Considering that December is almost upon us, there’s no better time to consider trying these Christmas apps as a means to get in the mood for the silly season. 

Every year, just about every corporation and business jumps on the bandwagon to make the most of the season’s potential marketing payoffs. While not exactly in the spirit of Christmas, apps that put their own unique spin on this time of the year via enhancing photos, videos, or even themed games certainly have remained popular throughout the years. 

Regardless of whether you’re trying to shake off your own Grinch-like tendencies or are perhaps just looking for some innovative ways to keep the kids entertained, the good news is that there’s a wide range of both new and classic Christmas apps to add to your smartphone this year. 

Our Favourite Christmas Apps For Smartphones

Our smartphones are capable of some truly magical things if we know how to use them properly. Thanks to larger screens and more powerful processors, your phone can also double as a mobile workstation, calendar and even a pocket organiser, letting you tackle tasks when you’re out and about. Although Christmas apps are certainly not regarded as one of the most productive ways to use the technology readily available at our fingertips, it is called the silly season for a reason.

Elf Yourself – As one of the most famous Christmas apps, Elf Yourself is an interactive website and app where visitors can upload the faces of themselves or their friends, and have the option to post the created video to other sites or just save it as a personalised mini-film. Globally, over two billion elves have been created since the application was first introduced in 2006. 

Christmas Countdown – Whether you’re a big kid getting ready for December 25th or perhaps a little one who is just enjoying the season, Christmas Countdown was designed to be somewhat of a virtual advent calendar. With its primary drawcard being that the free version doesn’t have any advertising, the app also gives its users a free ‘gift’ every day until Christmas arrives. 

A Call From Santa – If you have some true believers in your household, then this is the perfect app to keep that faith alive right through the festive season. Simply enter some information such as your kid’s age and interests, as well as the reason for the call, and then schedule the phone call and when it rings, give the smartphone to your child and boom – Santa calls!

Christmas Sweeper 3 – If you’re an avid fan of Candy Crush but want to upgrade to something more seasonally appropriate, then Christmas Sweeper 3 has got you covered. While the fundamentals are more or less the same, users can play by matching Christmas-related objects in groups to level up, such as bauble style ornaments, Christmas trees and gingerbread men. 

How The Grinch Stole Christmas – Slightly different than the more traditional Christmas apps, How The Grinch Stole Christmas is more or less a standalone motion comic version of the classic tale from Dr. Suess. If your kids aren’t familiar with the story, it’s a new and exciting format to keep them interested while still promoting time to read together at home. 

While many smartphone users have a few tried and true Christmas apps that they download and then delete again every year, the beauty of technology is that there’s always a new annual release to look forward to.

Making The Most Of Your Smartphone 

SOS Phone Repairs are specialists in high-quality, cost-effective phone repairs, tablet repairs, and PC repairs, all backed with a six month warranty. Founded in 2015 in Coffs Harbour and now with over sixteen outlets located all over Australia, our primary driving factors remain the same: people and phones.

Whether it’s to get a few more years out of your trusted iPhone, to fix one up to sell, or to repurpose an old one as a gift, repairing a smartphone might just be easier and cheaper than you think. However, if you’re in the market for a new smartphone, SOS Phone Repairs also stocks a wide variety of refurbished handsets at a fraction of the cost of a brand new one. 

While each has been carefully restored to perform at their best, all refurbished smartphones purchased through SOS also come with a twelve month warranty, and can be purchased at any of our sixteen store locations. Even if you’re not on the hunt for a new phone, it’s always worth bringing your existing one in for a free health check to ensure it’s performing at its best. 

If you are on the hunt for a quote, diagnostic, or even just some good old fashioned, friendly advice, please don’t hesitate to get in touch or give us a call today at SOS Phone Repairs. 

 

While understanding the basics of crypto is something that goes over the heads of many of us, the good news is that it’s not as complex as you might think.

In a nutshell, cryptocurrencies – also known as virtual currencies or digital currencies – are a form of electronic money. Often shortened to crypto, this new world form of currency is traded in the form of a unit, such as a bitcoin or ether, and is more or less a digital token. These tokens are created from code using an encrypted string of data blocks, known as a blockchain.

Confused? You’re not alone. In an increasingly digital age, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that someone finally thought of a way to digitise money beyond an online bank account, debit or credit card, but that doesn’t mean that we’re at a point where it’s used on an everyday basis – yet. In order to break the concept of crypto down in even simpler terms, understanding the origins of cryptocurrencies and how they work is paramount. 

A Beginner’s Guide To Crypto 

While Bitcoin is a form of cryptocurrency, it actually came before the broader term was even invented. Dubbed an “a peer-to-peer electronic cash system”, Bitcoin was the first form of crypto style digital currency, and came roaring to life in January 2009. The concept was originally set out in a whitepaper by the pseudonymous Satoshi Nakamoto, whose real identity still remains a mystery even today. 

As a decentralised digital currency without a central bank or single administrator, transactions are verified by network nodes through cryptography, and recorded in a publicly distributed ledger known as a blockchain. As all of the computers running the blockchain have the same list of blocks and transactions, and in turn can transparently see these new blocks being filled with new bitcoin transactions – it’s not possible for anyone to ever cheat the system. 

In simple terms, a blockchain collects information and data in groups, also known as blocks. As new data comes in, it is entered into a fresh block. Once the block is filled with data, it is chained onto the previous block, which makes the data chained together in chronological order.

While many different types of information can be stored on a blockchain, the most common use so far has been as a ledger for transactions. It’s for this reason that the very phrase is most commonly linked to cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. Blockchain is used in a decentralised manner, so that no single person or group has control, and instead – all users collectively retain control. Decentralised blockchains are immutable, or that the data and information entered is irreversible. Arguably, this is a major part of the appeal linked to all types of crypto. 

As the first form of crypto, it’s safe to say that Bitcoin has had a very volatile trading history. The cryptocurrency’s first price increase occurred in 2010, when the value of a single Bitcoin jumped from around $0.0008 to $0.08. It has undergone several rallies and crashes since then, which often includes daily double-digit inclines and declines. In spite of all this, there are periods when the cryptocurrency’s price changes have outpaced even their usually volatile swings, resulting in massive price bubbles. Arguably, it’s these potentially huge payoffs that have seen a spike in crypto interest around the world. 

Cryptocurrencies hold no physical form, are not issued or backed by any banks or governments, nor are individual cryptocurrencies valuable as a commodity. Despite it not being legal tender, Bitcoin in particular has managed to take the world by storm, and in turn triggered the launch of hundreds of other cryptocurrencies, collectively referred to as altcoins. 

To buy cryptocurrency, you need to buy and sell via an exchange. This means you need to create an exchange account and store the cryptocurrency in your digital ‘wallet’. If you simply want to trade cryptocurrency you just need a brokerage account, rather than accessing the underlying exchange directly.

Supporters see cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin as the future, and are racing to buy them now, presumably before they become more valuable. At its latest peak, Bitcoin was changing hands at $41,528 on Jan 8, 2021. However, just three short days later, it was back at $30,525.39. Today, there are now over 13,000 known cryptocurrencies trading publicly, so it’s safe to say that what was once dubbed a ‘fad’ isn’t disappearing anytime soon. 

Talk Tech With The Professionals 

SOS Phone Repairs are specialists in high-quality, cost-effective phone repairs, tablet repairs, and PC repairs, all backed with a six month warranty. Founded in 2015 in Coffs Harbour and now with over sixteen outlets located all over Australia, our primary driving factors remain the same: people and phones. 

Whether it’s to get a few more years out of your trusted iPhone, to fix one up to sell, or to repurpose an old one as a gift, repairing a smartphone might just be easier and cheaper than you think. However, if you’re in the market for a new smartphone, SOS Phone Repairs also stocks a wide variety of refurbished handsets at a fraction of the cost of a brand new one. 

While each has been carefully restored to perform at their best, all refurbished smartphones purchased through SOS also come with a twelve month warranty, and can be purchased at any of our sixteen store locations. Even if you’re not on the hunt for a new phone, it’s always worth bringing your existing one in for a free health check to ensure it’s performing at its best.

If you are on the hunt for a quote, diagnostic, or even just some good old fashioned, friendly advice, please don’t hesitate to get in touch or give us a call today at SOS Phone Repairs.

If you want to have a healthy relationship with your smart phone, setting some clear boundaries around it’s usage is often considered to be the first step.

Whether we care to admit it or not, the technology and entertainment that owning a smart phone provides can fill a void in our life. Now more than ever, many of us seem to crave human connections, distractions and even comfort, so it’s not surprising that we turn to the tools within our reach as a means to satisfy those urges. 

While a smart phone, tablet, or computer can be a hugely productive tool, compulsive use of these devices can interfere with work, school, and even your relationships. When you spend more time on social media or playing games than you do interacting with real people, or you can’t stop yourself from repeatedly and compulsively checking texts, emails, or apps – even when it has negative consequences in your life – it may be time to reassess how much technology you’re consuming via your smart phone or device of choice. 

Building A Healthy Relationship With Your Smart Phone 

Considering the size, portability and general convenience of a smart phone, it’s no surprise that they generally come everywhere with us – admit it, even to the toilet. However, if you find yourself spending too much time on your smart phone and are ready to take a step back, the good news is that there are plenty of ways to set down some clear boundaries to separate you from your devices. 

Do An App Purge – Having too many options at your disposal is a surefire way to give in to the temptation of getting distracted. Instead, do a cull on the apps that you rarely or never use, as this will help you to get a good grasp on decluttering your home screen and to get a head start on what you allow to take up space on your smart phone. 

Organise By Folder – Once you’ve actioned said cull, it’s time to get organised. Many of us are guilty of letting our apps takeover our smart phones, but if they’re organised by category, such as work, travel, social media and even news, it’s a lot easier to mentally allocate time to each folder if and when it’s appropriate. 

Delete The Problem Apps – Are you prone to playing Minecraft when you should be focussing on work or finishing an assignment? Delete it – it’s as simple as that. Even if you only manage to last a day, take note of how much more you’re able to get done without the distraction. A few hours without the problem app is a lot better than wasting continuous amounts of time. 

Evict From The Bedroom – Smart phones are one of the primary offenders when it comes to getting a good night’s sleep. If your smart phone lives under your pillow or next to you on a bedside table, the temptation to scroll when you should be ‘powering down’ can strike almost anyone. Instead, leave it in a different room and invest in a manual alarm clock. 

Embrace Automation – At the end of the day, the tech giants know that smart phone usage can be problematic. One such example of this is the latest iOS release for iPhones, which now include profiles that can be customised for work, sleep, or even personal use if you need a way to turn off certain notifications to get stuff done. As such, try and embrace technology for good. 

Instead of being a slave to your smart phone, start taking the time to carefully assess ways to make sure that your smart phone works for you – and not the other way around. However, if you’re looking for further tips on navigating the digital world, then it’s always worth speaking to the professionals. 

Making The Most Of Your Smart Phone 

SOS Phone Repairs are specialists in high-quality, cost-effective phone repairs, tablet repairs, and PC repairs, all backed with a six month warranty. Founded in 2015 in Coffs Harbour and now with over sixteen outlets located all over Australia, our primary driving factors remain the same: people and phones. 

Whether it’s to get a few more years out of your trusted iPhone, to fix one up to sell, or to repurpose an old one as a gift, repairing a smart phone might just be easier and cheaper than you think. However, if you’re in the market for a new smart phone, SOS Phone Repairs also stocks a wide variety of refurbished handsets at a fraction of the cost of a brand new one. 

While each has been carefully restored to perform at their best, all refurbished smart phones purchased through SOS also come with a twelve month warranty and can be purchased at any of our sixteen store locations. Even if you’re not on the hunt for a new phone, it’s always worth bringing your existing one in for a free health check to ensure it’s performing at its best. 

If you are on the hunt for a quote, diagnostic, or even just some good old fashioned, friendly advice, please don’t hesitate to get in touch or give us a call today at SOS Phone Repairs. 

 

Whether it’s the software rollouts, games or gadget drops, here’s your SOS Phone Repairs monthly update on what’s happening with the latest November tech news. 

Technology sure is a wonderful thing, there’s simply no doubt about it. However, in order for it to stay relevant, beneficial and in theory glitch free, the dark side of it is the constant updates that the humble consumer is required to keep up with. Thankfully, there always seems to be a new way to streamline a process, eliminate a semi redundant task or even just a means to procrastinate thanks to technology – even the humble QR code has managed to change the way we work, play and essentially live. 

As a result, there always seems to be an onslaught of new product drops, software updates and even fresh games to hit the market that are regularly released so that we can make the most of this digital world – so what’s on offer this month when it comes to the latest November tech news?

Five Updates On November Tech News 

The end of 2021 is rapidly approaching, which means that the annual Christmas season shopping bonanza is just around the corner. As such, tech giants around the globe are dropping new games, software and devices left right and centre. For the savvy digital consumer who traditionally pays attention to these types of updates, we’ve deemed the below to be the most noteworthy in regards to November tech news to take note of. 

Pre-Order The New Pixel 6 – Google’s highly anticipated Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro smartphone range is now available for pre-order in Australia, with customers able to place an order for a handset from the Google Store. As an extra incentive for shoppers, free shipping and a $150 Google Store credit is also on offer as a means to help sweeten the deal for those considering making the swap from Samsung or Apple. 

The Metaverse Is Here – It’s no secret that Mark Zuckerberg is a fan of thinking big, and rebranding the Facebook parent company as Meta only solidifies this view. According to Meta’s press release about the long term goal of the “metaverse”, Zuckerberg’s vision for Meta is to create a digital world where users can virtually meet, work and play using a VR headset, glasses or your device – think of it kind of like a real-life video game.

Limited iPhone 13 Production – Thanks to the pandemic related shutdowns of factories and limited materials, the global chip shortage has been blamed for Apple producing less iPhone 13 models than it had initially planned for. While it’s likely Apple will eventually be able to increase production again in the early stages of 2022, the lowered production estimate means it’s likely to be even harder to find the already popular iPhone 13 in the upcoming coming months. 

Facebook Farewells Facial Recognition – Although it’s been an opt-in service since 2019, Facebook have announced that they will be doing away with the platform’s facial recognition features thanks to ongoing privacy concerns. People who had opted in would no longer be automatically recognised in photos and videos, and the tech giant has stated that they will be deleting the faces of over one billion users from around the world. 

Netflix To Launch Android Games – It would seem that dominating the world of streaming isn’t quite enough. As a result, Netflix is seeking  to break into the lucrative game subscription market, and has announced that it is launching its first mobile games worldwide, initially for Android devices. It’s development division has also stated that all users need is an active Netflix subscription, and that the games will have no ads, no fees, and no in-app purchases. 

Talk November Tech News With The Professionals

SOS Phone Repairs are specialists in high-quality, cost-effective phone repairs, tablet repairs, and PC repairs, all backed with a six month warranty. Founded in 2015 in Coffs Harbour and now with over sixteen outlets located all over Australia, our primary driving factors remain the same: people and phones. 

Whether it’s to get a few more years out of your trusted iPhone, to fix one up to sell, or to repurpose an old one as a gift, repairing a smartphone might just be easier and cheaper than you think. However, if you’re in the market for a new smartphone, SOS Phone Repairs also stocks a wide variety of refurbished handsets at a fraction of the cost of a brand new one. While each has been carefully restored to perform at their best, all refurbished smartphones purchased through SOS also come with a twelve month warranty, and can be purchased at any of our sixteen store locations.  

If you are on the hunt for a quote, diagnostic, or even just some good old fashioned, friendly advice, please don’t hesitate to get in touch or give us a call today at SOS Phone Repairs. 

 

If you’re a fan of using Apple’s latest wireless gadget offering, then here’s a few of our favourite AirPods Pro tips to make the most of the new technology. 

When Apple founder and visionary Steve Jobs began designing the world’s first iPhone all the way back in 2005, he had two choices – shrink the MacBook, or enlarge the iPod. As such, the humble iPhone has all but cemented its place as a revolutionary contribution to how we live, work and play in the 21st century. Since its initial release in 2007, the iPhone’s features have certainly come a long way. Improvements have been made to keep up with consumer demand, such as larger screen sizes, waterproofing, the ability to install third party apps, and many more accessibility features.

Despite the innovation that Apple has long prided themselves on, at some point they also have to incorporate user demand into their product releases. The more gadgets we own, the more cords and wires we seem to accumulate, so it was only a matter of time before wireless headphones became a ‘thing’. 

As such, the first generation of AirPods – or wireless Bluetooth earbuds designed by Apple – were released to the public in 2016. In addition to playing audio, AirPods contain a microphone that also filters out background noise, along with built-in accelerometers and optical sensors capable of detecting taps. Innovative and ground-breaking features such as this allowed for updates such as double tapping to pause the audio output, and placement within the ear, which enables automatic pausing of audio when they are taken out. Not only were the pesky wires now gone, but the entire concept of how headphones could work were turned upside down. 

Like most Apple products, AirPods also went on to offer a tiered product system – the entry level AirPods, mid range AirPods Max and of course, the premier AirPods Pro. For the latter, what exactly makes them so special, and what are some of the more common AirPods Pro tips that users can deploy in order to make the most of them?

Our Top AirPods Pro Tips To Try Yourself 

When compared to their predecessors, industry experts claim that AirPods Pro models really are in a league of their own. While the base model Apple AirPods allow users to listen to all of their favourite audio like music and podcasts, chat to Siri, access features through a mere tap, check battery levels and even find their headphones should one (or two) go missing, the AirPods Pro have well and truly kicked things up a notch.

With AirPods Pros, users can get a better fit via earpiece customisation, tweak the audio quality, optimise battery charging, and take full advantage of the newer features released through the latest iOS updates. However, many users aren’t even aware of half of their features, so what are some AirPods Pro tips and tricks to deploy to enhance their every day performance? 

Deploy As A Hearing Aid – When you talk with someone and the AirPods Pro are in their ear, their beam-forming microphones will take the other person’s voice and isolate it for clarity when they are in a noisy environment. Ultimately, the newly introduced Conversation Boost feature can help them hear better during everyday conversation. 

Active Noise Cancellation – Arguably one of the biggest advantages that AirPods Pro have over their predecessors is the noise cancellation feature. When it’s turned on, noise cancellation blocks nearly all background noise that you’d normally hear with regular earbuds or the standard AirPods, but transparency mode can also easily be reactivated if and when required. 

Share With Other Users – Ever wanted to share a song with someone without sacrificing one half of your headphones? If someone else has a set of AirPods Pro or even regular AirPods, you can both listen to the same tunes or podcast together. Access is issued via the Control Centre on your iPhone, and tapping the AirPlay icon for the current audio to share. 

Customise Press Mode – Instead of tapping on one of the AirPods, you’ll be using the stems of the AirPods Pro as buttons. There isn’t actually a button there, it’s a pressure-sensitive section that can replicate how you’d use a button. Users can change the settings on what press does what, such as skipping a song, pausing audio and even switching off noise cancellation. 

Hello Spatial Audio – In yet another upgrade from the previous AirPods, AirPods Pro have upgraded headphone sound quality to a whole new stratosphere. To understand what spatial audio actually is, switch it on in your iPhone’s Bluetooth menu, and watch videos with audio that is a surround sound experience, as the audio ‘moves’ if you turn your head or change direction. 

Instead of being a slave to your smart phone, start taking the time to carefully assess ways to make sure that your smart phone works for you – and not the other way around. However, if you’re looking for further tips on navigating the digital world, then it’s always worth speaking to the professionals. 

Making The Most Of Your Smart Phone 

SOS Phone Repairs are specialists in high-quality, cost-effective phone repairs, tablet repairs, and PC repairs, all backed with a six month warranty. Founded in 2015 in Coffs Harbour and now with over sixteen outlets located all over Australia, our primary driving factors remain the same: people and phones. 

Whether it’s to get a few more years out of your trusted iPhone, to fix one up to sell, or to repurpose an old one as a gift, repairing a smartphone might just be easier and cheaper than you think. However, if you’re in the market for a new smartphone, SOS Phone Repairs also stocks a wide variety of refurbished handsets at a fraction of the cost of a brand new one. 

While each has been carefully restored to perform at their best, all refurbished smartphones purchased through SOS also come with a twelve month warranty, and can be purchased at any of our sixteen store locations. Even if you’re not on the hunt for a new phone, it’s always worth bringing your existing one in for a free health check to ensure it’s performing at its best. 

If you are on the hunt for a quote, diagnostic, or even just some good old fashioned, friendly advice, please don’t hesitate to get in touch or give us a call today at SOS Phone Repairs.