There are some real jerks out there.
Whole organisations set up to take advantage of people like my mum.
She'll be eighty next year and while I wouldn't describe her as a technical genius, she doesn't do too badly when it comes to modern gadgetry.
She has a laptop for example. Okay, she leaves it plugged in and never takes it anywhere, but she knows how to use it.
She has a smart phone. Not sure if she's ever used any actual apps, but she can check her emails and I think she even printed some photos off from it once.
I've given her several lectures about ignoring suspicious emails, being careful about volunteering personal details and obviously I try to keep her computer secure and updated.
So who would have guessed one of her biggest cyber-risks would be the trusty old landline?
Every week we hear another story of someone being conned out of their savings, just by answering the phone. And that's before you get to the raft of unsolicited calls you're forced to deal with from marketing and survey companies. Well, Spark has decided to do something about it, with the Call Screen cordless phone.
The idea, like all good ideas, is simple but effective. Any unsolicited call from an unrecognised number is diverted to the Call Screen's answer service, before it even has a chance to make the phone ring.
The caller is told they're being screened and asked to identify themselves before being put on hold.
Only then will the phone ring. Pick it up and you'll be told who's calling, with a recording of the caller leaving their name. Then you can decide to accept the call or block it. Block it and you'll never be bothered by that person again.
If you're thinking that sounds like a complicated process to set up, the complete opposite is true. The Spark Call Screen is merely a twin set of phones that look, feel and operate pretty much like any other cordless phone and best of all, the call screening function is all set up and ready to go, from the moment you plug the phones in.
You don't even have to record a message - there's an automated one built in to play by default, keeping you nice and anonymous to any prospective con artists on the other end of the line.
Conversely, any caller you allow through won't be screened next time round, or you can add trusted numbers in advance.
The great thing about the Spark Call Screen is any of those annoying automated calls will never get through because robots don't know how to leave their name... yet. Score one for the humans.
The other great thing is this is not some kind of subscription answer service, everything's built into the handsets themselves, so you're only paying a one-off price of $139.99. I think that's pretty reasonable for a couple of high-spec handsets even before you include the call-screening functionality.
The phones feature large, clear colour screens and big, backlit buttons. The ringtones go up pretty loud if you want them to and the phones can be paired with bluetooth devices including some hearing aids. Most operations are easily accessed within a few presses - things like recording your answerphone message and programming speed dials. You can even sync the contacts from your mobile phone.
Best of all - the "Block" button - right in the middle of each handset. Push it and that caller is gone for good... well, almost.
Obviously you can access a list of the numbers you've banned and un-ban them if you have a change of heart. (Or if you blocked them by mistake)
Strangely, while the large, clear keypads on the handsets themselves are brilliant, the controls on the main base - mostly to operated the answer machine - are far more fiddly; much harder to read and positioned right next to each other introducing the possibility of mispresses. I didn't actually have any trouble, but then, I'm not nearly eighty.
There's just one minor flaw in this otherwise robust wall of landline security. Obviously there's no way for the Call Screen to magically recognise withheld numbers. That's not the end of the world of course, because it just means those callers will be screened every time they ring, as they can't be blocked or allowed by default.
The point is, you'd have to be a pretty determined scam artist to work your way around this system and I imagine the vast majority of would-be wrongdoers would give up pretty quickly and move onto easier prey.
So if you don't want to be that easier prey, but you still need a landline in your life, (or your mum does) Spark Call Screen seems like a pretty good investment.
Click here for more information and pricing on the Spark Call Screen cordless phone.
This year, like several other manufacturers, Samsung has gone line-extension crazy.
Why offer only premium devices, or budget devices, when you can come up with a phone to fit every single price point in between?
Samsung's mid-range A-series certainly provides some serious bang for buck.
The Galaxy A50 looks every bit as classy and sophisticated as its S-series counterparts, despite the fact it's more than $1000 dollars cheaper than some of them. It's available in black or a mysterious white colour that reflects light with a pleasing rainbow effect.
At first glance the A50 seems to be just as curvy as the flagship models but it's not quite the case. Yes the rear cover curves into the rounded edges but the screen is actually flat. Another subtle difference is the back isn't covered with glass - it's plastic. I don't actually mind these two compromises at all - in fact they probably save money not just at the manufacturing end, but should you need to replace the screen due to breakage, I imagine a flat one will be considerably cheaper and hopefully the plastic rear casing is less inclined to shatter at all.
Another eye-catching feature is the tri-lens rear camera configuration, another sign premium photo functionality is becoming more commonplace on mid-range devices. Flip over and you'll see the selfie-cam in a small, water-drop notch, rather than in a corner cutout as you would find on the S10's O-Infinity display, but the screen still stretches far and wide, thanks to the in-display fingerprint sensor.
As usual on almost any Samsung device, the screen quality leaves nothing to be desired. The A50's Super AMOLED display is bright and clear in all light conditions.
Even the user experience once you power the A50 up is strikingly similar to that of the S10. Samsung's One UI is still one of the most user-friendly Android-based interfaces around. Changing to the A50 from another phone is very straightforward; The Smart-Switch app is more comprehensive than ever, especially if you're upgrading from another Samsung device. It's not just contacts and photos you're transferring these days, but homescreen layouts, backgrounds - even WiFi and bluetooth profiles.
What is a major step down is speed. While most software features on the A50 mirror those of the S10, the engine room doesn't come close. The octa-core processor is fast enough for most actions but there's only 4GB of RAM so while operation remains smooth, many things only happen after a bit of a pause. Face unlock, fingerprint sensor, camera app - none of these tasks happen instantly, there's generally a second or two's delay while the phone gets itself together. In saying that, it always works, it just takes longer.
The camera setup is certainly very full-functioned, especially with the inclusion of the ultra-wide lens on the back. There's plenty of AI thrown in - including a scene optimisation setting that'll recognise everything from greenery to scenery, dogs to sunsets, beaches to waterfalls. Picture quality is pretty damn good - as long as there's plenty of light and you don't zoom in too much. That's when you'll start noticing the difference between a $500 phone and a $1500 phone. I really like Samsung's Live Focus (bokeh) setting though and it works well on the A50 - from both front and rear-facing cameras.
For those of you who insist on a dedicated headphone jack, the A50 doesn't disappoint. It also charges via USB Type-C - hopefully an indication microUSB is on the way out, even on lower cost devices.
There's no wireless charging though, which is certainly a shame. It's always one of the first features to be left off to shave the price of a device. No expense spared in terms of battery life though - it's a generous 4000mAh cell which is plenty big enough to get most users through the day - even a long day.
Another optional extra that usually gets sliced to chop the price is water resistance and sure enough, there's no IP rating for the A50, so do try and keep it out of the toilet.
Sound quality also takes a bit of a hit. These days, many high-end handsets have managed to squeeze a pretty decent stereo listening experience out of two fairly small speakers - not so with the A50. You're back to a fairly tinny sound from the single downward firing grille, even if it is reasonably loud.
No worries running accessories like the Galaxy Watch or Galaxy Buds though - again, the software experience controlling these devices through the Wear app is pretty much identical to doing it with the S10.
In fact, so much about the way this phone operates is S10-like, you'd have to wonder why most people would ever consider shelling out for the much more expensive option. The A50 looks first class, it runs the same software and takes perfectly good photos. Yes, it's somewhat limited under the bonnet, with just 4GB of RAM and only 64GB of internal storage, but unless you're using an A50 side-by-side with an S10, you'll probably never know the difference.
Click here for more information and pricing on the Samsung Galaxy A50.
