We all miss those times when we could use the Nokia 1100 or Motorola c115 with their endless batteries for days and days, especially when the best and most modern smartphone only has 1% of battery and there is no way to charge it at the moment. While mobile phones incorporate more and better features, their charge lasts less. Isn´t it possible to develop a battery that fulfils the demands of the diverse functions of the latest mobile devices?
A material that can store the necessary energy to last a week without the need to be charged has not been discovered yet. On the other hand, those who intend to get information on how to preserve the batteries will receive as many recommendations as existing batteries, which may be confusing.
It will depend on the type of battery. Some time ago, when mobile phones ran on nickel-cadmium batteries, there were certain rules as charging the phone for 12 hours before using it for the first time. But today, most of the smartphones use Li-ion batteries so that measure is considered obsolete. Technology changed and there are many rules that are no longer useful.
Apparently, technology companies strictly followed that recommendation. Latest trends on energy saving tend to cut the already existing and not to find revolutionary solutions.
Microsoft researcher Ranveer Chandra said in the MIT Technology Review Digital Summit this month that the company is working to improve the life of batteries through a multifaceted approach.
According to Chandra, the first step would be to raise awareness among the developers on the significant use of energy they provoke and warn them when their applications are using more than necessary. His most innovative idea is to use several batteries within one phone to be administered by the system, increasing the charge between 15% and 20%.
Google announced in its annual conference of developers, Google I/O, that is seeking to optimize the battery life in Android. This includes the Battery Historian, tool which will allows to check how the battery is being used and at what time of the day.
Moreover, it presented a new tool to save battery which will disconnect Wi-Fi and lower the brightness of the screen. These two measures can extend the batter for up to 90 more minutes.
But that´s nothing compared to Samsung, which decided to go back to the start. Galaxy S5 presents an Ultra Power Saving Mode which limits some functions such as changing the display into black and white and turning off all functions that are not essential for the phone, which increases to 12,5 days the performance of the power. With just 10% of battery left, it can still work for 24 more hours.
With these measures and some extra power aids (see box below), the phrases “I had no battery” or “my mobile was off” are no longer valid excuses for not answering a message.
What You Need to Know About Batteries
Myth. The battery needs to be completely discharged before charging it again in order to improve its lifespan
Leaving the battery completely dead and then charging the 100% is a harmful habit for smartphones. The best option is to have between 40% and 80% of charge in the smartphones and once a month run the battery down to zero.
Myth. Charging the cellphone for long periods may be harmful
Today cellphones are smarter when identifying if the charge is complete and it does not necessarily keep on charging even though the device is still plugged, explains an article of DeemableTech, a podcast which gives answers to the most frequent problems with technology.
Fact. Be careful with high temperatures
This alert, which can be seen in almost every cellphone manual, is devaluated. However, exposing the cellphone to the sun when the temperatures are high and to high temperatures in general, may cause huge battery loss. Buchmann explains that the ideal temperature for smartphones is of zero degreeCelsius.
Myth. Using the cellphone while charging may provoke an electric shock
People believe batteries may explode or cause an electric shock if used while charging, but that is not true. Last year, a flight attendant died of an electric shock while she was using and charging her iPhone 5, but the telephone was plugged to a cheap imitation of an Apple charger. If you use the original appliance or a substitute of a prestigious brand, you´ll have no problem at all.
Fact. It is better to turn off your cellphone while charging it
Buchmann advises not to do what he calls "parasitic load". A portable device must be turned off during charge. This allows the battery to reach the set threshold voltage unhindered, and enables terminating charge on low current. A parasitic load confuses the charger by depressing the battery voltage and preventing the current in the saturation stage to drop low. A battery may be fully charged, but the prevailing conditions prompt a continued charge. This causes undue battery stress and compromises safety.
Lea la versión en español aquí.
