The prevalence of smartphones has had profound effects on how we communicate, view media, and preserve memories, among other things. But all of these new forms of doing things are snatched away from us as soon as our phones lose power. While work is constantly being done to stretch and extend battery life, it hasn't moved fast enough for the vast majority of us.
When you're not using your phone, it doesn't make much sense that it would be wasting power by maintaining an internet connection for the inside of your pocket or purse. Well, perhaps you need a little bit of intermittent data here and there so that apps can update themselves in the background and still post notifications, but it doesn't need to be constant.
It's been over two whole years since the Samsung Galaxy S3 was released, so let's face it—our beloved GS3, once an iconic heavyweight in the tech arena, is almost as washed up as Sylvester Stallone.
One of the many perks of being a Nexus user is that Google bakes in all sorts of goodies for use on its dessert-themed OS. From an easily unlocked bootloader, to a smooth and well-crafted "stock" UI experience, to being one of the first devices to receive updates straight from Mountain View—team Nexus is the team to beat.
Like most Android devices, the Nexus 7 suffers from its fair share of battery gripes. Nobody wants to see that dreaded "connect charger" warning pop up on their screen. NOBODY. Yet it probably happens to you every day nonetheless. What can you do about it besides charge, charge, and charge? Well, there's actually plenty that you can do. You can manage your notifications better, keep your screen brightness low, and kill apps running in the background. Or, you could just optimize your battery t...
It's been proven over and over that you can make batteries out of fruits and vegetables such as lemons, potatoes, and even apples. Turns out, passion fruit is also acidic enough to power a battery, but Maui Makers member Ryan K decided to take it a step further by adding a laser. Passion fruit, or Lilikoi as it's called in Hawaii, is usually over-abundant in Maui, so Ryan decided to put it to good use. Using anodized bolts, copper pipe, wire, switches, and some LEDs, he built a battery that c...
Whether you just got a brand new laptop or you've had an old notebook for several years, it's in your best interest to maximize your laptop battery life so you get the most out of your computer.
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to replace and install a programmable thermostat. The materials required for this project are: a screwdriver, masking tape, marking pencil and batteries. Begin by turning off the power of the furnace. Then remove the face of the old thermostat and detach the labeled wires. Now remove the wall plate. Then mount the plate of the new unit and connect the wires to the corresponding codes. Finish by inserting batteries, placing the face plate on the wall p...
Learn how to operate the latest Blackberry 8330 in simple steps. Follow the steps below to overview the Blackberry 8330: 1. First switch on your Blackberry by pressing the power button on its top. 2. Use the 'Trackball' to navigate around the menu options and press it to select an option. 3. The 'Send' can be used to call a contact, the 'Menu' key opens a list of options, then the 'Escape' key is used to end an application and the 'End' key is used to end a call. 4. You can find on the left s...
VieDo expert Alan Puccinelli shows us how to make your own battery with a simple lemon. You might think it's impossible, but if you follow the instructions in this tutorial, you will find out that it is actually really simple. The video gives you a lot of information about electricity and about the way this lemon provides energy, so you will easily understand not only how to do it, but how does it work. Even though it's a very interesting experiment, such a lemon only gives you about one volt...
Ever been stuck on the side of the road with no clue how to use those jumper cables in your trunk? Chris on WatchMojo will show you how to diagnose the problem, and the safe way to hook up those jumper cables, get the battery working again, and get you on your way. This step by step instructional video will walk you through each step on jumping your car. You will need a set of jumper cables and another working car to complete the jump.
This video shows you how to easily access the hidden Motorola Droid menu and how to improve call quality. The first thing you have to do is dial and call: ##7764726 . Then, type in the SPC Password, which usually is 000000 (six 0s) and hit OK. Next, click 04.Vocode in the popped up menu and choose either EVRC or EVRC-B for the highest call quality. Tap apply. Please note that better call quality requires more battery, so the battery will go down easier. That's it! Good Luck!
In an old video posted on YouTube, about how to make a speaker in a tissue box, they got a Kleenex box, foil, motor, and battery. Of course the motor ran off the battery and it made a sound, but there's no way to just plug in the audio jack from your Apple iPhone into the Kleenex box where it's contacts obviously aren't going to touch any electrical contacts and have it work. It's not possible.
F for FAKE. This video has been labeled a "Faux-To". Commonly contested as bogus science, we believe this video to be a hoax. What's your opinion? Comment below.
This robot is BEAM bot inspired. First we build up the Motor Drive, an excellent and cheap Robot Bot-Base. We start with the Tamiya kit, get it going, then strap on a battery and a drag wheel, center the drag wheel. Tape it all in place with bright yellow tape and make a BEAM Bot with batteries. Plans for this BEAM framework are to add smarts.
If you have a subscription with Verizon Wireless to use the mobile hotspot feature on the Motorola Droid Bionic Android smartphone, you can provide internet access to any nearby device with a WiFi connection by accessing the mobile hotspot application on your Bionic. This guide from Motorola will walk you through the process, but be careful because the hotspot feature will drain your battery!
When you remove the multifunction switch from your Saturn S-series car, be sure to disconnect the battery and remove the airbag fuse so that you can safely interact with the switch.
Learn the basics of shooting videos in this video. This funny and informative video from Vimeo's excellent Video 101 series of tutorials demonstrates the importance of things like always carrying extra batteries, holding on to the subject for at least 5 seconds, using the rule of thirds to compose the shots, and planning the shots ahead of time.
Well, you've opened up your iPhone 4 and taken the battery out. Now, you want to remove the LCD display and the logic board and the phone's proximity sensor. Apple doesn't like you doing it, but this great, step-by-step guide shows you clearly just how to do it.
Triboluminescence is the quality that makes a substance emit light when you crush, smash, hit, or otherwise break it's molecular bonds. If you want some triboluminescent (smash-glow) crystals, watch this video to learn how to make some out of a battery, glowpaint, and fire.
If your car won't start you have problems, finding the cause is the most important and immediate task. In this video you'll learn about three things that can make your car not start and how to fix them: a dead battery, a faulty starter motor, and a low gas tank with a potentially damaged fuel pump.
Light shows are one of the best parts of raves, bringing people together to participate in a whole new type of social interaction. Gloves have become the most popular tools of the lightshow trade, and this video will teach you how to make your own custom set exactly how you want them. It discusses types of lights, batteries, and everything else you need to know to make your first set of gloves.
The moment when your Windows XP PC begins hibernating is one of the most frustrating in many PC users lives, causing hands to be thrown up in frustration and preparations for a hard reset to begin. Do you wish that you computer didn't even have the option of hibernating? This video will show you how to turn off hibernation in Windows XP, allowing you to use your computer's entire battery without risking a sudden faux-shutdown.
Nintendo 64. It's the classic video game console and probably houses a bunch of your fond childhood memories. Well, now you can relive those tender moments AND play Super Mario Brothers on the go by hacking your Nintendo 64 just a wee bit.
Check out this video tutorial to show you how to use a Marantz digital audio recorder. This video was made by the equipment room at CUNY Journalism School in New York.
Check out this video tutorial to show you how to use a Fuji FinePix digital still camera. This video was made by the equipment room at CUNY Journalism School in New York.
Check out this video tutorial to show you how to use a Panasonic MiniDV camcorder. This video was made by the equipment room at CUNY Journalism School in New York.
Learn some routine maintenance and general information tips for the battery in your car. Maintain your car battery.
The BristleBot is a simple and tiny robot with an agenda. The ingredients? One toothbrush, a battery, and a pager motor. The result? Serious fun. The BristleBot is our take on the popular vibrobot, a simple category of robot that is controlled by a single vibrating (eccentric) motor.
Make a low voltage battery at home using only coke, salt, and a paper towel. Make a battery with Coke, salt, and paper towel.
While breadboarding may seem like some odd combination of snowboarding and consuming the fluffy pastry at the same time, it's actually just the technical term for using a construction base to build a prototype electric circuit. Breadboards are solderless so they're great for circuit design and are reusable.
This video shows you how to disassemble a first generation iPod nano so you can replace the battery. You will need a soldering iron and need to do some electronic soldering so make sure you're comfortable with soldering or have practiced a bit beforehand. Be careful or you'll be buying a new Nano! Replace a 1st generation iPod nano battery.
This video demonstrates the relationship between electricity and magnetism and shows how to construct an electromagnet using a 4 inch iron nail, 5 meters of copper wire and a 1.5 volt AA battery. Electromagnetism was discovered by the Danish scientist Oersted. Electromagnetism is the science behind electric motors, solenoids, speakers and electromagnets.
Need to use up vinegar? Here is an interesting way to convert your standard vinegar into a working battery. Learn the technique to create an alternative source of energy using vinegar. Make a vinegar battery.
Until next March, the iPhone XS and Samsung Galaxy S9 will be the only phones considered by many. Whether you're an Apple fan wanting to see how your new phone stacks up against the competition or a buyer on the fence, here's how the latest flagships from the two biggest brands compare.
Aspiring engineers, your challenge, should you choose to accept it, has been issued by Jaguar Land Rover.
We've already seen the visual changes that Android 5.0 Lollipop has brought to the table, but Google spent just as much time altering things under the hood. Awesome new functionality and hardware capabilities have been added left and right, and with the OS already out now, it's high time we had a look at some of these tweaks.
According to a new study, the majority of smartphone users check their devices 150 times a day. While that number may seem incredibly high at first glance, the influx of notifications and amount of social media apps available reduce the initial shock and make the number seem not so preposterous after all. Yeah, even on a date.
Since the invention of the mechanical clock, enclosure of the commons, and proletarianization of labor, the alarm clock has been the bane of our existence. While not actually evil, it does represent the constant and uncompromising glare of our owners shaking a patronizing finger at us, telling us to get to work so they can use our labor to grant themselves bonuses.
With portable devices being a necessity in modern everyday life, they may be subject to overuse, improper charging, or normal wear and tear. For those people who carry around their smartphone or iPod with them all of the time, how many times have you been out and about just to have your portable device die on you?
