Tech Myths that Will Leave You Bamboozled
Rumors about new and trending technologies float on social media every day. Some of these are released as a joke, and others are simply clickbait to gain views and attention. Unfortunately, some of these white lies or deceptive statements are taken too seriously, and exaggerated versions are passed on as facts.
Technology legends that don’t hold a grain of truth are referred to as tech myths, and I shall be debunking ten of them today. Buckle up because the following revelations could be both enlightening and shocking.
Starlink will Wipe Out other Internet Providers
Starlink, the satellite internet service owned by SpaceX from Elon Musk, is revolutionary for remote regions previously deprived of an internet facility. The service has been a blessing for rural areas with no broadband access, and the overall user reviews are overwhelmingly positive. Despite its resounding success, saying that it will replace all other internet providers is overkill.
Starlink is certainly a great option among satellite internet providers for rural expanses, but fiber or cable internet is the best internet connection type among urban areas. If you live in a major metro city, consider Xfinity for fast and reliable internet. Call Xfinity customer support to check for available internet plans and pricing.
Alexa Records Everything
Smart home assistants like Alexa, Siri, and Google are designed to actively listen to your commands, but they only record voice followed by their “wake word” which is their name. However, if you’re still not convinced, you can always turn off the microphone button on the top of the device when you don’t need to use it.
Apart from that, you can go to the settings of your home assistant smartphone app and review your voice history. You may configure Alexa to never save your recorded voice and send it over to Amazon for quality assurance and improvement purposes.
EV Batteries cannot be Recycled
I don’t know who came up with this ridiculous theory, but I assure you that it is absolutely false. Electric vehicles are the eco-friendliest form of transportation, and their batteries are not going to be a burden for our already overloaded landfills.
EV batteries can be restored and recycled several times. These batteries are expensive and contain minerals that are too precious to waste. EV batteries undergo minimum performance loss as compared to traditional car batteries.
5G is Life Threatening
We’ve heard about multiple airborne technological villains in the past, but we’re all fine so it’s safe to say they were mere rumors. At first, cellular signals were supposed to make us sick, then Wi-Fi was the next big threat, and now the rumormongers have moved to 5G. The radio frequencies used in 5G have been around for decades, so rest assured that nothing bad will come out of it.
Incognito Mode is 100% Private
I hate to burst your bubble but incognito mode does not grant you 100% privacy or anonymity. Incognito mode sure does erase cookies and tracking data, yet most websites and the designated ISP are still aware of your online activities and whereabouts. You can use a VPN with incognito mode, and still not succeed at hiding everything.
Smartphone Companies Thwart Old Devices
Many people have complained about their iPhones getting slower after newer models were introduced to the market. Apple admitted to doing this back in 2017, offering the excuse that it was to address issues of aging batteries that could lead to phones crashing; nonetheless, they were heavily fined and it’s not a thing now. Old devices normally deteriorate in performance because the newer system updates are more or less incompatible with outdated CPUs.
Airport X-rays mess up Gadgets
Airport security check procedures can be tiresome. However, the electromagnetic waves from the X-ray scanners won’t erase the memory of your gadgets or cause any other harm. Therefore, nothing to worry about if your laptop or smartphone has to take a ride on the conveyor belt.
Overnight and Frequent Charging Kills the Battery
This concern may have been partially legit in old times, though it doesn’t apply to modern lithium-ion batteries in smartphones. These batteries automatically stop charging once they hit 100%, so they’ll never overload or set your phone on fire. Therefore, don’t stress over not remembering to unplug your charger before going to bed.
Apple Users are Immune to Malware
Mac computers are not immune to viruses and malware. They are certainly less prone to infection if compared to computers using other operating systems, but not entirely protected. You don’t hear about Apple devices catching malware that often because their market share is relatively low. It’s crucial to install anti-virus software on your device to stay safe
More Megapixels means Higher Image Quality
Get this straight, more megapixels mean a larger image. The way smartphone manufacturers advertise phone cameras suggests that the higher number of megapixels give you better quality photos, though that’s not the case. The size of individual pixels, lens quality, and image processing algorithms determine the quality of images.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, none of the myths busted today were too much for you. How many of these myths have you heard of before, and which ones did you actually believe to be true? Let us know of your thoughts and any other technology-related concerns in the comments.
