The Gadgets Page

I’ve seen you do it. Maybe you own a cellphone, but you really only use it to make calls. When people call you, your voice mailbox hasn’t been set up and even if it was, you wouldn’t listen to the messages.

Or maybe you use a computer at work. You do exactly what you were trained to do with the computer and have a list of buttons to push in a little notebook on your desk. It’s like a book of incantations that make the computer go. When someone suggests something different that you could do using the computer you already have, you go pale.

Are you one of those people? Do you let gadgets intimidate you? Are you still in your incantation phase? Here are some tips on how to get past it and become more gadget-saavy.

• Read the instruction manual: I know that instruction manuals are written as if the author hates you, but struggle through it. Usually, there is barely enough information to figure things out. Think of your instruction manual as a guide. It doesn’t want to ruin the story for you. It just wants to give you enough clues to get you discovering the intricacies of your gadget on your own.

• You can’t break it: Okay, I lied. You CAN break it, but you pretty much have to drop, throw or stomp on it to break it. Pushing buttons NEVER breaks it. I know it seemed like you broke it before, but you didn’t. Sure, you can push the wrong buttons and get to a weird screen that you’ve never been to before, but breathe deeply and figure out how to get out of that screen.

• Play with it: I know your computer is there to balance your checkbook and read email, but that doesn’t mean you can’t play with it as well. Every gadget has some really fun feature that you would absolutely love if you just knew it existed. Maybe it’s the macro feature on your camera that lets you take pictures of bugs up close and personal. Maybe it’s the instant messaging on your phone that lets you send snarky comments to your buddy across the room. Maybe it’s the solitaire game already installed on your computer. Whatever it is, you’ll never get to enjoy it unless you do a little exploring and play with your gadget.

• Ask a guru: You know who I’m talking about. There are always gurus in your life. They’re the people who you bug when you think you’ve broken something. If you ask them to show you something cool, they will be a lot less bugged. Don’t ask them to do it for you. Ask them to tell you how to do it yourself. They will open right up for you and tell you all the nifty features you never knew your gadget had.

Your gadgets were made to be used. Not using them not only cheats the gadgets out of their totally cool factor, but cheats you out of some of the features that you have purchased. You wouldn’t buy a stove and only use it to bake cookies? Heck no! There’s a whole world of Ramen noodles, pot roasts and homemade bread out there to be made. Just like you use your stove to the fullest, make sure you use your other gadgets for what they were destined.

Don’t let anything intimidate you, especially an inanimate object. You deserve to master all of your gadgets!

Like this story? Digg It!