7 biggest technology smartphone myths busted
You've heard them before – in multiple blogs, articles and emails, in WhatsApp forwards and Facebook posts. But you shouldn't believe everything you read on the internet.
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1. Myth: Active mobile phones in airplanes will interfere with the navigation and communications systems -– is deemed hazardous for safety and hence banned
Fact: Modern airplane guidance and communication systems are incredibly sophisticated. Even a full plane of active mobile phones can't do a thing to displace their accuracy. If it were actually hazardous, you would have been required to deposit/checkin mobile phones before flying. The real reason you can't make calls is far simpler: crowd control and safety announcements.
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2. Myth: Mobile phones can cause fires at petrol filling stations
Fact: Petroleum gas is flammable – it can be ignited by a spark. But that spark will probably come from matches, lighters or static electricity and not your mobile phone. The fear is that a faulty phone or battery will cause a spark and fire but this is extremely unlikely and there is not a single verified incidence of this happening.
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3. Myth: You should not charge devices overnight: It will shorten battery life and can even damage the device
Fact: All modern electronics with rechargeable batteries have safety circuits built in to prevent overcharging and therefore any sort of damage. Once the battery has been fully charged, it will stop charging on its own. The power adapter may continue to draw a little bit of power in some cases.
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4. Myth: A larger battery means more battery life
Fact: Be it a cellphone, laptop or any battery powered device – the battery life is more closely related to how much power the device consumes. So if you have two similar cellphones, the one that lasts longer on a single charge is the one with a more efficient screen and electronics.
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5. Myth: Private browsing on your cellphone can keep you safe from prying eyes, tracking and so on
Fact: Most mobile phone browsers have a private or incognito mode but this is just a mode that does not keep any tracking cookies or history saved on the device. It will not hide your identity, location, activity or sites you visit from the internet service provider (whether Wi-Fi or GSM), from authorities that may have access or from the owners of the sites themselves.
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6. Myth: Don't take a call when your phone is charging because it can explode
Fact: It's true that there have been a few cases of mobile phones and tablets exploding – but it's actually the batteries that caused a fire and exploded – not the entire device itself.
Typically, the issue was attributed to low-quality, aftermarket batteries, spurious chargers, dubious charging techniques (trying to charge gadgets from 440 volt lines, DC batteries and so on). If you use genuine batteries and chargers in the way they are supposed to be used, you won't have a problem.
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7. Myth: Mobile phones emit a lot of radiation – so don't keep them in 'sensitive' areas like your trousers/jeans or shirt pocket
Fact: Any good phone from a reputed company has to pass strict SAR (Specific Absorption Rating) tests. Meeting the certification guarantees that the phone will not emit enough radiation for concern.
There is also no established correlation between mobile phone usage and illnesses.
Which Myth did you believe in ?
You've heard them before – in multiple blogs, articles and emails, in WhatsApp forwards and Facebook posts. But you shouldn't believe everything you read on the internet.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1. Myth: Active mobile phones in airplanes will interfere with the navigation and communications systems -– is deemed hazardous for safety and hence banned
Fact: Modern airplane guidance and communication systems are incredibly sophisticated. Even a full plane of active mobile phones can't do a thing to displace their accuracy. If it were actually hazardous, you would have been required to deposit/checkin mobile phones before flying. The real reason you can't make calls is far simpler: crowd control and safety announcements.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Myth: Mobile phones can cause fires at petrol filling stations
Fact: Petroleum gas is flammable – it can be ignited by a spark. But that spark will probably come from matches, lighters or static electricity and not your mobile phone. The fear is that a faulty phone or battery will cause a spark and fire but this is extremely unlikely and there is not a single verified incidence of this happening.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Myth: You should not charge devices overnight: It will shorten battery life and can even damage the device
Fact: All modern electronics with rechargeable batteries have safety circuits built in to prevent overcharging and therefore any sort of damage. Once the battery has been fully charged, it will stop charging on its own. The power adapter may continue to draw a little bit of power in some cases.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. Myth: A larger battery means more battery life
Fact: Be it a cellphone, laptop or any battery powered device – the battery life is more closely related to how much power the device consumes. So if you have two similar cellphones, the one that lasts longer on a single charge is the one with a more efficient screen and electronics.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. Myth: Private browsing on your cellphone can keep you safe from prying eyes, tracking and so on
Fact: Most mobile phone browsers have a private or incognito mode but this is just a mode that does not keep any tracking cookies or history saved on the device. It will not hide your identity, location, activity or sites you visit from the internet service provider (whether Wi-Fi or GSM), from authorities that may have access or from the owners of the sites themselves.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6. Myth: Don't take a call when your phone is charging because it can explode
Fact: It's true that there have been a few cases of mobile phones and tablets exploding – but it's actually the batteries that caused a fire and exploded – not the entire device itself.
Typically, the issue was attributed to low-quality, aftermarket batteries, spurious chargers, dubious charging techniques (trying to charge gadgets from 440 volt lines, DC batteries and so on). If you use genuine batteries and chargers in the way they are supposed to be used, you won't have a problem.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7. Myth: Mobile phones emit a lot of radiation – so don't keep them in 'sensitive' areas like your trousers/jeans or shirt pocket
Fact: Any good phone from a reputed company has to pass strict SAR (Specific Absorption Rating) tests. Meeting the certification guarantees that the phone will not emit enough radiation for concern.
There is also no established correlation between mobile phone usage and illnesses.
Which Myth did you believe in ?
