Consumer Electronics Buying Tips: Download the User Manual First Part 2

Continued from Consumer Electronics Buying Tips: Download the User Manual First Part 1

Admittedly, the quality of user manuals/guides/documentation between manufacturers vary. Some are highly technical and are intended for a specific audience. For example, Intel and AMD provide well-written and copious amounts of documentation for developers and engineers for use with their processors and motherboards. Networking companies such as Cisco, Netgear and D-Link often simplify advanced networking concepts to prevent intimidating new users. Lesser known companies provide minimal documentation with little text and diagrams. Other manuals are poorly written with minimal useful information. Wacom tablets comes with an animated tutorial while PDF photography control guides can be downloaded for Sony NEX cameras.


Sony NEX cameras users can download a free instruction booklet for new photographers. Screenshot from SONY Interchangeable
Lens Digital Camera handbook.


Besides learning how to use a product, the free PDFs from companies also inform the discerning consumer of the following:

1. Exact specifications. PCMag and CNET reviews are embarrassingly often corrected by people who have actually bought the product and decided to comment on the review. Reading Engadget, Gizmodo and the manufacturer's own home page (and marketing pages) is great, but the real specifications are found on the user manual (assuming the user manual is well-maintained of course). Size, processor, memory, type of lens, weight, battery life and other important specifications are listed accurately in better written manuals.


Wireless specifications excerpt from the Netgear R6300 WiFi Router 802.11ac Dual Band Gigabit
User Manual

2. Physical features. So you prefer buying in Amazon or JD.com. You don't like showrooming and you don't have friends to borrow from. You look at the pictures online and watch reviews in YouTube before you buy that saliva-inducing new gadget. Hours later, you return the product and scream in Facebook how the button placement and grip aren't perfect for your grubby calloused hands. The user manual will often have diagrams illustrating engineering dimensions, button placement and even menu navigation. Although firmware and software updates do change the final software interface, the design principle always remains the same (it is a finish product after all). You don't need to be an engineer to realize a 3.5 screen is too small for a $300 unlocked phone. It's amazing how many people gripe about basic physical features once they get their product!



Smartphone diagram from Nokia Lumia 928 User Manual

3. Product features. Disposable income, a propensity for clicking the Shopping Cart icon online and outright laziness often cause the mainstream buyer to assume a feature is available from a product. "It doesn't support MS Exchange!" "It doesn't take pictures in RAW!" "It doesn't clean my toilet and satisfy my girlfriend!" Check the manual before you buy. It's free and takes less than 3 minutes to download.

4. Instructions and ease of use. Users today are spoiled and lazier than ever. Reviewers often complain there are too many menus and executing X and Y is too hard. If you're worried about specific tasks with a product, check the instructions in the manual. Is removing the battery too hard for you? Is resetting the device with a safety pin too inconvenient for you? Do three taps on the touchscreen take too much of your time? If the instructions are too difficult or executing a task is too complicated for you then consider a different product.


Instructions from Logitech Boombox Wireless Bluetooth Speaker Setup Guide