Make Your Electronics Last Longer

A new decade is almost upon us, and we have electronics of all kinds. Computers, laptops, cell-phones, smart phones, PDAs, GPS, hand-held computers, portable gaming systems, mp3 players, mp4 players, flat screen televisions, hand held televisions, cameras, radios, satellite radios- the list is very vast. I will touch on just a few of the main electronics that most people have and use.

Hand held devices
These little electronics are packed with all types of technology. Sadly though, these are often the most abused out of all the electronics. Why? Well, anything that is directly in your hands (or hand) can easily fall to the ground, bump against something, get coughed upon or sneezed upon. Even worse, some people even eat food and place greasy or crumb-covered fingers all over their devices! Before you use a device, it is a good idea to wash your hands first. There are natural oils that are on our hands, and this attracts dirt to them. And don't let just anyone handle your devices. It would be good to limit the people that use your hand held device to three. This way, there is a lesser chance of your device getting dirtier and lasting longer. I suggest three because most people don't want a lot of their friends even touching their devices. They know that some people will respect their property more than others.

Televisions
Although your TV might be a flat screen, it wouldn't hurt once in awhile to dust the back of it from time to time. The outer hard plastic shell that holds a TV together is specially designed to keep the inner parts cool all the time and in good working order. Wiping the dust away that accumulates in the back, keeps your t.v. in good working condition.

Mp3 and Mp4 players
You almost have no maintenance required on these small devices. If you have a battery powered one, clean the inside battery compartment out with a q-tip to ensure that you have clean contact points for your battery. If you have an mp3 player that charges through a computer, be sure to check all of your songs once in awhile. Doing this will help you to get rid of unwanted songs. In addition, this also ensures that you can use your mp3 player for the longest time as you can. I have heard of a few bad stories of an mp3 player freezing up or crashing, all because of one corrupt song. This can be avoided with regular checkups of your mp3 players songs. Some players come preloaded with programs and games. If you know that you are not using certain features on your mp3 player, why not get rid of them? You have to be careful though. Some things that you try to delete are configured in such a way that you might erase other files. Before you delete anything however, a window should tell you whether or not what you are deleting is dependent on some other program. Clearing up space on your player gives you more memory and less programs to worry about, thus increasing the life of your device.

VCR
Do people still use this old relic!? Of course! One of the first things you want to do to your recorder is get a VCR cleaning kit. It contains a special video tape that you insert into your player that cleans the viewing heads. The viewing heads are inside the recorder, which are responsible for transferring what is on a tape, to the viewing screen. Once in awhile it is also good to adjust the tracking on the recorder as well. With a lot of usage, the video recorder might need this adjusting to ensure a clear video screen.

Computers
This is a pretty BIG electronic device, but I will discuss it nonetheless. Dust the computer tower off from time to time, especially around the fan vents. This keeps your cooling system in top shape. If you have noticed that your computer slows down a bit in speed, then take a look at your desktop. The more things you have, the slower it will perform. Periodically check all of your programs, games, and applications to see whether or not if you really need them or not. Some computer users think about getting a new computer as soon as their current one slows down even a little bit. This is not really taking care of you computer, it's just avoiding common maintenance. These problems can be solved with just a little maintenance from time to time. To dust off your keyboard, a air spray can is available in most places where new computers are sold. It comes with a little straw that can clean your keyboard very effectively.

Cell phones
Does your cell phone battery get low after a few days? To make it last at least a week, follow these simple steps: Adjust your brightness settings when your phone is on, and during a call. The brightness levels on a phone can really make a difference in battery life. When you charge your phone overnight, it is always best to turn your phone off. The battery stays charged longer this way. Turning your keypad sounds off makes your phone work less. In quiet environments, a vibrating phone is best. But who is ever in a quiet environment to use a phone? Instead of having the volume on the ringer turned all the way up, adjust so that you can hear it comfortably. Pick a ring tone that you know you will recognize when your phone rings. Downloading anything also decreases battery life. If possible, try to download smaller files. If you can download a file while your phone is charging, less battery power will be used. And last but not least, try to charge your phone when the battery is low. When you charge up your phone in this state, the charge lasts even longer.