11 tech myths you should stop believing

In a fast moving industry like technology, it’s unsurprising that some myths stick around longer than others.

Most Aussies use tech devices such as smartphones and laptops on a daily basis, but with so much misinformation out there, it’s difficult to know what is right and what is wrong.

But here are 11 myths about technology you can stop worrying about.

The more megapixels the better

If you've listened to any camera marketing, you've probably heard repeatedly that with megapixels, more is better.

And of course, the more megapixels you want, the more you have to spend.

Also read: Top 4 smartphone trends for 2016

But the reality may not back the camera companies' marketing.

Some photographers say that sharpness depends more on your photographic still rather than the number of megapixels and that its sloppy technique which often causes poor quality pictures.

Even when megapixel so matter, there is thought to be little visible difference between cameras with seemingly different ratings.

For instance, a 3-megapixel photo pretty much looks the same as a 6-megapixel photo, even when blown up to 12 by 18 inches.

Run your battery empty before recharging

Nickel-Cadmium batteries, which used to be a staple of home electronics, had a memory effect which used to mean that if they weren’t fully drained before each charge they would eventually stop working.

But, the Lithium-ion batteries that have replaced them in modern gadgets don't have the same problem.

In fact, Li-ion batteries last longest when you keep them 40-80% charged.

Also, if Li-ion batteries are completely empty for too long, they can be permanently damaged.

Don’t charge your gadget overnight

Many people are afraid to charge their phone or tablet overnight because they think it might overcharge and destroy the battery.

Also read: 13 things you didn’t know about your smartphone

Similarly, there is question about whether leaving laptops plugged in all the time is also runs the equipment.

But fortunately, modern electronics automatically stop before the battery overcharges.

You should shut down your computer everyday

Some people still cling to the age-old concept that computers last longer if you always shut it down.

However, modern computers have more-robust parts, which means you can let them run with little to no problem.

Whether you shut down your computer nightly now just comes down to personal preference.

If you want your computer to do things like back up, update or other intensive tasks, you can schedule them at night while you are not using your system.

If you're concerned about saving energy, turn it off.

You need to regularly defragment your hard drive

Another old myth that is no longer true.

It used to be that you'd occasionally need to manually run a utility to defrag your system to un-jumble data.

Now, that function is built into Windows and other major operating systems, and it's run it automatically as needed so there is no need.

Also read: Seven tech items you wouldn’t believe exist

In fact, defragmenting can even cause a problem on certain hard drives.

Not only do SSDs not have fragmentation problems, the memory cells are only good for a certain number of reads and writes.

Running a defragmenting program just wears out your drive faster.

Macs are immune to viruses

Everyone knows that Windows machines are constantly being bombarded by malware and that keeping them secure is a never-ending task.

But you rarely hear about such things from Mac users, and the common theory is that it's because Apple's computers are simply safe from being attacked.

However, this is hardly because Macs are immune from attack but rather much more to do with market share – there are simply more windows machines than Macs being used.

Private browsing keeps you anonymous

There's a misconception that 'incognito' and 'private' are ways to browse the web anonymously.

But all it actually means is that the browser won't keep track of your history, import your bookmarks, or automatically log into any of your accounts.

Also read: Game-changing products Apple will launch in 2016

While it hides your activity from other people who use your computer, it doesn’t hide your identity from the sites you have visited.

Higher display resolution is always better on a smartphone

These days smartphones are becoming more and more high resolution.

But the additional pixels aren’t expected to actually benefit the user because the naked eye can’t depict pixels beyond a certain resolution.

This is why some companies focus more on brightness of the screen rather than the density of the pixels.

Don’t use third party chargers

Apple's says its 12-watt iPad adaptor can charge both the iPhone and the iPad.

But most tech experts say that this could stress your device’s battery over time if you do it regularly.

Mobile phones give you brain cancer

Mobile phones emit radiation that can be absorbed by human tissue, but there isn't any firm evidence showing that they actually cause cancer.

According to the National Cancer Institute, although there have been some concerns that radiofrequency energy from phones held closely to the head may affect the brain and other tissues, to date there is no evidence from studies of cells, animals, or humans that radiofrequency energy can cause cancer.

Also read: 25 reasons why you should get the Samsung Galaxy S7

The higher the signal bar the better the service

While having more bars helps service, it doesn't necessarily guarantee excellent reception.

The bars only indicate how close you are to the nearest cell tower.

But there are other factors that impact how fast the internet on your phone performs, such as how many people are use the network.