One unfortunate similarity between Apple’s iPhone 12 and the iPhone 12 Pro is battery life or lack thereof. These iPhones are okay, but represent one rung down from 2019’s devices. typically see about four and a half hours of screen time for each full charge using 4G, 5G and Wi-Fi. Now, this is only represents a day’s usage, and a small buffer amount of charge. In comparison, I was easily able to see at least a day-and-a-half from both the iPhone 11 as well as the iPhone XR. A day per charge is doable, however it would have better to have more of a safety net for those days where you go extreme.

And on a charging note, the company, Apple has gone with an interesting policy of stopping providing power bricks and earbuds with their devices for environmental concerns. So all you’ll see included in the box – other than your iPhone 12 itself, is a USB Type C to Lightning cord. We don’t believe it’s a big deal. EarPods are horrendous, & a lot of us have a power brick. The problematic thing is the choice of cable. You will need to have a charging adaptor with a USB Type C port to use it and if you’re upgrading from an iPhone 11 Pro, the iPhone power brick will be made with a USB A port.
You may use an old cable & charger, but you will not get the the fast charging times that the iPhone 12 is able to provide. Should you wish to buy a USB C charging unit, you’re looking at $39 to have one.

It’s Known As MagSafe Because It Uses Magnets

In addition, Apple additionally has their convenient new wireless charging system: known as MagSafe. This is a circular shaped wireless charger that connects onto the back of an iPhone 12. This provides the best alignment to achieve the fastest wireless charging, and it also means you can use the phone as it’s charging and you cannot with a standard charger. You will able to achieve a faster charge using a wired charger, however MagSafe will take your iPhone 12 from flat to 40% over around half an hour.
Of course, purchasing into MagSafe will cost you extra. You will have to drop $65.00 for the charger, and another $29 should you require the USB C brick. If you’re wanting the magnets that snap to your cover or case, you will need to get a MagSafe compatible case. Your MagSafe charger will charge through any case, it will not stick to non MagSafe cases. MagSafe cases are priced from $80.
And while there are aspects of MagSafe which are proprietary, it will work as a regular wireless charger that works with any device that uses wireless charging. The charge time is will not be as fast as MagSafe charging. At the moment, MagSafe is a new, fun and handy option, however I am curious in seeing where the ecosystem will lead to.
While a lot of iPhone owners don’t have a MagSafe charger at the office, there sure is a lot of potential when it comes to MagSafe accessories like car mounts where this could prove beneficial.

Read more technology news, reviews and tutorials at Perth Phone Cases Blog.

According to a recent report in the South Korean tech publication The Elec reports that Samsung would scale back output from around 25 million units per month to merely 10 million handsets for April. The publication quotes an un-named source to suggest that current Covid-19 Iockdowns and the halting of factories in India as well as in Brazil are the main reasons for this reduction.
The company report numbers will be normal during May when the India and Brazil plants will ressume manufacturing. Although, given that this lockdown has already been extended in India till May 3 and considering Covid 19 occurences are rising in both these countries, the recovery may take longer than what the company anticipates.
Yet, there is a silver lining for the Korean tech giant. The predicted sales for the Galaxy S20 Ultra have been outperforming all market predictions and sales are expected to beat 6 million phones during the year as against the anticipated numbers 3.5 to 5.25 million units.

Read more technology news, reviews and tutorials at Perth Phone Cases Blog.

The smartphone in our pockets has become our dirty secret.

The next time you grab a friend’s smartphone to stare at a picture or to watch the video on YouTube they simply had to share, you might want to think again.  

Or, even better, take a look at your own mobile device and wonder: when did I last clean it? 

On January 17, ZDNet took to Twitter to ask a simple question: How often do you disinfect your phone? The results surprised us and certainly revealed a disturbing truth: the majority of us are filthy creatures.   

In total, 18.5% of you said your smartphone was subject to a weekly clean, whereas 14% said their mobile device was subject to a monthly spruce-up.  

A whopping 60% of you admitted you never cleaned your mobile device. 7.4% inferred you would clean it after you’ve been sick.  

Our readers aren’t alone, either, in grim habits: a 2019 report (.PDF) of 1,200 US residents and their hygiene practices found that 88% of adults use their phones in the bathroom.  

If you’re a parent, you are even more likely to do so with the figure climbing to 93%; perhaps in a bid to snatch a few minutes of peace to check social media feeds and emails. 

 (All in all, there are probably only two types of smartphone users: those who admit to using their device in the bathroom, and those who lie about it.) 

Your smartphone goes everywhere with you. The lounge, the bathroom, the kitchen, the bedroom, the pub.  

You touch the screen after you’ve washed up with the germ-infested kitchen sponge that really should have been thrown away days ago. You refill the dog bowl, perhaps receive an affectionate lick in gratitude and then accept a call, thereby pressing the screen to your face. 

You unlock your phone in the pub garden to check a notification after you’ve used the restroom. (You’ve washed your hands but how many reprobates have you seen while you’re in there bypass the sink entirely to grab the door handle on their way out?)  

It’s no wonder that smartphones are now comparable to toilet seats when it comes to the germs and viruses that claim them as home.  

Initial suggests that the average smartphone has close to 10 times more bacteria per square inch than a toilet seat. In 2011, academics from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found that roughly one in six devices harbor E. Coli, bacteria associated with fecal matter.  

Another interesting piece of research, conducted by Insurance2Go, swabbed devices to show how much bacteria and yeast shows up after being incubated at 30C for 48 hours. 

Other recent studies confirm high colony-forming units (CFU) per square inch levels on our mobile devices. 

If you’re like me and travel often with a smartphone glued to your hip, you really might want to take a wipe with you. Outstripping everything else on the list, a study into airport self-check-in kiosks showed they contain a massive 253,857 CFU per square inch, thanks to our grubby hands.  

We can’t get rid of our smartphones, despite the breeding grounds of germs they have become, and it’s important we don’t sterilize our lives to the point we hamper our own immune systems.  

But it might be about time we think about cleaning our devices a little more often, especially in the winter season when cold and flu bugs are rampant and when touch can be enough to transfer contagious illnesses to our nearest and dearest. The now global challenge posed by the coronavirus is an additional wake-up call 

How to do so properly, however, is something that confuses people who do not want to end up damaging these expensive items.  

I asked people I knew how they cleaned their own smartphones. Tights, a scrub on their jeans, scarves and a spit-and-polish (yes, I know) were popular options — but we can do better than that. Below are some tips and for an in-depth review, you can also check out sister site CNET’s guide to keeping your mobile devices squeaky clean.

How to clean your smartphone

• Microfiber cloth: To reduce the risk of scratching your screen, use a damp microfiber cloth rather than paper towels. The cloth won’t kill bacteria but will shift it away from your mobile device.
• Technology cleaners: There are specific cleaning products available for electronics and screens which will kill bugs and shouldn’t leave any streaks. 
• Nooks and crannies: Use damp cotton swabs to clear up any awkward spots, such as headphone jacks or memory card slots. 
• UV lights: For a serious clean, products including PhoneSoap will use UV to flash and kill microscopic bacteria. 
• Antibacterial wipes: There’s no harm in using a wipe every so often, especially if you’ve recently suffered from illness, but this should be an occasional clean as they may contain harmful chemicals

What to avoid

• Window cleaning spray: You would be forgiven to think glass and window cleaners would be fine on a smartphone screen, but you would be wrong. Some displays have anti-oil and water protections, and using these chemicals can be too harsh, leading to gradual screen erosion.
• Paper: Paper towels can be abrasive enough to leave scratches on fragile smartphone screens. 
• Rubbing alcohol/sprays: Alcohol is a go-to for cleaning but you may run the risk of damaging your device if you do so. Diluted or not, most vendors recommend that you stay away from this cleaning method. 
• General household cleaning products: A spray that promises to kill 99 percent of bacteria is appealing, but the chemicals contained in household products can be far too harsh. 
• Vinegar: Even when diluted with water, you are running the risk of stripping protective coatings from device screens. 

It won’t kill you to miss a day or two of cleaning, but come on, everyone, never? 

This article Dirty iPhone? Here’s one flu and coronavirus safeguard: Clean your device now

originally appeared on www.zdnet.com

At Perth Phone Cases are always reviewing accessories such as chargers, cases, covers and car kits soon so watch here for more reviews, news and other information. 

Joining the popular and responsible, sustainable trend that has been growing in tech, Case-Mate has combined with The Nature Conservancy to deliver a new line of eco-friendly smartphone cases and covers that suit the 2019 iPhones: the iPhone 11, the iPhone 11 Pro as well as the 11 Pro Max. 

The new cases are called Eco94 and they are manufactured from post consumer recycled plastic or plastic alternatives. As this is plastic that would have thrown in the garbage landfill is reduced. 

To help reduce landfill, many companies across the world are taking matters into their hands and are developing sustainable answers.

Case-Mate’s E94 iPhone Cases

The Eco94 Case-Mate cases are a wonderful and enterprising example of this. In addition to having sustainable qualities, the cases also provide 10-foot drop protection for your iPhone. The cases are also compatible with wireless charging. And the cases come in packaging that is sourced from 100% recycled paper containing no plastic.
Two of the phone cases are priced at $49.99 and are derived from close to 60% post-consumer reused plastic. And the cases are additionally available in two styles: one that has a bright and colourful style whilst the other model has with eco-friendly messaging imprinted on it.
The cases use plastics that were originally used in the automotive industry. They are fully recyclable.
Case-Mate’s Eco94 Eco-Clear case is priced at close to $49.99 and has been made from bioplastics that come from corn.
During manufacturing the Eco-Clear case produces a much smaller carbon footprint than what is made when a case is sourced using petroleum-based plastic. And even better this cover is 100% recyclable.
The Eco94 iPhone case  has a price of $49.99, and is made from plant-based bioplastics and  is also 100% biodegradable. Case-Mate has said that the case is compostable. But this case requires the specific conditions that are available in an industrial composting facility.

At Perth Phone Cases are always reviewing accessories such as chargers, cases, covers and car kits soon so watch here for more reviews, news and other information. 

Please note that the prices stated here are current at the time of writing and can change over time.

Read more technology news, reviews and tutorials at Perth Phone Cases Blog.