iPhone Battery

There are several things you can do to improve your iPhone's battery life. Considering the recent issues many 3GS owners are experiencing with firmware updates 3.1 and later, these tips are important to those who don't want to charge their iPhone twice a day.

1. Turn off 3G when you don't need it for data. This actually has the added benefit of improving voice call quality for some users. Settings -> General -> Network -> Enable 3G -> OFF

2. Turn off Wi-Fi when you don't need it. Settings -> General -> Network -> Wi-Fi -> OFF

Well it didn't take long to hear from iPhone owners who tried the 3.1.3 firmware update to fix their existing battery problems. Some people are reporting the same problems, if not worse after updating to 3.1.3 from 3.1.2 or earlier iPhone OS versions.

Previously, many users updated to 3.1 software so they could take advantage of MMS functionality on AT&T and found that an unwelcome side effect was shortened battery life on the iPhone 3GS. (Learn how to turn on MMS without updating your 3.0 firmware here. Some have speculated this has something to do with the iPhone losing and acquiring the 3G signal repeatedly which drains the battery.

Apple has made the iPhone OS 3.1.3 update (7E18) available and as usual users can update their iPhones and iPod Touch devices via iTunes. The list of bug fixes and security improvements includes this item: Improves accuracy of reported battery level on iPhone 3GS.

Could this mean that users plagued with widely reported battery problems have finally received a fix from Apple? Ever since the 3.1 update, some users have complained of drastically shortened battery life on iPhone 3GS models. Maybe the meter is the problem- we will keep you posted.

One of the most common problems reported with the iPhone 3.1 firmware update is significantly reduced battery life. Apple has noticed the issue, and some AppleCare employees have sent requests for more information from affected users.

Until now, Apple has recommended that 3.1 problems can be solved either with a hard reboot or a complete restore using iTunes. The restore method results in a reset iPhone and the owner has to reconfigure settings from scratch.

Lithium-ion batteries are our friends. They have a great energy-to-weight ratio, no memory effect and they don't lose a charge quickly when not in use. About one percent of these batteries is recalled due to problems.

Unfortunately, these problems can include overheating, spontaneous combustion and explosions. A French teen has reported hearing a loud hissing noise before his iPhone screen shattered during a call. The photo above shows the screen, which he says launched a piece of glass into his eye.

Complaints about the iPhone battery are not new to Apple. Owners of older iPhones often try to conserve limited battery power, especially since the iPhone is a power-hungry device. Unlike some other smartphones, spare batteries cannot be toted around since the battery is fully enclosed.

These issues pale in comparison to the latest complaints from some owners of the new iPhone 3GS. Apparently the batteries in some devices have become too hot to touch. In some cases, the white plastic back is being discolored by the excessive heat.

The little battery icon in the taskbar at the upper right of the iPhone screen is okay at giving a rough indication of battery life remaining. Unfortunately when it comes to details the icon is not so useful.

Luckily there are ways to display the exact percentage of power remaining on your iPhone battery. There are two different methods you can use to achieve this goal depending on your iPhone hardware.

You may have tried to charge your iPhone while it was powered off only to have it turn itself on as soon as you plug it in to the USB cable or place it on the dock. As a result, it may have seemed that the iPhone insists on being turned on in order to charge.

As it turns out, this is not the case. Simply plug your iPhone in to charge while turned on (or off for that matter) and once it begins charging, power it down. If you power down after charging begins, the iPhone will remain turned off while still charging.

You're probably guessing that the title is a cheap teaser designed to get everyone's attention while offering nothing but unfounded speculation about the mysteries of the universe. Well, you'd be wrong - for the most part. Sure, the title is intended to catch your eye, but there's some real meat here. While absolutely nothing is clear, news from part suppliers suggest that Apple may be eyeing up Intel's recently announced Moorestown MID (Mobile Internet Device) platform for use in an upcoming model of the iPhone. What's more, the perks mentioned in the title are just a sampling of what Moorestown is expected to bring to the table.

Based on the upcoming 2008 Menlow MID platform, Moorestown will be the product of a new, cooler, 45-nanometer manufacturing process which Intel says will produce chips for mobile devices and handheld PCs that are ten times more power efficient than today's chips. Such power efficiency could result in an iPhone, or other mobile device, which can offer 24 hours of usage on a single charge, according to Intel.

On top of the power saving features of Moorestown comes a beefy lineup of hardware offerings and support. The new chips will integrate CPU, GPU and memory controllers functions. Both Moorestown and it's predecessor, Menlow, are expected to support 3G, WiMAX (4G), hardware accelerated 3D such as OGL2.0, HD video decoding and

As there are countless aftermarket sources for iPod batteries, it stood to reason it was only a matter of time until third party sources of iPhone batteries started showing up.

The first aftermarket iPhone battery to cross our radar has shown up, from San Antonio, TX company iPodJuice. According to the company, the replacement battery offers the same strength as the original iPhone battery and is 100% compatible with the phone.