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Budget versions of higher priced phones are proving incredibly popular with many phone fans willing to sacrifice a little less performance for a significantly lower price. With this in mind, Samsung has released the budget minded Galaxy J3 Prime, and while you have to accept it’s not going to be top of the range, it’s certainly a lot of phone for the money. This Samsung Galaxy J3 Prime was launched just last month, April 2017, and comes with a 5.00-inch HD touchscreen display with a resolution of 720 pixels by 1280 pixels.

An ideal economy choice, the phone measures 139.70 x 69.85 x 8.89 (height x width x thickness) and weighs 148.00 grams. The Galaxy J3 Prime is powered by a 1.4GHz quad-core Exynos 7570 processor and it comes with 1.5GB of RAM. It also has a removable battery, which can be extremely useful in the event the phone stalls or the battery needs replacing. It runs the latest version of Android, Android 7.0 (Nougat), and has 16GB of internal storage that can be expanded up to 128GB via a microSD card. As for cameras, the Samsung Galaxy J3 Prime has a 5-megapixel primary camera on the rear and a 2-megapixel selfie shooter on the front. The streamlined layout of Easy Mode enables you to find everything quickly and, as the name suggests, easily.

The Samsung Galaxy J3 Prime is a single SIM (GSM). Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, 3G and 4G. Sensors on the phone include Proximity sensor, Accelerometer and an Ambient light sensor.

Samsung describes the phone as doing everything you love and yet it still fits your pocket. That’s because it’s slightly smaller than the 5.5-inch screen phones, and, of course, is set a budget price.

Samsung Galaxy J3 Prime (SM-J327T1) from MetroPCS USA

MetroPCS offers a highly competitive walk-in, cash down offer for the Galaxy Prime J3 at a one-off purchase price of just $69.00.

Samsung Galaxy J3 Prime (SM-J327T) from T-Mobile USA

T-Mobile offers the phone for $150, along with a package that includes a SIM Starter kit $10 and a $50 Prepaid Refill Card, these extras boost the package to $210.

The J3’s size, capability and low cost could make it the perfect travel phone.

Unlock the Samsung Galaxy J3 Prime with Unlockbase

If you prefer another service provider or you have found a better SIM deal, UnlockBase can instantly and economically unlock your Samsung Galaxy J3 Prime for you with the “Device Unlock” APP  an Android app that allows you to request and apply a mobile device unlock directly from the device. This allows you to automatically apply Mobile Device Unlock to the device without using a manual code. When your phone is locked with “Device Unlock” APP it’s totally useless to order an unlock code. Unlockbase is the longest establish and the web’s largest online remote cellphone unlock service. We stand ready and able to unlock the widest database of cellphones from a vast list of global service providers, 24/7.

The LG K20 Plus is now available at both T-Mobile (LG TP260) and MetroPCS (LG MP260). The new budget priced smartphone provides LG fans with a cheaper alternative if the G6 is beyond their means.

T-Mobile offers the phone for $31.99 down and $7 per month for 24 months, or $199.99 outright. Or the LG K20 Plus can be snapped up at MetroPCS for just $119.00 A great deal for those seeking a new smartphone that runs the latest version of Android.

LG K20 Plus ships with Android 7.0 Nougat right out of the box. The smartphone sports a 5.3-inch display with HD (720p) resolution and a 13-megapixel camera on the back. The phone also features a 2.5 Arc Glass Design with skillfully curved edges, and a slim and light design in a metallic frame enhanced with the latest fingerprint print sensor security.

This new phone is part of LG’s mid-range and comes complete with a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 processor, 2GB RAM, and 32GB expandable storage. The K20 Plus comes with a secondary 5-megapixel selfie camera with selfie light and a rear-mounted fingerprint reader as well. Usefully, the LG K20 Plus comes with a removable 2,700 mAh battery, bucking the trend for batteries that are integrated into the phone therefore non-replaceable in the event of a problem.

The device weighs a mere 142 grams, and measures 149mm in length, 75mm in width and 7.9mm in thickness. Overall, the LG K20 Plus is a capable, on trend smartphone for the price, and should fare well in the increasingly competitive mid-range segment.

With global annual sales in excess of USD 55.91 billion, LG comprises four business units: Home Entertainment, Mobile Communications, Home Appliance & Air Solution, and Vehicle Components. It’s one of the world’s leading producers of mobile devices, as well as electrical goods including TV’s, air conditioners, washing machines and refrigerators.

LG K20 Plus Key features

• 4G LTE enabled
• Android 7.0 Nougat
• 5.3” HD In-Cell Touch Display with 2.5D Arc Glass
• 13 MP rear-facing autofocus camera with LED flash
• 5 MP front-facing camera with Gesture Shot & Selfie Light
• 32GB ROM / 2GB RAM
• 1.4 GHz Quad-core processor

Unlock your LG K20 Plus with UnlockBase

Can you get out of a tiresome or poor value 24-month contract for the LG K20 Plus? That’s what Unlockbase is here for. UnlockBase can instantly and economically unlock your LG K20 Plus for you with the “Device Unlock” APP  an Android app that allows you to request and apply a mobile device unlock directly from the device. This allows you to automatically apply Mobile Device Unlock to the device without using a manual code. When your phone is locked with “Device Unlock” APP  it’s totally useless to order an unlock code. Unlockbase is the web’s largest online remote cellphone unlock service, able to unlock the widest database of cellphones from service providers the world over, 24/7.

Imagine a phone with a whole world inside it. It opens when it sees your face, learns from you and erases barriers between you and the world on an expansive, beautiful Infinity Screen.

The new Samsung Galaxy S8 (SM-G950T) and S8 Plus (SM-G955T) brings with it a raft of cutting edge new ideas and features designed to help you live life the way you want to live it. The Galaxy S8 expansive display stretches from edge to edge, giving you the most amount of screen in the least amount of space.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus is the bigger brother of the Samsung Galaxy S8. The S8 is a 5.8-inch phone while the S8 Plus is a sizeable 6.2 inches. They both feature a new design in which the “infinity display” wraps around the device, meaning that the large screen takes up almost all the front of the phone.

The new larger screen is a real turning point in flagship phone design and should usher in the end of large bezels, and the camera and slick performance work brilliantly at fingertip control. These new models may command a premium price, but make no mistake: they are truly premium phones. The screen is the clearest, sharpest offering from Samsung yet and delivers superior color reproduction to make movie watching a near cinematic experience.

Introducing Bixby

When you press the new Bixby button to access the Bixby Home screen, it learns from your routine to serve up the right apps and content at the right time, and makes it easy to ask Bixby a question or make a command. You can use Bixby, Samsung’s new intelligent interface for all sorts of daily needs including as a reminder to keep track of your to-do list, to pick up milk on the way home, or even keep track of your place in an article online.

For enhanced security, both the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus are equipped with the latest in iris scanning and face recognition for unlocking your phone right away. There’s also defense-grade security that stands guard around the clock.

Better camera

As for one of the most popular devices of all on any Samsung Galaxy, the 12MP Dual Pixel Rear Camera still takes amazing photos in low light, but now comes with an enhanced 8MP front-facing camera so you can take even better, clearer selfies.

Then there is Bixby Vision. It’s built into your camera to give you a deeper understanding of what you’re looking at. For example, you can focus on an object through your viewfinder, tap the Bixby Vision icon, and instantly launch into an intelligent mode to identify landmarks or translate foreign languages just by pointing the camera at the message you want to interpret. Or you can take a picture of an item you want to buy, and find the best place to buy it.

Better control

In addition to all this, the new Samsung S8 and S8 Plus keeps track of every area of your daily activity.

Samsung Health enables you to monitor everything from your steps each day to sleep to nutrition, live chat with a doctor and stay motivated with notifications.

Samsung Pay lets you carry all your cards on your devices so you can pay in-person or in-app. Plus get extra rewards for the same purchases you make every day.

Samsung Connect lets you control hundreds of devices and appliances, whether you’re at home or out and about.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 is available at MetroPCS for $729 or for $750 from T-Mobile, T-Mobile also offers monthly contract terms of $30 per month over 24 months.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus from MetroPCS is $835 and $850 from T-Mobile, T-Mobile also offers monthly contract terms of $130 down plus $30 per month over 24 months.

Unlock your Samsung Galaxy 8 and 8 Plus with UnlockBase

If you don’t want to be tied down to a contract, UnlockBase can instantly and economically unlock your Samsung 8 or 8 Plus for you with the “Device Unlock” App an Android app that allows you to request and apply a mobile device unlock directly from the device. This allows you to automatically apply Mobile Device Unlock to the device without using a manual code. When your phone is locked with “Mobile Device Unlock” it’s totally useless to order an unlock code.

As the old saying goes, once the genie is out of the bottle, there’s no way to put him back. That’s how creator of the internet, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, has recently stated he feels about the worldwide web which he gifted to the world.

He has warned that the potential for mobile phones and other devices to be tampered with in far reaching and damaging ways is high if proper protection is overlooked. “When people are thinking about the security of their systems, they worry about people discovering what they are doing,” Tim Berners-Lee said. “What they don’t think about is the possibility of things being changed.”

Citing an example, he said: “If you disrupted traffic data to tell everybody that all the roads south of the river are closed, so everybody would go north of the river, that would cause gridlock and disable the city,”

With iPhones and Androids rapidly becoming more advanced, there’s a growing trend in the number of smart phones being hacked, leaving users extremely vulnerable to compromised personal information. But what are the tell-tale signs your mobile phone has been compromised? If you notice any of the following occurrences over the course of a few days, the chances are your device has been hacked or compromised.

1. You have recently noticed your smartphone is slow and clunky

If your mobile feels like your phone is working reluctantly, almost against your will, and is slow, unresponsive, and typing is difficult, it may have become infected with malware. There are a number of free apps out there that can slow down your phone’s performance, and quickly fill the memory on your phone. Review your apps carefully, and if there are any you don’t need, or are not sure about, delete them.

2. You’re sending or receiving unusual text messages

If friends start telling you they are receiving unusual and unwanted text messages from you, or if you are receiving such messages, you could have had a security breach. It’s time to run a reliable anti-malware app to check if there is a problem.

3. New apps have been added to your phone and you didn’t install them

There are several vulnerabilities in operating systems that may let Android or iOS malware escalate privileges and gain the ability to circumvent security features. This can result in apps being installed without your permission. These apps can potentially steal your data, record your calls and text messages. They can even hijack your social-media and online banking sessions. Immediately delete any apps you did not install.

4. The battery is draining much quicker than it used to

Malware chews up battery time as it works on code in the background. If you find your battery draining faster than it used to, check your apps to see how much memory they are consuming. If necessary delete them and install again, or just do without them. A clean fast phone is one that is not overloaded with apps.

5. Certain apps have stopped working properly

When apps that were working perfectly well, start to misbehave, delete them, run a virus and malware check and install again from a trusted third party.

6. Data or text messaging (SMS) is greatly increased but your usage remains the same

You know your monthly data usage, but lately it has been considerably higher than you expected. Beware of text messages that can arrive in your inbox inviting you to click on them. Some of these seemingly innocent texts can charge you for every text you receive, and you can receive several a day, which will massively affect your charges as these are premium rate texts. Delete any texts you do not recognize.

7. Charges you do not recognize are displaying on your phone

Criminals love nothing more than to exploit an infected device. They make expensive overseas phone calls via remote party proxying through your device. They can also send SMS messages to international numbers, or ring up charges in other ways.

8. Your phone has been accessing dodgy sites you never tried to view

Many business mobiles operate on private networks that ban dubious sites of a certain nature such as porn sites or pirated content sites. If you notice that your phone has been trying to access such sites and has been blocked, when you yourself have not attempted to visit them, it is more than likely your phone has been infected, and you should report it to the company’s IT Department before the finger of suspicion falls on you.

9. An acquaintance seems strangely well informed about your schedule/activities

If you feel someone knows more about you than they should, such as what time you will be at a certain venue, or certain comments you have made to other friends, you may be being cyber stalked. This means a piece of malware has been introduced to your phone for the purposes of discovering everything about your personal, and quite possibly your financial life, too. Again, this you need to protect yourself by running anti-virus and malware software from a trusted source. It may also be necessary to go the whole way and restore the phone to factory settings, but make sure you back up valuable information, music and pictures to the cloud before doing so.

10. Your phone number is all a hacker needs

While it is important to take precautions by regularly checking your phone for malware and viruses, it is also worth bearing in mind that all a determined hacker needs to access your phone is your phone number. We are all guilty of giving away our mobile number too freely. How many business cards do you give to little known acquaintances during the course of the day?

Did you know an experienced hacker can use a network interchange service called Signalling System No. 7 (SS7), also known as C7 in the UK or CCSS7 in the USA.

CCSS7 acts as a broker between mobile phone networks. As calls or text messages are made across networks, CCSS7 handles details such as number translation, SMS transfer, billing and other back-end duties that connect one network or caller to another. By gaining access to the CCSS7 system, hackers can track a target’s location based on mobile phone mast triangulation, read their sent and received text messages, and log, record and listen into their phone calls, simply by using their phone number as an identifier. For this reason, it’s important to be extremely careful to whom you give your number.

How do you protect your mobile device when it has also become your mobile bank, your wallet, social network and more?

The truth is, you can never be fully protected, but an awareness of what hackers might try to do, and what happens when they have successfully hacked your phone will give you the awareness to do something about it quickly.

How can you change your service provider if you’re not happy with the service you’re getting?

That’s much easier to answer. Just contact Unlockbase. We have the largest database of mobile phones and service providers internationally. We can quickly, easily and securely unlock your phone and set you free to choose the best provider for your needs.

We have updated the HTC unlocking code Database with 5,479,470 new IMEI entries, last update was in October 2016. With this update, we are now able to deliver instantly the Unlock Code of no less than 228,424,845 HTC Cell Phones. Almost 99% of latest HTC phone models are available in our Database, including the last models from the brand:

– HTC U Ultra, U Play,
– HTC Desire 10 Pro, Lifestyle,
– HTC One A9s,
– HTC Desire 627, 628, 630,
– HTC Desire 728 Dual SIM
– HTC Desire 820G+ Dual SIM, 820s Dual SIM,
– HTC Desire 825, 828 Dual SIM, 830,
– HTC One E9s Dual SIM
– HTC One M9+, One M9+ Supreme Camera, One M9s,
– HTC One ME and One X9.

Don’t want to waste time? You can check for free whether the Unlock Code of your HTC phone is available or not in our Database by using our Free Widget to get real time availability! Just have your unique IMEI ready and visit the widget page to do this: http://www.unlockbase.com/widget/htc.php

Order the Unlock Code for your HTC Cell Phone with UnlockBase and enjoy Instant Delivery 24/7 !

If you’re in the market for a new smartphone but don’t want to pay the, let’s be frank, not so advantageous monthly price of a service provider contract phone, you could decide to look for a “behind the curve” model. That is a secondhand smartphone that’s perhaps a year or two old, but still functions perfectly adequately.

There are several good sources for ‘behind the curve’ phones including Mobile-Base and Amazon. These sites often have deals on newish phones at close to used prices. But if you do decide on a second-hand smartphone, it’s vital to bear in mind some of the potential phone buying pitfalls.

The first thing to consider is what type of second hand phone option you want.

• Save money on a popular brand second hand phone from a previous owner.
• Or pay more for a refurbished phone. A refurbished phone is one that has been tested, fixed and made serviceable by a retailer. If you opt for this route, make sure you get a guarantee, even if it’s for a warranty of only six months.

Buying second-hand

Check the IMEI

If you decide to go the second-hand route, it’s vital to check that the smartphone works correctly, and above all, that it isn’t stolen. If it is and you buy it, your mistake will be discovered as soon as you try to fit a new sim card into it. The phone will die on you, not only that, you could be held responsible for handling stolen goods. 1 in 4 mobile devices checked has a significant used history.

To check if the phone is clean and not stolen you need to run a check on the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number. To find the IMEI on the phone check under Setttings/About Device on Android, or punch in *#06#. The IMEI will instantly appear on the screen.

You can then check the phone’s status at sites such as IMEIPro or CheckMend, said to be the world’s largest data resource on smartphones. While there is a small charge to check on this site, it’s well worth the price. Equipped with the IMEI number you can quickly find out the phone’s full specifications and its history, whether or not the Seller wants you to know about it. It’s like a VIN check for vehicles.

As soon as dodgy sellers realize you know about the requirement of checking for the IMEI, they may well quickly back off and try their luck with a less savvy buyer.

Meet face to face when possible

Whenever possible it’s always best to meet the seller face to face. Buying sight-unseen from eBay or sites that are not rigorously monitored can quickly lead to buyer’s remorse. Sites such as Mobile-Base are monitored, and in the event there is a provable problem they will intercede on your behalf, because all Sellers are vetted.

Consider sim size

Another important point to check is whether you have the right size sim right size sim for the phone you want to buy, but you can always pick up a cheap one.

Check for damage

An important advantage in viewing a phone face to face rather than online is that you can check for scratches, dents, screen cracks and full functionality. Don’t forget to check the camera lens for scratches or misting. If the back opens, open it: the smartphone should be clean inside, and the battery still serviceable.

A fair price

Getting the best bargain for your purchase of course involves several factors including the age of the phone, the condition, the model, whether it’s brand new in box, all the usual variables, however, before you start discussing price, have a good idea in your mind as to what the same model is selling for elsewhere. It makes it much easier to spot a bargain price, but then is a bargain price truly a bargain. Only homework can help you decide.

Buying refurbished

Across the States there are dozens of sites that cater to refurbished phones including Mobile-Base, BestBuy and Overstock. Then of course there is eBay and Amazon. With the exception of eBay, you can spread the cost of your purchase with a credit card and even opt for added protection to guard against any technical or hardware problems.

Buying in-store

If you decide to buy from a bricks and mortar store, remember to bring along a laptop, a charging cable, earbuds or headphones, and even a microSD or SD card. Check the smartphone charges by plugging it into your laptop to make sure it charges. Check the headphone jack and card slot. Place your own sim in the phone and make a phone call.

Locked or unlocked

If the smartphone is locked to a certain network provider which you don’t want, you can quickly, easily and cost effectively unlock it with UnlockBase, the leading online remote unlock service. You can also bargain down the seller as it should be cheaper than an unlocked phone. An unlocked phone gives you complete freedom to choose your own network at a price you want to pay.

Secret codes and apps

Smartphones usually have hidden codes that provide access to extra information and self-test routines. As an example of this, Android phones, *#*#4636#*#* will provide usage statistics and battery information, while *#*#0*#*#* will run an LCD display test. A useful site for checking out codes is Redmond Pie. You can also research the phone you’re after on a YouTube. You can alternatively run an app test such as Phone Tester for Android or Phone Doctor Plus for Android and Apple’s iOS. These apps will give you a quick gauge of the smartphone hardware and the state of the battery. There’s no excuse for not doing your homework, it takes just a few minutes to save yourself a lot of hassle down the line.

Armed with this information and plenty of due diligence, you should be able to find a good quality second-hand or refurbished phone at a good price.

Think about it. Would you rather go back to the good old days when you couldn’t carry a phone around with you? It had certain advantages. People accepted the fact that there would be whole hours of the day when you simply could not be contacted. Nowadays we get jumpy if we can’t get hold of someone inside of an hour, often half an hour.

Being unable to get hold of people in an emergency was a frustration, but it’s a frustration that has now been largely overcome. But now there’s a new source of frustration and exasperation. It’s called poor cell phone reception. It affects everything that governs modern life; phone calls, instant messaging, text messaging, email, internet, apps, social media, and plenty of other real-time services.

We’ve become so accustomed to an always on, always working world, that our levels of patience have greatly decreased. When there is no cellphone reception it’s almost enough to throw your phone out of the window.

Our service providers ensure we pay handsomely for the privilege of such convenience, so it’s only fair we should expect reliable 3G & 4G LTE signals, but do we always get them? No. However, there are a few tips and tricks you can use to help boost your cell phone strength.

1) Let nothing come between you and your cell tower

Your cellphone works best when there’s an uninterrupted signal between you and the cell tower. Your phone should also work well when it’s right in front of the router, but if you’re in another room there are objects and obstructions in between. The trick is to reduce interference between the cell phone and the cell tower. To do this you can go outside or stand by an open window, away from thick walls and insulated interiors.

If a good signal really matters to you, look out for tall trees, hills, mountains, metal structures, and high buildings before you settle on a place to live, all these will contribute towards a poor signal. You can also check with your service provider what the signal is like in any particular area. And the higher your apartment, the better as high rise apartments get the best signal.

Then there’s the weather. Unfortunately, we can’t control it, but it may also affect service. Rain, snow and thunderstorms can all reduce reception, but sometimes, just shifting your position a few feet can reduce the problem.

2) Know where your nearest cell tower is located

Finding out where your nearest cell phone tower is located can really help in your battle for better cellphone signal. If you want to know where your nearest cell tower is, go online, enter your zip code or city and state and you can quickly find out. You can discover cell tower locations by all the major carriers including Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, & T-Mobile. The reviews from other users will give you an honest appraisal as to cell signal strength.

– Check websites:

OpenSignal ranks the top carriers and their signal with a cell phone coverage map and then further compares your area cell phone signal nationwide and even worldwide. You can also refine the type of cell phone signal by 2G, 3G, and 4G.

– Download an App:

OpenSignal: For iPhone | For Android
Akvelon’s Signal Finder: For iPhone | For Android
RootMetrics’ Cell Phone Coverage Map: For iPhone | For Android

– Use your phone:

Your smartphone is a great way to find signal strength. Cell phone signals are measured in dB (decibels). Similar to radio waves, such as AM/FM. All cellular devices operate within this standard:-50 dB to -120 dB signal level.

-50 dB is considered full strength (full bars). -120 dB is considered signal Death Valley.

So, while the bars on your phone are supposed to indicate signal strength, you can’t truly rely on it. Why? Because there’s no industry standard and practice to label dB values in relation to the number of bars. For example, 1 bar on Verizon is 2 bars on AT&T and 3 bars on Sprint, even though it could be the exact same signal and performing at the same speeds.

You can check the Db readings like this:

For iPhone Users:

• Go into Phone Mode
• Dial and Call *3001#12345#*
• You know enter in “Field Test Mode”
• Drag down your notifications bar and you will see your dB reading in the left-hand corner.

For Android Users:

• Go to Settings > General > About Phone
• Then “Network” (or  “Status“)
• You should see your dB Value

Now try walking around the house to find out where you receive the best signal. The number closest to -50 dB is where you get your best signal.

3) A full battery means a better signal

Connecting to a cell tower takes a constant supply of power, so if you’re low on battery, your phone might not be able to identify the best signal. Options like Bluetooth and NFC should be switched off when not in use. Close unnecessary or unused apps working in the background. Turn off push notifications, and always update to the latest firmware.

4) Use your Wi-Fi Network

If you keep your WiFi signal on your phone switched on when you are outside, remember to switch it off when you get home and use Wi-Fi Calling, using your broadband landline WiFi to make

calls and connect to the internet. T-Mobile and Sprint offer full WiFi calling support, while AT&T and Verizon only support WiFi calling on select phones. If you already have landline internet, connecting your cell phone should help boost reception service.

5) Cell phone signal boosters

These are powerful FCC-certified devices that harvest your 3G & 4G signals and amplify them by up to 32 times and then rebroadcast it to your home or car.

Cell phone boosters are one-time purchases with no monthly fees. They come with 2-year manufacturer’s warranty and lifetime technical support. They are fully legal and approved by all US and Canadian carriers, and they work for any cellular device on any US or Canadian network.

6) Unlock your phone and find another carrier

If you’ve done everything you can and you’re still not happy, you can complain to your service provider. It’s their duty to ensure as much as possible that you get good reception. Competition for your business is keen. Sprint offer a 50% cut on bills if customers switched carriers, while T-Mobile will pay for any early termination and old payment plan fees. Good carrier deals are out there waiting to be discovered.

But if you decide you want to change your service provider, UnlockBase is here to help. We unlock the widest range of phones from the longest list of service providers, and we can free your phone, quickly, conveniently and economically.

We are all guilty these days of spending far too much time in front of one digital screen or another. The smartphone in particular has become a constant habit for millions. One staggering statistic is this: Fully 90% of 18 to 29 year-olds sleep with their phone on their bed and consult it sporadically throughout the night. Staring at the bright light of the phone in the pitch dark is a perfect recipe for developing eye strain and a number of longer term eye problems.

You know if you are not happy with a mobile phone service provider you can easily contact UnlockBase to unlock your phone and free yourself up to find a better deal within minutes. Unfortunately, it’s not so easy for your vision. We are all given just one set of eyes, and like it or not, it’s a lifetime contract.

In the digital era, not only young adults, but also children and even retirees are experiencing symptoms such as eye strain, headaches, dry eyes, blurred vision, neck, back and shoulder pain.

With so many of us using mobile phones by day and night and then computers throughout the day at work, digital eye strain has become a major job-related problem Studies show that eye strain and other visual symptoms now occur in 50 to 90% of computer workers.

Digital eye strain, which can produce blood shot, tired and dry eyes, does not only affect vision. Physical fatigue, decreased productivity and an increased numbers of work errors are also common.

These 5 easy steps are designed to help you reduce your risk of mobile phone and computer eye strain and give your eyes the rest they so badly need.

1. Take an annual eye exam

Routine eye exams are important to prevent or treat digital vision problems. These should be taken yearly. Tell your eye doctor how often you use a phone and or computer at work and at home. You should also measure how far your eyes are from your screen when you sit looking at your screen. Bring this measurement to your exam so your eye doctor can test your eyes at that specific working distance.

2. Get the lighting right

Eye strain often is caused by excessively bright light either from outdoor sunlight coming in through a window or from harsh interior lighting. It can strain your eyes more to look at you phone outside than it is with lighting that is half as bright as that of your device. You should close drapes, shades or blinds and use fewer light bulbs and fluorescent tubes.

3. Reduce glare

If you wear glasses, opt for lenses with anti-reflective (AR) coating. AR coating reduces glare by minimizing the amount of light reflecting off the front and back surfaces of your eyeglass lenses.

You can also go to Settings on your mobile phone to adjust the brightness of the display. As a test, look at the white background of this Web page. If it looks like a light source, it’s too bright. If it seems dull and gray, it may be too dark.

4. Give your eyes a workout

Eyes need exercise just like every other part of the body. Look away from your screen every 20 minutes and gaze at a distant object (at least 20 feet away) for at least 20 seconds. It’s called the 20-20-20 rule. It also helps to take regular walks outdoors and looking at greenery and hills in the distance to provide a different field of vision for your eyes. Looking into the distance relaxes the focusing muscle inside the eye to reduce fatigue.

Look far away at an object for 10-15 seconds, then gaze at something up close for 10-15 seconds. Then look back at the distant object. Repeat 10 times. Take frequent breaks during your computer work day.

Many workers take only two 15-minute breaks from their computer throughout their work day. Studies show discomfort and eye strain were significantly reduced when computer workers took four additional five-minute “mini-breaks” throughout the working day.

5. Take frequent breaks

Finally, do not be glued to your seat all day gazing at a screen. Get up and walk around regularly to give your eyes and your mind something else to focus on.

It’s well known that over time Desktop PCs and laptops start to slow down due to all the bloatware and performance tasks the computer undertakes each day. And unless great care is taken each uninstalled program leaves junk behind to slow things down even further. It’s no different with smart phones. Over time the performance of your Android OS will start to diminish. In order to get the best out of your phone you have to be careful what you download onto it, and be ruthless about offloading any unwanted or clunky apps that slow down performance. It is extremely tempting to trial swathes of new apps on Google Play store, but here are 7 top tips to keep your phone in tip top shape.

1. Less Is More

A smart phone’s RAM and OS can be quickly consumed by resource-hungry apps which sap performance and make everything seem slower and more labored. If you notice typing messages is becoming slower, apps are taking longer to open, and your phone seems to be working too hard to do simple tasks, it’s a sure sign you have an overloaded phone, and it’s time to uninstall as many apps as you can spare. Keep your phone lean and mean. Apps eat away at your storage space and can slow down background processes. The more storage space occupied or the more background processes running on your phone, the slower your phone’s performance. If you don’t want an app, long press on the icon and click Uninstall.

2. Update your Android

Always ensure your phone is updated to the latest version of firmware. There are important performance tweaks with each new release of the Android operating system. They help to improve stability, produce higher performance speed and greater connectivity. You can check if your phone has the latest upgrade by going to Settings and clicking on About Phone, then Check for Updates.

3. Disable Little Used Apps

Some apps you might want to keep even though you don’t use them every day. You can disable these apps by using Performance Assistant. Disabled apps are not shown on the home screen or app tray but you can re-enable them for use whenever you need them.

4. Regularly Update Your Apps

Apps change over time. They are regularly improved and updated, and it will improve the performance of your phone if you regularly update your phone’s installed apps from Google Play. Developers frequently fix bugs and add useful new features in newly released versions of apps. As a result of this, regularly updated apps perform better and faster, and will be less likely to crash or slow down your phone.

5. Use A High-Speed Memory Card

The memory card in your phone is the storage capacity available to you. The more space you have, the more you can store. If your phone has low internal memory, why not boost it with a high-capacity memory card. A good storage card not only adds storage space but also helps to speed up your phone. Storage cards are available in a range of sizes from 2GB right up to 128GB. Always go for memory cards of Class 6 or Class 10 for your Android phone to improve on performance.

6. Learn to Live Without Live Wallpapers

While live wallpapers on your phone can be a lot of fun and attract plenty of attention, many of those provided by the various phone manufacturers are poorly made, chew up a lot of megabytes and will require more CPU cycles to run. This is a sure-fire way to drain your battery fast. Unless you have a high capacity, high performance RAM phone, try to avoid using a live wallpaper.

7. That Syncing Feeling

While Sync is a useful feature as it synchronizes your data with Google servers, keeping sync on permanently means you can reduce your phone’s performance. Sync notifies you whenever new mail comes in or when you get new notifications or updates for apps. In order to sync your phone it performs a refresh at preset intervals. To reduce the amount of processing your phone performs, you can opt to keep Sync off for unrequired services or have it on only when you need to transfer or upload materials to Google servers.

As technology changes so do the skills of the people who repair the hardware and increasingly the software too. While you can still find TV repair services, you are much more likely to find smart phone repair service stores in your local mall or high street. And all for a product that people could not see the need for just two decades ago.

What you can expect from a Smart Phone Repair Center

Essential repairs

Because we carry our phones with us everywhere we go, it presents many opportunities for them to become damaged, either internally or externally. For example, dropping your smartphone on the sidewalk is almost guaranteed to break your screen. While accidentally dropping your smart phone into water is going to cause all kinds of challenges to dry it out and get it working again.

These are but two of the many challenges facing smart phone repair companies each day. But even if there is no external damage to the phone, sometimes the smart phone can just decide to freeze up and not co-operate at all.

Software freezes

In the world of smart phone repairs, such problems are every day occurrences, and you can expect a good service center to be familiar with them. In the event of a repair being necessary, it’s important for you to know the brand, model number and IMEI of your phone as soon as you purchase it. Should you have to take your phone to a repair center, these details will be the first things they will ask of you. If you are not familiar with your IMEI number, you can access it by punching in *#06#.

Spares and replacement parts

If you damage your phone or you need a part for a smart phone when yours breaks down, you’ll want to get it fixed in a flash. The quickest, safest and easiest way to do this is by finding a smart phone repair center close to you.

Because they will be familiar with most phone models, whether on the iPhone or Android platform, you can expect them to quickly access spares or replacement parts. Trying to fix the phone yourself can lead to the phone shutting down altogether, and at the same time possibly voiding the warranty. Most repairs should be fixable inside of a couple of days. Repair centers know you depend on your phone, so turnaround is deliberately streamlined not only to help you, but to maximize their profits.

Cellphone unlocking

Increasingly, smart phone repair service centers are also offering cellphone unlock services such as those offered by UnlockBase. In fact, UnlockBase is a market leader in turnkey cellphone operations for many leading smart phone service centers, so if you wish to get your phone unlocked locally, check if they are using UnlockBase as their unlock service provider.

What you cannot expect from a Smart Phone Repair center

Privacy

Remember, when you leave your phone at a repair service center, you are also leaving a large chunk of your life in the hands of a complete stranger. If the repair center needs to make repairs that require accessing your phone’s content, they can quickly discover all your photographs, messages and downloaded videos, so if you have anything embarrassing, or worse, incriminating on your phone be sure to remove such items before you hand it over. You cannot expect a service repair center to repair your phone and not see its private content.

Data loss

Of course, phones that break down are also at heightened risk of losing all your vital data and information. Do you know the phone numbers of every contact on your phone? No you don’t, and in many cases you can’t expect a repair service center to retrieve the irretrievable. So it’s a good idea to store your information on the cloud, and there are several online options such as Google Drive available that can store all your information securely.