WHEN TO REPAIR OR REPLACE AN OLD GADGET
Nowadays as the features of gadgets are getting better, gadget prices are going lower. When inflation and boosted capability are factored in, today’s gadget prices would really come out cheaper. That’s both a good thing and a bad thing – as it also tends to encourage people to unnecessarily change phones more frequently.
Apple’s new iPhone is getting bigger and better. Samsung’s latest flagship phone sports sleek and sexy curves. But the new breed of gadgets coming out – loaded with all the latest and greatest features – may not be reason enough to get a new device right away. Even if a handset is already a few years old, has some scratches on it or has a floundering battery life, it might just be simple waste of money to buy a new one instead of simply repairing the old one.
True, it’s not always easy deciding. It’s a difficult process sifting between reason and emotion, between a need and a want. The following ideas from www. usatoday.com will help:
REPAIR –
• If you just want the next big thing for no good reason. If your device is perfectly functional, and maybe even looking good, do your best to resist the urge. This is especially true if money is tight and your phone is less than three years old. Try picking up a snazzy new case instead, to give your gadget a new look.
• If you ran out of storage. If you’re out of room on your phone to store music, apps, and videos, try picking up a larger storage card if there’s a slot for one on your device. Or move the stuff you don’t use very often onto your computer for safekeeping. This will give you more room while saving you the money you’d spend on an entirely new device.
• If the screen is cracked. One in 10 people are walking around with cracked smartphones right now. If you like your phone but can’t deal with a broken screen, check out a cell repair shop and ask how much it will cost to get your gadget back in tiptop shape. Replacing screens should not cost much; it’s sure to be a lot cheaper than buying a whole new phone.
• If you still don’t know how to use it. If your main issue with your smartphone is that you just have no idea how to do anything more with it than answer the phone, send a text, and take an occasional selfie, your local cell phone store is a great place to get a little hands-on help. If you’re an iPhone user, Apple’s own retail shops host regular classes to make sure you can get the most out of your gadgets.
• If you really, really still don’t know how to use it no matter how much you tried. If your phone or tablet is really overly complicated or simply too much of a hassle to operate, you could find a new device that fits your needs and your lifestyle far better. Whether it’s a brand new iPhone, amped-up Android, or even a pictureperfect Windows phone, there’s definitely the right device out there for you.
• If dust flies when it rings. If your device is so old that you have to flip it open in order to use it, you need an upgrade. Things have changed a lot in the past five years or so, and if your phone is older than a first-grader, you deserve a new device!
• If you literally can’t use it anymore. If your phone is so broken that you can no longer even use it as a phone, it has outdone its usefulness. Things like a completely busted display – and not just the glass, but the entire screen – or extensive water damage, shattered camera lens, or broken internals that keep it from functioning in even the most basic way warrant giving the device its final rest. But first check with a phone repair shop – if repairing it would cost almost as much as simply replacing it, go ahead and upgrade, simply because you’ll likely get a new warranty against further damage.
• If you’re due for an upgrade. If it’s cheaper to replace it than to repair it, there’s really no good reason to hang on to your old phone no matter how faithful it’s been to you. If you have an iPhone or iPad, be sure to check out an accredited dealer and you might find that they’ll buy your busted or old device to cover a fraction of the price of a new one.
It’s important to thoroughly weigh out the matter – whether to repair or replace an old gadget. A good old phone has the advantage of its owner being already so familiar with it. But it may also have the disadvantage of not having the features that are already standard with the current breeds of phones, especially those that really add to the quality of life of its user.