As Christmas is nearly upon us we got together with our good friends at the Geek Squad to compile a list of the top 10 most-wanted gadgets for this Christmas and the geeks have kindly given each gadget a couple of tips and tricks to get the most out of your new toys.
1. Apple iPhone 3G
Sluggish or Frozen Phone?
Perform a hard reset by holding down the Home key and Power button together for 10 seconds.
Don’t Pay for Ringtones
Use Garageband on an Apple Mac to create your own. Press the Cycle Region button to choose a song, then go to Share in the main menu and choose “Send Ringtone to iTunes”.
2. Asus Eee
Beware Limited Memory
Purchase a SD memory card to store your files.
Easy Internet.
Maximise the limited screen by pressing F11 – this will put it into full screen mode.
3. TomTom Go 540
Don’t Delay The Download
Connect your TomTom to your computer via TomTom Home within 30 days of purchase to download the latest map for free.
4. PlayStation 3
Jump The Games Queue
The PS3 has no regional protection on games, so if you want to play the latest launch early purchase the USA or Japanese version.
Simple Upscale
When watching a DVD on the PS3 with a HDTV, press Triangle and select
AV settings, there will be an option to perform a full HD upscale of the
DVD.
5. Xbox 360
Simple Shutdown
Turn off the wireless controller or console by holding down the silver button in the middle of the control pad.
6. Wii
Wii for Free
Access thousands of FREE online Adobe Flash based games using the internet web browser on your Wii. Check wiicade.com.
7. Blackberry Storm
Fast keyboard access
Place your finger at the bottom of the screen and swiping up to reveal the keyboard. Place your finger on any top row key and swipe down to hide. This avoids having to go through the menu option.
Maximize your screen
A quick tap (not click) on the screen while in the web browser activates full screen mode and hides the toolbar.
8. G1 Google phone
Extra Storage
Maximize storage memory by clearing out your Browser and Streetview cache. (Settings – Applications – Manage Applications – Browser – Clear Data – Streetview – Clear Data)
Instant Image Save
To save a picture from the internet, press and hold on the image for 3 seconds, or select it with the trackball and save via the pop up menu.
9. HD TV
Work from home
Check your HDTV for a PC monitor input, either labeled PC or RGB and plug in your lap top to create a giant PC monitor.
Contrast comparison
Always try and aim to get the highest contrast ratio possible to ensure a clear image
10. Amazon’s new e-book; the Kindle
Time to Read
Press Alt-T while on the Home screen or reading a book to display the time.
Time to play
On the Home screen press Shift Alt-M, to start playing a copy of the Minesweeper game.