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Tips for getting started with your new mobile gadget

If you are one of the lucky many to have received
a new tablet or smartphone over the holidays,
congratulations! You'll want to rip open the box
and start playing right away. But before you do
something potentially distracting like
downloading Dots, here are some starter tips to
make the most of your new device, whether it's an
iPad Mini, Nexus 5 smartphone or Kindle Fire
HDX.
Prevent heartbreak with security measures
Your new gadget is shiny and amazing and
already precious to you. So it might be hard to
imagine a dark day in the future when you are
careless enough to leave it in the airplane seat
pocket in front of you or unlucky enough to have
it stolen. Bad things will happen, but there are a
few steps you can take now to make it hurt a little
less down the line.
First, turn on the screen-lock setting which will
require a passcode or password (or fingerprint or
face recognition) every time you turn on the
phone or tablet. This is your number one defense
against someone accessing sensitive financial and
personal information if they find or steal your
device. It will also make it more difficult for them
to wipe it and erase any information you didn't
back up. Logging in every time will seem like a
slight inconvenience at first, but after a few days
you'll hardly notice you're doing it and the few
seconds will become a forgotten routine.
Next, download or activate any lost-device
location features so that you can track the physical
location of your tablet or phone if it is lost or
stolen. Apple products have Find my iPhone
installed by default, but you must connect your
device to an iCloud account. Android devices can
use the Android Device Manager.
Make a backup plan
Whether you end up using your tablet or
smartphones primarily for communication,
enjoying content like movies and books, or
creating original content like drawings and work
documents, you'll want to back up your device.
You can go through the default backup tools,
such as iCloud or iTunes on iOS 7 or the Backup
& Reset settings on Android. Third-party apps
can also come in handy, like Dropbox, Titanium
Backup or Carbon. When possible, use individual
apps that automatically sync anything you create
to the cloud.
Get a case
A new gadget's pristine screen and body are so
pretty to look at, so gloriously unscuffed and
unsullied. You may think it would be a shame to
hide its glory under some cheap plastic case.
You know what's worse? Living with a broken
and scratched device that cost hundreds of dollars.
It happens far too often. Just look around your
local coffee shop and count the number of people
working around a cracked screen, dragging their
bleeding or calloused fingers over fractured glass
held together with clear packaging tape.
If you're clumsy or have children or are prone to
the forces of gravity, consider buying a case.
Save money
The first bill on a new mobile device can be a
shocker when you easily breeze past your data
limit or rack up roaming charges. If your device is
on a cellular plan, take precautions and set a
mobile data warning or limit to prevent you from
going over. The option is under Settings -
>Wireless & Networks -> Data Usage on Android
devices.
If you're using an Apple device, you can monitor
how much data your device is eating up under
Settings -> Cellular -> System Services (at the
very bottom of the page). It groups data usage by
the type of service like Mapping Services and
Exchange Accounts. If you deduce a specific app
is sucking down the most data, you can revoke its
ability to use cellular data here too.
You can also install third-party apps to monitor
data usage, some of which break it down by
individual apps. Video and music streaming apps
are big data hogs, so make sure you're on a
wireless network before binge watching House of
Cards.
If texting or calling charges are a concern,
download calling and messaging apps that work
over WiFi like Skype, What's App and Viber.
Delete the junk
Fresh out of the box, many devices are set up to
favor their creators' or carriers' preferred apps.
The problem is especially bad with Android and
Windows phones sold through third-party
carriers, which like to preinstall all sorts of
bloatware.
Go through and delete any promotional or
unwanted apps right away. If you can't delete the
app on Android, you can probably disable it in
settings so that it is out of sight. Apple devices are
more conservative with preinstalled apps, but
there is a core group of iOS apps you can't
uninstall. If you really don't want to use them,
stash them away in a folder.
This is also the time to make some cosmetic
adjustments, like picking a new wallpaper and
organizing your apps, so that you don't have to
readjust to a new layout later. Prone to motion-
sickness? Switch off the parallax setting on iOS 7.
Download starter apps
While not junk, some of the default apps might
not be the best option for you. For example,
Apple's Maps app, while vastly improved over its
original buggy version, still isn't as good as
Google Maps, which can be downloaded from the
App Store (Google makes a number of must-have
apps for iOS 7). There are a host of weather,
calendar, note-taking, and camera alternatives to
test out before setting down with the defaults.
Hunting for and downloading new apps is the
most exciting part of a new gadget. Start with the
basics, like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. If
you're a news junkie, get the apps for your
favorite outlets, any local channels or
publications, and your favorite news aggregation
app. Keep yourself organized with Evernote, and
if you're part of a couple, download Avocado (if
not for the sweet private messaging stuff, than
because it's a handy way to coordinate to-do lists).
If you are a subscriber to any video or music
streaming services, download the mobile apps
(Netflix, Pandora, Amazon Instant, Hulu,
Spotify). If you've already started
anthropomorphizing your iPhone or iPad, just go
all the way and download Hatch.
Here are suggestions of apps for travelers, apps
for weathering storms and apps for staying
healthy.
If you have kids
You may start out telling yourself you won't let
the children play with your tablet or smartphone,
but it only takes one twitchy toddler in a nice
restaurant to kill that dream. If your device has
parental controls, set them up early to prevent any
unwanted app purchases, work emails or cryptic
Facebook postings.
If you are going to record a video
Make sure your device is horizontal. Vertically
shot movies are a plague that must be stopped.
If you're replacing an old tablet or phone
Don't forget to wipe your old device completely
before handing it down, selling it on Craigslist, or donating it to a local charity.

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