And thanks to the past holiday season, it also brings new gadgets to tinker with. Before you start getting all excited to use your new toys, sit back and take note of the things you should keep in mind so that you can totally enjoy your techie treats.

Getting started with a new digital camera

I come from a family where almost every single member has their own camera. It varies from the handy and bag friendly point-and-shoot variety, a prosumer aka the "poor man’s SLR", or a digital SLR. So you could imagine when everyone gets together and has a group photo, five or more cameras get whipped out to take a shot of the same group!

Whether you’re a photo "newbie" or a seasoned shutterbug, there’s more to getting the most out of your new camera than just knowing how to take a photo.

Before you get going, take time to get acquainted with your new pixel-producing friend. When it comes to cool technology, it’s hard to beat a digital camera. With a digital camera you can preview pictures right after shooting them. You can drop them in an email and share them with friends and family. Editing them on your computer is so easy you may decide you actually share a gene pool with Raymund Isaac, Jun de Leon, Herb Ritts, or Patrick Demarchilier.

Before you embark on your first glorious photographic outing with your camera, make sure you and your equipment get started on the right foot.

Your camera probably came with way more buttons and settings than you care to know about. Photography should be fun so don’t be scared silly about learning how everything works. On your free time, push all the buttons and review the instructions in your user guide. You don’t want to miss out on a photo op moment figuring out how to use your camera when it’s time to take pictures.

Getting your photos onto your computer is half of the fun of having a digital camera. From your computer, you can edit and e-mail photos as well as store and organize them. Don’t wait until you return from your vacation to figure out how to transfer your image files from your camera to your PC (usually via the cable that comes with your camera). Make sure to install the programs that are in the Installer CD that supposedly comes with your new camera. As soon as you plug in your camera to your computer using the cable provided, it should be able to detect it and will prompt you what to do next.

Digital cameras store pictures on a memory card, a small chip that you can easily insert and remove from your camera. New cameras typically come with small memory cards that don’t hold many photos. Figure out what kind of memory card your camera uses and then upgrade to a 1 gigabyte (GB) card. Having a backup card available in your camera case is a good idea.

If digital photography is new or mysterious to you, find a class, book or Web site that teaches the basic terms and concepts. For instance, it really helps to understand stuff such as pixels (the smallest part of a digital image) and resolution (the number of pixels in an image). Resolution will affect the overall quality and amount of detail in your image. It will also affect how much camera memory each image consumes.

Finally, if you want your new camera to produce good pictures, become a good photographer. Seek out some advice about how to take better photos. Digital photography is no different than any other type of photography when it comes to capturing the subject. A little attention to composition, lighting and foreground and background can make a huge difference in how your images turn out.

Getting started with a new mobile phone

Finally, a brand new cell phone! You get to replace that old clunker you’ve been carrying around with something sleek and shiny and loaded with all the latest features.

Okay, how long should a brand new cell phone be charged? Almost every recipient of a new mobile device tends to ask that. The answer? consult your user’s manual and follow the instructions. Generally a cell phone battery should have 300 to 400 charges in it, so if you charge yours every day you could need a new one a year from now. What I normally do is max out the factory charge that the battery already has, then charge it once it gets totally zonked out.

Transferring contacts can be an endeavor but only if you don’t know how to go about it. Most Nokia phones have a Transfer Data feature that allows you to transfer every single contact, music file, photo, message, calendar note, or reminder to your new mobile device. All you do is turn on the Bluetooth (best read the manual of your new phone if you’re not familiar with this) of both mobile phones, press Transfer Data (its under Settings) then follow the instructions. It’s easy as pie. If your phone doesn’t have that nifty feature, you can try syncing your old phone with your computer and transferring your what-have-yous via cable. If you don’t have that, then you’d have to do it manually. No pain, no gain!

To keep your new cell phone in tip-top shape, avoid exposing it to extreme heat and be sure to keep it dry. Any kind of moisture is bad news for a cell phone. Dropping it can also cause damage, both internal and external. If you tend to be reckless with your belongings, slip it in a protective pouch or if you’re a phone thief magnet, have it insured.

Knowing the different features of your new tech toys will bring loads of fun, laughter, and enjoyment for you and your loved ones. Being able to take care of them too will guarantee that they’ll be with you in all the 365 days of the year.

Email the author at techiepen@gmail.com