Category: MNK Blog

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Every 12 Seconds Britons Fall Victim To Scams

A black women scratches her head at shock as she looks down at her laptop with the word, 'Scam' writtien all over it in bug writing

MNK Blog

Every 12 Seconds Britons Fall Victim To Scams

Don’t Be A Victim – Protect Your Privacy

Hello Tech Lovers!

Over £1.2Billion was stolen through fraud in 2022 and Britons lost more than half a billion pounds in the first six months of 2023. According to a new report by UK Finance, criminals stole an, ‘absolutely staggering’, £580million through fraud. This amounts to one theft every 12 seconds.

Unauthorised fraud losses across payment cards, remote banking, and cheques, reached £340.7 million in the first half of 2023 – a three per cent drop compared to the same period in 2022.

a computer hacker pulls up his hood to hide his identity

The number of unauthorised fraud cases was, 1.26 million – down two per cent on the same period in 2022.

Authorised fraud losses – also known as authorised push payments or APPs, accounted for £239.3million of total fraud, down one per cent compared to the same period in 2022.

Although scammers took slightly less money, the total number of cases was up 22 per cent to 116,324.

The main driver behind this, according to UK Finance, is purchase scams – where people are tricked into paying for goods that never materialise.

Social media also plays a huge part, with the report showing three quarters of fraud started online. Another 17 per cent started through phone calls and text messages.

UK Finance’s director of economic crime, Ben Donaldson, called on tech and telecoms companies to do more to tackle the scam epidemic. ‘We need to see much more effort from the social media and telecommunications sectors. If we are going to see a real difference we need them to work with us,’ he said.

Paul Davis, director of fraud prevention at TSB, had this to say, ‘It’s clear from the big spike in push-payment fraud cases that online companies and telecoms firms must urgently introduce measures to protect the public from scams on their platforms.’

Fraud is divided into two categories, according to UK Finance – Authorised and Unauthorised.

Authorised fraud:

When someone is tricked into paying money into a scammer’s account, or handing over a password. In other words, they take some kind of action or volunteer information which makes the fraud possible.

Unauthorised fraud:

Refers to cases where the victim is not directly involved, for example purchases being made on a stolen credit card. When this happens, banks and credit card companies are legally obliged to protect them from losses – whereas authorised fraud victims may find it harder to get their money back.

Donaldson said, ‘In addition to the financial losses, these crimes often involve callous manipulation of the victim which can cause psychological and emotional harm.’

As the UK Finance report shows, criminals are increasingly using social media, online platforms, screen gleaning, texts, phone calls and emails to deceive victims into giving up their personal details and their money.

The only way we will prevent fraud is if other sectors do much more to help us deal with the criminality which is increasingly taking place on their platforms.’ Concluded Donaldson.

45% of visual hacks occur in under 15 minutes. Often a hacker only needs one piece of valuable information to unlock a full scale data breach.

What do you use to protect your privacy when using your laptop in public places?

Protect your confidentiality with our PROHOOD® the quick and easy to install privacy hood for laptops, iPads, and tablets.

Buy yours today here

Read the full story, via UK FInance here

Don’t forget to check out the blog archive below for more posts from me and why not subscribe to the blog to be the first to hear when a new post is available, also get the low down on new product arrivals.

Adam – MNK Founder

#ProtectYourTech

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Scientists Use Bacterial Cellulose To Develop Alternative To Plastic

Close up of bacteria under a microscope

MNK Blog

Scientists Use Bacterial Cellulose To Develop Alternative To Plastic

Is This The End To Plastic Food Packaging?

Hello Tech Lovers!

Researchers from the Chinese University of Hong Kong have created a biodegradable material, that could be used for food packaging instead of plastic

To make the material transparent, biodegradable, and an edible material. The team worked with bacterial cellulose – an organic compound derived from bacteria. However, bacterial cellulose does not react well to moisture in the air. To solve the issue, the scientists added soy proteins to the material and coated it with an oil-resistant composite.

Chemistry professor at the university, and study author, To Ngai – told Phys.org, “This approach offers, a promising solution to the challenge of developing sustainable and environmentally friendly packaging materials – that can replace single-use plastics on a large scale.”

The material can completely degrade in two months, and since it is edible, is safe for wildlife.

Read the full story, via Phys.org here

Don’t forget to check out the blog archive below for more posts from me and why not subscribe to the blog to be the first to hear when a new post is available, also get the low down on new product arrivals.

Adam – MNK Founder

#ProtectYourTech

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Plastic Eating Microbes Found In The Alps

A close up of plastic watse

MNK Blog

Plastic Eating Microbes Found In The Alps

A Chilling End To Plastics

Hello Tech Lovers!

In the Alps, microbes that can east plastic at low temperatures have been discovered.

Microorganisms capable of destroying plastic polymers have previously been discovered and as a result, scientists and businesses have latched onto bioengineering enzymes found in bacteria and fungi, as a means to tackle plastic pollution.

picturesque scene of a wooden shack on a hillside with the alps mountains in the background

However, since the majority of those found require high temperatures to function, the industry has been limited due to the process been costly and not carbon neutral.

The most effective performers are two fungi discovered by the Swiss Federal Institute, which work at just 15 degrees Celsius. They are capable of digesting biodegradable polyester-polyurethane (PUR), and two commercially available biodegradable mixtures of polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT) and polylactic acid (PLA.)

PUR is commonly used in artificial textiles, PBAT is used widely in industries for packaging, and PLA is found in biomedical applications.

A total of nine fungi, and eight, bacteria species from multiple genera found, are able to digest PUR. And a total of 14 fungi and three bacteria, managed to eat mixtures of PBAT and PLA

During the hunt for a microbe capable of digesting in the cold, the team studied 19 strains of bacteria and 15 fungi growing on plastic that had been left behind, or intentionally buried in Greenland, Svalbard, and Switzerland.

Scientists let isolated microbes grow as single-strain cultures in a dark laboratory at 15 degrees Celsius. Molecular techniques were used to identify them.

In the study published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology, in total, 59% of strains, including 11 fungi and eight bacteria, could digest PUR at 15 degrees Celsius

Read the related blog post, ‘Scientists Use Mushrooms To Make Biogradable Computer Chips’ here

Don’t forget to check out the blog archive below for more posts from me and why not subscribe to the blog to be the first to hear when a new post is available, also get the low down on new product arrivals?

Adam – MNK Founder

#ProtectYourTech

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Scientists Use Mushrooms to Make Biodegradable Computer Chips

MNK Blog

Scientists Use Mushrooms to Make Biodegradable Computer Chips

The Future Of Computer Chips

Hello Tech Lovers!

The skin from the stems of a mushroom could potentially offer a sustainable alternative to insulative substrates in computing chips.

Scientists are looking at alternatives to common components like the mircochip, as production of electronic devices increases. Peeling the skin from the mycelium of a mushroom can protect chips from heat up to 392°F (200°C.)

The equivalent of the scale of ewaste produced each year

Scientists from Johannes Kepler University in Austria, discovered that once dried, the skin was found to be not only heat resistant, but lasted for years – withstanding being bent and folded thousands of times without wearing or tearing.

The fungus, Ganoderma lucidum grows on dead rotting wood in European mountains. As it reaches maturity, it creates a fibrous skin to protect its own substrate which if peeled, can be used to protect microchips.

Currently computing chip bases tend to be made with un-recyclable plastic materials and the increase of electronic devices has not been paired with an increase in their lifespan. Throwing them away is more economical for users than replacing individual parts. “The vast number of devices produced every day along with the decrease of their lifetime inevitably results in the generation of enormous amounts of electronic waste,” wrote the authors of a paper published in Science Advances.

“Circular economy and recycling concepts alone cannot solve the growing waste crisis. Electronics research, and especially electronic materials research, thus must shift its focus from strictly high-functionality concepts to sustainable, cost-effective approaches.”

Read the full report here

Read the related blog post, ‘Over 50 Million Tonnes Of Electrical Waste Is Produced Each Year here

Don’t forget to check out the blog archive below for more posts from me and why not subscribe to the blog to be the first to hear when a new post is available, also get the low down on new product arrivals?

Adam – MNK Founder

#ProtectYourTech

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UK Inventors

image of Doc Brown from the film Back To The Future with a pen in his mouth standing next to the Delorean car with it's door open

MNK Blog

My Top UK inventors

List Of Top Inventors From The United Kingdom And Their Inventions

Hello Tech Lovers!

Over the extended weekend just past, we partied to celebrate Queen Elizabeth 11 Platinum Jubilee. This marked the 70th anniversary of her accession as, The Queen Of England and the Commonwealth Of Nations.

This got me thinking about everything British, so I proceeded to do some research on my favourite British inventors and their innovative projects. In this post I thought I would show appreciation to past (and some still present) inventors and entrepreneurs. Below you will discover my Top British Inventors, what they invented, how they effected the world and why I think they should be in the list.

When I decided to write this blog post I thought I would mention my top three. However, I soon discovered some facts that I never knew before and some amazing inventions. Concepts, that inventors and entrepreneurs before me had achieved – many of which are still being used today. Ideas and inventions that have either stayed the same or developed further and adapted with time. I may do a part two, so keep an eye open 😉

If you think someone should have been added to the list or if you have complied a different list, let me know in the the comments below. Maybe you live in a different part of the World and your list looks totally different, would love to see it – add it to the comments.

Let’s dive into it and check out the inventors and their ideas.

My Top UK inventors – In No Particular Order

1. James Dyson. 1947 – Present

If you reside in the UK, then you have probably heard of James Dyson – or at least the Dyson brand – especially the Dyson Vacuum cleaner range. However, as with lots of inventors their story started long before their most known inventions. Projects that preceded and sparked ideas for their most familiar products.

Have you heard of the, Sea Truck – the tail gate, flat bed truck that could span water? Or maybe the green wheel barrow with a ball instead of a wheel? The Ballbarrow had a bright orange ball in place of a standard wheel, allowing you to turn sharper corners without tipping the contents of the barrow.

Take a look at the list below of some James Dyson’s inventions. Note, from the image of the Ballbarrow you can see where the idea for the multi-directional Dyson Ball vacuum cleaner come from.

James Dyson’s Inventions

  • Sea Truck
  • Ballbarrow
  • Wheel Boat
  • DC01 – The first bag less Vacuum Cleaner
  • AB01 – Hand Dryer
  • Contrarotator – A Washing Machine with counter rotating drums
  • AM01 – Desk Fan
  • AM10 – Humidifier
  • Super Sonic
  • Pure Cool Link – Tower Purifying Fan
  • Airwrap – Hair stler that doesn’t use extreme heat
  • Corrale – Hair straighteners that don’t use extreme heat

Lady walks holding a ballbarrow

Photo courtesy of Dyson

Why James Dyson is in the list

  • Core Technologies From fans to the use of heat elements across a vast range of products.
  • High QualityWhen you buy a Dyson product, you know it has been built to a high standard – it will last.
    • 3.AestheticsDyson products are not just functional and ergonomically great, they have been designed very well – they are aesthetically pleasing.
  • BraveryJames Dyson and his team are not afraid to flip an industry on its head. Products and the way they have been used for decades, are now being reinvented through a new set of eyes and new technology. For example, vacuum cleaners without bags, hair straighteners that use less heat – thus causing less damage to the follicles, and non bladed desk fans that don’t collect dust.
  • Future learningThe Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology. Dismayed by the lack of bright young engineer’s in the UK James Dyson has set up his own Institute. Learn more about The Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology here
  • James Dyson Award. An annual global award, set up to inspire the next generation of engineers to solve the worlds problems. Find out more on the James Dyson Award here

2. Clive Sinclair. 1940 – 2021

Tech enthusiasts, computer nerds and gadget lovers will have heard of Clive Sinclair’s inventions. Slimline Pocket Calculators, Calculator Watches, and who can forget the Sinclair C5 or ZX Spectrum! The latter of which helped give birth to the UK’s Video gaming industry, hoards of bedroom coders would program games for it, selling them via mail order.

Check the list of Sinclair computers and gadgets below and remind yourself of his achievements. Maybe you owned some of them, do you still have it? Let me know in the comments.

Clive Sinclair’s Inventions

  • ZX Spectrum – Computer
  • Sinclair Executive – Pocket Calculator
  • Digital Black Watch
  • Miniature Tvs
  • Sinclair ZX 80
  • Sinclair C5 – Was this the thinking behind Elon Musk’s Tesla cars?
  • Zike – Electric bike

A ZX Spectrum Computer sits on a rainbow coloured backdrop

Photo courtesy of Beyond Games

Why Clive Sinclair is in the list

  • Hope and DeterminationDespite many failed projects, lack of funds, little support from others who couldn’t see his vision, Clive Sinclair kept going, he kept pushing, believed in himself and his ideas even when the chips were down he kept going. A valuable lesson, not for inventors or entrepreneurs but for life in general.
  • Forward ThinkingA lot of Sinclair’s downs were due to lack of support for his visions. His concepts were ahead of his time, not a lot of people felt the same. Fast forward 20, 30, years and we see a lot of his influence in modern day technology. Ipads and smartphones could very well have come from Sinclair’s idea of minture TVs. Electric cars are every where now – a concept Clive Sinclair had in early 1980, and cycling to work is a lot quicker now with electric bikes, but would they have ever existed without Sinclair’s Zike Electric Bike from 1990?
  • MemoriesGrowing up as a kid in the ’80s I remember a lot of Sinclair’s gadgets, and being a boy who loves his toys, loved them all. Futuristic look and science fiction like future tech coming to life was appealing to a kid growing up. I even liked the Sinclair C5, of course I was too young to own one, but I really wanted one!

3. Tim Berners-Lee. 1955 – Present

Sir Tim Berners-Lee is a computer scientist, best known as the inventor of the World Wide Web. He is director of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) which oversees the continued development of the Web, co-founded the World Wide Web Foundation, and is director, advisor and researcher of numerous other foundations and institutions.

Berners-Lee proposed an information management system in March of 1989, then implemented the first successful communication between a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) client and server via the internet in November of the same year. He devised and implemented the first Web browser and Web server and Time Magazine, named him in their list of 100 Most Important People Of The 20th Century.

Tim Berners-Lee’s Inventions

  • World Wide Web

A screen shot of MNK website homepage

Why Tim Berners-Lee is in the list

  • I probably wouldn’t be here Where would we be without the World Wide Web? Back in 2005 I had another business, an online record store. It was one of the first in the UK specialising in Rap and Urban music. It went on to winning an enterprising award from the Prince’s Trust – who I received the funding from to start it. My first online sale was to a guy in New Zealand! Without the World Wide I wouldn’t have been able to sell records and merchandise and make new friends from all over the world.

    It has become second nature to go online for the vast majority of the planet’s population. You can chat to people from all four corners of the globe, do your weekly shop, watch your favourite music video, transfer money in an instant, play games, read the MNK Blog, and so much more – all from your computer or smart device. The use of the World Wide Web has grown exponentially since its creation in the late ’80s

    However, would have Tim Berners-Lee being able to invent the World Wide Web without inventor number four?

4. Charles Babbage. 1791 – 1871

Charles Babbage was a mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer. Babbage is considered to be the, father of the computer and is credited with inventing the first mechanical computer.

It is said, his principle was openly borrowed from the method of weaving used in the Jacquard Loom.

If you want to see some of Charles Babbage’s work, the Science Museum in London have some incomplete mechanisms on display. Click the link below to find out more.

Science Museum

Charles Babbage’s Inventions

  • The concept of a digital programmable computer

An image of Charles Babbage mechanical computer

Photo courtesy of Computer History

Why Charles Babbage is in the list

  • The Amazing Ability To Think Like No Other Can you imagine that way back in the 1800’s someone envisioned a programmable computer! Ok, the term “computer” didn’t exist back then and it was more of a mechanical device, but to have thought of the concept I think is quite astonishing.

All of these innovators have an advanced way of thinking, the ability to see things differently to the average human. Inventors see the end in mind. Before etching any drawings or crafting prototype models – they have the ability to mold their inventions in their heads before externalising them for the world to see. Added with the hunger for problem solving and the discipline to stay focussed, these inventors work out solutions and don’t quit until an issue has been solved.

Everything begins in the mind, everything that man has created started as a thought in someone’s head. That chair you are sitting on, the desk your computer sits, and your commute into work this morning was only possible because of someone’s thought.

All of the above mentioned have one thing in common, the ability to think up solutions, vision ideas that others can’t imagine and have faith in themselves to keep trying.

As a relatively new entrepreneur and inventor, it is sometimes frustrating, it feels like no one else can picture your vision. However, there is one thing I have learnt from doing my research for this post. I am not alone in my frustrations, James Dyson wasn’t always a Billionaire and one of the richest people in Britain, Clive Sinclair had multiple gadgets that not everyone bought and I’m sure Tim Berners-Lee didn’t get it right the first time around, and I’m confident that everyone thought Charles Babbage was a little cuckoo. However, despite their set backs, lack of funds, and funny looks from their peers, they kept going.

Learning from the successes before me gives me hope and the momentum to keep pushing forward.

If you have stumbled across this blog and don’t know what I do, take a look at the image below. This is a product called, PROHOOD® – A Laptop Privacy Screen / Light Blocker integrated into the lid of a protective laptop case.

Laptop sitting in a prohood under shadow from the dark hood

Learn more about PROHOOD® here

I Hope you enjoyed, ‘My Top UK Inventors’ article and learned something from it.

Do you have a favourite invention from the above list?

Who would be in your list?

Do you live outside of the UK, what would your list look like?

Let me know in the comments below

References Include:

Why not subscribe, and be the first to hear when a new blog post is available?

Adam – MNK Founder #ProtectYourTech

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How To Overcome The Elements When Using Your Laptop Outside

A girl sits in a deck chair at the beach with the sea behind her. She is wearing a bright yellow cover up. Learn how to stop glare on your screen - click the link below to read the blog post. MNK

MNK Blog

How To Overcome The Elements When Using Your Laptop Outside

Tips On How To Reduce Screen Glare

Hello Tech Lovers!

In this week’s MNK Blog I want to touch on how to reduce or even stop screen glare affecting your Laptop when using in an outdoor space. Below you will find some tips on how to do so and also, learn the mental health benefits of being outdoors.

In recent times, technological devices have become an integral part of of lives. Smart phones, smart TVs, tablets, smart watches and laptops are a common feature in the modern day house hold. Although, most are mobile devices which we can take out when we leave the house, the majority of them include a shiny screen.

Screen glare is a modern day problem when viewing our smart technology in the great outdoors. We at MNK have recognised this as an issue and have come up with some tips n tricks for you when using your laptop out side. Take a look at them below and tell me what you think in the comments – what do use to combat the glare on your laptop screen when using an outside office – like your garden?

Six Tips On Reducing Laptop Screen Glare

    • Make sure your sitting position is right.

Sitting with the sun behind you will shine directly onto you and your laptop. Move your sitting position so the sun is in front of you or beside you.

    • Adjust Your Screen’s Brightness.

Increase your Laptop screen’s brightness, via the control panel of your machine. A brighter screen will help combat the bright light of your surroundings.

    • Have a dark backdrop.

Where possible use a dark wall or another non reflective backdrop like a wooden shed, barn, or trees as your backdrop. A lot of the glare you see on your laptop screen isn’t coming directly from the sun – it’s reflecting off your surroundings. A bright object behind you will reflect back in your direction, this includes: windows, cars, garage doors and other metallic surfaces, brightly coloured walls, doors, sand dunes, lakes and rivers, washing on the line, tents, and even the blue sky.

    • Clean your screen.

This may sound like a not so obvious thing to do. However, a dirty screen with smears and fingerprints on will add to the glare. Clean your screen regularly with non alcoholic Lens Cleaner and a Microfibre Cloth to minimise glare when using your laptop outside. The non-alcohol solution will clean your screen with no streaks.

You can buy Lens Cleaner and get a free Microfibre Cloth from our store here

    • Wear dark clothing.

Wearing dark toned clothes will reduce the reflection back onto your laptop screen – it will have the same principal as a dark backdrop mentioned in tip 1. Wearing light colours such as, white or yellow like the girl in the picture above, will cause glare and reflection.

    • Cover your Laptop to add shade.

A canopy or screen will shade your device. However, the we believe PROHOOD® is the quickest and easiest way to add a canopy over your Laptop. It blocks light, reducing glare by 80% – 90%. Plus, it has U.V Radiation resistant properties and is splash proof, water repellent and quick drying. Allowing you to work stress free in almost any environment. Perfect if the clouds start to gather up above and a sudden shower begins. It is also, wipe clean – very handy for outdoor use and low flying birds!

Check it out below

Laptop sitting in a prohood under shadow from the dark hood

The Mental Health Benefits Of Being Outside

Working outdoors has been proven to help with depression and anxiety. According to the charity, Mind, the mental health benefits of being outside and around nature can improve your mood, reduce

stress or anger, improve confidence and self esteem. However, like anything else in life, it is better to be prepared than not being prepared. Having to work on the back foot all the time with constant adjusting and correcting will only add more stress to your day, delaying your tasks and enjoyment of being outside. Make the most of your time outdoors with the best preparation – see how PROHOOD® can help your outdoor working environment.

See the Mind website and learn how being outside benefits your mental health here

Shop Lens Cleaner and keep your laptop screen nice and cleanhere

Shop PROHOOD® as pictured above here

I Hope you enjoyed this week’s quick read on, ‘How To Overcome The Elements When Using Your Laptop Outside’. Don’t forget to check out the blog archive for more laptop protection tips n tricks.

Why not subscribe, and be the first to hear when a new blog post is available?

Adam – MNK Founder #ProtectYourTech

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Over 50 million Tonnes Of Electrical Waste is Produced Each Year

Pile of waste on landfill site. Tonnes Of Electrical Waste Is Generated Each Year. MNK

MNK Blog

Over 50 million Tonnes Of Electrical Waste is Produced Each Year

The Scale Of EWaste

Hello Tech Lovers!

According to the Global E-waste Monitor, in one year, a staggering 44.7 million metric tonnes of e-waste are generated. That is the equivalent to just over six kilograms for every person on the planet. Europe and the US alone contribute to almost one-half of the total e-waste generated annually.

One-half of all e-waste is personal devices, such as computers, screens, smartphones, tablets and TVs – that’s equivalent to a mass of 4,500 Eiffel Towers! 40 million tonnes of e-waste are discarded in landfill, burned or illegally traded and treated in a sub-standard way every year.

The equivalent of the scale of ewaste produced each year

The reason I set up MNK, was to help reduce landfill waste of laptops and tablets. I provide robust protection so consumers can better protect their devices, also reducing expensive repair bills and or costly renewals. I have also partnered up with the charity, Computers For Charity whereby I collect old and unused laptop cases, sleeves and covers and pass them onto the charity when they donate their laptops.

One huge cause of ewaste is, technology being discarded early – way before it’s depreciated or, even near the end of it’s lifespan.

Every year new mobile phones, laptops, and tablets, are released with consumers acting quick to snap up the latest gadget. They are only too quick to throw away their “old” devices. Electrical equipment can last longer than the twelve month period people have them for, yet they swiftly adopt the, ‘out with the old and in with the new’ attitude as soon as the big tech giants announce a new product.

So far, smartphone and laptop manufacturers have done little to react to the environmental waste problem. To avoid further mountains of waste, tech companies could act by offering cheaper and quicker repairs, extending the time between new product releases, better access to repair parts, and the products could also be designed to be repaired easily.

Better protection too of technology devices will help reduce costly repair bills, premature renewals and reduce landfill waste. Such as the shock absorbing, splash proof and water repellent laptop case pictured below.

girl looks down and strokes dog while she holds her laptop case - click to view MNK - PROHOOD Laptop Case and Privacy Shield

View our range of robust and lightweight tech protection here including the PROHOOD® Laptop Case with its protective privacy screen / sun shade.

Read the full report here

Find out more on Computers For Charities here

Don’t forget to check out the blog archive below for more posts from me and why not subscribe to the blog to be the first to hear when a new post is available, also get the low down on new product arrivals?

Adam – MNK Founder

#ProtectYourTech

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Top Tips On How To Protect Your Laptop When Travelling

Man Sits on floor with his laptop on his lap waiting for his flight. MNK

MNK Blog

Top Tips On How To Protect Your Laptop When Travelling

Avoid scratches, knocks, or spills to your laptop whenever you go away with these handy tips.

Hello Tech Lovers!

Now that the COVID travel and country entry restrictions, are gradually lifting from popular destinations, we can spend a bit more time travelling and visiting the countries we so miss. Whether it’s for a holiday, a business trip, see family or friends or even to relocate, the borders are slowly beginning to open up again.

As we have become more mobile in recent times, so have our work tools, entertainment, and ways of communication. Technology has allowed us to work, play and keep in touch wherever we roam. One such device which hasn’t hindered our need for travel is – the laptop computer. We use our laptops whilst travelling for office presentations, keeping the kids amused, and for important correspondence. However, the portability of the laptop can also be seen as a down side due its vulnerability to get damaged.

Laptops like other tech devices aren’t cheap – costly repairs and expensive renewals can add onto an already expensive excursion. The constant packing, repacking, lid opening and closing, spills, knocks, bumps, scrapes, germs and change in climates can all take the toll on your machine.

I have listed a few tips to help protect your laptop whilst travelling. The clear thing to do, to keep your laptop free from damage is to protect it with a case or sleeve, but I have included a couple of maybe not so obvious things to try.

  • 1. If flying, keep it close by in the overhead compartment, or better yet, under the seat in front of you. Don’t check it in with the other luggage – it could get squashed under piles of heavy luggage and break. Or worse, your baggage could get lost, losing your laptop and all your valuable data.
  • 2. Invest in an all weather laptop case, something that can withstand the elements. A laptop case that is splash proof, water repellent, quick drying and has U.V radiation resistant properties.
  • 3. Get your self a hardshell laptop case, one that can withstand knocks, bumps, scrapes and scratches – one that is shock absorbing. A robust laptop case that can handle hours of travelling.
  • 4. Power down and keep the lid closed as much as possible – laptop hinges can wear over time. The fewer times the lid is opened and closed the better.
  • 5. Use a cover – one that you can still use the laptop with. The cover will protect your laptop from spillages, straying germs and keep your on screen privacy.

business man packs a PROHOOD into his bag - click to view MNK - PROHOOD Laptop Case and Privacy Shield

No matter where you travel to or, how often – you can be rest assured that our high quality, light weight and robust laptop cases protect your tech cutting down on your expensive repair bills, costly repairs and reducing landfill waste. View our laptop cases including the PROHOOD® with it’s protective privacy screen / sun shade here

Hope you enjoyed this quick read on how to protect your laptop whilst travelling. Don’t forget to check out the blog archive below for more laptop protection tips.

Why not subscribe to be the first to hear when a new blog post is available and when new products come into the store.

Adam – MNK Founder

#ProtectYourTech

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Did You Know We Offer An NHS Discount?

MNK - Tech Protection. A Doctor dressed as a super hero holding a laptop with a smile on his face. MNK

MNK Blog

Did You Know We Offer an NHS Discount?

Get Money Off And Save If You Are An NHS Worker

Hello Tech Lovers!

Not really a blog post this week – more of a, ‘Did You Know…?’

This week I am letting you all know, if you didn’t already, that we offer all staff of the NHS a 20% discount. I have many friends working in the NHS and understand the long working hours they put in (in ‘normal’ times, let alone during the pandemic) and the low wages they take home. So, to do my little bit to help I have set this discount to have no expiry date and no minimum order cost!

To claim the on going discount simply sign up with your NHS email and we will forward the code onto you. This is a great offer as you can stock up on the little things we sell like, products from our computer cleaning category as well as the more substantial items like our laptop cases.

Gone on fill your boots, click the link and start shopping. Don’t to forget to spread the word you heard!

Get shopping for laptop cases including our PROHOOD® here

To view more info on the NHS offer including the terms and conditions click here

Not an NHS worker? Get this other MNK discount code

Adam – MNK Founder

#ProtectYourTech

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Your Laptop Computer Is The Dirtiest Tech Device You Use

Bacteria Growing In Petri Dishes. Did You Know Your Laptop Is The Dirtiest Tech Device You Own. MNK

MNK Blog

Your Laptop Computer Is The Dirtiest Tech Device You Use

How To Safely Clean Your Laptop Or Computer

Hello Tech Lovers!

Well, that is a gruesome title isn’t it! Not to fear, here are what’s hiding on your laptop and how to reduce them. And, if you haven’t read my last blog post – 3 Top Tips On How To Safely Clean Your Laptop Computer – And The Cleaning Products To Use. You can do so from the this link.

Hiding on your laptop is a whole host of bacteria. Your laptop is the dirtiest device you use and the most likely germs hiding on your laptop can lead to skin infections and pharyngitis.

If the rise of the Pandemic has taught us anything, it’s the regular cleaning of our hands and covering of our faces to reduce the spread of the Corona Virus. But, did you know your tech devices are already covered with harmful bacteria and the warmth of your computer is the perfect breeding ground for such germs.

A bacteria that can cause meningitis and food poisoning is one of the main culprits – Bacilli. Around 25% of harmful bacteria found on laptop keyboards is this nasty germ. So, you might want to think twice, before unwrapping your lunch time burrito after scrolling through your emails!

Your computer keyboards, mouse, mobile phones and track pads are all susceptible to housing bacteria that could potentially make you very sick according to a report by Tap Warehouse. This is all without the added germs being spread from straying coughs and sneezes. With so many germs found on the average laptop caused by cough splutter and sneeze mucus, laptop users could be permanently at risk of sickness. The average sneeze can send 10,000 contagious germs into the air at speeds of over 100 mph!

Get the perfect cover – use a PROHOOD® by MNK. It’s the quickest and easiest way to protect your laptop from the spread of germs. Easy to maintain too, with it’s wipe clean properties. It’s splash proof, water repellent and quick drying! Take a look here

  • View all the ghastly bacteria on your devices and at what percentage here
  • Buy your PROHOOD® here
  • Buy your tech device cleaning equipment here
  • Get your hand cleansing gel here
  • Read the full Tap Warehouse report here
Adam – MNK Founder

#ProtectYourTech