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How To Make New Technology Work For You

Posted on Friday, 4th December 2009 by Frank

How To Make New Technology Work For You

A common problem that occurs with new technologies is the consumer getting use to operating that product. However, for some it may take a long time to adjust to using a new phone, operating the dashboard of a new car, or a new computer. Just when that individual learns the ins and outs of how that technology works, a new version or a completely better product is released to the market. Two questions can be raised here, are companies releasing new products too quickly or is technology evolving at a rate that we as people have to adapt. Well, it is a combination of both. You can’t stop innovation and the way you are use to using a car dashboard 10 years ago will not be the same today or 10 years in the future. Then next issue at hand is – how do I make these new technologies work for me? It can be a challenging question to answer, but here’s the method I have taken to adjust to the evolving world of technology.

1. First you need to assess while you are in the store looking for a new phone for example, is this product necessary or meeting my needs? The biggest mistake one can make when looking at new technology is being suckered in to the buying patterns of others. Many people buy that new iPhone just because the rest of the world is doing it. You must refrain from that if you expect technology to work for you. That’s not to say that you don’t have the ability to learn the workings of an iPhone, but if you have been using an old school flip phone for 10 years and you haven’t purchased a phone with more capabilities built in, jumping to an iPhone is going to be your best bet. It’s best to upgrade slowly and it levels. This way you slowly adjust to the technology and at the same time become use to something you never handled before. This is the biggest step in how technology will work for you.

2. Technology working for you essentially should mean that you can handle the product. If you feel that the product you are using is at your tech learning level, then buy all means by it. However, the biggest mistake I see day in and day out is people being influenced by what others buy. There’s an old saying, “worry about yourself.” What others are doing is not important when you are not use to advanced technology. You need to take one step at a time. You need to learn to walk before you run!

3. Test before you buy! I can’t stress this enough. If you ever expect to adjust to the changing times of technology you have to test the product. Yes, that means get off the couch, get into your 1996 Toyota Station Wagon and drive to the place that has this new technology that you are interested in. Don’t take the easy way out and just because you are right in front of your computer, run to a site like Amazon and buy the product without ever having the opportunity to handle it. Buying new technology is an investment and we all no technology isn’t perfect all the time. There can be issues with it you didn’t expect or you not understand the full functions. Testing the product in a store also enables you to do the most important thing – ASK QUESTIONS? Trust me, this is probably a very common issue for a lot of you. You run into a store, you see the product you want, never having used it before, run home and can’t figure out how it works. I know you don’t want to call customer service or tech support and wait on hold for hours to learn how it works. So, my advice take your time when investing in technology!

4. Don’t give up in learning. Learning something new makes you grow and a problem people have when they buy a new computer, let’s say is this – “I can’t figure this out, it’s too hard, I’m not doing this, let’s return it.” I know you have said something along those lines before. It’s alright, all of us have, but then you just let a product…a non-living thing with no brain beat you. First off, by quitting like this, you show that you don’t want to better yourself and learn and you don’t want to make the technology work for you. Regardless of the computer brand or make…they all work essentially the same way. The question is, will you put in the time to learn it? Everyone just wants things to work by snapping there fingers. News flash, this isn’t how the world or life works, sorry to say! When you invest time and money into something and you achieve your goal, learn how it works…you better yourself as a person and become more acclimated to use other technologies.

5. The technology you are interested in has to associate in some manner with your personality. Don’t tell me that you are too old either to learn a technology and you don’t have the patience. That’s just about the most pathetic excuse I have ever heard. I have the support to back that up because my grandmother who has never handled technology as advanced as today is operating a computer all by herself and learning as she goes! That’s how you make technology work and prevent it from working you. (Excuse the little pun at the end there!) If you buy something and it doesn’t get you excited to use it or reflect who you are, you won’t be happy with the product. Again, don’t just buy something because everyone else is. You need to know you are going to like it and it’s something that becomes part of who you are. Did I rush out and get a Playstation 3 like a lot of people did? No, not at all, because it’s something that’s just not for me. People always say that for you to achieve something you need to own it and make it your own. Even if you didn’t create the new technology, it’s got to be something that expresses your passion. Without passion for something you aren’t going to get the most out of it. Once you realize this, new technology will have nothing on you and that is the wrap up with how you adjust and become a technology guru.

Now, I ask you. Do you know how understand how to make technology work for you? Do you feel more confident to get out there and learn something new? Do any of these points covered depict a situation you have had in your life? Please share them with us so we all can continue to grow as people and grow in this technology based world.

Further reading:

Why Do People Need Tech Help?

10 Tips For Interacting With Social Networks And Technology

Is Technology Reaching All Generations?

The Future Of Technology

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