Battery Status provides spoken and pop-up battery alerts

By Jeff Benjamin on Nov 13, 2012

Battery Status is a jailbreak tweak that will keep you informed about the status of your iOS device’s battery. Battery Status provides either a spoken or pop-up alert, or a combination of the two — with both outlaying your current battery life situation.

This $0.99 tweak will tell you how much battery life you have remaining, how much you need to get to 100%, and how long it will take you to get to a fully charged battery. Take a look at our video walkthrough inside for a full synopsis of how it works. Read More

 

The iPad mini ships with the smaller 5-watt adapter after all

By Christian Zibreg on Nov 1, 2012

Compared to the phased-out 10W adapter, Apple’s new 12W power brick enables faster charging times for iPhones, iPads and iPods. Specifically, the two extra watts of power shave up to 45 minutes off the iPad charge time. What’s really interesting is that in an article 9to5Mac ran a week ago it claimed “Apple also told us that the iPad mini would come with a 12W adapter as well”.

This doesn’t seem to be true, if a report by MacRumors is anything to go by. The publication relays a note from its reader who was able to purchase an iPad mini from his local Walmart yesterday and confirmed that it came with the smaller 5-watt adapter.

It doesn’t appear to be an isolated incident. Additionally, iPhoneinCanada shortly following the iPad mini keynote observed that Apple’s own shopping app depicted the 5-watt adapter as part of the iPad mini package contents… Read More

 

Apple’s new 12W power brick charges iPads up to 45 minutes faster

By Christian Zibreg on Nov 1, 2012

Apple’s new 12W power brick enables faster charging of your iPads, iPods and iPhones. Apple stopped short of divulging specifics when asked to quantify the “fast, efficient charging” claim on its online store. “We don’t have an exact percentage of how much faster it would charge but you should see an increase in speed”, the company told 9to5Mac.

Enter Mike Flaminio of Insanely Great Mac, who took it upon himself to figure out non-scientifically the exact difference. An interesting video he posted claims the new power brick is able to charge an iPad between 30 and 45 minutes faster compared to the old (now phased out) 10W adapter. Yes, two extra watts of power make a difference. Check out his clip right below… Read More

 

The iPad mini includes a juiced up adapter for faster charge times, Apple confirms

By Christian Zibreg on Oct 24, 2012

Today, a pair of Apple-branded Lightning-enabled accessories has cropped up on the online Apple store (unofficial ones for half the price are already here). With them came a new iPad charger that now provides twelve watts of power instead of ten watts of power for the previous-generation adapter.

The 12W USB adapter (a $19 value) also replaces the older unit, now removed from the store. It essentially allows users to charge their iPads, iPods and iPhones a bit faster than with the previous adapter… Read More

 

The iPad mini doesn’t have a widescreen display?

By Christian Zibreg on Oct 17, 2012

A pair of OEM leaks thought to depict the same display appear to strongly suggests that, despite the skinnier side bezels and a smaller form-factor, the iPad mini might still incorporate the display which has an aspect ratio of 4:3, just like prior iPads and iPhones (except for the iPhone 5, of course).

This means videos played on the smaller iPad will continue to be letterboxed, at least until an iPad mini with a taller display arrives (you heard that here first!). I guess Apple had to save something for future iterations. Also leaked today: another image of a battery said to belong to the iPad mini, with the label rating it at 16.7Whr and 3.72V… Read More

 

Claimed photos of iPad mini battery surface

By Cody Lee on Oct 14, 2012

It seems like the long-rumored iPad mini might actually become a real thing this month. Multiple well-sourced reports are claiming that Apple is planning to unveil the tablet at an event on October 23.

With that in mind, we expect to see speculation and part leaks really ramp up over the next few weeks as we await Apple’s announcement. In fact, today we’ve got photos of a purported iPad mini battery… Read More

 

The iExpander puts your iPhone on steroids

By Cody Lee on Oct 13, 2012

Do you ever wish your iPhone had better battery life, or expandable storage? How about a brighter flash, so it could take better pictures in low-light situations? Well let me introduce you to the iExpander.

The iExpander is a case for your iPhone that, believe or not, does all of these things. It has a built-in battery, a micro SD card slot, and an enhanced flash. Like the title says, it’s like steroids for your iPhone… Read More

 

Poll: Has your battery life improved with iOS 6?

By Jeff Benjamin on Sep 25, 2012

After installing iOS 6, I’ve noticed a significant improvement with battery life on my iPhone 4S. Usually, I’m not someone who really likes to talk about battery life, as I’m always near a charger during the day.

I’m certainly not one of those that tends to either complain or rave over battery life. To me, it is what it is.

But I’ve noticed such an improvement with battery life on my iPhone 4S after installing iOS 6, that I just had to talk about it. It’s way better, like, by a big margin. So the question stands to be asked, how is your battery life on iOS 6? Has it improved? Read More

 

Poll: How is your iPhone battery on iOS 6?

By Oliver Haslam on Sep 25, 2012

It’s a fairly simple question isn’t it? But if you remember the furor that surrounded the release of iOS 5 and the subsequent battery-gate shenanigans, you’ll know only too well what software can do to a phone’s battery.

Back in the ill-tempered days of iOS 5, we covered the situation extensively and even offered a spot of advice that seemed to help a great many people. Today though, we want to know how iOS 6 is treating you all, and whether Apple may finally have gotten the iPhone’s battery to last like it did pre-iOS 5.

So, let’s begin… Read More

 

Everpurse: a handbag with a built-in iPhone charger

By Cody Lee on Sep 15, 2012

There’s tons of accessories on the market today that will bail you out in the event your iPhone dies while you’re on the go. There’s battery powered cases, chargers and more.

But we’re willing to bet that you’ve never seen an accessory like the Everpurse. The handbag attempts to combine tech with fashion, with a built-in iPhone 5 charger… Read More

 

iPhone 5 features better battery life than iPhone 4S, even with LTE

By Jeff Benjamin on Sep 12, 2012

Some impressive battery life statistics coming out of the iPhone 5 keynote right now. Battery life hasn’t decreased with the addition of LTE, as some might image. In fact, it hasn’t even stayed the same. No, Apple has exceeded the battery life levels present in the non-LTE enabled iPhone 4S.

With the iPhone 5, there’s 8 hours of browsing or talk on either LTE or 3G, and 10 hours on WiFi browsing. Read More

 

More images of next-gen iPhone battery surface

By Cody Lee on Sep 4, 2012

Now that Apple has made the new iPhone event official, we expect the rumor mill to pick up even more steam. Which is kind of hard to believe, considering it’s already been out of control for months.

Today, a new image of an iPhone 5 battery surfaced on the web. Now, we’ve already seen a handful of photos of the purported battery, but this one is sitting perfectly in the handset’s rear shell… Read More

 

Claimed photo of next-gen iPhone battery surfaces

By Cody Lee on Aug 10, 2012

The new iPhone, which is expected to be unveiled next month, is rumored to include a long list of enhancements. A larger screen, LTE-compatibility, and a faster processor are all on the menu for possible features.

But amidst all of these new components, the question of battery life arises. The iPhone 4S is frequently criticized for its poor battery, so wouldn’t adding all of these things make it worse? Not necessarily… Read More

 

Increase iPhone battery life with ‘BattSaver’

By Jeff Benjamin on Aug 6, 2012

BattSaver is a new jailbreak app from Xvolks — probably best known from his work on the Absinthe jailbreak tool.

He’s been cooking up his latest effort for quite some time now, and it’s received endorsements from many users, including fellow Chronic Dev Team associate, pod2g.

BattSaver touts the ability to increase the iPhone’s battery life; up to double, and at times, even more. Does BattSaver live up to these lofty claims? Check inside for the full in-depth video walkthrough and analysis… Read More

 

5 things iOS can learn from Android

By Jeff Benjamin on Jul 27, 2012

It’s no secret that both Sebastien and I purchased Nexus 7 devices from Google. We may have differing reasons for our purchases, but one reason we share in common is the desire to see how Google is performing in the tablet space. This is especially so with the Nexus, since it’s the flagship that’s guaranteed to run stock Android with no additives or preservatives.

The Nexus 7 is the first Nexus device I’ve owned, and I’ve come away quite impressed; read my thoughts on the Nexus 7 for more details on that. I’ve even been able to identify a few things that Google is doing well, and that Apple could stand to learn from. Items like widgets, and offline dictation, to name just a few… Read More

 

BioLite CampStove lets you charge your iOS device by burning stuff

By Christian Zibreg on Jul 16, 2012

Say what you will, but all day long performance is a pipe dream with today’s power-hungry iOS devices. Because these are mini computers, iOS devices require lots of juice to run. Unfortunately, space constraints and today’s battery technology just can’t keep up with the realities of mobile computing (yet).

Folks tackle the problem with battery packs, but that’s just another item to lug around while out and about. And guess what, a battery pack is one item that routinely gets forgotten in my camping preparations. But I never forget a camp stove.

Enter BioLite’s CampStove, an awesome new ‘accessory’, basically a special camp stove which lets you burn stuff –  be it wood and pine or twigs and leaves or other bio mass – to convert heat to energy via its built-in thermoelectric generator, so you can charge your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. The campfire will never be the same. A cool promo video follows right below… Read More

 

Rumor: Apple tweaking iPad design to fix overheating issue

By Christian Zibreg on Jul 6, 2012

A pair of reports from Asia claim that Apple is looking to tweak the new iPad with a re-worked LED backlight and a revised battery. The new SKU is reportedly meant to address the overheating woes which blew up shortly following the launch, due to criticism by Consumer Reports… Read More

 

Apple reportedly facing a battery challenge with the next iPhone

By Christian Zibreg on Jun 28, 2012

A report from China claims Apple is facing a battery challenge in the development of the next iPhone. It’s unclear whether this affects the planned October release, but apparently one of Apple’s Taiwanese suppliers is having issues meeting requirements for the iPhone 5 battery.

Power-consuming 4G radios, a speedier processor and graphics and a taller display packing in more pixels will all require more juice so it remains to be seen if the next iPhone will be able to maintain decent battery life, especially given the iPhone 4S’s disappointing battery performance… Read More

 

Apple granted patent for inductive charging dock for iOS devices

By Christian Zibreg on Jun 26, 2012

The United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) this morning issued an interesting patent grant that proves Apple’s been actively thinking about a new kind of dock that would let you charge your iPhone or iPod touch wirelessly, by placing your iOS device in an upright position but also along its other sides… Read More

 

Study finds that new iPad costs just $1.36 per year to charge

By Cody Lee on Jun 22, 2012

Despite all of the praise it’s received for its Retina display and LTE-compatibility, the new iPad does have its caveats. For instance, it takes considerably longer to charge than both of its predecessors.

The reason for this is obviously because the new iPad has a bigger battery. But surprisingly, it’s still rather efficient. According to a new study, the tablet only costs $1.36 per year to charge… Read More

 
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