Things You Should Do When You Buy a New Smartphone

At one point in time we get to buy a new smartphone, these smartphones are not like the phones we use back in the day when we only receive calls and send text messages. Smartphones do much more and therefore what you do to when purchase a 21 century smartphone is quite different from that of the old time phone.

Let say you got a new Blackberry smartphone or an Android or Apple smartphone, there are lists of things you should consider doing immediately. Some of these things will be a life saver at some point in the near future especially in an era where phone theft is a huge business for some people. Below, I have highlighted these things that we sometime take for granted and overlook until something happens to the smartphone. These things that one must do are quite easy and sensible if you look at it.

THINGS YOU SHOULD DO WHEN YOU BUY A NEW SMARTPHONE

1. First thing first is to setup your device as new and input the email address you want to associate with the device. Choose the email that you use most frequently use and make sure its well secured. 

2. Next is to open an account that will allow you download and install apps on your smartphone. For Android device users, you will definitely need a Google account setup on the device, without a Google account, you won't be able to download anything from Google Play Store.

For Apple device users, you will need to create Apple account and the same goes for Blackberry and Windows Phone device users.

3. Next step is to connect your device to  your computer and sync with a desktop manager. This will help register your device as personal as it can be. For example, Apple devices uses iTunes to manage their devices, Blackberry uses Blackberry Desktop Manager. With this, you would familiarize yourself with the way to backup, transfer between device and computer. Also, if you have contacts from Outlook, it will be easy to import instead of having to re-transfer all contacts from your current phone. Backing up your contacts locally can't be overstressed and its more secured than backing up in the cloud.

4. Once you have done the things listed above, the next thing is to install certain apps. The first on the list is a tracking and security apps. For users of Apple devices, Find My iPhone is a good one, not the best though. For users of Blackberry devices, Blackberry Protect should be installed. If you have an Android device, Androidlost should be installed. 

All these tracking apps are free and do their best to help get your device back in case it was stolen or lost.

5. Now, you can start installing other applications as you need them. 

6. I know its customary for some people to throw away the pack of their smartphone and lose their purchase receipt after unboxing. However, i would suggest that you do not throw it away as it contains information like your IMEI and a proof of ownership. This will come in handy if you need to totally block a device that has been stolen. With your IMEI number, you can request your network carrier to place a ban on the device so that it becomes unusable in the country. This is very important.

There it is folks, this list may not be enough but it should suffice for now. 
If there are other things you want me to add to the list, please feel free to suggest it.

*All these apps can be downloaded from the web mostly from different preloaded App Store app on the smartphone.

Must Have Apps For Blackberry Phones

Though the Blackberry device doesn't have as much apps in the App World compared to Apple App Store and the Google App store, yet there are some great applications that are worthy to be mentioned.
It's so annoying that if not all then most RIM devices do not give you the opportunity to capture screen or take screen shots.
Many smartphones already have that feature embedded in them except of course if one is to call Blackberry phones a semi smartphone; although that is about to change come January 30th.

In other for Blackberry phones users to take something as trivial as screen shots, an app have to be downloaded to make that happen.
One the most popular screen shot app used by a lot of Blackberry users is the Screen Muncher.
I used it once and I didn't like it at all.
I hate the crunching sound it makes and the watermark it places on the image with reduced image quality.
Consequently, I decided to look more into similar apps that are silent, doesn't include watermark and gets the job done excellently. This makes me discover a lot of must have apps for Blackberry users even in the App World.
Have made a list below for you to know them and give them a try.

1. Screen Shot Capture Pro
This little app 78.6kb in size does exactly what it's suppose to do. It captures the screen without any irritating sound or watermark. It just captures your screen and save it a folder called Screenshot. The image quality is high and not reduced at all as you can see from the image below.
 
2. Contacts To Excel
This application gives away its function just by its name.
It exports all your contacts to excel format and make a back of them for you. this way you can view and transfer your contacts freely even to another Blackberry device  or smartphone if so please.This is particularly of use to those that don't have Blackberry Protect to help backup their contacts.

3. Social Lock
This should interest a lot of people. Have you ever wished to lock your BBM without locking your phone altogether in other to reduce access to your bbm messages? Then this app is for you. This little app help you create a lock for all your social applications like Twitter, Facebook and of course Blackberry Messenger.
Once installed, your social apps can be configured with a lock code.
Chat Lock: Lock for BBM does the same thing and also very useful.

4. Pattern Lock For Blackberry
I know some of you peeps would have at one time envied the Android device users due to the way they unlock their phones with pattern unlocking methods.

Well, owners of touch screen Blackberry devices can benefit from this kind of unlocking method.
All you have to do is download this application and you are good to go.

5. Fancy Fonts Free
Wish to spice up the way the fonts of your text look a little bit? then this app is for you. It allows you to install fonts into your device text look beautiful and nice.