batteries

Battery life battle royale: Nexus vs. iPad

With all the hoopla about the relative graphics performance of the fourth-generation iPad and the Nexus 10, it's easy to forget another important performance metric: battery life.

Battery life dictates how long you can actually use the unit before it requires a recharge, so I'd say it's pretty darn important. So important in fact that it gets its own blog post. Here I pit the last two generations of iPad, the iPad Mini, the Nexus 7, and the Nexus 10 against each other in a take-no-prisoners battery blood bath! Or acid bath I guess.

The results The results speak for themselves, but if you need further explanation, continue reading after the chart. … Read more

Q&A: MacFixIt Answers

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which I answer questions e-mailed in by our readers.

This week, readers wrote in with questions about MacBook systems not booting on battery power, how to deal with advertisements in Safari, how to restrict printing with an administrator password in OS X, and fonts not displaying properly in Apple's Font Book utility. I welcome views from readers, so if you have any suggestions or alternative approaches to these problems, please post them in the comments!

Question: Laptops not booting when on battery power MacFixIt reader Robin asks:

I have two MacBooks, but they … Read more

How to check the battery condition in OS X

If you have a laptop system, then it helps to ensure the battery is working properly, since as with any system, over time and use the battery will begin to lose its charging capabilities and give you less and less running time. To compensate for the gradual loss in charging capability, it may help to regularly calibrate your battery to ensure its charge is accurately reported to the system, but this will not give you any indication of the battery's overall health.

To check the condition of your battery, first go to the Energy Saver system preferences and check … Read more

Get a great deal on the Powerocks Magicstick mobile charger

Editor's note: This temporary deal has expired and is no longer available.

One key lesson we can all learn from Hurricane Sandy: you can never have too much backup power, especially when you're relying on your mobile phone for communication, information, or even just light.

Actually, backup power comes in handy in all kinds of situations -- like, say, when you need to show your electronic boarding pass at the gate and your phone just ran out of juice.

Most mobile charges are flat, black, and ugly. Not so this CNET Exclusive: through tomorrow, November 1, you can … Read more

Smartphone survival guide: How to stretch your battery life

With the smartphone increasingly becoming the lifeline for any household, keeping it alive is more important than ever.

But with Hurricane Sandy barreling its way across the East Coast, thousands of homes face the prospect of losing power for several days. That's bad news for power-hungry smartphones, many of which can barely last a day with normal use.

Fear not. CNET has compiled this handy smartphone survival guide to make the most out of your phone's battery. If a power outage hits, you'll know exactly what to do to ensure you remain connected. … Read more

Welcome to a Windows 8 world

Friday's CNET Update is charging the backup batteries:

Today's tech news roundup has a storm of new tech, and the tech you need in a storm.

The initial preorder supply of white Wi-Fi iPad Minis were claimed in less than a half hour of it going on sale Friday morning. As of Friday afternoon, the black Wi-Fi models were still promising a delivery date of Nov. 2. White models ordered now won't be shipped for two weeks. Some of the first people to buy a 4G iPad Mini are seeing a delivery date of Nov. 23.

Windows … Read more

Droid Razr Maxx battery life still reigns supreme

If you own an old-school Razr Maxx and have been gazing longingly at Motorola's latest creation, the Droid Razr Maxx HD, here's a tidbit to consider. Its bigger screen and more robust processing comes at a price: a shorter run time. … Read more

Stanford Ovshinsky, 'Edison of our age,' dies at 89

Stanford R. Ovshinsky, a self-taught scientist who invented the nickel-metal hybrid battery and a new class of semiconductors, died Wednesday at age 89.

The cause of death was prostate cancer, according to his son, Harvey Ovshinsky.

Hailed in 2006 by Economist magazine as "the Edison of our age," Ovshinsky held more than 200 patents on a wide variety of pioneering products, from thin-film solar cells to hydrogen fuel cells. In the 1950s, Ovshinsky upset conventional thinking by rejecting the notion that only well-ordered crystals had useful electronic properties and suggested that so-called amorphous, or disordered, materials could be … Read more

Alleged iPad Mini screen, battery leaked in photos

No, it's not a complete version of Apple's much-rumored iPad mini, but it could be a few more pieces of the puzzle.

Parts reseller ETradeSupply, which posted accurate photos and videos of Apple's iPhone 5 casing some three months before its official debut, today has images of what it says is the 8-inch LCD screen for Apple's smaller iPad, as well as its battery.

Neither part is connected to any electronics, or other pieces of housing, though as ETradeSupply notes, the leaked images add credence to the fact that Apple will stick with a 4:3 … Read more

Government-funded battery maker A123 files for bankruptcy

A123 Systems, a lithium-ion battery maker that has received hundreds of millions in government support, filed for bankruptcy protection today.

The move makes A123 the latest government-backed energy company to file for Chapter 11. Many of these companies have struggled to make money as demand slows for their products. A123 received more than $250 million in state and federal funding to help it run its operations providing batteries for electric cars and other products. But it has also faced many problems, including defective products.

A123 today said Johnson Controls will help finance the filing by buying A123's automotive business … Read more