Windows only: Open-source system tray utility Aerofoil helps keep your Windows notebook running longer by automatically turning off Aero Glass and other battery-sucking preferences when you disconnect from a wall outlet.
Windows only: System monitoring utility BatteryCare shows detailed information about your battery’s wear level, capacity, and consumption—and even shows the CPU temperature as an added bonus.
Planning to pick up one of those new-fangled iPhones over the weekend? You might want to activate one of the most helpful features you can have on the “Slide to Unlock” screen: an actual percentage indicator for your battery, rather than a somewhat relative cannister filled with green power. To enable it, head to Settings, General and then Usage to toggle “Battery Percentage” to On. For whatever reasons, this only works with the new hardware handsets, not on software upgrades of “older” iPhones, but it’s a handy little tweak. [Just Another iPhone Blog]
Windows only: Taskbar status application BatteryBar adds a battery life meter to the Windows taskbar with detailed battery life information and eye candy in a mouseover dialog. Once installed, activating BatteryBar is as simple as right-clicking on the taskbar and choosing Toolbars -> BatteryBar from the menu. The meter button changes from blue to green when you are on battery power, and clicking on the meter button switches the display between actual time remaining or a percentage view. The percentage meter is calculated using a statistical prediction that keeps a history of how quickly your battery usually drains to more accurately predict battery life—so the time remaining may seem a little odd at first.BatteryBar is a free download for Windows only. If you would rather put your battery meter on your desktop, check out previously mentioned Power Meter Plus.
BatteryBar [via Download Squad]DIY web site Instructables demonstrates how to replace a dead battery in a Nike+ iPod receiver in just a few minutes for under $5. When I highlighted the best tech tools to get in shape, I sang the praises of the Nike+ iPod sport kit. But Apple says a whole new sensor is required when the battery dies in the $30 device, so the 10 minutes and $4 battery required for this little DIY seems worth the effort if and when your battery takes the long sleep. Replace battery in Nike+ receiver for under $5 [Instructables via Podophile]
Mac OS X only: Freeware application SmartSleep adds a preference pane to your Mac laptop’s system preferences to enhance the usefulness of your Mac’s sleep states. It does so by dynamically adjusting the type of sleep state your MacBook will use based on your battery life. For example, as long as your Mac’s battery has more than a 20% charge or 20 minutes remaining, SmartSleep will tell your Mac to sleep but not hibernate. This will sleep your laptop very quickly, but it will also keep your data in your RAM, which means your battery will still be draining slightly while you’re sleeping. Below 20% will switch to sleep and hibernate mode, which saves your system state to the hard drive, thereby preserving more battery. Last, if you’re at under 5%, SmartSleep will hibernate only. SmartSleep is freeware, Mac OS X only. SmartSleep [via Download Squad]
The Wikihow web site covers several ways to extend your cell phone battery’s life, from the obvious (turn it off when not in use, keep calls short) to the more helpful “oh I should do that’s” (reduce backlight time, disable unneeded services like Bluetooth detection). Apparently a cell phone’s vibrate function eats up more juice than a regular ring, so opt to put the tone on the softest setting instead. Lastly, re-calibrate your Li-Ion battery to reset its life-o-meter, which can get out of whack over several charge cycles.
How to Make Your Cell Phone Battery Last Longer [wikiHow]Tired of having the Windows side of your dual-boot system eat up more battery power? Want to simply do the right thing and stop sucking power for unnecessary power cycles? Linux power-saving site LessWatts.org has a wealth of tips and tricks for reducing the power needs of desktop and laptop systems. Among the intuitive power-savers:Stepping Ethernet ports from gigabit to standard 100/10 speeds when not at the office Disabling unnecessary Bluetooth radios Turning off Wi-Fi “auto-associate” behaviors that draw power when wireless is shut off
Check out the site for more power-conscious tips, helpfully organised by device type. How do you conserve battery (or just outlet) power on your Linux system? Share some hacks in the comments.
LessWatts.org – Tips [via Hackosis]
