Tag Archives: cell phone

Finnish newcomers HMD Global (stylized as the calculatedly-hip hmd.) recently released their first smartphone in China. The Nokia 6 is a typical Chinese smartphone; relatively low cost (around US$240), 16MP camera, Android 7.0, etc., but it’s also the first Nokia Android phone. Yes, that’s right: Nokia. After a string of relatively unpopular smartphones running Windows Phone OS, the last we heard from the mobile division of the Espoo-based telecom company was an absorption into Microsoft. HMD also announced a revival of the Nokia 3310, a phone from the turn of the millennium and known for having a Snake game and being nearly invulnerable to damage. So…how did we get here?

Nokia, the world’s most successful paper-mill-turned-smartphone-company, faced struggling sales in the late ‘00s. Apple and Samsung had broken from the pack and began racing each other to dominance in the western world, leaving everyone else in the dust. Nokia, meanwhile, had a firm grip on the low-end cellphone market through to the early 2010s, selling nigh-indestructible handsets with week-long battery life to developing industrial markets like Nigeria, Brazil, and Turkey. These phones, such as the Nokia 1100 (the best selling phone in history), feature the old “candybar” form factor that you remember your parents having back in the day, but their legendary durability and low cost made them a status symbol in a large part of the world. As these countries developed further and their populations wanted higher-end smartphones, Nokia sought to provide them with such. A partnership with Microsoft resulted in the Nokia Lumia phones running Windows Phone OS, and in 2013 Microsoft decided to purchase Nokia’s mobile phone division outright and make it Microsoft Mobile. Unfortunately, Windows Phones were not well-received and never sold very well. By April 2016, market share for the Microsoft-based OS fell below 1%, and Microsoft then sold the division to Foxconn (manufacturer of electronic components for Apple, Samsung, Acer, Dell, Nintendo, and more) and a new company composed primarily of ex-Nokia executives: HMD Global.

HMD, whose website boasts the tagline “The Home of Nokia Phones,” released the aforementioned Nokia 6 this month. The Nokia 5 and Nokia 3 are coming soon, also being slate-style Android devices with lower-end hardware specs than the 6. However, we’re sure that even HMD execs are surprised to see that the big headline is the re-release of the Nokia 3310. The classic “dumbphone” is a testament to how build quality and design can still beat out innovation and shininess in the tech world. You don’t have to worry about a cracked screen when said screen is 84 x 48 pixels of flexible monochrome display. Leaving your charger at home isn’t a problem when the battery lasts about 10 days. It’s more than just a throwback to a simpler age of cellphones; durability and functionality are an absolute necessity in developing parts of the world. Examples of the modern Nokia user might be a Senegalese woman using her phone to run a textile business or a farmer in Azerbaijan keeping in contact with the marketplace. They don’t care about high-resolution cameras or fingerprint scanners. It will be interesting to see how much, if any, updates the 3310 will get upon its rebirth. It’s a weak dream, but we hope that it’s successful enough to spark a return to function-over-form mentality in the tech world. Or maybe we just miss the days when you didn’t need a heat gun to disassemble and repair a phone. If you do manage to break one, send it to iFixYouri and we’ll bring it to life…or just frame it on our wall.

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A Broken Cell Phone Means a Disrupted Life

October 16, 2012 Staff Leave a comment

Text messaging, mobile internet and electronic mail on the go — it is difficult, and even impossible for some people, to imagine life without these technological advances. For some individuals, being without their mobile phones and smartphones makes them feel uneasy and uncomfortable. Mobile technology has not just influenced society, it’s defined it. And a broken cell phone can mean an interrupted life.

Attitude towards Mobile Use

An outstanding 84% of users worldwide said that they could not go a single day without having their mobile devices on hand. So when the mobile device breaks, it needs to be fixed ASAP, or life gets seriously disrupted. At iFixYouri, we know how important the devices can be in your life, and getting your smartphone repaired quickly and properly is the #1 goal.

Mobile Phone Use and Relationships

Texting has become the avenue for flirting and for asking a person out on a date. Surprisingly, the convenience and ease of texting has pushed some 24% of texters to coordinate or even commit adultery.

Mothers and fathers feel that their wireless devices have enabled them to become better parents. They also believe that, although gadgets may be a source of distraction for their kids, there are more benefits for their children in learning about technology.

Government and Politics

Mobile technology enables a person to check out the latest news at any time, at any place. As a result, citizens all over the world, particularly in United States and China, have become better informed about current events and news.

Business, Commerce and Economy

People agree that wireless mobile technology has strengthened the economy and accountability of the government and of government officials. With this technology, individuals are able to work even when they are away from the office.

Indubitably, the mobile phone has replaced money to be the object one must never leave home without.

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Is Radiation Exposure Linked to Cell Phone Use?

October 16, 2012 Staff 4 Comments

One of the concerns of cell phone users is whether they are exposed to unhealthy amounts of radiation when using cell phones.

A number of countries have started looking at the dangers linked with cellphone radiation and have started setting standards for the usage of the phones. Some countries ban the use of these phones in public places like trains.

Some medical experts believe that radiation from cell phones is more dangerous than cigarette smoke, because of the wider use of these appliances; however, there is not scientific consensus about how much danger a cell phone can actually cause. The amount of cell phone use could be a factor, as well as using a physically-damaged cell phone that needs repair.

The Dangers Involved

The operation of cell phones involves using electromagnetic radiation from the microwave region in this spectrum. This radiation is absorbed by the human body and thus users of cell phones are constantly exposed to such radiation. The amount of radiation that is emitted by a cellphone will depend on its model. Such radiation is measured as a Specific Absorption Rate, and safe levels are those below 1.6. W/kg of body weight.

Such radiation is also emitted by cellular towers that dot most city landscapes and are also found all over the country. It is said that such radiation has the possibility of being carcinogenic.

Factors Affecting Risk

Radiation from cellphones can vary depending on where the antenna is placed. Handsets that have these antennas very close to the ear piece are more damaging. It is best to use air tube headsets in order to reduce the radiation.
Phones should be switched off when not in use.
It is best to limit the use of cellphones by children, as they are more vulnerable to such radiation.

When you are overexposed to this form of electromagnetic field radiation, you will notice tingling and burning sensations in the head, hands and face, and probably some pain. You may feel very tired, be subject to fits of absentmindedness and find it difficult to sleep. While yet not really proved, scientists feel such radiation can cause cancers, tumors and tissue damage.

Protection

There are a number of ways that can help to protect a person from radiation caused by cellphones or cellular towers.

It is possible to protect a home completely from outside electromagnetic radiation with the use of specific ‘net’-like devices. There are also accessories that can change the position of the antenna so that radiation is kept away from the head. It is not possible to block all radiation that emanates from a cellphone, as this will prevent it from working.

There are certain proprietary products available that will prevent the radiation getting through to sensitive parts of the body. These protection devices are attached to the ear piece and prevent most of the radiation, over 90 percent, from entering the head. The percentage of blocking can also depend on the model of the phone. There are also radiation free headsets available that can block all radiation.

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