Yesterday Apple admitted that iOS 5 has few bugs which is affecting battery life in few iPhones. Apple said that this issue will be fixed in the upcoming software update. AllThingsD shared this Apple statement last evening:
“A small number of customers have reported lower than expected battery life on iOS 5 devices,” Apple said in a statement to AllThingsD. “We have found a few bugs that are affecting battery life and we will release a software update to address those in a few weeks.”
This battery issue began shortly after both iOS 5 and the iPhone 4S were made publicly available last month. Apple had previously acknowledged that they were aware of some iPhone 4S battery issues but now we can rest assured that a software fix is coming.
Looks like iPhone 4S battery is getting sucked up like mad. This time Apple engineers are going an extra mile to solve this issue asap. Apple discussion thread is filled with threads talking about this battery issue – iPhone 4s Battery Life?. Apple engineers are getting in touch with customers directly.
One user who spoke with the Guardian said that he was contacted by Apple, and was asked to install a monitoring program on his phone.
In its data sheet for the iPhone 4S, which was released earlier this month, Apple quietly noted that the standby time for the new phone would only be 200 hours – compared to 300 for the iPhone 4, and 250 hours even for the original 2007 iPhone. The company did not offer any reason when asked why by the Guardian, but noted that other lifespans such as 3G talktime were as long or longer than previous models.
One owner who was contacted by Apple told the Guardian: “My battery life was extremely poor – 10% drop in standby every hour. I noticed that the usage figure was roughly half that of standby, even when the phone was not being used, so I assumed something was crashing or running in the background. I switched off all the new features including Siri and location services, but it was still really poor. I also tried setting up a clean phone with no apps but it is still really poor.
“I then got a call from a senior [Apple] engineer who said he had read my post and was ‘reaching out’ to users for data and admitted this was an issue (and that they aren’t close to finding a fix!) and asked lots of questions about my usage and then asked if he could install the file below and that he would call back the day after to retrieve the info. I extracted the file from my Mac after a sync and emailed it to him. He was incredibly helpful and apologetic in the typical Apple way!”
Another user, ‘Frenzi,’ said they found some success by turning off many of the features on the phone, and only gradually re-enabling them as needed. Among the features disabled included sending of diagnostic data to Apple, automatically searching for Wi-Fi connections, automatic date and time, iTunes Ping, and even the Siri “raise to speak” feature. “The improvement has been nothing short of miraculous,” they wrote.
9to5Mac yesterday reported that Eton has launched Mobius NSP300B Rechargeable Battery Case for iPhone 4. Mobius is available at Amazon.com and retails for $80. The solar panel is strapped to the case packs in an 1800 mAh rechargeable lithium ion battery, high-efficiency monocrystal solar panel, and micro USB to charge the battery on cloudy days and nights. Features include LED charge indicator lights and a stand by switch to turn off direct power transfer.
“We first previewed the Mobius at 2011 International CES to rave reviews and we are proud to officially announce the product to the masses,” says Esmail Hozour, CEO of Etón Corporation. “We have perfected the use of solar power to efficiently charge electronics and Mobius is a shining example of this innovation.”
Eton estimates approximately 1 hour of solar charge will provide you with up to an additional 25 minutes talk time, 20 minutes of data usage (3G), 35 minutes of video playback, or 145 minutes of audio playback. In comparison, a fully charged case will provide you with an additional 5 hours talk time, 8 hours data usage and video playback, and 32 hours audio playback.
Macrumors is reporting something interesting this time. An UK repair shop iPatchiPods has passed along a few photos of an iPhone 5 battery part they had received from their contacts. This battery is labeled “DVT_B3″, marking it as a late development prototype:
The progression of Apple’s product development goes through several distinct phases. Following the development phases, products go into EVT (Engineering Verification Testing) and then DVT (Device Verification Testing) stages before they reach the production stage. Of course, we’re not sure how old the battery shown in the photo is, so the iPhone 5 very well could be in the final production stage.
The part images come from someone who has supplied iPatchiPods with legitimate Apple parts ahead of previous launches.
If you are on iPhone 4 and do a lot of gaming, you will need this cool looking battery expansion option called the ‘Juice Pack Air’ from Mophie. Its absolutely sleek and offers a 1500 mAh battery (the iPhone 4’s built-in battery is 1420 mAh), which Mophie claims to add up to 6 hours of talk time on 3G, and up to 12 on EDGE, or an extra 36 hours of audio playback, or nine hours of video playback, as reported by Macworld.
The accessory features a soft-touch black back and silver band around the sides, along with cut-out areas to expose the iPhone’s various buttons and headphone jack. Its available for $79.95 and you will get free shipping, here is the link to order page on Mophie.
This advance battery monitoring app for iPhone is free for just 3 more days. Give it a try, you can always delete it. Here is the App Store link.
Here comes the most desirable battery monitor app now! Battery Life Pro is exactly the functional app for your device. Battery Life Pro is not only the best assistant to maintain and monitor your battery status, but a considerate reminder that gives you full charge suggestion and battery optimization tips.
ZAGG’s monster iPhone charger, ZAGGsparq was covered by Unplggd yesterday. ZAGGsparq is a portable battery backup with 6,000 mAh Battery Power. 6,000 mAh is HUGE… ZAGGsparq is available for an introductory price of $99. Click here to know more about this battery pack.
iPhone users are well aware that their favourite handheld mobile device has some notable limitations when it comes to everyday use, specifically battery life. So it would not hurt to have a backup plan for important situations, for not only your iPhone, but any USB powered handheld electronic. The ZAGGsparq was designed specifically for these situations. [via - unplggd]
The ZAGGsparq plugs into a standard outlet and provides two USB ports for charging mobile devices. Then, unplug theZAGGsparq and it carries multiple charges for any personal electronic device that can be powered by a USB plug – four complete recharges for a power-hungry Apple iPhone. Perfect for everything from cell phones to hand-held gaming systems, dead batteries and expensive spares will be a thing of the past
ZAGG’s invisibleShield and ear-buds have been my favorite for a long time and now I am planning to pick up another ZAGG product. Its called ZAGGsparq, a portable battery backup with 6,000 mAh Battery Power. 6,000 mAh is HUGE… ZAGGsparq is available for an introductory price of $99. Click on this link to know more about this battery pack. Let me share some more info about ZAGGsparq.
If you are one of those thousands of iPhone users who upgrade to OS 3.1, you might have felt that your iPhone needs more rounds of charges as compared to previous OS version. This is happening due to OS 3.1 guys. For a change Apple has acknowledged this issue and Apple is contacting some affected customers as well to diagnose the root cause of this issue. Wired mag covered this news as well:
In Apple’s support forums, nearly 500 posts complain about the iPhone’s shortened battery life after upgrading to iPhone OS 3.1. The AppleCare help desk is contacting some of these forum members with an 11-part questionnaire, according to The iPhone Blog.
The questionnaire includes queries about possible power suckers such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and push e-mail. Question 10, for example, reads, “When you notice a power drop, does it seem to be a legitimate power drop, or rather an issue with the battery icon indicator?”
Thankfully I havent yet upgraded to OS 3.1 as I dont know Genius feature for Apps. I surely know what kinds of apps is good for me . Anyways, coming back to this issue, there is no clear solution for this issue. Apple should release another firmware sometime soon to solve this issue. Till then you could try this out: Doing a clean wipe of the iPhone might help. You will have to go for a complete Restore. A painful proceedure
There is this company called Dahon which makes folding bikes. Dahon has invented a cool little gizmo called the BioLogic FreeCharge which can be hooked on to a bike and can start charging your iPhone. A full charge will take 3 hours, but you could probably charge your iPhone for 20-30 minutes with around 30 minutes of cycling. BioLogic FreeCharge is a little silicone-encased box with a generator hub and siphons off power for charging any of your gadgets.
A note from the developer of this accessory:
An iPhone takes about 3hrs to reach full charge, so it’s not like you could fully charge it while on your lunch break, but the BioLogic FreeCharge would allow you to fully use your device all the time while you ride. I could see how the FreeCharge would be the item to have for touring riders next year. And Dahon will include this item standard on two bikes, the Ios XL and the Speed TR. I imagine stepping out of an airport or train station, unfolding my bike and popping my iPhone onto the FreeCharge so I can continuously use the GPS ap without killing the battery.
This innovative iPhone accessory has an external battery pack and brings along a DUAL SIM function.This accessory is not approved by Apple and would require you to jailbreak and/or unlock your iPhone. But the concept is pretty cool. The battery pack has a Q-Dual Dual SIM card adapter that allows iPhone 3G/3GS to use two SIMs and users can easily switch between the two SIMs on the iPhone. The external battery has 1900mAh capacity and works as a protection case.
Features:
- One iPhone (3G / 3G s) with 2 SIM Cards (see note below)
- No need to cut your SIM CARD
- STK Menu (see installations below)
- Portable power pack (Enough Power to hold your iPhone for days while you are travelling)
- Access to all ports of your iPhone 3G / 3Gs (Except the silence switch)
- As a protective case to your iPhone 3G / 3Gs (made with same material used in iPhone 3G)
- Perfect integration, almost no seams, no longer bulky
- To Sync with your PC / Mac even when the battery is on
- No need to take off the battery even you need to Sync your iPhone 3G / 3Gs
- To control when to have Data HotSync and when to charge
- USB Cable for charging (hidden USB Cable for your data connection and charging anytime,anywhere, and always with you)
- LED Power Indicator
Dual SIM battery pack is priced at $59.99. Check out Usbfever.com for more information.
This cool looking travel dock for iPhone from Kensington does 2 job at the same time. It has a dock for both the Apple device itself but also a battery pack that can be attached to iPhone while on move. This battery pack can you an additional 30 hours of more music, 6 hours of internet surfing or 3 hours of talktime.
. Anyways, coming back to this issue, there is no clear solution for this issue. Apple should release another firmware sometime soon to solve this issue. Till then you could try this out: Doing a clean wipe of the iPhone might help. You will have to go for a complete Restore. A painful proceedure 
