From Apple to Microsoft and even new laws out of Europe, get up to speed with the latest tech news with Codi, one of the SOS Phone Repairs founders.  

Whether we like it or not, the way we work, eat, and play has changed – and technology has a lot to do with it. When implemented well, technology can make all kinds of tasks faster and easier for those who have to perform them. 

The introduction of laptop computers, smartphones, tablets, voice assistant technology, digital whiteboard, wireless connectivity and all kinds of contactless capabilities has facilitated – and even forced – a noticeable shift in the very nature of how we go about our days.

However, the flipside to such advancements is that the technology used to power our devices is constantly changing, and will often require updates in order to keep them in tip top shape. To stay up to date with the latest advancements and tech news, SOS Phone Repairs founder Codi has collected a few of the more noteworthy updates so that you don’t have to. 

Five Updates On Tech News From Around The World 

Even despite what’s going on in the wide world, for the global tech giants, the show must go on. With the release of new games, software and devices still happening left, right and centre, the latest updates are always worth paying attention to. 

For the savvy digital consumer who traditionally follows these types of updates, the good news is that there’s been plenty happening on the technology front. 

Apple iOS 16 Soft Launch – At Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) 2022, The company announced numerous software and hardware updates, including a sneak peak at the latest iPhone Operating System, or iOS. However, consumers will have to wait a little longer for its release in September, as it’s currently only accessible to developers to weed out the bugs. 

iPhones Introduce Safety Check – At WWDC, Apple also announced a significant new update set to be rolled out with iOS 16. Apple’s Safety Check is a new feature intended to be helpful for people in abusive relationships, and allows users to review and reset who has access to location information as well as passwords, messages and other apps on an iPhone.

Internet Explorer Retires – After a twenty seven year tenure, Microsoft has retired its original browsing system, Internet Explorer. In a submission to an Australian competition regulator’s review of the web browser market, Microsoft said its decision to abandon Internet Explorer was largely due to the fact web developers were less likely to make their sites compatible with it. 

EU Confirms Changes To Chargers – In tech news from the other side of the world, the European Union will require all new smartphones and tablets sold within its borders to have a common charging port by 2024 – and laptops by 2026 – under a new provisional agreement, pushing technology companies such as Apple to fall in line with other smartphone makers.

Sony Speculates On Camera Technology – Sony Semiconductor Solutions (SSS) President and CEO Terushi Shimizu recently stated that Sony believes that smartphone camera image quality is on a tempo to eclipse that of digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras within a few years. Shimizu cited the developments in Sony technology as the reason for his hypothesis. 

Although we live in an increasingly digital age, technology has also brought with it an extra set of distractions on top of whatever happens to pop up during our day to day lives. If you’re looking to improve your selfie game, want to learn more about your smart phone’s camera, or even need some help in choosing the right type of device based on your needs, it’s always worth speaking to the professionals. 

 

Talk 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. 

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. 

When it comes to personal information security, many people think they’ve got it covered – but what if datafication changes how we protect ourselves online?

Like it or not, the arrival of the internet has changed life as we know it. With Web 3.0, or the third generation of the internet, in the process of being rolled out, capabilities like Semantic Web, AI, and machine learning all have the potential to revolutionise the digital landscape.

Although it may sound like something out of The Matrix, these new age forms of technology embrace datafication, which is more or less the process of turning people into numbers. In addition, it’s probably already happening to you, and you don’t even know it. 

How To Combat Datafication With Privacy 

The relationships between collective and individual, between group and person, and between public and private, are fundamental to shaping our societies. However, the very nature of these relationships have changed, and are increasingly being played out in terms of data – its production, flow, reuse and commodification. In simple terms, datafication is the term we apply to this process. 

Across the world, a wide variety of regulatory, scientific and societal frameworks have been introduced to govern and modulate these processes. As an example, there are influential privacy laws or data protection regulations, such as the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that shape who can collect which information, for which purposes, and who has a say in this. 

If data has now become a form of information that has value, how do brands and businesses embrace datafication on a day to day basis? While data has long been used as one of the pillars of customer relationship management, like everything else, it’s gone digital. Have you ever wondered why you get hounded across cyberspace by a product or service that you might have only looked at once before? 

There’s a reason why almost every website you visit wants you to accept their “cookies”, as these are one of many ways that brands collect your personal information, and weaponise it to coax you into a sale. Cross platform campaigns use cookies, or the data pulled from a website that tracks your online behaviour, to market to you on other platforms such as social media.

In fact, Netflix is a prime example of the datafication process. While the platform provides services in more than forty countries and thirty three million streaming members, the core function of how the streaming service works is by recommending films and television series to its users based on what they’ve already consumed. 

While banks and insurance companies have long used data to form risk profiles, and is unavoidable if you want to get approved, the good news is that there are other ways to approach personal information security and datafication when going about your business online.

If you’ve ever felt like someone’s watching you when using the internet, there’s a high chance that they probably are. While internet tracking isn’t exactly a new concept, the good news is that many smartphones, laptops and tablets offer protections and a chance to “opt out” of the datafication process.

Some of the most common ways users can be tracked are through IP addresses, cursor tracking software, cross-tracking (information from several different devices under one owner), accounts that are visited frequently via devices, and your internet search history. Many devices now have a “do not track” function in the settings, so don’t be afraid to turn this on and limit how much information you’re sharing.

In addition, pay attention to what you’re allowing access to. On mobile devices, disable location services when they are unneeded and not in use. When using a computer, go into your internet browser and comb through the sites that may have permission to track you. Although it may come as a surprise, don’t forget about your smart TV either, and opt-out of apps and services that you may not want monitoring your activity. Above all, when visiting a new website, simply click “no” when you’re asked for permission to collect cookies.

One easy way to tackle personal information security is to make sure that the software on your devices is all up to date. If your tech is sluggish or isn’t performing at it’s best, it might be worth further investigation to determine if a repair or upgrade is necessary. 

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. 

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. 

With the news Apple has its own built in plant identification app, and budding botanists can use the Visual Lookup function launched with iOS 15.

Thanks to science, we know that gardening is good for us. There’s a certain kind of magic associated with quite literally reaping what you sow, and knowing that your direct actions help plants come to life. 

While other surprising health benefits associated with gardening include cardiovascular health, improving self esteem, reducing stress and anxiety, providing a bonding family activity, boosting Vitamin D levels and access to healthy food, it should come as no surprise that the number of people who identify as hobby gardeners are on the rise. 

Although smartphone users have a wide range of plant identification apps to choose from, they’re not generally deemed to be the most reliable. Now, that’s all changed thanks to Apple’s new Visual Lookup feature available with iOS 15. 

How To Use The Visual Lookup Tool For Plants 

Since its initial release all the way back in 2007, the iPhone’s features have certainly come a long way. Significant improvements have been made to keep up with the expectations of long-time Apple fans, such as larger screen sizes, waterproofing, the ability to install third party apps, and many more accessibility features. 

As a result, iOS – otherwise known as the iPhone Operating System – receives regular updates to ensure that Apple remains at the forefront of innovation, and its worldwide team of loyal users receive software refreshes, updates and new features even without purchasing a new device. 

Released in September 2021, iOS 15 has one particularly noteworthy feature that gardening enthusiasts are sure to celebrate: Visual Lookup. Although not limited to plants alone, users can now simply take an image of a flower or shrub that they like, and use this revolutionary plant identification app to identify it for research purposes, or even a future purchase. 

Much like many other iPhone features such as Siri, Apple clearly isn’t afraid to embrace artificial intelligence to streamline some of the basic functions of our day to day lives. Instead of spending hours researching, Visual Lookup has the power to immediately identify all kinds of things, but sourcing plants has so far proved to be one of its most popular topics. 

To use Visual Lookup to identify plants, dog breeds, landmarks and more, install the latest version of iOS 15 to get started. Once your Apple device is up to date, all you need to do to make the most of this nifty function is the following – 

1. Select any photo in your gallery. In apps such as Notes, Mail or Messages, touch and hold an image to select it.
2. Tap the Info button. If using Safari, tap Look Up in the options menu.
3. Tap the icon that appears in the photo, or below the photo. As an example, users might see a paw print icon for pets and animals, or a leaf icon for plants and flowers.
4. Tap to learn more after Visual Look Up provides results from Siri Knowledge and the web. If the Info button doesn’t have a star, Visual Look Up isn’t available yet for that photo.

Visual Lookup requires a device with an A12 Bionic chip or newer, which means that this feature is exclusive to the iPhone XR and XS or later, the iPad 8th generation or later, the iPad Air 3rd generation or later, the iPad mini 5th generation or later and the 2018 iPad Pro or later.

To keep your current smartphone in tip top shape and ready for more exciting features like Visual Lookup, it’s important to ensure that your device is up to date. However, if your device isn’t performing at its best, it might be worth having a chat with the professionals. 

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. 

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. 

While artificial intelligence is already changing how we go about our day to day lives, what are the key AI technology trends to watch in the years to come?

If you believe how AI technology is depicted in films such as The Matrix or Ex Machina, artificial intelligence should be treated with caution. Like it or not, the third generation of the internet is coming, and for some – Web 3.0 is already here. 

New capabilities such as Semantic Web and machine learning all have the potential to greatly increase application in new areas, but advancements in artificial intelligence are set to bring some of the biggest leaps into the future.

How AI Technology Is Shaping The Future 

In its simplest form, artificial intelligence is intelligence demonstrated by machines, as opposed to the natural intelligence displayed by animals including humans. Typically rolled out to complete tasks that are usually done by humans as they require human intelligence and discernment, whether users realise it or not, AI technology is already powering many processes in our day to day lives. 

In fact, common examples of AI technology at work today include robots used for manufacturing, self-driving cars, automated financial investing and even virtual assistants commonly deployed as a substitute for human customer service agents. When appropriately used, AI ultimately helps to drive down cost and time it takes to perform a task. 

As time goes on, the capabilities of artificial intelligence continue to advance. While the next decade is set to welcome significant advancements such as 6G mobile network coverage, service robots, increased blockchain usage and even autonomous cars, what role does AI have to play in the years to come?

Enhanced Cyber Security – AI technology in cybersecurity does cover things that its current automation systems can handle, like the routine storage and securing of data. However, it also goes one step further and assists with highly advanced tasks such as powering intelligent analytics to detect potential threats or patterns pointing to nefarious intentions.

 

Overcome Skills Shortages – Like many other countries, Australia is struggling with an ongoing skills shortage. As AI technology continues to advance, machines and robots may help to bridge the gap. Despite already being used in many factories and manufacturing settings, these types of machines may yet have a bigger part to play. 

 

Transport Integration – Human error is one of the biggest dangers out there on the open road, but AI is set to help minimise the risks. AI will become more ingrained in transportation and road safety, with AI-enabled cameras and sensors built into both commercial and personal vehicles to prevent distracted, drowsy, impaired and even drunk driving.

 

Streamline Healthcare – As a means to help alleviate the pressure that many hospitals and clinics face right around the world, AI technology may help with tasks that range from simple to complex, taking care of records, therapeutic drug and device design, reading radiology images, making clinical diagnoses and treatment plans, and even talking with patients.

 

Ethics And Regulations – One of the key trends to monitor for the future of AI is how countries regulate its usage, and what types of AI are deemed both ethical and appropriate. In fact, the European Union is already ahead of the pack, and has gone as far as prohibiting certain types of AI technology for use outside of the military. 

If you’re curious about using AI on a day to day basis, all you need to do is experiment with your smartphone. As an example, Siri is Apple’s personal assistant for iOS, macOS, tvOS and watchOS devices that uses voice recognition and is powered by artificial intelligence. 

To keep Siri or her relevant counterparts in tip top shape and ready for further advancements, it’s important to ensure your smartphone is up to date. However, if your device isn’t performing at its best, it might be worth having a chat with the professionals. 

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. 

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.