New technology means new features which leads to plenty of doubts and questions, here are the answers to all your queries. As technology continues to evolve, consumers get new products and newer features. However, new tech always leaves a few things unanswered. Karan Bajaj puts some of your queries to rest.
How much do TV bezels really matter?
Slim bezels on smartphones are the trend of the season. A phone with slim bezel will give you a larger screen in a device that’s still comfortable to hold. The current crop of flat-panel TVs have also caught up with this trend. Be it a `30 lakh LG OLED or a `12k BPL LED TV, all of them offer slim bezels. However, bezels don’t make a better picture. It matters more for appearances, rather than actual quality as the bezel has got nothing to do with the panel and resolution of the screen. Keep this in mind when looking for a new TV — you can get a great deal on a 4K TV with big bezels. If you like the picture quality of the TV, go for it and don’t worry about the bezels.
Do OLED displays save battery on a phone?
OLED (organic light emitting diode) screens are being used in many smartphones and tablets. On any device, the screen is normally a big draw of power. On an IPS LCD screen, the entire screen is backlit during use. With OLED however, there is no backlighting and each OLED pixel produces its own light when required. Only certain areas of the screen light up when needed — this means that darker or mostly black screens consume marginally less battery and thus offer better battery life. Another benefit of OLED is that it can be much slimmer than LCD, allowing manufacturers to make the phones slimmer too.
Are smartwatch heart rate monitors accurate?
Passive heart rate monitors only show your heart rate when activated while active monitors continuously measure heart rate. They all use similar optical technology to measure: a combination of infrared + visible LEDs and photodiode sensors that detect the amount of blood flowing. They need to be in proper contact with skin to work. Turns out that most brands mention that these readings are an estimate. Even so, if you measure heart rate using a good quality band/smartwatch, it is only 2 or 3 beats off when compared to a professional monitoring device.
Can you overcharge a phone battery?
It’s natural to be worried about leaving a phone charging overnight. Lithium ion batteries can be quite volatile and it’s true that ‘overcharging’ it will make the battery unstable. However, it’s not really possible to overcharge, even if you leave the phone charging overnight. This is because smartphones and branded battery packs come with battery protection circuits that cut-off the charge once it reaches 100%. We do recommend that you only use genuine wall adapters/cables and replace any cables that are worn/broken.
Are free apps really free? What’s the catch?
There are millions of apps available on mobile, desktop and wearable platforms. And you’ll find your fair share of paid and free apps offering similar functionality. A handful of apps may be well and truly free but developers need to earn a living too. Just because the app is free doesn’t mean that you will be able to access everything advertised. Some free apps let you access basic functions — you can unlock additional features by paying in-app. Other apps can be ad-supported, giving you access to everything in return for displaying ads. These ads can be banners, full screen, interactive or even videos that you can’t skip over. Many games use the ‘freemium’ model — while it is free to install, you run into some limitations at some point — to get past, you need to pay varying amounts for in-game items.
Source: ETTelecom