You can check your email, browse for shoes, play with Angry Birds, and do a whole host of other things on smartphones--unless the battery dies.
As anyone who's owned a smartphone knows, it can be incredibly stressful when you see your battery life ticking down towards zero, leaving you stranded and out of touch.
Luckily, there are some things you can do to help extend your battery life, not only when it's about to die, but over the course of its existence
Charge your phone frequently. Recharging when the phone is almost dead too often will make the battery do more work and lower its life expectancy. Charge when your phone is 40 percent full, not 10 percen
It takes more energy for the phone to vibrate than to ring.
Apps running in the background of your phone will make it run out of juice faster. Shut down all the apps you don't need to keep it going a little longer.
If you don't need to download big files, and you aren't performing some crucial task online, turning off WiFi will let the battery rest.
Apps that use location are constantly communicating with cell towers to pinpoint where you are. While they're doing it, your battery is dying. Turn them off in settings when you need to get that last bit of life.
Dim the brightness of your screens to give battery life a boost. Lowering the default brightness will ensure that the phone uses less charge over time.
Locking the screen on your phone not only keeps strangers from snooping, but will also keep the phone from turning on--and using power--if it accidentally brushes up against things.
While some people already tote around chargers in the dire case that their phone might die, an easier way to prepare is to outfit your phone with a "battery extender case" that packs a spare battery within its skin. When your phone's battery runs out, it will draw power from the case battery.
After two years, there's a good chance your battery is running on its last legs. At this point, it might be better to replace it in order to get the full battery life you once had.
Even when you're not up in the air, putting your phone in Airplane Mode will keep the battery from dying, as it prevents the phone from receiving and sending signals. Of course, when it's in Airplane Mode you won't be able to call, text, or get online, so this may be a last resort.
Overheating can damage your phone's battery cells and make it die faster after a charge. Keep your phone out of the sun and other hot places. A phone that gets too hot while in use could be experiencing some kind of charge malfunction and should be checked out.
The function that allows your phone to automatically download new email, and notifications from third-party apps, also makes your battery run out faster. If your phone's almost dead, go to settings to turn off this feature.
Smartphone Battery Life Tips: 12 Tricks To Make Your Device Last Longer
The Huffington Post | Amy Lee First Posted: 06-17-11 09:02 AM | Updated: 06-17-11 12:59 PM