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Oh, Good. Another In-Flight Fire Hazard to Worry About

GeekSugar — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:45:02 -0700

In-flight fires caused by gadgets are back in the news after a recent piece in the New York Times warned of yet another risk: fires caused by the rechargable lithium batteries in handheld credit-card machines used by flight attendants to ring up purchases. The Federal Aviation Administration considers the batteries hazardous, and requires special training for flight attendants on airlines who carry spare batteries (some airlines, like Delta and JetBlue, don't carry spare batteries at all).

No fires from the readers have been reported, but according to the same article, in the last two years, a portable DVD has caught fire on a plane, a flashlight placed in a storage compartment exploded, turning into a projectile, and eight people were injured when a battery fell against a metal seat frame and exploded.

The best way to keep devices from overheating, or worse, catching fire? Keep them out of overhead compartments, and turn them off completely before storing them for flight. Do you take special precautions when flying with gadgets?

Daily Tech: BBM Version 5.0 to Be Released Tomorrow

GeekSugar — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:11:09 -0700

BlackBerry Messenger addicts, listen up. The latest version of BBM will be available worldwide starting tomorrow - RIMarkable

Amazon is launching its very own one-click payment system for cell phones called Amazon Mobile Payments Service - Mashable

Oh man. The email phishing scheme has made its way to 30,000 Gmail accounts. I suggest changing your passwords ASAP. - BBC News

Here are many ways you can save your smartphone's battery life - Lifehacker

Firefox unveils its new Plugin Check, which tells you if your plugins are up to date - Download Squad

It's giveaway and game time on GeekSugar! Be sure to log in and play our Best Video Game Ever bracket! - GeekSugar

How-To: Store Your Household Batteries

CasaSugar — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 08:00:17 -0700

Like humans, batteries are perishable products that deteriorate from the start of their lives. But, like eating well and using SPF, there are a few things you can do to slow their aging. Following an old wives' tale, my grandmother always kept her batteries in the freezer. As it turns out, that's not an ideal place to store them. Learn how to store your batteries when you read more.

Batteries should be kept in a cool, dry place - ideally around 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Contrary to my grandmother's practice, Duracell and Kodak agree that batteries should not be kept in the freezer. You can store them in a refrigerator, but to prevent condensation you should keep in them a sealed plastic bag. Definitely do not store them in a warm place; this will inhibit their performance.
Whenever possible, keep your batteries in their original packaging.
Store batteries with their negative and positive terminals AWAY from each other, so that they're not conducting idly.
Keep lithium and nickel-based batteries stored at a 40 percent charge.
Store new and old batteries separately. If you store them together, power will be drawn from the new one, shortening its life.
Leave any plastic caps on your batteries (like the 9V ones) on until you need to use them.
If you are not going to be using any battery-operated appliance for a month, remove the appliance's batteries and make sure to store them as stated above.

Geek Tip: Use Q-Tips to Make Your Battery Last Longer

GeekSugar — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 14:30:12 -0700

From the office of Yes, Really comes this tip for maintaining maximum cell phone and laptop battery life: Real Simple advises you to swipe a cotton swab dipped in alcohol across the battery contacts (make sure it's not dripping with alcohol, I assume).

They say this helps "maintain good battery connections and sustain the charge for a longer time."

Well, hot damn. Anyone ever heard of this? I may have to try it!

Source

How to Extend Your MacBook's Battery Life

GeekSugar — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:30:47 -0800

Yesterday, PetSugar asked me a great question - how can she extend the life of the battery in her new MacBook Air? I gave her some of my "battery-saving" tips, but I didn't know if her notebook should be plugged in all day when it's turned off (and fully charged) - something she was concerned about, and something I do all of the time. Keep reading to find out the answers to some of the most popular MacBook battery conundrums.

When you first receive your MacBook, make sure you fully charge the battery before use.
MacBooks use lithium ion batteries, which means they don't have to be completely drained to prevent the memory effect. Completely running them out actually reduces their capacity.
According to Apple, it's important to keep the electrons in the battery moving occasionally, but they do not recommend leaving your laptop plugged in all the time.
Basically, it's best to keep your battery's juices flowing. Therefore, if you use it on the bus on the way to work, then plug it in all day while at work, that's actually good for it.

To see more MacBook battery-saving tips, just read more.

If you don't use your MacBook regularly, you should set a reminder to charge and discharge the battery at least once per month.
And if you are away for more than six months, Apple recommends storing your battery in a cool place with a 50 percent charge. Therefore, completely shut it down with a 50 percent charge, since sleep mode still uses power from the battery to maintain your laptop's memory.
Apple periodically releases updates that may improve battery performance, so make sure you install the updates!

Source

Geek Out: Do You Charge Your Gadgets Before Your First Use?

GeekSugar — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 10:00:05 -0700

I finally invested in the Clarisonic device that Bella has been raving about and rushed home to try it, only to find the instructions suggest charging the device for 24 hours before its first use. It was the ultimate luxury gadget letdown - all I wanted to do was test it, and I had to wait patiently.

Most battery experts claim you can prolong battery life by charging them fully before their inaugural use. It makes sense, but it's not always feasible (or fun!) to wait. Do you fully charge your gadgets before your first use?

Disposal of Toxic Products Made Easy (in SF, That Is)

GeekSugar — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 05:00:33 -0700

I consider myself a fairly eco-chic kinda gal, but I'm always looking for ways to be greener. Living in San Francisco, I try to utilize all the amazing services that offer to reuse or recycle your old gadgets, but it isn't easy keeping track of which ones take which (batteries, or cell phones or televisions). . . If only it was as simple as mailing your cell phone away to cell phones for soldiers! Thankfully this handy dandy piece of mail arrived at my doorstep the other day. The SF Environment has created the EcoFinder as an easy reference manual for all of us trying to figure out what the best way is to dispose of and recycle our electronics. It's fantastic and going straight on my fridge - check it out below and visit SF Environment to get your very own!

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What's the Worst Tech Disaster You've Ever Suffered?

GeekSugar — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 16:00:32 -0800

Recently a quarry worker in South Korea was found dead with a melted phone battery in his shirt pocket. He also had a broken spine and ribs as well as heart and lung injuries, but his death was initially blamed on an exploding cell phone battery.

Predictably, the National Institute of Scientific Investigation found that the injuries the man suffered were too substantial to have been caused by a battery explosion, but the fact that they could have been responsible for the man's death got me thinking.

I've honestly never suffered a major tech disaster, so I am always a little shocked when I hear news of iPods catching on fire in people's pants or exploding laptops. It's scary because we assume our devices are safe and tested so we don't expect anything dangerous to happen to us while using them.

Source

46 Million Nokia Batteries Are Too Hot To Handle

GeekSugar — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 15:00:41 -0700

Watch out all you Nokia cell phone users! According to the New York Times, Nokia has just warned customers that a whopping 46 million of its BL-5C cell phone batteries could potentially overheat. Due to a possible short-circuit while charging, the battery can easily shift and cause many problems. Currently 100 incidences have been reported, although there hasn't been any mention of any serious injuries. Nokia is still in talks with the battery maker Matsushita to negotiate whether batteries should be replaced. This doesn't sound overly serious. Just another battery over-heating, what else is new? Image Source

How To Replace Your iPod's Battery

GeekSugar — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 10:00:58 -0700

PartySugar's slightly robust first generation iPod has been sitting at geeksugar central for longer than we want to admit. (We joke with the "robust" comment - Party gets major vintage geek points for owning and still using the first gen iPod!) Despite our fear of blood, we finally decided to perform the surgery. You'll be pleased to know it went well.

We followed a combination of the Wired's How To Replace Your iPod Battery, the directions on the FastMac Premium iPod Battery kit and inherent geek skills. The kit, which costs $18-$25 depending on your iPod generation, includes two plastic screwdrivers, the battery and instructions. It will save you the $66 you'd have to send Apple if your iPod is out of warranty. The entire process shouldn't take more than 10 minutes.

For additional images and step by step instructions for changing your battery, read more

Begin by laying your iPod on its back on a soft work surface.
Using a nylon screwdriver tool, gently insert the pointed end between the battery and the end of the metal back casing and the acrylic front of the iPod, at the top of the unit.
Using a gentle prying motion, work the nylon tool down the length of the iPod toward the bottom. The concealed clips will release as you slide the tool down the iPod's back shell.
Work the nylon tool in from the nylon tool in from the bottom of the unit once you have the left side released. There are two clips on the bottom to unlock. Be careful to not put pressure on the back of the case and accidentally close the top left side where you began the process.
Once the bottom shell is free, it will easily come off of the iPod. Set it aside.
Gently work the battery from the iPod, there are two black adhesive strips on the top and bottom of the battery to release. If they stick to the battery, simply peel them off and reapply them to the top of the hard drive. It may take some force - use gentle force.
Disconnect the battery from under the top adhesive strip, from its mounting point on the logic board.
Insert the replacement high-capacity battery onto the logic board socket. it will only plug in one direction. Then, place the battery back onto the adhesive strips, centering its position on the iPod as shown. Tuck the wires in neatly to the top of the batter, making sure they do not protrude from the inside of the case.
Slide the iPod back cover onto the front shell and gently press toward the front to snap it back on.
Your iPod is now ready to be charged and used!

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