Battery

Samsung’s latest ‘Wall Huggers’ Galaxy ad attacks iPhone’s battery performance

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 3, 2014

Samsung's marketing department is no stranger to Apple-bashing and its most recent advertisement for the Galaxy S5 flagship proves the point.

Titled 'Wall Huggers', it depicts iPhone users in a series of everyday situations with a recurring theme being them chained to a wall socket. "There they are," the voiceover opens the 60-second commercial.

"Clustered around power outlets, recycling bins and bathrooms, tethered to the wall." The ad is embedded for your viewing pleasure right after the break...

OtterBox launches Resurgence Power Case doubling your iPhone’s battery usage

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 23, 2014

As you know, OtterBox makes a myriad of smartphone cases for a living. The Fort Collins, Colorado based firm is perhaps best known for using military-grade rugged technology that offers exceptional protection for your devices in the harshest of environments.

They produce wallet cases, waterproof cases with Touch ID support (based on their acquisition of fellow case maker LifeProof) and everything in between. Their Defender and Symmetry cases, for instance have received pretty rave reviews.

Today, OtterBox is expanding its family of Power Cases with the addition of a new Resurgence series which combines more than two times the battery power for your device with OtterBox's trusted protection...

Duracell installing wireless Powermat chargers in Starbucks stores

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

Duracell and Starbucks announced today that they have reached a partnership that will see wireless chargers installed into several Starbucks stores. The chargers will use Duracell's Powermat technology, which works with a number of devices—including iPhones.

Stores will be equipped with 'Powermat Spots,' which are designated areas on tables and counters where customers can place their devices to charge wirelessly. Starbucks believes this will be far more convenient for its customers than having to hunt down outlets...

iOS 8 makes it easy to detect battery hog apps

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 3, 2014

iOS 8, when it releases for public consumption this Fall, will make it real easy to identify apps that are battery hogs.

That's because among a flurry of new iOS 8 features introduced during the WWDC keynote yesterday was a brand new per-app battery usage indicator in the Settings app.

It allows you to identify apps that suck your battery dry so you could stop using them and improve your device's battery performance...

Apple reportedly solves battery issue with 5.5-inch iPhone 6

Cody Lee ∙ Updated August 30, 2016

In the world of iPhone 6 rumors, the narrative thus far has been that Apple is working on two models: one with a 4.7-inch display and one with a 5.5-inch display. Both would feature similar specs, much like the iPad Air and Retina iPad mini.

Unfortunately, for those wanting the latter model, supply chain chatter has indicated that battery issues may push the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 launch into next year. But according to a new report, Apple has solved the issues and is back on track...

Synaptics beats Apple to the punch on Renesas SP Drivers acquisition

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

Apple has failed to follow through with its rumored acquisition of the chipmaker Renesas Electronics' mobile display chip division, Renesas SP Drivers. Reuters reported Tuesday that the iPhone maker has definitely lost its bid to acquire Renesas to Synaptics, a company that builds touchpads and touchscreens for an array of mobile and desktop devices.

The development is especially newsworthy given that Synaptics was once an Apple supplier (the company is not listed on Apple's list of 2014 suppliers). Basically, this means that the powerful consumer electronics powerhouse has gotten outbid by one of its former suppliers...

The Augment offers a new take on the iPhone battery case

Cody Lee ∙ May 19, 2014

If you're in the market for an iPhone battery case, you really only have one option. Well, actually you have hundreds of options, but for the most part they all look the same. Don't believe me? Do a Google Image search for the term 'iPhone battery case.'

Enter the new Augment iPhone case, by Rubix. It features a square design, with a detachable battery pack, so that you can get extra power when you need, and none of the added bulk when you don't. This is definitely not your typical mophie juice pack...

Some users seeing significant battery life improvement with iOS 7.1.1

Cody Lee ∙ April 24, 2014

In addition to Touch ID enhancements and bug fixes, it looks like iOS 7.1.1 also brings about battery life improvements. Several users are reporting seeing markedly-improved battery life since installing the update, which Apple seeded to the public on Tuesday.

ZDNet's Adrian Kingsley-Hughes says that battery performance on his iPhone 5 dropped significantly following last month's iOS 7.1 release. But since updating to 7.1.1, Hughes says that it's gone back up to just as good, if not better, than it was when he first got it...

Rumor: ‘very thin’ Apple phablet delayed into 2015 over battery production issues

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 29, 2016

The next iPhone, if swirling rumors are anything to go by - will come in two flavors. A smaller model with a 4.7-inch screen optimized for one-handed use and a larger-screened device incorporating a phablet-class display measuring 5.5 inches diagonally.

Corroborating earlier reports that the 5.5-inch model could be pushed back to 2015, a Taiwanese outlet is now claiming that the device is indeed facing a delay over production issues pertained to its supposedly very thin battery components...

Claimed photos of 4.7″ iPhone 6 front panel and batteries surface

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 15, 2014

Another day, another iPhone 6 leak. Two separate reports Tuesday claim to show what seem to be iPhone 6 components in a production setting. The first set shows off a genuine looking front panel part, depicting the size difference between the current four-inch form factor and the upcoming iPhone 6, said to come in 4.7 and 5.5-inch flavors.

The other purported leak depicts some sort of batteries on a production tray that appear to share more than a passing resemblance to other iPhone batteries.

I've included the photographs below the fold so give them a look and tell us what you think in the comments...

How to replace your battery life indicator with Zelda-inspired hearts

Jeff Benjamin ∙ April 7, 2014

Do we have any Zelda fans in the building? If you're a fan of Nintendo's action-RPG series, then you will no doubt appreciate this new Alkaline jailbreak theme from designer alextmoore.

Aptly entitled Zelda Hearts for Alkaline, this recently released theme allows users to replace the stock battery indicator with hearts similar to those that appear in the Big N's popular gaming classic.

Want to see how it works in action? Have a look inside for the video walkthrough.

Apple apparently moving to fully automated iPhone battery production

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 24, 2014

DigiTimes, the hit and miss Taiwanese trade publication, is reporting this morning that Apple is moving from labor-intensive iPhone battery production to fully automated production lines in 2014. The move is said to stem from Apple's desire to reduce its manpower demand and is expected to prompt other consumer electronics vendors to follow suit, as per supply chain chatter...