The Technology that May Replace Smartphones

When Alexander Graham Bell brought us the revolutionary first ever telephone back in 1876, the world was changed forever. Ever since then, telephonic devices have been a mainstay of the modern world; an essential part of our everyday lives.

Of course, phones have evolved dramatically since those early cable telephones into the high-tech smartphones of today, but the basic idea is still the same. And since the inception of the telephone, they’ve only grown in popularity. These days, the vast majority of the population has a smartphone and uses it regularly.

Indeed, it’s hard to envision a world without smartphones, yet that may really be the case in a couple of decades. We’re already seeing the early beginnings of tech that has the potential to replace smartphones, and as this tech becomes more advanced and sophisticated, it may really spell the end of smartphones as we know them.

To explore this idea more, let’s take a look at three key technological innovations may eventually make smartphones superfluous.

1. Wearable Tech / Augmented Reality

Wearable tech is already all around us – think Google Glass, fitness wristbands, and smartwatches – but some futurists believe we’ve only just begun to scratch the surface of this transformative tech.

While Google Glass may have been a bit of a dud, the tech at that point was still largely undeveloped. Augmented reality is becoming more and more sophisticated each year, and many experts predict that it will reach awe-inspiring new heights within a decade or so.

Imagine a pair of smart glasses that allow you to do all the things your smartphone would with ease either by tracking the movement of your pupils or through bone conduction technology. Check emails, send messages, play games, take calls and photos… all from your glasses. Now imagine that they can also provide real-time information on the things you’re looking at right in front of you like the kind of thing you see in spy movies.

That kind of technology would surely make smartphones redundant, right? Well, who really knows? What we do know, though, is that this technology is probably just around the corner. In a few years time, the next wave of smart glasses and goggles might make our existing smartphone devices look prehistoric.

Many huge tech companies have already begun devoting a huge chunk of their research efforts into innovations in this area. Companies like Facebook, Microsoft, and Google are working on their own standalone AR headsets that will be able to project 3D images into your eyes. Google’s Magic Leap is a great example of this. Microsoft, Facebook, Google, and the Google-backed Magic Leap.

It’s not just goggles and glasses either. Other types of wearable tech such as in-ear implants and AirPods are becoming more and more sophisticated.

Futurists think that if this kind of wearable tech is sophisticated enough, it will flat-out replace not just smartphones, but also any other screen-based devices you might have. If tech can beam movies, games, and anything else you do on a screen straight into your eyes, there will be no need to have anything else.

2. Virtual Reality

Moving on from augmented reality technology to the even-more-immersive virtual reality. Virtual reality headsets have already come on leaps and bounds from the early novelty models we saw a few years back, but there’s a long way to go from here.

Futurists hope that the tech will one day grow so advanced that it will be difficult to distinguish the virtual reality from the real reality. In this ideal, virtual reality tech wouldn’t just influence what you see and hear but would hijack all other senses too. For example, full body virtual reality suits are already under development which will allow you to feel in virtual reality. The suits give you biofeedback so that you really feel what’s happening as if it were real.

If you can imagine combining that with some form of movement pads that let you walk around in a virtual space, we could have a whole virtual playground at our fingertips. If this kind of tech were widely available, and anyone could access the virtual space, smartphones would soon become redundant. Instead of using your smartphone, you could simply step into a world in which you can interact physically with your emails, games, and everything else.

It might seem like science fiction right now, but who knows what will happen in the years to come.

3. Transhumanist Technology

The third technological innovation that may replace smartphones is also the scariest. We’re talking about human/machine fusion – biological upgrades that turn us into something more than human. Cyborg tech, if you will.

Elon Musk’s Neuralink company has already begun developing such technology. The company’s goal is to build computers into our very brains via ‘neural lace’.

It’s in the very earliest stages of development but hopes to eventually be able to bridge the brain to a computer. With these brain-implants, we’d be able to search the internet, read emails, make calls, and anything else directly in our minds. This would make the need for any kind of interface, including smartphones, redundant.

In that sense, it would be the endpoint of technological evolution. Screens would become irrelevant and humans themselves would become one with machines. It’s a thought that’s as scary as it is exciting.

What About the Immediate Future?

So far, we’ve been looking way ahead. All the tech we’ve mentioned above probably won’t really take off until far, far into the future. So don’t worry, smartphones aren’t going anywhere soon.

In the more immediate future, our smartphones will just get better and better. Air changing, bendable screens, and complete waterproofing are just a few of the new technological features you can look forward to over the next few years.

The post The Technology that May Replace Smartphones appeared first on TelcoWorld Corp..

source https://www.telcoworld.com.au/news-blog/the-technology-that-may-replace-smartphones/

Mobile Phone Radiation: Should You Be Worried?

In this day and age, most people treat their mobile phones a little like a limb – they’re attached to it at all times. That’s great and all, but it does make the idea of that mobile phone you spend so much time with emitting harmful radiation a little more unsettling.

 

Nobody likes the thought of holding a device in their pocket that could be harming their health. That’s probably why there have been so many headlines in recent years that prey on these insecurities and claim that our mobile phones could be killing us.

 

But is this all just scaremongering? Or is their really any substance to the tenuous studies these claims are based on? Let’s find out by diving into the topic a little deeper.

Types of Radiation that Mobile Phones Emit

The first thing to note is that there are many different scientifically-recognized types of radiation out there; some of them harmful, others harmless.

 

The two types of radiation relevant to any discussion about mobile phones are:

 

• Non-ionizing Electromagnetic radiation (EMR), also known as Radio Frequency (RF)
• Extremely Low-Frequency radiation (ELF)

 

EMR radiation is given off by things like your mobile phones Bluetooth, Wifi, and 3/4G ELF radiation is produced by the hardware itself. Both of these are forms of electromagnetic radiation in the ‘microwave range’. Mobile phones can emit radiation even when turned off.

 

Most research on mobile phone radiation revolves around EMR or RF. This is because EMR has been highlighted as the type of radiation that poses the biggest potential risk to human health. I’ll get to how substantial that risk actually is later.

 

First, let’s talk about what happens to that radiation emitted by your mobile phones.

How Mobile Radiation Affects the User

The EMR/RF and ELF radiation that is emitted from your mobile phone is absorbed into the surrounding matter. That means that, when you’re close to your mobile phone, some of it is absorbed into you.

 

Exactly which part of your body the radiation will be absorbed by depends on where your phone is being held. Obviously, if it’s in your pocket, it goes into your leg-region. If you’re holding your phone to your head, that radiation goes into your head, which is precisely why so much attention has been given to researching whether mobile phone use can be linked to things like brain tumors.

 

How much of it is absorbed into your body tissue will depend on a number of factors. These factors include:

 

• The strength of the radiation emitted from your particular model of phone
• How long you use the phone for
• The strength of the mobile phone signal
• How far you are from cell towers

 

As well as other factors.

 

It’s true, then, that smartphones do emit small amounts of radiation, and that some of that radiation is absorbed into the body. However, nothing we’ve talked about so far makes any mention of whether or not this radiation is harmful or cause for concern.

 

To help answer that more important question, let’s take a look at the research.

Existing Mobile Phone Radiation Research

 

The current body of existing mobile phone radiation research is extensive and, as with many large bodies of research, there have been conflicting results.

 

Some studies have found that EMF radiation can be harmful to human health. These studies have found that it can impact brain activity and cause negative health effects such as insomnia and infertility.

 

However, a larger number of research studies have disputed these theories and found that mobile phone radiation has negligible health effects.

 

The official stance of the World Health Organization based on a large number of studies already performed is that “no adverse health effects have been established as being caused by mobile phone use” thus far.

 

However, as no conclusion can be definitively made on whether health effects will come apparent in the future, the WHO also recommended the adoption of the ‘precautionary principle’ regarding safe mobile phone use in order to minimize radiation exposure.

 

As such, the FDA has reported that current mobile phone safety limits regarding acceptable radiation emissions have deliberately been set 50 times lower than the levels at which radio-frequency radiation effects have been observed. This is a precautionary measure to limit exposure.

Precautions You Can Take to Minimize Mobile Radiation Exposure

So where does that all leave us? Well, it seems that you don’t need to be too worried about mobile radiation, but it is probably better to be safe than sorry. Therefore, it might be worthing taking some precautionary principles to limit your exposure. Here are some precautions you can take:

 

• Use a hands-free device in order to keep your mobile phone away from your head whenever possible
• Don’t sleep with your phone under your pillow.
• Don’t keep it on your person when you’re not using it.
• Use a mobile phone that emits less radiation. You can find information about how much radiation each model of phones emits online. Generally speaking, Chinese mobile brands such as Xiaomi tend to emit higher levels of radiation.
• Upgrade to next-gen 5G networks which use millimeter wave frequencies. Radiation of this frequency can’t penetrate biological tissue as deeply as microwave radiation, which makes it safer.

 

That about covers all you need to know about mobile phone radiation. To sum up, you probably don’t need to worry about it, but there’s no harm in taking precautions. Follow the advice above, and you’ll minimize the risk associated with mobile phone use to as low as could be reasonably expected.

 

The post Mobile Phone Radiation: Should You Be Worried? appeared first on TelcoWorld Corp..

source https://www.telcoworld.com.au/news-blog/mobile-phone-radiation-should-you-be-worried/

The Best Android Smartphones Games in 2019

So, you’ve just read our article on the best 3 mobile phones for gamers and rushed out to buy a new Razer phone. Now, you’re itching to put that baby to the test and see if that Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor really does provide super-smooth gameplay.

Well, the good news is, there’s no shortage of awesome games to test it out on. There’s a ton of amazing games for Android users in 2019. The world of mobile gaming has really taken off lately and I’d argue that some small-screen games now offer every bit as much fun, enjoyment, and entertainment as big-screen console games.

The question is, what game should you download first?

To give you some inspiration, we’ve put together this guide to the best Android smartphone games in 2019. Here are our top 5 picks:

1. Fortnite

We thought we’d start with the elephant in the room, Fortnite. If you haven’t already heard of this one, where have you been for the last year?

Literally the most popular game in the world, Fortnite is nothing if not divisive. Some gamers absolutely love it, others – mainly die-hard PUBG fans – hate it. But what is it?

Well, it’s a free-to-play, battle-royale-style, first-person-shooter game where you parachute off a plane and battle other players in order to be the last man standing. It’s incredibly addictive and guaranteed to get you hooked if you give it a chance.

It was initially released on PC and various consoles but luckily for us, it’s now been made available on both iOS and Android.

2. Monster Hunter Stories

If first-person shooters aren’t really your thing, perhaps you’re more of an action-and-adventure kind of guy. In that case, the Android game I recommend you go and download right now is Monster Hunter Stories.

This game is essentially the mobile version of hit console game ‘Monster Hunter World’. It features roughly the same narrative and concept – you’ll be running around an expansive world while you hunt for and tame various awesome-looking monsters. It’s fun, interesting, and captivating.

As you’d expect, being on a much smaller screen, the graphics have had to be scaled down quite a lot from the console version. As such, expert more cartoonish characters and much less detailed graphics.

The only downside is that, unlike Fortnite, this game isn’t free. You have to pay an initial purchase cost. If you don’t really want to splash your cash and you’re only interested in free games, don’t worry, I’ve got you covered with this next one…

3. Oceanhorn

Oceanhorn is very much a free alternative to Monster Hunter Stories. It’s perfect for gamers that want a solid action and adventure game for Android phones but don’t want to pay for it. Like Monster Hunter Stories, it features an expansive world, impressive but cartoonish graphics, and a gripping narrative.

The style and narrative are reminiscent of Legend of Zelda games so if you’re a fan of that kind of genre, you’re sure to love it.

 

4. Real Racing 3

Ok, we’ve covered action and adventure games; we’ve covered first-person-shooter games; now, we’re moving onto racing games. We know that there’s a whole army of racing fans out there that want to be able to get behind the metaphorical wheel of their Android phone and while the time away while racing down the tracks.

If this sounds like you, your best option would probably be to download Real Racing 3. As the name suggests, this is a game that tries to simulate ‘real racing’ as closely as possible – a difficult feat to manage when you’re working with a small screen.

Nonetheless, the game creators did a great job. The meticulously designed cars look as real as it gets, and you’ll be racing on the best real racing tracks from all across the world. Of course, it’s never going to match the kind of immersion you get from driving in a big-screen racing simulator, but it does a heck of a good job at translating that experience to an Android phone.

There’s a lot of options to keep you entertained with this game too. You can enter any number of countless events, access a ton of customization options, and even play multiplayer against racers on other consoles thanks to cross-platform functionality.

5. Pokemon Go

It made headlines and brought augmented reality tech into the mainstream when it was first released back in the summer of 2016, but Pokemon Go continues to be one of the best Android games available well into 2019.

Many critics were concerned that the concept of an ‘augmented reality’ game was nothing more than a gimmick and a passing trend but, thanks to a series of impressive updates, Pokemon Go has managed to stay relevant.

As developers have added new generations of Pokemon to the game’s database and improved on and expanded the gameplay options, Pokemon Go has gone from strength to strength. It’s now much more than a showcase of augmented reality, it’s a fantastic, fun, and all-around great smartphone game.

Collecting Pokemon, battling gyms, and hatching eggs while on the move adds a whole new layer of enjoyment to make the otherwise-mundane tasks of walking and commuting a lot of fun. Here’s hoping that Pokemon Go continues to ‘evolve’ – pardon the pun – and stay relevant for years to come!

Now Go Get Your Game On!

There you have it – 5 great Android games to keep you occupied for the next year. Did we miss anything? Let us know!

Also, if you’re struggling to get the smoothe gameplay you deserve on your existing Android phone, check out some other blogs on our website to see what other phones you might want to upgrade to.

The post The Best Android Smartphones Games in 2019 appeared first on TelcoWorld Corp..

source https://www.telcoworld.com.au/news-blog/the-best-android-smartphones-game-in-2019/