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All posts tagged "battery"


Thursday, February 2, 2012

Nokia Chargers Power Up

Posted by Nurhisham Hussein in "Nokia Windows Phones" @ 01:00 AM

http://www.wpcentral.com/nokia-char...s-phones-faster

"While it's been confirmed by Nokia already, the team over at WeLoveWP.hk have run some tests on charging the Lumia Windows Phone with a number of options. Turns out...the Nokia Lumia adapters provided more charge for a faster rate of recharge."

I'm not sure a "faster" charger is that much of an advantage, as bearing in mind my rudimentary knowledge of battery technology, fast charging like this tends to stress the battery more while also generating more heat. You might be trading off faster charging against a shorter battery lifespan. Of course, if you're in the habit of buying an extra battery or two, or changing phones every couple of years, that might not matter much. The nice thing though is that since the Lumia models will charge off a standard USB port, the decision is yours.


Monday, December 26, 2011

Nokia Battery Fault: Fix On The Way

Posted by Nurhisham Hussein in "Nokia Windows Phones" @ 06:00 PM

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=23559

"...some of our customers started to comment in various social media that the preloaded diagnostics tool in some of the Nokia Lumia 800 phones was showing lower battery capacity than expected...The good news is that as this is a software problem it can be easily resolved. The planned software update in early 2012, as well as including many performance enhancements, will also include a fix that will enable the affected phones to access the total battery capacity."

It's not something that will affect many customers as yet, as the Lumia 800 hasn't been rolled out in some major markets (like the US). But if you're seeing this problem, helps on the way, though Nokia's vague on the timing. Just in case you're one of the affected, the problem isn't in the battery or the phone, but is a software fault that doesn't allow the phone to fully utilise it's existing battery capacity.


Monday, July 25, 2011

Get Extra Device Power with the Tekkeon myPower MP3750 External Battery

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 07:30 AM

Please click on the video title above to watch it on YouTube in 1080p full screen video.

Who doesn't' want more battery life from their mobile device? I think we all do. I've been on a personal quest for years to find the best multipurpose external battery that I could find. I've looked at a few of them of the years (such as this one, and this one), but every one I've looked at has had limited functionality in some way. Usually it's that it's not compatible with whatever new laptop I'm using. The Tekkeon myPower MP3750, which sells for $119 in the Digital Home Thoughts Amazon.com store, is versatile battery in that it not only serves as a power source for a laptop, but with the USB port it can power a variety of devices. I was eager to take a look at it, and for the most part have been quite impressed with it. Read more...


Thursday, February 3, 2011

Are You Having Battery Trouble With Your Windows Phone 7?

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Windows Phone Talk" @ 05:40 PM

Over the past month or two, I've seen scattered reports of people having trouble with their Windows Phone 7 devices related to the battery charging. I haven't had any problems yet, but I don't think this is an isolated incident. Symptoms include:

  • Connecting your phone via USB to your computer and having the battery drain rather than charge
  • Connecting your phone via USB to a wall charger and having the battery not charge at all even after hours of being connected
  • The battery is showing a low power indicator, but if you power off the phone, take out the battery, put it back in, and power up the phone, it will actually be fully charged

Seen anything like this yourself? Vote in the poll and post a comment with details.


Thursday, July 1, 2010

Microsoft Instaload Technology Allows Batteries to be Inserted Either Way

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Digital Home News" @ 12:30 PM

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/01/...never-insert-a/

"Microsoft Corp. today announced a new technology aimed at improving the battery installation process called InstaLoad battery installation technology, which allows users to easily install a battery without regard to positive and negative polarity. Never again will people have to squint to see battery installation diagrams - the device simply works regardless if the battery is installed positive-side-up or positive-side-down. InstaLoad is a patented battery contact design now available for license by third-party device suppliers, with companies like Duracell already lining up to endorse the technology for use in their own products."

If you've ever replaced batteries in something, only to have it not work because you got the polarity wrong, you'll appreciate Microsoft's technology here. Sometimes the ideas that seem the simplest end up having the most impact - and this could very well be one of them, as long as the licensing fees as low enough to warrant no barriers to adoption. If Duracell is already on board, that's a very good sign - the real proof will be in whether or not this makes it to products in the market over the next year or two. And hopefully it will help Microsoft's rather beat-up stock price...(says the shareholder right here).


Monday, June 14, 2010

HTC HD2 is One Hot Windows Phone...Literally!

Posted by Jason Dunn in "HTC Windows Phones" @ 11:30 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1CI8S-1508

[Language Warning on the Video Above]

The last thing you'd expect from your phone for it to get so hot it melts, but that seems to be exactly what happened here - it's hard to say for sure, but looking at the side profiles of the HD2 in this video, it looks like the battery is expanded, a sure fire indication of a serious problem. The guy who shot this video has now put the HD2 up for auction on eBay, claiming that because this is the only HD2 in the world that "has caught on fire" it's "gonna be a priceless item". Given the number of mobile phones in use every day in the world, it's impressive that we don't see more problems with defects like this. I know one thing is for certain: if my HD2 ever starts to feel hot, I think I'll place it down and take a big step back...


Monday, March 9, 2009

Steal of a Deal - Tekkeon TekCharge MP1800

Posted by Chris Gohlke in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 08:00 PM

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13845_3-10189248-58.html

"Tired of running out of juice when you're on the run? The Tekkeon TekCharge MP1800 is a rechargeable portable battery pack that supplies power to phones, MP3 players, Bluetooth headsets, and other mobile devices. The charger comes with seven adapter tips for use with most kinds of mobile phones, but you can also use the USB cable that came with your iPod, Zune, or other device. In other words, it's almost universally compatible, provided that your gizmo can be charged via USB."

I think I'm going to order one of these as is should cover my iPod, Zune, and phone. The normal price is $44.95, but right now Amazon has them for $28.99 $39.27 (they hiked the price!). [Affiliate] Unfortunately there is a couple of week backlog on their supply, so it will be a bit before I can share my thoughts. Anyone out there already have one of these?


Thursday, September 11, 2008

Quick and Easy Charging with the ECOSOL Powerstick

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Pocket PC Accessories" @ 07:00 AM

Virtually no electronic device I own has battery life that impresses me, so the hunt for new ways to keep them powered is never-ending. The ECOSOL Powerstick, with it's small size and simple operation, intrigued me so I requested one for review. I wanted to test the Powerstick in a worst-case scenario, so I completely drained the battery on my HTC Touch Diamond. I then charged the Powerstick fully, and connected the Touch Diamond using the included miniUSB cable. About two hours later, I noticed that the charging circle on the Touch Diamond wasn't pulsing any more - sure enough, the Powerstick was completely drained. The Diamond showed 60% power - which is about right given that the Powerstick battery is 750 mAh and the Touch Diamond has a 900 mAh battery. There's always a bit of efficiency lost when one battery charges another, so I'd guess that the Powerstick would only fully charge a battery that's 700 mAh or less in size. Read more...


Monday, July 14, 2008

HTC Touch Diamond Approved, Extended

Posted by Darius Wey in "Pocket PC Hardware" @ 06:40 AM

Despite PC Pro's slamming, the HTC Touch Diamond continues to move forward. First, there's good news for our US readers: the FCC has given the CDMA version two thumbs up, so now it's just a matter of the carriers announcing when and where you'll be able to hand over the dollar bills. In other news, those of you who already have the device may be interested in more juice, because, you know, that 900mAh battery included in the box isn't exactly anything to write home about. Our affiliate hardware store (Expansys) has a 1340mAh version (cover included) available for pre-order, so if you value uptime over girth, be sure to take a look.


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