Telecom
Xiaomi Mi4 Built With Incredible Power, Fast Software

The Xiaomi Mi4 is one of the biggest handset releases in Nigeria in 2015 and deserves testing one out.
Here is the experience you are going to get upon using the smartphone:
Up: Xiaomi Mi4 proves to be amazingly built with quality, fast software, excellent hardware and pocket-friendly.
Down: It is unbelievable that Xiaomi Mi4 has no Micro SD card slot; showing that the design is a clear imitation of the iPhone.
Design & Display (DD)
The Mi4 come with a metal chassis fronted by a Gorilla Glass screen and backed with a plastic rear panel. Along the bottom you’ll find a single speaker and again looking like the one seen on the iPhone 5.
The device uses MicroUSB-B, a clear departure from what “regular” smartphones use which is MicroUSB-A.
The USB-B connection will still fit, however, but there’s the added danger of inserting it upside down here.
Sleek phones loving Nigerians will definitely find a “companion” in Xiaomi Mi4, especially for it semblance with iPhone.
The hardware (body) build quality is fantastic, and the use of metal equates the smartphone to a standard not usually associated with Android arena.
The 5in IPS display is also striking and very impressive, sporting a full HD 1080 x 1920 pixel resolution and rock-solid viewing angles.
Interestingly, the display is easily seen in direct sunlight, and boasts the kind of colour replication you’d expect from a top of the line handset.
Hardware and Performance (HP)
While the Xiaomi Mi4’s price may be well below what you’d pay for an iPhone 6 or Galaxy S5 –– in Nigeria, of course, it retails for less than N50,000.
Mi4 has some elegant specifications, including a quad-core Snapdragon 801 chipset clocked at 2.5GHz. That’s backed by 3GB of RAM, all of which provides a silky-smooth user experience and amazing performance when playing 3D games.
The 3G unit we reviewed comes with 16GB of storage while the 4G unit has 64 gigabytes .
It’s worthy of note that there is no way to add in more storage using Micro SD cards, so you’ll have to choose wisely if you like downloading lots of content.
Also, NFC is also missing, which iis not pleasant when you consider that the tech is likely to take off in a big way now that Apple is officially supporting it with its new iPhone models.
Software (MIUI)
Xiaomi’s MIUI (pronounced, “Me-You-Eye”) is snap on Android.
In the case of MIUI 5, which ships with the Mi4, it’s built on Android 4.3.
However, unlike other manufacturers Xiaomi has been quite aggressive with its UI skin.
Unlike to a Western user who may not enjoy not Google apps, largely because Android phones sold in China rarely come with such software pre-installed, Nigerians can (though a Google Installer application) load up everything you need, from Gmail to Google Play.
While MIUI 5 was the OS that shipped with the device reviewed, it is upgradable to MIUI 6 (based on Android 4.4), which isn’t officially available as yet but can easily be flashed to the phone using a dedicated application.
Another feature of MIUI that makes it feel like iOS is the lack of an app drawers. Of course, all time Android fans may find it hard to get adapt. But, you can still use widgets as normal.
There is minor change on the MIUI based as the notification bar at the top of the screen no longer displays any icons, and instead you have to slide down the notification panel to see what messages you have.
The challenge is the possible of one often missing notifications or ignored them purely because they didn’t flash up in the bar.
But, designers at Mi are smart enough to compensate. Thus, notifications now pop up at the top of the screen no matter what activity you’re involved in –– just like they do in iOS.
MIUI 6 are very cool; coming with “Do Not Disturb” option built into the OS itself, and there are little customizations to play around with, including a menu which allows you to control the colour temperature of the screen.
Most of all though, MIUI is fast; perhaps not as swift as stock Android on a Nexus 5, but certainly meets the fancy.
Battery and Camera (BC)
The Mi4 has a large 3080mAh battery, and edges of the in the Galaxy S5 in terms of size. It seems there is behind the scenes operations that ensure the Mi4 lasts longer than most of its big-screen rivals.
This is because, it lasts almost three entire days out of the pphone. This has not been the case with an Android phone for some time now.
It’s actually possible to select from different battery profiles, but most interesting to us is the “Balanced” mode that left most features running and intact, presumably dialing down the Snapdragon 801 chipset in order to save on the juice. Regardless of what tactics Xiaomi is adopting to preserve battery life, the Mi4’s stamina supercede others of same status.
Xiaomi Mi4 brandished its Sony-made 13MP camera and that is equally impressive.
It offers excellent picture quality and fast focus times. The Mi4 is capable of producing some spectacular images, even if it does occasionally struggle with high-contrast areas.
Verdict
Xiaomi understands that iPhone hasn’t made significant inroads to Nigeria, which might have spurred it to through up the “iPhone of China” into the market late last year.
However, and with its incredible power and a gorgeous design; making it one of the best phones of 2015 (in Nigeria) , as long as you can put up with snatches of Chinese text, there are drawbacks also. Without Micro SD card slot being possibly the most obvious and the lack of 4G in this launch model is also an issue.
Not including NFC seems very shortsighted by Xiaomi.
Nonetheless, it is worth putting up with due to the speed and the design being the most aesthetically pleasing Android handsets in the market now.
Telecom
Paradigm Initiative Warns of AI-Driven Hate Speech, Urges Global Tech Reform

As the world commemorates the International Day for Countering Hate Speech, Paradigm Initiative (PIN) is calling on big tech companies to intensify their efforts in combating online hate speech and ensuring respect for fundamental human rights.
PIN’s 2024 Londa report highlights the widespread prevalence of hate speech online. In Angola, for instance, at least 25 content removal requests were made in connection with hate speech, harassment, and political misinformation. Globally, the consequences of unchecked hate speech have been severe—ranging from incitement to violence and heightened ethnic tensions to the targeting of vulnerable communities, including minorities, women, and foreigners.
Nigeria witnessed a tragic example in 2018 when a Facebook post showing a massacre in Plateau State was viewed more than 11,000 times, triggering ethnic conflict and resulting in fatalities. In South Africa, inadequate content moderation has worsened the problem, while in Ethiopia in 2021, a false Facebook post led to the killing of a man wrongly implicated in a scandal. India saw a surge in hate speech during its elections.
PIN notes that actors behind hate speech are becoming increasingly sophisticated, often leveraging technologies like artificial intelligence to boost visibility. Meanwhile, existing moderation systems—especially for non-English content—struggle to keep up.
Bridgette Ndlovu, PIN’s Partnerships and Engagements Officer, said, “Hate speech online is a direct attack on the dignity and safety of individuals.” She urged technology companies to adopt transparent and effective moderation strategies and to prioritize human rights in their operations.
The spread of hate speech raises complex challenges for lawmakers. Governments are trying to regulate harmful content such as misinformation and harassment while protecting freedom of speech. However, PIN warns that hate speech laws should not be misused to arbitrarily detain human rights defenders or stifle dissenting voices.
To address these concerns, PIN recommends that tech companies invest more in moderating non-English content to reflect local nuances, improve transparency around government takedown requests, promote digital literacy—particularly in underserved regions—and conduct regular human rights due diligence, aligned with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
Telecom
Moniepoint Deepens Commitment to Africa’s Future Through Education and Innovation

Moniepoint Inc, one of Africa’s leading financial institutions partnered with the Mega Impact Foundation to support the 5th edition of the NextGen Connect Interschool Oratory Competition in Asaba, Delta state. This collaboration showcases Moniepoint’s unwavering commitment to youth empowerment and human capital development across the African continent.
The competition, which was held commemoratively to celebrate this year’s International Day of the Boy Child, brought together SS2 students from across Delta State to address the critical theme: “The Role of Financial Inclusion and Technology in Shaping a Brighter Future for Young People in Africa.” Moniepont has received critical acclaim over its core mission of advancing financial inclusion through innovative digital financial technology solutions and payment services..
The oratory competition showcased exceptional talent among Nigeria’s youth, with Otovo Praise of Crystalloid International School emerging as the champion. His outstanding performance earned him a full-year scholarship through the Tosin Eniolorunda STEM Foundation, reflecting Moniepoint’s philosophy of investing in educational excellence. Second-place winner Audi Innocent of St Patrick’s College received ₦300,000, while third-place winner, Asher David of Glorious Kids Academy was awarded ₦200,000.
“At Moniepoint, we believe that driving sustainable innovation begins with future-proofing and expanding the talent pool by empowering the next generation with the tools that they need to succeed especially basic literacy skills which remain fundamental pillars in socio-economic development,” said Tosin Eniolorunda, CEO Moniepoint Inc. “These young voices represent the future of African leadership, and their insights into financial inclusion and technology demonstrate the remarkable potential that exists within our communities. Through our various educational and developmental initiatives such as the CAD/CAM lab we donated to OAU last year or the Moniepoint DreamDevs programme, we are betting big on an investment in Africa’s future.”
The initiative extends beyond monetary rewards, creating meaningful platforms for young people to express their ideas on a global stage. Through its support of the NextGen Connect Conference and Tech-In-School conversations, Moniepoint is fostering an environment where youth can develop critical thinking skills, build confidence, and engage with pressing societal issues.
In her remarks, Founder, Mega Impact Foundation, Florence Ogonegbu said that “we reaffirm our commitment to building an Africa where every young person has simplified access to sustainable education, capacity building, and empowerment. By leveraging technology and local initiatives, we are creating platforms that enable our youth to thrive and transform their communities.
“Together with partners like Moniepoint, we are not just shaping futures—we are driving a movement for social development that will resonate globally. Every boy, every young person, deserves the opportunity to unlock their full potential and drive lasting impact across our continent.”
The competition received additional support from the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Delta State, highlighting the collaborative approach required to nurture young talent effectively.
Telecom
Zoho Unveils Zia Hubs to Harness AI Insights from Unstructured Business Data

Zoho, a global technology company, today launched Zia Hubs, a solution within Zoho WorkDrive that brings new forms of unstructured business data into the company’s broad portfolio of applications and AI services. Using Zia Hubs, organisations can now present any type of business content to Zoho’s powerful capabilities and services—including agentic AI, comprehensive analysis, and accurate, unified search—regardless of file format or structure.
“According to IDC, 80 percent of business data is unstructured,” said Kehinde Ogundare, Country Head, Zoho Nigeria. “Most unstructured data is text-based, meaning pertinent information lives within email conversations, social media posts, word processor documents, or audio and video transcripts. With Zia Hubs built into the full product suite, Zoho can provide customers with a deeper integration than any comparable software platform and nearly limitless potential uses for their data.”
Deeper Intelligence Accessing More Customer Data
Launching as part of Zoho WorkDrive, Zia Hubs brings content intelligence to the company’s unified content management and collaboration platform. Designed with a high level of user control over what content AI is allowed to access, Zia Hubs enables users to organise project or task-specific content into dedicated hubs within WorkDrive. Each hub serves as a focused space where Zia, Zoho’s flagship AI, can understand and act on the content stored within. This includes a wide range of formats such as PDFs, documents, videos, and audio files.
Zia Hubs automatically organises uploaded content by grouping related information—such as section headings, supporting text, and visuals—to preserve context. For video and audio files, Zia generates transcripts and links key moments to relevant topics, making it easier to pinpoint exactly where something was said.
With Zia Hubs, users can surface the most relevant answers when asked a question, even across different content formats. Each response includes clear citations that link back to the original content, whether it is a document, spreadsheet, image, or a specific moment in an audio or video file.
Organisations can also create custom workflows with Zoho Flow, automating document storage processes for particular projects or specific teams. This ensures that Zia always has access to the latest necessary documents automatically.
Furthermore, content from third-party software—such as Docusign PDFs, RingCentral call logs, Zoom video files—are all readable by Zia, and can be automatically placed into a hub by building a workflow with Zoho Flow.
From Intelligent Content to Intelligent Action with Zia
Zia Hubs is a foundational element of Zoho’s long-term AI strategy. It lays the groundwork for a future where intelligent agents can act contextually on content across the company’s entire product suite. With full ownership of its technology stack spanning more than 55 products, Zoho is uniquely positioned to help organisations unlock deeper value from their business content compared to competitors.
Potential use cases for Zia Hubs include: a legal team’s content hub hosting a case’s relevant files: court files, correspondence, and research, allowing a lawyer to have Zia provide summaries with citations without having to manually scan lengthy files to gain insights; a company’s support center placing call logs into a hub, then querying Zia to identify trends, like, “Have we received an increase in calls regarding specific issues?”
Future updates to Zia Hubs will enable it to identify structured information within unstructured files and trigger specialised agents tailored to specific business needs. This will further establish Zia Hubs as the central content intelligence layer that activates AI-native workflows across the full Zoho ecosystem.
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