Instruction Sheets

Acquired a few new electronic items in the past week.  New earbuds.  I know how to use these.  They come in a case with a compartment for alternate sized inserts.  Stick the metal connector into its receptacle and it works.  While at Five Below, I could not resist wireless headphones for $7.  They came with a charger, which I knew how to operate.  Once charged, I had to sync them with my computer.  For that, I read the insert that came with the headphones.  Not at all obvious.  I went online for assistance.  That seemed more clear.  Then followed each step.  It took two tries but my headphones are now synced with my laptop.  And unintentionally, not understanding the computer's icons, my laptop is also now synced with a tablet.  Later, since I wanted to read an e-book in bed without disturbing my wife, I went through the process again to pair the headphones with my smartphone.  This went more smoothly.  Now I have headphones that seem fully functional, at least until they run out of battery power, but I also know how to recharge them.

My Temu items arrived well in advance of the company's estimated arrival date.  An AM/FM radio and a tiny digital recorder.  Each came with its own charger, duly and immediately connected to USB ports so that I might proceed.  Each had a battery status indicator.  Once charged, I proceeded with making each device functional.  While intended to be No Frills replacement on devices I still treasure from the 1990s, each has incorporated a level of sophistication with complexity that my beloved radio and tape recorder lack.  The Instructions came in multiple languages, though they know their customer distribution well enough to put the English translation first.  Each needs a certain amount of programming.  The radio went well, at least adequately for listening, less adequately for navigating between stations.  The digital recorder will need some effort, starting with magnifying the print on the instruction sheet, which is too tiny for my bifocals to discern the individual letters.  It has many more steps than I anticipated, and more buttons than my dear digital recorder that has served me for decades.  I have a travel pouch, one that I purchased for a European trip a year ago, that slings over my shoulder with the compartments resting against my left pectoral area for security.  The recorder and radio will have that as their home.  By necessity, so will the two instruction manuals, as it is unlikely that I will be able to get maximum benefit from either device without their how-to's at hand.