What’s the Best Fast Charger on the Market? Here’s What We Found

Most major smartphone companies including Apple and Samsung have stopped including charges in their product packaging because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up reducing electronic waste and helping them improve profit margins. This has created a new problem for consumers to solve, namely that of figuring out which fast charger they should buy. The folks over at Engadget recently ran a series of tests to uncover the best product of all.

The first thing to discuss about these tests is the methodology that was used to conduct them, and with all of that having been said and now out of the way it is important to note that these tests involved draining the battery until only ten percent of the power was remaining. The devices were then plugged into a fast charging brick, and the increments in battery life every ten minutes was then recorded.

Power strips and extension cords were not used since they might have distorted the test results. Instead, the researchers plugged the charges directly into a 120 volt power outlet with all things having been considered and taken into account. One thing that was noted in this research was that the battery charged slower when it was still in the 10 to 20 percent range. The charging speed then increases until the 80% mark is reached, after which it slows down to reduce the chances of overcharging and damaging the battery.

Five devices were included as parts of this study, namely the iPhone 13 and M1 Max Macbook Pro from Apple, the Galaxy S22 Ultra from Samsung, the 2017 launch model of the Nintendo Switch as well as the latest model of the Dell XPS 13. Without further ado, here are the best performing fast charges based on all of these tests.

1. Anker 711 Nano II

This 30 watt charger falls comfortably into the category of most popular chargers, and it is the best option by far for smaller devices. It fully charged the iPhone 13 in as little as ninety minutes, and it only needed an hour or so to fully charge the Galaxy S22 Ultra. While this model failed to quickly charge the laptops, in spite of the fact that this is the case it still outperformed Apple’s own 20 watt charging brick once all has been said and is now out of the way.

2. Anker 715 Nano II

Anker has been making a lot of waves by offering products that balance affordability and quality, which makes it unsurprising that both the top spots are occupied by charges from this brand. The 715 Nano II is a 65 watt charger so it is far better suited to charging laptops than its 20 watt counterpart. Anker’s charger is particularly effective at charging the Galaxy device, perhaps as a result of it communicating effectively with the device in question.

3. Razer USB-C 130 Watt

Sometimes you need a high power charger, and this product from Razer would be your best bet based on the tests that were conducted. The Razer provided the fastest charging out of all of the 100 watt products that were tested, although its high power did not provide an appreciable or noticeable increase in the charging speeds for the MacBook Pro.

Conclusion

And there you have it! These chargers represent the cream of the crop in the current market, and it is interesting to see companies outside of the Apple-Samsung duopoly performing so well. An interesting thing to note here is that Apple is the winner in the 140 watt category, but all other categories saw unique brands like Anker giving a good showing that confirms the worth of their products.

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

Google Maps Is Providing Users Across 40 European Countries With More Environmentally Friendly Driving Routes

Google Maps is rolling out new eco-friendly routes for individuals wishing to take more fuel-efficient trips across Europe.

These new map updates and routes have been issued across 40 separate European countries, and are part of a new environmentally friendly push that Google’s planning with Maps; we might even see such routes pop up elsewhere. Currently, they’re limited to these 40 countries, as well as the USA and Canada. Our starting points were the latter two and Germany. The point of these new routes is to get users from A to B while spending as little fuel as possible. Naturally, the question pops up, “isn’t Google Maps already providing us with the most fuel-efficient pathways out there?”. The answer to that is a mix of both yes and no. Maps provide its user base with the fastest routes from A to B; these are not always, however, the most fuel-efficient or environmentally friendly. These concepts require more than speedily arriving at one’s destination, although that is an important factor.

To be clearer in my explanation, allow me to elaborate. The new Maps feature will not only take trip length into account, but it will also factor in other obstacles such as traffic lights, off-roading, terrain, and so forth. With all this in mind, a middle ground will be established between the quickest possible route, and one with the least number of stops, providing travelers with the most consistent speed. Fewer breaks and stops mean fewer exhaust fumes filling the air, and less fuel is wasted.

Google Maps will also show users just how much more fuel efficient the suggested route is, providing numbers on the amount of petrol being saved for the extra number of minutes expended while driving. With gas prices being driven up a wall nowadays, I honestly think that this feature is incredibly useful. If only we’d get this feature everywhere other than Europe and North America (which is also something that Google is working towards). Google estimates that the introduction of this feature in the US, Canada, and Germany helped remove more than half a million metric tons of carbon emissions. That sounds like a lot but remember: no truly effective change can take place until and unless our governments start holding corporations producing such waste accountable in the first place. Although, if Google’s provided numbers are anywhere in the ballpark of being true, this is an incredibly useful feature indeed.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

YouTube Plans On Adding Short Form Content To Its Kids App

YouTube is trying hard to align itself with TikTok and that’s why it’s making use of all the weapons that it feels can put up a tough fight.

The company is now thinking about including Shorts on the app’s kid’s content. Recently, the platform informed its creators on YouTube Kids to start thinking outside the box on how they can best include Shorts in this category.

In case you didn’t already know, this is deemed to be the app’s most profitable element so it makes absolute sense as to why there is such a strong push for the matter.

This will reportedly set the stage for the platform to release Shorts for the first time for younger audiences, which has never been done on YouTube before.

Even at its earliest, we’re not seeing this feature pop up anytime soon before next year. After all, it’s only arrived in its early planning stages. Therefore, there is a small possibility that it won’t occur at all.

However, if the app does go along with it, it’s definitely going to be one competitive battle between both sides. Remember, other platforms like Snapchat and Facebook have both tried their level best to take the app on board as they really become popular.

Only recently, we saw Facebook set up a trial for a new version of the app that entailed a full-screen having all the recommended videos inside it. But we saw how that did not last too long as many celebs like Kylie Jenner began complaining.

Last year around the summertime, we saw YouTube launch its Shorts around the world. They were seen sending out a very explicit message to kids’ creators about how they shouldn’t put too much time and effort into Shorts. But at the same time, they were told that any content put up by them across TikTok could be repurposed on the Shorts app.

But in just a few weeks, we saw the app’s tone change immensely. They are now calling creators to focus more on Shorts for kids too. At the same time, we saw the firm stating via a public post how its policies have always been based on the well-being of kids. Therefore, any short or long-form content will be entertained.

The app was first launched in 2015 and while we’ve seen long content be emphasized for quite some time. Hence, it’s interesting to see how a change of trends works on a children’s app now.

H/T: Insider

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

A Research Publication Attempts To Gauge How Many US Citizens Partake In Doom Scrolling, With Unhealthy Side Effects

A new study reveals that actively scrolling through bad news across social media platforms is linked with declines in both an individual’s mental and physical health.

Right off the bat, this seems like the most obvious conclusion that can be reached, but researches aren’t just conducted to prove obvious concepts: they’re performed to rule out other potential causes and/or solutions for said concepts. However, I’d like to state that I have a little bit of a bone to pick with this study and its parameters. This study surveys individuals by inquiring about certain online habits and scores them accordingly, but then doesn’t provide solid definitions of those scores to us. Therefore, the article will frequently use terms such as moderately, severely, or non-problematic, without us as readers having any knowledge as to how these terms are defined. Ultimately, though, we can probably make a good enough guess, so let’s further delve into what the research set out to do, and what it did or did not accomplish in the process.

The study was conducted by Bryan McLaughlin et al. and was published in the Health Communications journal. Its primary aim was to document and assess the phenomenon of “doom scrolling” amongst US citizens, therefore adding to the burgeoning volume of social media-related sociological studies. For those unaware, doom scrolling is an activity via which users frequent online platforms in the effort of identifying bad news that’s occurring in both their surroundings and the world at large. Think of it as the extended version of being unable to look away from a car wreck. While the phenomenon’s probably been around for a while, it gained true traction across 2020, which in and of itself felt like a year where anything that could go wrong managed to. This, combined with everyone being stuck with their electronic devices, led to unhealthy behavior patterns developing.

The research article surveyed 1,100 US adults and graded them on a four-point scale: non-problematic, minimally problematic, moderately problematic, and severely problematic. The population is almost evenly split across these four brackets, at 28.7%, 27.5%, 27.3%, and 16.5% respectively, which is good news. The severely problematic bracket has fewer individuals in it as compared to the rest of our categories: however, that still leaves a lot of people with troubling online behavior.

I think it’s important to realize just how much bad stuff occurs on a day-to-day basis, of course. However, doom scrolling is in and of itself a completely inefficient exercise, as the user partaking can do nothing to change their surroundings or contribute to most matters at hand. Ultimately, perhaps it’s best to simply stick to one’s morals, and spend their time accordingly.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

What Do You Do Online? Survey Highlights Digital Habits Of Users Worldwide

In case you didn’t know, most of us spend a huge fraction of our lives staring at our devices but what is it that really takes up so much of our time?

Well, to help bring an end to the curious mystery, NordVPN has surveyed a number of global citizens representing different countries to see where they stand in terms of digital habits. And this is what they managed to gather so far.

Amount of time spent online: Country Rankings

The survey delineated the top countries that spend the most time on the web and some of the results are interesting, to say the least.

Brazil led the pack, followed up closely by South Korea, Taiwan, and then Spain. Canada took the 11th position, beating out the United Kingdom at rank 13, which was closely followed by the US.

Key findings of the study

Since the study was a global approach, the results obtained were also divided country-wise.

Here is a summarized version of what the study was able to conclude:

1. Brazilians spend most of their time online. To be more specific, that’s 41 years and 3 months.
2. Australians adore social media, where they can spend 9 hours on average each week.
3. The Japanese population spends the least time of their lives online, around 11 years to be exact.
4. Other than their real jobs, the French love their social media and movie streaming activities
5. The Brits are a huge fan of gaming, spending almost 4 hours per week
6. Germans like to divide their free time between television show streaming and social media
7. Citizens of the US lead a very balanced life in terms of the digital world
8. Canadians are addicted to media streaming, where an average citizen could easily spend 8 hours during just that.
9. The Spanish can’t help themselves when it comes to watching movies and television shows after work.
10. Taiwan’s population prefers to scroll through social media and stream videos online in their leisure time.

Can you make it through the day without using the web?

Well, it’s easier said than done in scenarios like these. According to the study, more than 50% of UK citizens surveyed said they just couldn’t help themselves from using the web. Surprisingly, Britain was towards the bottom of the list in terms of internet usage and that just goes to show how much people adore the web.

What type of information can you find about yourself online?

The fact that we spend hours online clearly must mean something. Hence, NordVPN ventured out to see what sorts of information can users really find on the web relating to themselves.

Well, first things first, you’ll find all of your bank details here. Secondly, relationship status and your address are other valuable information seen online. In the same way, your likes and dislikes along with your clothing size are other unique personal details that you are likely to come across when searching online.

Certainly, this study was a complete handful of insightful information for so many of us. The survey was commissioned by NordVPN where quotas were placed on a number of factors like age, address, and gender.

The time spent online was calculated through the average lifespan in a particular nation and it’s amazing to see how particular activities were measured individually.

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

A Study Reveals That 95% Of The World’s Contact Centers Will Be Automated By Next Year

According to a joint study between Replicant and Demand Metric, 95% of contact centers across the globe have implemented automation as a part of their services, or plan to within the next year.

Automation has become an essential part of contact centers ever since the voice answering machine entered the fold (and probably took a few hundred people out of their jobs in the process). Naturally, of course, the human element still needs to be a part of such centers because customer queries rarely ever fit a singular mold that AI can attend to. However, there is still a lot that can be automated and continually is by such services. Greeting and holding messages don’t need a separate branch of individuals when they can be left up to AI. Redirect numbers on phone lines can be directed by pre-recorded messages instead of a real person waiting to fill in each individual. With contact centers having evolved from landlines to involving all forms of communication including social media as a whole, there’s a lot of room that can be made for automation, and everyone’s eager to save themselves a few bucks here and there by doing so.

Replicant is a firm that exclusively deals in contact center automation, and I love its Blade Runner-inspired name. There are a lot of fun layers there, but I digress; the firm conducted a study with marketing guru Demand Metric to conduct research, consisting of over 300 contact center leaders, on just how prevalent automation is within the contact center industry. An easier question would have been something along the lines of “how prevalent is the opposite?”. It does warrant mentioning that automation isn’t just a desire to reduce production costs (even if I suspect that this ranks very high), but also a necessity that arises out of the need for effective customer service. The actual figures reported by this study reveal that 77% of respondents had customer care as a top priority, and 60% reported workforce concerns as also being a major concern. No one in the digital age likes to wait for long hours on telephones or message platforms. The goal is an efficient, quick call where work gets done and no one’s waiting for any longer than necessary.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Android Now Experiments To Support More Definitively Labeled Chrome Custom Tabs (CTT)

Chrome introduced a browser feature that was widely recognized as the Chrome Custom Tabs (CTT) feature. Luckily, many major browsers on Android are now supporting this feature.

You must have observed “Powered by Chrome" written under the three dots in Chrome 104 or previous versions. However, in the recent version of Chrome 105, “Running in Chrome" is released. This text is from Chrome Custom Tabs (CTT) alongside a new logo. The new logo is now surprisingly a full-colored symbol. While many people believed that the monochrome symbol was not so distracting as compared to the new one.

The Chrome Custom Tabs (CTT) that are now being supported by several major browsers on Android, provide more authority to the users over their overall web experience. Moreover, it also allows the app to personalize the looks and feels of the browser as per the liking of the user. The Chrome Custom Tabs (CTT) allows the app to alter things such as the color of the toolbar, insert custom actions in the toolbar of the browser, and insert entering and exiting animations.

The text “Running in Chrome” will now be visible in all the applications that are supporting the Chrome Custom Tabs. On a serious notice, it is comparatively way more user-friendly than the previous versions of chrome.

From Twitter, several third-party applications are also looking forward to supporting Chrome Custom Tabs (CTT). However, surprisingly, Instagram is resistant to supporting this new feature.

Google app was experimenting with its built-in browsers for the search results as well as the Discover feed for a very long time. However, the Chrome 105 version is still not yet widely introduced but it will be widespread throughout the world within a couple of months hopefully.

H/T: 9to5G

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World