Whenever I fly, I always end up dialling the brightness down on my laptop to its lowest possible setting. In some cases, I'm straining my eyes to be able to see what's on the screen, but it's worth it for the precious few extra minutes of battery life I might get while I'm in the air and away from power.

If you can charge your smartphone wirelessly, congratulations. You have arrived at the future, a time when the Herculean process of fumbling with a cable, inserting it into the bottom of your device, and waiting for the satisfactory tone feels archaic and silly. With one convenient, reasonably priced power pad, you can now set your smartphone down, wait for the ding, and go about your merry way. Cables are for suckers.

There’s nothing I hate more than people doing the wrong thing “just because” they’ve always done it. In this case, blasting movies, games or music on their smartphones to eat up all the battery until the device shuts off, because that’s the only “safe” way to charge it.

Battery issues are one of the more headache-inducing problems you’ll deal with as an iPhone owner. Whether it’s Apple’s alleged planned obsolescence or just the simple physics of your iPhone’s battery — it won’t last forever — there will come a time when you can’t make it through the day on a single charge. But consider this: It might be an app’s fault instead.

Today's "I'll believe it when I see it" iPhone rumour-mongering concerns not the iPhone itself, but its charger - the most important accessory you'll find in its meticulously crafted packaging. As the speculation goes, Apple is allegedly considering bumping up the default charger for the iPhone 9 or iPhone X2: from 5W to 18W.

If your computer is plugged in all the times, then why does it need a battery? Turns out, there's a very good reason.

Apple did not finish 2017 with a flourish. Once news broke that it was intentionally slowing iOS devices down when the battery health fell without letting users know, the company was accused of nobbling older devices in order to coerce them into buying new devices. Apple CEO, Tim Cook, has revealed that an upcoming update will giver users more control over this "feature".

HP has recalled the batteries in over 50,000 notebook computers over concerns batteries in selected models can overheat and potentially catch fire. The recall affects computers in several different portable PC ranges. HP has provided a tool for assessing whether your computer is affected asn has instituted a replacement program that comes both user replaceable and internal batteries.

There's been a long-held suspicion, or conspiracy theory depending on your point of view, that Apple deliberately slows down older iPhones in order to drive their annual sales push when new models are released. But it seems that the reason older devices perform poorly is related to battery health. Apple has admitted that as batteries age they deliberately, through software, limit the amount of current the device can draw in order to stop sudden shut downs. In other words, they slow the device to preserve the battery.

Apple is looking into claims that a battery issue with the new iPhone 8 Plus is causing devices to swell and split. There have been two reported instances that the company says they are investigating.

Panasonic has recalled battery packs from a number of its ruggedised tablet and notebook products. The defect may cause devices to overheat, produce smoke and potentially ignite. There are number of different models affected, with a number of specific battery packs made after March 2013 subject to the recall.

Mac: Apple might have pulled the battery life indicator out of the MacBook, but there are plenty of third-party ways to bring it back. If you're looking for something a little more fun than just a number, Juice let's you set your own customisable icons for different battery levels.

Android: It's easy enough to glance at your phone and see where your battery level is at. However, if you want another fun, handy option, check out Energy Bar. It's a free app that turns your phone's status bar into a battery indicator.

Android Doze is an unsung hero, saving your battery when you're not using your phone. Third-party apps like Greenify, ForceDoze and Naptime can squeeze even more juice out of your phone, but they can do a whole lot more if you tweak them.

Spoiler, the answer is yes: If your battery needs charging, go ahead and charge it overnight while you sleep. The reason it's even a question has to do with outdated battery technologies, old fears solved by modern smartphones and other concerns that this Android Authority video addresses in good order.

Android: A recent server-side update to the Facebook and Messenger apps caused a bug that rapidly drained users' batteries even more than those apps usually do. Fortunately, it's been fixed, but you'll need to restart your apps.

Want to learn about batteries? Adafruit has a great guide for picking the right battery for your DIY projects, but if you prefer video, they have got you covered there as well.

It doesn't take much for your camera's battery to fade, even if you started with multiple, all fully charged. If you're running on empty, either because it's been a long day or you just forgot to pack a backup, these tips will help you make the most of the charge you have left without sacrificing your photos.

Your smartphone does so much that it feels impossible to get through the day on a full charge. It doesn't have to be that way, though. Android's Doze feature, introduced in Marshmallow and refined in Nougat, keeps battery drain low when you're not using your phone. Here's how it works, and how to make the most of it.