One of the hottest gadgets on the market today is the iPhone. Since its introduction in 2007, it has quickly become synonymous with fashionable and powerful consumer electronics. Although the original iPhone was a huge success for Apple, customers quickly began voicing their recommendations for the inevitable second iteration of the stylish phone. For instance, customers made it clear that 3G speeds would greatly improve the email, internet browsing, and other data capabilities the phone already possessed. Others proclaimed that the omission of GPS capabilities in such a powerful device was inexcusable, since so many other modern phones include GPS and the iPhone is already heavily integrated with Google Maps.
Around the 1 year anniversary of the original iPhone, Steve Jobs and company introduced the most asked-for features in the second generation of the iPhone called the iPhone 3G. It did, in fact, include the two features mentioned above, as well as some other hardware and software improvements/tweaks. Apple also announced that the battery life, something the iPhone was no particularly known for, would also be improved. This was welcome news to anyone interested in owning one of these ever so popular phones.
However, as users bought the phones and began using the new features in everyday situations, it became apparent that the increase in battery life was all but offset by the slew of new hardware and software features included in the second generation phone. In fact, users began to complain that the new battery would not last through a standard workday, something the original iPhone had no problem doing in most situations.
You may find yourself in the same boat if you own an iPhone 3G. However, there are certain steps you can take to prolong the life of the iPhone, allowing you to choose a comfortable balance of usability and battery life that will suit your individual needs.
3G
The 3G capabilities of the new iPhone allow for faster downloads, quicker emailing, speedier maps, and much more. However, 3G coverage is not available in all areas and is poor in others. If you do not use the 3G network very often, you can turn it off completely in the iPhone's settings menu. Otherwise, when not in a coverage area or when not using 3G for a long period of time, turning it off while not in use will improve the overall battery life.
Wi-Fi
If you are rarely near any Wi-Fi hotspots that you can connect to, you can turn Wi-Fi off completely in the iPhone settings menu which will save your battery for other things. If you do use Wi-Fi on a regular basis, it is also beneficial to turn off the "ask to join networks" feature to keep the iPhone from trying to get you to connect every time you are near wireless internet.
Screen Brightness
As with almost any other electronic device with a screen, changing the screen brightness level in the iPhone's settings menu can alter the battery life considerably. By default, the iPhone uses a sensor to detect the light levels surrounding the phone and adjusts the screen to a comfortable brightness accordingly. If you need all the battery you can muster, you should turn off this automatic screen brightness option and then turn the screen brightness down as low as you can while still being able to see the display.
Push and Auto-Fetch
The new iPhone also features an option for email to be "pushed" to your device as soon as it arrives on your email server. This is a vital option for anyone who relies on important emails for business and other important information when seconds count. However, if we are honest with ourselves, most of us do not need such instantaneous delivery. Turning off the push function will save battery life since the iPhone will not be connecting to the server so frequently. Similarly, the iPhone can be set to automatically check for new email messages every so often. Turning this function off and manually checking for new emails when you want to read them will also add some runtime to the battery.
iPod EQ
The iPod functions of the iPhone are revolutionary and fun to use, meaning a significant amount of battery life may be used listening to music. One thing that can help cut down on the amount of battery this uses is turning off the EQ functions of the iPod. If you aren't a fan of heavy base or blaring highs, this method may be for you. Also, the iPhone's speaker cannot handle many EQ setting very well, meaning that unless you are using headphones, the EQ can be turned off without much of a difference being noticed.
Bluetooth
Last, but not least, the iPhone's battery can be extended by keeping bluetooth turned off. The iPhone is not capable of sharing files or syncing with a computer over bluetooth, so unless you are using a wireless headset, keep the bluetooth turned off and you'll never know the difference.
As a society, we've rapidly moved from wired to wireless. Whether it's a laptop, cell phone, BlackBerry, or digital camera, most people are carrying one-or all of these things at any given time. All of those wonderful gadgets require battery powered fuel. There are few things more frustrating than when one of these practically essential gadgets loses power unexpectedly. In this article, we'll focus on 3 ways to increase the battery lifespan on some of today's most popular battery powered devices.
Laptop batteries: Laptop batteries can be frustrating, to say the least. They almost seem to know when you're right in the middle of something important and choose that time to lose power. If your laptop battery has less than an hour's worth of life, it's probably time for a new one.
However, through a process called conditioning, you can "train" your new laptop battery to last longer. This is done by charging a new battery to full capacity, and then allowing it to drain completely of power before recharging again. By doing this, you condition you laptop battery to "remember" the amount of electrical charge it can hold.
Cell phones and BlackBerrys: When you first get your new cell phone or BlackBerry, you'll want to fully charge the battery and then completely discharge the battery for about 3 cycles. However, you won't want to get into the habit of completely depleting the battery. The rechargeable lithium ion batteries in cell phones and BlackBerrys can be damaged by excessive deep discharges.
Instead, get into a routine of plugging in your phone overnight and letting it continue charging even after the icon reads that the battery is full. Cell phones and BlackBerrys should last an entire day without losing charge. If you can't make it through the day without recharging, it's probably time for another cell phone battery or BlackBerry battery.
Digital Camera: The digital camera has become a must-have gadget. Digital cameras have made taking pictures so much more fun and economical than ever before-except in the way of batteries. These little cameras can really soak up the battery power. Many digital cameras operate with AA or AAA batteries and feeding your camera a steady diet of alkaline batteries can add up quickly.
If you haven't already, invest in a rechargeable battery kit. Every other techno-gadget uses rechargeable lithium ion batteries and your camera can too. The cost of 4 AA batteries is usually between $17 and $24, but well worth the cost as they can be recharged hundreds of times. This way, you can keep enough recharged batteries in your camera case to drop in if your batteries do run out, then recharge the old and use them as spares.
All lithium batteries perform best when they are topped off regularly. Don't feel like you need to wait until the juice is running low like with the car gas tank. Instead, plug them in for a charge whenever you have the opportunity. Batteries may not seem glamorous, but they're the powerhouse that allows us to enjoy all of the electronic devices we now wonder what we ever did without.
Both Bobby George & Christine Harrell are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Bobby George has sinced written about articles on various topics from Marketing, Family and Science. Bobby George is a technical consultant at