The Rings of Power star didn’t know he was playing Sauron until halfway through filming

Full spoilers for The Rings of Power Episode 8.

The actor who portrays Sauron in rings of strength He revealed that he did not know the true identity of his character until he filmed the third episode of the show.

Ever since high fantasy, big budget head videos Airing began September 2, and fans have been wondering when the Dark Lord will appear, and once it does, who will be the actor who will play the primary villain of The Lord of the Rings. now with Episodes of Power Episode 8 After our release, we finally got the answer.

Major spoilers trace to The last episode of the first season. Come back now if you haven’t seen it yet.

We’ve finally learned who plays Sauron in The Rings of Power. (Image credit: Prime Video)

Halbrand, played by Charlie Vickers since Episode 2, has been Sauron the whole time. As it turns out, the presumed heir to the Southland throne has been fooling viewers — and the characters of The Rings of Power, most notably Galadriel — for a long time.

However, the time Halbrand spent pulling the fleece over everyone’s eyes is nothing compared to the two-and-a-half-year secrecy of Vickers, and the rest of the cast who had to keep it. In early October, Morvid Clark (Gladrill) and Teru Mahavi El Din (Theo) TechRadar exclusively told they know who Sauron is. With Halbrand’s true identity now revealed, everyone involved in the show’s production can breathe a sigh of relief – especially Vickers.

So, when did the Medici actor know he was actually going to play the most famous antagonist in Lord of the Rings? Not for a while, actually. Vickers, who originally auditioned for the role of half-elf Elrond, was kept in the dark until filming on Prime video The offer was in progress.

Check out our energy episode summaries

“I’ve had an idea for a while,” Vickers told TechRadar exclusively before the release of Episode 8. “I didn’t know I’d been specifically playing Sauron for a while – I didn’t sit down and he told me until maybe a couple of months before we started shooting Episode 3. So that scene in Episode 2, when I came on the raft, I didn’t know.”

Clarke, who spends most of her time acting opposite Halbrandt Vickers in Season 1, was also unaware of the character she was masquerading as. That was until production began in Episode 3, when Galadriel and Halbrand arrived in Númenor after being rescued from the Sundering Seas by Elendil and his crew.

Halbrand by Charlie Vickers looks at Galadrild off camera at Eregion in Episode 8 of The Rings of Power

Hey Halbrand, why should it be you? (Image credit: Prime Video)

“We didn’t know until we got to Nimnor,” Clarke exclusively revealed the pre-episode 8 release. After that, it was very interesting trying to figure out when the showrunners and writers were putting together these little clues.

“I’ve actually missed a few now, watching it again! I didn’t realize you’d never seen Halbrand sleep. One of his first lines to Galadriel is ‘looks can be deceiving,’ which is the most obvious evidence it was really fun to play a character I didn’t expect to I never play it, and after Charlie finds out he was playing someone he wasn’t expecting, either, which we hardly saw in that form.”

As the main villain of The Lord of the Rings, there is a certain unsurprising level of expectations that fans have for Sauron. However, Vickers doesn’t feel the pressure to bring this fearsome character back to life in Amazon’s Lord of the Rings—though he knows not everyone will be excited to portray him.

“I know how important this character is to a lot of people,” he said. “And I feel very privileged and proud to have had the opportunity to bring it back to life. It’s so amazing. But, of course, I know that people have high expectations and I can’t really control people’s thoughts. I’ve found a lot of solace in the source material and reading and learning as much as I can.” The only thing I can do is put my absolute heart and soul into it.”

For more exclusive coverage on The Rings of Power, keep reading How the show’s second episode almost inadvertently broke the big reveal of Sauron.

There is now a whole new type of Microsoft Teams meeting that you should avoid

Microsoft Teams About to receive an update that will create a whole new use case for cooperation And the video conferencing a program.

As shown in Latest addition (Opens in a new tab) To the official roadmap, Microsoft Teams will soon support a new meeting type called “Virtual Appointments”. The idea is to give B2C companies a simple way to schedule consultations with their clients.

“When you use the meeting type, guests will get a meeting invitation that includes important appointment details to make joining easier,” Microsoft explained. “They can join from any device – without having to install Teams – and experience a convenient virtual waiting room ahead of time until you’re ready to go.”

Not just for work

Like many other services in the collaboration and communications sector, Microsoft Teams has enjoyed a rapid rise to prominence since the pandemic brought about a shift to remote and Hybrid work. The Latest numbers It reports that more than 270 million people now use the platform every month.

However, in an effort to extend the reach of the platform even further, Microsoft in recent months has put a great deal of energy into developing use cases for consumers as well.

Plus building Teams at the heart of Windows 11 (The chat app is now a staple in the taskbar), and Microsoft gave the desktop client a visual overhaul to make the platform more accessible to a non-commercial audience.

Separately, the company recently made it possible to mix customer and business accounts, allowing business users to start conversations and meetings with customers and partners who might use a personal Teams login.

Although Microsoft has described the launch of 3D avatars for Teams As a measure to improve interaction and immersion in the meeting, it’s also a feature that non-professionals will want to play with as well.

The move to create a new type of meeting for B2C appointments is the latest step in this broader process, creating a new reason for both businesses and consumers to engage with the now-familiar platform. However, whether or not people will take on the idea is a separate question.

The virtual appointments feature is currently still in development, but should make its way to all Teams users by the end of the year.

Nvidia RTX 4050 box spotted – but don’t think budget GPU is coming soon

Nvidia’s RTX 4050 spotted, or at least a package GPU Seen, apparently, at the Galax event – though you might imagine, this is doubtless not what it seems, and we must be dumbfounded under the salt that must be applied to this particular ‘leak’.

The Galax RTX 4050 box vision occurred at an event where the graphics card maker was releasing RTX 4090 models – the flagship is the only next-generation Lovelace GPU that is Actually on sale now – As I mentioned before Wccftech (Opens in a new tab) (It was first marked in reddit (Opens in a new tab)).

And that got some people excited because the RTX 4050 might be on the horizon one way or the other. But we doubt it very much.

With leaks like this, there’s always a chance that the photo is a fake, but in this case, it looks most likely real – or at least it could be the photo, but not the box itself. We mean, this is most likely a Galax-made mockup to fill the catwalk at the launch event in the Philippines, or this seems to be the most likely explanation, anyway (if the photo isn’t a fake).

(Image credit: TheBloodNinja (Reddit))

Analysis: None of this makes sense

If you look closely, you’ll find a bar over the front of the box where it should say “RTX 4050” to match the other logos visible, so in all likelihood, this hasn’t changed (and just registered – it’s the element that makes it seem less likely that the image is Fakes, at least for us).

But as mentioned, that’s certainly not a sign that the RTX 4050 is in any way imminent, and graphics card makers are already making packaging for it. It’s more likely that this is a mischievous Galax employee – or that it’s wrong and pure and simple (somehow) – or that the company is filling its stand with other potential Lovelace products (although why the company didn’t use the RTX 4080 box is a fair question to ask in this case).

Obviously, though, a real RTX 4050 box will definitely not be the same (huge) size as the huge cardboard needed to cover RTX 4090 Flagship GPU. And this is clearly the RTX 4090 box that the text has been tampered with (in real life, or by someone in Photoshop). Video Cards (Opens in a new tab) More reports on this and claims to have been able to get confirmation that the fund in question was indeed present at this Galax launch event, by the way.

We haven’t heard anything at all in the rumor mill about the RTX 4050, and if it were any closer to arriving, we’d certainly have gotten bits of speculation in the grapevine by now. In fact, we’ve heard quite a bit about the RTX 4060 as well, all of which suggest that any wallet Lovelace GPU It’s still a bit off, and it’s very likely that the RTX 4050 is still way off.

Although some ingenious people have suggested that this might be the new incarnation and name of RTX 4080 12GBthat was Recently canceled (or “not released”, ahem) by Nvidia Yet a negative reaction to this particular model. In all seriousness, the 4080 variant is supposed to be either an RTX 4070 or more likely a 4070 Ti (or Super), although the way Nvidia has gone with the renaming, it’s likely to get messy (not for the first time).

Another critical VPN related error has been found in iOS 16

It was sometime in May when a security expert first revealed it iPhone-VPN The apps were leaking users’ data, claiming that Apple didn’t Do anything to fix it.

Now, only a few months later, another major problem has been found when using vpn program on iOS. In this case, some of the people’s most sensitive information is at real risk.

Another expert recently discovered that many Apple apps, including Health and Wallet, send users’ private data outside an active VPN tunnel.

However, the best vpn Services are not responsible here.

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Apple apps bypass VPN encryption

“We confirm that iOS 16 is communicating with Apple services outside of an active VPN tunnel. Even worse, it is leaking DNS requests,” developer and security researcher Tommy Mysk tweeted on October 12.

Theoretically, when you connect to a file secure vpn, your data is encrypted and passed through one of its international servers before it reaches its destination. This means that neither your Internet Service Provider nor any third party should be able to access this flow of information. Likewise, the websites you visit will not be able to tell who you really are IP addresses or any other identifying details.

Mysk ran some tests on iOS 16 with both ProtonVPN And the Wireshark activation. To his dismay, he and his team discovered that many Apple apps actually ignore vpn tunnel and exchange data directly with Apple servers.

Even worse, the apps that leak data are actually the ones that manage the most private and sensitive information. These are Health, Wallet, Apple Store, Clips, Files, Find My, Maps, and Settings.

Speaking of the reasons behind this error, Myks seems to think that Apple is doing it on purpose.

“There are services on the iPhone that require frequent connection to Apple servers, such as Find My and Push Notifications. However, I don’t see a problem tunneling that traffic into the VPN connection. The traffic is encrypted anyway,” I told 9to5Mac (Opens in a new tab)They added that they did not expect to see so many visits.

Not only iOS VPN

As Mysk confirms during testing, iPhone and iPad users aren’t the only ones risking their privacy.

“I know what you are asking yourself and the answer is yes. Android communicates with Google services outside of an active VPN connection, even with the Always-on and Block Connections options without a VPN,” he said.

A few days ago, we reported Mulvad vpnFindings that Android devices Quietly undermining VPN services during her last security check.

over here, android vpn Expose users’ data during connection checks when accessing some Wi-Fi networks.

Google’s VPN provider has pledged to add the option to opt out of these checks when the VPN is active, but the big tech giant believes there’s no need for that. This is the reason why Mulvad is now pushing to achieve it at least Changing the “misleading” description of its VPN-related features.

Metaverse style avatars are now available in Microsoft Teams

Microsoft has announced that animated avatars are now available in its preview difference collaboration platform.

Via the Avatars app in the Microsoft Teams app store, Tech Access members can now design up to three avatars for use during meetings, and choose from a range of interaction gestures.

So-called Mesh avatars were first announced for Microsoft Teams in a file Blog Posts (Opens in a new tab) Written by John Roach, chief technology officer of the company’s digital advisory services, in November 2021.

Not avatars in the workplace

Network avatars allow greater freedom of expression in a file Hybrid work environment, with users being able to customize physical features, accessories and other aspects for themselves.

Microsoft’s release of the feature at its Ignite event reiterates its commitment to blurring the line Video conferencing software And the metaversewhich some business leaders believe is the next big development Collaboration tools After switching to hybrid work.

These spaces are designed around networked avatars that interact within a virtual space equipped with the tools teams need to collaborate, such as the blackboardAnd the Document storageand video conferencing software.

If Microsoft continues to develop metaverse-adjacent features for the Teams platform, it may be able to spoil its Meta plans for the sector with its own Horizon Workrooms metaverse.

Horizon Workrooms could be considered a less convenient proposition when faced with Teams, a video conferencing app that is already in use by many organizations and takes advantage of Microsoft 365 to merge.

Until then, organizations looking to try out the new network avatars but without access to the private preview version can sign up for updates at team site (Opens in a new tab).

Spotify may be ready for the Platinum HD Audio plan

Spotify Hi-Fi It was fully announced in February 2021, and while we’ve heard very little about it in the meantime, it now looks as if the launch of a higher-end class called Platinum is now imminent.

Call someone who has canceled Spotify 9to5Mac (Opens in a new tab) To say the email that encouraged him to resubscribe mentioned the Spotify Platinum plan for $19.99 a month (twice the standard price). That platinum plan included a reference to Spotify HiFi.

In addition to Hi-Res audio, the email also mentions features like Studio Sound, Headphone Tuner, Audio Insights, Library Pro, Playlist Pro, and limited-ad Spotify podcasts – although we don’t have any information on all of them involved.

Didn’t take long to wait

The email in question also said that subscription tiers will be available in the next 30 days, which indicates we’ll see Spotify HiFi roll out within a month – likely with this new platinum tag attached.

Apple Music already included Lossless audio and Spatial Audio feature as part of a standard $9.99 / £9.99 / AU$11.99 subscription. With that in mind, it’s possible that the powers that be at Spotify feel they need to offer more to justify the higher prices.

If the information in the resubscribe email is correct, we don’t have long to wait to know for sure – and once Spotify makes any kind of official announcement, you’ll of course be able to read about it here.


Analysis: Will the price be right?

The lossless audio and CD quality promised by Spotify HiFi will make it more in line with services like Apple Music and Tidal, but what’s not clear is how important the extra level of audio fidelity is to the average Spotify subscriber.

Asking users to double their monthly payments would be a tough sell – if that’s how the price actually ends up being – and adding a few extra features would definitely improve the deal. It remains to be seen exactly what Library Pro, Playlist Pro, and other features are, but it should indicate add-ons of some sort.

We’ve seen Spotify expand its reach into podcasts and audio books In recent years, as it seems to attract more subscribers per month. Getting new or existing subscribers to pay double the running price each month will increase the streaming service’s finances as well.

Spotify itself seemed uncertain About the exact release date of Spotify HiFi, and it seems that this question is about to be answered. The next question is how many people will actually pay for it.

The Dirty Secret of High Performance Computing

In the decades since Seymour Cray developed what is widely considered the world’s first supercomputer, a CDC 6600 (Opens in a new tab)In the high performance computing (HPC) community, an arms race has been waged. The goal: to improve performance by any means and at any cost.

Driven by advances in computing, storage, networking, and software, the performance of pioneering systems has increased a trillion-fold since the CDC 6600 was revealed in 1964, from millions of floating-point operations per second (megaFLOPS) to quintillions (exaFLOPS).

The current bearer of the crown, a massive supercomputer based in the United States called border, capable of achieving 1,102 exaFLOPS by the High Performance Linpack (HPL) standard. But suspected of having more powerful machines work elsewherebehind closed doors.

The arrival of so-called exascale supercomputers is expected to benefit nearly all sectors — from science to cybersecurity, healthcare and finance — and pave the way for powerful new AI models that would otherwise take years to train.

The CDC 6600 is widely considered to be the world’s first supercomputer. (Image credit: Computer History Museum)

However, increasing speeds of this magnitude had a cost: power consumption. Full speed, Frontier Consume up to 40 megawatts (Opens in a new tab) of energy, roughly like 40 million Desktop computers.

Supercomputing has always been about pushing the limits of the possible. But as the need to reduce emissions becomes increasingly clear and energy prices continue to rise, the HPC industry will have to re-evaluate whether its original guideline is still worth pursuing.

performance vs. efficiency

One institution at the forefront of this problem is the University of Cambridge, which in partnership with Dell Technologies has developed several energy-efficient supercomputers at the forefront of design.

The Wilkes 3 (Opens in a new tab)for example, takes only 100th place in overall performance charts (Opens in a new tab)but it ranks third in the Green 500 (Opens in a new tab)which is a ranking of HPC systems based on performance per watt of power consumed.

in conversation with Pro radar technologyDr Paul Calleja, Director of Research Computing Services at the University of Cambridge, explained that the institution is more concerned with building high-throughput and efficient machines than extremely powerful ones.

“We are not really interested in large systems, because they are very specific point solutions. But the technologies deployed within them are more widely applicable and will enable systems at a slower order of magnitude to operate in a more cost and energy-efficient manner,” says Dr. Calleja.

“By doing so, you are democratizing access to computing for many people. We are interested in using technologies designed for big-age systems to create more sustainable supercomputers, for a broader audience.”

Cambridge University

The Wilkes3 supercomputer may not be the fastest in the world, but it is among the most energy efficient. (Image credit: University of Cambridge)

In the coming years, Dr. Kalija also anticipates an increasingly aggressive drive for energy efficiency in the HPC sector and the broader data center community, where energy consumption accounts for well over 90% of costs, we’re told.

The recent fluctuations in energy prices associated with the war in Ukraine will make supercomputers significantly more expensive to run, particularly in the context of exascale computing, illustrating the importance of performance per watt.

In the context of Wilkes3, the university found that there were a number of improvements that helped improve the level of efficiency. For example, by lowering the clock speed at which some components were running, depending on the workload, the team was able to achieve 20-30% energy consumption reductions in the region.

“Within a given architecture family, clock speed has a linear relationship with performance, but a square relationship with power consumption. This is a killer,” explained Dr. Caliga.

“Reducing the clock speed reduces the power draw at a much faster rate than the performance, but it also lengthens the time it takes to complete the task. So what we have to look at is not the power consumption while running, but really the power consumed per job. There is a nice spot.”

The program is king

In addition to fine-tuning hardware configurations for specific workloads, there are also a number of improvements that need to be made elsewhere, in the context of storage and networking, and in connected disciplines such as refrigeration and rack design.

However, when asked where exactly he would like to see the resources allocated in the quest to improve energy efficiency, Dr. Kalija explained that the focus should be on software, first and foremost.

“Hardware is not the problem, it is about application efficiency. That will be the main bottleneck going forward,” he said. Today’s Exascale systems rely on GPU The architectures and the number of applications that can run efficiently on a large scale in GPU systems is small.”

“To really take advantage of today’s technology, we need to focus a lot on application development. The development lifecycle spans decades; the software in use today was developed 20-30 years ago, and it’s tough when you have such long-lived code that needs to be researched “.

However, the problem is that the HPC industry is not used to thinking about software first. Historically, more attention has been paid to devices, because, in the words of Dr. Calleja, “It’s easy; you just buy a slice faster. You don’t have to think smart.”

“While we had Moore’s Law, with the processor’s performance doubling every eighteen months, you didn’t have to do anything. [on a software level] to increase performance. But those days are over. Now if we want to progress, we have to go back and redesign the program.”

The CPU with the contacts facing up is lying on the motherboard of the computer.  The slide is highlighted with blue light

As Moore’s Law begins to fail, developments in the CPU architecture can no longer be relied on as a source of performance improvement. (Photo credit: Alexander_Safonov/Shutterstock)

keep d. Kaliga has some praise for Intel in this regard. Such as server The hardware space is becoming more diverse from a vendor perspective (in most respects, a positive development), and application compatibility will likely become an issue, but Intel is working on a solution.

“One of the advantages I see for Intel is that they invest a lot [of both funds and time] inside the oneAPI ecosystem, to develop code portability across silicon species. It’s the kind of tool chain we need, to enable tomorrow’s applications to take advantage of emerging silicon,” he notes.

Separately, he called Dr. Kalija to a tighter focus on “scientific need”. All too often, “things go wrong in translation”, resulting in a mismatch between hardware and software structures and the actual needs of the end user.

He says a more active approach to cross-industry collaboration would create a “utopian circle” of users, service providers and vendors, which would translate into benefits from both performance And the Efficiency perspective.

Zetascal future

Typically, with the fall of the exascale sign, attention will now turn to the next stage: the zetascale.

Dr Calleja said: “Zettascale is the next science on Earth, a totem that highlights the technologies needed to get to the next stage in computing developments, which are unobtainable today.”

“The fastest systems in the world are very expensive for what you get from them, in terms of scientific output. But they are important, because they show the art of the possible and move the industry forward.”

Cambridge University

Pembroke College, University of Cambridge, home of the Zettascale Open Lab. (Image credit: University of Cambridge)

Whether systems capable of achieving the performance of a single zettaFLOPS, a thousand times more powerful than the current crop, can be developed in a way that aligns with sustainability goals will depend on the industry’s ability to invent.

There is no binary relationship between performance and energy efficiency, but a healthy dose of compounds will be required in each sub-discipline to deliver the necessary performance boost within an appropriate energy envelope.

In theory, there is a golden ratio of performance to energy consumption, where it can be argued that the benefits to society from HPC justify the expenditure of carbon emissions.

The exact figure will remain elusive in practice, of course, but the pursuit of the idea is by definition a step in the right direction.

Apple’s AR/VR headset tends to use iris scanning for authentication

So far, Apple has been very secretive about its upcoming AR/VR سماعة HeadsetHowever, leaks are still emerging online – including new leaks about a device that uses iris scanning to authenticate users’ identities.

This comes across Information (Opens in a new tab)Which states that by examining their eyes, users will be able to verify payments and log into different digital accounts (much like using Face ID or Touch ID on an iPhone).

Of course, typing a password into a VR helmet isn’t easy, so it makes sense that a technology like this would be deployed. It also means that it will be easy for different people to use the same headset.

Traceability and materials

By the way, this isn’t the first time this particular rumor has surfaced – and that’s something worth bearing in mind acquired by Apple A company specializing in eye tracking technology since 2017.

Other tidbits from the article: The headset will offer full-body tracking by pointing some of its cameras at your legs, and it’ll be lighter than the recently unveiled ones MetaQuest Promaking the scale 722 grams.

Finally, the device is said to be made from a combination of fabric, aluminum and glass, for a luxurious feel – exactly what you’d expect from Apple. Most rumors point to a 2023 release of whatever Apple is building.


Analysis: What we know so far

Nothing official yet – as you’d expect from Apple – but it now seems very likely that Apple is working on a headset that combines virtual and augmented reality in one device (“mixed reality” is a term some people use in this case).

This device is believed to be separate from the lightweight device Apple glasses, which is rumored to focus on augmented reality. At this point, it appears that this product has passed through 2023, although it is difficult to know for sure.

We believe the unit will be powered by an Apple-made chipset – possibly the M2 – and is said to have two 8K displays inside. At least a dozen cameras are said to be installed in the headset to keep track of where you are in the room.

The projected cost of all of this is expected to be $3000 / £2685 / AU$4,835 and, as mentioned, is believed to launch in 2023. You can expect the usual glut of hype in the promotional material that Apple puts together for the headphones.

GITEX wants to become the best tech fair in the world – and it just might succeed

With conference season now underway, the eyes of technology enthusiasts are constantly changing around the world.

But that interest could soon be focused firmly on the Middle East, which now claims to be the home of the world’s largest tech event.

GITEX Global 2022 which was held at the World Trade Center in Dubai and was attended by Pro radar technologyIt may not be as popular as CES in Las Vegas or the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, ​​but the organizers have big plans to change that.

GITEX 2022

After a difficult few years during the pandemic, GITEX Global welcomed its largest ever attendance, with over 120,000 people reported from over 5,000 companies from 90 countries, including over 1,000 speakers.

Spanning over two million square feet of the entire Dubai World Trade Center, the conference was a stressful experience for many, as crowded halls made it difficult to get to talks and discussion sessions in time, especially when heading to places that required an outdoor excursion in the boiling desert heat.

In a country that aims to prove that bigger is always better, holding such a sprawling conference without a specific theme or agenda across such a gigantic space may not have been the wisest option—and hopefully, organizers will guide stewardship in the years to come.

(Image credit: Future)

But with a group that included major global tech companies such as Microsoft, Dell Technologies, Huawei and many more, and including many speakers for the UAE and Dubai government, the conference had some hidden gems on display.

The main attraction was the world’s first “flying car”, which was demonstrated by the Chinese company XPENG, whose X2 car carried out a successful (albeit somewhat disappointing) test flight on the outskirts of the conference.

XPENG X2 at GITEX 2022

(Image credit: Future)

Looking ahead, it is clear that the organizers have big plans for the future, as they announced the opening of GITEX Africa in May 2023 in a bid to attract some investment and development on a large scale across the continent.

And with zones designed specifically for developers, metaverses and startups, GITEX and its space events could soon become a proof ground for some of the next great tech companies.

While it may take a while to grab headlines like CES and MWC, the strength and determination (not to mention financial support) from Dubai and the UAE are behind it, we wouldn’t bet Gitex Global could grow more in years to eat

  • TechRadar Pro’s travel and accommodations in Dubai were funded by the Dubai World Trade Center, but the organization had no editorial control over the content of this article.

Your gadget attachments are on the way to recycling e-waste

Samsung recently published the results of a survey it conducted on US users’ attitudes towards e-waste (e-waste) and the results speak of their reluctance to recycle.

As it turns out, many people are having a hard time giving up their old devices, and this is contributing to the increasing amount of global e-waste. Estee The information comes from a green print scan (Opens in a new tab) Conducted by Samsung with global intelligence firm Morning Consult. They asked 2,210 people over the age of 18 what prevents them from being more environmentally friendly.

According to the survey, nearly 50 percent of respondents agree that e-waste is a major climate problem but 72 percent do not recycle their devices. This raises two questions: What are people doing with this old technology and why don’t they recycle?

stuff them away

Apparently, people put them away in various locations around the house for safekeeping. 36 percent of people admitted to having an “e-waste drawer” where they put their old electronics (this number rises to 54 percent for young people of Generation Z). Stuffing it in a box and hauling it away to the garage or attic is another popular method with 35 percent of men surveyed.

As for why people don’t recycle, it’s because they’re so attached to their gadgets, or as Samsung says, they have “digital FOMO” (fear of missing out). 24% of those surveyed said they fear losing photos on old phones. 23 percent save devices just in case something happens to the new device. And when looking at age groups, the older generations tend to be more wary of leaking sensitive information.

A quarter of older respondents say they keep their e-waste because they think old devices still contain sensitive information about it and they don’t want it posted there. That number drops to 8 percent for Gen Z respondents who appear to be more confident in software security. The younger generations are also more likely to save used devices to give as gifts later.

Recycling Recommendations

In addition to the survey results, Samsung made a variety of suggestions about what people can do with e-waste. The company recommends taking your e-waste to one of its 1,700 recycling sites across the United States. Locations near your home can be found by searching for them Samsung Responsible Recycling webpage (Opens in a new tab) And click on “Go Down Today”.

It also recommends reusing Galaxy smartphones through Download the Smart Things App And use it around the house like a baby monitor, for example. You can also try to repair the devices yourself via Samsung Self-Repair Program to Increase Longevitybut it is limited to only a few smartphones like Galaxy S20 And the s 21.

To keep your old photos, we highly suggest uploading them to a cloud storage service. TechRadar recently updated the . file List of best cloud storage sites for 2022And the Which includes Google Photos, OneDrive, and Flickr. Make sure to check it out.

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