We want to help you find a warranty that makes sense for you—so here’s a little information from BNET to help you make the choice:

1. Don't feel pressured at the checkout line. If you ask, most stores will give you 30 days to decide.

2. Don't overpay. If three years of coverage costs more than 15% of the item, it's usually not worth it.

3. You now have a choice! You can say "NO" to the retailer and find a better price and service online.

4. Inquire if coverage for accidental damage is available if your item is likely to be dropped or get wet (like a phone, camera or laptop),. Usually an additional fee applies, but often it's well worth it.

5. Know what you're getting. If something happens to the item, what exactly will you receive when?

6. Keep your receipts, in case you ever have a claim.

7. Know you can always transfer it or cancel it and get a pro-rated refund.

Photo CC 2.0, shazam791

According to PC Magazine, most UK residents have about £375 of unwanted but usable gadgets lying around their homes. Hopefully you don’t just toss them when you’re done with them since e-waste is a major source of toxins and carcinogens—and as guardian.co.uk points out, much of the e-waste from Western Europe and the US ends up in the ports of West Africa.

How can you be sure your old electronics aren’t causing any harm? It’s simple—sell them to someone else.

UK residents:

Loot.com and Gumtree.com both offer a forum to buy and sell used items.

BuyMyTronics.com buys new, used, and broken electronics from any location in the world. Payment is sent through PayPal within 48 hours of receipt.

US residents:

VenJuvo.com helps you calculate your item’s worth and then buys it from you with two payment options: PayPal or check.

Second Rotation.com purchases mobile phones, gaming consoles, MP3 players, and other gadgets to resell them. You could earn over $150 for one item.

Surge protectors offer a great defense against spikes and surges in the power lines, but according to Helium writer M.R. Hill, many of them are just “glorified extension cords.”

“The manufacturers' warranty is one way to determine the quality of protection your surge suppressor is providing; the higher the guarantee, the greater the protection. However, I would not recommend that you put a surge protector that has a guarantee of $25,000.00 on an electronic that cost you $50.00. If in doubt, as to which surge suppressor is right for your electronic equipment, ask the sales staff.

You should also surge protect any phone-line jacks on your electronic equipment, such as on a fax machine or computer. Some surge suppressor come with the modem suppressor for the phone line build-in, or you can buy the modem surge separately. This is a matter of personal preference. The surges from the phone lins (sic) can be just as damaging as those from the electrical wires.

Many electronics like computers requires a dedicated receptacle. This is because not all surges came for outside the house. Your electronics can receive surges from other appliances when the other equipment is turned on. Keep each surge suppressor on individual receptacles, this way you can reduce the number of surges your equipment receives.”

Treehugger shows you how to stop wasting energy, choose more energy-efficient gadgets, and eliminate electronic waste. Here are the first five ideas (elaboration at Treehugger.com):

• Go rechargeable. The fastest battery chargers can juice up AAs in as little as 15 minutes and will pay for themselves quickly.

• Kill vampire power. Many of the electronics you leave plugged in 24/7—like your TV and phone charger—are constantly draining energy. If you have them all plugged into a power strip, all you need to do is flop the strip off when you’re not using the electronics.

• Buy with energy in mind. Doing research on different technologies and their respective energy consumption can save you a lot in the long run. For example, LCD TVs use less energy than plasmas.

• Treat those batteries right. Knowing how to best use and maintain rechargeable batteries will boost their longevity and performance.

• Make it a short circuit. Either recycle or resell your old electronics instead of throwing them in the trash. This risks releasing chemicals into the ecosystem.

Photo CC 2.0, howangcturtle