Whether you’re new to smartphones or simply need to update your Tinder profile, learning how to take a selfie is all but a rite of passage in the 2020’s.

Globally, 83% of the population now owns a smartphone. When you compare that figure to 49% in 2016, it’s safe to say that we’re well and truly living in the digital age. With more than three quarters of the world now having a camera in their pocket at any given moment of the day, it’s amazing to think that the concept of taking a selfie didn’t even exist twenty years ago – or maybe it did, and now we just have a name for it. 

Although popular in Japanese culture in the early nineties, selfies – or self portraits – grew in popularity in line with the technology developments of smart phones. Often taken with a camera held at arm’s length, many Millennials either fondly recall or cringe at their Myspace selfies that once dominated social media. These days, reversible smartphone cameras and selfie sticks have fine tuned the process, making the art of capturing photos and videos of yourself significantly easier. 

For those who still need to learn how to take a selfie, the good news is that the process is relatively straightforward, with many avenues and even additional forms of apparatus now available to new smartphone users – so what are your options? 

Five Tips On Taking The Perfect Selfie 

You might be on a solo adventure overseas, and wish to capture this moment in time. You might be in dire need of a new Facebook profile picture. You might even just want to send a picture of yourself to your Mum to let her know what you’re up to. Whatever your reasons, learning how to take a selfie that you’re not embarrassed to show someone else is somewhat of a fine art. Thankfully, there are a few cheat codes that can be deployed as a means to boost your selfie game.

Natural Light – Fluorescent lighting does your face no favours, so get outside if you want to take the perfect selfie. Though natural light is important, try to avoid directly facing the sun and casting shadows on your face. Two hours after sunrise or two hours before sunset are usually considered as your best bet, with the latter being known as the revered “golden hour”. 

Play With Angles – Unflattering angles are the enemy of any decent selfie. Experiment with positions that highlight your best features, such as pointing your chin slightly down while looking up at the camera, and turning your face slightly to one side. Avoid taking selfies that have the camera looking up at your chin, and try to get the camera at the level that best suits your face. 

Experiment With Settings – The smartphone manufacturers know all too well that consumers love the in-built cameras on their devices, so go exploring to see which features you can harness when learning to take a selfie. As an example, iPhones have Portrait Mode, which was purposefully designed to allow users to take better selfies. 

Use Self Timers – Selfies are cool and all, but sometimes the view of your arm or selfie stick can really kill the vibe. Instead, try leaning your phone against a surface or invest in a tripod, and use your smart phone’s self timer feature to take selfies. Not only will this give you both of your hands back, but it also allows you to capture photos with a wider viewpoint. 

Be Kind To Yourself – The very best selfies are when your face shows that you’re happy, healthy and content. Try to avoid the social media based pressures of over manipulating your face or using too many filters – after all, the idea behind selfies is to capture a photo that is natural and in the moment. 

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 other tech features included, it’s always worth speaking to the professionals. 

Talk Technology 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 in need of help with phone repairs but aren’t sure where to start, the good news is that some repairs are more common than others, and are easy to get sorted. 

For smartphone users, many of us are often a little embarrassed to admit just how much we rely on them. From social media, internet banking, navigation and even finding love – if you can think of it, there’s usually an app for it. While the perks of having a camera and a calculator in our pocket at all times are pretty swell, it’s the tiny details of smartphones that truly make them invaluable when it comes to improving the quality of our day to day lives. 

Like all machines, unfortunately smartphones aren’t immune from the occasional breakdown or repair job. Many users immediately panic at the thought of having to replace their smartphone, and the sizable price tag that comes with a new one. In the event that your smartphone isn’t looking or functioning as it’s supposed to, the good news is that specialists in phone repairs can often provide an affordable solution. 

Meet The Team At SOS Phone Repairs 

Before you march off to buy a new smartphone out of defeat or frustration with your existing one, be sure to explore all of your options first through a unique provider that specialises in phone repairs. 

Established in 2015 in Coffs Harbour and now with sixteen outlets located all over Australia, the primary driving factors in business for the team at SOS Phone Repairs has always been simple: people and phones. According to SOS founder Codi, solving tech issues and undertaking phone repairs for ordinary Aussies doesn’t have to be a deflating experience. 

“Often tech repair stores in Australia are all knowledge but no service – instead, we get to know them, meet them where they’re at, and deliver a real world experience that they may not have been expecting. Our advice is always free, and we work hard to ensure our customers leave our stores with a smile on their face and their problems solved.” 

Whether you’re chasing iPhone repairs or Samsung phone repairs, SOS has a long history linked to solving tech dramas and getting customers back up and running in the digital world. In fact, Codyi believes that some of the most common phone repairs she encounters on a day to day basis are more easily solved than many initially think, and fixing them is usually much more affordable than shelling out for a new phone. 

Battery Replacements – Many smartphone users fall into the trap of thinking that their device is on it’s way out, but in reality the solution is often as simple as replacing it’s battery. Even phones as fresh as three years old may show signs of battery damage, which presents as not charging as efficiently or consuming battery a lot faster than it once did. 

Cracked Screens – If you’ve somehow managed to smash the front glass screen or the back housing on your smartphone, removing the screen and adding the replacement is slow work and takes some delicate manoeuvring. Even finding the right size can be tough, which is why it’s a good idea to leave this type of phone repair to the professionals. 

Charging Port Issues – If your smartphone is slow to charge or refuses to do so at all despite trying multiple different cables, there’s a chance that your charging port itself may be damaged. Although a more common issue in older iPhones and Galaxies, the issue can arise through careless use of the charger and the charging cable while connected to your smartphone. 

Water Damage – Although serious water damage to smartphones is less common now thanks to technology advances, it’s still one of the most requested phone repairs as the damage is hard to detect on face value. Whether you’ve dropped it in a swimming pool or spilled a cup of coffee over your phone, don’t try fixing this one yourself to avoid causing more harm than good. 

Camera Lens Cracks – As many people love their smartphones because of the great photographic experience that their extremely convenient cameras provide, a cracked or damaged camera lens can be a real cause of concern in regards to its overall use. To avoid blurry or less than stellar photos, look into getting the lens replaced by a professional. 

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 for help with iPhone repairs or Samsung phone repairs, then it’s always worth speaking to the professionals. 

Talk To The Phone Repairs Specialists 

SOS Phone Repairs are specialists in high-quality, cost-effective phone repairs, tablet repairs, and PC repairs, all backed with a six month warranty. 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. It’s also a great way to upcycle and keep electronics out of Australian landfills. 

SOS Phone Repairs also take great pride in the fact that they’re helping regional Australians stay connected, and now have a wide range of retail outlets open in a number of rural hubs right around the nation. To chat to the professionals about your options for phone repairs, we now have the following additional store locations to choose from.

SOS Phone Repairs Armidale

SOS Phone Repairs Ballina

SOS Phone Repairs Bellingen

SOS Phone Repairs Byron Bay

SOS Phone Repairs Dubbo

SOS Phone Repairs Grafton 

SOS Phone Repairs Lismore

SOS Phone Repairs Port Macquarie

SOS Phone Repairs Tamworth

SOS Phone Repairs Taree

SOS Phone Repairs Toormina & Sawtell 

SOS Phone Repairs Tweed Heads

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 apps have long played an important role in how we use our mobile phones, industry experts are stunned at how fast their usage is still managing to grow. 

For the unfamiliar, apps – short for applications – is a computer program or piece of software purposefully designed to operate on a smart mobile device, such as a phone, tablet or watch. While there are now apps for laptop and desktop computers, the earliest apps were created to help streamline the world’s first smart phones. 

In fact, it was Apple founder Steve Jobs who first created the idea of an app in the summer of 1983. Six months before the release of his first Macintosh computer, Jobs predicted a world where apps would come and go in fashion much like records or computer games. While he wasn’t wrong, he did instigate the evolution of a new digital distribution system.

For smartphone users, apps are now integral in going about our day to day lives. From social media, internet banking, navigation and even finding love – if you can think of it, there’s usually an app for it. While app usage is now at an all time high, is the arrival of the pandemic solely to blame, or are there other factors at play?

How 2021 Became The Year Of The App

The original App Store was launched by Apple with 500 apps, meaning there is no ‘true’ first app. Nevertheless, as new varieties of smartphones were unveiled, different app clients were introduced. Depending on the consumer’s brand of phone, Google Play, the Amazon App Store, and Blackberry’s App World also gave more people the ability to enjoy various apps on their smartphones. It’s also worth mentioning that each app store has always had both paid and free apps from the very beginning, meaning premium and “freemium” content was always a big factor in appeasing users. 

Today, apps are big business. In 2021 alone, more than two million different apps were launched around the world, with the average user spending 4.8 hours per day on their smartphone apps. Although the pandemic may have given app usage a push into a whole new stratosphere of popularity, it’s no secret that our digital habits were already on the uptick. 

Forced indoors with little to do, many people inevitably turned to their smartphones as a form of boredom relief. In contrast, millions of offices and workspaces also shut down. In order to keep the workforce connected, video conferencing apps like Zoom and workplace project management apps such as Asana suddenly found themselves front and centre for people who may have previously never heard of them – let alone having to use them. 

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. FaceTime, online shopping and even food delivery apps also contributed towards 2021’s notable rise in app usage. For everything we once did in person, there was an app to substitute it. 

While not the ideal situation for many consumers, apps provided a means to bridge the gap as an emergency measure. While only time can tell if these habits are likely to stay, we’re betting that app usage isn’t likely to decrease in the near future. 

Talk Technology 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. 

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 February tech news.

Technology sure is a wonderful thing, but in order for it to stay relevant, beneficial and 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 such, it’s almost inevitable that 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 February tech news?

The Latest February Tech News Explained 

With the start of a new year well and truly underway, tech giants around the world have still been dropping new games, software and devices left right and centre. However, it’s also the perfect time of the year for whispers to circulate as to what we can expect in the next twelve months ahead. 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 February tech news. 

Chip Shortage Continues – The prolonged global chip shortage has upended the way automakers churn out new vehicles, driven up prices of televisions and has even made hot products like Sony’s PlayStation 5 nearly impossible to buy. All signs suggest we’re still not out of the woods, with the shortage predicted to continue until at least mid to late 2022. 

Apple SE Enters Production – A new leak from Silicon Valley claims that production will begin on the next iPhone SE in January, with a launch date pencilled in for April or May this year instead of the usual September. The forthcoming iPhone SE would be the third generation of the model, and it is believed to be adding 5G and other updates instead of a full scale redesign. 

PlayStation Goes Virtual – Riding on the recent news and surrounding buzz of the upcoming Metaverse, PlayStation has made announcements on their own next generation virtual reality system for the PS5 console, starting with the official name: PlayStation VR2, and the new VR controller: PlayStation VR2 Sense controller.

Prime Drops LOTR Trailer – While we’re all excited to see what the heck Amazon Prime’s upcoming Lord Of The Rings series is going to look like, fantasy nerds can now get a sneak peak via its first trailer. The story takes place during the Second Age and the creation of the rings, so viewers are excited to get to know the origins of Sauron as well. 

OnePlus Pro Is Here – The OnePlus 10 Pro is the latest addition to OnePlus’s impressive line-up of smartphones, and the early signs suggest this is a premium device with a design to match, without the extravagant price tag that normally follows. Marketed as a mid range smart phone, the newest offering from OnePlus is slim, with a triple camera array to boot. 

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 February 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.