Today is “Embrace Your Geekness Day,” and in celebration, the 20,000 Agents of the Geek Squad have assembled these six tips to help people everywhere get the most out of their favorite gadgets.
Outsmart your smartphone:
- Mobile apps and accessories let you do more than make calls or text on your smartphone. Popular apps like Evernote help with productivity, Uber with transportation and Mint with managing your finances.
- Accessories like Zepp send instant feedback for your tennis, golf and baseball performance wirelessly to your mobile device.
- Android users can stay connected with the Moto 360 smartwatch, which lets you view text messages, steps taken and more right from your wrist.
Make the most of your e-reader or tablet:
- Make your battery last longer by turning off WiFi when you’re not using it, lowering the screen’s brightness and turning off your auto-adjust brightness.
- Stream content like movies and music instead of downloading it to your device to save memory space.
- Some e-book stores have iPhone, Android and PC apps available that will sync e-book purchases. Syncing your content allows you to read your e-book on all your devices.
Get the most out of your TV:
- HD TVs and Blu-ray players work best when connected with HDMI cables. You can’t get a high-definition picture without them.
- Blu-ray players, gaming systems and other devices will need occasional firmware updates to keep working their best.
- Most new televisions can be used to display photos and videos from your camera, computer, memory card or smartphone by using adapters, streaming apps or hardware such as Roku, Apple TV or Chromecast.
Game on for your gaming systems:
- Make sure your gaming system is hooked up to the Internet so you can download special gaming features, play against anyone anywhere, rent videos and access music.
- Check the parental control settings on the system to make sure the young ones aren’t playing games they shouldn’t be.
Clean your gear:
- Make sure your device is turned off and unplugged before you begin to clean it.
- Always use a microfiber cloth and screen cleaner to clean your devices.
- Try using a cleaning duster or tooth brush to get hard-to-reach places.
Splurge on something new:
- If you’re embracing your inner geek, keep up with the latest and greatest tech!
- Controlled by select Bluetooth-enabled devices, the Parrot Mini Drone rolls, turns and jumps, and it captures, streams and saves photos and video.
- VR for Samsung Galaxy S6/Edge and Note 4 offers a virtual reality, with 360° visuals while playing games, watching videos or viewing photos.