DOOM SCROLLING HOW TO RECOGNISE IT AND REGAIN CONTROL

YASMINE JACOBS

WE ALL know how it goes: we scroll mindlessly through Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Swiping, scrolling and doubletapping on your friend’s engagement post and memes.

But those well acquainted with social media know that it’s not all good news as reports emerge of rising death tolls and suffering. But we are unable to stop scrolling.

The phenomenon of seeking out and reading bad news has been dubbed “doomscrolling”.

Psychologists say the need to collect information during a crisis is hard-wired into human biology.

Although not a new phenomenon, there has been such a reported spike in doomscrolling during the Covid-19 pandemic that the word has been added to the dictionary.

Despite sleep issues or mental health problems and anxiety due to uncertainty, many of us have become addicted to scrolling through our phones.

When we get caught in the doomscrolling web, we tend to disconnect from our reality and loved ones. Before you know it, it becomes a bad habit – one you will have a hard time stopping and with terrible consequences.

Many people are feeling trapped during lockdown. Add this to a sense of helplessness due to facts and figures of doom.

Lockdown has given people too much free time, often spent on doomscrolling.

To put an end to it and find peace of mind, implement boundaries over personal use of the internet and social media.

Using apps or a stopwatch, limit the times you are connected. Alternatively, set times in the day to check the internet or social media. Close the tabs.

Turn off notifications on your phone so you won’t feel compelled to look through updates. Pick up good habits – exercise, cook, write in a journal and check in on loved ones. | IOL TECH

WOW! It’s picture PERFECT

Smartphone cameras have revolutionised photography

FLOYD MATLALA

IT’S been just over two decades since digital cameras were introduced on mobile phones. from the inception of the VGA camera which was perceived to be amazing decades ago, to a high megapixel smartphone camera that com petes with DSLR cameras and produces high resolution images, the innovation has stood the test of time and proved to be the focal point of every smartphone on the market.

Let’s take a trip down the memory lane

Remember the world where pictures were not instant and a time when people could not even imagine carrying a powerful camera around that fits in their pockets? Today, smartphones are constantly introducing new features.

It would be wrong to talk about the evolution of a smartphone camera and not talk about the picture quality that keeps on surprising consumers every time there’s a new phone on the market.

We take a look at four smartphones that portray a perfect picture of how far we’ve come.

Vivo Y30 The Y30 offers a quad camera experience. The rear primary camera is 13-megapixels with an f/2.2 aperture; there’s a second 8-megapixel camera with an f/2.2 aperture; a third 2-megapixel camera with an f/2.4 aperture and a fourth 2-megapixel camera with an f/2.4 aperture. It comes with digital zoom, auto flash, face detection and touch to focus. The front camera sports an 8-megapixel camera for the ultimate selfie experience.

Huawei P40 Pro With 50MP on the main camera, 12MP telephoto, 40MP ultra-wide and 32MP on the front camera, The P40 Pro has to be the best camera phone around. The main camera’s lens is a pretty standard f/1.9 aperture on paper, but with a huge sensor size (for a smartphone) and OIS, combined with Huawei’s mighty electronic image stabilisation, it’s still a low light star. This phone can pretty much see in the dark, even in automatic mode – something that no other non-Huawei phones can do.

iPhone 11 Pro The primary camera features a 26mm focal length, perfect for grabbing everyday snaps. The ultra-wide camera takes a step back so you don’t hav e to, getting more in the frame with its 13mm focal length. As for the telephoto camera, it zooms into your subject with a 52mm focal length which is perfect for portraits.

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra It starts with a 108MP primary camera sensor, and more than 200 mega pixels across the front and rear cameras, then there are those smart new shooting modes to talk about, a 12MP ultra-wide camera and finally there’s that huge zoom – 100x Space Zoom.

The device has changed our lives SMARTPHONE

This is how we communicate now

MASABATA MKWANANZI

WHAT were once large and bulky luxury items have become small, compact devices that we cannot live without. Smartphones have taken a 180º turn in how we communicate.

Cellphones have come a long way since their inception. At first, the only function was to provide people with the means to make calls without being connected to any line. It eventually evolved and before we knew it, we had smartphones.

With smartphones, life got easier to a point where you could do everything on your device, apps got bigger and communication got easier, as people get a chance to FaceTime, Snapchat and like or comment on Facebook posts.

Remember when Apple first introduced Siri? Everyone was blown away.

You could ask Siri to update your status on Facebook, launch an app on your phone, and to call mom without having to touch the dial pad.

Let’s check out some of the apps that changed how we communicate with our smartphones.

WHATSAPP:

It has replaced the SMS bundles that we used to buy back in the day; used as an instant messaging app, people no longer feel the need to call, they can simply text. FACEBOOK:

Created in 2004, it created a place where people share their thoughts, songs, checked in places they visited and communicated with a larger community. SKYPE FOR MOBILE: With smartphones being upgraded almost every day, the idea of a video call came into play. All these apps have replaced paid-for phone calls and have changed our lives for the better. And that’s thanks to how smartphones have evolved over the years.

Is the FUTURE wearable?

FAHEEM KHOTA

WEARABLE technology has become part of our everyday lives. We see many people wearing smartwatches and wireless earphones.

Some joggers use trackers in their shoes to track their speed and distance. Is the future of mobile going to become even more mobile? Ramon Llamas, the research director for The International Data Corporation’s Wearables team, says: “The shifting and slowly growing appetite for different wearables will grow the installed base in the years to come.

“In the beginning, wristbands drove the market forward, and then it was smartwatches, and now it is ear wear. At the same time, the use cases and user experiences have evolved from the first-generation devices, effectively adding more devices to the installed base. This sets up the market for continued growth, both with new users and current users looking for replacement devices.”

However, we are seeing something interesting happening with mobile corporations such as Huawei, Apple, Microsoft are also dipping their toes into the world of eyewear.

While they are not ready to reveal their cards yet, many smaller start-ups have started releasing smart eyewear. Smart eyewear is not as simple as creating other wearable devices which have screens or just a Bluetooth connection transferring data from your phone.

They require more research and specific materials, which will make them more expensive to produce and own.

With Apple glasses reported to be released this year, the wearable device industry is heating up. Most big companies are investing a lot into smartwatches, earphones and eyewear.

Does this mean we are going to have to download ad blockers for our eyes? Only time will tell.

Put your VPN on your COMPUTER

YASMINE JACOBS

GONE are the days when virtual private networks (VPNs) were used only by the suspicious members of society.

VPNs are the simplest (and best) ways to protect your privacy online.

Why do I need to use a VPN?

Whenever you connect to the internet, your internet service provider (ISP) has access to everything you send and has been given the green light to sell your information to advertisers. Advertisers can track your movements between websites and identify your location by peeking at your IP address.

What does a VPN do?

When you switch on a VPN, your traffic is routed through an encrypted tunnel to a server operated by the VPN company.

That means your ISP and anything connected to your router won’t be able to see your web traffic.

From the VPN server, your traffic exits onto the public internet. Unless you’re headed to a site that uses HTTPS, your traffic is no longer encrypted. Because your traffic appears to come from the VPN’s server, your actual IP address is effectively hidden.

That’s the important bit as IP addresses are distributed geographically and can be used to find your rough location.

If someone checks your IP address, they’ll see the IP address of the VPN server.

However, a VPN won’t completely anonymise your traffic. Remember, websites can track your movements through cookies, browser fingerprinting and online trackers. Safety first: Some VPN services claim they can block malware but make use of a standalone antivirus software for your computer, to be on the safe side. | IOL TECH

HOW TO SET IT UP

DOWNLOAD the company’s app on as many of your devices as you can.

Once installed, you will be asked to enter your login information. In most cases, this is the username and password you created when you signed up for the service. Be sure to read the instructions carefully

Once logged in, your VPN app usually connects to the VPN server closest to your current location, to provide better speeds. Configure your device’s network settings to connect directly to the VPN service.

It is important to check whether your VPN service allows BitTorrent traffic on any server or just specific ones. ProtonVPN marks the servers cleared for torrenting. TorGuard is all about torrenting and allows for use on all the company’s servers.

Many VPN companies include an interactive map in their app. TunnelBear and NordVPN let you click on countries to connect to servers there. To bypass censorship, choose a server in a country different from your own. NordVPN, Surfshark VPN, and ProtonVPN have enhanced security options, such as access to Tor or multi-hop VPNs. OpenVPN is open-source and has been checked by many for potential vulnerabilities. IKEv2 is also a good, secure option.

VIVA vivo Now a household name and available in 100 countries Phone makes TOP 10

FOUNDED in 2009 in Dongguan, China, Vivo has quickly become a household name, having been ranked among the top 10 smartphone makers in the world in 2015 and has expanded to over 100 countries around the world.

Vivo is a leading global technology

company committed to creating trendsetting smart mobile products and services. The company is devoted to forming a vibrant mobile internet ecosystem, and currently owns and operates an extensive network of research operations, with R&D centres in

San Diego, Shenzhen, Nanjing, Beijing, Hangzhou, and Taipei. These centres focus on the development of cutting-edge consumer technologies including 5G, AI, mobile photography, and nextgeneration smartphone design.

Vivo has over 300 million users enjoying its mobile products and services around the world. Vivo is present in 40 markets globally and features offline retail stores in over 1000 cities worldwide.Throughout the years Vivo has made a name for itself as it secured a sponsorship deal with Fifa to be the official smartphone brand for the year 2018 and 2022 in the Fifa World Cup games.

With a global footprint and a concept inspired by “powered by youth” Vivo allows consumers the choice to own premium phone technology at an accessible price point. The Y series is consistently evolving to channel the needs of today and tomorrow’s consumers in atechnologically efficient device.“Vivo plans to provide South African consumers with a user experience beyond expectations through technology and innovative, trendsetting products, within three years, the company plans to sit in the top tier segment of cell phone brands in SA.” Said Jeff Cao, CEO of Vivo SA.

Vivo blasts in to SA with YOUTH-POWERED phones

Style, hi-tech cameras, memory, gaming friendly features, and the prices, give these devices the Y-factor

THE Vivo Y12 and Y30 are here. Both evolutions in the Y-series have been released in South Africa, ahead of 5G and the hotly anticipated X-series.

These affordable phones offer high technical specs, making Vivo a top contender in the mid-range smartphone category.

Both devices have superlative camera features. The Y12’s AI Super-Wide-Angle Camera expands views to 120°, allowing exceptional landscape, friends, and memory capture. The 8-megapixel front camera means that delicate facial details are captured, and the AI Face Beauty option offers tailor-made facial enhancement for beautiful selfies.

The Y30 offers a quad camera experience. The rear camera is a 13-megapixel camera with an f/2.2 aperture; there’s a second 8-megapixel camera with an f/2.2 aperture; a third 2-megapixel camera with an f/2.4 aperture and a fourth 2-megapixel camera with an f/2.4 aperture. It also comes with digital zoom, auto flash, face detection and touch to focus. The 8-megapixel front camera ensures the ultimate selfie experience.

In the Y12, intelligent powersaving technologies extend battery life to comfortably get you through the day. The octa-core processor with a 12nm design and clock speeds of up to 2.0GHz means you can install all the apps you need and choose between two variants to ensure they run smoothly: 3GB + 64GB.

This also supports the Y12 Ultra Game Mode. Considering a mobile gaming YouTube channel? The Y30 has 4GB of RAM and an octa-core MediaTek Helio P35 (MT6765) processor allows for excellent storage and a device that will run smoothly – it runs Funtouch OS based on Android 10 and packs 128GB of inbuilt storage.

Like all things Vivo, style is key and the Y12 and Y30 certainly get people talking the moment they come out of your pocket. The fast OS and attention to detail when it comes to internals on each of the devices certainly does not go unnoticed. It really is a breath of fresh air to see a mobile company a quality all-rounder budget smartphone. Surely, if this is the entry point for Vivo, we are very excited to see what the future holds.

“Vivo plans to provide South African consumers with a user experience beyond expectations through technology and innovative, trendsetting products,” says Jeff Cao, Vivo SA chief executive. “Within three years, the company plans to sit in the top tier segment of cell phone brands in SA.”

UMBERTO BACCHI

THE race is on to develop smartphone apps to help contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Scientists say contact tracing is key to preventing a resurgence of the virus, by tracking down infected people and finding everyone who has been near them, so they can get tested or quarantine.

Contact tracing has been used for decades to control the spread of infectious diseases and is normally carried out by public health investigators who interview patients to find out who they have met and where they have been in the previous days.

But with almost half of novel coronavirus transmissions occurring before symptoms appear, traditional methods are too slow to keep up, researchers say.

Here is where health experts say apps can help:

Smartphones keep track of their location via celltower signals, wi-fi signals and the satellite-based global positioning system, known as GPS.

Through Bluetooth technology, which allows devices to connect to others nearby, phones can log other phones that have come within a few metres of them.

Using that data, contact tracing apps can instantly inform users if they have come into contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19, and advise them to call a doctor, get tested or selfisolate.

Covid-19 TRACING APPS

DIGITAL HANDSHAKES

The prospect of widespread data collection worries some citizens and civil rights groups like European Digital Rights.

The use of GPS and other geo-location data could provide authorities with a detailed map of a user’s every movement, leaving the door open to abuse, said Diego Naranjo, head of policy at the digital civil rights group.

Contact tracing apps are not foolproof, tech and biology experts have warned.GPS or cell tower location data can wrongly record everyone on a busy city block as contacts.

Similarly, Bluetooth can log phones that are near each other but separated by walls, although developers have been working on ways to better define “contacts” based on the length and strength of the handshakes between devices.

Apps also do not take into account whether users who have been in contact with others were wearing protective equipment at the time, according to researchers from the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think tank. | Thomson Reuters Foundation

The future’s FLEXIBLE and it’s OK to FOLD

THE idea of having a flexible, foldable smartphone seemed like a scene out of a Tom Cruise movie – until recently.

Foldable smartphones have given designers and engineers a chance to show off, be adventurous and to think outside the box.

Over the years we witnessed prototypes. Some of these foldable smartphones had their own glitches, like the Motorola Razr 2019 and the Samsung Galaxy Fold whose screens fell apart. Here what’s new:

Motorola Razr 2019

It boasts a Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 chip along with 68GB of memory and 128GB of storage and when folded, you can still use a square 6.8cm display on the outside to check notifications, control media, and more.

Huawei Mate XS This foldable device allows side-by-side multitasking when using the 20cm display, allowing owners to use half the screen for one app and the other half for another. When you unfold the Mate Xs, there is no noticeable crease. It sports 8GB of memory and 512GB of internal storage and is powered by Huawei’s Kirin 990 5G chipset.

LG DualScreen The LG G8X ThinQ goes beyond foldable phones. The dual screen lets you instantly double your screen so you can do it all at once, no more toggling between apps. Open it like a laptop, use it in stand or tent mode, or do a full 360° flip for a versatile viewing Xiaomi Mi

experience. Mix Flex The main feature is its flexible body, hidden piezoelectric and ultrasonic proximity sensor. The dual-SIM sports 15.7cm HD primary display and 7.6cm secondary display.

The phone is powered by a 64-bit Octa-Core processor on Snapdragon 855 SOC, coupled with 6/8GB of memory.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip The folding technology allows for handsfree video chats and previously unreachable selfies. Fold it, flip it, stand it – however you set it up, it reinvents the way you take photos on your phone. Its Infinity Flex Display is an immersive Dynamic

AMOLED screen delivering incredible colour quality and reduced blue light.

1

2

Always use the correct charger:

Cheap chargers may lack important safety mechanisms that protect your phone against fluctuation, overcharging and may not be equipped to provide your phone with the correct voltage. Stop overcharging / charging when battery life is already at 100% The main problem is overheating. During charging, there is a transfer of heat energy from the charger to the phone which causes your phone to feel warm to the touch. To avoid overheating that results in wear and tear on your battery, remove your phone case while charging overnight or avoid doing so altogether. Know what causes batteries to naturally degrade: Every time you fully charge your phone, the battery degrades slightly and this process of charging is called a charge cycle. According to the website Medium, “Battery manufacturers say that after about 400 cycles a phone battery’s capacity will degrade by 20%. It will only be able to store 80% of the energy it did originally and will continue to degrade with additional charge cycles.”

Therefore, by slowing down the number of charge cycles you can prolong the battery lifespan. Screen brightness, preventing apps from running in the background and turning on wi-fi and Blueto oth only when necessary will result in your phone needing less or shorter charges daily, extending your battery’s

Extend your BATTERY life

Tips to prolong the lifespan of your cellphone, preventing wear and tear

SACHA VAN NIEKERK

Over time, your cellphone’s battery gradually deteriorates. This will result in your phone dying far more quickly than when it was brand new.

Battery replacements are costly and risky when not done by a professional.So treat your battery right in the first place.

There are things you can do to help extend the life of your battery. Here we list tips to help you save your battery:

3

ability to store energy.

4Keep away from heat: Your phone was probably designed to work in a broad range

of temperatures.

However, extreme cold or heat can be damaging for your phone’s internal components, impact battery life and charge time.

5

Leave it half charged when storing Many websites and phone companies, including Apple, advise their phone users to store their phones with a 50% charge. On Apple’s website they state: “Do not fully charge or fully discharge your device’s battery – charge it to around 50%. If you store a device when its battery is fully discharged, the battery could fall into a deep discharge state, which renders it incapable of holding a charge.”

6

Stop using your phone while charging: Once again, this circles back to the issue of overheating. Using your smartphone while charging increases the heat generated by your phone which is amplified by your phone case and hands which insulate the heat, trapping it around your phone. Excessive heat causes batteries to swell

in some cases. | IOL TECH