No iPads for Emirates: Airline to hand out HP Windows 8 tablets to flight crew

Emirates, one of the world's biggest airlines, will soon be handing out HP ElitePad 900 Windows 8 tablets to its flight crew, bucking the trend set by its competitors which have been opting for Apple's iPad.

When a story emerges of yet another airline handing out tablet computers to members of its flight crew, you might automatically think Apple had scored another win with its popular iPad. Delta, United and British Airways are, after all, in the process of equipping crew members with the Cupertino company’s big-selling device.

However, Emirates, one of the world’s biggest airlines, is daring to be different. No iPads for this Dubai-based carrier; instead, it’s opting for the yet-to-launch HP ElitePad 900 Windows 8 tablet.

The tablet will run a version of Emirates’ Knowledge Driven Inflight Service (KIS) business app, the company’s in-flight communication and customer relationship management software which it has been using for the last eight years.

The app allows staff to quickly learn about passenger preferences and needs, and can also be used to conduct in-flight upgrades to business class or first class for members of Skywards, Emirates’ frequent flyer program.

The business-oriented ElitePad 900 features a 10.1-inch display with a 1280 x 800 pixel resolution, 2 GB RAM, 32/64 GB SSD, a microSD slot, an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera, a front-facing camera, a Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity option and 802.11 Wi-Fi.

The device was reportedly chosen for its light weight (1.5 lb) and long battery life (expandable with the HP ElitePad Jacket Battery), making it ideal for non-stop flights. One assumes Emirates also believes the new Windows 8 operating system is better equipped to run its KIS app than Google and Apple’s respective mobile operating systems.

The tablet, unveiled last month ahead of a January 2013 launch, will be deployed across Emirates’ fleet of aircraft, with a total of 1,000 units expected to be utilized by crew members over the next 12 months.

Announcing the move on Monday, Kevin Griffiths, senior vice president of cabin crew at Emirates, said, “To support our crew, we have created an application on Windows 8 that delivers a unique, personalized experience with the necessary information for our cabin crew to better serve the needs of customers.”

He continued, “The Windows 8 platform running on HP ElitePad 900 devices gave us this option, allowing us to create the KIS app that enables our crew to offer an experience not available on other airlines.”

Last month Emirates vice president Patrick Brannelly said the airline promised to “keep pushing the boundaries of in-flight innovation,” announcing it was allowing passengers on its A380 planes to use their cell phones to make calls during flights.

Tech-wise, the carrier has always endeavored to keep up with the latest developments, being among the first to introduce on-board phones and fax machines in the 1990s, as well as offering email and text messaging services via in-seat facilities since 2006.

[Top image: Adrian Pingstone]

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/no-ipads-for-emirates-airline-to-hand-out-hp-windows-8-tablets-to-flight-crew/

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Apple teases international Black Friday sale, free shipping for US

Will the iPad mini get a Black Friday discount?

Apple is getting into the holiday spirit, which for the company means hinting at a big sale for this Black Friday.

Visiting the Apple online store in Australia and the U.K. opens a teaser page promoting a one-day sale.

"The one-day Apple shopping event is Friday 23 November," the teaser read.

"Get ready to give. Shop online or at your favourite Apple Retail Store. We'll help you make the most of the day, no matter how you shop."

Black Friday goes international

Attempting to go to the same page in the U.S. takes users to a Holiday Gift Guide page.

The gift guide advertises a variety of accessories for iPads, iMacs, iPhones and iPod Touches, though none of which show discounted prices. Instead, Apple is offering free shipping on all items featured in the gift guide.

The day after Thanksgiving is known as Black Friday in the U.S., and it's considered one of the biggest shopping days of the year as retailers offer one-day discounts throughout their stores.

In the past, Apple has joined in with its own Black Friday sales, though usually only offering minimal discounts on its products.

Oddly, while deals for the U.S. shopping day are confirmed for U.K. and Australian Apple Stores, there is no indication yet from the company that the U.S. will follow suit this year.

In the meantime, shoppers should keep an eye out for third-party retailers advertising Black Friday sales, which are likely to offer deeper discounts on Apple hardware than the company's own stores.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/computing/apple/apple-teases-international-black-friday-sale-free-shipping-for-us-1113745

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Apple has approved 1 million apps, according to data firm

The milestone Apple won't announce

Apple has approved over 1 million apps for its iOS App Store according to app discoverability firm Appsfire.

Appsfire co-counder Ouriel Ohayon told The Next Web that by his company's numbers Apple has reached the 1 million app milestone, which includes 493,298 paid app submissions.

It isn't a milestone Apple is likely to publicize any time soon though, as those numbers are only for app approvals.

The actual number of live apps sits at 736,247 according to Ohayon, with 336,270 paid apps available.

Mind the copyright

The discrepancy is due to a large number of apps approved by Apple and later removed by their creators, typically for copyright reasons.

That means an estimated 264,753 apps, over a quarter of all apps submitted to the app store, have been pulled from the App Store since its creation in 2008, including 157,028 paid apps.

The numbers do not speak very highly for Apple's approval process, which has become somewhat notorious for passing apps which blatantly infringe copyrights.

While Apple is often quick to react and remove infringing apps from the App Store, as indicated by over 264K approved apps that are no longer available, Apple has yet to address its approval process that lets the offending apps pass in the first place.

The race to 1 million

Earlier this year at the iPad mini and iPad 4 launch event Apple announced the App Store had reached 700,000 apps.

The company has always been forthcoming with the number of live apps available or the number of app downloads through the App Store, but is far quieter when it comes to the App Store approval process.

Last month Google announced that it is catching up to Apple, reaching 700,000 apps available through the Google Play store.

The next milestone will be to reach 1 million apps available, with both Google and Apple racing for that title. However, it is also helpful to get a reminder that those numbers can be deceiving, with thousands of approved illegitimate apps that must be moderated and removed from the services.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/apple-has-approved-1-million-apps-according-to-data-firm-1113735

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Firefox update brings it to millions more Androids

Millions more can now use Firefox

Starting on Monday, the Firefox browser will be compatible with quite a few more Android smartphones.

With this most recent update, Mozilla has included support for ARMv6 processors, which the developer claims are found in more than half of the existing 500 million Android phones on the market.

Previously, Firefox for Android was only compatible with devices running Android 2.2, and utilizing an ARMv7 processor.

Consumers with phones like the HTC ChaCha and Samsung Galaxy Ace can now look forward to using the latest iteration of the third-party web browser.

More accessible

While adding support for Firefox to some 250 million more smartphones will help Mozilla grow its brand, that's not the only improvement included in the latest update.

Mozilla will also introduce TalkBack integration, which will allow Android users with visual impairments to browse the web with the screen reading technology with no extra configurations necessary.

New Android accessibility features like Explore by Touch and Gesture Navigation are also instantly compatible with Firefox thanks to this new update.

All of these upgrades work in concert to make browsing easier for the visually impaired by incorporating speech output, sounds, and vibrations.

The latest version of Firefox for Android is available on the Google Play store.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/software/applications/firefox-update-brings-it-to-millions-more-androids-1113704

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Best headphones for phones: 25 pairs tested

Top end earphones reviewed and rated

It's a minefield out there - what are you supposed to do when you pull your new phone out of the box and realise the headphones included just aren't up to scratch?

Actually, this scenario is less common than you might think, but when it comes to Apple products, you're going to want to know the best replacement iPhone earphones - as let's face it, the ones that come in the box are just laughably poor and leak sound to anyone within a kilometre.

But it's not as simple as choosing the best pair of headphones from a shelf in a shop - you've got to consider styles, shapes, sound quality, price and overall functionality before parting with your hard-earned cash these days.

So to that end, here's our fancy guide to reams of the latest headphones on the market to show you what you need. Whether it's cutting the wires, running a marathon or just spending a few hours in quiet audio contemplation, there should hopefully be something here for you.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/best-headphones-for-phones-25-pairs-tested-1029544

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Korea gets Galaxy Note 10.1 with 4G LTE, U.S. could be next on the list

Samsung has announced a 4G LTE version of the Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet, but so far only for Korea. When the Note 10.1 debuted on August, Samsung teased the arrival of an LTE model in the U.S., so its release may not be far behind.

Samsung has announced the availability of a 4G LTE Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet, but only for the Korean market. As well as the introduction of 4G LTE and VoLTE — that’s voice over LTE — the new Note 10.1 has Android 4.1 Jelly Bean installed along with a few new features added to the S Pen’s functionality.

You’ll remember that the S Pen is Samsung’s name for a stylus, and now it can access a quick launch menu where you can search the web, easily copy and paste content, plus use the same Air View feature seen on the Galaxy Note 2. Here, when you hover the pen over a picture gallery or folder, the contents can be quickly explored, or when watching a video, it becomes a quick way to scrub through scenes.

Otherwise, it’s business as usual for the Note 10.1, which means a 10.1-inch screen with a 1280 x 800 pixel resolution, a 1.4GHz Exynos 4 Quad processor, 2GB of RAM and a 5-megapixel camera with 1080p video recording on the rear.

The Galaxy Note 10.1 was announced back in August, after Samsung took its first attempt off the market to update the device following a less than enthusiastic greeting during Mobile World Congress.

At the time, Samsung released the Galaxy Note 10.1 with Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi plus 3G, but not a 4G LTE model, although it did confirm a Wi-Fi and LTE Note 10.1 would follow later in the year. Now, with the Korean launch set for November 23, a U.S. launch can’t be too far away.

Samsung hasn’t given a price for the Note 10.1 LTE, but as the standard Note 10.1 is around $499 in the U.S., expect it to be more than this when it arrives.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/samsung-launches-the-galaxy-note-10-1-with-lte-in-korea/

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La Fleur Galaxy S III, S Duos, Ace 2 and Ace Duos on the way

The La Fleur brand is no news for Samsung. It’s been doing those editions since the end of 2009. The limited-edition phones are not quite widespread or famous, but they've usually enjoyed good reception from the ladies out there.

So here come the new La Fleur phones, all of them running on Android OS – the Galaxy S III, Galaxy S Duos, Galaxy Ace Duos and Galaxy Ace 2.

All of them will come in the usual colors – white or pink with some additional flower decoration on both sides of the phone.

In case you are eyeing one of those, you’ll be happy to learn they’ll be released by the end of January just in time for the Valentine's day shopping decisions.

Source

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/la_fleur_editions_of_galaxy_s_iii_s_duos_ace_2_and_ace_duos_on_the_way-news-5099.php

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Google kills Christmas (and all of December) with Android 4.2 bug

A bug in Google's Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) mobile operating system has caused the entire month of December to disappear. But fear not: Google has recognized the issue, which we hope means a fix will arrive soon.

Sorry, kids, Christmas is cancelled this year – at least, that’s what Google’s Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) mobile operating system is telling users. As first reported by AndroidPolice on Saturday, Google accidentally left out the entire month of December in its most recent Android update. Fortunately for users, a fix is likely coming soon. (We hope.)

The absence of December in the Jelly Bean calendar is especially disruptive to the People (contacts) app, since birthdays, reminders, or any other notes related to the month of December cannot be added (since December does not currently exist). The flaw comes built in to the new Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 devices, as well as new or upgraded versions of the Nexus 7 tablet and Galaxy Nexus smartphones.

The no-December flaw was first noted in an Android bug-tracker forum on November 14. It has since been confirmed by a number of users from around the world. But it wasn’t until Saturday, November 17, that Google acknowledged that December 2012 was missing from Jelly Bean.

All said, this is a relatively minor bug – more a source of mild annoyance than catastrophic mayhem. (If, on the other hand, Apple had left out December in iOS, there would surely be nothing short of Hell to pay for the Cupertino giant.) Alas, Google’s roll-out-fix-later modus operandi has likely saved it from too much wrath, if not a dose of embarrassment.

Still, Google has yet to comment on when a fix is due. But we would guess that an update will arrive before December does.

Image via Jeff Cameron Collingwood/Shutterstock

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/google-deletes-december-android-4-2/

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WP 7.8 update might come in a few weeks, WP7.9 in the works?

Nokia can't (or more likely doesn’t want to) keep Windows Phone 7.8 info under wraps - new info coming from the "head of Nokia Asia Pacific Developer" suggests we will see the update much sooner than the previously rumored Q1 2013 timeframe.

Microsoft never really announced a solid launch date for the update, which caused all this guessing.

Anyway, the WP7.8 update was reportedly RTMed and it should start rolling out in a few days to weeks. This comes soon after the leaked Nokia materials that detailed what changes the update will bring (Microsoft was vague on this one too).

Windows Phone 7.8 will not be the end of it though - another rumor (this one coming from Nokia Germany) suggests there will be another update for the first generation of Windows Phone handsets (the ones not getting WP8).

The rumor doesn’t offer any more info, but that there might be an update at all is quite interesting in itself. Microsoft made a commitment of supporting WP8 devices for at least 18 months after they're released, but it would be nice to see it hasn’t forgotten about the users it attracted with WP7.

Source

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/wp_78_update_might_come_in_a_few_weeks_wp79_in_the_works-news-5098.php

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Sony Xperia J review

The Sony Xperia J is the smaller and cheaper brother to James Bond's Xperia T, but don't expect to find this handset mingling with scantily clad women - the Xperia J is far more reserved, less flamboyant, happier to stay out of the limelight and just get on with life without frenzied car chases through the French Riviera.

There's a less flamboyant price as well, with the Sony Xperia J setting you back a manageable £175 (around $275/AU$265) SIM-free, or you can have it for free on contracts starting at as little as £13 per month on a two year deal.

With that price the Xperia J is left fighting against the Orange San Diego, HTC Desire C, BlackBerry Curve 9320 and the slightly cheaper Sony Xperia Miro.

Looks wise the Sony Xperia J is very similar to the Xperia T, with both handsets taking design cues from the popular Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc and Xperia Arc S.

The iconic arched back of the Xperia J is the strongest nod to the past Sony Ericsson handsets, and provides a unique design which we found pleasing to the eye.

This also means that the Sony Xperia J sits nicely in the palm, and at 124g we reckon it's pretty spot on in terms of weight, with a perfect balance in the hand and its slender 124.3 x 61.2 x 9.2 mm chassis is certainly not overbearing.

It's a sturdy handset, with a good build quality, and while the rear plastic case is a little on the thin side, it's easy enough to remove, unlike the one found on the Nokia Lumia 820.

On the front you're greeted by a 4-inch display which is relatively bright, but at 480x854 isn't too sharp, especially when you consider the San Diego has a 600x1024 offering.

That's not to say it's a poor screen and Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich looks perfectly acceptable, with a single-core 1GHz processor and 512MB running the show.

Below the display is a bezel housing back, home and menu keys, with Sony not opting for on-screen controls, nor replacing the menu button with the multi-tasking function Google recommends.

There's also a front facing, VGA camera above the display while on the left there's a microUSB port for charging and connecting the Xperia J to a computer.

It's not a location we're fond of, as a charging port at the base of a handset makes it much easier to use when plugged in.

On the right there's a power/lock key at the top, with a volume rocker switch below. We found the power/lock key too small and difficult to press, making it a chore to do the simple task of locking the Xperia J, or waking the screen.

Up top there's just a centralised 3.5mm jack, which according to Nokia and its Lumia 920 makes it easier to slip a phone into your pocket when headphones are plugged in.

Round the back of the Xperia J, the curved rear cover sports a slightly rubberised finish, and while it's not quite as grippy as the Desire C, we didn't feel like we were prone to dropping the handset.

You get a 5MP rear camera flanked by a single LED flash in the top left corner, while at the base there's a speaker grill.

Hit the power/lock key and a ambient light will radiate out from the silver strip of bezel on the base of the Xperia J – these lighting touches are popular with Sony (and previously Sony Ericsson), and we can trace them all the way back to the w850i with its pulsating orange menu button.

The Sony Xperia J is an attractive, solid and well appointed handset set at a reasonable price which is sure to tempt some.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/reviews/phones/mobile-phones/sony-xperia-j-1093684/review

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Google Nexus 4 is 4G after all... kind of

4G inside, but it's not hooked up

It turns out that the Google Nexus 4 does have 4G capabilities after all, as an LTE chip is discovered during a handset teardown.

The chaps over at iFixIt uncovered that the Nexus 4 sports a Qualcomm WTR1605L Seven-Band 4G LTE chip on its motherboard, as well as an Avago ACPM-7251 Quad-Band GSM/EDGE chip for all your 3G activity.

During our Google Nexus 4 review, one of few things which disappointed us was the fact the LG-made handset didn't support the latest generation of mobile network.

Not all good news

While you may be rejoicing at the fact your Nexus 4 does indeed have a 4G chip inside, it is missing a couple of key components.

There's no 4G antenna or power amplifier, which means the chip is lying dormant inside the handset, with no obvious way of enabling it.

We've contacted both LG and Google as to why the chip has been included in the handset and we will update this article once we hear back.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/google-nexus-4-is-4g-after-all-kind-of-1113610

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Surprise Samsung Ativ S release date revealed

Samsung Windows devices, coming soon...

The Samsung Ativ S and Samsung Ativ Tab could both be in stock before the month is out, according to one online retailer.

First to touch down in the UK will apparently be the Ativ S smartphone, with Expansys claiming it will receive stock of the Windows Phone 8 device in two days' time - November 21.

If you have a hankering for a Windows tablet, then Samsung's offering could be less than two weeks away, with an Ativ Tab release date pegged for November 28.

As sure as we can be

We asked Expansys how sure it was of the dates and a spokesperson told TechRadar: "Those are the dates that have just been given to us by our Samsung distributor - so as sure as we can be."

We've already seen the Nokia Lumia 920 and HTC 8X smartphones hit shelves in the UK, with both handsets offering up a different experience to what you find on the iOS and Android handsets also on the market.

The Windows 8 tablet market, like its smartphone platform, is still in its early phases with only a handful or tablets currently on sale, most noticeably the Microsoft Surface.

We hope to get both devices in soon, so keep an eye out for our in-depth Samsung Ativ S review and Samsung Ativ Tab review.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/surprise-samsung-ativ-s-release-date-revealed-1113600

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Amazon offers discountс он AT&T Lumia 920, 820 and HTC 8X

Amazon US just put up some great deals for three of the new Windows Phone 8-powered smartphones in the states. You can get the AT&T’s Nokia Lumia 920, Nokia Lumia 820 or HTC Windows Phone 8X at half their original asking price.

AT&T is charging $99.99 for the Lumia 920 on a 2-year contract, while Amazon is giving you the flagship smartphone for $69.99 (previously $49.99). The Lumia 820 goes for $49.99 in the AT&T stores, while Amazon wants just $0.01 for it.

Unfortunately Amazon offers discounts only on the 8GB version of the HTX 8X. Instead of charging you $99.99, Amazon sells the smartphone for $39.99.

So, if you live in the US and want to switch to Windows Phone 8, now seems to be a good moment to do it.

Source | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/amazon_offers_discounted_at_t_lumia_920_820_and_htc_8x-news-5097.php

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Asus Padfone 2 may arrive sooner than expected

Is it a bird, is it a plane? No, it's some kind of smartphone-tablet thing

The Asus Padfone 2 may arrive in stores sooner than expected after reports suggest the smartphone-tablet hybrid will go on sale in Germany on December 1.

According to German site Inside-Handy, it has received confirmation that the Asus Padfone 2 will be in stock from the beginning of December, although we've spoken to the Taiwanese firm and it is yet to confirm or deny this.

The original Asus Padfone failed to make it out of Asia but the Padfone 2 has been pegged for a European launch at least.

Christmas comes early

It's currently thought the Padfone 2 will arrive in Europe at the start of 2013 but this latest news does raise hopes of an earlier arrival.

You'll need some serious cash though if you fancy getting your hands on the Padfone 2 with the 32GB model reportedly sporting a price tag of €799 (around £642/$1020/AU$980), while the 64GB version will set you back €899 (around £720/$1150/AU$1105).

The Padfone 2 smartphone packs a 4.7-inch Super IPS+ HD display, quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 4G connectivity, NFC and 13MP camera.

The tablet dock offers up a 10.1-inch HD display and a 5000mAh battery, which will charge the phone when it's docked.

We're still unsure if the smartphone-tablet hybrid concept will be a success - with the high asking price Asus may find it hard to shift the combo.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/asus-padfone-2-may-arrive-sooner-than-expected-1113582

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Samsung may debut 4.99-inch, 1080p touchscreen at CES 2013

A new report indicates Samsung may debut a full high definition display suitable for smartphones during CES 2013. Could it be destined for the Galaxy S3's successor, or a new device entirely?

Samsung could be preparing to debut its own smartphone-sized 1080p display during CES 2013, hot on the heels of HTC’s Droid DNA. Full high definition displays are all set to be next year’s must-have new smartphone feature, although their size will see them used on hardware that tips over into smartphone/tablet hybrid territory.

A Korean newspaper claims Samsung has developed a 4.99-inch touchscreen with a 1080p resolution and a pixel density of 441ppi. While the resolution is the same as the Droid DNA’s, the pixel density beats it by one point.

It’s unlikely we’ll see the hardware related to Samsung’s new screen at the show though, as it’s not expected to go into production until later in the first quarter of 2013, which means Samsung could follow LG’s example and only show off the panel itself.

There are two logical, future homes for Samsung’s Full HD screen: The successors to the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2. The slightly odd 4.99-inch screen size could mean it’s destined for the Galaxy S4, as by keeping it under 5-inches — even if it is by a ridiculous 0.01 of an inch — it could still (just) be classed as a true smartphone.

There’s also a chance Samsung could introduce a new device which neatly fits in-between the 4.8-inch Galaxy S3 and the 5.5-inch Galaxy Note 2. An earlier rumor put the Galaxy S4’s announcement for sometime in March, which seemed a little too soon into the S3’s life, however maybe Samsung is planning an event for that time, but it’s for our mystery 1080p phone and not for the S4.

We won’t find out until closer to the time, but provided the talk of a Samsung 1080p screen is correct, we should get to see it in action during CES 2013, which begins on January 8.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/samsung-talks-5-inch-1080p-smartphones-for-ces-2013/

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ZTE Grand X Pro press image breaks loose

ZTE may have just announced a bunch of new phones, but it seems there is even more cooking in its labs. A leaked image supposedly shows the Grand X Pro – the ZTE’s next flagship.

ZTE Grand X Pro

It looks really cool and seems to be running an almost vanilla Android OS.

There is nothing more coming with this pic, but since the previous Grand X LTE announced this summer runs on a dual-core Krait, we guess the Grand X Pro may introduce the quad-core Krait to the lineup.

Source | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/zte_grand_x_pro_press_image_breaks_loose-news-5096.php

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Windows Phone 7.8 could hit devices in a matter of days

Soon, WP7 fans. Soon.

Nokia has let slip that Windows Phone 7.8 could be landing on users' handsets in just weeks, if not days, as the updated software has now been released to manufacturers.

The news comes from a developer seminar in Singapore, where the head of Nokia Asia Pacific Developer division let slip that the RTM had happened.

Reportedly, he told devs that the consumer roll-out would definitely happen before 2013, and added that WP7.8 won't be getting the swish new IE10 browser because the aging hardware can't support it.

Nearly but not quite

The not-quite-Windows Phone 8 software update will see Windows Phone 7 devices get some almost-WP8 updates like a revamped Start screen and Xbox Music, among other consolatory prizes.

We'd previously heard tell of a Windows Phone 7.8 release date following shortly after the Windows Phone 8 launch date (which was October 29), thanks to a post on the Italian Windows Phone Facebook page.

This was also backed up by a leak on a Chinese blog last week; so although nothing's for sure, all signs point to an imminent software treat for WP7 users.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/windows-phone-7-8-could-hit-devices-in-a-matter-of-days-1113570

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12 Android battery life tips and tricks

Improve your Android phone's battery life with these tips

Battery life is one of the biggest issues in the Android world today. Take your SIM card out, turn off Wi-Fi and never touch it and it'll sit there happily, lasting for a whole week on one charge. But try to use it for anything "smart" and, well, that's where the problems start.

It's a pretty sorry state of affairs when we count the uptime of today's smartphones in numbers of hours rather than days, with the standard metric of decent battery life being whether a phone can last a whole working day on a single charge.

So are there any realistic things you can do to improve your phone's battery life, other than just switching it off, putting it a sock drawer and hoping no one ever wants to call you?

Yes, yes there are. Of course it's not possible to suddenly double your Android phone's uptime by magically tweaking a few settings, but you should be able to squeeze out a few more hours of life from even the puniest of batteries without compromising on performance too much.

Here are some easy, not-too-compromising methods of boosting your Android phone's battery life.

1. Set a rigid bedtime

Some of today's phones feature automation tools, which let you, say, turn off the mobile signal and Wi-Fi after a certain time. Putting your phone in this sort of induced coma will save power, so if your phone doesn't support scheduled activities, install a management app like Tasker and turn off all non-essential stuff over night. Or stick it in airplane mode yourself. You'll sleep better, too.

2. Deactivate Wi-Fi when not needed

If your phone's constantly sniffing out and trying to connect to every Wi-Fi signal in the area like a robot dog on heat, you're wasting power. Switch off Wi-Fi when out and about or when you know you're not going to be needing it. A Home screen toggle will make this easy. Think of it as something boring but essential you have to do, like always putting your seat belt on.

3. Upload and sync only on Wi-Fi

If you're a keen Dropbox user or rely heavily on music syncing services, you'll benefit greatly from only doing your uploading through Wi-Fi. It's vastly quicker, which means less connectivity time for your phone and less strain on the battered old lithium reserves.

4. Uninstall unnecessary apps

You can never be too sure what's running itself in the background, what with all the multi-tasking, self-uploading, auto-replicating features in today's modern Android apps, so at least minimise the chances of something randomly hoovering up all your battery by constantly trying to connect to some non-existent server, by deleting any unused or old apps.

5. Use push notifications if possible

Android's built-in email application is great and stylish and everything, but having it poll for messages every 15 minutes isn't the best for your battery. If your mail provider offers push notification support use it - the excellent standalone Hotmail app does, for example, which will help lessen power drain a little.

6. Check yourself

Apps like Battery Doctor will give you a much better indication of what's literally eating away at your phone's battery over time than Android's own limited battery life checker, which could help finger something that's the key culprit in draining power. And if you can live without it, bin it.

7. Install a brightness toggle widget

Set your phone to its minimum possible brightness by default, as it's your display that's by far the biggest user of power. Then stick a big brightness high/low toggle widget on the home screen, in a place you can find it without being able to see it (like when using your now ultra-gloomy phone outside). Then only max the brightness when you need to. It might help, and even the automatic brightness option uses a marginal amount of power, as the light sensor needs to... sense light.

8. Dump the widgets

Yes, widgets are a key part of Android, and we're trying to keep this guide practical and not simply tell you to nuke everything, but do you really need a constantly updating Facebook widget on a Home screen? It's just full of boring people's boring baby photos these days anyway, and updating widget content puts a constant strain on your battery throughout the day, even if you just activate your phone for a few seconds to check a text message.

9. Remove haptic feedback

Surely your brain's had enough practise using touch devices that it knows if you've pressed something or not by now? If so, turn off all the haptic feedback options. These little bumps and grinds use power each time you press a key, so try to get used to life without physical feedback.

10. Switch off GPS

Unless you're one of those people who's still using Foursquare to tell the world about it every time you go out to the shop to buy a packet of crisps, there's little reason to have GPS constantly active on your phone. Turn it on when you need it, and use the option to have your phone detect your location through the wi-fi connection. Wi-fi location is usually close enough an approximation for most apps. And if they do need GPS, they're clever enough to tell you anyway.

11. Put your phone on the windowsill...

A strong connection to your phone network requires less power to maintain, so the technical people tell us. So instead of keeping it in your pocket, stick it somewhere and point it in the right direction so you see the maximum number of connection strength bars. Simply flipping your phone 45 degrees on your desk might actually make the battery last longer. What a mind-blowing revelation, eh?

12. ...and keep it cool

Batteries work best in cooler temperatures, with prolonged warm periods gradually lowering their efficiency over time. Putting your phone in a looser pocket might help, or perhaps just gently fanning it while it charges. That might not be the best use of your working day, but at least you'll still be able to get on Twitter on the train home.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/12-android-battery-life-tips-and-tricks-697772

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