The study, published in the journal PLOS One, highlights the high ergonomic risks to smartphone users, particularly young people, who are experiencing neck pain earlier than previous generations.
Researchers from Khon Kaen University in Thailand and the University of South Australia video recorded 30 smartphone users in Thailand aged between 18-25 years, who spend up to eight hours a day on their phones.
Using a Rapid Upper Limb Assessment tool (RULA) to measure ergonomic risk levels, they found that the average score for the participants was 6, compared to an acceptable score of between 1-2.
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"The results identified issues with unsuitable neck, trunk and leg postures which lead to musculoskeletal disorders," said lead researcher Suwalee Namwongsa, from Khon Kaen University.
RULA has been used to assess the ergonomic impacts of desktop computers and laptops in the past but this is believed to be the first time the tool has been used to assess ergonomic risk levels of excessive smartphone use. Rose Boucaut, a physiotherapist at University of South Australia, said the awkward postures adopted by smartphone users can adversely affect the soft tissues.
"Smartphone users typically bend their neck slightly forward when reading and writing text messages. They also sometimes bend or twist their neck sideways and put their upper body and legs in awkward positions," said Boucaut.
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"These postures put uneven pressure on the soft tissues around the spine, that can lead to discomfort," she said.
In a seperate study published in the journal Work, the team surveyed 779 Thai university students who use smartphones, with 32 per cent reporting neck pain, 26 per cent shoulder pain, 20 per cent upper back pain and 19 per cent wrist and hand pain.
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Foldable Phones, Notch-Free Display: Smartphone Tech To Watch Out For In 2019
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While the Google Pixel 3 and iPhone XR continue to push the boundaries of a single smartphone camera, other companies have not stopped there. Dual cameras became a norm in 2018 and we’ve also seen them in sub Rs10k phones. Huawei was first with a triple camera smartphone (P20 Pro) and others followed suit. Samsung Galaxy A7, LG V40, Oppo R17 Pro and Huawei Mate 20 Pro were some of the phones with triple rear cameras. Samsung didn’t stop there and went on to launch a phone with quad cameras – the Samsung A9. For 2019, there are already rumours of a Nokia phone with five rear cameras and we expect more companies to follow the trend. You can expect all major brands to have phones with multiple cameras across price brackets. According to us, having multiple cameras only makes sense when you get good results and flexibility (wide, macro, tele lenses).
(In Pic: Samsung Galaxy A7)
While the Google Pixel 3 and iPhone XR continue to push the boundaries of a single smartphone camera, other companies have not stopped there. Dual cameras became a norm in 2018 and we’ve also seen th..
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Battery technology simply hasn’t kept pace with smartphone development. One solution to this is to have phones with larger batteries but this also makes the device larger/heavier. The other logical solution is to make the batteries charge faster. OnePlus users have enjoyed the super-fast Dash Charge feature. A number of smartphones also come with Qualcomm’s QuickCharge 3.0. In 2018, we saw devices go beyond and develop their own ultrafast charging technologies. Oppo showed everyone how it’s done with SuperVooc charging on the Find X and R17 Pro. Huawei Mate 20 Pro has Super Charge 2.0, OnePlus launched WarpCharge on the OnePlus 6T McLaren edition while the Asus ROG has QuickCharge 4.0 support. These phones are capable of charging phones from 0 to 50% in less than 30 minutes which is good for about a day of battery life. In 2019, this ultrafast charging tech should be available on more smartphones.
(In Pic: ASUS ROG Phone)
Battery technology simply hasn’t kept pace with smartphone development. One solution to this is to have phones with larger batteries but this also makes the device larger/heavier. The other logical s..
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We see new smartphone features every few months – starting from CES in January to various events through the year. We are also likely to see more of Qi wireless charging, phones without 3.5mm port, IR assisted face unlock, glass backs on entry-level devices, smaller, teardrop shape notches. Here are some of the favourites that are expected to be a lot more visible in the coming year.
(In Pic: The FlexPai from Royole)
We see new smartphone features every few months – starting from CES in January to various events through the year. We are also likely to see more of Qi wireless charging, phones without 3.5mm port, I..
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While we first saw the notch in 2017, 2018 was when it came to even at entry-level devices. It’s now so prevalent that more people seem to hate it rather than understand why it’s there. Thankfully, we also saw smartphone brands take a step ahead with allscreen designs (without any notch). Phones like Oppo Find X and Vivo NEX and still on sale but you do have to pay a premium for the design. For 2019 we expect the all-screen design to take center stage as display prices come down. By the end of 2019, we should see mid-range smartphones with all-screen designs.
(In Pic: On the left is the Oppo Find X, and on the right is the Vivo NEX)
While we first saw the notch in 2017, 2018 was when it came to even at entry-level devices. It’s now so prevalent that more people seem to hate it rather than understand why it’s there. Thankfully, w..
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Foldable smartphones have been a concept for a long time now with a few proof of concept devices being shown off at international events. Things escalated quickly in 2018 with Samsung and Huawei announcing that their foldable smartphones will debut in 2019. Samsung showcased a working prototype of their foldable smartphone at an event recently showing how close they are to a consumer device. Another little-known Chinese company called Royale surprised everyone by launching the world’ first foldable smartphone called FlexPai (it’s supposed to go on sale in China by the end of this year). We might just see the first foldable phone next year but you should expect it to be a halo product with a stratospheric price tag.
(In Pic: Samsung's foldable phone which is likely to hit markets in 2019)
Foldable smartphones have been a concept for a long time now with a few proof of concept devices being shown off at international events. Things escalated quickly in 2018 with Samsung and Huawei anno..
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4G and VoLTE is commonplace now thanks to Jio’s cross country network (and their affordable data packages brought prices down for everyone). The DoT has announced that they expect to complete the process of 5G spectrum auction by August 2019 which means that there are chances we might see 5G rollout by end of 2019. While the network rollout is not clear at the moment, the hardware for 5G is already ready. Qualcomm has already announced that they have over 15 smartphone OEMs committed to 5G for 2019. A number of them including OnePlus, Oppo and Huawei have also announced 5G phones for 2019 (we’ll see the first wave of announcements at the Mobile World Congress 2019).
4G and VoLTE is commonplace now thanks to Jio’s cross country network (and their affordable data packages brought prices down for everyone). The DoT has announced that they expect to complete the pro..
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As a personal choice, we prefer capacitive fingerprint scanners on smartphones (simply because they’re faster and more accurate). However, the next generation of fingerprint scanners (embedded in the smartphone display) are already a reality. We’ve seen in-display scanners on Vivo NEX, Vivo V11 Pro, Huawei Mate 20 Pro and the OnePlus 6T. Capacitive scanners also had their share of issues initially and the speed/accuracy improved over the years – we expect the same to happen with in-display fingerprint scanners. One of the things holding back the in-display scanners is that they can only work on devices with amoled screens (which are more expensive than LCD). Qualcomm recently announced ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanning technology that can work on any type of screen and even through metal.
(In Pic: On the left is the Huawei Mate 20 Pro, and on the right is the OnePlus 6T)
As a personal choice, we prefer capacitive fingerprint scanners on smartphones (simply because they’re faster and more accurate). However, the next generation of fingerprint scanners (embedded in the..
Musculoskeletal disorders were more common among students with higher smartphone use (more than five hours a day) and those who smoked and did little exercise.
Female smartphone users also experienced far more musculoskeletal disorders than men -- 71 per cent compared to 28 per cent.
"Health practitioners need to educate their patients about safe postures and curtailing time spent using smartphones to help prevent these issues," Boucaut said.
Seven Apps That Every Man Should Have On His Smartphone
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In a mobile-driven world, smartphone apps bring a wealth of infotainment and services at your fingertips. Here are a few that you can consider.
In a mobile-driven world, smartphone apps bring a wealth of infotainment and services at your fingertips. Here are a few that you can consider.
Nike+ Training Club
It's a comprehensive and aesthetically pleasing app that has more than 150 workouts, including endurance, strength, mobility and yoga. You are given the choice of workouts according to your goals, a body tone and level of preparation. Nike+ Training Club's new series of athlete workouts also feature health and motivation tips from Cristiano Ronaldo's 360-degree approach to training.
Nike+ Training Club
It's a comprehensive and aesthetically pleasing app that has more than 150 workouts, including endurance, strength, mobility and yoga. You are given the choice of workouts accord..
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SoundCloud
One of the largest music and audio streaming platforms, SoundCloud is a must-have if you love music. It boasts of 150 million tracks from emerging and established artists around the world. It gives track suggestions based on your likes and listening habits, helps to interact with the artists, and much more.
SoundCloud
One of the largest music and audio streaming platforms, SoundCloud is a must-have if you love music. It boasts of 150 million tracks from emerging and established artists around the worl..
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Doit.im
Sure there is no dearth of apps to manage your to-do list. And one of the best is Doit.im. It syncs across multiple devices and makes it easy to work through your list. The app synchronises your tasks with the cloud, lets you sort your goals, projects, next actions, edit tasks and support multi-level view — goals, projects, tasks, etc.
Doit.im
Sure there is no dearth of apps to manage your to-do list. And one of the best is Doit.im. It syncs across multiple devices and makes it easy to work through your list. The app synchronises ..
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Flochat
It is your go-to messenger for accessing every service you could possibly require — food, ride sharing, deals, entertainment, search (Microsoft Bing), gifts, etc. Apart from letting you use your frequently-used apps in its platform, Flochat comes with a personal chat assistant and allows you to edit and delete chat messages even after they are sent.
Flochat
It is your go-to messenger for accessing every service you could possibly require — food, ride sharing, deals, entertainment, search (Microsoft Bing), gifts, etc. Apart from letting you use ..
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Guides by Lonely Planet
Packed with offline maps, audio phrasebooks, a currency converter and advice from experts, it's a great travel app. You can download the guide for the city that you intend to visit, and then select the category you want information on — restaurants, things to see, places to sleep, shopping destinations etc.
Guides by Lonely Planet
Packed with offline maps, audio phrasebooks, a currency converter and advice from experts, it's a great travel app. You can download the guide for the city that you intend to..
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Car Locator
If you tend to forget where you have parked your car in a maze-like parking of a mall, Car Locator can help you get over the embarrassment. Just shake your smartphone to save your location when you park and the app will In a mobile-driven world, smartphone apps bring a wealth of infotainment and services at your fingertips. Here are a few that you can consider Seven apps that every man should have on his phone help you find your car. It also lets you beam your current or saved location to another phone.
Car Locator
If you tend to forget where you have parked your car in a maze-like parking of a mall, Car Locator can help you get over the embarrassment. Just shake your smartphone to save your locat..
Read More
Flipboard
The news and social network aggregator has something for everyone — from travel to technology, politics to entertainment. Pick your passions and Flipboard wil l creat e a smart magazine for you. It lets you read, like, and share stories on social media, while you access the best content from all sources, person, publication, and even hashtags.
Flipboard
The news and social network aggregator has something for everyone — from travel to technology, politics to entertainment. Pick your passions and Flipboard wil l creat e a smart magazine fo..
