All posts by Affordable Computer Repairs

Kindle

How to back up your Kindle

Readers, Please Note

This article on how to back up your Kindle was written in November 2013 so the process below of backing up your Kindle may not apply to you if you have purchased a Kindle in the last couple of years.

This article was written by a Brisbane computer repairs business, however, we do not repair Kindles, nor do we know of any business that does repair Kindles in Brisbane. Given the cost of a new Kindle, it may be that repairing of Kindles is not cost-effective and such a service may not even exist. This is all part of the disposable society that we now live in.

Below is the article published in 2013 which I do hope is still of use to those seeking help in backing up a Kindle.

How to back up your Kindle – Step by Step Instructions

It’s a very good idea to back up your Kindle books as you don’t want to lose all your books in the event that your Kindle fails.

It is really quite easy to transfer your books from your Kindle to your PC or Laptop.

Step One

The first step in how to back up your Kindle involves simply creating a new folder on your desktop and name it something appropriate such as “My Kindle Books”.

Step Two

Connect your Kindle to your PC or Laptop. For this, you will need to use a USB cable – your Kindle would have come with a USB cable, but anyone will do.  Simply plug the USB into one of your slots on your computer and into your Kindle.

Step Three

Wait a little while and then a box should pop up asking you what you want to do. When this happens, select the Open Folder option. However, if it does not pop up you will need to go to your My Computer folder and select the Kindle. Then you need to open the folder.

Step Four

Once the folder is opened you need to find the Documents folder (there should be three folders called audible, music and documents). Double click on it to open it up. You will then see all of the books that are on your Kindle. It is noted that you can capture your Kindle’s screen display at any time by holding shift and alt while pressing ‘G’ on the Kindle keyboard. Grabs are saved in .gif format and given the prefix ‘screen_shot’.

As there are other files besides books in the Documents folder that you may not want to copy, you need to sort the files in the Documents folder according to type. If you’re using Windows 7, then click on the drop-down menu on the right-hand side of the Type column header. From this, select AZW to filter out all of the non-book files. Then, when selecting your books, you need to make sure you don’t select the non-book files which are now easily organised for you. Make sure that when copying your books you also copy across any .mbp files bearing the same names as your books.

Step Five

Transfer all your books from your Kindle to your Laptop or PC. In order to do this, you need to hold the CTRL key down and select all of the books with your mouse. Then you need to do a right-click on one of them and choose the Copy option.

Step Six

Open the folder (“My Kindle Books”) and then right-click in the folder and select Paste. You will now have to wait until all your books are transferred – it can be time-consuming.

Step Seven

The final step. Step seven occurs when all your books have been transferred, you need simply to unhook your cable and all your books will now be backed up on your computer. If can also burn your books to a CD to ensure you don’t lose them.

Final Point

It is noted that Kindle books are copy protected so whilst you can back them up, you can’t transfer them to another Kindle or other reader application. Using this method (how to back up your Kindle above), you are also not able to copy them to another device that you might have or read your backed-up books in a Kindle app on your PC, Mac, phone or tablet.

How to back up your Kindle

Passwords

How to choose a good password

Selecting a good password is not that easy – it is a trade-off between something that is too complicated to guess versus something that is easy to remember. It is also noted that some websites set a particular standard for the difficulty of passwords. Below are a few tips to help you keep your files and emails password protected.

What Makes Up a Good Password

Phrase – One recommendation is to select a phrase or a combination of words, these are often easier to remember and also increase the strength of your password.

Length – Good passwords should be 8 – 10 characters long as short passwords are easier for people crack. Conversely, the longer your password, the harder it is for someone to access your information. Using a password like ‘0000’ or your first name, for example, might be easy to remember, but they are commonly used and people trying to crack your password know this.

Punctuation – It is a good idea to include some sort of punctuation in your password.

Combination mix – It is better to use a combination of letters and numbers as it is then harder for people to access your information. One way to do this and still be able to remember is to use numbers that look like letters – such as using a ‘5’ instead of an ‘S’ or a ‘0’ instead of an ‘O’.

Capitals – A combination of lower and upper case letters will strengthen your password.

Memorable – You can use names or places as long as they are not common such as a past street address from some time ago or the name of your first pet. However, use these names in conjunction with other letters or numbers.

Passwords to avoid:-

A word from a dictionary including foreign language dictionaries

A list of letters in order of the keyboard

Using all digit, punctuation or alphabetic

Adding a digit or punctuation mark to a word

Repeating characters or letters in a row

Reversing words

The account name

Things that are easy to remember often make very weak passwords such as phone numbers, friends or relatives names, your car registration or any date.

If you need to write down your passwords in the event that you think you may forget them, store the paper somewhere safe such as a safe or a locked drawer. Do not store your password with any information that identifies you such as your wallet. Do not keep the written password anywhere near your computer.

 

This blog was written by Affordable Computer Repairs and Service

How to choose a good password

Choosing a reliable computer repair service

Tips in choosing a reliable computer repair service

Are Computer Repair Businesses Reliable?

Reader’s Digest in July 2013 published a survey on which professions in Australia are dependable, honest and reliable that have earned our trust.

The results were as follows:

1. Firefighters
2. Paramedics
3. Rescue volunteers
4. Nurses
5. Pilots
6. Doctors
7. Pharmacists
8. Veterinarians
9. Air traffic controllers
10. Farmers 
…
22. Waiters
23. Computer technicians

With computer technicians only coming in 23rd place, how does one go about choosing a reliable, honest and affordable computer repair company?

How to Choose a Reliable Computer Repair Business

Obtain Recommendations

Choose a company that will respect your privacy and data – a recommendation from a co-worker, friend or family is by far the best way to ensure that you are likely to obtain quality service.

Read Computer Repair Reviews

Read customer reviews – if you can’t get a recommendation from someone you know, the next best thing to do is read the customer reviews published on the company’s website or better still on a directory listing which lists the service company.  It is easy for a company to falsify customer reviews on their own website, but not on directory listing websites as these are usually monitored for this purpose. A trustworthy computer repair service with good expertise is easily determined through the reviews written by past customers. You could also ask if you could contact some customers directly.

Look at Their Fees and Charges

Cost – This is a prime factor for choosing anything. With computer repair companies that charge by the hour, you really have no idea what the final cost will be and it may be that you would have been better off buying a new computer rather than paying a really high repair bill. For this reason, we recommend that you choose a business that has a fixed service fee. Bear in mind that the lowest cost is not always necessarily the best option as at the end of the day the most important thing is that the computer is fixed properly. You need to be careful that the firm you choose also has the expertise that is required.

Check for Guarantees

Guarantees offered – A service provider should offer a warranty or guarantee after fixing the issues. A long warranty period represents that they have confidence in their work. New parts always come with a warranty, but you need to ensure that the repair company stand by their labour as well.

Mobile or Workshop Service

On-Site Support – You may wish to have the technician come to your home, so you need to check that they offer this service. Some repair companies charge extra for this service.

Turnaround Time

Turnaround Time – Is your computer likely to site in the workshop for a week or two? Most of us are reliant on our computers and struggle without them for even a day or two. Same day service is ideal, however, is difficult to come by and may come at an extra cost. Again, read the fine print for those firms that offer same day service. In general, you should expect that it would take one to three days, depending on the complexity of the repair for your computer to be repaired.

Size of the Business

Large Companies – Large companies aren’t always the best solution as large doesn’t necessarily mean quality. Often local computer or laptop repair businesses around your neighbourhood offer better turnaround time and more likely competitive rates.

Use Search Engines

Google It – Google lists both large and small repair companies and by visiting their websites, you can obtain a lot of valuable data that will help with your decision.

Speak to the Technician

Speak to the Technician – This is easier done with the smaller repair companies as you can speak to the person who will be working on your machine. By questioning the technician, you should be able to determine quickly their level of expertise and obtain their rates and turnaround time.

Summary of Tips In Choosing a Reliable Computer Repair Service

Some people consider any service provider to repair their computer, but this can be a big mistake. A computer repair service company should be chosen with care and finding the right one may take a little time but will be worth every minute. Your computer likely contains a lot of valuable data (all those family photos and office work) plus you don’t want to be stuck with a huge repair bill.

There are numerous computer repairmen nowadays, and some of them provide quality services. However, there are some people who charge high prices but fail to deliver good work. Hence, it is important to distinguish between the two and choose the better one.

(Naturally, we recommend Affordable Computer Repairs and Service and suggest you read our computer repair reviews).

Tips in choosing a reliable computer repair service.

Mobile Phones

Do you need a traditional home phone connection?

Do you need a traditional home phone connection?

Is it possible to rely completely on your mobile phone?

The latest trend in cutting costs today is to disconnect the traditional landline phone service and rely totally on the mobile phone as the main phone 24 hours a day 6 days a week. If you are currently getting two phone bills each month, one from the phone company and the next from the cellular provider and you carry your mobile phone around day in and day out, you may start to question whether or not you need the traditional home phone. There are several pros and cons to disconnecting the traditional landline and relying totally on the mobile phone and these are provided below.

Reception – it goes without saying that the traditional landline has a much more reliable reception. You may find that within your home there may be areas of dropout or poorer reception in certain areas. It is noted that cellular coverage is improving all the time however you might consider assisting reception through signal-boosting antennas if you decide to cut the traditional phone line.

Battery – The traditional home phone does not require you to continually charge your phone as you have to with your mobile device.

Flat phone – If you totally rely on your mobile phone there is the possibility that when you want to make that urgent call (or any call for that matter) that you find your phone is dead and you are left to wait until your charger provides enough power to dial out.

Emergency calls – When you dial 000, the emergency hotline immediately receives your current location and they can send the fire department, police or ambulance to help even if you are not able to speak.

Phone number – If a lot of friends and family are used to calling you on your home phone number, you will have to consider transferring your old landline to a new mobile account. You will need to check with your carrier first to make sure they will do this and what is involved in it – there may be a cost.

Lost phone – As mobile phones are getting smaller all the time, it is easy to misplace your phone and you might miss an important call. It is noted too that cordless phones also can be misplaced but there are usually larger than their mobile counterparts.

Faxing – If you still use the fax, you need a traditional phone connection.

Home security – Many home security services rely on a hardwired connection to allow communication to their monitoring centres. Many of these services can use the broadband internet connection but this could be a problem if you haven’t opted for a high-speed cable connection.

Summary

If you have solid cell reception at home and don’t need the traditional landline for any other electronics at home, then dropping your landline can certainly save you money. Alternatively, you could save money by calling your service provider and ask to be switched to the least expensive base rate if you don’t use your home phone very much. For this low-cost, you can have peace of mind, particularly when you consider the possibility of needing the traditional phone for emergency calls.

Affordable Computer Repairs and Service – Do you need a traditional home phone connection?

Do you need a traditional home phone connection?

Facebook

Can a Facebook page replace a business website?

The short and simple answer is no – a business should have its own website plus a Facebook business page – and possibly a Twitter page, a Google Plus page and a LinkedIn page.

The only advantage to only having a Facebook page is the savings in terms of the cost of web design and hosting – but the disadvantages are many…

Disadvantages of Facebook as a Business Website

You have little control over the features available on a Facebook business page. If you want to produce something beyond the default features and third-party add-ons, this could potentially cost more than a website to build. And even if you do use custom apps, there is still not the scope and ability to organise, expand and display content in the same way you would on a website.

You can’t optimize for SEO – you are restricted on how much you can post via their interface, what you post via their terms of service and where you can post from via their API.

Having a Facebook business page doesn’t guarantee traffic or Likes. In fact, there is research that shows that once a Facebook user likes a page they will rarely come back.

You are limited in terms of functionality – there is the Wall, the Info tab and Notes, but that is all. In general, Facebook is good for driving traffic to the place where your content is hosted but is not the place to host the content.

Your audience may not be on Facebook and if your business page is only on Facebook, then it will likely only be findable and usable by people who have a Facebook account.

You do not own the content on Facebook, they own it and they control it. They have the right to shut down anytime they want, you have no control over this.

You are restricted in that only a certain number of people use Facebook to search for products – Google is by far the winner in this regard.

You are at Facebook’s whim as features that are available today could be gone tomorrow and there is nothing that you can do about it. Furthermore, if you violate Facebook’s terms of service, they can shut your page down.

There is limited tracking ability to determine the success of your Facebook page in attracting your customers.

Under Facebook, your content structure and organization is not under your control.

Facebook’s guidelines may not align with your needs, there are many limits to what you can and can’t do for a cover including adding your phone number and address. In general, you have very little control over what and how your information is displayed on Facebook.

Using Facebook as a website means your business will be limited to Facebook’s business profiles and fields.

There is no guarantee on the longevity of Facebook. While it is massively popular today, there is no guarantee that this trend will continue in the future.

Finally, contrary to popular belief having a Facebook page is not free as while you don’t have to pay Facebook to establish a business page there is still the cost (in terms of labour) for setup, maintenance, production of content and interaction with customers.

Summary

In summary, Facebook is a social media platform and not a good substitute for a business website. Facebook does not function like a website and you are limited to what you can do. Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms should be used to promote your website, not replace it. Having a website and a Facebook business page and other social media outlets allows customers an opportunity to find your business and interact with your business in a variety of different ways and this should help build your business and business profile.

Can a Facebook page replace a business website?

This article is provided to you by Affordable Computer Repairs and Service

Laptop Battery Life

How To Extend The Life Of Your Laptop Battery

How to Extend the Life of a Laptop

Life of a Laptop Battery

Laptop batteries usually last around four years before needing to buy a new one. This depends, of course, on how often you use and charge your laptop. If you travel a lot with your laptop, the battery life will reduce more, and the laptop may only last two years.

Batteries generally self-discharge at a rate of about 1% per day. Generally, when charged, a laptop should last between 3 to 5 hours. There are ways of extending the life of your laptop battery and this information is provided below.

How Can I Extend the Life of my Laptop Battery?

Battery Extender

It may be worth considering purchasing a battery extender for your laptop’s battery.

Bluetooth

If you are not using Bluetooth, disable this device on your computer.

Brightness

If you are using your laptop in a well-lit area, reduced the laptop’s brightness level to a minimum, we recommend setting it to two or three bars.

Buying a New Battery

We recommend purchasing a new battery with the same specs as your previous battery. This means that it is the same capacity – same mAh rating and chemistry.

CD and DVD Drives

Spinning CDs and DVDs use a lot of battery power. If they are not in use, remove these.

Charging your Battery

Only charge your battery when it is on a low charge as the lower the battery when you charge it, the longer it will last.

Clean Battery Contacts

Clean the battery contacts with rubbing alcohol on a damp cloth to increase energy efficiency.

Cooling Pad

We recommend using a cooling pad when using a notebook computer on your laptop unless it is a USB pad.

Defrag the Hard Drive

Defrag your hard drive as this reduces the amount of work done by your hard drive.

Don’t Use your Laptop on a Soft Surface

On a soft surface, the laptop fan cannot circulate air properly and you may overheat the machine. This will reduce the life of the battery.

Don’t Use your Laptop with the AC Adapter Frequently

If you do this, then your laptop battery will have a chemical memory in the long term, and this will reduce the life of your battery. Ensure that you only charge your laptop when it needs to be charged and do not leave the laptop plugged in all the time.

Ensure Full Charge from the Beginning

When you first purchase a laptop, it is very important that you fully charge it before using it. This is important to ensure that the battery lasts to its full extent.

Flash-based Sites

If you rarely used your laptop to access Flash-based sits, install or disable Flash. You can save up to 30% of power by not using Flash.

OLED Screens

OLED screens consume much less power when displaying blank. If your laptop has an OLED based display, avoid displaying white images.

Ongoing Use

Minimising screen brightness, closing Wi-Fi when not in use and shutting down unused programs helps extend your battery life.

Power Saver

Use the power management settings on your computer that comes built in. On a Mac computer use ‘Energy Saver’ in System Preferences and on Windows XP, use ‘Power Options’ in the control panel. Create Power-Saving Hardware Profiles for different scenarios such as in the office or a plane.

RAM

Add more RAM as memory helps load and close application faster, which subsequently uses less power. 

Running Applications

It is better to run simple applications that don’t use much processing power, RAM or disk drive. To save battery life, we recommend using basic text editors rather than the processor or RAM heavy Microsoft Word. Games and movies also significantly reduce battery life.

Scans and Backups

Ensure that if your laptop is doing a periodic virus scan or backup that it is set to a time when your laptop is running on AC power.

Shutdown

Instead of using standby or sleep, shut down or hibernate the laptop when not in use as standby continues to use energy.

Temperature

Try to avoid extreme temperatures for your laptop. Batteries will drain faster in either very cold or very hot temperatures.

Unplug External Devices

When not using external devices such as USBs, external speakers and attach phones or iPods, unplug them from the computer.

Volume

If you do not need sound, mute the volume level or turn it off.

This blog on ‘How To Extend The Life Of Your Laptop Battery’ was provided to you by the technicians at Affordable Computer Repairs and Service.

How To Extend the Life Of Your Laptop Battery

E-Readers

What Are The Pros and Cons of E-Readers

Not sure what are the pros and cons of E-Readers?

Trying to decide whether or not an eReader is right for you?

Here is an in-depth list of pros and cons that might help you.

Pros

The pros of eBooks include:-

  1. Can be downloaded from almost anywhere or anytime, making them more convenient.
  2. Can be downloaded almost instantly, just a few minutes and you have a new book to read.
  3. Save space, no need to have bookshelves to store all your books.
  4. Research indicates that eBooks promote reading.
  5. Are much lighter and slimmer to carry around than traditional books.
  6. Some have the ability to turn from text to speech so you can have your book read to you when you are doing other things such as driving the car.
  7. You are able to find out-of-print books more easily.
  8. E-Readers are eco-friendly as they require neither paper nor shipping, reducing the carbon footprint.
  9. eBooks are more often than not cheaper than traditional books as publishers don’t have the costs of printing, storing, and shipping the books.
  10. They are easier to travel with being lighter and smaller thus better for reading on-the-go.
  11. eBooks are much easier for independent publishers and authors to publish and distribute.
  12. You are able to search text and look up words.
  13. Allow you to change the font size which is less than 20/20 vision.

Cons

The cons of eBooks include the following:-

  1. To have an eBook, you need to purchase an E-Reader – and they are not necessarily cheap. The cheapest is around $100 and that is without a cover.
  2. eBooks can break or fail.
  3. Some books such as children’s books or medical textbooks with illustrations and diagrams do not lend themselves to electronic format.
  4. You lose out on the textile and kinesthetic properties of a traditional book such as the smell of ink, the turn-the-page feel and the excitement of getting towards the end of the book.
  5. Electronic books need regular charging and occasional updating.
  6. Are limited in terms of the ability to be lent to others.
  7. You no longer have the physical presence of a traditional book so your house is no longer decorated with books.
  8. eBooks cannot be given as a gift.
  9. Cannot be autographed by the author – there will never be a “first edition eBook” that will become a collector’s item.
  10. Represent a potential threat to author royalties.
  11. Not all titles/books are available in E-Readers.
  12. You can’t flip through an eBook the way you can with a traditional paperback.
  13. The growth of E-Readers represents a threat to bookshops and libraries.

Summary

It’s up to you to decide whether the pros outweigh the cons – personally I am hooked on my Kindle, it is full of books and goes with me wherever I go – including on car trips to collect and return computers!

Author Karen Thorogood, Co-Owner Affordable Computer Repairs and Service.

Pros and Cons of E-Readers

Improve WiFi Connections

Improving WiFi Connections

What is WiFi?

WiFi is a radio wave that transmits on a 2.4 or 5 gigahertz frequency and is the means by which laptops and smartphones connect to the internet.

When looking at improving WiFi connection there are really two aspects – speed and distance and there are several factors that can impact on both of these aspects of performance.

How to Improve WiFi Connections

Obstructions and location

Radio waves can go through many objects such as walls, but this decreases the strength of the signal. The more metallic or dense the material, the more it blocks WiFi – walls, floors, furniture, mirrors and metal objects can all cause interference and signal degradation. Don’t put things between the router and the computer if you can possibly avoid it. Position your router to be centrally located in your home to where you use your wireless devices most often. Position the router up high, and preferably towards the centre of the house – not on an external wall. Place the router on a table or bookcase to assist better reception.

Other signals

Anything with a signal can cause problems with your WiFi performance. For this reason, we recommend that you keep cordless phones, microwave ovens, and baby monitors at least 2 meters away from your wireless router – the further the better.

Updating the firmware

Check if there is a firmware update for your router. Do this by Googling the model of your router followed by the keyword “firmware.” Hopefully, this will bring up a website with the most current version of your router’s firmware with instructions on how to download it.

Changing channels

Try changing the wireless channel on the router such as channels 1, 5, 9, or 13. Channels are changed by going to the router interface – all routers have different ways to access the interface, so check with your manufacturer.

Safety

It’s important to put your wireless router in an elevated, safe position where it won’t get bumped or fall off or moved.

DD-WRT software

DD-WRT is open-source software for routers and can improve router performance. Not all routers support it but the numbers are growing. It is, however, warned that installing DD-WRT may quite possibly invalidate your router’s warranty.

Change your router to a dual-band N (802.11n) router

Dual-band N routers can operate on both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency.

Optimise your antenna

By moving the antenna of your router you may be able to boost your WiFi signal.

Use a second router

If a single router is not powerful enough to cover your entire house a second router may be required to extend the network’s range. The secondary router should be plugged into the main router’s LAN port and its setup utility run. the same addressing info should then be assigned then place the second router as far away as possible from the main router where the WiFi signal is weakest. It’s also important that you assign the same SSID and security on the second router and turn DHCP off on the second one as well.

Cordless phones

Check to make sure that your portable house phone is not using the same frequency as your WiFi as this can cause signal disruption.

Update adapter firmware

Network adaptors on PCs and laptops are subject to firmware updates. By going to the Network setting you can find the name of the adaptor and then go to the adapter’s manufacturer’s website to make sure that you have the most up-to-date firmware.

Upgrade

One option is to upgrade the network to 802.11n and using the 5 GHz band. This should significantly improve the performance of the WiFi.

If you are still having a problem with your wireless connection, please give us a call at Affordable Computer Repairs and Service on 3397 1215 or 0409 974 707 and we will assist you.

Improving WiFi Connections

Laptops

Laptops – Improvements for the Future

Laptop Improvements

Laptops are getting thinner, lighter, faster, more powerful and more convenient. The biggest changes are in the choice of processors, the means of user input and the types of storage. As wireless infrastructure grows, laptops are gaining wireless capabilities to match. Battery life, the main complaint about these mobile computers, is now reaching practical levels. There are signs of further improvements in battery life to occur in the future.

We now have skinny laptops of various types, such as super-thin models like the MacBook Air, to hybrids that with detachable screens that become tablets.

Mobile technology is evolving at a rapid pace, so what may we see in the future for laptops…

Battery Life

Extended battery life is needed to make laptops practical for users. Battery life is increasing all the time and the new Haswell chipset from Intel is certainly assisting this.

New laptops can offer a 9 to 12-hour battery life is. The challenge for the future is to increase battery life through battery technology to say a day or more days. This would greatly increase the popularity of laptops – allowing the user to leave the power adaptor at home when undertaking short business trips.  Continual worrying about finding an outlet for charging purposes would become a thing of the past. It would also make it possible to use these mobile computers at higher performance levels – without worrying about power settings.

Multiple Screens

Multiple screens would be a great bonus.  Users are now used to having multiple screens with their desktop and the same expectation for laptops is on the way.

At the moment laptop users needing a very visual display (such as real estate professionals) have to rely on giant laptops with huge screens or using an external monitor. Both of these options significantly reducing the main attraction of laptops being convenience and mobility.

There has been the option of special laptops that used two separate screens that unfolded out of the base. However, these laptops were very large and highly expensive. There is definitely scope for future improvements regarding multiple screens that are both affordable and portable.

Wireless

It would be amazing if wireless technology could be lifted to a whole new level. While we currently have wireless connectivity in web connections and in peripherals like the mouse – how about wireless technology allowing a laptop to charge the battery. Also, how about wireless automatically turning on the desktop and connecting to the laptop, the mouse and the keyboard?

There have been attempts in the past, now with the evolution of technology maybe this could be possible in the future.

In Summary

There are currently a variety of styles of laptops to meet most of the needs of mobile business users.  Improvements in the future are likely to see these machines becoming more and more powerful, convenient and portable.

Laptops - Improvements for the Future

This article is provided to you by Affordable Computer Repairs and Service. Contact us today on 3397 1215 or 0409 974 707 for all of your computer repairs and IT needs.

Mobile Phones

Are Mobile Phones Replacing Landlines?

Mobile Phones Replacing Landlines

It is becoming more common for households to rely purely on mobile phones and no longer have the traditional landline. In fact, statistics released by the US Labour Department in 2007 showed that US households were expected to spend more on mobile phones than landlines services for that year. The figures revealed that there were nearly 250 million mobile phones in use nationwide. This compared to only 170 million landlines in use.

In Australia, according to information released by the Australian Communications Media Authority (ACMA), nearly 3.3 million Australians aged 18 had replaced the landline by mobile phones. That is one in five households no longer using a landline for telephone calls. Not unexpectedly, those over 65 are less likely have replaced the landline.  According to the Australian Communications Media Authority (ACMA), the growth rates of this group (65+) are larger than average and more than doubling year on year.

However, the phone line is still used for the internet. Only 3% of the Australian population not having a personal fixed-line service of any kind. Whilst the numbers for full mobile substitution are low, there is a rapid growth rate in this at around 70% in the last year.

Why mobile phones are replacing landlines:-

  1. The most obvious reason is the portability of mobile phones, meaning you can take them anywhere with you.
  2. Mobile phones are more than a telephone. Mobile phones are a social network. You can text as well as send and receive emails on a mobile phone. It is also a personal navigator and a camera to mention just a few features.
  3. It can be quicker to make a call from a mobile phone as they contain all contacts which are very easy to access.
  4. Mobiles are more fun. They can be personalized with ringtones and wallpapers.
  5. Mobiles also include applications that include games to keep the children occupied.
  6. It’s fashionable to have a mobile phone. In fact, it is downright unfashionable to not have one!
  7. Some places you can’t get a landline.
  8. Landlines are not safe to be used during an electrical storm.

Disadvantages of mobile phones:-

  1. Plans can be costly.
  2. Mobiles are not as reliable. There is the possibility of dropped calls, dead zones and poor voice quality. In general, mobile phones are less dependable than landlines.
  3. Mobile phones need to be kept charged. Landlines do not. If your battery runs down, you may not be able to make or receive calls until it is recharged.
  4. It is easier to lose your mobile phone.  Mobile phones can also be stolen. Thus, you can be caught without a phone until you purchase a new one.

Mobiles for Business

Research indicates that mobiles will replace landlines in the business environment too. According to research from Virgin Media Business which interviewed 500 UK CIOs, 65% of respondents believed landlines would no longer be an everyday tool in corporate environments by 2017. Furthermore, an overwhelming 87% stated that landlines would be redundant within the next five years. This is due to the rise in use of mobile phones.

The growth of mobile technology is due to mobile connections to the internet improving all the time. This means that office workers are becoming increasingly reliant on smartphones and less on landlines.

This article was written by Mark Kotorac, Computer Technician and Owner of Affordable Computer Repairs and Service.

Are Mobile Phones Replacing Landlines