Technology Myths (Part 1): which ones are true?

Technology Myths (Part 1): which ones are true?

Finding it hard to keep up?  Me too.  Overwhelmed by new products and new apps for our technical toys, it’s (often) hard to separate myth from magic.  So today we present part 1 of a series we’ll call  Technology Myths, and our debut will tackle five technology related aphorisms. Your job (should you choose to accept it) is to decide which ones, if any, are true. So we ask you:    

1: Is a camera with more megapixels always better?

2: Do more bars on your cell phone mean better service?

3: If you have a larger monitor, will you be more productive?

4. Are Apple computers immune from viruses? and

5. Do high-priced HDMI cables significantly enhance TV quality?

1: Cameras – Is a camera with more megapixels always better?

Certainly not, as the focus should be on sensor size, not megapixels. Explains Melanie Pinola, writing for www.popularmechanics.com: “It's true that more megapixels means more detail in larger photos. That detail, though, depends not just on pixel count but also on the camera's sensor: The larger it is, the more light data it can pick up, and the more detailed your images will be. If you add megapixels without increasing the overall size of the sensor, you reduce the amount of light reaching each pixel. Your point-and-shoot camera may have 20 megapixels, but if its sensor is the size of a pinhead, your photos won't look so great.” 

2: Signal strength – Do more bars on your cell phone mean better service?

Apparently, how well your Smartphone performs has more to do with congestion than connectivity.  A report in PC World, summarized by Patrick Miller at nbcnews.com, explains: “The signal bars on your cell phone display indicate the strength of your cellular signal to the nearest tower. But if you're connected to a tower that lots of other people are connected to, you could have a strong signal and still have poor service, since everyone's calls are competing for scarce network resources.” The PC World report pointed out that in their 2009 test of 3G service, “signals bars were poor indicators of service quality in 12 of the 13 cities.”  Added Pinola, in her article at www.popularmechanics.com: “It might take about a square block of people in Manhattan to overload a single cell tower, whereas in Wyoming, it would take a population spread over 15 square miles.”

3: Monitors – If you have a larger monitor, will you be more productive?

Back in 2008, when huge computer monitors were coming into vogue, a study from the University of Utah claimed that worker productivity rose by 30-50% with widescreen displays. But PC World, again quoted by Miller, dug into the data and found a few caveats.  They explained: “. . . the study also found a point of diminishing returns. Productivity gains fall in a bell-curve distribution once you hit a certain amount of screen space. For a single-monitor setup, over 26 inches is too much, while dual-display gains top out at 22 inches.” In addition, the study found that, when selected a second monitor, personal preference (e.g., “I know I’ll be more productive if I have that 24” display”) did not necessarily correlate with heightened performance.

#4: Macs – Apple computers are immune from viruses

The notion that hackers spend more time attacking Windows-based machines is unassailable.  But according to Wolpin, at blogspot.laptopmag.com, Macs aren’t virus-proof. Said Wolpin: “According to anti-virus software-maker Sophos, based on a study of 100,000 of its users, one in every five Macs carry some sort of malware — these Macs aren’t infected, but they carry malware in much of the same way humans carry dormant viruses such as chicken pox.”

#5: HDMI – high priced HDMI cables significantly enhance TV quality

Beware of those high priced HDMI cables. Apparently, they don’t make a bit of difference. Explains Pinola, in her piece for www.popularmechanics.com:  “Premium-cable manufacturers would have you believe gold-plated connectors and ‘high-density triple-layer metal-to-metal shielding’ give you a better signal and, therefore, the ultimate picture and audio performance. But generic—and cheaper—cables will deliver the same picture and audio quality. Signal over an HDMI cable is digital; it either comes through or it doesn't.”

Said Miller, who summarized PC World’s findings in his NBC report: “High-quality cables have been a staple of the audio/video business for decades now, and for good reason: As an analog audio or video signal travels from one device to another, it's susceptible to interference and disruption, meaning that the image data as it leaves your DVD player isn't 100 percent identical to the image that shows up on your TV, because certain parts of the signal can get lost on the way there.

However, digital audio/video standards like DisplayPort, DVI, and HDMI don't have this problem because the data being transmitted over the cable isn't as sensitive as an analog signal; it consists entirely of ones and zeros, and a tremendous drop in signal voltage has to occur before a one starts to look like a zero at the receiving end.”

One final note, according to Pinola: if you’re buying a cable over 6 feet long, a higher quality product can make a difference.  So keep that in mind. 

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