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Posts Tagged ‘ Battery ’

iOS 5.0.1 ‘hasn’t fixed battery life issue’, some users complain

By Fei on November 14, 2011

By Ben Camm-Jones
November 14, 2011

LONDON – Some users are claiming that iOS 5.0.1 hasn’t fixed issues with battery life that it was supposed to remedy.

In fact, some who have applied the update are even reporting that the battery lifespan of their iOS device is even worse, according to a thread on Apple’s discussion forum.

“After upgrading to 5.0.1 my iPhone is draining the battery even faster! Anyone else seeing this problem?” one post reads.

“I can support this too.. After installing 5.01 i charged it up fully before going to bed and after 7 hrs just sitting there lost 79%, and have lost further 5% while logging in and typing this. Going to try a full back up and restore this eve…” wrote another.

Hands on with iOS over-the-air updates

“Before the 5.0.1 update I actually didn’t have any battery problems on my iPhone 4S. But thanks to this update I now seem to have one, too,” another reads.

Not everyone agreed, though. “After the update my battery life is SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER. Perhaps you are all not applying your setting scorrectly or have apps running in the background. People jump on the bandwagon so quickly when they don’t even know what the true cause of the issue is. It might be user error,” another post reads.

Apple hasn’t issued a response yet, though we want to hear from those of you who have upgraded to iOS 5.0.1. Tell us what your experience has been in the Comments section below.

HTC EVO 4G Teardown reveals Battery surprise

By Fei on June 3, 2010

By JR Raphael
June 3, 2010

SAN FRANCISCO – Grab your safety goggles, Android fans: It’s time to get all Mr. Wizard on Sprint’s latest Android phone, the HTC EVO 4G.
The brave souls at iFixIt broke out their toolboxes to break into the EVO 4G and break down what’s inside. And they found a couple of noteworthy surprises.

The HTC EVO 4G Teardown: Battery Discoveries

So, ready to dive in? The first interesting EVO 4G discovery hits us early on: Hiding behind that sleek black exterior, the phone has a bright red backing and battery pack.

And, in case you were wondering, the battery isn’t tough to swap out: As iFixIt says, “Like most reasonable phones, changing the EVO’s battery is a snap.”

Ouch. I think we safely add that onto the growing list of things we won’t hear said at Apple’s WWDC next week.

Physical properties aside, the EVO 4G’s battery stands out for a slightly more significant reason: According to iFixIt, the battery is a 3.7-volt, 1500-mAh, and 31-gram unit — meaning it has 23 percent more capacity than an iPhone 3GS, 15 percent more than a Droid Incredible, and 7 percent more than a Nexus One.

Now, you might be thinking, “Hang on, muchacho — I’ve heard that the EVO’s battery life sucks.” It’s true: Early reports have suggested that the EVO 4G suffers from a case of premature dechargation (that’s the polite way to put it). Remember, though, capacity and performance are two different things. It appears 4G usage puts a serious strain on the battery, which is likely a large part of the device’s, shall we say, “problem.”

More EVO Teardown Highlights

Some other interesting highlights from iFixIt’s teardown of the HTC EVO 4G:

• The EVO 4G has a liquid damage indicator along the top edge of the battery (view full-sized image).

• Want to feel like a surgeon? Check out these two shots of the EVO 4G’s innards (view full-sized images). You’re looking at the logic board, located below the front-facing internal frame, and the guts beneath it.

• If you break the glass on the front of the EVO 4G, there’s no need to panic: It’s actually quite easy to remove and thus replace.

• On the EVO’s main board, there’s a Qualcomm QSD8650 Snapdragon processor; a Broadcom BCM4329 chip that powers Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and FM functionality; and an Atmel MXT224 touchscreen controller, among other incredibly geeky-sounding parts.

The HTC EVO 4G officially launches on Sprint this Friday, June 4. No word yet if it’ll be magical and/or revolutionary.

Apple to issue replacement iPad if battery dies

By Fei on March 16, 2010

By Carrie-Ann Skinner
March 16, 2010

LONDON – Apple has revealed it will issue customers with a new iPad if the battery in their original device needs replacing.
Like the batteries in Apple’s other devices, such as iPods, the iPad’s battery can not be removed from its sealed case.

Usually, if the battery in one of Apple’s devices fails, the company asks the owner to take the device to one of its Service Centres, where the battery will be replaced.

However, according to Apple’s website, iPad owners will be issued with a new slate PC, although a charge will be incurred.
“If your iPad requires service due to the battery’s diminished ability to hold an electrical charge, Apple will replace your iPad for a service fee”, the website reads.

US residents will be required to pay $105.95 (£70) for a replacement iPad. However, Apple has not revealed the cost in the UK yet.

Unfortunately, Apple revealed the new iPad would not “contain any of your personal data”, so you’ll need to sync your iPad with iTunes, ensuring contacts, calendars, email account settings, bookmarks, apps, etc are backed up.

Apple added that “is not responsible for the loss of information when servicing your iPad”.

Windows 7 tarnished by notebook battery issues

By Jon on February 5, 2010

By Tony Bradley
February 5, 2010

Microsoft is investigating reported issues with Windows 7 and notebook battery life. The issue seems sporadic, but fairly widespread. It is unclear whether affected systems are simply misreporting the battery life, or if the battery capacity is actually being permanently affected.

Long before Windows 7 was released for general availability in October of 2009, users were reporting suspicious behavior with battery life, or at least reported battery life, when running the Windows 7 RC (release candidate) version. The Microsoft TechNet Forums thread on the matter dates back to June of 2009.

While some issues seem to be a simple matter of Windows 7 not reporting the remaining battery life correctly, or prematurely warning that the battery is nearly dead, there are users who have reported switching operating systems back to Windows Vista, or even a non-Windows operating system, and still experiencing drastically reduced battery life.

Brian Ehlert, a Microsoft MVP, reported in November of 2009:
“Now, Win7 does include the ability to use Vista drivers – that is built on purpose so hardware manufacturers would not have to turn around and immediately write new drivers.

I am using all stock Win7 drivers. So that tells me that it is a core deficiency / bug – not a driver specific bug. Rather a software interacting with hardware bug.

My battery life went from 8 hours to 15 minutes, with only an fdisk, format, and install in between. Yes, totally unacceptable.”

I have been using Windows 7 since before it was available for public beta testing and I have never experienced any battery issues. Granted, my notebook is plugged in at my desk 90 percent of the time. However, I occasionally do roam about and have taken it on road trips and I have been impressed with the power management features of Windows 7, and more than satisfied with the battery life on my Dell XPS notebook.

I asked my colleague, veteran Microsoft guru Mark Minasi, about his experience. Minasi replied “I’ve been running Windows 7 on my Lenovo since May and haven’t noticed any difference in battery consumption.”

Microsoft released an official statement on the matter, saying “We are investigating this issue in conjunction with our hardware partners. The warning received in Windows 7 uses firmware information to determine if battery replacement is needed. We are working with our partners to determine the root cause and will update with information and guidance as it becomes available.”
The implication is that the issue is related to an error between Windows 7 and certain hardware firmware versions. That theory may or may not support the fact that some users claim the battery itself is being permanently affected.

Do business users need to be concerned? The jury is still out. It all depends on what the actual root cause of the issue is, and whether it is simply a miscommunication between the firmware and Windows 7 resulting in misreporting the remaining battery life, or if there is something more insidious going on that actually causing the battery capacity to dwindle permanently.

Obviously, if notebook battery life is being permanently impacted so that it lasts a meager 15 or 30 minutes rather than the six to eight hours you might expect, there is reason to be concerned. Once the dust settles on Microsoft’s investigation into the issue, business users may need to look to Microsoft or notebook vendors to replace batteries if it is determined that the issue is more than simple mis-reporting.