Technology

Apple introduced its latest entry-level iPhone, the iPhone 16e, featuring major upgrades and a significant price increase compared to its predecessor, the iPhone SE series. The new device incorporates the same AI-capable processor found in the standard iPhone 16 lineup released last fall. This chip enables features like text and audio summarization, dynamic emoji creation, and enhanced Siri functionality. The phone also comes with improved battery life and camera capabilities. These enhancements come with a substantial price adjustment, as the iPhone 16e starts at $600 - a 40% increase from the previous iPhone SE's $430 price point. While more expensive than before, it remains $200 cheaper than the base iPhone 16 model. The device will hit stores on February 28, with pre-orders beginning Friday. The pricing strategy reflects Apple's challenge in balancing market expansion with profit margins. Forrester Research analyst […]

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) announced plans to organize nationwide protests against recent telecommunications tariff increases, with potential service disruptions starting March 1, 2025, if demands aren't met. Following their Central Working Committee meeting in Lokoja, Kogi State, the NLC outlined a two-phase response to the price changes. The initial phase involves a daily three-hour service boycott of MTN, AIRTEL, and GLO from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM, beginning February 13, 2025, and continuing through month-end. The organization called for an immediate reversal to previous tariff rates in an official statement jointly signed by NLC President Joe Ajaero and General Secretary Emmanuel Ugboaja. The statement also discouraged the purchase of data packages from these providers, citing concerns about consumer exploitation. The labor organization has instructed its state councils to begin member mobilization and public awareness campaigns. NLC affiliate unions nationwide […]

Sam Altman, OpenAI's chief executive, has established a strategic partnership with South Korean technology company Kakao, as his firm navigates increased competition following DeepSeek's emergence in the global artificial intelligence market. Kakao, which operates South Korea's dominant messaging platform KakaoTalk along with major banking and taxi-hailing services, announced on Tuesday it would integrate ChatGPT into its new AI offerings. This alliance forms part of OpenAI's broader strategic positioning within the industry, supported by the Stargate initiative - a $500 billion AI infrastructure investment program announced by President Donald Trump. The emergence of DeepSeek has created significant ripples in Silicon Valley, with industry observers noting its impressive performance capabilities and competitive cost structure. This development has prompted increased scrutiny of U.S. AI development strategies. During his Seoul visit, Altman expressed enthusiasm about the partnership: "We're excited to bring advanced AI to […]

Meta is working to resolve a technical issue on Instagram where searches for "Democrat" or "Democrats" display a "results hidden" message. The timing of this problem, occurring after President Donald Trump's inauguration which Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg attended, has led some users to suggest political bias. Meta has denied these claims, stating that the technical issue affects various hashtags, including some Republican-related terms. Social media expert Matt Navarra describes the situation as "embarrassing" for Instagram. "In a hyper-partisan environment, even unintentional errors like this can escalate into accusations of partisanship," he noted. "If these issues are not resolved quickly they risk fuelling conspiracy theories and damaging Meta's reputation." Currently, searching "#Democrat" or "#Democrats" shows no results, while "#Republican" displays 3.3 million posts. Manual searches for "Democrats" show a message stating "we've hidden these results" and warning about potentially sensitive content. […]