Turning Off Plug-Ins To Extend Battery Life

This is quite easy.  Simply go preference or options in your browser and turn off all or some plug-ins that you don't need help you save battery life.

In fact, you might want to try this with other applications as well.  

For instance, if you're working on the Web and there is no need for Flash to be running, it's cobbling up a lot of resources.  Okay, I don't know for sure if it's a lot.  However, if you've got 5 windows or tabs open, or even 10 to 15 like I typically do, that is sure to add up.  

I hate to say this but it could hurt me or as well as other folks who's got ads running off Flash or javascript.  But hey, if it helps you work an extra half hour, I'm for it.  

Some browsers will allow you to pick and choose what you want running or not.  For instance, Firefox 3.5's preference lets you made the choice easily.  In Safari, it's even easier.  It's all or nothing.  Of course, that's no necessarily a good thing either.

I heard this today while I was running and listen to a podcast from Powerpage.  In fact, I'm writing this now without Flash or Java enabled.  Javascript is running however.  

This is merely an extension to what you naturally can do with laptops or netbooks.  Dimming your screen, turning off BT, or simply adding more RAM.  With battery technology improving, if at all, at a snail's crawl, we do what we can.  

Mobile Tips To Extend Battery Life

This is a republishing of our mobile tips for extending battery life.  We've gone on and on about battery life at Onxo and since this summer, folks are getting new mobile devices and smartphones, we thought we do our part to help make your experience more enjoyable.

Here are a few that I like to suggest to you along with some new ones from CNet that we've put together here for you:

• Since last year, more devices offer users the opportunity to run apps in the background.  As nice as that sounds, it really kills the battery life.  Make sure to quit apps that you don't need.  Yes, if you're on a Pre or Windows Mobile and your brand new smartphone's battery life isn't working anywhere close to what's been advertised, chances are, you're running apps in the background.  Kill any process you don't need.  iPhone users don't have that worry.
• For iPhone users, you don't have to worry about apps running in the background but if you've upgraded to 3.0 (this goes for iPod Touch users as well), you've got "notifications" on by default.  You can turn it off and save your some juice.
• Push notification for e-mail.  This eats up a lot of battery life.  So this tips work for everyone.  Turn off push or any kind of notification you don't need.
• Sometimes, it's just too much of a hassle to shut the device off and turning it back on when you need it.  Though that saves the most power by my experience, you can sort of cheat by using the airplane mode. What that does is essentially turn off all antennas your mobile device has.  No Wi-Fi.  No EDGE or 3G.  So if you're reading an ebook, this also helps since you might not want to be disturbed.  
• A few tips from CNet I didn't know about but I like.  Resetting network settings or restoring to factory settings can solve some signal strength issues that might be sucking up more power than you need.  
• For iPhone or iPod Touch users (or anyone with a device with an equalizer), turn it off.  

According to the CNet writer, who write the piece for iPhone users, he experienced longer battery life with the tips he suggested.  But I'm telling you a lot of his tips as well as mine are really just common sense ideas that sometimes we just forget.  Initially, he experienced decent battery life lasting him from 5am to 6:30pm with about 20% of battery life left.  We all dread seeing that warning sign.  But after using the battery saving tips, he got 40% of capacity left after 15 hours of heavy usage.  Much better than I thought.

Source:  CNet, Onxo

Note:  We discuss battery situations a lot on Onxo so search through Onxo for previous mentions and posts about battery life.

Here is the repost of the previous battery life tips:

I love my gadgets to the point of babying them although I tend to drop them quite often.  Don't know why that is.

But there's something I cannot help as far as operating my mobile devices and that's the battery.  They die. (So melodramatic, isn't it?  Its the only thing that doesn't "stop working". but "dies".  "Sorry to have to tell you this but your battery are dead...alive for only 9 hours.  So young.  So tragic.") 

In my experience, I've come up with a few tips that has worked for me.  And here they are.  Please note that everyone has different standards and expectations.  Plus, we've got different devices so some of these tips may not have be relevant for you.  Plus, your mobile unit may have more battery saving options than others. 

Here we go.  By the way, I am basing my experiences here off my iPhone (1st gen).

• Turn it off when you don’t need it.  Seriously here.  If you’re in a meeting for an hour and you can’t be disturb, why leave it on at all.  Also, I’ve occasionally turned off my phone when I’m driving for more than half an hour.  I’ve got an iPod nano that I use if I want to listen to music in the car.  An hour here.  Half an hour there.  It adds up.  
• The screen can be dimmed.  I usually keep it at 50% brightness.  In the iPhone, it works great in the daylight and I’m sure helps with the juice quite a bit.
• This is a bit like turning off the device but not as extreme.  Turn on the airplane mode.  I have not tested this thoroughly but if the antennas in the phone are not trying to pick up signals, I’m guess it’s saving quite a bit of power.  Does anyone know for sure?  I’m guess the it’ll vary depending on the device.
• Bluetooth – I’ve used it before and I’m sure I’ll use it again some day.  But I don’t mind using just the headset that came with the iPhone.  So if you can avoid it, turn it off.  
• 3G.  I don’t have a lot of experience with it.  With my phone, I’m content with the EDGE speed for the most part.  I’m also around WIFI much of the time.  Turn it off when you’re not using it.  
• Turn off WiFi if you do not have access to it.  Even though it’s not connected, it yearns to be in the company of an access point so it’s always looking.
• E-mails.  If you don’t need it pushed, set it to check at an incremental time or do the checking manually.  This goes for any other kind of updates on your phone.  There was this app on for the jailbroken phone that checks news, stocks, weather, and e-mail all at the same time.  The juice it sucked up was monstrous.  I took deleted it after a couple of days.  
• If you can e-mail or surf on a computer, do that.  If you can use a landline to talk, do that.  I know folks who insist on using their mobile phones all day.  Okay, I respect that.  I just don’t get that.  
• If you’re near a computer with a USB port, you can charge it if you have the iPod USB cable.

There you go.  Once again, your mileage is going to vary depending on what device you have and your personal habits.  Some of these tips can work with other mobile devices that are not smartphones.  Regular phones, PSP, UMPCs, or even netbooks (I only see the dimming of the screen as helpful).  

For laptops these days, the standby is very good.  The power-saving features are just excellent.  Make sure you take advantage of that.  

Also carry an extra battery.  For those us of at the mercy of Steve Jobs’ insistence of no user-friendly battery changes, I guess we just take it.  However, there are a lot of battery extensions that will work. 

Here’s a link to Gizmodo who also have some battery saving tips.  I did not include the auto-lock because I'm not 100% sure every device has that feature.  

If you've got any tip we've missed, please share with them us.  Battery technology is barely budging these days and additional battery life will likely come from advances in other components of a mobile device and changes in our behaviors.

Remember though, you don't wan to go overboard in babying your mobile device either.  It's here to serve you, not the other way around.

Watch NBC TV Shows On Your G1, iPhone or iPod Touch

If you follow any of the iPhone blog sites, you might have read that a Hulu app is in the works.  Well, as much as I like to believe it, I'm not holding my breath either.

However, there is a way to watch some shows from NBC.  Simply point your mobile browser to NBC's mobile site.  It's that easy.

Oh.  You'll have to click the videos tab but that's also easy.  I've caught up with "Kings", watched a few Tonight Show clips with Conan, and looking forward to the Listener and the Office.

Here are a few screen shots that I've taken on my iPod Touch.  Like it said in the title, it works on the G1.  I'm guess that if your smartphone or mobile devices support Webkit and can encode H.264, you're good to go.

So, no waiting for the Hulu app.  I just found out my gym has Wi-Fi access and I can use my iPod Touch or G1 (I don't get signal in all parts of the gym).  Anyway, have fun!

Here are the other mobile links that you can watch videos or full episodes of your favorite TV shows:

• ABC - you get recaps and "mobile moments".  No full episodes.  Yet, I hope soon though.  Eventually.  It only makes sense that this will become available.
• NBC - you already know from above.
• CBS - You do get many full episodes.  If you're use the iPhone or iPod Touch, simply download the "tv.com" app.

Fox Mobile is missing.  Strangely, it's an equal HULU partner with NBC.  Perhaps, that'll come eventually.  CW offers previews, recaps, and some full episodes (like Gossip Girl but not Smallville) so I'm hopefully (though they do welcome you to read summary of each episode).  The curious thing about CW is that it changes the url to "iphone.cwtv.com".  But hey, it also works for the G1.  Who am I to complain?

I'll go through more networks and see if they offer mobile videos with full episodes.  And then I'll tell you!  And if you know anywhere else where mobile warriors can watch videos with their smartphones or mobile devices, drop me a line.

Update:

• History - offers video clips only.
• SciFi - offers some video clips.  Not a whole lot.  Some for Stargate Atlantis.  Needs work.  But it didn't work.  But since we're scifi folks, we'll be keeping an eye out on this one.