Improving battery life

If someone had asked you 10 years ago what the battery life of mobile devices would be in the year 2014 - what would you have predicted?  Back in 2004 some mobile phone batteries would last more than a week!  And yet nowadays some of us barely get a full day.

Admittedly the technology and capability of smartphones and tablets is now vastly different too, having become just as powerful as desktop computers were just a few years ago, and incorporating cameras, GPS receivers and other high-speed wireless technologies.

So how can you squeeze those extra few hours from your trusty digital pocket companion?

• Avoid exposing your device to extreme heat, it will shorten the life of the battery.
• Turn off unwanted/unused transmitting features such as Bluetooth, WiFi & Location Services.
• Close unwanted apps running in the background, disable unwanted notifications.
• Review your “push” or “fetch” email settings and reduce the frequency
• Reduce the brightness of the screen to the lowest level you can tolerate comfortably.
• Watch this video for these tips and more

[embed] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0mImA89BG4[embed]

Keeping memory in check

Your shiny new gadget may come with 16 Gigabytes of memory, which might sound like a lot - but the reality is that these days some larger apps take up close to a Gigabyte each (especially reference and travel guides). With apps this big, it doesn’t take long to quickly exhaust all the capacity.  And all this before you even get a chance to snap a happy photo or record everyone singing Happy Birthday before the candles are blown out.

So how do you keep your device’s memory under control?

• Regularly review and uninstall apps that you’re no longer using.
• Connect to a PC or Mac to transfer photos that you don’t need to carry in your pocket.
• Review your email settings and sync email from only the last three days.
• Delete old SMS or chat conversations, especially any that have photos or videos attached.
• For Android users install AVG Cleaner for free from the Google Play store. It has loads of helpful tools to help you improve your battery life and free up memory space.

Until next time, stay safe out there.