Weekly Tech Round-Up
This week: a phone-free half-term at a popular play centre, free NHS SIM cards to tackle digital exclusion, stair-climbing delivery robots hit UK streets, a powerful video app pick — and a reminder about your digital footprint.
📵 Indoor Play Centre Introduces Half-Term Phone Ban
A children's indoor play centre chain has announced a mobile phone ban for parents during the upcoming February half-term.
Total Ninja in Trafford Park, Greater Manchester, is one of 20 Adventure Leisure venues launching an “official no phone zone” policy from 16–22 February.
Team members will be on “Phone Patrol” during the week, encouraging families to switch phones to airplane mode and focus on spending time together.
Source: BBC News
📶 NHS in Devon Offering Free SIM Cards to Tackle Digital Exclusion
The NHS in Devon is offering free SIM cards to people unable to afford mobile phone contracts as part of an initiative to tackle digital exclusion.
Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust has partnered with the charity Good Things Foundation to provide pre-paid SIM cards to low-income families to help them get online.
The trust said the SIMs will be available to anyone over 18 from a low-income household who has no or insufficient internet access at home, or cannot afford their current mobile contract or top-up.
Source: BBC News
🤖 Stair-Climbing Delivery Robots Tested in UK Cities
Delivery robots designed to climb stairs are being tested in real city environments.
Just Eat UK is trialling four-legged RIVR robots with 10 independent restaurants across Milton Keynes and Bristol.
The trial follows a similar pilot in Switzerland, where nearly 1,000 autonomous deliveries were completed, while delivery drones are also being tested in Ireland.
Milton Keynes is already home to another robot delivery service operated by Starship Technologies since 2018. The RIVR robots use AI to help navigate challenging urban obstacles, uneven terrain, and stairs.
Source: BBC News
🎥 App of the Week: Blackmagic Camera
This week’s app of the week is Blackmagic Camera.
The app offers manual, professional-level video control with adjustable settings such as ISO, shutter angle, white balance, focus, and frame rate.
It also includes a professional-style HUD overlay with histogram and focus peaking, similar to physical Blackmagic cameras.
Features include live streaming directly to YouTube, Twitch, or Vimeo, as well as multicam control across multiple devices on the same network.
Blackmagic Camera is free to download on iOS and Android devices:
🌐 Social Media & Your Digital Footprint: Stay Alert
It’s worth exercising caution when using social media. Not everyone online is necessarily who they claim to be.
Take a moment to check whether you genuinely know the person and whether a friend request, follow, or link is legitimate before accepting or clicking.
It’s also important to think about your digital footprint — the information about you that exists online. Criminals can use this to steal your identity or craft more convincing phishing messages.
- Think carefully about what you post.
- Review who can see your content.
- Check privacy settings regularly to ensure only the intended audience has access.
