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smartphones

OK so, it's safe to say that us millennials a are tad bit over-reliant on our smart phones. 

They're one of the most powerful pieces of technology ever created, allowing us to stay connected on a global scale – and perhaps most importantly, they're a damn good way to kill time.  

Whether we're texting friends, keeping up with the latest news, or updating our social media platforms, we spend an ungodly amount of time scrolling on our devices – and the exact figure will shock you to your very core. 

According to a new online tool called Thumb Miles, the average phone user scrolls for around five hours each day, which is equivalent to the height of Mount Everest every year, the length of the London Marathon every five years, and 7843 double-decker buses every 10 years. 

Now, if that's not enough to scare you into cutting back on your phone usage, I don't know what is. 

You can calculate you own stats over on Thumb Miles – How Far Do You Scroll With Your Thumb?.

Simply choose the usage time that applies to you to find out just how far you scroll every day, week, month, year and so on. 

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Hallelujah! 

There's nothing more annoying then a dead phone battery, expect perhaps how long it takes to fully charge it again. 

Well, it looks like our prayers have finally been answered. 

An Israeli firm are said to be working on a smartphone battery that could charge in as little as five minutes.  

The FlashBattery has been engineered to charge from empty to full capacity, one hundred times faster than the average smartphone, and could be available as yearly as next year. 

But of course, there's a catch.

The batteries have shorter life spans than those currently on the market, but the firms reckons the incredibly charging speed more than makes up for this minor set back.

However, Ben Wood, a technology analyst at CSS Insight told BBC News that he doubts the company can meet their target because they would need to tackle a host of technical ans safety issues, including how hot the battery would become.

But with a five minute charge time, we're pretty sure we could make peace with a roasting hot phone. 

 

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According to emerging reports, multiple smartphones have been affected by malware which was installed before the devices even made it to designated stores.

It has been established that cyber security firm, Check Point, detected a “severe infection” on 38 handsets which were being used by two of its corporate clients, a telecommunications firm and a multinational technology company.

Informing the public of developments, Check Point, explained: "According to the findings, the malware were already present on the devices even before the users received them."

"The malicious apps were not part of the official ROM supplied by the vendor, and were added somewhere along the supply chain."

Highlighting the severity of the situation, the firm's blog post continued: "Pre-installed malware compromise the security even of the most careful users."

"In addition, a user who receives a device already containing malware will not be able to notice any change in the device’s activity which often occur once a malware is installed.”

It is understood that the security breach affects leading brands including Samsung, LG and Google.

Check Point have compiled a list highlighting the devices which have been affected, but are eager to stress that not every model of the listed devices have fallen foul of the malware installation.

  • Samsung Galaxy Note 2
  • LG G4
  • Samsung Galaxy S7
  • Samsung Galaxy S4
  • Samsung Galaxy Note 4
  • Samsung Galaxy Note 5
  • Samsung Galaxy Note 8
  • Xiaomi Mi 4i
  • Galaxy A5
  • ZTE x500
  • Samsung Galaxy Note 3
  • Samsung Galaxy Note Edge
  • Samsung Galaxy Tab S2
  • Samsung Galaxy Tab 2
  • Oppo N3
  • Vivo X6 plus
  • Nexus 5
  • Nexus 5X
  • Asus Zenfone 2
  • Lenovo S90
  • Oppo R7 plus
  • Xiaomi Redmi
  • Lenovo A850

In an attempt to combat an attack, users can protect themselves by downloading and running a malware scanner as soon as they set up their new device.

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We're pretty much addicted to our phones.

So, when recent research found that removing phones from young people gives them stress, it's not that shocking.

OK… so we shouldn't have anxiety similar to a post-traumatic stress patient, but it's understandable for us to be a little off without our Androids by our side.

Other generations might think this is ridiculous, but we're the generation that grew up with our mobiles constantly in our pockets.

Image result for phones instagram

A smartphone isn't only a phone to us; it's an alarm, it's a calendar, it's a diary, a phonebook… We have the Internet, emails, texts, calls, music and more all in one bundle. 

Yes, it may be bad that our lives are basically in our phones; but, that's just the way it is – and it's probably not going to change.

While some may think that we only use our phones for Facebook or playing Kim Kardashian's game; that couldn't be further from the truth.

We make business contacts, we organise meetings, we talk to our friends who are abroad, we keep up with our interests.

Image result for calendar on phone

According to the Metro, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest conducted the research which consisted of 87 people aged between 18 and 26.

The scientists took away their phones and locked them in a cupboard, which obviously caused a little panic.

The researchers write, "The results support that humans form attachment toward their mobile: they seek the proximity of the mobile and show stress response upon separation."

Image result for taking pictures on phone

Some people separated from their phones displayed a heart rhythm associated with post-traumatic stress disorder.

The author wrote that were "poor, poor snowflakes." *Sighs*

A phone is a material thing, so we shouldn't be that stressed out when separated from it. 

BUT, it's 2017 and taking into account the way we grew up… we're not 'poor, poor snowflakes'; we're just living in a world that is constantly on the go.

And we don't want to miss out.

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Ladies, it's time to put the phones down and listen up as top dermatologists have said that taking selfies can cause wrinkles.

According to The Telegraph, experts believe that regularly exposing our faces to light and radiation from smartphones is making us age faster.

And the effects selfie-taking can have on the skin is so bad, doctors can even tell which hand a person holds their phone in from checking the side of their face that is most damaged.

London-based doctor Simon Zoakei said: “Those who take a lot of selfies and bloggers should worry.”

“Even the blue light we get from our screens can damage our skin," he added.

And Dr Zoakei said wearing suncream isn't enough to protect skin from the harmful rays our beloved phones are emitting.

He said: “I think there is a gap in the market for products which protect because I know there are people who take lots of selfies, and bloggers who come to me and I have seen that there is damage there.”

“It's a different wavelength of radiation so sunscreen will not block it.”

The warning has been repeated by Dr Zein Obagi of the Obagi Skin Health Institute in Beverley Hills who said selfie taking causes a “dull dirty looking texture that you cannot identify on one side of the face”.

Dr Obagi suggested that saturating the skin with anti-oxidants could help prevent damage.

He said: “I think we need to create a defence mechanism, light has some sort of magnetic think that is happening to the skin."

“This magnetic field is altering the minerals in the skin. A sunscreen will not protect you."

"But if you saturate your skin with anti-oxidants it can help prevent DNA damage from electronic devices.”

Time to break out the Vitamin E!

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This is something that we may all be guilty of from time to time. However, we did not realise it had been given a catchy new term- our obsession with internet slang has struck again.

The times you check your phone when out in public, specifically if you’re on a date, is now known as “phubbing”. Yahoo Health are reporting the term as a mashup of the phrase ‘phone snubbing’.

It is apparently, the term used to describe the action of a person paying more attention to their phone than whoever is sitting opposite them.

Researchers have even found that when your significant other pulls other their smartphone, whether they are watching adorable dog videos of checking their email, feelings of relationship satisfaction decrease.

The study, published in the Computers in Human Behaviour journal, of 450 adults 36 per cent said that ‘phubbing’ has caused issues in their relationship.

Does any of this sound familiar?

Well, have no fear because there’s even a website to help you cope. StopPhubbing.com has some helpful steps you can follow to help you put the phone down and get back in the conversation.

They also have some useful statistics regarding ‘phubbing’, such as:

"If phubbing were a plague, it would decimate six Chinas.” Also, over the course of one dinner, a person will see 36 cases of phubbing. 

If you’re losing some faith in humanity then don’t panic entirely, the site is satire. It was created to highlight how ridiculous it is that people are even recognising ‘phubbing’ as a term.

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Last week Apple unveiled their plans for the next iPhone and the internet collectively had a meltdown.

The thoughts of a pink iPhone threw people into a complete whirlwind of emotions, and with the news of their new and improved front facing camera selfie lovers could not contain themselves.

While once upon a time people were skeptical about the iPhone screen size, smartphone users now appear to have embraced the plus sized phones with open arms. Although, there was that small issue of people facing bent phones when they tried to pop them in their pockets.

Now imagine this: a smartphone with a high-resolution screen like the iPhone you love but even bigger, and it can fold in half.

Mashable reports that an insider has said Samsung are in the middle of testing such a device. The rumours claim that the device is not the much-anticipated Galaxy S7, and also that it may only be available in South Korea.

That is not altogether unusual however as the company released the Galaxy Round, a phone with a curved display before they settled on the Galaxy S6 Edge which boasts curved edges. The Galaxy Round was only ever released in South Korea.

The company have previously released concepts for devices with folded displays and it is thought their smartphone would be released in attempts to win over Apple customers. The concept has been floated by the company since 2014, but reports are claiming it could soon be a reality.

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We've all been there… you're out for a meal or a drink when suddenly you look up and everyone in your group (including you) is scrolling through Facebook on their phones. Awkward.

A barman in Whiskey Joe's pub in Loughrea, Co. Galway is offering a free drink to any punter who agrees to lock his and his friend's phones away at the bar for just 30 minutes this weekend.

The promotion will run from 8pm to closing time this Saturday night, in an attempt to encourage people to socialise with one another rather than getting lost in their Twitter feed.

In a post on the bar's Facebook page, Whiskey Joe's say they are "taking action over this epidemic of over usage" of smartphones in bars and restaurants.

The idea kicked off when one of the barmen noticed one girl sitting in silence with her drink as her three friends sat scrolling through their phones. "To me 3 of the 4 girls had missed the point in going out to the bar to socialise and to interact with not alone with their friends but also with the rest of the customers," said the barman.

What do you think – could your group of friends go without their phones for half an hour? 

 

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