If you are one of the lucky many to have received a new tablet or smartphone over the holidays, congratulations! You'll want to rip open the box and start playing right away. But before you do something potentially distracting like downloading Dots, here are some starter tips to make the most of your new device, whether it's an iPad Mini, Nexus 5 smartphone or Kindle Fire HDX.
Prevent heartbreak with security measures
Your new gadget is shiny and amazing and already precious to you. So it might be hard to imagine a dark day in the future when you are careless enough to leave it in the airplane seat pocket in front of you or unlucky enough to have it stolen. Bad things will happen, but there are a few steps you can take now to make it hurt a little less down the line.
First, turn on the screen-lock setting which will require a passcode or password (or fingerprint or face recognition) every time you turn on the phone or tablet. This is your number one defense against someone accessing sensitive financial and personal information if they find or steal your device. It will also make it more difficult for them to wipe it and erase any information you didn't back up. Logging in every time will seem like a slight inconvenience at first, but after a few days you'll hardly notice you're doing it and the few seconds will become a forgotten routine.
Next, download or activate any lost-device location features so that you can track the physical location of your tablet or phone if it is lost or stolen. Apple products have Find my iPhone installed by default, but you must connect your device to an iCloud account. Android devices can use the Android Device Manager.
Make a backup plan
Whether you end up using your tablet or smartphones primarily for communication, enjoying content like movies and books, or creating original content like drawings and work documents, you'll want to back up your device.
You can go through the default backup tools, such as iCloud or iTunes on iOS 7 or the Backup & Reset settings on Android. Third-party apps can also come in handy, like Dropbox, Titanium Backup or Carbon. When possible, use individual apps that automatically sync anything you create to the cloud.
Get a case
A new gadget's pristine screen and body are so pretty to look at, so gloriously unscuffed and unsullied. You may think it would be a shame to hide its glory under some cheap plastic case.You know what's worse? Living with a broken and scratched device that cost hundreds of dollars. It happens far too often. Just look around your local coffee shop and count the number of people working around a cracked screen, dragging their bleeding or calloused fingers over fractured glass held together with clear packaging tape.
If you're clumsy or have children or are prone to the forces of gravity, consider buying a case.
Save money
The first bill on a new mobile device can be a shocker when you easily breeze past your data limit or rack up roaming charges. If your device is on a cellular plan, take precautions and set a mobile data warning or limit to prevent you from going over. The option is under Settings ->Wireless & Networks -> Data Usage on Android devices.
If you're using an Apple device, you can monitor how much data your device is eating up under Settings -> Cellular -> System Services (at the very bottom of the page). It groups data usage by the type of service like Mapping Services and Exchange Accounts. If you deduce a specific app is sucking down the most data, you can revoke its ability to use cellular data here too.
You can also install third-party apps to monitor data usage, some of which break it down by individual apps. Video and music streaming apps are big data hogs, so make sure you're on a wireless network before binge watching House of Cards.
If texting or calling charges are a concern, download calling and messaging apps that work over WiFi like Skype, What's App and Viber.
Delete the junk
Fresh out of the box, many devices are set up to favor their creators' or carriers' preferred apps. The problem is especially bad with Android and Windows phones sold through third-party carriers, which like to preinstall all sorts of bloatware.
Go through and delete any promotional or unwanted apps right away. If you can't delete the app on Android, you can probably disable it in settings so that it is out of sight. Apple devices are more conservative with preinstalled apps, but there is a core group of iOS apps you can't uninstall. If you really don't want to use them, stash them away in a folder.This is also the time to make some cosmetic adjustments, like picking a new wallpaper and organizing your apps, so that you don't have to readjust to a new layout later. Prone to motion-sickness? Switch off the parallax setting on iOS 7.
No comments:
Post a Comment