Tag Archives: iphone

Drying Out the Myths: Why Rice Might Be Your iPhone’s Worst Enemy After a Swim

It’s a common myth that burying your iPhone (or other brand) in rice is the go-to solution for liquid mishaps. The theory is that rice acts as a desiccant, drawing out the moisture and saving your precious device from a watery grave. But, let’s separate the wheat from the chaff here.

Drying Out the Myths: Why Rice Might Be Your iPhone's Worst Enemy After a Swim
Drying Out the Myths: Why Rice Might Be Your iPhone’s Worst Enemy After a Swim

The reality is, while rice may absorb some moisture, it’s not the most efficient or safest method for your tech. The tiny particles of rice can be quite mischievous. They’re small enough to sneak into your iPhone’s charging port, headphone jack, or speaker grills. Once inside, they can act like mini trojan horses, potentially causing more havoc than the liquid itself.

These stowaways can interfere with your phone’s connections, leading to distorted audio or charging woes. Even worse, during the drying process, these rice particles can absorb moisture and swell, becoming lodged in the nooks and crannies of your phone’s interior, where they can cause shorts or corrode circuits.

Drying Out the Myths: Why Rice Might Be Your iPhone's Worst Enemy After a Swim
Drying Out the Myths: Why Rice Might Be Your iPhone’s Worst Enemy After a Swim

So, while it might be tempting to use rice as a DIY rescue, it’s a grain of caution to remember that the potential damage from rice particles could leave your iPhone in a real sticky situation, possibly even voiding warranties or leading to costly repairs. Trust me, it’s a whole different kind of ‘rice cooker’ scenario you want to avoid!

For the tech-savvy and the gadget lovers out there, it’s best to stick to recommended practices for drying out your device.

Drying Out the Myths: Why Rice Might Be Your iPhone's Worst Enemy After a Swim
Drying Out the Myths: Why Rice Might Be Your iPhone’s Worst Enemy After a Swim

Apple advises against using external heat sources or compressed air and suggests gently tapping the phone against your hand with the Lightning connector facing down to remove excess liquid. Keep it upright and let it air dry in a well-ventilated place. And if you’re unsure, it’s always wise to consult with a professional who can handle your device with the care it deserves. After all, your iPhone is more sushi-grade tech, not something to be tossed into the rice bowl!

Gadget Man – Episode 173 – Repair your own Apple devices?

I’m back again for a new episode of the podcast which features me chatting to Lesley Dolphin at BBC Radio Suffolk about Apples plans to allow their devices to be repaired.

Pretty much everyone is in shock at this decision, which isn’t quite as welcome as it could be.

Listen in to the stream to find out more!

 

Repairing your Broken iPhone

From the vast selection of apps to the in-built Apple Music to the cost-saving iMessage; the array of exciting and creative features on offer are in their abundance. Is it of any surprise that so many people own an iPhone? It is certainly at the top of the tree when it comes to mobile phones.

However, as is the case for all gadgets, there are some common issues with the iPhone. This is not to take away from the brilliance of the product. From various televisions to computers, to indeed smartphones; there are always a few issues. As they say; nothing is perfect. So, here are three of the most common problems experienced with the iPhone…

  • A lot of people experience issues with their battery, such as quick drainage or inability to charge. 
  • Another common issue with the iPhone is problems with the home button. 
  • And then there are the clumsy individuals who drop their phone. Many repair companies will tell you that their biggest request is for iPhone screen repair. 

If you experience any of these issues, don’t panic! There are plenty of companies out there offering great iPhone phone repairs. However, this does mean that you need to be a little bit more mindful when deciding what repair company to utilise. There are a lot of businesses that use the Apple name to capitalise on the company’s popularity when in truth they have no training regarding the iPhone and thus their repair service is not of a high standard. To ensure you don’t end up in the hands of these businesses look out for the following attributes…

  • Genuine Apple parts – One of the first things you need to do is make sure that the company in question utilises 100 per cent genuine Apple parts. The importance of this cannot be underestimated. After all, Apple uses high-quality parts and if the repair company was not to match this then all it would do is further compromise your iPhone. 
  • Warranty – The best phone repair companies provide a warranty. This is imperative, even if the warranty is only of a month’s length. This shows that the company is confident with their repairs and you know that you are covered if any recurring issues arise.
  • Good reputation – Last but not least, do a little bit of research and read reviews which have been left by previous customers. This is the best way to get an honest assessment of what the company is all about. If a company is not genuine or does not provide a good service then you will easily be able to sniff this out online. 

Hopefully, you now have a better idea regarding the most common iPhone issues and how to deal with them. If you have an iPhone then it is always a good idea to have a quality repair company at hand just in case trouble arises. After all, most people can’t afford to go a day without their phone!

 

4 Simple Ways To Make Your Smartphone More Unique

We all carry a smartphone on us at all times these days and we rely on them for so many things. But if you carry something around on you at all times, shouldn’t you make it look good? A lot of people don’t really think about how their phone looks and they aren’t bothered that it looks just the same as everybody else’s phone, but if you want to make your phone more unique, there are some simple ways to customize it and make it your own. These are some of the best ways to personalize your smartphone and make it more unique.

Image From Pexels CCO License

Choose A Different Brand 

Everybody is walking around with iPhones or Samsungs, so if you want to set yourself apart from the crowd, why not go for something different? When you are choosing a phone, look at some of the less popular brands and see what they have to offer. In a lot of cases, the phone itself will be just as good as the well-known brands, but it will be a lot cheaper. You’ll get a more interesting phone that not as many people have and it will save you a lot of money at the same time. 

Get A Good Case 

Getting a good smartphone case is important because phones are fragile and the screen will easily break if you drop it. But you should also see your case as a good opportunity to personalize your smartphone and make it more unique. There are so many amazing cases out there, so when you are buying one, think about something that reflects you and your interests. For example, if you love cars, you can get some great Formula 1 Phone Cases online. You can also get custom made photo ones with pictures of your friends and family. The right case can make your phone a lot more unique to you while also protecting it from damage. 

Customize Your Wallpaper And Lock Screen 

The case makes a big difference, but you should also customize the wallpaper and lock screen on your phone. Usually, your phone comes with a default wallpaper, which will probably be pretty boring. If you want your phone to be unique to you, make sure to change it to something different right away, like a photo of your family and friends or a great picture of something that you are passionate about, like your favourite place. You can also make a live wallpaper with dynamic moving images, which is much better than a boring static picture. 

Add Widgets To The Home Screen 

You can improve the look of your phone and boost the user experience at the same time by adding a few widgets to the home screen. Most people already have things like a clock or the weather on their home screen, but why not add something more interesting?  You can get some great note-taking widgets to keep things organized or even use a custom widget-maker to create your own. 

Make these simple customizations and you can make your smartphone a lot more unique to you.

How To Be A Part Of The Smartphone Revolution

Each day the average amount of time a person spends on their smartphone increases, and now we have reached a stage in which some young adults spend upwards of 6 hours mindlessly scrolling. Getting involved with this from a business perspective can cause you to gain a considerable amount of profit, as you can join the smartphone revolution with your own unique company concept and become a great hit! Figuring out exactly how you can become a part of the mobile industry doesn’t have to be a difficult task, as there are a few unique ideas that may just be the perfect choice for you. So, if you want to know more about how you can cash in on modern societies smartphone obsession, then read on for some of the greatest pathways that you can take to reach ultimate business bliss in no time at all.

How To Be A Part Of The Smartphone Revolution
Image Source – Pexels

Get Creative With Applications 

One of the best things about smartphones is that you can download and play a seemingly endless amount of different games that can be tailored to suit your own specific likes and dislikes. You can play anything from fighting games to drift hunters unity games. The App Store contains a wealth of different genres for you to make the most of, whether that means education, socialising or just plain fun and games! If you have some knowledge regarding programming and previous technical experience to base your project on then feel free to dive straight in and code the algorithms yourself, as you will be able to get the most unique application that’s individual to your company. If you struggle with electronics then there’s no need to worry, as you can find bespoke iOS application Development teams that can do all of the hard work for you – simply approach them with your plans and explain your goals for the future so that they can fully understand your requirements. 

Repairing & Refurbishing

Despite the seemingly limitless selection of cases on offer today, so many people end up dropping, smashing or generally breaking their smartphones. It’s common to see a young person sporting a cracked screen, as it would seem that smartphone related built-in obsolescence has one of the shortest life cycles ever. As a result of this, getting into the repair business will ensure that you always have a job to do – people are always going to be clumsy, and smartphones will always be made just well enough for you to experience them in their prime for no longer than a couple of months. Sourcing old smartphones that can be refurbished into working models is also a good route to take, as you can buy parts for a very cheap price and make a full phone that can generate a nice profit, especially if you’re working with refurbished iPhones, which can still command a high price. It is, however, worth noting that there are already a lot of people offering this service, so you will need to ensure that your business is competitively priced if you want to be able to compete effectively with the competition.

Gadget Man – Episode 136 – What is happening to iTunes?

Apple has now officially announced that they are splitting the iTunes app into THREE different services in the next few months.

The 3 apps will focus on Music, TV and Podcasts and will finally separate these services from the iTunes app which was initially written synchronise copy-protected music to and from the first iPods.

Apple WWDC19
Apple WWDC19 – Image Credit: Apple Inc

Listen in to my interview with James Hazell on BBC Radio Suffolk to find out what iTunes was and what it will become in the near future.

Don’t forget to Like, Subscribe and Share and I will see you very soon

Matt

Gadget Man – Episode 130 – Why are people not upgrading their phones as often?

Many of us will remember the halcyon days when upgrading our mobile phone handsets was a six-month event.

No so now it would seem, instead, we are waiting much longer and are clearly looking for greater incentives to part with our beloved devices and even more importantly, our money.

You can listen into my interview with James Hazell on BBC Radio Suffolk where I talk about why the smartphone market is slowing down. Click on the link above to hear what I had to say. 

A Short(ish) History

My first mobile phone was bought in 1993 (some 26 years ago) from Dixons in Derby. It was an NEC P100 and I think it cost me £50 and then £7.50 per month for the contract with Vodafone, no calls were included, so I paid 50p per minute if I did need to call anyone.

The phone itself ran on the old 1G analogue network at 900MHz which was very quickly superceded by the digital 2G networks split between 900MHz for Vodafone and Cellnet and the alternative 1800Mhz for Orange and Mercury One2One.

Note: if you don’t recognise many of these names, it’s because due to buyouts, rebrands and mergers, Vodafone remained, Orange became EE, Cellnet became BT Cellnet, then O2. Mercury One2One became just One2One and then changed to T-Mobile which in turn is merged with Orange to become EE. Then of course 3 launched a 3g service later on and of course, two dozen or so ‘piggy-back’ operators such as Giffgaff, Sky Mobile, Virgin etc, who don’t, in fact, run their own networks but instead using the Big Four’s network. 

So my first phone was relatively cheap in today’s terms and in fact in ‘yesterdays’ terms too. the NEC P100 was meant to be a durable portable phone which it was and I kept it for some years until the analogue network was phased out and I had to get a more modern phone. The 2G network roll-out in the UK caused a market explosion and along with it came the Nokia 5110 and then 3310 phones which completely dominated the marketplace.

This explosion in popularity came with reasonably cheap phones with cheap and short contracts, this meant that phones could be renewed quite regularly and soon cupboards would start filling up with unwanted and out of date devices, fuelling development and in reality, a war between manufacturers and networks to provide more and more functionality. Heading this surge was Orange and O2 who had struck up a deal with little known manufacturer HTC to produce the very first Microsoft Windows CE based ‘Smartphones’, long before the birth of the iPhone.

HTC was at the time manufacturing the Compaq and HP iPaq Pocket PC and by adding cellular functionality, the Orange SPV (Sounds, Pictures and Video) and O2 XDA (extended PDA) began to be sold and the Smartphone was born.

Suddenly our dumb phones became ‘Smartphones’ and with it rapidly increasing prices. These costs had to be passed onto consumers via increased contracts with longer minimum terms (mainly to allow for the handset and network infrastructure costs to be absorbed ). Minimum six-month contracts became twelve, then eighteen, then twenty-four months. All of this was necessary to pay for the device and network overheads!

The phone networks began bundling minutes (and later, data), in part to placate phone users who were starting to become caught up in the ever increasing contract times.  Subsequently, devices became more expensive, resulting in more expensive contracts.

With the launch of Apple’s iPhone, O2 and T-Mobile began offering ‘all you can eat’ data plans in order for these data-hungry devices to take advantage of the vast amount of content appearing. Once the iPhone 3G was launched, with its ability to consume vast amounts of bandwidth and data, the all-you-can-eat model was scrapped or altered with ‘acceptable usage’ policies to limit data consumption, unless you were prepared to pay more.

Now that the smartphone had become established as a Super-Gadget, the manufacturers began an ‘Arms-Race’ to establish themselves as the Go-To brand in the multi-billion dollar marketplace, the likes of Apple, Samsung, Nokia, Motorola, LG, Sony and HTC began pumping billions into product development, patent registrations, cross-licensing and all-out war!

In turn, the Smartphone industry has driven bigger, better, faster and more costly devices into the consumers’ hands! Meanwhile, in China, Xiaomi, Huawei and Honor are producing comparable and in some cases, better products, the market is now awash with products that were once competing with each other but are now blurring their differences making it difficult to see the differences

Summing Up

We now have a smart-device marketplace with astoundingly high-quality handsets costing £1000 plus! How can we justify paying over £100 a month for a mobile phone contract, when we are struggling to differentiate between ‘last-years’ model?

What is needed now is for the manufacturers to take a breath! They need to find out what their customers really want. Maybe we are becoming tired and bewildered of being told what functions we need by these companies and it’s time for them to start listening to their consumers.

Matt Porter
The Gadget Man

 

 

 

 

Gadget Man – Episode 109 – Mobile Devices in the Classroom

On Friday I spoke to Jenny Kendall-Tobias on BBC Radio Guernsey about children carrying mobile phones in classrooms.

This followed an interview  in the Daily Telegraph two weeks ago with Matt Hancock MP, Minister of State for Digital and Culture. He gave his views on the use of mobile phones in class by children and what he believed headteachers should be doing to tackle the issue.

Matt Hancock - All rights reserved by Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Matt Hancock MP – Credit: Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

“Technology makes being a parent much harder. And schools have a big role too. I enthusiastically support using technology for teaching. But we also need to teach children how to stay safe with technology. Why do young children need phones in schools?”

“There are a number of schools across the country that simply don’t allow them. I believe that very young children don’t need to have access to social media. While it is up to individual schools to decide rather than government, I admire headteachers who do not allow mobiles to be used during the school day. I encourage more schools to follow their lead. The evidence is that banning phones in schools works.”

“Studies have shown mobile phones can have a real impact on working memory and fluid intelligence, even if the phone is on a table or in a bag.”

Following this article, I was asked to appear on Jenny’s show to discuss my thoughts on children carrying mobile phones in classrooms.

Mobile phone use in school - Credit: IntelFreePress / Flickr
Mobile phone use in school – Credit: IntelFreePress / Flickr

You might be surprised to hear that I don’t think mobile devices have a place on the classroom. They are an enormous distraction and I think they pose a very real safeguarding issue within the school where they could be used inappropriately and there is also a very clear issue of peer pressure, with device cost stretching to £1000. There is also a problem with children carrying extremely valuable devices to and from school, which again exhibits a danger of theft.

If you feel differently, please let me know if the comments and of course you can listen in to the interview by click on the link above.

[amazon_link asins=’B076GV8DCL,B076H1YM9T’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’uk=1′ marketplace=’UK’ link_id=’5b8d618a-81c6-11e8-930f-e51c9f8d8d3b’]

 

Orbitsound ONE P70W – Connected Speaker Review with All-in-one Airsound, Subwoofer, Wi-Fi and more!

It is always particularly interesting to test technology that has been developed by leaders in their particular sector, so I was very excited about visiting Orbitsound in London to have a demonstration of their ONE P70W Speakers.

Orbitsound ONE P70W - All-in-one Airsound with Subwoofer and Wi-Fi and more! review by Matt Porter, The Gadget ManOrbitsound was founded by Ted Fletcher, the inventor of Airsound™ technology. Ted has been working for many years as a  musician, audio engineer, electronics designer and studio designer, to give the listener a more realistic, more immersive sound experience. These years of experience in the industry led to the release in 2017 of the Orbitsound ONE P70, the worlds first multi-orientation speaker, meaning regardless of where you stand, it sound remains the same.

Orbitsound ONE P70W - All-in-one Airsound with Subwoofer and Wi-Fi and more! review by Matt Porter, The Gadget Man
The controls for the Orbitsound ONE P70W are found at the side of the speaker

The P70W is designed in such as way that it can be shelf or wall-mounted. It has a narrow design (700mm wide x 173mm deep x 77mm high), this allows for comfortably mounting below a flat screen television or on a wall as a ‘party’ speaker. It’s built from wood and steel and can be purchased in matte black, bambo or bone white weighing in a 5.1kg.

Orbitsound ONE P70W - All-in-one Airsound with Subwoofer and Wi-Fi and more! review by Matt Porter, The Gadget ManSound is provided by two (front and top) 2″ ‘Orbitsound MK4 drivers’, a Sub-bass low-profile 5.25″ driver and 2X2 Airsound Orbitsound MK4 drivers. By positioning the main speakers both front and top mean that sound production is maintains regardless of how the speaker mounted.

Connectivity is provided by Bluetooth, Optical cable, 3.5mm stereo jack and the Wi-Fi. The Wi-Fi feature is the most impressive as it allows streaming of audio from a variety of sources without the loss of quality associated with Bluetooth, effectively allowing for uncompressed playback of music. It also allows for multi-speaker / multi-room playback with perfectly synchronised sound and zero delay. This is achieved by using the Orbitsound Smartphone app (Android and iOS) which supports streaming providers and internet radio stations and allows you to ‘group’ sets of speakers to create one virtual speaker. When I was given a demonstration of this at the Orbitsound offices, 3 separate speakers, both wall and shelf mounted were grouped together using the app. I was then asked to close my eyes to try and decide where I thought the sound was coming from. It was unearthly as it sounded like it was coming out of thin air, very impressive!

Orbitsound ONE P70W - All-in-one Airsound with Subwoofer and Wi-Fi and more! review by Matt Porter, The Gadget Man
The Orbitsound App running on Android. Streaming from Tunein

The app currently supports TuneIn, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Tidal, Napster, Apple Music (iOS only) and of course your own device stored music. If you are absolutely focused on using other services such as Google Play Music or Amazon, then you can of course stream using Bluetooth. I used the speak in conjunction with my Amazon Dot, as well as my iMac and Xperia XZ Premium, all worked flawlessly.

I was also able to connect the speaker to my Freesat HD box using the supplied optical cable. This worked great, although the Freesat box had a bug with Netflix which meant it would only broadcast Dolby sound. This was a simple configuration on the Freesat box and all was working again.

The speaker comes with very nicely designed remote control and you can also use you own remote control using the speakers ‘learning mode’. I was able to control the speaker using my TV remote within a couple of seconds of setup.

The people at Orbitsound definitely had the environment in mind when they designed the P70W as it is built to power-down  components that aren’t used, but power up instantly when required.

Orbitsound ONE P70W - All-in-one Airsound with Subwoofer and Wi-Fi and more! review by Matt Porter, The Gadget ManQuite a bit of thought has gone into small details on the P70W with the inclusion of reversible LED information display and Orbitsound badge. This might seem small things but they count as you really wouldn’t want to be showing off your new speaker to friends and have the badge upside down. integrated wall mounting and 200mm VESA bosses and bolts are included to allow you to get going straightaway with unnecessary visits to AV stores to buy mounting kits. There is also a protective sleeve for the speaker, to protect it when not in use.

The speaker also comes with a standard power cord, aux cable, quick-start guide and safety and warranty information, all packaged up in a very smart box. The useful inclusion of a carry handle was helpful too, as I carried a demonstration unit to the train station.

The Orbitsound P70W feels like a speaker that can fit many needs, be that as a Sound-bar for your TV, a party speaker for gatherings of people and the facility to extend your listening experience to multiple speakers. The smart design of the speakers means that it they would sit very comfortably in a professional or public environment. The whole family has really enjoy the quality and versatility of the speaker and we’ll be sad to see it go.

At £399, the Orbitsound P70W is great value for buyers looking for a richer smoother sound regardless of their position in the room.

Apple WWDC 2016 Watch Party comes to Adastral Park

Following successful events featuring Microsoft and Google, Coderus and Innovation Martlesham are hosting the Apple WWDC Watch Party at Adastral Park in Ipswich, sponsored by BT and the IP Network.

The event is being held at the John Bray Lecture Theatre on
Monday 13th June 2016 from 4.30pm – 9pm and features Apple demos and the chance to network, the live streamed Keynote starts at 6pm with a panel discussion at 7.45pm with the event wrapping up at 9pm.

We’re told that places are limited and registration closes on
12th June 2016, so if you are interested in attending you will need to REGISTER soon!

This is a FREE event, but because Adastral Park is a secure site attendance is by registration only. Upon registration attendees will be issued a security pass, which must be shown on arrival.

4.30 – Door Open
4.45 – Apple Demos & Networking
5.45 – Move to Auditoium
6.00 – Keynote Presentations (Live Stream)
7.30 – Keynote Finish (subject to change) – break
7.45 – Panel Discussion
9.00 – Close

To register for the event, click HERE or contact Coderus to discuss your requirements.