With the vast array of new technologies that are becoming available these days, it pays to take a certain approach to the gadgets that are available and being used more and more frequently. Used rightly, technological devices can make for faster communication, better access to information, greater interactivity, and can simply be fun in and of themselves. The following are some tips on getting the most out of the tools and toys of the electronic age.
The Gadget is a Tool, not an End in Itself
The gadget should be regarded as a tool rather than an end in itself. This distinction comes up over and over as new technology hits the scene. The whole point of new technology is to make real contact between people easier, faster, and more connective. The end result of using the technology should be actual in person contact, real activities, and tangible work results as much as possible, unless time and distance factors make this impossible.
The alternative to this is the absurd addiction to technological devices, wherein people spend more and more time dealing with some gadget than with the real world. We’ve all seen this in a variety of ways – rooms full of people staring at laptops rather than talking to each other, teenagers endlessly absorbed in computer games, half the people on the street walking by with headphones hooked up to their iPods, and so on. This really isn’t what the technology was designed for and represents a poor usage of it. The emphasis should be on real activity and contact as the primary focus, with technology being used as needed for convenience, as a pastime of about the same level of importance as reading a magazine, and generally occupying a much more minor role.
Understand the Device
It’s important to get a good understanding of the device that you’re purchasing. First of all, if you pay a considerable sum of money for the technology, you should know all of the things that it is capable of and how to implement them. The best thing to do, if you can find the time, is to sit down with the manual, gadget in hand, and go through it thoroughly, at least in the sense of getting an overview. Try out a number of different functions of the device and at least get a sense of how they work. This will lay the groundwork for a good overall grasp of its capabilities and will make the device much more useful to you.
Get the Functionality you will Actually Use
Speaking of the above, you should get technology that you will actually use. It may be tempting to get the latest item that everybody else has, or that impresses you in some way, but why should you be spending money and getting a lot of functionality that you don’t need? Perhaps, for example, you don’t need a cell phone with an mp3 player, you just need a cell phone. You might even find that listening to music all the time as you walk around is distracting, unnecessary, and tunes you out to what is going on around you.
Warranties and Guarantees
Warranties and guarantees are very important things to understand and keep well filed. You want full protection if the device breaks. Read and understand warranties before making the purchase and then file them away in a safe place. You can even scan warranty documents in and save them on your computer along with any notes you may find necessary. These policies and warranties are in place so that you have a way to deal with technological malfunctions that aren’t due to your own negligence. You should be in a sense more concerned with them than with the initial price of the gadget itself, since they make sure that you won’t be paying for an item that you won’t be able to use because it breaks.
Follow these tips to get the most out of new technology. In general, try not to let new technology run your life. These devices are only as good as their ability to actually enhance your experience, so treat them as the tools they are and you’ll probably find that you enjoy them a lot more.
Theo is a IT Tech, loves information systems has helped various IT staff augmentation services and loves his job. In future wants to start his own IT company.