Today many of us rely on various devices for our pleasure, our education, our social lives etc. Whether it’s a Smartphone, a tablet computer or a digital camera, there are multifarious bits of kit we use to enhance our daily lives.
The nature of this kit is evolving all of the time; however one aspect that perhaps undermines most of this tech, especially when it’s meant to be portable, is that it will have limited battery life. Whilst companies are doing all they can to squeeze more power out of batteries, and the batteries themselves are evolving, limited battery life can still be a real headache.
There are actually several different kinds of batteries that you might find in various devices, for instance it is very common to find a rechargeable battery in your laptop. There are also very specific kinds of batteries, such as nickel cadmium batteries and the more recent lithium ion batteries. Each of these different kinds of batteries will behave in their own way, for instance, lithium ion batteries like to use up around 50% of their power and then be charged whereas older batteries like to be used to zero then be recharged.
The lifespan of any particular battery isn’t set in stone. There are actually various things that can affect the longevity of your battery, not least the mere passing of time. One of the biggest threats to your device’s battery will be heat, and exposing batteries to heat for long periods can dramatically reduce the power potential of your battery pack.
Some devices are more reliant on batteries than others. For example, mobile phones are necessarily portable and so their functionality relies on the longevity of their batteries. There are all sorts of ways you can prolong the lifespan of your mobile phone:
You can use common sense about how you’re using your device. Don’t run power hungry apps, such as apps with advanced graphics.
You can also turn down the brightness of your screen.
Most phones have the option to go into airplane mode. This mode will also save you lots of power by switching off the wireless internet.
Digital cameras are also necessarily portable; there are a few ways to conserve the power of your camera:
You can turn off the LCD screen on your digital camera.
You can avoid using the flash.
You might avoid using the zoom function or other functions which can drain power.
You might also invest in replacement batteries, so if they do run out you can easily and immediately replace them.
If you’re worried about the lifespan of your laptop computer battery, consider the following:
Turn down the brightness of the screen.
Switch off connectivity such as Wi-Fi, or switch into airplane mode.
Don’t connect your laptop to extraneous devices such as an external mouse or keyboard.
Don’t discharge your battery all the way or disconnect before your battery is fully charged.
Don’t run programs that use advanced graphics or lots of processing power as this consumes battery.