please empty your brain below
|
So what will you do with the old one?
I have so many lost in the back of a drawer.
Carl | 07.01.21 - 7:18 a.m. | #
|
Whilst the old one seemingly had multiple issues, the charging port thing has a potentially easy remedy, if it’s an iPhone.
Get a plastic or wooden toothpick and dig around in the port. Really go to town on it! When my 6S suffered a similar fate, I dug out an impressive 1 inch cubed amount of fluff that had been compressed inside. After that it charged ok again.
dg writes: Worked in 2018. Didn't in 2020.
R | 07.01.21 - 7:40 a.m. | #
|
|
You beat me to it R. Same with my 6s, just remember to scrape horizontally!
Bruce Wayne | 07.01.21 - 7:44 a.m. | #
|
|
Did you not keep your Z470xi as a spare?
martin | 07.01.21 - 7:52 a.m. | #
|
|
The iPhone 13 is rumoured to have no ports at all. I’ve set aside a big chunk of my lockdown savings to get one when they come out in the autumn. I just hope my current phone lasts until then.
Jimmy | 07.01.21 - 7:59 a.m. | #
|
Jimmy: That just means you have to use some sort of a charging pad instead of a wire -- not much change in terms of convenience, and probably more issues with getting a proper contact, etc. What with that and the need to buy, charge and use a pair of wireless earphones, I can't see myself ever buying such a thing.
Also, personally, I've got better battery life from many Android phones than from an iPhone, and they're much cheaper too. (My current one is a Nokia 4.2)
anonymous | 07.01.21 - 8:10 a.m. | #
|
|
My last iPhone (5S) lasted around 7 years but had two incarnations. The first one’s battery became unreliable to the point of shutting down at 50% and not charging up again with a portable charger, so I took it to an Apple authorised service to replace it. They busted my phone and claimed they had evidence of a non original screen so couldn’t be responsible for it. Phone had never been serviced or had another owner so I fought back fiercely for over a month until they agreed to replace it. I was given a refurbished 5S whose battery started getting weak around a year later but still lasted long. I could have replaced this battery as well (although wouldn’t bother with the official customer service ever again) but it had been so long that last Christmas Santa gave me a brand new one. The jump from 5S to 11 was a big one and much enjoyed (and that’s why I don’t see what’s the hype on changing every year, you’d barely notice the differences). Battery is 98% healthy one year on. The old one is still functional and will hopefully be my daughters entry phone when she’s old enough (very soon, I’m afraid). Enjoy your new phone!
Renata | 07.01.21 - 8:12 a.m. | #
|
|
Despite having had a mobile phone since before 2000 (but only five in those 20+ years), I still think of myself as not a mobile phone person. I rarely give out my number, and it’s only since working from home where I’ve needed the phone as part of my logging-in security process that I actually switch it on every weekday. Most weekends the phone is permanently off, and if anyone has ever sent me a voicemail, I’ve no idea ...
Alan S | 07.01.21 - 8:50 a.m. | #
|
|
My iPhone 6 is now five and a half, and I'm not saying anything in case I jinx it. It's great but the most special place in my heart will always be reserved for my 2007 Nokia N95 (8gb, the black one). It was just so solid and clunky. The phone equivalent of my Volvo 240.
Sarah | Homepage | 07.01.21 - 9:13 a.m. | #
|
Lithium-ion batteries don't like being fully charged or fully discharged. This is true whether powering phones, cars, ships or aircraft and is down to the particular chemical nature of the battery.
Because manufacturers know this they often secretly ensure some charge is maintained. The figure shown is therefore the available charge. This is why your phone suddenly stops working rather than degrades and is why they appear to be able to predict accurately when the battery will go flat.
On that basis, I try keep lithium-ion batteries charged between 20% and 80% according to the stated availability and not be tempted to top-up (even to 80%) if it is not necessary. Subjectively, this regime seems to be effective at ensuring a long battery life.
Pedantic of Purley | 07.01.21 - 9:44 a.m. | #
|
|
When a phone has become 'essential' for everyday life, its not a world I am pleased to be entering ... I remain perhaps one of a dwindling number of those without a 'device' ... Cheers
PJS | 07.01.21 - 10:04 a.m. | #
|
|
My Galaxy is coming up to 5 years now. The main problem is the lack of internal memory meaning I can't download any new Apps
Mikey C | 07.01.21 - 10:24 a.m. | #
|
|
I'm afraid that I change my phone as soon as regular security updates cease - generally two years or so. I can usually sell on the old one which offsets the cost of the new one.
Tim W | 07.01.21 - 10:24 a.m. | #
|
Can you cut out part of the old case so that you can use the camera? It won't be a thing of beauty, but a battered case will still protect your substantial investment until you can get a new one. Taking the phone in and out of the case for photos is a recipe for disaster ...
Good luck battling through all of the changed settings.
Martin | 07.01.21 - 10:25 a.m. | #
|
Mikey C - Same here! My 1st and only smart phone (a Galaxy J5) is only 4 years old, but for 3 of them, all I've been able to have on it is the bus app as the internal operating system takes up 7 of the 8 Gb memory!
However, as I'm not even using that at the moment, I'm going to carry on with my 20th century lifestyle until the whole thing fails to open anymore.
Cornish Cockney | 07.01.21 - 10:33 a.m. | #
|
A smart phone is now an essential part of everyday life for most people. Your interaction with the world and your personal data are all tied to that device, so any major malfunction is disruptive.
The changeover is made easier IMO if you keep the same brand of phone, also if you wait until that model has been on the market for at least 3-4 months. (This helps with the amount of data collated)
Your point about advice from the internet when things wrong is correct, PLUS these sites can show you hidden features and short cuts about your model phone. (YouTube and various phone forums)
Michael | 07.01.21 - 11:52 a.m. | #
|
|
Good for consumption. We have a variety of phones at home, including an Iphone 3 which is great for phone calls and messages. I had a beautiful Motorola RAZR, i loved it but i dropped it in a lake, and i bought a replacement just to have a RAZR but it was not as sleek. My mid range Huawei used to take beautiful pics, the best camera i experienced, but then just before it became contraband, i broke a camera bit. So now i have a Samsung but the camera stinks. IN the family we got a 12 yesterday, so much fun.
intreader | 07.01.21 - 11:57 a.m. | #
|
OMG, you let your phone get to zero percent? I panic if mine drops below 50%. I am a little curious about what you bought. Are you an I person or an Android person?
And from what I know, Pedantic of Purley is quite correct about charging.
Andrew | Homepage | 07.01.21 - 12:01 p.m. | #
|
I’ve just had an almost identical phone journey to DG.
I wonder what phone model DG has bought. My guess is he’s gone from an iPhone 6 to an iPhone SE.
Hadders | 07.01.21 - 12:24 p.m. | #
|
|
The advice I’ve seen about charging to preserve battery life is always inconsistent. I know it’s not a phone but for my new laptop the manufacturer says it doesn’t matter if you charge full or empty completely or if you work with the charger on all the time, that wouldn’t affect battery life, it will have its wearing off cycle regardless of what you do.
Renata | 07.01.21 - 12:54 p.m. | #
|
|
I feel DG's pain on the poor timing of phone failures. Mine got 99% of the way through an update on Christmas Eve Eve but refused to go any further or indeed to cancel the update altogether. The only way out is to connect to a computer running certain software, or to visit a particular shop, neither of which I can do. So, I've begrudgingly forked out for a newer model which should arrive by next Christmas... if they pull their fingers out.
Robert | 07.01.21 - 1:42 p.m. | #
|
I find the tyranny of mobile phones - and the assumption of so many companies that everyone has one, with no concessions to anyone who’s unwilling or unable to use one - intensely irritating. As an example, my bank simply wouldn’t let me open a new savings account without a mobile number “for ID”, despite my having had my current account with them for over 40 years, there being no need for a mobile phone to operate the new account, and, as far as I know, no way for them to use the number to verify my identity unless they access mobile phone company databases (breaking data protection laws). There was no alternative: no mobile number, no account, even though I fulfilled all the published age and other customer criteria for opening it.
I can work quite happily on a landline phone and a desktop computer, with a mobile only for emergencies or calls when I’m actually out (yes, it’s a “mobile” phone), but this now cuts no ice with companies giving the impression they’re run by people whose ears and eyes are permanently welded to their phones and screens.
Labourer | 07.01.21 - 2:11 p.m. | #
|
|
The requirement by the bank for a mobile number is likely to be because they use two factor authentication. My bank sends a text to my mobile whenever I try to do something much more than a simple look at my account. This almost makes me swear at times, but there is some justification behind it.
Bob L-S | 07.01.21 - 2:40 p.m. | #
|
Labourer's comment reminded me of what Douglas Adams had to say about technology:
1. Anything that is in the world when you’re born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works.
2. Anything that’s invented between when you’re fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it.
3. Anything invented after you’re thirty-five is against the natural order of things.
Will | 07.01.21 - 4:40 p.m. | #
|
Cornish Cockney, I have a J5 also!
Apart from not being able to download new Apps, it also makes installing updates really hard work, as I end up continually having to remove cache and clear "Google Play services"
Mikey C | 07.01.21 - 5:02 p.m. | #
|
|
Bruce Wayne, DG, when you don your sports jacket/gilet jaune/fleece in the morning, righthandedly slip your I into your breast pocket UPSIDE DOWN; lovingly, look down into its not-fluffed-up port and contemplate the ORACLE.
J | 07.01.21 - 5:46 p.m. | #
|
|
It makes you wonder how people ever lived their lives before we had mobile phones. It also makes me want to weep to see how reliant we have become on technology.
Tones | 07.01.21 - 5:51 p.m. | #
|
I'm still on the second hand Nokia E51 I got given 10 years ago. If anything advanced is needed, it is delegated to my better half's smartphone. Battery replaced for the second time recently and the rubber protection around the controls on the side is gone but everything still works.
Social media on PC only.
aikon | 07.01.21 - 7:21 p.m. | #
|
|
Today's blog might have been written by me, as my daughters would testify.
Peter Winkworth | 07.01.21 - 9:48 p.m. | #
|
|
Bob L-S: Yes, some accounts do need a mobile for transaction security/authentication, but not this one (I just log in normally to online banking), which is why I was so irritated. The better financial companies will send passcodes to a landline as well or provide a card reader as an alternative, but most are too lazy or unwilling to spend money on this, so effectively being compelled to have a mobile has become a condition of getting an account.
Labourer | 08.01.21 - 12:18 a.m. | #
|
|
As soon as I saw the subject matter, I knew this would be "old people moan about tech" in the comments
lumma | Homepage | 08.01.21 - 5:54 a.m. | #
|
|
Battery charging advice is useful on cheaper, dumber appliances. But phones should have charging circuitry that's clever enough to bypass the worst excesses. 100% is not 100%. 0% is not 0%. When it's sitting there charged and plugged in at 100, it's actually cycling very slightly down and back up again. The manufacturers know that normal use is drain to 25-50% during the day and charge overnight, and the design factors it in. The one thing you can do to help longevity is to *not* use a Fast Charge unit, except in emergencies.
Chz | 08.01.21 - 8:46 a.m. | #
|
|
Lumia too right 'old people moan about tech's. When you think about the things they have had to put up with, the things they have gone through and the things they went without so banks could refuse them an account because they don't have a mobile phone. And don't get me started on the cashless society and the apparent Ned for everybody to walk the street with a phone stuck in the ear not watching where they're going
Tones | 08.01.21 - 10:38 a.m. | #
|
|
Lumma: Despite my age, it’s not the tech I object to, it’s the assumptions/compulsion by businesses that impose tech solutions on customers for their benefit, not ours. Email has been vital for work for over 20 years and for keeping in touch with friends, Zoom has been a godsend in the last year particularly, and my iPad lets me do many things when I’m not at my desktop - including online banking. But these are my choices. Conversely, my bank imposed a hidden condition that is irrelevant to account operation (no phone authorisation is involved), probably only to build its marketing database, and unable to give a justification, since the alleged one (“ID verification”) doesn’t hold water. The “computer says no” syndrome, of which this is part, both embodies potential dangers (cf last year’s exams fiasco) and de-skills people by supressing initiative and reducing decision-making opportunities. I’m not anti-tech, just wary as to motivation and control of how some systems are used.
Labourer | 08.01.21 - 12:10 p.m. | #
|
I work on the principle that as my mobile phone is one of my used items I'm happy to spend money to ensure I have one the most up-to-date and best versions.
I see no point in putting up with substandard performance when it's such a vital item nowadays and there's certainly not a day that goes by without it being used extensively.
SPT | 08.01.21 - 10:04 p.m. | #
|
Labourer is correct. The problem is not new technology applied to companies, or business processes. It is the monopolistic approach of one solution works everywhere, and companies putting their convenience before customer's preferences. In an ideal business world,this would lead to their failure, so curing the problem.
Alas the real world is less amenable. That is why those of older years lament at stupid modern processes - we can remember the often standard business processes of the past were more efficient and polite - in many ways email would enable the past processes to be even better now; regrettably they usually are not.
Although only a few miles from a market town, not only do we have less than 5Mhz broadband (until at least 2030), but we also have no - zero - mobile phone reception. Thus no point in having any mobile phone turned on, and certainly of no value to any bank. The communication channel that works best is the 19th century postal service, as our phone line has failed 5 times in 2 years. Yet whilst rural, we are not far from town, nor is our situation at all uncommon.
I cold go on with tales of 18 T lorrys trying to deliver up narrow hill roads, whilst local firms with old paper derived processes know how to succeed, but am straying way off topic.
Hillbilly | 08.01.21 - 11:30 p.m. | #
|
I'm with Labourer - mobiles are good for when they're a necessity or for choice, not for when they're imposed on you.
I still stick to my non-smartphone, as I haven't yet found apps I might need more than once in two blue moons. Not anti-technology, I only update / upgrade from necessity.
I further resent having change forced on me when phone batteries are no longer replaceable - that ought to be illegal. 'Business' has long ceased to recognise and serve the interests of its customers.
Joel | 09.01.21 - 2:34 p.m. | #
|
|
Just in time, dg: John Lewis has now, a week later, suspended Click and Collect.
Gordon | 13.01.21 - 6:49 a.m. | #
|
|
|
TridentScan v2.10.0 | Privacy Policy
|