When it comes to extending the life of your technology investments, such as a phone, laptop, tablet, or many others, there are some key tips.
Maintenance
To begin with, maintenance is a huge aspect that folks tend to overlook or ignore out of inconvenience, or simply because they don’t know. Always update your firmware and software because without it you are exposed to risks of cyber attacks such as malware, viruses, or worse. Don’t forget that without the correct updates your hardware won’t be effectively working at its best, or sometimes, it will become completely faulty and unusable.
Declutter Your Drive
It is also crucial to clear up any disorganized, duplicate, or any type of clutter that could be taking up storage and RAM on your device. Not only is it healthy for the mind and psyche to have organized and easily accessible information, but it also takes a toll on the device if it’s all over the place. The RAM begins to suffer and the entire device itself will slow down from web browsing, playing games, or bringing up simple apps like messaging.
Clean Your Computers
Another important tip is to keep your devices and surfaces clean from any residue, liquids, or dust to prevent any fans or keyboards, USB ports, etc. from getting clogged or sticky. That means making sure your children or less-technical buddies aren’t sitting around the computer with soda, food, or touching your screens with sticky, Cheeto-hands. There is nothing wrong with having your morning cup of Joe, but just try and keep it away from your device; turn on a video instead, or attend your meeting where you don’t have to actively use your tech.
Play It Cool
Likewise, it is critical to keep your computer, tablet, or phone from overheating. Typically, when fans kick on a laptop, it lets you know that it is getting too hot and needs to cool off. Also, avoid carpets, beds, blankets, and any type of non-hard solid surfaces because this traps heat and can cause quicker overheating or malfunctions. This also coincides with keeping your device clean from dust because it can block the ventilation from the fans, resulting in overheating. Nevertheless, extreme cold and wet humidity in the air can also cause critical damage to any of your devices, so be sure to take care of where you store any of your tech.
Charge It Up (But Then Unplug)
Finally, to truly have the longevity of your device last, it is imperative that you take care of the battery. A charger left plugged into a battery constantly will begin to degrade its performance eventually causing a complete malfunction where you must always have the charger plugged in for the device to work. In other cases, the battery just dies and you will need to order a replacement. Additionally, shut down your device when you don’t plan on using it for several hours to an entire night or day. This is especially important and known for laptops, but with our phones, many of us tend to never give it a much-needed break.
So, don’t forget to follow these simple steps and you’ll have your tech last double, if not more than, the amount of the average person!
