Well hello there, all you good looking android using Bluedots! Are you tired of your super cool phone not making it through a busy work day or long car ride? Well then maybe it’s time to learned how to get the most out of your Android phone’s battery. Before we do that though, let’s take a look at some of the things that cause the drain on your phone’s battery.
Now that we’ve come stumbling blindly into the 21st Century, flailing our arms, and screaming at the top of our lungs to be satisfied and pampered until we can melt into a state of irreversible serenity, mobile devices and cell phones have surpassed luxury items and become a necessity to properly function within a harsh and judgmental society. But as this metamorphosis occurs, another movement pushes through: the Green movement. And while it’s no secret that cell phones, mobile devices, and computers are not “green,” many seem to turn a blind eye to the increased level of plastics and metals and choose in favor of productivity.
Well that’s fine. A society needs to be productive to advance, and nothing screams productivity like having access to global communication and networking at the touch of a handy button.
First of all, there are the materials. From plastics to the rare, powdery precious metal tantalum (mined primarily in Central Africa, where it’s become implicated in local exploitation and violence and is now known as a conflict material), cell phone materials present a variety of environmental and even human rights issues. Kinda like “blood diamonds,” but in higher demand.
Then there’s energy use. Smartphones are especially notorious energy hogs, with most models rarely getting more than a day of usage without some pretty drastic energy-saving strategies. It’s not just the obvious charging that takes up electricity and energy that increases a carbon footprint, but the cell usage and data transfer when multiplied millions and millions of times can drastically increase energy output.
All of this electricity consumption adds up to greenhouse gas emissions. Of course, this all depends on how often you use your device, but with great apps comes great responsibility–and telling an iPhone user how often and to what extent he can use his Applications is like trying to take guns and Bibles away from rednecks.
Aware that cell phones have an eco image problem, nearly all cell phone manufacturers, U.S. wireless carriers and office supply or electronics vendors now offer recycling programs (both in-store and mail-in) where they’ll take back your used phone for free and recycle the materials as much as possible.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provides links to many vendor-sponsored programs.
Keeping your used cell phones out of landfills is one important way to green your cell phone use. But green is the color of money, too. You can make money by selling your used cell phone for reuse, either directly to a friend or charity, or through a verified Trade-In program.
An even greener (and generally cheaper) option is to buy a used cell phone rather than a new one. If you don’t absolutely need all the latest features, you can probably get a good price on a model in good condition that’s a year or less old.
This summer, the UK wireless carrier O2 presented its first eco ratings of popular mobile phones. This effort proved controversial because Apple (maker of the iPhone) and Research in Motion (maker of the world’s most popular smartphone, the BlackBerry) declined to participate.
However, RIM says it will participate next year. And some are questioning why several smartphones made it onto O2′s eco-friendly phone list.
Back in the U.S., it may soon get easier to tell which cell phones are really green. UL Environment Inc. (part of Underwriters Laboratories) is designing its initial sustainability standards for cell phones. The draft standards are due out in late 2010.
While we wait to discover new ways to increase the quality of our mobile devices while decreasing our carbon footprint, keep a few things in mind: When using your cell phone, keep in mind that texting is your most energy-efficient (and thus eco-friendly) communication option. Or if possible, call from an old-fashioned land line instead — that uses far less power to transmit calls.
Sources: CNN
When we discuss cell phones and mobile devices, our main concerns involve new applications, quick internet access, and (often way in third place) voice service. One of the most overlooked aspects about having our entire lives wrapped up in one pocket-sized device is that after a prolonged period of use (or non-use), the battery will eventually drain–leaving us in a post-apocalyptic frenzy, out of communication with the rest of the world.
Is there any conceivable way to keep our devices alive without the chore of plugging them into our walls or cars?
Fortunately, we’ve got our best men on the job.
Communication Technology company Qualcomm has developed a pad that would emit a small amount of energy which would charge mobile devices without the need to plug them in. Each cell phone, smartphones or related device would be equipped with a special sustainable battery which would act as a beacon for this direct energy. This cuts out the “plugging in” step, but one would still need to have an easily accessible docking station to charge their device.
But what if this energy field were all around us? What if every time we entered a building (or enclosed area), every electronic device we were carrying instantly began to charge. Scary thought?
Not according to Intel. Our energy innovators have come a long way since Nikola Tesla–who incidentally dreamed up this who concept in the late 1800′s. The concept of energy fields is working its way back onto the table, but it’s been “on the table” since 1940, so let’s not count our chickens.
Why Tesla? Why now? Well, we are an energy-hungry society. Our newest and coolest devices, the iPhone, iPad, and Sprint EVO are severe power hogs–and at the rate we are advancing, we need a stronger energy source…and fast!
Sources: Laptop-DRV | Qualcomm | VentureBeat
–Alex
Picture via NPR
Today marks the end of National Recycle Your Cell Phone week and over the past seven days, there has been some really good press about helping the environment by recycling old cell phones.
It’s now estimated that 130 million cell phones are trashed every year, which not only pollutes the environment but also sustains the need for conflict components. An awareness video from Sprint states that Americans discard 16 thousand cell phones every hour. Through cell phone recycling, Samsung is hoping to save 1 million phones from a landfill, which would “reap 75 pounds of gold, 772 pounds of silver and 35,274 pounds of copper. It also would save energy and cut water and air pollution, including greenhouse gases,” according to the EPA.
Don’t forget that one of the easiest, cheapest, and most effective ways to reduce waste and damage caused by cell phone consumption is to purchase refurbished phones. They’re a fraction of retail price and are virtually brand new. To find out more about the benefits of purchasing refurbished cell phones, visit this informative link.
Last week, Nokia filed to patent technology that will charge your new or refurbished cell phone from the motion of the phone in your hand, pocket, etc. The technology is similar to that of watches that are charged from kinetic energy harvested from the movement of the wrist.
From what I’ve read, the heavier internals of the phone (the battery, transmitter, etc.) will sit on a pair of rails, allowing it to slide up and down as the user moves. That energy is then collected and sent into the battery.
Kinetically charged phones should be great for people constantly on the go. Might not be worth it if you’ve got a desk job though.
More at New Scientist
Princeton University engineers seem to have developed the technology to harness energy through rubber, which will eventually allow things like your shoes or your pants to charge your new or refurbished cell phones.
A lot of what I read about the technology went over my head, but the gist of it is that ceramic nanoribbons will be inserted into silicone rubber sheets, which will be used to make shoes, clothes, etc., and the ribbons, when bent by actions like walking and breathing, harness energy. Apparently, these ribbons are really efficient and can harness about 80% of mechanical energy and turn it into electrical energy.
Besides the fact that it would be really cool to be able to charge your phone by taking a bike ride, the technology will prove extremely valuable to people with internal instruments like pacemakers. No longer will these people need to undergo surgeries just to have the batteries on their devices changed because the devices will be constantly charged through daily activities.
