Tethercell Indiegogo project hoping to make batteries “smart”

by Jeff Causey on Jan 17th 2013, 10:12pm
tagged battery, Indiegogo, remote control, Tethercell

Taking the concept of the network connected home a step further, the Tethercell project is working to raise funds via Indiegogo to start shipping their “smart” batteries in June 2013. The project’s principals were not content to see wireless control of devices limited only to those that are “plugged in.” They have designed an adapter for AA batteries.

Connecting via Bluetooth 4.0, users can use the Tethercell app on their smartphone to control devices that have at least one Tethercell battery in their bank of batteries. The app enables users to: » Read the rest

Battery life woes could be solved with crushed silicon

by William Metzger on Nov 6th 2012, 10:50am
tagged battery, charging, silicon

Current smartphone batteries haven’t really changed much since the days of the first Android smartphone even though new, more power hungry, smartphones are being continuously released. Engineer Sibani Lisa Biswal and scientist Madhuri Thakur are aiming to change all this with batteries that can hold three times the charge in the same size as current batteries. Click through the break for more information.
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DROID RAZR HD FCC filings reveal 2530mAH battery

by Jeff Causey on Jul 25th 2012, 9:01pm
tagged battery, DROID RAZR HD, fcc, motorola, Verizon

As reported yesterday, Motorola’s XT926 handset, also known to many as the forthcoming DROID RAZR HD, recently went through the FCC review process. With the filings now available for review, one member at Howard Forums went through them and found some new information regarding the battery included in the unit. Exhibit 11RF Exposure Info 1 of the filings indicates the battery for the unit is a model SNN5915A listed at 2530 mAH and it will not be removeable by the user. This is smaller than we had speculated, but it should still provide plenty of power to get one through the day.

source: Howard Forums

Purdue Researchers Aim to Exterminate “No-Sleep Energy Bugs”

by Brian Kramer on Jun 18th 2012, 2:12pm
tagged battery, battery drain, bugs

We all understand there are things we do on our phones that will drain the battery faster. Streaming video, playing games, and using the GPS all cause the juice to flow out faster than we’d like. When we put our phone to sleep though, we expect the battery to drain very slowly. Software glitches can ruin that dream, sometimes emptying the battery in as little as a few hours. Researchers at Purdue have decided enough is enough, and set out to try to identify and mitigate the problems the bugs cause.

Read about what they found, and how they plan to fix it, after the break.

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HTC One X Software Bug Drains Battery But Unofficial Fix Is Available

by Ed Caggiani on Apr 14th 2012, 7:52pm
tagged battery, HTC, HTC One X

Seems HTC has made a tiny boo-boo in their One X software, which causes the battery on their new flagship to drain a bit more than it should. Luckily, XDA developer mike1986 has discovered the issue while working on a custom ROM for the device and has released a method for fixing the problem, with some users claiming an increase of 10%-20% in battery life.

Apparently, an app known as NvCPLSvc.apk was placed in the /system/bin directory on the phone, but it actually belongs in the /system/app directory. This one little slip-up caused the Tegra 3 power management software to not work properly. The fix is to move the file to the proper directory and change the file’s permissions appropriately. This can all be done using ADB to push the file to the right place on the handset, or by using a root-aware file explorer on the device to move the file and change the permissions.

Or, if you don’t want to root, you can wait for HTC’s official fix, assuming HTC includes the fix with the next update.

source: xda

Panasonic Announces Eight USB Mobile Power Supplies

by Ed Caggiani on Apr 10th 2012, 1:37am
tagged battery, mobile power supply, Panasonic, USB Mobile Power Supply

Looks like Panasonic is going full hog in the mobile power accessories market by releasing eight external USB battery packs, made to provide juice to your mobile devices on the go. The series features the QE-QL301, a 10,260 mAh monster that can charge a single handset four times, or two handsets twice. The lineup also includes three models that use Energizer’s Qi technology, allowing for wireless charging.

Portable USB power supplies are becoming a popular way to keep your devices charged on the go, especially with some newer devices coming with non-removable batteries. Those of us thinking of upgrading to, say, the HTC Evo 4G LTE with a non-removable battery can now carry a portable power supply to recharge our phone rather than swapping batteries. A non-removable battery should no longer be a deal breaker.

Full press release after the break.

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[Leak] US Galaxy Nexus to Carry a Larger Battery?

by Stacy Bruce on Nov 14th 2011, 4:19pm
tagged accessories, battery, galaxy nexus, leak, Verizon

We know that the Galaxy Nexus will see the light of European day on November 17th. We also know that the Euro version will be shipped with a 1750mAh battery which has some of us stateside 4G LTE users a bit worried. Reports have been suggesting that the U.S. version may actually ship with a larger battery and said rumor has been up for debate until now. The leaked image of an internal document shows that in fact the GN will ship with a bigger power-plant, 100mAh bigger to be exact.

If you look at the image above, you will notice that the “in box” line shows that the device will come equipped with a 1850mAh standard battery, a welcomed change if you ask me. Further down the list you can notice a couple things we have already seen pictures of, and a couple items we haven’t. Also on the list is a $60 HDMI portrait-style desktop dock (picture after break) and a vehicle mount. It’s great to know that while not having an HDMI out on the device, you can still get media from the phone to the big screen. And I am curious to see this vehicle mount, I am hoping it will utilize the Nexus’ three pin connection located on the side of the device. We have yet to receive confirmation on why Sammy added that option.

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Verizon Galaxy Nexus Battery Cover and Battery Show Up on Samsung’s Website

by Stacy Bruce on Nov 11th 2011, 8:30pm
tagged accessories, battery, battery cover, battery door, galaxy nexus, replacement, sales, Samsung, Verizon, website

A few days ago we noticed that Verizon retail stores started to receive a couple different cases already for the Galaxy Nexus. Well, today we are seeing that Samsung has now even added replacement batteries and battery covers onto their website as well.

Earlier in the month we had a little bit of hope that the actual device would carry as little branding as possible. Based on the pictures from Samsung’s website, we see that Verizon has added their obnoxious logo on top of the previously pictured 4G LTE emblem putting all wishful thinking to a rest. At least the screen is beautifully vacant though, right? Now only if we had an official release date! These new website additions leads me to believe that the wait is finally almost over. Are you ready?

[via Samsung]

Cellphone battery takes ten minutes to reach full charge (Video)

by Stacy Bruce on Oct 5th 2011, 9:10am
tagged battery, battery life, NTT DoCoMo

It’s a shame that with all the great advancements in smartphone technology these days we are limited to the amount of time we can actually spend enjoying the devices due to poor battery life. Manufacturers have spent millions of dollars trying to develop phones to be as thin as possible and yet we buy extended batteries that only make them thicker. It’s not like we all have the time to charge our phones for three hours in the middle of the day just to be sure we don’t run out of juice before the evening drive home. Companies have long been trying to solve this issue by not focusing on how long the battery lasts, but how long it takes to reach a full charge.

NTT DoCoMo in Japan has successfully created a battery that lasts the normal amount of time yet only takes a fraction of the usual 3 hour time to reach a full charge. By increasing the charging amperage by 10%, they have managed to create a system that will recharge itself in only ten minutes. NTT DoCoMo claims that this battery is market ready, but has concern that such a rapid charge will ultimately reduce the overall life span.

Although not a perfect solution just yet, it seems they have a great idea in the works. I would much rather buy a new battery every three months over having to worry about finding an outlet every 4-5 hours. What about you? Is this a solution you could live with? Or do you prefer the extra bulk of an extended battery? Leave your comments below.

Video after the break.

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