custom made by Fujitsu for the insurer -- will allow sales personnel to produce policies customized for specific customers on the fly.
Meiji Yasuda will be the first Japanese life insurance company to adopt Windows 8 Pro, according to Microsoft.

How to use the HTC One to control your TV

 

Phones these days can be used for more than making calls. In an effort to compete and stay relevant in an increasingly crowded market, smartphone manufacturers are incorporating more features into their devices. One feature that is gaining traction is the inclusion of an IR blaster, which can be used to transform a smartphone into a universal remote.
We already told you how to use the IR blaster in the Galaxy S4, however you may not have been aware that another high-end Android smartphone also includes the technology. The HTC One running the company's Sense 5 user interface includes an IR blaster, along with remote control and recommendation software that can enhance your TV experience.
Here's how you can set up the HTC One to control your TV and more:

Why Apple's 64-bit iPhone chip is a bigger deal than you think.

In the wake of Tuesday's iPhone event, you've likely heard the news that iOS 7 and its core apps have been ported to 64-bit, and Apple's new iPhone 5s now has a 64-bit "A7" system-on-chip (SoC) inside. You might have also heard that it's just a marketing stunt; a cynical attempt to wow consumers into buying Apple's latest and greatest iPhone. You heard wrong.

EVERYONE IS HARD AT WORK DEVELOPING 64-BIT MOBILE PROCESSORS
"This is the first ever [64-bit processor] in a phone of any kind," a triumphant Phil Schiller said on stage Tuesday, "I don't think the other guys are even talking about it yet." Yes, it’s the first, but Schiller is wrong about the competition. ARMv8, the architecture that Apple's new processor is undoubtedly based upon, has been out in the open for a year now, and Qualcomm, Samsung, Nvidia, Intel, and the rest are all hard at work developing 64-bit mobile processors. To hammer that point home, less than 48 hours after Apple's presentation Samsung announced that its upcoming high-end smartphones would include 64-bit SoCs, and Intel said its new processors will support a 64-bit Android kernel. Apple’s 64-bit boast may be short-lived: Nathan Brookwood, research fellow at the consultancy firm Insight 64, agrees that Apple "has seized 64-bit leadership in mobile devices," but notes that it’s only "nine to twelve months ahead of any Android competition." So why is Apple — and everybody else — pushing for this change?

Analysis: Despite fears, NSA revelations helping U.S. tech industry

SAN FRANCISCO - Edward Snowden's unprecedented exposure of U.S. technology companies' close collaboration with national intelligence agencies, widely expected to damage the industry's financial performance abroad, may actually end up helping.

Despite emphatic predictions of waning business prospects, some of the big Internet companies that the former National Security Agency contractor showed to be closely involved in gathering data on people overseas - such as Google Inc. and Facebook Inc. - say privately that they have felt little if any impact on their businesses.
Insiders at companies that offer remote computing services known as cloud computing, including Amazon and Microsoft Corp, also say they are seeing no fallout.
Meanwhile, smaller U.S. companies offering encryption and related security services are seeing a jump in business overseas, along with an uptick in sales domestically as individuals and companies work harder to protect secrets.

The iPhone 5C and the Allure of Shownership

When Apple introduced its less expensive version of the iPhone last week, many techies and tech followers — including me — groaned and poked fun at the shiny, toy-like designs. To me, the candy-colored bodies looked like a cheap marketing gimmick, a lazy throwback to iBook laptops from a decade or so ago. It seemed like a drastic diversion from the minimalistic, streamlined look that has become the norm for Apple’s current line of hardware products. I thought no one would want to buy them.

What the Google Street View Wi-Fi Decision Actually Means>

Is a Wi-Fi signal the equivalent of an FM radio station, blasting classic rock ballads through your car speakers?

Not to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which issued its long awaited decision in Joffe v. Google this week, the case where Google was sued for allegedly violating the Wiretap Act when its Street View cars sucked up data from wireless routers as it passed by.

The Background

Google's Street View feature allows users to see photographs of specific addresses on a Google map. To generate these pictures, Google deployed a fleet of cars with cameras mounted on top of their roofs to drive across the world and take pictures of everything it could. From 2007 to 2010 Google also equipped these cars with antennas and software that were capable of scanning wireless routers nearby in order to capture information like the network's name, a router's MAC addresses and whether a Wi-Fi network was encrypted or not.

4 Men Given Death Sentences in India Gang Rape!

NEW DELHI (AP) — A judge Friday sentenced to death the four men convicted in the December gang rape and murder of a young New Delhi woman, ordering them to the gallows for a brutal attack on a moving bus that left the young woman with such severe internal injuries that she died two weeks later.

Handing down the sentence, Judge Yogesh Khanna said that “courts cannot turn a blind eye” to such crimes, saying the attack “shocked the collective conscience” of India.

One of the four, 20-year-old Vinay Sharma, broke down as the sentence was read, his wail filling the tiny courtroom. Sharma was an assistant at a gym and the only one of the attackers to graduate from high school.
The sentence must be confirmed by India’s High Court. The men can appeal their case to the Supreme Court, and ask the president for clemency.

The victim’s family, along with numerous politicians and government officials, had long called for the men to be executed.

“I am very happy our girl has got justice,” said the victim’s father, who cannot be named under Indian laws guarding his daughter’s identity as a rape victim. The case has been closely followed across India, seen as a reflection on rampant mistreatment of women and the government’s inability to deal with crime.

Navy Yard gunman kills 12; dead shooter was contractor

Washington (CNN) -- The normal buzz of the Washington Navy Yard's 3,000 workers will be replaced by the meticulous work of forensics teams, looking for answers after a military contractor gunned down 12 people and wounded eight others.

The installation is closed Tuesday to all but essential personnel. Investigators have questions to ask, measurements to take and information to sift through.

Mid-morning, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and other Department of Defense leaders will lay a wreath at the Navy Memorial plaza to honor the victims of Monday's shooting.

Xmen storm::Halle Berry dancing at Earth, Wind & Fire concert

Halle Berry is clearly enjoying the last days of her maternity as she danced the night away at an Earth, Wind & Fire concert at the Hollywood Bowl, on Sunday.

Showing off her growing belly, the actress wore a clingy grey top that accentuated her pregnancy curves.
Completing the hip mama’s getup was a pair of slouchy Aladdin trousers and leather sandals.

The 47-year-old was joined for the packed show by her beau Olivier Martinez as they swayed in unison to the R&B tunes.

Davido's dreams come true as he sells out London's Indigo O2

Heard his performance last night at Indigo2 was electrifying. Well done! More photos after the cut..

 via > Lidaikeji'sblog

Emma Nyra Parent kissing.

Made Men Music first lady Emma Nyra with her mum, (left pic) and her mum and dad locking lips after church yesterday. She shared the photos on Instagram. So beautiful to see a couple this age in PDA. 

Frank Edoho VS Ebuka Obi-Uchendu on Twitter

Frank is the host of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire in Nigeria...so he took Ebuka's diss personal. A smart Alec is someone whose sarcastic, wisecracking, or humorous manner is delivered in an "offensive", "obnoxious", or cocky way. Like a Know-it-all.

Yemi Sax naming ceremony of his son.

Yemi Sax and his wife have named their son Ademide Gold Adeosun.
Eku ewu omo, as the Yorubas will say" lolz.