Brain Trust Technologies LLC

How to speed up mobile charging

Is your phone’s battery still not full despite charging it for 2 hours straight? Although it might not be a big problem when you’re charging it at night, it’s a critical issue if you’re charging it during the day and you need it in a few minutes to make a lengthy business call. Here are four tips to speed up your phone’s charging.

#1. Optimize your phone accessories

One reason why your phone charges slowly is because of poor-quality accessories — such as cables, adapters, and weak sources of electricity.

Cables and adapters

Unless you were careful to take great care of your phone cable and adapter, they might be the reason why your phone is charging so slowly. If you think this could be the problem, we recommend that you change them immediately. After doing so, make sure to use and store your new cable and adapter properly to keep them in tip-top shape.

Charging Source

Did you know that your phone will charge faster if you connect it to a higher amperage charging source? Although mobile phones charge at only 5 volts, depending on the charger you use, you can get amperage from as low as 500mA (milliamps) to as high as 2,100mA. Therefore, it is recommended to forgo charging your mobile device through a computer port (uses 500mA or 900mA) and use a wall charger (ranges from 500-2,100mA) instead.

#2. Clean your phone’s charging port

Another reason why you may experience slower charging time is because of a corroded or obstructed port. If the problem is because of obstruction, get a flashlight, magnifying glass, toothpick, and small brush to completely remove any debris. However, you should be very careful when doing this because the port is very fragile.

We recommend you enlist a professional’s help to clean your port if you’re worried about damaging it or if the problem is due to corrosion.

#3. Background apps

When was the last time you sorted out your phone’s background apps? If you don’t remember, then it’s time to do it! Apps that are opened and left running in the background not only drain your phone’s battery, but also affect your phone’s charging speed. Select “Battery” in your phone’s Settings to find out which apps are using up your phone’s power, and delete them if necessary.

#4. Using your phone while charging

Do you browse the internet while your phone is charging? If yes, then you should stop doing it. Feature-rich apps like WhatsApp and Facebook have been listed as two of the top ten battery draining apps by AVG, which means you may be slowing down your phone’s charging speed when you use them while it charges.

Every successful business needs high-performance mobile phones, but this is only possible if their batteries are juiced. If you want more information about how to speed up charging your phone, contact our experts today.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

Wikileaks’ charges of government spying

Staving off malicious cyber attackers is already a herculean task, so the last thing you need is to feel exposed from a totally new angle. That’s how many felt after Wikileaks’ accusations that the US government was spying on its citizens. However, the truth is a lot different from what the headlines would have you believe.

What devices and apps are supposedly vulnerable?

Wikileaks labeled its ongoing release of 8,761 classified CIA documents “Year Zero.” Nestled among those files are tools and correspondence that explain how operatives could snoop on communications, downloads, and browsing history. Here is a list of the “affected” applications and hardware:

Windows operating systems
iOS
Android
Samsung Smart TVs
WhatsApp
Signal
Telegram
Confide

Those are some very big names, right? Thankfully, it’s mostly hyperbole. The reality of the situation isn’t nearly as bad as it sounds.

Two considerations before freaking out

First, almost all these exploits require physical access to devices before anything can be compromised. For example, news organizations repeatedly reported that WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram and Confide all had encryption protocols that had been subverted by the CIA. That is 100% false.

What the documents actually revealed is that the CIA was aware of security gaps in Windows, iOS, Android and Samsung’s Tizen OS, which allowed the agency to snoop on messages before they were encrypted. Messages sent in these apps are still totally uncrackable as long as the devices they are installed on haven’t been physically compromised.

Takeaway #1: Physical security is still one of the most important aspects of cyber security. Most data security regulations require certain physical security protocols as a deterrent to breaches that take place via theft of social engineering — and for good reason.

The second reason not to worry is the hardware devices and operating systems that supposedly left encrypted messages vulnerable haven’t been sold for a long time. For example, only Samsung TVs from before 2013 were vulnerable to the always-on microphone bug — which was patched in an OS update years ago.

But what about iOS — surely that’s the scariest reveal of them all, right? Not quite. Only the iPhone 3G, discontinued in 2010, was susceptible to exploitation. Furthermore, Apple immediately responded that they were aware of this vulnerability and patched it in the version of iOS that was released in 2011.

Takeaway #2: Updating software is critical to keeping your data safe. As we saw in the Year Zero leaks, just one piece of outdated software can cause a domino effect of other vulnerabilities.

In reality, the most recent Wikileaks releases shouldn’t change your approach to cyber security at all. As long as you consider data security a never-ending battle, you’ll be safer than everyone too lazy or forgetful to lock up their server rooms or update their operating system.

But running a business doesn’t always leave you a lot of time for fighting a “never-ending battle,” does it? Fortunately, that’s exactly what we do for our clients every single day. To find out more about how we can keep you safe, call today.