Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Keep Your Cellphone battery Going & Going
Tricks to Keep Your Device's Battery Going and Going
by Eric A. Taub
Sunday, March 14, 2010
provided by
If you're a recent convert to smartphones, you're probably still discovering all the amazing things that your new BlackBerry, Android phone or iPhone can do. But one thing you most likely found out right away: the more you do, the shorter your phone's battery lasts.
While a standard cellphone's charge can easily go three days or more, many smartphone owners are dismayed to learn that their new mobile toy requires charging every 24 hours, or even more often. It was great that I could use one device — my iPhone — to check my calendar and respond to multiple incoming calls during January's Consumer Electronics Show, but I paid the price when its battery died at 2 p.m.
More from NYTimes.com:
• Potential Blockbuster: iPhone 4.0 Multitasking
• Gadgets in Emergency Vehicles Seen as Peril
• Starbucks Fans Can Become 'Baristas' on Foursquare
The answer was not to desperately search for an electrical outlet to recharge the phone (though I've done that) or to consider giving up the phone (done that, too), but rather to figure out a strategy to reduce energy consumption while still having it available for essential tasks. Whether you're using a laptop or a smartphone, the devices can be tweaked to get the most out of its lithium–ion batteries.
Reconsider Your Network
All things being equal, the C.D.M.A. mobile standard used by Verizon uses more power than a G.S.M. network, principally used by AT&T and T–Mobile. If battery life is critical, you might want to consider G.S.M. as long as its coverage meets your needs.
Dim It
The brighter your screen, the more juice you're using. If you're in a dimly lit room, turn down your LCD screen's brightness. If your device has an autodimming feature that detects the light in a room, use it. Similarly, if you use your smartphone or laptop to play music, lower the volume.
Popular Stories on Yahoo!:
• World's Richest Person Named
• Uncle Sam Might Owe You Money
• 6 Job Sectors That Are Hiring Now
More from Yahoo! Finance
If you have a BlackBerry, the company's holster will automatically turn off the screen when you insert the phone.
Stop Searching
It is great that you can use Bluetooth technology to connect your smartphone to a headset, or use Wi–Fi to speed up the downloading of e–mail messages. But when you're not using that headset or not near a Wi–Fi hot spot, turn off those features on the phone or laptop.
The reason is that portable devices will continue to look for Wi–Fi or a Bluetooth headset, using power.
Similarly, put your phone to sleep when it is in standby. On an iPhone, you do so through the "Settings" icon. On a BlackBerry, use the "Manage Connections" icon.
Skip a Generation
Your smartphone is also continually looking for a cellphone signal. If you're in a weak signal area, your phone must work even harder to find one, decreasing battery life. If you know that there is no coverage in your area, turn off your portable device's mobile capabilities.
If your G.S.M. 3G network is not available or the signal is weak, the battery will drain faster looking for one. Consider turning off the phone's 3G network or using the slower EDGE network instead. It will make Web access slower but won't affect phone call quality.
Check Mail Manually
Mobile smartphones can check for e–mail messages and instant messages automatically. Or they can be set to "push" notifications as soon as they arrive in your server's mailbox.
Both strategies can be power hogs. To increase your battery life, turn off push and increase the interval between when the phone checks for new messages. Or better, set up your phone to check for messages manually.
Turn Off Everything
The simplest way to cut power to a minimum is to put your smartphone into "airplane mode." You turn your BlackBerry or iPhone into a music player and personal organizer, and you won't be able to receive e–mail messages or make or receive phone calls, but you will stretch your battery.
"In airplane mode and running just the alarm clock, your iPhone battery will last up to a week," said Kyle Wiens, co–founder of ifixit.com, an online iPhone and Mac laptop repair company.
Disable the Animations
The hotter your laptop feels, the more battery power it is using. And one of the biggest users of power is Flash animation, the technology behind many online videos and animated ads. To improve battery life, disable Flash when not using wall power. BashFlash and ClicktoFlash for Macs and Flashblock for PC are programs that will automatically restrict Flash.
Get an App to Aid You
There are a number of applications that can help monitor battery life and shut off various functions that cut down on a mobile device's effective power.
Battery Go and myBatteryLife tell iPhone owners how much charge they have left and how that power translates into minutes of talk time, music, video and Web surfing.
NB BattStat alerts BlackBerry owners to the amount of battery charge remaining, as well as the battery's temperature. (Hot batteries lose power more quickly.) The device can be set to vibrate or sound when a predetermined low battery level is reached.
Radio Saver will monitor your BlackBerry's mobile coverage and shut off the device's mobile circuitry when you are out of range of a cellular signal.
Best BatterySaver allows owners of mobile phones using the Symbian operating system (including models from Nokia and Sony Ericsson) to create battery–saving profiles. For example, certain features can be automatically turned on when the phone is connected to a wall plug, or Bluetooth can be automatically disconnected when the battery charge drops below a certain level.
For laptops, programs like Battery Health Monitor (Mac) and Laptop Battery Power Monitor (PC) keep track of battery charge and estimate how many more times you'll be able to recharge your battery.
Realize the End Will Come
The older generation of nickel cadmium batteries suffered from memory issues; if you didn't fully charge and discharge one, it would hold a progressively smaller amount of juice.
Today's lithium–ion batteries don't suffer from memory loss, so it is safe to top off a battery.
Lithium–ion batteries cannot be overcharged; a device's circuitry cuts off the power when they are full. However, manufacturers still recommend that a laptop not be continually connected to power once the battery is at its capacity. If a laptop won't be used for several months, it should be stored with the battery in a 50 percent charge state.
All batteries can be fully charged and discharged for a fixed number of cycles; lithium–ion batteries typically last between 300 and 500 cycles. Information on the number of cycles can be obtained at manufacturers' Web sites, or at batteryuniversity.com.
No matter how well you husband your battery's resources, there comes a time when you'll need to send your battery to its final resting place.
Like most things nearing the end of their life, your battery will stay awake less and sleep more. "If your battery lasts only an hour after you've charged it," said Anthony Magnabosco, owner of Milliamp.com, a battery replacement company, "you know its time is up."
by Eric A. Taub
Sunday, March 14, 2010
provided by
If you're a recent convert to smartphones, you're probably still discovering all the amazing things that your new BlackBerry, Android phone or iPhone can do. But one thing you most likely found out right away: the more you do, the shorter your phone's battery lasts.
While a standard cellphone's charge can easily go three days or more, many smartphone owners are dismayed to learn that their new mobile toy requires charging every 24 hours, or even more often. It was great that I could use one device — my iPhone — to check my calendar and respond to multiple incoming calls during January's Consumer Electronics Show, but I paid the price when its battery died at 2 p.m.
More from NYTimes.com:
• Potential Blockbuster: iPhone 4.0 Multitasking
• Gadgets in Emergency Vehicles Seen as Peril
• Starbucks Fans Can Become 'Baristas' on Foursquare
The answer was not to desperately search for an electrical outlet to recharge the phone (though I've done that) or to consider giving up the phone (done that, too), but rather to figure out a strategy to reduce energy consumption while still having it available for essential tasks. Whether you're using a laptop or a smartphone, the devices can be tweaked to get the most out of its lithium–ion batteries.
Reconsider Your Network
All things being equal, the C.D.M.A. mobile standard used by Verizon uses more power than a G.S.M. network, principally used by AT&T and T–Mobile. If battery life is critical, you might want to consider G.S.M. as long as its coverage meets your needs.
Dim It
The brighter your screen, the more juice you're using. If you're in a dimly lit room, turn down your LCD screen's brightness. If your device has an autodimming feature that detects the light in a room, use it. Similarly, if you use your smartphone or laptop to play music, lower the volume.
Popular Stories on Yahoo!:
• World's Richest Person Named
• Uncle Sam Might Owe You Money
• 6 Job Sectors That Are Hiring Now
More from Yahoo! Finance
If you have a BlackBerry, the company's holster will automatically turn off the screen when you insert the phone.
Stop Searching
It is great that you can use Bluetooth technology to connect your smartphone to a headset, or use Wi–Fi to speed up the downloading of e–mail messages. But when you're not using that headset or not near a Wi–Fi hot spot, turn off those features on the phone or laptop.
The reason is that portable devices will continue to look for Wi–Fi or a Bluetooth headset, using power.
Similarly, put your phone to sleep when it is in standby. On an iPhone, you do so through the "Settings" icon. On a BlackBerry, use the "Manage Connections" icon.
Skip a Generation
Your smartphone is also continually looking for a cellphone signal. If you're in a weak signal area, your phone must work even harder to find one, decreasing battery life. If you know that there is no coverage in your area, turn off your portable device's mobile capabilities.
If your G.S.M. 3G network is not available or the signal is weak, the battery will drain faster looking for one. Consider turning off the phone's 3G network or using the slower EDGE network instead. It will make Web access slower but won't affect phone call quality.
Check Mail Manually
Mobile smartphones can check for e–mail messages and instant messages automatically. Or they can be set to "push" notifications as soon as they arrive in your server's mailbox.
Both strategies can be power hogs. To increase your battery life, turn off push and increase the interval between when the phone checks for new messages. Or better, set up your phone to check for messages manually.
Turn Off Everything
The simplest way to cut power to a minimum is to put your smartphone into "airplane mode." You turn your BlackBerry or iPhone into a music player and personal organizer, and you won't be able to receive e–mail messages or make or receive phone calls, but you will stretch your battery.
"In airplane mode and running just the alarm clock, your iPhone battery will last up to a week," said Kyle Wiens, co–founder of ifixit.com, an online iPhone and Mac laptop repair company.
Disable the Animations
The hotter your laptop feels, the more battery power it is using. And one of the biggest users of power is Flash animation, the technology behind many online videos and animated ads. To improve battery life, disable Flash when not using wall power. BashFlash and ClicktoFlash for Macs and Flashblock for PC are programs that will automatically restrict Flash.
Get an App to Aid You
There are a number of applications that can help monitor battery life and shut off various functions that cut down on a mobile device's effective power.
Battery Go and myBatteryLife tell iPhone owners how much charge they have left and how that power translates into minutes of talk time, music, video and Web surfing.
NB BattStat alerts BlackBerry owners to the amount of battery charge remaining, as well as the battery's temperature. (Hot batteries lose power more quickly.) The device can be set to vibrate or sound when a predetermined low battery level is reached.
Radio Saver will monitor your BlackBerry's mobile coverage and shut off the device's mobile circuitry when you are out of range of a cellular signal.
Best BatterySaver allows owners of mobile phones using the Symbian operating system (including models from Nokia and Sony Ericsson) to create battery–saving profiles. For example, certain features can be automatically turned on when the phone is connected to a wall plug, or Bluetooth can be automatically disconnected when the battery charge drops below a certain level.
For laptops, programs like Battery Health Monitor (Mac) and Laptop Battery Power Monitor (PC) keep track of battery charge and estimate how many more times you'll be able to recharge your battery.
Realize the End Will Come
The older generation of nickel cadmium batteries suffered from memory issues; if you didn't fully charge and discharge one, it would hold a progressively smaller amount of juice.
Today's lithium–ion batteries don't suffer from memory loss, so it is safe to top off a battery.
Lithium–ion batteries cannot be overcharged; a device's circuitry cuts off the power when they are full. However, manufacturers still recommend that a laptop not be continually connected to power once the battery is at its capacity. If a laptop won't be used for several months, it should be stored with the battery in a 50 percent charge state.
All batteries can be fully charged and discharged for a fixed number of cycles; lithium–ion batteries typically last between 300 and 500 cycles. Information on the number of cycles can be obtained at manufacturers' Web sites, or at batteryuniversity.com.
No matter how well you husband your battery's resources, there comes a time when you'll need to send your battery to its final resting place.
Like most things nearing the end of their life, your battery will stay awake less and sleep more. "If your battery lasts only an hour after you've charged it," said Anthony Magnabosco, owner of Milliamp.com, a battery replacement company, "you know its time is up."
// posted by jazzofonik @ 6:23 AM 
How to Care for an Autistic Child
from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can EditThere is no uniform diagnostic for identifying what every autistic child should or can do. Autism is a spectrum disorder, which means that some children have vastly greater abilities in some or all areas than "classically" autistic children while still having the symptoms of autism. Autistic spectrum disorders include Pervasive Developmental Delay (PDD), Asperger Syndrome (AS), and Kanner-type (or classic) autism. There is no single test to diagnose autistic spectrum disorders, and no single cause has been identified. For many families, coping with the behaviors and abilities of their individual child is the most practical daily approach to managing and remediating this disability.
Steps
- If you have concerns that your child may be autistic, you should seek professional evaluation.
- Start keeping a notebook or journal about your child. A diagnosis of autism will require a developmental history. You may be asked to fill out questionnaires which ask about behaviors and development. Writing things down on a regular basis will help you remember when you noticed things. Keeping track of what works and what doesn't will also come in handy when you're trying to modify behaviors. The journal or notebook may also help start to identify patterns for difficult times and triggers for problems.
- Have the attitude that you're in it for the long haul. There will be days when progress is made and days when things seem to be going in reverse. Don't be discouraged. Sometimes finding out what isn't working can be as beneficial in the long run as finding out what does so you know what to avoid.
- Establish and keep a routine. Many autistic children are very independent, but rely on routine for security.
- Understand fixations. This can include stimming behavior[1] (staring at turning wheels, making repeated noises, etc) and topical obsessions (Star Wars, whales, the weather). Opinions vary on whether these behaviors should be tolerated, but controlled, or discouraged entirely. Tolerating these behaviors within controlled parameters can be a powerful tool in connecting with the child for educational, emotional, and social instruction. Relating new information to the child's interests may help the child be more accepting of new things. Using time to focus on interests as a bargaining tool may help when it comes to school.
- Find support. It does not need to be the caretakers of other autistic children, though that can be an especial help. Have trusted individuals who can provide childcare, a willing ear, or mentoring.
- See if your state department of health has a department for children with special health care needs. They may provide services on a sliding fee scale based on income. You may qualify for free services or reduced charges. (In Utah this department is by the University of Utah.)
- Understand the use of visual stimuli. Many times autistic kids are visually oriented. Sometimes nonverbal children are able to communicate using sign language or by pointing to pictures in a special book put together to help them communicate. Even autistic kids who speak may benefit by making a visual chart for the schedule for the day. If you're trying to teach your child how to do something it may help to make a picture chart. (Some autistic kids can even repeat verbal instructions word for word but still lack the ability to turn those instructions into actions in their head. Pictures may somehow help them to do that.)
- See if there are any early intervention programs available where you live. As early as 3-years of age the school district should be contacted to determine whether they have special preschool programs. Ask them for an evaluation.
- When it comes time for your child to start school, contact your school and request to have your child evaluated for special education. Make the request in writing. If school personnel aren't helpful, contact the school district. Obtain a copy of the special education rules for your state from the state office of education. Qualifying for special education opens the door to more services like speech and occupational therapists. When your child is evaluated and qualifies for special education, make sure you have your school set up an Individual Education Plan (IEP) for your child. That document is very important for getting the services and education your child needs. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that children with special needs receive an education.
Tips
- Try reading "Daniel isn't Talking" by Marti Leimbach, it is a (99%) true story, her story, just with the names of people changed.
- There are many more books available about autism than there were in the past. Check out Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Start to educate yourself. You're going to have to find out what is going to work for you and your child. The more informed you are, the better decisions you can make.
- Read some good theory based parenting books. (Parenting with Love and Logic & Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP) are a couple.) The strategies may need to be modified for your particular child, but it will be helpful to have a good understanding of some good principles for parenting.
- Some kids respond well to vestibular stimulation. (motion) Pulling the child on a scooterboard (put a helmet on the child) or swinging in a hammock may help to calm the child down. There are special swings you can buy which can be set up in a door jam. (Great for rainy days when you can't go outside.)
- Tactile stimulation may help calm a child down. Playing with water or sand are great developmental activities for any child. Clay works well. (As long as your child doesn't eat it.)
- Make sure you feed your child on a regular schedule. Nothing will make a child with developmental difficulties cranky like not getting lunch or dinner on time.
- Activity using large muscle groups helps regulate mood. My son was having a very difficult time with behavior issues in school until an occupational therapist suggested a break every two hours to do some pullups or running. (He was about 7 years old.) The outbursts dropped dramatically. When behavior started to improve, the lenght of time between breaks was gradually increased. When behavior was difficult again, the activity breaks were increased. Taking the kids for a walk or to the park may help behavior at home.
Warnings
- Professional help can be expensive, and will not deliver a magical cure. (Always evaluate the advice you receive no matter what the source. Allow enough time to see if something works. If you try it and it doesn't seem to be working, though, it may be time to make an adjustment.)
- Don't spoil your child. There are a lot of spoiled kids who have disabilities. Special needs kids learn to manipulate just like regular kids. (Read the parenting books!) Set appropriate limits with appropriate modifications. Finding the right balance is probably one of the most difficult parts of having a special needs kid. (Don't worry, you have time to evaluate what's going on and make adjustments.)
Related wikiHows
- How to Praise a Child
- How to Enhance Learning for an Autistic Child
- How to Communicate With an Autistic Child Using the Picture Exchange Communication System
- How to Make a Behavior Intervention Plan for an Autistic Child
- How to Deal with an Autistic Sibling
Sources and Citations
- http://www.utahparentcenter.org/
- http://www.usoe.k12.ut.us/sars/ Utah State Office of Education - Special Education
- http://www.essential-guide-to-autism.com/blog/2006/09/19/coping-with-aggression/ - Useful article on coping with aggression in autistic children
Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Care for an Autistic Child. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.
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