Gadgets these days don’t come cheap, so when one of them stops working, not only is is frustrating, it could be expensive to replace. CNN put together a great article on how you can extend the life of some of your gadgets, and I thought parts of it were definitely worth highlighting here. You can read the entire article from CNN here. So how can you extend the life of your gadgets?
–Extend the life of your iPod–
One of the easiest things that you can do to extend the life of your iPod is to buy a protective hard rubber case because iPods are so small and easy to drop. Sure it may not break the first time it tumbles to the ground, but it’s possible. Another suggestion is to simply run down your battery about once a month before you recharge it - this will help the battery last as long as possible.
–Extend the life of your Cell Phone–
Like iPods, it’s not a bad idea to let your battery drain completely a couple times a week. Some of you are probably used to just putting your phone on the charger every night, even if the phone isn’t in need of charging. Letting the battery drain a few times will allow the battery to work more efficiently. A protective case or cover for your cell phone isn’t a bad idea either. How many of you drop your phones on a regular basis?
–Extend the life of your Flat-Screen TV–
Did you know that the average life-span of a flat-screen TV is ten years? One of the best things you can do for your TV is to keep your hands off of it! According to a TV salesman at Best Buy, putting your fingers on the screen can cause some of the pixels to burnout which of course, isn’t good. Another suggestion is to just use a soft cloth to clean the TV and avoid using glass cleaner or other spray cleaners.
–Extend the life of your DVD Player–
This may come as a surprise, but the average life of a DVD player is only about four to five years which really isn’t very long. If you want to get as many years as possible out of your DVD player, make sure that it’s got room to breath. Shoving it in the smallest compartment or slot on your TV stand doesn’t help … keep it cool! If you decide to move it from one room to another to use, be sure that you turn it off before you unplug it or move it. The less it moves, the better, so try to keep it in just one room.
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Your note about letting the DVD player breathe actually applies to all electronic devices. Electronics, especially transistors and IC chips don’t like to be hot, so providing them with proper cooling is important to extend their life. I’m sure the statistics vary for type of semiconductor, but their lifespan is inversely proportional to operating temperature. So the warmer it is, the shorter it’ll last. Translation: keep the iPod out of your pants pocket when you’re listening to tunes.
That is true, and people who stuff desktop computers in a small confined space should also be aware of these consequences. I’ve seen people stick a desktop in an enclosed cabinet before with virtually no ventilation in the back. And they wondered why their computer ran so loud…because the fan was always on high!
“Like iPods, it’s not a bad idea to let your battery drain completely a couple times a week. Some of you are probably used to just putting your phone on the charger every night, even if the phone isn’t in need of charging. Letting the battery drain a few times will allow the battery to work more efficiently.”
This is not true for all types of batteries! Lithium ion batteries not not have a “memory” effect, so you would actually be decreasing your battery life by doing this.
I’ll do that once monthly battery drain iPod tip for my Zune. The Zune’s too big to get a rubber case, though.
Technically that’s true, but the batteries will only last for a limited number of recharges. If you try to drain the battery every time it will last longer since you’re not charging it as much.
iPod’s aren’t the only mp3 player. What about the Creative Zen? It’s better quality because it’s made in Malaysia, not China and therfore last’s longer than the iPod.
Just like DVD players & Cell Phones their are several mp3 players on the market. So, you should say Extend the Life of your mp3 player.
flat screen televisions can be lcd, plasma, or tube televisions. i dont think it would hurt a tube tv to touch the screen. it’s just glass.
it’s not a good idea to touch the screen of a flat panel television without some kind of protection.
Yeah, it’s kind of annoying when people think of iPod as the only mp3 players. I’m guessing that’s how it was written at CNN, though.
Looks like iPod is joining the club w/ Jacuzzi, Frisbee…
I don’t think that I’ve actually thought about all of the brands and products that have become so generalized, well, other than Photoshop.