Ten tips for better battery life

Does your smartphone’s battery barely get you through a day? Is it always running out at crucial times? Check out these ways to get more power from your phone.

3G or not 3G
While we wouldn’t even contemplate buying a smartphone without 3G, that doesn’t mean we use it all the time. 3G uses significantly more power than 2G, so unless you are actually using it – downloading a file of more than half a megabyte from the internet, for example – then turn it off. This is especially important in areas with poor 3G coverage as the phone will work harder to try and hang onto the signal.

Turn off unused techs
There’s really no need to have Bluetooth switched on unless you are using it, or wi-fi for that matter. And if you leave an app like Google Maps running in the background it’ll keep the GPS going as well. Don’t forget infra-red, either!

Tone it down
Make use of your smartphone’s power saving features, in particular the one about screen brightness. The bigger your device’s display the more power it uses (unless it happens to be one of the new AMOLED screens) so set the brightness at a level that is comfortable but well below the max.

Keep cool…
…but not too cool. Lithium-ion batteries have an optimal temperature that sees the best results at around room temperature or a little lower. At over 30° C you’ll notice a fall-off in the charge, and a couple of hours in a hot car might drain it completely.

Update your phone
Check for updates to your phone from time to time as these might improve the power efficiency of the phone. Nokia are especially good at providing new firmware, on some phones improving battery life by as much as 20%.

Quit background apps
The multi-tasking capabilities of a smartphone are great but they can really hammer the battery, especially if they need your phone’s other features to function: the Twitter client constantly checking for new tweets, the GPS app tracking your location, the Skype app checking the status of your contacts. If you are a user of push email ensure you set it to only work when you need it, unless you really need your emails coming through at three in the morning.

Kill the widgets
The new trend for widgets is good for providing instant access to information, but bad for your battery. Again, only use the ones you need, or at least temper how you use them: you don’t need to be checking the weather 24 times a day. With fewer widgets running your phone will be quicker too.

Specialise
It may go against the grain of the multi-function smartphone, but picking and choosing how you use it can work wonders. A couple of hours of video, followed by some GPS use, a few photos and some web browsing over wi-fi, all while checking your email and making calls will challenge the biggest batteries: the smartphone Gods won’t mind if you decide to pack an iPod or camera on your travels as well.

Top up
Rather than letting your battery run down almost completely keep it topped regularly, and you’ll extend its total lifespan. If your phone charges via USB just plug it in when you’re at your desk.

Get a mobile charger
An emergency charger such as the Proporta USB TurboCharger 3400 will charge your phone fully at least twice, and is small enough to keep in the bottom of your bag until you need it.

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