Electronics
Too Many Remotes
One of my five basic organizing principles, as you may already know, is “Store things where you use them.” As a result, I was keeping my remotes neatly lined up in the same place where I keep the devices that they work with: the cable box, the TV, the DVD player, and the Apple TV device. I bring the appropriate remote(s) over to the sofa when I’m watching something, and then when I’m done, I put them back in that spot.
Recently, I was tending to something else that I keep near that space, and I noticed that some of the remotes were dusty. It was then that I realized that I only regularly use two of the four remotes: for the cable box and the Apple TV device. I never use the TV remote anymore because the cable remote includes all the basic functions that I need to control the TV, and I use the Apple TV device for streaming rather then turning on the smart functions of my TV. As for the DVD player, it rarely gets used.
I dusted the two unused remotes and then checked them to make sure the batteries still worked. One of them needed new batteries and I replaced them. Then I put those two remotes in the cabinet right underneath the TV and its peripherals. If I need either of them, I can get to them easily.
Now that spot looks a little bit neater with only the two frequently-used remotes lined up next to my TV and devices. It’s a small change, but it reduces visual clutter (and dust!)
When It’s Time to Upgrade
I’m not the kind of person who needs to have the latest, greatest electronics. It’s more my style to hold onto something for as long as possible. I have to have a really good reason to upgrade my device. But sometimes the device tells you when it’s time to be upgraded.
I bought an iPad Pro in 2018. I was about to start a 3-year term on the national Board of Directors of my professional association, NAPO. Since I use a desktop computer, I couldn’t bring along a laptop to the multi-day meeting. I decided that an Pad Pro would be a good substitute, and a lot lighter, too.
Once I had the iPad Pro, I found that there were a lot of other things I could do with it in between board meetings. For example, I had been reading books on a Kindle since late 2011. However, the iPad Pro had a Kindle app that was smoother than the clunky Kindle interface. In 2020, when the pandemic prohibited in-person visits, my personal trainer and I started meeting via FaceTime. We have continued to do our workouts via FaceTime, since he never moved back to New York City.
It was FaceTime that first alerted me that it was time to upgrade, although I didn’t realize that this is what my iPad was telling me. Suddenly, FaceTime didn’t work anymore. I did some internet searches to troubleshoot it, and I tried everything that was recommended. I put hours into trying to get it functional again.
Finally, I admitted defeat and took my iPad to the Geek Squad at Best Buy. The tech expert told me that my iPad was running an older operating system and that’s why Apple wouldn’t allow it to connect to its server to run FaceTime. I was puzzled, as I always kept my iOS and my apps up to date. He explained that my 8-year old iPad was not capable of running a higher operating system.
I saw the handwriting on the wall and went to the Apple Store the next day. I bought an iPad (not even an iPad Pro) and I’m amazed at how great it is. First of all, the camera on this device is fantastic. The quality of the picture and the wide angle of the lens have greatly improved my communication with my trainer. Second, the Kindle app displays so much more of my book than the old iPad did, even though the devices are about the same size. Third, the new one actually remembers my fingerprint, which the old one had stopped doing.
I had a similar experience last year when I bought a new Apple TV box. I bought my first Apple TV box in 2013. It was a great interface for streaming. But over time, the channels I liked started disappearing from my device. I did some research on the newest generation of Apple TVs and decided that I needed to upgrade. Once I had it set up, I was kicking myself for not doing it sooner. The new box is so much easier to use, as is the remote. I held on to that old one for 12 years, which is probably a few years too long.
The guy at Best Buy told me that 6 years is a good time to think about upgrading a device. In retrospect, I realized that I’ve upgraded my iPhone every 4-6 years. Because the iPhone is in my hand every day, doing a lot of different functions, I’m more aware of when it could be doing a better job.
After replacing my iPad, I took my old iPad Pro, an even older iPad Mini from 2013, my Kindle from 2011, and my husband’s recently replaced Apple Watch over to Staples for electronic recycling. I reset them all to factory settings first. I also was able to recycle a bunch of cables that I no longer need.
Here’s an amusing coda to this story. The day after I took the bag of e-waste over to Staples, I got an e-mail from Amazon saying “we are discontinuing support for Kindle devices released in 2012 or earlier.” In other words, the Kindle I just recycled was about to become obsolete anyway.
Locating Electrical Outlets More Conveniently
A couple of weeks ago, I was in my spare bedroom plugging in my electric Chanukah menorah and cursing the inconvenient placement of the electrical outlet nearest to the window. To be more precise, I was cursing the placement of a heavy bed right in front of this outlet. I had to crawl on the floor to get behind the bed to plug in an extension cord. And I knew that 8 days later, I would have to do the same crawl to unplug it.
When my daughter lived in that room, we had a power strip emerging from behind the bed, providing the juice for all of her devices as well as a clock radio and bedside lamp. After she moved out, we turned the room into my husband’s home office and we moved the power strip over to his desk (another piece of furniture that blocks an outlet!) Since we don’t usually plug in anything over there anymore except for a lamp, it hasn’t been an issue until now.
Not long after, I got an email from one of my favorite websites, Wirecutter. This is a site run by the New York Times to test all sorts of products and weigh in on their favorites. This particular email included a product that was exactly what I needed: an Electrical Outlet Extender by EZ Outlet. It has a rotating plug so that it can go into outlets of any orientation, as well as a 22-inch wand (which can extend up to 34 inches) to allow you position the outlet wherever it’s most convenient. Command-like strips are provided to adhere the new outlet to the wall.
This photo shows you the new outlet positioned on the wall. It is now very convenient to plug something into that outlet. No moving of heavy furniture is required.
In addition to the two electrical outlets, the outlet extender comes with two USB outlets on one edge: a USB-A and a USB-C. Unfortunately, because of where I needed to position it, the USB outlets are on the bottom and not easily accessible. However, if we have guests come to stay (it’s also our guest room), I volunteer to crawl on the floor and plug their cords into those USB outlets!
The Joy and Pain of a New Phone
When I got my iPhone 11 almost five years ago, it changed my life. It was not my first iPhone. I got my first in 2010, and I replaced it with a newer model in 2016.
But what changed my life when I got the iPhone 11 in January of 2020 was the larger screen. I had already switched over to e-books in 2012 and I had been carrying my Kindle around with me so that I could read when I was riding public transportation or waiting interminably in a doctor’s office. When I got the iPhone 11, however, the screen real estate was so much bigger than my previous iPhone. I started to use the Kindle app on the phone and leave the Kindle at home. This meant that I had my reading material with me all the time.
The downside of the larger screen was that the phone was larger and heavier than what I was used to. If I was carrying a small handbag instead of a backpack, it made the bag too heavy. I started carrying the phone in my coat pocket, but it didn’t always fit nicely. In 2023, I started using my phone to pay for my subway and bus rides, and then I carried it in my pocket all the time regardless of what handbag I was carrying.
The bulk was started to annoy me. I recently started wondering: do iPhones come any lighter and smaller than this one? I discovered that the new iPhones were coming out in September. I looked up the weight and length of my iPhone 11 and waited for the specs of the new phones to be made public.
My phone was 6.84 ounces and 5.94 inches long. When the iPhone 16 specs came out, I learned it was 6 ounces and 5.81 inches long. Would that 7/8 of an ounce really feel different?
I’m now the proud owner of an iPhone 16 in bubble gum pink! And yes, the weight and size really do make a difference. I’m so delighted with my smaller, lighter phone.
What did I do to prepare for switching to a new phone? I made sure that the phone was backed up to my computer via iTunes. I knew that this would enable me to easily set up the new phone once I brought it home.
Before I backed it up, I looked at all the apps on my phone and deleted the ones that I wasn’t using. I also rearranged the layout and grouped some of the apps together into folders to cut down on the visual clutter.
When I went to the AT&T Store to buy my new phone, I learned that the phone uses a USB-C cable instead of a lightning cable. Apple no longer supplies the power adapter that plugs into the wall. They just supply the cable. The salesman selected a USB-C power adapter for me as part of my package.
Once I got home with my beautiful new, streamlined phone, I went to connect the new cable to my PC to set up the phone. I realized that the cable that came with the phone was USB-C on both ends, but my computer has no USB-C ports, only USB. Yikes!
I took my dog for a walk and we went straight to Best Buy three blocks away. I came home with a happy dog and a USB-C to USB cable. I plugged in the new cable, connected it to my new phone, and started the setup process. It was so easy!
Once the setup was done, I streamlined my apps even more. I now have all of my most frequently used apps on the first screen, and everything else on the second screen.
So what did I do with my old iPhone and the related paraphernalia? I’m happy to say that the AT&T Store took my phone as a trade-in and gave me a nice discount on the new phone. As for the paraphernalia, I listed my phone case and my extra screen protectors on Buy Nothing. Those are now in the hands of other iPhone 11 users.
I also reviewed my plethora of cables and plugs to see what I could get rid of. I can’t ditch all of my lightning cables because I still need them for my iPad. However, I was able to reduce what I have. I took some of the excess to Staples for recycling. (Just a reminder: you can take electronic waste to Staples and Best Buy anytime.)
I also followed one of my best practices and labeled my new plug and cable so that I can easily pick it out of the drawer. I spend way too much time helping clients figure out what cables go with what device and what can be discarded. I used a labeler, but you can easily use masking tape or scotch tape to label yours.
Label Your Cables
Last time, I wrote about how to identify different types of cables so that you can get rid of any cables you don’t need and downsize what you have too much of. (See You Have Too Many Cables.) This time, I want to write about how to prevent the madness so that you don’t have too many cables in the future.
When you get a new device, take a few minutes to label the cables. If the plug is large enough, you can put the label on the plug. If the plug is too small, then put the label around the cable itself just before it runs into the plug. If the cable and plug are detachable, then I recommend labeling both items.
Even if you don’t have a labeler (like the Brother P-Touch that I own), you can use a sharpie with masking tape or colored tape. If doesn’t have to be fancy, it just needs to be legible. If I am labeling the cable itself (not the plug), I wrap the tape around the cable just once so that it looks like a flag, and I label it on both sides.
This method will clearly reduce cable confusion in the future. But it can also help you out right away. I’m guessing that most of the time, you are plugging your cables into a power strip. (We have too many devices to devote an entire outlet to each one.) It can be confusing to look at a power strip full of plugs and know which device is which. Labeling your cables will enable you to better manage your power strips so that you don’t have to unplug every cable if you want to remove something.
And if you stop keeping this device plugged in permanently, having a labeled cable will ensure that this cable doesn’t end up in the Mystery Cables box!