Energy storage is one technology that has not obeyed Moore’s law.  This is clearly the case in smartphones–I often see heavy users plug in their phones everywhere they go to maintain enough juice to last the entire day.

In contrast, my dumb phone holds enough charge to last 4 days on standby. The bottom line is that the more functionality your mobile device has, the shorter the battery life will be. These features include 4G antennas, multitasking apps, push notifications, WiFi/Bluetooth activity, background processes, and flash camera use.

I’m often asked for tips to prolong battery life on the iPhone 4S. For those without the software glitch, here are a few suggestions (some are phone agnostic):

• Shut down background apps. Back when I was writing TSR‘s, I learned that background processes with leaky memory will throttle cpu big time. On the iPhone 4S, hold the Home button until a list of apps appears on the screen. Hold onto one of the icons until they start shaking. You will also see a red negative sign. Hit the sign to shut down the apps. This is most useful in apps that require net access. On Android, you can use Advanced Task Killer.
• Disable Bluetooth when not in use. Obvious.
• Disable cell signal if you are in poor reception areas. If you’re not expecting calls or texts, this is the way to go.
• Disable push notifications on non-urgent apps.  Tricky. If you’re a day trader and rely on your texting/phone vibration for your job, you may be out of luck. You can also increase polling time.
• Disable Flash. Pertinent to Android devices. Yes, Flash is a battery killer.

There are many “disables” on this list. There are also a dozen other minor tweaks that can be found online. Be aware that apps typically aren’t screened as closely for memory leaks or routines that potentially cycle cpu time without effect. Your battery life will greatly depend on the apps you use daily.  Unfortunately we are still limited by our technology, but perhaps these recommendations will help get you through the day.

computing computing, tech

I bought in-flight internet for the first time several days ago, via Gogo Internet. It was a 3+ hour flight on a plane with DC outlets underneath the seat.  Airlines have recently been offering in-flight wifi in the past year as a premium service. The technology for in-flight wifi is interesting–the plane actually connects to cellphone towers on the ground to beam data. I had always assumed that satellite technology would be more efficient, but I suppose that operating costs would be even higher.

Given that the connection is based on cellphone tower technology, one would assume standard 3g data rates. That is exactly the case:

Of course, data rates vary tremendously, depending on location and the number of connected users.

Overall, the data speeds were tolerable for email and basic web surfing.

In-flight Wifi starts at $8 per flight if connecting on a mobile device, and $12 upward for laptops. Frequent flyers can also purchase monthly passes. I’d recommend using Seatguru to find the best flight/seats that have power outlets. Be wary of advertised power outlets though; a recent AA flight I took on MD-80 equipment advertised power outlets, but they were in the form of cigarette lighter outlets!

computing

I run my server from GoDaddy, the company that hosts those risque SuperBowl commercials annually. I signed up initially because they offer a SSH login and have cheap rates. The server lag, however, is horrible. I automated an annual sign-up initially, and was planning to cancel my service last month when the contract expired.

Unfortunately, I forgot to cancel the subscription since I was caught up managing some emergency room traumas that week.

Dang you, residency. Damn you, GoDaddy. None of the caching mechanisms ever worked to speed up this website. In fact, I tested the site on a Canadian server, and the ping time was less than half of that of the GoDaddy server. I guess I have to live with it for another year. If you are a web hosting service that buys off GoDaddy fees for switching hosts, contact me!

computing rant

Unless you’ve been in isolation, you have probably heard of Angry Birds, a simple yet addictive game available on most smartphone platforms. It is akin to Scorched Earth, the classic PC game in which you sling grenades at the opposition–the difference in this game is that birds serve as ammunition.

This game is ubiquitous. I see passengers in the subway and bus playing this game. My patient with cellulitis in the emergency room was playing Angry Birds while waiting to be triaged. I saw a medical student playing the game while waiting for rounds to begin.

For 99 cents, this game will occupy you for months. Get it now.

computing computing

Several months ago I released an online intraocular lens calculator featuring three of the commonly used power calculation formulas, as described in the peer-reviewed literature. I received 82 hits on the page the first day it opened, and amassed about 400 total hits in one week. That is considerable for an unadvertised website.

Due to legal pressures, I was forced to remove it online. This is unfortunate, because there are no other freely available, web-based calculators. Granted, most modern A-scan devices have these formulas built into them, but there is something to be said for crunching a few calculations without hunting down the scanner in the building. Too bad.

computing, medicine