10 simple tricks that could boost your battery life.

 

• Keeping your phone cool and removing it from its case can boost batteries


• Updating your software and leaving your wifi on can also help save power


• Engineers insist there is no need to let your battery drain before charging

With power-hungry apps like Pokemon Go surfacing, now many people struggle to make it through the day without charging up their smartphone.

But according to engineers, there are some clever tricks that can help you squeeze a little extra life out of your phone's battery.

'It's a careful balancing act between prolonging the life of your phone battery on a daily basis and maximising the battery's overall calendar life,' Paul Shearing, a chemical engineer at University College London told MailOnline.

'There are really no magic secrets, but there a few things everyone can do to make their battery last longer'.

Here some simple tips for keeping smartphone batteries running longer...

SHUT DOWN APPS 

Smartphones use up a lot of power just to keep multiple apps running.

'Most phones will tell you the percentage of battery that apps are using so that people can find out which ones are using the most,' says Mr Shearing.

'It's a good idea to shut these down when they're not being used.'

 

CLOSE LOCATION SERVICES

Location services use GPS, which also zaps battery life. When not using maps, turning these off can preserve power throughout the day.

TURN OFF PUSH NOTIFICATIONS

Notifications for new emails and updates on social networks like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram can use up lots of juice.

For anything that is not urgent, it is best to turn off push notifications where possible.

UPDATE SOFTWARE

'Most phones have built-in software that's designed to save energy and maximise battery life', says Mr Shearing.

Users should always update the software on the their phone to the latest version, whether it is iOS, Android or another mobile platform.

Many phones also feature a dedicated power-saving mode that be switched on to make batteries last even longer throughout the day.

TURN OFF BLUETOOTH 

Bluetooth connections are used to connect wirelessly to other gadgets including speakers, fitness gadgets and smartwatches.

While useful, it can be a extra drain on battery life so it is best to turn it off when not in use.

LOWER THE SCREEN BRIGHTNESS

Turning on automatic brightness settings can save battery, as the screen will be dimmed when less backlight is needed.

To save even more battery, the screen can be manually dimmed even lower, particularly when inside brightly lit buildings.

KEEP WI-FI ON

Accessing data over a Wi-fi connection takes up less power than over a mobile network connection, so it's best to keep it turned on at all times. Wi-fi can usually be turned on using the main settings menu.

MAKE SURE THE PHONE DOESN'T OVERHEAT

While smartphones are pocket-sized computers, unlike their desktop siblings, they don't have a cooling fan and so are prone to overheating.

'Ideally, smartphones should be kept between 0 and 35°C,' says Mr Shearing.

Most mobile phones are designed to work best at room temperatures, and charging a phone at high temperatures can permanently damage the battery, according to Apple.

REMOVE THE CASE

'Some cases are better removed when charging the phone, particularly designs that insulate the handset. But this is probably quite rare - most cases should be fine'.

LEAVING IT PLUGGED IN WON'T MAKE A DIFFERENCE 

'Going back 15-20 years, older types of battery were more temperamental,' says Mr Shearing.

'For most modern Lithium-ion batteries, it doesn't matter what the state of charge on your mobile is when you plug it in.

'Once charged, phone batteries can't accept any more current so leaving them plugged in after they've fully charged shouldn't make any difference either'.

 

 

Read more

Edward Snowden designs iPhone case that thwarts government spies: Gadget will alert you if you're under surveillance

 

• Makers call the case an 'introspection engine'


• Features a tiny screen to alert user of any unexplained transmissions


• Works with iPhone 6 but could be expanded to work with other handsets


• Designers intend to come up with a final prototype over the coming year

Government whistleblower Edward Snowden has unveiled a new iPhone case that is designed to tell the user when any information is being transmitted from their mobile.

The phone-mounted battery case contains a measurement tool to constantly check on whether the handset's internal antennae are sending signals.

The new iPhone case has been designed based on the assumption that 'a phone can and will be compromised'.

Co-designed with hardware hacking expert Andrew 'Bunnie' Huang, a mock-up of the unusual case was unveiled over a video link to an event held at MIT Media Lab in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

It will include its very own CPU, separate from the phone's processor in order to avoid it being infected by any malware from the phone itself.

The case will also include a small screen to keep the user up to date with anything that the phone is transmitting.

The makers are also considering adding a 'kill switch' that would immediately shut down the phone if any suspicious radio transmissions are made.

The case was designed primarily for journalists venturing into hostile territories in order to enable them to keep their location discreet and prevent any government snooping.

'Front-line journalists are high-value targets, and their enemies will spare no expense to silence them. Unfortunately, journalists can be betrayed by their own tools.

'Their smartphones are also the perfect tracking device,' Huang and Snowden explained in a paper describing the invention.

While the 'airplane mode' is most phones is designed to turn off location and communication services, Huang and Snowden argued that the setting is merely a 'soft switch' that does not necessarily relate to the state of the phone's hardware.

Referring to the prototype gadget as an 'introspection engine', Huang and Snowden said that the technology 'has the capability to alert a reporter of a dangerous situation in real-time.

'The core principle is simple: if the reporter expects radios to be off, alert the user when they are turned on'.

So far, the case has only been designed to work with the iPhone 6, with the makers going purely by the preferred phone of many reporters.

If popular, the makers said that the technology could be expanded to work with other of smartphone.

After scouring the electronics markets of Shenzen in China for spare parts and repair manuals, the pair then reverse engineered the case to keep track of cellular mobile signals, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and NFC-based Apple Pay.

The final design of the case is also likely to include a feature that enables the user to selectively obscure the phone's cameras so that they are unable to give away any location data.

Huang and Snowden intend to come up with a final prototype over the coming year.

While the first models will be aimed squarely at reporters working in hostile environments, the case could eventually be made available to all smartphone users.

 

Read more

Read more