Lifestyle

How to disinfect your tech from the coronavirus

Here are a few tips to live by

Published

March 10, 2020

Luigi Leonardo

Time for a good boy and girl check! Have you been washing your hands for 20 seconds? Rubbing your hands raw with dollops of hand sanitizer? Covering every cough and sneeze? In today’s risky times, keeping yourself and others safe from the coronavirus is of paramount importance.

That said, for all the safety precautions hammered into us today, you’re likely missing one of the dirtiest, nastiest, and most bacteria-infested objects we use every single day: our smartphones. For dozens of moments every day, smartphone users fiddle with their screens with potentially unclean fingers, speak and spit into the microphone, and lend them to our friends and family.

Once a surface is contaminated with a disease, it can survive on that surface for several days to more than a week, according to this study of different coronaviruses. Our smartphones are gross.

The same even applies to other technology we use today: headphones, laptops, wearables. Given how serious we’re taking our own health, it’s time to finally lay the smackdown on those disgusting diseases plaguing our technology. Here are a few tech tips to sanitize your technology against viruses.

Wipe your phones.

Naturally, the simplest way to keep your phones clean is to wipe them clean. Of course, if you’ve read the backs of smartphone-cleaning cloths and solutions, you’ll know that wiping your phones isn’t as easy as wiping a smear from a window. Using the wrong material can damage your delicate daily drivers.

First off, use a cloth, especially those tailored for screens. Though phones are usually scratch resistant today, a coarser cleaning material — like a paper towel or a rougher cloth type — can cause small abrasions on your pristine screen or leave damaging residue. The same goes even more for third-party screen protectors, which aren’t rated for abrasions

Secondly, use the right solution. Abrasions aren’t the only thing you have to worry about. Most smartphone brands advise against alcohols because it ruins protective films on the phone. However, for our current situation, viruses constitute a greater threat than smartphone damage. You can use 70 percent isopropyl alcohol for the job, as Apple has suggested.

If you want a compromise between maintaining the intricacies of your phone and dealing with the virus, go for warm water and soap. Alternatively, you can use disinfecting wipes to save the trouble of wetting cloths.

Regardless of which you choose, wet your cloth with the solution and wipe thoroughly but lightly. You don’t want to break your phone from exerting too much pressure. Likewise, be careful around more delicate parts, like the camera lenses and open ports.

Clean your supplementary tech.

Smartphones are nasty. Your other devices are just as nasty. Consider the earphones that you stick into your eardrums every day. Or the smartwatch that catches all your sweat from the gym. Or the Amazon smart ring that nestles on your hand as you go through our daily routine.

As you wipe your daily drivers, your other devices could be festering nastier things from your dried bodily functions. Apply the same amount of caution to your other devices, especially after use.

If you take your wearables and earphones to the gym, wipe them down as you would the bench you used. Your sweat (and other people’s sweat, for that matter) can harbor disease. This includes the canals on your budded earphones or underneath your watch. However, as you did on your phone, take care over sensitive areas, like your watch’s screen or the wires of your earphones.

Keep wipes handy for public tech.

Now, let’s talk about the tech that you don’t own. Even today, it’s perfectly normal to use public computers, laptops, or chargers. If you’re in school or in an office, using these devices is probably even a requirement. If your institution hasn’t implemented telecommuting yet, you might be forced to use them at the risk of infection.

That said, keep a cleaning item handy when you’re out in public. You’ll never know when you’ll handle items touched by someone else. Most disinfecting procedures today only encompass doorknobs and stairways. Unfortunately, other items might be at risk as well.

On the other side of things, avoid lending your devices to other people during this time. In less trying times, device lending is a common thing. Unfortunately, with dangerous infection rates, having other people — even those you know — might not be a good idea.

Don’t spread misinformation from your devices.

Unfortunately, the most damaging thing today, apart from the coronavirus itself, is the misinformation infecting social media today. As important as physical disinfection is today, it’s also important to keep the insides of your phone free from the terrible disease of misinformation.

While it’s tempting to share every coronavirus-inspired post on every single chat group you belong to, consider how accurate the information is first. Was the information written by an expert? If not, was there adequate research involved? Is it proposing an all-too-radical position contrary to what experts are saying?

Caring for others is, of course, one of the hallmarks of being human in the face of crisis. Sadly, care itself can be misguided with fabricated and hyperbolic truths. While you care enough for your fellow human being, misinformation can cause more harm than good. Fortunately, along with care, rational discernment is also part of what makes us human. For all the steps listed above, the coronavirus isn’t our only enemy in this dreadful time. We need to fight misinformation, too.

We are now in the middle of tough times when even our devices can become our enemies. It’s time to rise up higher as a species. Though we can’t work on a cure or a vaccine ourselves, we can do our part by making sure we’re clean both for ourselves and others. While we’re at it, let’s make sure that the right information reaches the right people.

As general rules, the CDC or The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention listed these to help with preventing the spread of COVID-19:

Stay home when sick
Cover coughs and sneezes
Frequently wash hands with soap and water
Clean frequently touched surfaces

Related Topics:coronavirus Covid-19 featured

Entertainment

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes showing on May 8

The 4th film under the reboot franchise

Published

April 26, 2024

GadgetMatch

“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” is coming to Philippine cinemas on May 8 for IMAX, 4DX, and 2D. It is the fourth installment of the Planet of the Apes reboot franchise, and the sequel to 2017’s “War for the Planet of the Apes.”

The upcoming action sci-fi is directed by Wes Ball. It features a new timeline where the apes are the dominant species. It is set several generations after Caesar’s reign. For those who have followed the reboot trilogy, the film’s story is set up by the simple question “What has happened since Caesar’s death?”

Proximus Caesar, played by Kevin Durand, is the apes’ new leader in “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.” In this timeline, humans have also regressed into primitive beings. Yet, things aren’t going smoothly for the apes. Proximus is apparently thirsty for power. He is determined to do everything to conquer the entire world, even if that means wreaking havoc on human species.

That’s where young chimpanzee hunter Noa (Owen Teague) and wise orangutan Raka (Peter Macon) conspire to uncover the truth behind Proximus’ unvirtuous intents. Noa will eventually meet a feral human named Mae (Freya Allan). Mae is being hunted by Proximus’ forces for her intelligence.

When Noa finds out that Proximus has been brainstorming everyone, he resents and tries to lead others in a battle to preserve the future for both apes and humans.

Entertainment

May 2024 movie checklist: Back to Black, The Fall Guy, IF, more

Plan your next movie trip

Published

April 24, 2024

Levi Verora Jr

Summer season has been nothing short of scorching hot so far. One of the best ways to cool down? Sit comfortably inside a cozy cinema and enjoy watching a movie. To help you plan your next movie trip with friends, family, your loved ones, or even just alone, here are May 2024’s upcoming titles.

There are lots of movies to choose from, covering different genres like action thriller, comedy, horror, and drama. from family-friendly comedies to nerve-wracking horrors, from an Amy Winehouse biopic to the latest installment in a popular franchise, May 2024’s lineup has it all.

Feel free to chow down on popcorn and flush it with ice-cold soda if you want to.

The Fall Guy (May 1)

Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham, Winston Duke, and Stephanie Hsu team up for an action comedy film loosely based on the 1980s TV series of the same name.

Gosling plays protagonist Colt Seavers, a seasoned stuntman who has endured a near career-ending accident. Colt’s ex-girlfriend, Jody Moreno, is played by Blunt. Moreno is working with Taylor-Johnson’s character Tom Ryder for her directorial debut. However, Tom goes missing, and that’s where Colt volunteers to find the actor whom he apparently had also doubled a long time ago.

Tarot (May 1)

Filipino-American Jacob Batalon returns to the big screen, this time headlining a supernatural horror film. His character is part of a college group of friends, including Avantika, Harriet Slater, and Adain Bradley.

Like how most horror film stories develop, the group commits a reckless mistake when they violate the sacred rule of Tarot readings. Unknowingly, they unleash unspeakable evil trapped within the cursed cards. One by one, they come face to face with fate and end up in a race against death to escape the future foretold in their readings.

IF (May 15)

Real-life couple John Krasinski (writer, director) and Emily Blunt are back, this time exchanging thriller for a family-friendly live-action comedy. They are joined by a star-studded ensemble that includes Ryan Reynolds, Cailey Fleming, Steve Carell, George Cloonney, Matt Damon, Bradley Cooper, and Blake Lively.

IF is about Blunt’s character who discovers that she can see everyone’s imaginary friends. She embarks on a magical adventure with that power to reconnect forgotten IFs with their kids.

Monkey Man (May 15)

Dev Patel, who played Jamal in the revered Slumdog Millionaire film, makes his directorial debut in this action thriller. Monkey Man is about a man’s quest for vengeance against corrupt leaders who murdered his mother and victimize the poor and powerless.

Also the main protagonist Kid, Patel takes on the role of a vengeful monkey mask-wearing grown up who wants to exact revenge on Baba Shakti. As Monkey Man is also co-produced by Patel, it features a predominantly Indian cast in key roles in a story set in the South Asian country.

Back to Black (May 15, Ayala exclusive)

Back to Black is a celebration of the most iconic homegrown star of the 21st century. The film chronicles the life and music of the late Amy Winehouse. Viewers will get to know more about Winehouse’s family background, her path to success, as well as her demons. Marisa Abela stars as Winehouse in the powerful tribute to a once-in-a-generation talent.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (May 22)

The fifth installment of the Mad Max franchise takes viewers back in time with a spin-off and prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road. The film puts focus on a young Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy). She is snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers and falls into the hands of a great Biker Horde led by the Warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth). Furiosa needs to survive many trials as she plots a way back home through the Wasteland.

The Garfield Movie (May 29)

Lastly, everyone’s favorite Monday-hating, lasagna-loving cat is back for another outdoor adventure. Voiced by Chris Pratt, Garfield has a new journey to undergo in this animated film. This, after an unexpected reunion with his father Vic (Samuel L. Jackson). The fresh new story puts more focus on Garfield, Odie, and Vic, instead of him with Jon and Liz.

Entertainment

Transformers One trailer: Get to know Optimus Prime, Megatron’s origin stories

In cinemas September 18

Published

April 19, 2024

GadgetMatch

Paramount Pictures has released the trailer for Transformers One, the upcoming latest installment of the Transformers film franchise.

Before fans get excited for the Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover, this animated film focuses first on Optimus Prime’s relationship with his adversary, Megatron.

The origin story is set in Cybertron, long before the transformers land on earth in the chronological timeline.

The trailer reveals Optimus Prime’s previous name, Orion Pax. On the other hand, Megatron was previously known by D-16.

Joined by Elita-1 and Bumblebee, the two main protagonists journey to Cybertron’s surface, which hasn’t been explored beforehand due to the dangers it is said to have.

On the surface, the crew realizes that right away, but are bestowed the power to transform. After some figuring, they manage to utilize this ability to defend Cybertron from intruders.

Overall, the three-minute trailer gives a lighter and funnier vibe. That’s in contrast to the previous iterations where the story is more serious from the get-go.

The transformers’ appearance also looks simpler and more toned down, giving an old school feel which is appropriate, considering this movie is set an earlier time when Cybertron was more intact.

Transformers One is showing on Philippine cinemas on September 18. The voice cast includes Chris Hemsworth as Optimus Prime, Brian Tyree Henry as Megatron, Keegan-Michael Key as Bumblebee, and Scarlett Johansson.