Breaking Points: The Top 12 Ways We Damage Our Phones According To A New Survey

According to a recent study by AT&T, there are 12 most common ways that people break their smartphones. These range from accidents, such as drops and spills, to intentional damage, such as throwing the phone in anger. The study found that nearly half of all smartphone owners have broken their devices at least once.

Drops: The most common way that people break their smartphones is by dropping them, 25%.

Slips: Slips were the second-most common cause of smartphone breaks, accounting for 20% of all breaks.

Forgetting on Laps: It is the third major reason for smartphone breakage with 16% of all breaks.

Tumbled On Phone: Dropping things on the phone causes 10% breakage.

Throws: Throwing the phone in anger or frustration was the ninth most common cause of smartphone breaks, accounting for 6% of all breaks.

Stomps: Stomping on the phone was the tenth most common cause of smartphone breaks, accounting for 5% of all breaks.

Dropping In Bathtub: Dropping phones in the bathtub accounts for 5% of total breaks.

Picture Drops: Throwing phones while capturing was the fifth most common cause of smartphone breaks, accounting for 4% of all breaks.

Chews: Chewing on the phone by pets was the eleventh most common cause of smartphone breaks, accounting for 3% of all breaks.

Children Smashing Phones: Children breaking phones were the seventh most common cause of smartphone breaks, accounting for 2% of all breaks.

Forgetting Phones in Pools: Taking phones in pools was the eighth most common cause of smartphone breaks, accounting for 1% of all breaks.

While some of these causes of phone breaks might seem trivial or comical, the fact is that a broken phone can be a significant inconvenience, and in some cases, a financial burden. It's important to take proper care of our phones and be mindful of the ways we use them to avoid any damage.

It is also important to note that these are the most common ways of breaking a phone, but it is not an exhaustive list, accidents do happen and there's always a chance that your phone will break unexpectedly. It is always a good idea to have a protection plan in place, such as a warranty or insurance, to help cover the cost of repairs or replacement in case of an accident. It is also important to regularly back up important data on your phone so that it can be easily retrieved in case of a break.

In conclusion, the study by AT&T highlights the most common ways that people break their smartphones, and serves as a reminder to be mindful of how we use and handle our devices. By taking proper care of our phones and having protection in place, we can help prevent or minimize the inconvenience and financial burden of a broken phone.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Business Openings Surpass Pre-Pandemic Highs, Here’s What That Means for Search Ads

The pandemic wreaked a lot of havoc for businesses, and it took a really long time for things to start to get back to normal. In spite of the fact that this is the case, it seems that the impact of the pandemic is finally starting to give way, with a massive uptick in the number of new businesses that are opening their doors for the first time.

This is based on data from Yelp which indicates that there has been a 12% increase in the openings of new businesses as compared to 2019. With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that local services businesses are likely driving much of this growth, since night life, restaurant and other similar businesses have yet to pick up steam in the aftermath of the pandemic.

It should also be mentioned that this growth rate was seen across the entirety of the US, with practically every state seeing more businesses open than ever before. The South is experiencing an especially promising rate of growth, with businesses in that region growing faster than might have been the case otherwise.

However, things aren’t looking quite as rosy in a number of major US cities. For example, the growth rate for new businesses in San Francisco has yet return to pre-pandemic levels, let alone surpass them. That seems to suggest that the growth rate is not being distributed all that evenly with all things having been considered and taken into account.

Since there are so many new companies and businesses, they will very likely invest in search ads and digital ads because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up driving foot traffic.

These businesses are still in a very early stage of their life cycle, which means that they will need all the help that they can get in order to get things going. That might lead to a boost in the digital ad industry which is sorely needed considering how much turmoil it’s been immersed in.

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

Cybersecurity Jobs Are Still Rising Despite Widespread Tech Layoffs

The tech industry is going through a pretty tumultuous time, with tens of thousands of workers now having been laid off. In spite of the fact that this is the case, there is a specific category of tech worker that is seeing a consistently high level of demand, specifically that of cybersecurity experts. The interesting thing about these jobs that are still available is that rather than a college degree they require a fair amount of experience as well as training that can be obtained online.

It really isn’t all that surprising that cybersecurity is reaching such new highs because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up keeping tech companies safe from a wide range of attacks. Research from CyberSeek revealed well over 700,000 job postings that focused on cybersecurity, or 755,734 to be precise.

That is actually a small decrease from the just under 770,000 job postings that were seen last year, but it still shows that the cybersecurity sector is going quite strongly with all things having been considered and taken into account. Cyber talent has been in short supply for a good long while now, and laid off tech workers can get their hands on six figure income jobs if they were to transition to this niche.

• Also read: 37% of Consumers Are Willing to Pay for Generative AI

In order to get a cybersecurity job, it might help to start with the right major in college. While there aren’t really any cybersecurity focused college majors being offered right now, certain majors can make it easier for you to get the job than might have been the case otherwise. Such majors include software engineering, computer science as well as IT.

Furthermore, hopeful candidates can try to get accreditations and qualifications online that can help them in the job search. These certificates are pretty easy to complete, and they can be instrumental in getting the ball rolling.

Tech workers will be looking for new sources of income, and this presents them with an opportunity to hit the ground running. Cybersecurity jobs will likely see an even higher level of demand in 2023 if current trends persist.

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

The World Economic Forum’s insight on the largest global risks

The climate is changing dramatically all around the world, and the consequences of such changes have already begun to show themselves. It is expected that over the next 10 years, this drastic change and the outcomes that follow will become the biggest global risk.

According to the World Economic Forum, over 1,000 leaders from different areas, including academics, politicians, and businesspeople, were requested to analyze 32 global risk factors on the basis of how they’ll progress over the next two to ten years.

The data collected from the leaders was included in the survey on global risk perception. According to the responses, the ongoing inflation crisis will remain an important problem over the next two years, but in terms of a ten-year period, the issue won’t be much of a risk. Mainly because climate change will be responsible for the top 4 major risks.

The eighteenth edition of the Risk Report released by the World Economic Forum focused on groups of individual risks having significant impacts. Russia’s start of war against Ukraine is causing a shortage of food as well as other basic necessities. If the situation continues, then it can lead to more political and social unrest.

According to Saadia Zahidi, the MD of the World Economic Forum, surviving the ongoing crises is currently the focal point for everyone. She further added that the ongoing events are diverting attention from factors that pose a much larger risk in the next ten years. Deteriorating climate and ecosystems, health risks, and economic crises are events that need recognition and resources.

Global warming, followed by natural disasters and extreme weather causing large-scale damage and natural resources falling short, these are the events that are much more dangerous. Not only the climatic factors need more time, but geo-economic confrontation and increasing cybercrimes are also among the events that require more surveillance.

The aim behind the survey conducted by Forum was to bring everyone’s attention to risks that are either being neglected or need more awareness in order to take timely measures to prevent such calamities or to lower their impact when they arrive.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

This Data From Fiverr Suggests a Massive Increase in Freelancers in 2023

Freelancing is becoming an increasingly popular option for people looking to earn money because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up putting them in the driver’s seat. With layoffs becoming so commonplace and jobs being hard to come by, it’s no surprise that so many individuals are looking to leverage their skillsets so that they can earn more money than might have been the case otherwise.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that around 66% of US based workers are planning to join a freelancing platform in 2023. This data comes from a survey of around 2,000 Americans which was conducted by Fiverr, and it suggests that market competition is about to reach an all time high.

53% of the people who responded to this survey stated that they feel less secure about their financial health, and 33% of them are worried that finding a new job after getting laid off would take far too long. That might be why 73% of them are thinking of starting freelancing in 2023, with 29% also thinking of asking for a raise in order to weather the tough financial period.

56% of surveyed individuals mentioned that they want to try to save more money this year. That’s higher than the 53% that said the same last year, and what’s more is that 41% of them said that they want to invest their savings as compared to 38% last year.

38% of them also said that they wanted to save up for a big purchase which is yet another increase from the 35% that said the same in 2021. People are clearly being more responsible with their money, and freelancing can be a great way for them to get things up off the ground. The lack of sustainability in the job market is proving to be an enormous factor here, as is an increased desire for remote work options as well as flexible hours that traditional jobs usually don’t provide.

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

LexisNexis shared the list of companies with the most AI patents

Artificial intelligence is considered to be the future, as it has already started to take over jobs in several tech companies, including Google and Microsoft. Several companies are racing to get AI patents for their products.

China is sweeping the floor as Tencent and Baidu, two renowned Chinese companies, hold the most AI patents, leaving U.S.-based IBM behind. Other companies, including tech giants Samsung and Microsoft, are also on the list of the most prolific AI patent holders.

The American data analysis company LexisNexis has recently shared data showing how much such companies have grown when it comes to AI-based products.

According to the data revealed by the analytical company, Tencent’s AI patents went from 711 in 2017 to over 9000 in 2021, making it the largest AI patent-holder platform. Tencent was shortly followed by Baidu, a search engine that took the numbers from 1134 in 2017 to 9504 in 2021, making it the second-largest patent holder.

As compared to the Chinese companies, the U.S.-based IBM and South Korean-based Samsung were far behind. IBM added 4422 more AI patents in 5 years, while Samuel was able to add only 3572 patent products.

The most significant performance came from Ping An, an insurance company that only had 46 patents in 2017 but, by the end of 2021, had 6410 AI patent products under its name. On the other hand, Microsoft, which ruled the list in 2017 with 4373 products, was able to add only 1448 more products. However, the company had a breakthrough when one of its mega-AI investments finally paid off as the company introduced ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence-based bot created by OpenAI. Furthermore, Microsoft is planning to fund the project with another ten billion dollars.

And lastly, Google’s parent company, Alphabet, also made its way onto the list of the most prolific AI patent holders. The company was able to go from 2033 patents in 2017 to 4068 patents in 2021.

The data shared by LexisNexis is based on the information collected until 2021; it can be expected that the figures might have gone up in 2022.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Here Are the Biggest Macro Threats to the Tech Industry in 2023

The macro conditions all around the world are not all that conducive to industry growth, and the tech niche has proven especially susceptible to that with all things having been considered and taken into account. Analysts working at Counterpoint Research recently highlighted which macro risks will prove to be the biggest threats to the tech world.

The ongoing economic recession topped the list, getting 71.41 points out of a maximum 100. The pandemic may have sparked inflation, but the rise in costs of living has not abated even as the pandemic has receded somewhat.

Following that we saw the rivalry between the US and China which may make trade negotiations harder than might have been the case otherwise. This rivalry got a score of 63.41 due to the US placing sanctions upon China, and coming in at number three is the energy crisis which received 58.43 points.

Emerging markets might also be a sore spot for the industry, with the turmoil going on in these markets resulting in it receiving 58.27 points. It was followed by a retreat in tech earnings which can already be seen with massive layoffs among all major tech corporations.

One thing to mention here is that the recession is a core component of most of the other macro risks that are being faced by the tech industry. The energy crisis, emerging market pains as well as many other things have been made worse than might have been the case otherwise by the recession, and it’s shaping up to a long hard year by all metrics.

China is going to be a big player that will determine whether the recession ends sooner or later. The sudden move away from Covid-Zero took many by surprise because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up indicating a lack of foresight among Chinese officials.

Also, China’s long term economic outlook is not quite as rosy as it used to be. That will definitely change the shape of the tech industry in ways that can be hard to accurately predict.

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World