It’s easy to get frustrated when trying to use aging devices, including desktops, laptops, smartphones, and tablets — whether for work or leisure purposes. However, contrary to what you might think at first, the answer to this dilemma isn’t necessarily buying all-new equipment.
Through eking more life out of your existing devices, you can save money and even benefit the planet. According to one statistic shared by nonprofit organization Post Carbon Institute program Resilience, making a computer last longer can save up to 20 times more energy than recycling it.
1. Take care of your Computer
You could be pleasantly surprised by the extent to which lots of little things on the maintenance front can add up to, well, big things.
When it comes to making a computer stay functional and intact for as long as possible, every little helps. You should therefore be careful to protect the hardware from liquid spills and physical impacts as much as you can. Exposing a PC to excessive heat can be especially damaging.
2. Add more Storage
Of course, iPhones lack any kind of memory card slot. However, if you have an Android handset that is several years old, chances are that it would indeed allow you to insert a physical memory card and so add extra storage relatively easily and inexpensively.
Meanwhile, if your smartphone is an iPhone or Google Pixel device, you could sign up for a cloud storage plan, such as Apple iCloud or Google One.
3. Experiment with New Software
It’s possible that the real problem with your current devices isn’t the hardware itself but instead the software that you regularly use on it. For this reason, you might want to swap out some existing apps for new ones that would expand the functionality of these devices.
For example, you could give yourself the option of holding live events if you install webinar software. If the first question on your mind right now is “what is a webinar”, rest easy that a respectable purveyor of this software will be happy to provide you with a detailed answer.
4. Get a new Keyboard or Desk Stand
The objective here isn’t to improve the performance of the laptop itself but instead simply make it more comfortable to use. A desk stand can help you by enabling you to position your computer’s screen nearer to your eye level and so save yourself having to peer awkwardly down at this display.
Why, then, can a new keyboard help? Well, because it could be easier for you to use this rather than the laptop’s built-in keyboard if you will be using the above-mentioned stand as well.
5. Turn an Old TV into a Smart One
Popular Science explains: “If your aging television set has a HDMI port, you can instantly add some smarts to it by plugging in a streaming dongle.”
The website even recommends a few specific low-cost options — including the Amazon Fire TV Stick, Google’s Chromecast, and the Roku Streaming Stick+.
