How to Extend Your Smart Phone Battery Life

As we use our smartphones for extended time every day, we dread the warnings that we are low on power.

Nothing is worse than that sinking feeling that we're just not going to be able to make it to an outlet before we completely run out of juice.

It's almost as bad as not being able to find a restroom!

This has been a constant problem for all smart phone devices.

I wrote a tip here four years ago about the very subject especially for iPhones since it was such an issue.

But today's tip is for all devices since so many users face the same issue whether they are on iPhone, Android or Microsoft devices.

During the summer months when we are out on vacations and day trips, a few tips can mean the difference between still having battery power to take those precious family photos and post an update to Facebook or having a door stop in your pocket or purse.

So a few basic tips are in order before you head out the door on your next adventure:

• Have a full battery charge before you leave your home or the hotel.
• Bring an extra power cord along in case you find an outlet.  Many restaurants and bars now have power outlets and USB charging outlets at some tables.
• Bring along a lighter plug adapter.  This is especially useful if you are renting a car on vacation so you can recharge while you are driving between locations.
• Consider purchasing an extra rechargeable battery pack from Mophie or Anker.  Prices have decreased significantly and many brands and models can be purchased for $40-$100.
• Set your phone to show you the estimated battery life as a "%" if it doesn't automatically (for the iPhone, the setting is in Settings > General > Usage > Battery Percentage

One tip I've found when away from home is to ask the hotel front desk if they have an extra charging cord.  So many people leave them that the front desk often has many extras you can keep.

A few more tips apply to most smartphones and can help you keep your phone from wasting precious battery life between charges.

Here are my top 5 tips for extending your Smart phone battery life:

1. Dim the Screen
Displaying a bright screen is a surefire way to drain your battery.  Reduce the brightness to just the most basic level that you can see.  You will see dramatic benefits.  You can also limit the time before the phone goes into the power mode to ensure that the screen goes black.  Or just manually put the phone to sleep when you are done viewing.

2. Turn Off Bluetooth
Bluetooth is great for that portable keyboard or wireless speakers, Turn it off when you do not specifically need it.

3. Turn Off Wi-Fi
If you are out and about and not on Wi-Fi, turn it off.  This keeps your phone from constantly looking for Wi-Fi signals.

4. Go Into Airplane Mode
If you are not expecting or needing your phone for calls and only need Wi-Fi, go in to Airplane Mode.  This disables the cellular radio in your phone and will extend your battery.  If you are out of your home phone area (some voice/data plans) or even the country, Airplane Mode also will keep you from incurring large and unexpected cellular bills.  And if you do not need Wi-Fi, then turn it off too (see number 3 above).

5. Close Any Open Apps
Keep only the apps you need open on the phone.  Close everything else.  You can also set the phone settings to stop any background app updates/refresh as well.

Depending up on the phone, you can also stop notifications, GPS locations, phone vibrations and email from updating automatically to extend your battery life.

These tips are just the most basic things you can do.  There are countless other tips but then your phone is practically worthless.

Finally, turn your phone completely off if you won't be using it for some time.

This will save your battery for when you do need it later and can't find a way to recharge before then.

Enjoy!

READ MORE

• Extend Your iPhone Battery Life (from 2011)
• How to Restart Your iPhone or iPad
• Netflix Comes to Marriott Hotels
• Waze is Your "Must Have" Driving App
• How Do I Get Windows 10 for Free?

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#Android #battery #iPhone

Embed a YouTube Video

If you have a website or maintain a blog, you may want to include a YouTube video to make it more interesting.

Adding the URL to the video is a simple way to do that.  For example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bZkp7q19f0

But YouTube makes it easy to embed the video into your blog or email post, like this:



But how do you do this?  It's rather easy.

When viewing a YouTube video, look for the "Share" link under the video.  Click it to show several other options.

The first option, "Share" will give you a short URL you can use, like https://youtu.be/9bZkp7q19f0

The second option "Embed" is the key to adding the video into the blog or website:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9bZkp7q19f0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

This is the html code that you'll include in the html code for the blog or website.  Most blogs let you access the HTML side of a post.  Drop the embed html from the YouTube into your html page and then return to the Compose side of your blog post.  Your video will now be displayed.

So to recap:

1. Click the Share link under the video.
2. Click the Embed link.
3. Copy the html code provided in the expanded box.
4. Paste the html code into your blog or website.

And that's that.  A bit of behind the scenes coding will make your blog or website look great with embedded video.

Enjoy!

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• NASA Ring Tones Just Launched

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Cool Tips for a Cooler Life!

Google Knows Where You've Been.

Google knows where you've been.

Why?  You allowed it.

Maybe you didn't know you allowed it.

But you did.

It's not a bad thing.  It's part of the price you are paying for accessing the free services of Google on your mobile phone.  By letting Google know where you are, apps like Google Maps, and Waze can help you find your way.

You didn't think it was all free did you?

But you may be surprised to see that Google keeps a history of where you've been.  You may not remember where you went last Sunday.  But Google knows.

You can see your location history by visiting https://maps.google.com/locationhistory/

By clicking the calendar on the Location History page, you can go back and see where you traveled on a given day.

It's OK to be freaked out.  Everyone is at first.  And then we all start clicking around on dates to verify we really went where the map shows.

Your location history is not just known by Google. All, Most, Many mobile apps and websites keep track of your location history.  Google is more open about it and shows you your history.  Yay for openness!

Just below the Location History calendar there is a link to delete a single day or all of your location history.  Use it if you must.

In a  future Cool Tip, I'll show you how you can disable this Google feature on your iOS or Android phone.  But it will put a dent in your use of mobile apps.

Enjoy!

READ MORE

• Check Out Google's New "My Account"
• Google Photos is the New "Must Have" App
• Up the Periscope - Broadcast Live from Your Phone
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• Waze is Your "Must Have" Driving App

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Daily Tips for a Cooler Life!

#google #location #history #maps #privacy

My iPhone Has Lost Me!

Finding your lost phone is often a daily experience for million of iPhone users.

But what happens when your iPhone loses YOU?

That's a very common occurrence in iOS 8 due to new privacy prompts.  It's easy to inadvertently turn off "location services" for key apps that often need to know where they are.  Examples include, Facebook, Twitter, Photos and Messages.

Letting the phone app know where it's location allows the app to provide better information for you.  For example, Facebook can show you nearby locations when you post a status update.

"It used to work but now it doesn't.  How does this happen?"

In iOS 8, new prompts pop up from time to time asking if the user wants to continue letting an app access its location.  If you should answer no, then the privacy setting for that app changes within the hidden settings and the app will no longer access to the GPS location service built within the iPhone.

So how do you change it back?

The location services for iOS and specific apps is hidden within the Settings and then Privacy options on iPhone.  You can check that Location Services are "On" for the phone and then check each app to ensure you do or do want to let that app have access to the phones location.  That's it.

READ MORE

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• Up the Periscope - Broadcast Live from Your Phone
• Netflix Comes to Marriott Hotels
• Waze is Your "Must Have" Driving App
• How Do I Get Windows 10 for Free?
• NASA Ring Tones Just Launched

One Cool Tip.com

http://www.onecooltip.com

Daily Tips for a Cooler Life!

ICYMI: Google Photos, iPhone Restart, Periscope, Netflix at Marriott, Subway app, Skype for Web and Amazon Echo Reads Audible

It's been a busy week of One Cool Tips.  In case you missed any of these, check them out!

Upload Your Photos to Google Photos from Your Desktop
Learn ow you can upload all of your PC photos to the new Google Photos service.

How to Restart Your iPhone or iPad
Learn how you can restart your iPhone or iPad for better performance or to recover when it is frozen.

Broadcast from Your Mobile Phone with Periscope
You can be a star!  learn how to broadcast live from your mobile phone.

Watch Netflix from Marriott Hotel Guest Room TVs
Netflix is coming to Marriott hotel guest room TVs.  Learn when and where.

Use the Subway App to Skip the Line
Skip the line by using the new Subway mobile app.

Skype for Web Now Open to All Users
Who needs an app?  Learn how to use the new Skype for Web.

Amazon Echo Now Reads Audible Books
Learn more about how the amazing Amazon Echo can now read Audible books,

One Cool Tip.com

http://www.onecooltip.com

Daily Tips for a Cooler Life!

Upload Your Photos to Google from Your Desktop

Google Photos is a must have app for your smart phone.  We shared that just a while ago.

With auto-uploading and free unlimited storage, your mobile photos will be safely backed up.

But did you know you can also upload all of your PC photos to Google Photos too?

To do this, download and install the free Google desktop loader app available from HERE.

Once installed, you can select which folders with pictures on your PC you want loaded into your Google Photos account.

Sit back.  This may take a while.

Once done, your photos will be backed up to Google and you'll have access to them from your PC as well as your mobile devices.

To view your photos online, just visit: https://photos.google.com/

Similar to the mobile app, you can intelligently search through your photos.  Want to see photos you've taken with a lake scene?  Just search for "lake".  How about photos of your pets?  Search for "cat", "dog", "horse", or "gerbil".  Without you having to tag your photos, Google will search your collection and display the results.  

While not always perfect, it's pretty darn good.

Enjoy!

READ MORE

• Google Photos is the New "Must Have" App
• Up the Periscope - Broadcast Live from Your Phone
• Netflix Comes to Marriott Hotels
• Waze is Your "Must Have" Driving App
• How Do I Get Windows 10 for Free?
• NASA Ring Tones Just Launched

One Cool Tip.com

http://www.onecooltip.com

Daily Tips for a Cooler Life!

#Google #GooglePhotos #PC #desktop

How to Restart Your iPhone or iPad

Sometimes it's just the simple things that are so hard to figure out.

And one of the most common questions I get from new iPhone users is, "How Do I Restart?"

Fortunately, it's not too often that an iPhone needs to be restarted.  But many believe, as do I, that a restart from time to time will cure all computer ills.

"Restart and call me in the morning!"

If possible, before a restart, close all open apps to ensure that all files are saved. (Double tap the Home button and then swipe up on each open app to close.  If there are files open, visit each app to save any work in progress).

So here's the quick tip on restarting an iPhone or iPad:

How to Restart an iPhone or iPad:

1. Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button until the red slider appears on the screen.
2. Drag the slider button to the right to turn your device completely off.
3. After the device turns off, press and hold the Sleep/Wake button again until you see the Apple logo appear.

If for some really reason your iPhone hangs and does not respond, you can force a restart as a last resort.

How to Force a Restart an iPhone or iPad:

1. To force restart your device, press and hold both the Sleep/Wake and Home button for at least 10 seconds, until you see the Apple logo appear.

If you find that a specific app is the cause of a frozen iPhone, be sure to go to the app's iTunes store page.  In most cases, developers are anxious to learn about bugs in their apps and will post an email for bug reports.  Or leave a review to alert them to a specific issue. And it is most helpful if the specific conditions are relayed so they can replicate and resolve for the next app update.

READ MORE

• Up the Periscope - Broadcast Live from Your Phone
• Netflix Comes to Marriott Hotels
• Waze is Your "Must Have" Driving App
• How Do I Get Windows 10 for Free?
• NASA Ring Tones Just Launched
• Google Photos is the New "Must Have" App

One Cool Tip.com

http://www.onecooltip.com

Cool Tips for a Cooler Life!

#restart #iphone #ipad #off #on

Up the Periscope - Broadcast Live from Your Phone!

"In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes" - Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol's famous quote has become possible as millions of people around the world connect to the internet on a daily basis.

And we've already seen the good, the bad and the ugly as some people get their 15 minutes of internet fame.

But there is great potential as video livestreaming becomes a normal and usual app that users utilize everyday.  And Periscope is the new best livestreaming app.

Livestreaming on the net is not new.  But it is a niche that has not had much traction, until now.  Meerkat sxploded on the mobile app scene earlier this year but Twitter's Periscope app is clearly the better of the two apps.

So what is livestreaming?  Livestreaming apps allow users to broadcast live video from mobile devices to one, a hundred or even thousands of viewers.  Think of it as letting everyone become a CNN reporter.

Not all livestreams are CNN-worthy.   But many are well done and.or give viewers the ability to go behind the scenes of special places or events.

My favorite Periscope broadcasts are from the local news teams around the country and the world who broadcast live during morning news shows.  It's a viewpoint average users just never get to see.

Just as mobile phones, pictures and videos have changed how we view the world, livestreaming will become a common activity, especially for dramatic news events.

But Periscope also has the potential for live broadcasting public meetings and events so that viewers can attend important events that might not be covered by local media.

The latest update to the iOS Periscope app lets you look at a map and find local broadcasts.  This is especially useful if you are looking for something that is place-specific.

Periscope lets you follow contacts and be notified when someone is broadcasting.  Maybe it's a key moment in a day, or a trip to the beach or amusement park.  Or at a news breaking events like a fire, protest or severe weather.

Another great feature is the ability to archive your broadcasts - you can save any broadcast so that your viewers can watch later.

You can download the Periscope app from the iTunes store HERE.  And from the Google Android store HERE.









READ MORE

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• Skype for Web Now Open to All Users
• Waze is Your "Must Have" Driving App
• How Do I Get Windows 10 for Free?
• NASA Ring Tones Just Launched
• Google Photos is the New "Must Have" App

One Cool Tip.com

http://www.onecooltip.com

Cool Tips for a Cooler Life!

Netflix Comes to Marriott Hotels

One of my favorite travel "Road Warrior" tips is to use my Netflix account while on the road. As internet access and quality improves in hotels, using Netflix is an easy way to stay current on favorite shows.

So it's exciting to hear that Netflix and Marriott Hotels announced today a partnership that brings Netflix to guest room televisions.

Guests staying at select Marriott Hotels will be able to sign into their existing Netflix accounts by using the Netflix app on the hotel's internet-connected guest room televisions.

Netflix is currently available at six Marriott properties, with six more locations launching this summer. 

Available now:

• New York Marriott East Side

• San Jose Marriott

• Princeton Marriott

• Newport Marriott

• Dallas/Fort Worth Marriott Solana

• Bethesda Marriott Suites

Coming Next this summer:

• Marriott Marquis Washington, DC

• San Francisco Marriott Marquis

• Atlanta Marriott Marquis

• Dayton Marriott

• San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino

• Anaheim Marriott

Marriott Hotels plans to expand Netflix to 100 of its properties by the end of 2015, and to nearly all of its more than 300 properties in the U.S. by the end of 2016.

Source; Marriott Hotels

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• Skype for Web Now Open to All Users
• Waze is Your "Must Have" Driving App
• How Do I Get Windows 10 for Free?
• NASA Ring Tones Just Launched
• Google Photos is the New "Must Have" App

One Cool Tip.com

http://www.onecooltip.com

Daily Tips for a Cooler Life!

#hotel #internet #Marriott #Netflix

Skip the Line - Use the Subway App

We haven't seen Jared use it yet but Subway has a new app that let's you skip the long lunch lines at Subway restaurants.

The new Subway mobile app lets you order your favorite Subway sandwiches and then pick it up at the store directly from the cashier.

I've used several of the mobile apps to save time and I will review a few more here at OneCoolTip.  But Subway certainly brings mobile ordering to the masses with their new mobile app.

In my personal experience, mobile ordering saves 15-20 minutes.

And a lot of hassle.

Before the app, usually there are 10 people waiting in line at the local Subway at peak lunch time.  And when each person orders, he/she seems to have never been to a Subway before.

What do you want? Let me think.
Which bread?  Let me think.
Do you want it toasted?  Let me think.
Do you want cheese?  Let me think.

These people have waiting for 10 minutes already.  None of these ordering concepts seemed to have been contemplated before they up up to the Subway Sandwich Artist.

Avoid all of that hassle and order online through the new mobile app.

 


It's simple to use the new Subway app.  Download to your phone.  Setup a new account and then order from your local subway.  You pay through the mobile app so your order will be ready to just pickup.  I usually do this at least 30 minutes before I want to pick up the order.

The app is new but the Subway employees seem to know the process.  Although you will get some stares from the people waiting in line why you can skip the line and just pick up your order from the cashier.

You can download the app from iTunes HERE and from the Google Android store HERE.

Source: Subway

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One Cool Tip.com

http://www.onecooltip.com

Daily Tips for a Cooler Life!