If you're like me that you're guilty of leaving your laptop and other technology devices in your car? It's convenient if you carry a lot of tech gear, but it's not good to do it on a cold winter day. You may not realize it, but freezing temps can be just as dangerous to gadgets - if not more so - as the Summer heat. The safe range for tech devices is 50° to 95° Fahrenheit or 10° to 35° Celsius. The winter months regularly dip way below that temperature range. Want to keep your devices warm and in top shape all winter long? Follow these 6 awesome tips.
1. Back up your data regularly. Data lost from a hard drive doesn’t have to mean data lost forever. Plan ahead, take precautions to avoid exposure to extremely cold temperatures, and keep your devices dry.
2. Keep them out of the trunk. Don't leave your laptops, cell phones, and tablets out of the trunk for extended periods during cold days to prevent damage to screens and to keep your hard drive from freezing. . If you absolutely must leave your gear in your car in freezing temps, treat it like a child and wrap it up in layers.
3. Turn them off. Smartphones stop working around -40°F, and some at even warmer temperatures. Even moderately cold winter temperatures can make your phone or device run sluggish. Be sure to power down all the way to keep your data safe rather than just letting them go into sleep mode.
4. Warm-up before booting up. When you bring your devices from the cold, let it warm up to room temps slowly before turning them on. This will prevent condensation and dew, which can ruin your computer's sensitive guts.
5. Carry a charger. Cold weather sucks the life out of your batteries, so be sure to carry extra chargers in your car for emergencies.
6. Get a Protective Case. Cold weather means screens and internal components become more brittle and fragile. Dropping your device could be even more dangerous in the winter than at other times of the year.
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Want to ask me a tech question? Send it to burton@callintegralnow.com. I love technology. I've read all of the manuals and I'm serious about making technology fun and easy to use for everyone.
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Hide it. Lock it. Keep it! 🦇