7:00 AM
El DiPablo
As anyone who spends time on their tablet, smartphone or laptop knows quite well, the dreaded “low battery” warning and beep can stop a productive workday in its tracks, especially if you left your portable charger at home.
Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to keep these devices humming along efficiently and longer lasting.
Turn Off Unused Apps
As ZD Net notes, iPhone users can decide which rarely-used apps are downloading data, and make sure they're not in use, which will decrease the amount of power that is being used. For example, while you might be actively using a bank app to catch up on your latest deposits and debits, you may not need your news apps to be running at the same time. In order to prevent this from happening, simply click on Settings, General, and then Background App Refresh. iPhone users can then unselect whichever apps they do not want to be constantly updating when they are not actively being used. For those who are in the market for a new iPhone, T-Mobile’s Windows phones offer people the ability to switch off dormant apps. You can visit their Windows page to find out about the latest Windows Mobile Devices that are available from the provider.Turn Off Pesky Callers
Are you getting a lot of calls from that guy claiming to be from Microsoft, telling you your home computer is at risk? If so, you might want to consider blocking him. Even unanswered calls can drain a mobile phone’s battery. In order to block a number, go into the Settings section and select Phone, and then Blocked. Once you're in that screen, you can enter in the various numbers that you don’t want to have ring through to your phone.Turn Off the Heat
Your tablet, just like the rest of your electronic devices, is pretty fussy when it comes to temperature. As Information Week notes, your iPad or Kindle really doesn’t like to be too cold or too hot. In fact, an overheated tablet will use up battery a lot faster than one that is kept nice and cool. When the temperatures rise, be sure to keep your iPad or other tablet out of your hot car. This relatively simple yet often unknown tip should help extend the life of your tablet’s battery.Turn Off the Features You are Not Using
Much like dormant-but-still-updating apps will use up the power of a smartphone, unused features will very quickly drain the life of a laptop’s battery. As PC World notes, disabling the ports or devices that you simply never use will extend the life of your battery. For example, you might have a Bluetooth radio on your laptop that you never use, that's still draining power. Take a few minutes to disable it and any other unneeded wireless features. You’ll be rewarded with a laptop that lasts longer between battery charges. In addition, if you are done watching a DVD on your laptop, pull it out of the laptop and put it back in the case. Interestingly, just having a Blu-Ray or DVD inside the driver will cause a laptop’s batteries to run out faster than usual.
