Five Popular Holiday Gift Problems And Solutions

Many people will be receiving gifts this holiday season as family and friends come together to celebrate all of life’s simple pleasures. But after presents have been unwrapped, holiday ham devoured, and eggnog downed at a feverish pace (don’t drink it all at once!), the grim reality of the holiday season eventually sets in– a lot of products have problems.

That new camera you received from grandma? Faulty lens. That Roku device you gave your kids? Can’t log in. And what about that iPhone 4s you purchased for dear ol’ dad? Low battery life. Problems and problems as far as the eye can see.

Luckily for you, FixYa always has the solution.

Below you will find a list of some of this season’s hottest holiday gifts. But most importantly, you will find the solutions to the biggest problems that these devices are experiencing.


iPhone (All Versions): Battery Life Problem

Apple’s iPhone introduced the world to a new and improved smart phone, but battery life has begun to pay the price. Many owners continue to have issues even after the 5.0.1 OS update for the 4s was released. As two Fixya Experts point out however, the iPhone’s battery life can be drastically improved with just a few easy steps.

By going into settings and turning off location tracking, disabling data fetch/notifications, reducing screen brightness, turning Bluetooth off, and employing over 20 other quick and simple fixes you will see your iPhone battery life increase in no time. The full record of tips and tricks can be found here. Give it a read and make sure your iPhone’s battery lasts as long as it was intended to.


Roku: Activation Issues

The Roku is a hot gift this year for good reason– it offers people the opportunity to stream online content on their televisions, enhancing and simplifying the entertainment experience. However, getting the device set up has been an issue for many people as the set up process is not as intuitive as it could be. Fortunately the issue isn’t a software or hardware problem. This means you’ll be watching Netflix on your TV in no time.

The fix, while simple, will save you a whole lot of time. As Expert Daniel Driver states, you will need to have access to a computer in order to complete the activation process. Plug in the Roku, follow the directions on screen, and go to roku.com/link once the link code is shown on your screen. From there you enter the code and *poof* it’s off to enjoy your brand new media player. Daniel’s meticulous step by step walkthrough of the entire Roku activation process can be found here.


Amazon Kindle: Screen Freeze & Internet Issues

The Amazon Kindle is the world’s most popular e-book reader that allows users to download and read e-books, newspapers, magazines, blogs, and other media by utilizing wireless connectivity. It’s a perfect gift for any friend or family member who enjoys reading on the go; unfortunately, it also comes with a multitude of issues that hamper the user experience, including internet issues and screen freezes.

FixYa’s experts chimed in on both of these issues with detailed explanations of how to solve them. If your Kindle screen freezes, holding down the power button for 20 seconds should do the trick (this is called a “soft reset”). For internet issues, there’s a couple ways to go about it. What you need to do first is try to log on to another wireless network. If you can get on to another network, it’s an issue with your internet. If you still cannot get onto another network, it’s an issue with your Kindle.

For issues with the Kindle, a hard reset seems to work (although we recommend calling Amazon before doing so). For wireless network issues, replacing your router or modem is usually the way to go.


Digital Cameras: Lens Error

Cameras are one of the most widely given gifts during the holidays because they are both fun and useful. Unfortunately, lens errors can put a damper on both of those things before the fun even begins. Whether you own a Canon, a Panasonic, or a Nikon, the issues are all the same– if your camera is beeping, the lens won’t retract, or you are seeing “E18 Lens Error” or “Lens Error Restart Camera” on your LCD screen then you probably have a lens issue. Luckily for you, FixYa expert Ty Price has seven steps that will help you find a solution as well as a few tips to avoid dealing with it again in the future.

To start, you’ll want to replace the batteries in the phone with new ones and leave it off for five minutes. If the lens error still pops up after you turn it on, hold down the “Function” or “OK” button. Furthermore, removing the memory card with the camera off has also worked in the past. Still not working for you? No problem. Head on over to Ty Price’s solution and read five more solutions you can use to fix your camera and start taking pictures again.


Modems & Routers: Internet Connection Problems

The world is unbelievably connected right now because of the internet. People are able to meet, talk, and help others every single day by using the world wide web. That isn’t going to change anytime soon, and neither will the issues people go through every day when trying to connect to the internet. There’s many potential issues of what can go wrong with your connection; fortunately, FixYa’s Experts have been hard at work making sure you stay connected this holiday season.

The Motorola Surfboard is the most popular modem this year so we’ll start with that one. If you can’t find the reset button on your modem, it’s because it doesn’t have one– unplugging it will work just fine. If you’re experiencing signal loss at random points of the day, contact your Internet Service Provider as they are the first source to utilize when diagnosing the issue. Make sure your modem isn’t too old either– most modems need to be replaced every three years or so for top performance.

If you’re having internet issues FixYa is always here to help. You can browse both our routers home page as well as our modems home page to see if your problem has been solved already. If not, ask the question and wait for an Expert to respond.

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Happy holidays from all of us here at FixYa!

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