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TCL 30 XE 5G Smartphone Review

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TCL or “Telephone Communication Limited” is a lesser-known company in North America, more known for their TVs than they are known for their cell phones. While they may have used Blackberry’s brand name for the production of the KEY2, recently TCL has started producing cell phones under their own name and brand. Today we are looking at one of their latest models, the TCL 30 XE 5G, part of their 30 Series lineup. Listed at $355 CAD, the 30 XE is targeted more at the budget to lower mid-range class of users. Running alongside competitors such as the Samsung A13 5G, can TCL bring enough to the table to make a bigger name for themselves?

Unboxing the phone is your fairly standard experience as with most phones these days. You get the phone, a USB-C charging cable with power brick, SIM Card eject tool and some basic paperwork. No headphones or case, unfortunately. The box itself shows a photo of the phone along with TCL branding and notable specs and features of the phone.

The TCL itself is made of a sturdy-feeling matte plastic along the sides and back with a flat glass display. The side buttons are also made of plastic. Not a dealbreaker considering the price, and should be solid enough to satisfy most users. Along the top of the device is a microphone and a headphone jack, a very welcome addition in my opinion. Along the bottom, you will find another microphone, a single firing speaker, and the USB-C port for charging and data transfer.

The sim tray along the left includes a single sim card slot and SD card slot supporting up to a 512 GB card, something I personally wish flagship devices continued to incorporate. Along the back you will find the triple camera array along with a snappy and accurate fingerprint reader. On the front you find a teardrop notch for the single selfie camera, the earpiece speaker and the pleasantly smooth 90 Hz 720p display.

“Using the TCL 30 XE 5G as my daily device for the last little while has been an interesting experience.”

Upon booting up and setting the phone up for first use, you are greeted by one of your first notable surprises, a nearly stock build of Android 11. TCL is claiming to offer two years of security and software upgrades so, it will be interesting to see whether they follow through with that on a budget device. Most included stock apps are built by Google, although TCL includes their own camera and music player apps, along with a few others including a compass app, notes and even FM tuner app! That being said, those wanting to use the FM tuner will need to plug in a set of headphones to use it.

Tcl 30 Xe 5G Smartphone Review 6

Using the TCL 30 XE 5G as my daily device for the last little while has been an interesting experience. Coming from my current flagship Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5g, the TCL 30 XE 5G was able to comfortably fit into my lifestyle and daily use without too much compromise. The reasonably large 64 GB of on-board storage was able to allow me to download all my apps without any hassle. Any files I needed on the go I stored on an SD card.

The built-in 4500 mah battery was able to easily get me through a day and a half of fairly heavy use with tasks of snapping several pictures, messaging/calls, GPS use and even some moderate gaming. I was always going to bed with over 40% battery life and over 5 hours of screen-on time, all while having Bluetooth and 5G antennas enabled.

“The built-in 4500 mah battery was able to easily get me through a day and a half of fairly heavy use with tasks of snapping several pictures, messaging/calls, GPS use and even some moderate gaming.”

Apps all launched quickly and ran smoothly without any notable issues thanks in part to the 4 GB of onboard RAM. This means browsing the web and scrolling endlessly through your social media feeds will feel generally seamless. Videos looked sharp and crisp despite only being a 720p display. Watching videos on the 6.52” screen meant I didn’t have to squint to see what I was watching, like on smaller phones of yesteryear.

Tcl 30 Xe 5G Smartphone Review

The 90 Hz display made the device feel much more premium that competitors in this class of device. Many other devices still only offer a 60 Hz display. TCL’s included NXTVision software shines in this aspect as it helped to enhance the media I was viewing. Even under bright sunlight, the display was fully readable and clear, something those constantly outdoors will appreciate.

Charging the phone when the battery was low was done at a respectable 18W, far from the slowest on the market but certainly not as fast as much more expensive phones. I found it generally took about two hours to completely recharge the phone, perfectly acceptable for those charging the phone at night or at a desk, not so much for the on-the-go user.

“TCL has done an overall superb job with the TCL 30 XE 5G, they have certainly produced a great value phone for the price.”

With all the great stuff TCL has managed to pack into the TCL 30 XE 5G, there are bound to be some negatives, right? Unfortunately, this is all too true being a less expensive phone. Many times, I found myself wishing I had my Samsung for its photo quality. The included rear camera array TCL includes worked alright in well lit environments but inside with less-than-optimal lighting, images often came out blurry, grainy and did not produce an image I would want to share with others.

Tcl 30 Xe 5G Smartphone Review 2

The same can be said for the selfie camera. In bright lighting, images look acceptably sharp but are not overly flattering. On top of that, while the single firing speaker can get adequately loud for a quiet room, I found it to be rather “tinny” at higher volume. I also found myself missing the stereo speakers on other past flagship level devices I’ve become accustom to.

All that being said, it is important to remember that the TCL 30 XE 5G smartphone wasn’t built to impress high-end users such as myself. While I’d love to sit and tell you that I wish it had features such as wireless charging or an IP rating, it was made for the user who doesn’t want to spend a small fortune on a device. Someone looking for a device that can do day-to-day tasks without breaking the bank but still wants modern comforts with some of yesterday’s tech as well.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the TCL 30 XE 5G smartphone. It really goes to show that you don’t need a high-end flagship to do a lot of regular tasks these days. Smartphones have come a long way in the last several years, even the budget market has greatly stepped up their game. TCL has done an overall superb job with the 30 XE 5G, they have certainly produced a great value phone for the price.

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The Internet is Littered in ‘Educated Guesses’ Without the ‘Education’

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Although no one likes a know-it-all, they dominate the Internet.

The Internet began as a vast repository of information. It quickly became a breeding ground for self-proclaimed experts seeking what most people desire: recognition and money.

Today, anyone with an Internet connection and some typing skills can position themselves, regardless of their education or experience, as a subject matter expert (SME). From relationship advice, career coaching, and health and nutrition tips to citizen journalists practicing pseudo-journalism, the Internet is awash with individuals—Internet talking heads—sharing their “insights,” which are, in large part, essentially educated guesses without the education or experience.

The Internet has become a 24/7/365 sitcom where armchair experts think they’re the star.

Not long ago, years, sometimes decades, of dedicated work and acquiring education in one’s field was once required to be recognized as an expert. The knowledge and opinions of doctors, scientists, historians, et al. were respected due to their education and experience. Today, a social media account and a knack for hyperbole are all it takes to present oneself as an “expert” to achieve Internet fame that can be monetized.

On the Internet, nearly every piece of content is self-serving in some way.

The line between actual expertise and self-professed knowledge has become blurry as an out-of-focus selfie. Inadvertently, social media platforms have created an informal degree program where likes and shares are equivalent to degrees. After reading selective articles, they’ve found via and watching some TikTok videos, a person can post a video claiming they’re an herbal medicine expert. Their new “knowledge,” which their followers will absorb, claims that Panda dung tea—one of the most expensive teas in the world and isn’t what its name implies—cures everything from hypertension to existential crisis. Meanwhile, registered dietitians are shaking their heads, wondering how to compete against all the misinformation their clients are exposed to.

More disturbing are individuals obsessed with evangelizing their beliefs or conspiracy theories. These people write in-depth blog posts, such as Elvis Is Alive and the Moon Landings Were Staged, with links to obscure YouTube videos, websites, social media accounts, and blogs. Regardless of your beliefs, someone or a group on the Internet shares them, thus confirming your beliefs.

Misinformation is the Internet’s currency used to get likes, shares, and engagement; thus, it often spreads like a cosmic joke. Consider the prevalence of clickbait headlines:

  • You Won’t Believe What Taylor Swift Says About Climate Change!
  • This Bedtime Drink Melts Belly Fat While You Sleep!
  • In One Week, I Turned $10 Into $1 Million!

Titles that make outrageous claims are how the content creator gets reads and views, which generates revenue via affiliate marketing, product placement, and pay-per-click (PPC) ads. Clickbait headlines are how you end up watching a TikTok video by a purported nutrition expert adamantly asserting you can lose belly fat while you sleep by drinking, for 14 consecutive days, a concoction of raw eggs, cinnamon, and apple cider vinegar 15 minutes before going to bed.

Our constant search for answers that’ll explain our convoluted world and our desire for shortcuts to success is how Internet talking heads achieve influencer status. Because we tend to seek low-hanging fruits, we listen to those with little experience or knowledge of the topics they discuss yet are astute enough to know what most people want to hear.

There’s a trend, more disturbing than spreading misinformation, that needs to be called out: individuals who’ve never achieved significant wealth or traded stocks giving how-to-make-easy-money advice, the appeal of which is undeniable. Several people I know have lost substantial money by following the “advice” of Internet talking heads.

Anyone on social media claiming to have a foolproof money-making strategy is lying. They wouldn’t be peddling their money-making strategy if they could make easy money.

Successful people tend to be secretive.

Social media companies design their respective algorithms to serve their advertisers—their source of revenue—interest; hence, content from Internet talking heads appears most prominent in your feeds. When a video of a self-professed expert goes viral, likely because it pressed an emotional button, the more people see it, the more engagement it receives, such as likes, shares and comments, creating a cycle akin to a tornado.

Imagine scrolling through your TikTok feed and stumbling upon a “scientist” who claims they can predict the weather using only aluminum foil, copper wire, sea salt and baking soda. You chuckle, but you notice his video got over 7,000 likes, has been shared over 600 times and received over 400 comments. You think to yourself, “Maybe this guy is onto something.” What started as a quest to achieve Internet fame evolved into an Internet-wide belief that weather forecasting can be as easy as DIY crafts.

Since anyone can call themselves “an expert,” you must cultivate critical thinking skills to distinguish genuine expertise from self-professed experts’ self-promoting nonsense. While the absurdity of the Internet can be entertaining, misinformation has serious consequences. The next time you read a headline that sounds too good to be true, it’s probably an Internet talking head making an educated guess; without the education seeking Internet fame, they can monetize.

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Nick Kossovan, a self-described connoisseur of human psychology, writes about what’s

on his mind from Toronto. You can follow Nick on Twitter and Instagram @NKossovan.

 

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Tight deadlines on software projects can put safety at risk: survey

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TORONTO – A new survey says a majority of software engineers and developers feel tight project deadlines can put safety at risk.

Seventy-five per cent of the 1,000 global workers who responded to the survey released Tuesday say pressure to deliver projects on time and on budget could be compromising critical aspects like safety.

The concern is even higher among engineers and developers in North America, with 77 per cent of those surveyed on the continent reporting the urgency of projects could be straining safety.

The study was conducted between July and September by research agency Coleman Parkes and commissioned by BlackBerry Ltd.’s QNX division, which builds connected-car technology.

The results reflect a timeless tug of war engineers and developers grapple with as they balance the need to meet project deadlines with regulations and safety checks that can slow down the process.

Finding that balance is an issue that developers of even the simplest appliances face because of advancements in technology, said John Wall, a senior vice-president at BlackBerry and head of QNX.

“The software is getting more complicated and there is more software whether it’s in a vehicle, robotics, a toaster, you name it… so being able to patch vulnerabilities, to prevent bad actors from doing malicious acts is becoming more and more important,” he said.

The medical, industrial and automotive industries have standardized safety measures and anything they produce undergoes rigorous testing, but that work doesn’t happen overnight. It has to be carried out from the start and then at every step of the development process.

“What makes safety and security difficult is it’s an ongoing thing,” Wall said. “It’s not something where you’ve done it, and you are finished.”

The Waterloo, Ont.-based business found 90 per cent of its survey respondents reported that organizations are prioritizing safety.

However, when asked about why safety may not be a priority for their organization, 46 per cent of those surveyed answered cost pressures and 35 per cent said a lack of resources.

That doesn’t surprise Wall. Delays have become rampant in the development of tech, and in some cases, stand to push back the launch of vehicle lines by two years, he said.

“We have to make sure that people don’t compromise on safety and security to be able to get products out quicker,” he said.

“What we don’t want to see is people cutting corners and creating unsafe situations.”

The survey also took a peek at security breaches, which have hit major companies like London Drugs, Indigo Books & Music, Giant Tiger and Ticketmaster in recent years.

About 40 per cent of the survey’s respondents said they have encountered a security breach in their employer’s operating system. Those breaches resulted in major impacts for 27 per cent of respondents, moderate impacts for 42 per cent and minor impacts for 27 per cent.

“There are vulnerabilities all the time and this is what makes the job very difficult because when you ship the software, presumably the software has no security vulnerabilities, but things get discovered after the fact,” Wall said.

Security issues, he added, have really come to the forefront of the problems developers face, so “really without security, you have no safety.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:BB)

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Beware of scams during Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days sales event: cybersecurity firm

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As online shoppers hunt for bargains offered by Amazon during its annual fall sale this week, cybersecurity researchers are warning Canadians to beware of an influx of scammers posing as the tech giant.

In the 30 days leading up to Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days, taking place Tuesday and Wednesday, there were more than 1,000 newly registered Amazon-related web domains, according to Check Point Software Technologies, a company that offers cybersecurity solutions.

The company said it deemed 88 per cent of those domains malicious or suspicious, suggesting they could have been set up by scammers to prey on vulnerable consumers. One in every 54 newly created Amazon-related domain included the phrase “Amazon Prime.”

“They’re almost indiscernible from the real Amazon domain,” said Robert Falzon, head of engineering at Check Point in Canada.

“With all these domains registered that look so similar, it’s tricking a lot of people. And that’s the whole intent here.”

Falzon said Check Point Research sees an uptick in attempted scams around big online shopping days throughout the year, including Prime Days.

Scams often come in the form of phishing emails, which are deceptive messages that appear to be from a reputable source in attempt to steal sensitive information.

In this case, he said scammers posing as Amazon commonly offer “outrageous” deals that appear to be associated with Prime Days, in order to trick recipients into clicking on a malicious link.

The cybersecurity firm said it has identified and blocked 100 unique Amazon Prime-themed scam emails targeting organizations and consumers over the past two weeks.

Scammers also target Prime members with unsolicited calls, claiming urgent account issues and requesting payment information.

“It’s like Christmas for them,” said Falzon.

“People expect there to be significant savings on Prime Day, so they’re not shocked that they see something of significant value. Usually, the old adage applies: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”

Amazon’s website lists a number of red flags that it recommends customers watch for to identify a potential impersonation scam.

Those include false urgency, requests for personal information, or indications that the sender prefers to complete the purchase outside of the Amazon website or mobile app.

Scammers may also request that customers exclusively pay with gift cards, a claim code or PIN. Any notifications about an order or delivery for an unexpected item should also raise alarm bells, the company says.

“During busy shopping moments, we tend to see a rise in impersonation scams reported by customers,” said Amazon spokeswoman Octavia Roufogalis in a statement.

“We will continue to invest in protecting consumers and educating the public on scam avoidance. We encourage consumers to report suspected scams to us so that we can protect their accounts and refer bad actors to law enforcement to help keep consumers safe.”

Falzon added that these scams are more successful than people might think.

As of June 30, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre said there had been $284 million lost to fraud so far this year, affecting 15,941 victims.

But Falzon said many incidents go unreported, as some Canadians who are targeted do not know how or where to flag a scam, or may choose not to out of embarrassment.

Check Point recommends Amazon customers take precautions while shopping on Prime Days, including by checking URLs carefully, creating strong passwords on their accounts, and avoiding personal information being shared such as their birthday or social security number.

The cybersecurity company said consumers should also look for “https” at the beginning of a website URL, which indicates a secure connection, and use credit cards rather than debit cards for online shopping, which offer better protection and less liability if stolen.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2024.

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