iPhone Lover

If you need some strategic ways to reduce battery usage and conserve energy with your tech toys, your new iPhone offers plenty of options to make the most of its daily life. The iPhone is a power-guzzler, there’s no doubt about it. You need a considerable amount of energy and battery power to keep that web browser humming along at full speed, and you’ll notice the battery shrinking in power after just a few hours. There are a few iPhone battery replacements available, but you can take steps to reduce your output with just a few tweaks.

• iPhone Energy Saving Tip #1: Turn off the Wi-Fi radio

Make sure you’re turning the Wi-Fi radio off when you’re not online. This turns on automatically every time your wireless device is enabled, and can take away lots of energy from standard PDA applications. You’ll notice things run much faster as soon as you make the switch. Turn off the Bluetooth radio while you’re at it; just go to the ‘Settings’ tab and switch it off when you’re not roaming.

• iPhone Energy Saving Tip #2: Manage the Equalizer

Second, turn off the equalizer. You’re probably already doing this on your iPod, and it can help lower the need for extra energy when you’re not listening to your bass-blaster music. In most cases, you don’t need this set at all when you’re browsing on the web either; unless you’re watching a lot of videos, the equalizer can be turned off in most cases.

• iPhone Energy Saving Tip #3: Drain the Battery

Even though Apple has developed a battery that outlasts many competitor PDA gadgets, you can still extend battery life by running it out completely before recharging it fully. It’s a classic maneuver for standard cell phones, and works well for the iPhone too.

• iPhone Energy Saving Tip #4: E-mail Checks

Checking e-mail takes a lot of energy to load up and refresh. Checking e-mail constantly can be a difficult habit to break, especially if you’re used to using a laptop on the road. Start getting into a routine of an hourly check, and you’ll save a considerable amount of battery power in the process.

• iPhone Energy Saving Tip #5: Lower the Light Setting

The backlight display is bright enough to serve as a flashlight, and is one of the iPhone’s most attractive features. Still, that sharp picture is taking the juice out of the system. You can lower the brightness setting and save some battery power by selecting the ‘Settings’ tab and reducing the light output level; 15-20% will still give you plenty of screen visibility.

• iPhone Energy Saving Tip #6: Let it Sleep!

You can manually control the ‘Auto-Lock’ feature of the iPhone to program so that your iPhone goes to sleep after a short period of inactivity. You’ll be using up much less power throughout the day, and it will be easier to load it up whenever you do need it.

Extend the battery life of your iPhone with these easy tips; you’ll enjoy more flexibility for usage throughout the day, and be energy-conscious in the process.

Randall from Wireless Info sent us the news that Apple has acknowledged the iPhone battery issue is in fact a bug that will be fixed in a future software update. A few days ago, WI noticed that even after sitting in the charger for 12 hours, their iPhone battery gauges didn’t show a full charge. After conducting an informal survey, they found that the problem was widespread, and now Apple has confirmed the bug.

And since Apple says it’s just a firmware problem, then the batteries should all be OK (although WI also says Apple is replacing faulty batteries anyway, so chances are that if you want to replace your iPhone, you can still do that). At first, WI said that the non-charge-showing phones were operating on a shorter battery life, but after a few cycles apparently they’re running just as well.

So that’s one fix Apple can throw in the iPhone’s first big patch. What’s next?

Are you one of the many potential iPhone customers currently holding out for fear of potential battery issues? We’ve got some info here that might help alleviate (or further increase) your fears. According to Apple’s support documentation, the iPhone battery replacement program will run you $79 plus an additional $6.95 for shipping, bringing the total to $85.95. The service will take 3 business days to complete, which isn’t too bad considering the average turnaround for most gadget repairs. Keep in mind that this service is limited to out of warranty repairs. AppleCare, which will be available later this month at an undisclosed price, will presumably cover the cost of this replacement in addition to providing you with a loaner phone to use while your baby is in the shop. Check out the battery FAQ, and well as the full support FAQ below.Apple’s Official Instruction

I’ve had my iPhone since launch and days one and two were very worrisome for me in terms of battery performance. The first day I only made it to around 5pm before my charge was gone (starting at 8am). The second day I made it to around 10pm.

But now — a few charges later — my battery life just keeps improving. Today I went a full 18 hours with moderate to heavy use of all features. I think the key is both how you have your phone configured during the day, as well as the quality of the charging process. Here’s what I suggest:

1. Reduce your brightness as much as you can tolerate. I personally find that about 30-40% of max is plenty for me, and that difference in output is significant.
2. Consider keeping WiFi disabled by default. You can always enable it when you find a hotspot and want to use it.
3. Use a bluetooth headset that turns off when not in use. The folding Motorola brands as well as the new Apple iphone headset have this ability.
4. Try and run your device until it completely dies before charging, and use the AC adapter rather than a computer to charge up.
5. The iPhone battery charges faster when the radios are off. Rather than disable them manually, consider using the Airplane Mode feature, which will disable all three radios in one motion. If you need to receive calls while charging, just disable WiFi and Bluetooth.
6. If you haven’t done a full drain-to-maximum charge cycle yet, power down the phone and reset the usage statistics before you put it on the AC adapter. This seems to be helping zero out stats and allow the OS to display the fully charged icon.

These tips are definitely working for me, as I’ve gone from roughly 9 hours of combined use to over 18. Time will tell whether or not I’ve reached my maximum, but my suspicion is that I have not.

Thanks dmiessler.com

Apple released information on the iPhone battery ’s warranty today, as well as the cost of a replacement.

Out of the box, your iPhone’s battery is covered for 1 year. Apple intends to release Apple Care for iPhone sometime this summer (allegedly). Customers of Apple Care for iPhone will be entitled to a new battery IF the one they’re using drops to below 50% of capacity before their Apple Care runs out.

Otherwise, a new one will cost you $79US. One other note: Apple states that they get rid of dead batteries in “…an environmentally-friendly manner.”

Thanks TUAW