article About Why smartphones are stupid? - (all-vga-corner)

Why smartphones are stupid?

The Achilles' heel of smartphone

We have moved quite far since Apple introduced the first iPhone on 29 June 2007.  Our world has become different and we have access to knowledge and information faster.  We feel smarter because we have devices that support our search when we are in doubts.

Our total reliance on smartphone to remember the phone numbers, email address, taking notes, calendar schedules and information searches made our brain lazy.  When our smartphone is dead, we are also brain dead and panicked.

What happen to the battery?

Let's review the generations of iPhone.  We use a simple equation: Battery Index = Standby Time / Capacity of the battery.  The higher the index, the better is the battery as it can last longer with the same amount of capacity.

iPhone	Capacity (mAh)	Standby (hrs)	Battery Index
1G	1400	250	0.18
3G	1150	300	0.26
3GS	1219	300	0.25
4	1420	300	0.21
4S	1432	200	0.14
5	1440	225	0.16
5C	1510	250	0.17
5S	1560	250	0.16
6	1810	250	0.14
6S	1715	240	0.14
6 Plus	2915	384	0.13
6S Plus	2750	384	0.14
SE	1642	240	0.15

From the chart above, we noticed that iPhone 3G has the best efficiency among all the iPhones while iPhone 6 Plus has the worst Battery Index.

Why don't Apple make bigger battery to ensure longer standby time?  Well, newer iPhone are more power efficient with smaller CPU and better components.  Bigger battery means more weight and thicker phones which are undesirable.  To maintain its aesthetic, battery capacity is compromised to keep its weight and thickness down to its minimum.

For Android, manufacturers introduced Fast charge, Pump Express and other speed charging technology to compensate for the small battery capacity.  They assume that you always have a stable power point for charging and force you to carry a charging cable and its charger.

The hidden culprits

Applications grow at an exponential rate with many different angles.  For simple route navigation, we may install different applications and we keep all of them because each has their unique advantages.  We install more applications into smartphone and it runs more applications than yesterday.

If we chose not to install any applications, it defeats the purpose of getting a smartphone (You might as well buy a Nokia 105).  Therefore, we install applications to make us smarter and by installing more applications, we are taxing the battery and further reducing its standby time.

Power banks and chargers become our daily must have accessories and we spent more money on top of the expensive smartphone.  The vicious cycle repeats for a new iPhone with a different charging cable.  Instead of charging the smartphone, you are now forced to charge the battery banks.  We are cornered and act so foolishly with a small capacity battery.

Conclusions

Getting a small capacity smartphone is silly.  Instead of charging a smartphone, you have to charge the power bank as well.  You are forced to bring chargers, cables and power bank wherever you go.  If you fail to comply, you become stupid because the smart element (smartphone) of you is power dead.

Be wise: Get a smartphone with a BIG battery capacity.  The same applies to Android phone.

article About How smart people choose smartphone? - (all-vga-corner)

How smart people choose smartphone?

The problem you face everyday

Smartphone makes you smart because it has many apps to help in your daily life, keep you entertained and provides social networking with your family, friends, classmates and co-workers.  Amex's motto of "Never leave home without it" has found a new meaning.  It should be a smartphone company punchline because we sleep with it too.

In Singapore, you are unlikely to encounter no network data connection.  More likely, its achilles heel is the battery power.  Once your smartphone has no battery power, you become stupid.  You cannot recall the mobile number of your coworker or your friend.  You are literally cut off from this digital social world.  The world is doomed unless you bring a charger or there is a power point nearby.

Have you ever wondered why your smartphone run out of juice within a day?

History of smartphone and its battery capacity

To understand this better, we have to see the evolution of smartphone batteries.

The 3 charts tell us that, over the years, smartphone manufacturers are increasing the capacity of the battery to meet the demand of the power hungry applications.  Despite we have the most power saving processor, memory and optimised board designs, the smartphone cannot cope with the power demand because there is little breakthrough in battery capacity.

When consumers want small, light and cute design, manufacturers provide better graphics, nice curves and 2.5D to meet requests.  However, a small form factor means the smartphone can only house a small battery.  People are impulsive creatures who are tempted to buy on emotion.  They come, they saw, they buy...satisfying their short term lust.  Manufacturers believe they can pacify the consumers by providing them with quick charge or fast charge technology.  The latest Samsung S6, Xiaomi Mi 5 and iPhone 6S Plus are stellar examples of compromising battery capacity for a smaller smartphone.  Apple iOS has a more efficient power design and therefore they never bother to provide more than 3000mAh to the market.  Samsung's and Xiaomi's battery capacity are hovering between 2600mAh and 3000mAh respectively.  Why should they give you more capacity if you are buying more power banks to further boost their sales?

The current culture

A dead smartphone is a dumb smartphone.  If you are so much into design, features and beauty of the smartphones, be wise to choose a smartphone with enough juices to last you for a day, no matter whether you are switching on GPS, bluetooth, mobile data, NFC or Wifi.  These top manufacturers are unlikely to give you more because customers are supposed to suck it up and live by their rules with no questions ask.

Two new China players (Oppo and Vivo) have record sales by selling attractive smartphones beating Lenovo and Huawei in mobile sales in 2015.  Together, these manufacturers are promoting a culture of carrying usb cable, chargers and power banks.  Popular tips are shared on how to save more juice by switching off apps and background widget when they are not in use.  Some even suggested you to root the phones and rid of pre-installed apps thereby voiding their warranty... another win to the manufacturers because they do not need to service their warranty.

The obvious solution

The solution lies in the 3 charts.  While waiting for the battery technology to catch up, buy a smartphone with 4000 to 10000 mAh (depending on your lifestyle) to tide over these 2 years if you are not brand conscious or dying for a new feature (such as the useless 2.5D or double touch technology).  These phones cost S$350 top (without contract) and keep you smart the whole day.  Say goodbye to the power bank and rid yourself the trouble to look for power sockets.

article About The Future of Smartphones - (all-vga-corner)

Current Technologies

We have seen the emergence of iPhone in 2007 till the current smartphones we have in our wallet.  These mobile devices have transformed our lifestyle and habits and it is hard to imagine how we can communicate without them.

Some predicted smartphones will be gone in 5 years from now as Internet of Things (IoTs) are replacing how things are talking to each other smartly.  Who will chart the future of smartphones?  Before these visions become reality, what are the things you wish to have in the immediate tomorrow?

Immediate Promises

1. Charging Issues
   During the era of Nokia, this single company itself cannot make a consistent charging port.  Apple shows the same sign when it introduced an upgraded charging port for iPhone 6. Android has embraced USB3.1 Type C as the next standard to phrase out the older USB 2.0 charging port.  Physical contact promises fast or quick charge which is badly needed by heavy duty smartphones as more and consistent current is delivered.  Contactless charging is emerging but acceptance is slow due to the long charge duration.
2. Longer Battery Life
   Many have come out innovative ideas of how to make battery last longer.  One Oppo phone cheated by placing two batteries inside a phone and claimed "5 minutes charging to talk for 2 hours".  The constraint is a special charger which can only use for this phone.  On a daily basis, applications are main causes for battery draining and the battery itself are purposely made small so it is presented light to the user.  If you uninstall Facebook App, study has found that you can extend battery life by 20%.  If you like your Facebook so much, you should look into higher capacity battery (6000 mAh and above) instead of fanciful features (curve?) of your next smartphone.  Unfortunately, battery technology is stagnant unless we can move beyond Li-on or Li-Polymer without any adverse dangers of explosion and heat.
3. Contactless Payment
   Near Field Communication, HotKnox and Bluetooth are the common transfer techniques used.  They demonstrated the ease of data exchange with reasonable speed.  However, moving forward to financial payment are dragged down by the security concerns.  In fact, having these features on will make stealing of data possible.
4. Fingerprint Recognition
   It is the defacto requirements for 2016 as we are anticipating the loss of our phones via theft or robbery.  Protection of personal data and information become an essential instead of a desired feature.  Swiping and password are too simple means to lock the phone and using biological identity makes unlocking harder.  Premium of S$100 is required from users who are dying for such protection.
5. Ear Piece
   Frankly, connecting a ear piece makes the phone less smart.  With wireless bluetooth, ear piece should be obsoleted long ago.  It will make the phone more resistant to water and weather by hiding the 3.5" audio port.

Future Promises

1. Display Technology
   After you have your 5.5" screen, it is hard to imagine going back to your 3.5".  For the current generation of users, they will have serious health issues with their neck, eyes and fingers due to overtaxing their joints for long hours.  Display technology can improve how we see and use the device ergonomically.  Prototype of projection and paper thin displays are available pending the reduction of mass production costs.  But the essence lies in the time spent in using the phone instead of how we use it.  It is the duration that kill.
2. Connecting to IoTs
   IoT is no longer a futuristic term as many are having smart homes as the ultimate goals. We are using bracelets, rings and watches to monitor our health and movement.  Governments are integrating essential services with IoTs to bring forward the concept of smarter nation.  Beside of challenge of good software, the challenge is to lower the cost of IoTs so that it can be incorporated into daily accessories and devices with wireless security in check.  In fact, some predicted that IoTs will completely replace smartphone as the communication elements in smartphone can be integrated with IoTs to provide a hands-free experience.

The Essential

It is nice to have the latest technologies for future proof.  At the same time, you have to know what do you need most.  More often than not, consumers are blindly following the masses and bought phones which have tons of feature with a limited battery capacity (Remember iPhone 5?).  Will you pay for a $800 wireless charging phone (5 hours charging time) over a budget $200 basic phone (2 hours charging time)?  "Never!", you shouted.  The next day, you fall into the same trap when your friends are all carrying the same flagship product.

article About The ULTIMATE Guide to make your smartphone battery lasts longer - (all-vga-corner)

Introduction

A marketing survey reveals that everyone wishes their battery to last for preferably 2 days or more. However, many are disappointed when their new phone fails them when it fails to last for 8 hrs. Why? Indeed, 37% of the responders felt that the lifespan of the mobile phone is too short.

There are websites which spelt out the tips and tricks to conserve your mobile phone battery. Unfortunately, they are only covering major aspects of the topics and give general tips. So far, none of the website provides a complete guide on the determining factors and squeeze battery till the last watt. I will try to fulfill this role here.

Selecting a phone that suits your lifestyle

All 3G phones have Bluetooth and GPRS. Certain models have Wifi, GPS or Email client which may deplete the battery faster. The size of the screen is another crucial factor of the battery life. 3.5G promises HSPDA which speed up the download speed of phone. With a data plan, 3.5G phone is the best buy for the bucks. With many applications installed in the phone, the battery life becomes the most important factor before you grab it.

When you select a phone, you must check if the phone is powered by an adequate battery. Based on the manufacturer's specification, it is good to estimate the estimate real lifetime of the phone at use. I shall term it the REAL BATTERY LIFE (RBL). RBL of a mobile phone (hrs) is defined as the multiplication of the standby time found in the specification and the RBL percentage. RBL percentage is derived from the average battery life of mobile phone in real life as spelt out below:

RBL Percentage	2G	3G without data plan	3.5G with data plan
Light user	40%	20%	20%
Moderate user	25%	15%	10%
Heavy user	15%	10%	5%

For example, if you are buying a 3.5G smartphone with 300 hrs standby time, the phone will last 60 hrs for a light user but only 6 hrs for a heavy user. Therefore, it is unwise to buy LG KS500 if you are a heavy user unless you have access to a charging facility.

Therefore, you need to perform a match of your lifestyle with the RBL. Failing to perform this check may cost you dearly in buying an expensive phone that cannot keep up with your busy lifestyle. RBL is valuable more to a heavy user than a light user. Currently, Philip Xenium X500 offers up to 3600 hrs of standby time based on a 1720mAh battery. However, it is a simple 2G phone with no GPS, 3G and wifi features. If you are using purely voice call and SMS, you may like to consider buying Xenium X500 instead of a smartphone since it is tailored for your lifestyle.

Battery Maintenance

To prolong a battery life, you need to understand your battery. A lithium battery lasts for 500 charges so it is advisable to change your battery after every 2-3 years. It will permanently lose ~20% of its rated mAh after 400 charges. Although there is no memory effect for lithium battery, it is unwise to fully discharge unless the phone is not displaying the correct amount of energy. It is also unwise to charge your phone when you still have more than 50% battery life else you will use up the number of recharge. Therefore, charge your phone when the battery shows 1-2 bar.

If you have a spare battery, you need to use and charge it regularly because it will deteriorate if they are not in use. Having said that it is not advisable to get 2 batteries, why not get the best battery for the phone? For Motorola Q 9h, the standard battery is Li-Ion 1170 mAh. If there is a trade-off to get a 1300 mAh which is also supported by the phone, you have an improved battery.

Maintenance is also important to prevent the battery from exposing to extreme heat or overcharge for too long. These damages may be permanent on the battery lifetime. If it is too hot, battery may be malfunction. Therefore, it is unwise to charge them every day or exposing them to moisture environment. Insist on buying an original battery is also important to prevent circuit damage caused by the clone battery during charging.

Tips for the mobile phone

These are the usual tips recommended by reviews and popular websites:

1. Turn off your Bluetooth, GPS, Wifi and 3G after use;
   
2. Lower screen brightness and time;
   
3. Select a black or dark coloured theme;
   
4. Remove screensavers and animated wallpapers;
   
5. Switch off the phone when not in use;
   
6. Disable the number of applications in the phone especially the battery consuming ones;
   
7. Turn off the vibrating mode, keypad tones or ringtones;
   
8. Use a longer polling time for your mails;
   
9. Use less radio, camera, browsing, speaker and games and switch them off after using;
   
10. Switch to GSM mode instead of using 3G or 3.5G network. This is important for users who talk very often and sending a SMS does not require 3G at all;
    
11. Lower the volume of your speaker;
    
12. Avoid installing redundant or repeated applications with the same functions;
    
13. Update to the latest firmware with fixes on bugs; and
    
14. Install your critical programs into your phone memory instead of external memory cards. Remove your external card if possible to stop frequent access.
    

Even if you are not using any of the functions and switch your phone to offline mode, the real life idle time is still a fraction of the standby time provided by the specifications.

Signal Strengths

Depending on your location, signal strengths from base stations varies. If the phone is struggling to lock on to a network, it will use more power. It happens when places have weak signals, no signal or when you are underground. If you stay in these places for a prolong time period, it is advisable to switch the phone off since it has only 1 or 2 bar of signal strength. When you are moving and using the phone concurrently, moving from cell to cell requires the phone to negotiate between stations so it uses more power when you are mobile.

Useful S60 applications related to the battery

For Symbian smartphones, there are a few gems to have.

1. Nokia Energy Profiler or NEP (free) � provides a comprehensive result on the power consumption, current, voltage, CPU, signal strength, data traffic and estimated hour of idling time
   
2. Ravensoft Battery Extender � employs a few profiles to optimize the battery
   
3. Capree's iON Battery Timer � estimates the remaining time of the battery before it is flat
   
4. Alie Tan's ActiveFile � removes tasks which hoard power
   
5. Dr Jukka's Profile Scheduler (free) � switches to offline mode while not in use (flight or meeting)
   
6. Plan Task (free, www.opda.net.cn) � switches off and on the phone at specified timings (sleeping)
   
7. Mobisophy Technology's Interactive Voice Call Master � provides answering machine facility to save call out for voice mails when you have missed calls
   
8. Cclock (free) � enables the power saving mode with no screensaver.
   

Debugging the culprit

After you have applied the tips, your smartphone still cannot last for 12 hours, there must be something wrong with the phone, battery or software. If the battery depletes too fast or gets too hot while on use, it may be faulty and a change is necessary. If you have upgraded to the latest firmware and the problem persists, it is likely due to the applications running in the smartphone. Below is the debugging process.

For instance, my battery lasts run 20 hrs running applications with an average watt of 0.28W (Graph 1). If there is incoming or outgoing calls, the power consumption is higher driving battery life to only to 4:20 hrs of talktime based on 1.35W (Graph 2).

1. Switch off all unused functions in the phone (Bluetooth, GPS, Wifi etc)
   
2. Switch off all applications (Push mail, Battery monitoring softwares etc) except ActiveFile and NEP
   
3. Run ActiveFile first and take note of all the tasks running in the background (around 20).
   
4. Start NEP recording for 20-30 minutes.
   
5. Stop NEP and spikes are observed at 1.5 min intervals (Graph 3)
6. Spikes recorded during the process imply that some applications are running in the background.
   
7. List down the tasks. Some of the safe and common tasks are listed below. They are the safe list.
   
   1. DevEncstarter
      
   2. ActiveFile
      
   3. Anykey
      
   4. vcommandmanager
      
   5. Autolock
      
   6. SysAp
      
   7. aknnfysrv
      
   8. screensaver
      
   9. Telephone
      
   10. HomeScreen
       
   11. akncapserver
       
   12. essysapp
       
   13. LedController
       
8. Identify the unknown tasks and eliminate one task at a time (with application manager) and observe the graph in the NEP over 20-30 minutes
   
9. Take note of the deleted task which produces lower current and lower average power. If there is no change, repeat step (8) again and remove another task. (Graph 4 and 5)

   

   
   

   

10. Uninstall the identified task with the application manager.
    
11. Reboot the device and repeat step (1) to step (10) until graphs show that the current is 4-5 mA, CPU utilization at 1% and average power is 0.02W (Graph 6).

    

    At 0.02W with no spikes, the idle standby time is recorded as 273.22 hrs which is the best lifetime of the battery. It is still far from the specifications of 20 days or 480 hrs.
    
12. You have eliminated the resident programs which cause the high current consumption.
    
13. Now, reboot your phone and you should get an optimal battery life running all essential applications based on your lifestyle.

Below is the table for the standard 1500 mAh battery and the number of days the battery can last:

Average Watt - Number of day
0.250W - 1 day
0.125W - 2 days
0.0833W - 3 days
0.0625W - 4 days

So, if NEP shows that the average watt is 0.23, your phone will last slightly more than 1 day.

Conclusion

After running the exercise, your smartphone is performing at its peak with the best battery consumption. If it is still not satisfactory, I conclude either you buy the wrong phone, you like to torture the phone or your dream phone has not been produced yet.