As technology gets more integrated into our daily lives, it also integrates into religions. Muslims, especially during the holy month of Ramadan, engage in a lot of religious activities in the day time and night and technology helps in making their tasks easier.
A phone alarm wakes for them for sahoor (predawn meal) and signals prayer times five times daily; its compass shows qiblah (direction of Ka’bah in Mecca, where Muslims face during prayers); a recorded voice reads aloud the Quran. And apps show closest mosques and halal restaurants.
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There are numerous apps that show the local times of sunrise and sunset, between which Muslims are expected to abstain from food, drink and sexual pleasures.
Apart from this, there are some other apps and platforms that can help to keep diet management during the fasting month.
Here are some apps that help Muslims during Ramadan:
Digital Quran (al Quran, Quran for Android)
The Holy Book (Quran) was revealed to the prophet Muhammad during Ramadan so it’s a custom to spend more time reading it this month. Carrying a physical Quran as you go through your daily activities can be a hassle so Qur’an apps such as al Quran and Quran for Andriod are pretty handy.
With the app, it’s possible to read the entire text, its translations and listen to commentary in various languages. Some even allow users to search the text and listen to verse-by-verse recitations.
Food delivery apps and halal restaurants (Jumia Foods, TripAdvisor)
The apps geo-locate your closest fast foods and restaurants. It also lets you read and write reviews, review the halal authenticity, view opening times and prices etc.
Ramadan Legacy
With so many distractions here and there, keeping track of your progress during Ramadan can be tasking. However, the Ramadan Legacy app makes it easier to track progress using an interactive timeline that shows all Ramadan achievements throughout the month.
It works by asking you what your personal goals are for the month and then encourages you to achieve them through daily and inspirational reminders. An example is the daily reminders for your mandatory prayers and Tarawih (night) prayers.
Muslim Pro
Muslim Pro app removes the need to find out just when the sunrise or sets. The app will notify you of the accurate prayer times and even play call-to-prayer sounds to announce when it’s time to break the fast.
Muslim Pro is used by more than 40 million Muslims around the world
There is also a compass to show you the direction to Mecca and a full audio Holy Quran translated into 15 different languages to help with prayers.
Calorie Counter and Diet Tracker
It is always tempting to dig in and start binging when the fast breaks but it’s important to watch your calories and eat healthily. Tracking apps like Calorie Counter and Diet Tracker can help with that.
The app helps you in watching what you eat and counting your calories. This guarantees that you won’t put on extra pounds and also gives you the opportunity to eat healthily and keep fit.
Alarms (Sleep Bot)
Waking up at the right time could be the difference between you having something to eat before the sun comes up. Alarms and apps like Sleep Bot allows users to set smart alarms for a time when you’ll wake up at the right time feeling fresh-faced and rested.
The app also uses your phone to track your movement and the noise you make at night to work out the quality of the sleep you’re getting.
And 2 tech products, one tech pitch event for start-up entrepreneurs in Ramadan
NOTAP launches TSB in Northeast
In order to demystify technology and infuse the interest for science courses on the Nigeria school Children, the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) has launched Technology Story Board (TSB) project in Gombe State for the Northeast zone. The launching of TSB in Gombe is in continuation of the zonal launching of the project in the six geopolitical zones which started with North West in Katsina in 2020
TSB is a pictorial or graphical step by step representation of production processes from the raw materials stage to a finished product.
The project was initiated by NOTAP in 2014 as a strategic means of popularizing Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) among younger Nigerians at the basic school level. However, the national launching of the TSB took place in 2015 in FCT, Abuja.
Speaking at the launch, the Director General of NOTAP Dr. DanAzumi Mohammed Ibrahim said that TSB is a carefully and consciously drafted programme by NOTAP in collaboration with some production companies to demystify technology through pictorial illustration of product manufacturing processes for easier understanding and appreciation by the Nigerian Children.
He stated that the project is targeted at young Nigerians at secondary and primary school levels whose interest may aroused by the product production pictures displayed on their school walls to appreciate science subjects.
The Director General reiterated the importance of the programme to the technological growth of our nation, adding that the philosophy behind the project is that when children go through the technology story board for six years, there is likelihood of them developing interest in sciences.
OPPO Nigeria launches A96 smartphone
OPPO Nigeria has announced the launch of OPPO A96 in the country.
The phone maker said OPPO A96 is equipped with the 5000mAh long-lasting battery and 33W SUPERVOOCTM flash charging.
The firm said the phone is complemented by the OPPO glow design that allows the phone to be scratch and fingerprint resistant, 6.59-inch 90Hz Colour-Rich Punch-Hole Display with 96% NTSC wide color gamut that is managed by the OPPO’s self-developed adaptive refresh Rate Technology to deliver an immersive viewing experience.
“Some captivating features embedded in the OPPO A96 includes the All-day AI Eye Comfort which enhances the screen visibility in bright or dim environments based on the levels of ambient light. The display now covers more of the color spectrum, making image colors even truer, richer, and more captivating. It also features a 6.59-inch 90Hz Colour-Rich Punch-Hole Display with 90.8% screen-to-body ratio and 1080×2412 FHD resolution.
“The OPPO A96 design is deliberate. This is why the fingerprint sensor has been moved to the side of the phone so as to create a slimmer, more premium look and feel. Equipped with The 5000mAh (typical) battery gives users the necessary battery power to stay connected. The battery allows users to text on WhatsApp for up to 154 hours while 33W SUPERVOOCTM fast charging gives users more flexibility with a 30-minute charge providing 55%4 of battery power. In addition, OPPO has made great strides in improving the battery usage efficiency with features such as Super Power Saving Mode based on the power-saving strategies, such as CPU frequency adjustment and backlight regulation that adopts on specific apps to extend battery life. OPPO A96 also features Optimized Night Charging, which allows the phone’s AI to learn the user’s sleep patterns and schedule a segmented battery charging plan during the nighttime’’, the phone maker said.
Speaking about the device, Jennifer Okorhi, OPPO Nigeria Marketing Manager said that OPPO Nigeria is indeed pleased to have created a phone that screams affordable luxury for their customers. She said the OPPO A96 is jam-packed with amazing features carefully thought out to provide their customers with the very best at an insanely affordable price.
