WANT to bank some extra holidays for free in 2020?
Most workers are entitled to 25 days’ annual leave a year – although it varies between employers – but by cleverly booking days off around bank holidays, you could end up with a fabulous 55 days of precious time off.
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But do note that this only works if you get weekends and bank hols off anyway, and public holiday dates can differ in Scotland.
Otherwise, see our calendar, below, for how to do it.
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My Mobile: Keep your new gear safe all year
GOT some flashy new tech for Christmas? You will want to protect it. Here’s how.
Protecting your phone or tablet
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Insure it.
The cheapest option is to add the phone to your home insurance – £20 to 30 a year. Or get a standalone policy with a small insurer. Protect Your Bubble offers damage and theft cover for £7.99 a month. Get a decent case.
Find its 15-digit IMEI number by entering *#06# on your phone’s call screen. Note this down, as the police will want it in case of theft. Set a password. Turn this on in “Settings”. Register it on property database Immobilise. If it is stolen and recovered, police will be able to get it back to you. See immobilise.com.
Tracking a device
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All Apple devices have a Find My iPhone app installed. On your Home screen, tap Settings and switch on “Find My iPhone”.
You can locate a missing iPhone, iPad or Mac by logging into your iCloud account on any computer and clicking “Find iPhone” in the main menu. You should see it on a map.
The Android equivalent is Device Manager. Switch it on in the Security folder by clicking “Find My Device”.
If you lose your phone, visit the Android Device Manager website. Log in with your Google account to show the device on a map. If it is nearby, you can get it to ring loudly for five minutes, even if set to silent. You can also erase data.
Other gadgets
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Try Tile’s Bluetooth trackers, which can be stuck to wallets, car keys or luggage. The owner can remotely activate an alarm within their phone’s Bluetooth range using Tile’s app.
If it is out of range, you can track the item on a map.
All Tile trackers connect and reveal where they last saw each other.
