Tech Tips

By Best Buy Lifestyle

26 Apr: Get the Most Out of Your Appliances With These Maintenance Dos and Don’ts

Maintaining household appliances can be a chore, but avoiding or delaying basic upkeep can cause major headaches.

Geek Squad’s appliance repair Agents frequently encounter costly situations that could have been avoided with routine cleaning and maintenance.

To help you keep your appliances looking, working and smelling like new, we’ve gathered some tips and tricks from Agent Dustin Williams.

From the kitchen to the laundry room, here’s how you can maintain some of the most commonly used household appliances.

Dishwashers

“With most appliances, prevention is the best care,” Dustin said.

By Best Buy Lifestyle

13 Apr: 3 Things to Know When Replacing Your Appliances

You can’t wait for your fancy new refrigerator with ice and water dispensers to arrive. But when it finally does, the crew can’t hook it up because there’s no water line nearby.

Oops. Looks like you might have overlooked a small detail. But that small detail can have a big impact on your plans — and possibly even your pocketbook. Do you call a plumber? Send the fridge back? Plug it in but not use all the features?

To avoid situations like this, you need to do some homework before you remodel your kitchen or simply upgrade your appliances.

By Best Buy Lifestyle

06 Apr: 5 Easy Tips for Saving Space on Your Smartphone

Spring’s arrival means no more procrastinating. It’s time to roll up your sleeves, pack up the old clothes collecting dust in your closet and take them to the nearest donation center. Let’s be honest, you know you’re never going to wear that shirt you’ve had since high school.

Making space in our closets serves its purpose. But it also provides a friendly reminder to make space in another everyday part of our lives: our smartphones.

Sadly, our beloved phones only come with a finite amount of built-in storage, which poses a challenge to those of us who frequently take pictures, record video and download the latest apps.

By Best Buy Company News Technology

21 Nov: Mobile Devices Make Good Kitchen Helpers

From cooking Thanksgiving dinner for your family to baking gingerbread cookies for friends, you’re likely to put some serious time in the kitchen this holiday season. Lucky for you, your No. 1 kitchen helper might be in your pocket or on the counter: your smartphone or tablet.

Here are three ways your mobile device can help make your holiday cooking experience easy and fun.

Recipes

Some of the best recipes out there aren’t just in your cookbooks or scrawled on notecards – they’re on the internet.

By John Vomhof Jr. Company News

04 Oct: Capture the Fall Colors With Tips from This Pro Photographer

The cool, crisp autumn air has arrived, bringing with it the vibrant fall colors that many photographers across the country seek out in nature.

Want to learn how to get the best shots of the colorful foliage this year? We turned to Darrell Gulin, a professional nature, wildlife and travel photographer who has traveled to all seven continents.

Darrell, who is part of Canon’s “Explorers of Light” program, says a great photo starts with doing research on your subject and using the right equipment (always use a tripod).

By Derek Meister Company News

12 Sep: Pokey PC? Try Improving Performance With These Tips

One of the more annoying things to see on your computer is the wait icon — that spinning circle that means whatever it is you want to do next will have to wait while the computer catches up.

Fortunately, in many cases, you can take five minutes with these five tips to get some of that PC performance back.

1. Stop the auto-starts

Ever notice how many apps and icons pop up as your computer loads? You need many of them, such as your antivirus software, but some apps ask to run even when you barely use them.

By John Vomhof Jr. Company News

07 Sep: 5 Things to Teach Your Kids about Online Safety

The internet can be a fantastic learning tool, but some aspects aren’t so positive. With school back in session, now is the perfect time to talk to your kids about online safety.

We talked to Geek Squad Agent Will Woodworth, who teaches students about digital citizenship at our Geek Squad Academy camps, to learn more about what we can do to help keep our children safe. Here are a few tips.

1) Talk with your child about online safety

First things first, talk to your child about the importance of online safety and being a good digital citizen.

By Derek Meister Company News

11 Jul: Backing Up Data Is as Easy as 3-2-1

Deciding to back up your data is the first step to ensuring that your important photos, documents and files are protected against loss or damage.

How you approach backing up that data can increase that protection.

At Geek Squad, we recommend you follow the “3-2-1 backup strategy.” That is, we want you to make sure your data is protected by having at least three copies in two different formats, with one of those copies off site.

3 devices

When we talk about 3 different copies, we mean three totally different devices.

By Katie Huggins Company News

29 Jun: Tips for Share-Worthy Fourth of July Fireworks Photos

Every year on the Fourth of July, Americans across the country “ooh” and “ahh” over colorful fireworks displays while taking pictures to share with friends and family.

And every year you snap photos, too, hoping it will be the year you finally capture that perfect image.

But hope diminishes when you review your album and find dozens of lousy photos… again.

We’ve all been there, but it doesn’t have to be this way. It is possible to capture those share-worthy shots to show off to friends and family whether you’re taking photos with your smartphone or DSLR camera.

By John Vomhof Jr. Company News

24 Jun: How to Keep Your Smartphone Safe from Summer Heat, Sun

Too much sun or heat can be bad for your body, and bad for your tech, too. So, while you’re taking steps to stay cool this summer, make sure to do the same for your smartphone, tablet and other electronic devices.

High temps can permanently damage your phone’s internal components, causing the miniature circuit board to flex and warp and the battery to overheat. Direct sunlight can also hurt the screen, causing it to pixelate, crack and become unresponsive to touch.

By Best Buy Company News

17 Mar: Helpful Hints for Spring Break Success

More than half of Americans say that relaxation is the main reason they’re taking a spring break trip this year.

You’ve prepped, packed your bags and are well on your way to having the best vacay ever. But to have an even more relaxing and stress-free time, take note of this advice for getting around, staying connected and capturing memories.

Stay connected with Wi-Fi

Going abroad? If you don’t have an international phone plan, you can still stay connected. Turn off your cellular data and keep your phone in airplane mode.

By Natalie Albers Company News

16 Mar: Shenanigans Sink Your Smartphone? Here Are Tips For Drying It Out

If you find your festive self in a bit of mischief this St. Patrick’s Day and your smartphone ends up in a pint (or pitcher) of beer, worry not.

Best Buy’s Geek Squad Agents have seen all types of tech shenanigans, and they have some handy tips for drying out your liquid-logged device. Consider the advice below so you can get back to enjoying your green beer, taking your orange-bearded selfies and dancing to your favorite Celtic tunes.

So if your gadget took a swim.

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