Chris Pirillo » battery

How to Charge Two iPods Simultaneously with a Dock

Chris — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 17:33:11 +0000

How to Charge Two iPods Simultaneously with a Dock is a post from Chris Pirillo

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I own only one iPod at this point. How many do you have? You may have two, or you may be with someone who also has one. To connect to charge them may be a bit of a challenge, since only one can go into the dock at a time – unless you get a Dual Dock.

You’ll get one compact charging station that can charge any two iPhones or iPods at once. It fits any of them, except for the iPod Shuffle. The blue LED trim ring lights up when you connect your iPhone or iPod. If the light bothers you, it can be switched off. Since I love things that glow, we all know I’ll be leaving it switched on.

I’m going to keep this located in the center of my house, instead of in my office. This way if anyone is over visiting, they can easily charge their devices – even if I’m already charging mine! It works very well, and it’s compact (therefore easy to travel with). What more could you ask for?

Heck, I can even charge my iPhone with the case still on. For me, that’s a huge plus – I no longer have to mess with removing the case to charge!

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How Do You Extend Your iPhone or iPod Battery Life?

Chris — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 08:56:03 +0000

How Do You Extend Your iPhone or iPod Battery Life? is a post from Chris Pirillo

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I couldn’t help doing my impression of the way my iPhone eats up battery life. It’s insanity, really, how fast the charge is just gone. I’ve yet to make it through a day of average use without having to recharge it. Either I have to charge all the time, or I have to have an external battery pack.

A few months ago, I reviewed the Richard|Solo backup battery. If you recall, my only real complaint was that it didn’t latch properly. I would put it into the iPhone, and it would just… fall out. Even when sitting on the table, it wouldn’t recharge unless I had the iPhone sitting in a certain way.

After I posted that review in all its honesty… Richard himself emailed me. He thanked me for my candor. He told me some of the things he was working on, and asked me for further feedback. That seriously impressed me. We’ve been exchanging emails ever since, and I’m happy to announce that the feedback is now likely included in the new Richard|Solo 1800.

There’s nothing quite like it. It has 1800 mAh of capacity, which is enough to completely charge your iPhone, and have reserve power left over. It is the only battery available that actually “latches” onto your iPhone, and a support brace is included to make it super secure.
In the kit, you get a complimentary 110-240 volt AC Wall charger, and also a dual-USB car charger, and a retractable USB cable. So you can charge it at the wall, in your car, from your computer, and you can charge them both at the same time. Connect the RichardSolo to the iPhone, then connect the RichardSolo to the charger, and charge both with one charger.
At night, snap the battery and iPhone together, and charge them both overnight with our charger. You’ll wake up in the morning with both fully charged. When you travel, you don’t need the Apple charger. Just take this one.

My primary complaint from the original one is no longer valid. The new 1800 attaches perfectly, and won’t come out until I make it. It will charge a completely “dead” iPod, too! No more only charging if the battery has 20% charge at least still.

Richard… thank you. You listened to what your community had to say, took it to heart, and ran with it. There are not many people these days who do the same. That is something to be proud of. Your product is excellent, and the “customer service” is, of course, outstanding.

Here are the current deals at Richard Solo:

Richard Solo - Free Shipping w/ $75 Purchase - Posted on 5/28/09 and Expires on 12/31/15

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What Do You Do to Extend iPhone Battery Life?

Chris — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 05:53:52 +0000

What Do You Do to Extend iPhone Battery Life? is a post from Chris Pirillo

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As I quickly came to discover, the iPhone 3G has relatively lackluster battery life. It has been said that of all the 3G phones out there, it does well. That doesn’t help me much at the end of the day. Some people tell me to turn off WiFi, but then what is the purpose for having upgraded at all? I also have run into iPhone issues that have nothing to do with the battery life… such as the stability of the new operating system. Every third party App I try to launch, it will crash. Even if I try to launch the iPhone remote… crash. But, back to the battery life. It’s something you’re going to have to deal with. There are a variety of external battery packs available, thankfully.

The Richard|Solo Backup Battery is one that has been recommended by many different people. What’ unique about it, is that you can plug it into your iPhone, and then into a USB port on your computer. You can then charge your iPhone at the same time as the battery pack. Therefore, if you charge this overnight, you’ll wake up to a fully charged iPhone and a fully charged backup battery.

One thing about this battery is that it’s small but powerful. In fact, it’s the most powerful battery of its size available. Keep it in your pocket, purse, or briefcase, and snap it on to keep going all day — and night! You can charge while simultaneously using your iPhone. You can charge both the battery and the iPhone together.
There’s nothing quite like it. There are other batteries, but they’re disposable AA’s, or they’re big, or have lots of cables, or are made of cheaper plastic that scratches easily. Or they are not certified, or use gray market parts, or may even damage your iPhone. Ours is the only one that is a high-quality aluminum case, which is light, but extremely tough and virtually scratch-proof. One of the best features of this product is that at night, you snap the battery and iPhone together, and charge them both with the included charger. You’ll wake up in the morning with both fully charged. So you are getting a wall / USB charger for free. When you travel, you don’t need the Apple charger. Just take this one.
This is a great accessory to keep with you all the time. The polymerized lithium-ion battery can be recharged over and over again for several years and will not develop “memory”. There are three color LED lights to show you the status of the charge. However, please remember to charge it completely for the first two nights to make sure the lithium-ion battery gets to full capacity!

The only drawback for me is that it doesn’t snap in tightly. I’ve lost it three different times now. This stinks, because there really are no alternatives. Hopefully, this is something that can be addressed. My suggestion for now is to save your money and wait for something better. It does work as advertised. The problem is is that it doesn’t take any effort to pull it out. It will just fall right off, and that can cause you some headaches.

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Do You Condition Your Rechargeable Batteries?

Chris — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 23:11:12 +0000

Do You Condition Your Rechargeable Batteries? is a post from Chris Pirillo

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I’m testing my batteries with a simple little battery checker. I simply slide the battery in, make contact on both ends, and it will tell me how much charge is left on them. The problem is that not all of these batteries have the same amount of charge left. I could just recharge them, of course. Or, I could use a LaCrosse BC-900 Battery Charger. It’s not just a simple battery recharger. The features include:

Works with all NiCd and NiMH “AA” and “AAA” Rechargeable Batteries
LCD shows capacity for each battery when charging is complete
Charges AA & AAA rechargeable batteries simultaneously
Will not charge defective batteries
Select different charging current for each channel
Automatically switches to trickle charge when charging is complete to ensure maximum battery capacity
Automatically defaults to 200mA charge (the optimal setting for prolonging battery life)
Overheat detection to protect over-charging
7 Easy to Use Function Keys
Charge Mode (charging current)
Discharge Mode (discharging current)
Refresh Mode (time elapsed)
Test Mode (accumulated capacity)

Using one of these will extend the life of your batteries by quite a bit of time. Why not pick one up today? You’ll be happy you did, because you’ll save a ton of money in the long run.

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What’s the Best External Battery for the PSP, iPod, or iPhone?

Chris — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 22:55:37 +0000

What’s the Best External Battery for the PSP, iPod, or iPhone? is a post from Chris Pirillo

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Several blogs have reported that the battery life of the iPhone 3G and the original iPhone running 2.0 have put a damper on the phone to last all day. Despite the fact that the battery life of the 3G is bad, it’s still better than other phones like it. It’s true that it drains fast. What are you gonna do? You could carry a cord around with you wherever you go, or get some kind of external battery pack.

I’ve had my Lenmar external battery pack for awhile, and never really used it much. It’s an excellent device though. It’s a high-capacity external battery that will charge any USB device, so long as you have the proper cable. That would includes a DS, PSP, iPhone, iPod, Zune.. anything that charges via USB. Yes, it’s as big as the iPhone itself, but not nearly as heavy. It does the job, though, which is what matters.

When you’re traveling, using one of these just makes sense. Why carry tons of separate chargers with you? Simply take an external battery with you, and charge all your devices with it. It has a mini USB connection, and a regular one. There’s an indicator light that will tell you whether anything is charging or not, and turns off when the device is fully charged.

These aren’t cheap to buy, but it’s actually saving you money. Think of buying 3 or more separate chargers for devices. Keep in mind, as well, that even proprietary chargers still charge via USB. Using this helps me get through the day, and doubles my charge on my iPhone. I’ll be looking for an external battery made specifically for an iPhone. So, pass along your recommendations!

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Are Mobile Car Chargers Good for Phone Batteries?

Chris — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 01:16:31 +0000

Are Mobile Car Chargers Good for Phone Batteries? is a post from Chris Pirillo

Chris Levo is the President and Chief Editor of Nteract Solutions. He sent me the following email after watching my video about charging my iPhone on the go. It’s excellent information, so you should read it carefully.

I was watching your video about leaving your house with your iPhone, and needing to charge it if it runs out of juice. You mentioned a car charger being a very good idea and what should be done (retract, iGo, whatever you want to call it). Any charger that goes into the car is bad for the device battery. Why? Because the power is not regulated like in your home. In my line of work, I have seen many batteries die because people use their car chargers WAY too much. A car charger should be a LAST resort. I try to explain to customers that when they get home they obviously (well I guess 99.9% of the world) take out their wallet, keys, coins, or whatever is in their pocket before going to sleep. Make it a habit to charge your phone with your home charger.
The same goes for purchasing cheap home chargers just to save a buck. Many customers frown at $30 for a home charger because they lost theirs and say they will just go to the “flea” market and get one for $10. The ones for $10 are worse then the vehicle/12v charger port (not called a cigarette lighter in any vehicle anymore because the lighter portion does not come with the car unless you add the option. That is another answer to a question you had at the beginning of the video).
I’m tired, it’s late, but I just wanted to get this out and make you aware of the fact that using a car charger can kill the length of the battery by as much as 50% (if used more then the home charger). Just something to think about before you go plugging in your expensive device in your car charger or don’t feel like running upstairs or where ever it is in your home to plug in your device because you might be too tired. Take the extra 2 minutes and plug it into the home charger.

The moral of the story here is to be proactive when it comes to keeping your mobile device charged. Use the proper home charger. Trying to save a few bucks or some time now will end up costing you far more down the road.

Battery Saving Tips for iPods and Zunes

Chris — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 06:20:54 +0000

Battery Saving Tips for iPods and Zunes is a post from Chris Pirillo

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If you use your MP3 player a lot, you likely go through batteries very quickly. Here are some great tips that can help you extend your battery life… and save you some money.

Backlight: You can change the setting on your iPod to adjust how long your backlight stays on. You can also set it to stay off permanently, to save the battery even more. Just changing the backlight on-time from 10 seconds to 5 can make all the difference. If you are in a well-lit area, turning it off all together can help as well.
Drain the battery Purposely run down your battery every once in awhile to increase life. You should fully run the battery down, and then charge it fully. You can easily run the battery down by pressing “play” with the volume up full, and leaving it to run if you dont have time to listen to it.
Play your music at a lower volume. Turn it down to a level where you can hear it over conversation and other noise… but set it so you can just hear the iPod a little bit more. By doing this, you can not only help preserve your hearing but also save alot of battery life.
Use lower-quality music files and changing albums To reduce access to the disk drive on hard disk ipods, there is a certain amount of cache memory for the music files to be loaded. This increases battery life and increases speed between the changing of song. It also acts as jog protection.

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Apple Macbook Battery Help

Chris — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 00:41:40 +0000

Apple Macbook Battery Help is a post from Chris Pirillo

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There are a few tips I have when it comes to keeping track of your battery health and performance. You can do these things from inside your Macbook, or by using a great little application I discovered.

On the battery itself, there is a tiny little ‘button’, for lack of a better word. If you push this, a guage will light up, telling you how much charge is left in the battery. This works whether the battery is installed in the machine, or taken out of it like I have here.

Inside your Macbook, you can go up to the left hand corner, and click the Apple logo. Choose the “About this Mac”, and head to the System Profiler. Once there, click on the “Power” section. You’ll see all the battery information listed to the right. You can find out about:

Charge information
Charge remaining
Full charge capacity
Battery health
Voltage
Amperage
Exact model information in case a replacement is ever needed

There’s also a program available called coconutBattery. coconutBattery isn’t just a tool which shows you only the current charge of your battery – it also shows you the current maximum capacity of it in relation to the original capacity your battery had as it left the factory.
You also get information about the battery-loadcycles (how often did you fully load your battery), the current charger (coconutBattery even warns you if you plugged in a wrong charger for your Notebook) and last but not least information about the age of your Mac. Best of all, you can save the current state of your battery, and then track its performance over time. Oh… and did I mention this program is absolutely free?

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Get Better Vista Performance on a Laptop Computer

Chris — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 05:43:56 +0000

Get Better Vista Performance on a Laptop Computer is a post from Chris Pirillo

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Have your meeting online, with GoToMeeting. You can get a free 45-day trial at GoToMeeting.com/ChrisPirillo.

When I posted an email recently from TheDub, I received a lot of negative feedback. My answer remains: if your laptop doesn’t run well after upgrading to Vista, you can always go back to XP. TheDub also sent me a new email, telling me about a free tool to help with Vista performance on laptops.

Vista has been out for about a year now. It’s good for some, ok for others, and not-so-good for still others. I’m disappointed in Vista, but not because of performance issues. For me, it’s more about what Vista should be… but isn’t.

This time around, TheDub said in his email that he found a great free tool that helps his laptop run better while using Vista. VistaBattery causes your laptop to automatically do a couple of different things when the power cord is unplugged from the wall. This tiny program will save up to 70% of your battery by disabling those nice, but greedy Vista features. It will automatically change your power scheme to “power saving” mode, and disables the Vista Sidebar, Aero, and Desktop Search. All of these nifty features can be resource hogs… and that includes your battery.

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Laptop Power Supply and Surge Protection

Chris — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 04:02:22 +0000

Laptop Power Supply and Surge Protection is a post from Chris Pirillo

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http://live.pirillo.com/ – Recently, long time chatter CamBlack came to me for help with his mom’s laptop. I was able to hook them up with HP, who replaced the laptop for her. Now, Cam is wondering about whether or not a laptop needs a surge protector.

The bottom line is YES. If a laptop is plugged into the wall, it needs a surge protector. The power brick in the middle of your cord is not a surge protector, as many people think. That little black box is mainly to keep the laptop from overheating. It filters the electricity that is running through your power cord.

Anything plugged into a wall should have a surge protector… and not just those cheap $1.00 ones, either. The more you pay, the more protection you’ll get. What a surge protector does, basically, is to provide an interruption between the outlet and whatever may be plugged in to the surge protector.

To go one step further, a UPS (or Uninterruptable Power Supply) is an even better idea. This will provide surge protection, and also has a small battery. If the power should unexpectedly go out, the UPS battery will give you time to save your data and program states so you don’t lose any of your work.

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[VIDEO] How to Check for a Battery Recall

Chris — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 06:09:58 +0000

[VIDEO] How to Check for a Battery Recall is a post from Chris Pirillo

Check to see if your laptop battery has been recalled:

And if you’d rather to show your friends what they need to do, watch the video on YouTube or download the MP4.

Battery Recall Video

Chris — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 08:40:32 +0000

Battery Recall Video is a post from Chris Pirillo

When was the last time you checked to see if your laptop battery had been recalled? Apple, Dell, Sony, Lenovo, etc. – doesn’t matter. Sooner or later, hardware is going to fail. In this case, it’s much better to be safe than sorry. They’re not gonna come running after you, though – take matters into your own hands before something bad happens.

Imagine if you’re on a plane and your battery decides to take a nosedive (no pun intended). You could have averted disaster by doing a little fact-checking beforehand. In case you thought it was going to be difficult to do, I’ve recorded a small video tutorial – and thanks to GearLive for providing the hardware:

I should register BatteryGoBoom.com at GoDaddy with my CHRIS1 coupon code, eh?

How to Handle Remote Tech Support

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 06:30:00 GMT

Using GoToAssist is the easiest way to view and control another person's computer online. Use it to provide instant technical support to family, friends and customers. Start a session with just one click, and instantly connect with the other party.

Network Tools for Windows

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

You need these network tools, no matter which operating systems and networks you have to support. SolarWinds ipMonitor: Affordable Network Monitoring for SMBs. Get turnkey network, server and application availability monitoring with SolarWinds ipMonitor v9.0. This easy-to-use, reliable solution for SMBs delivers out-of-the-box availability monitoring so you always know exactly what's up with Active Directory, DNS, Exchange, FTP, Web, IMAP, MS SQL Server, and SMTP. Download your free trial today. Or, try their totally free tools! And, through 2/29, save 20% when you purchase ipMonitor 9.0.

Get Your Own Web Site

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

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Plus, as a friend of Chris Pirillo, enter code CHRIS7, that's C-H-R-I-S and the number 7, when you check out, and save an additional 10% on any order. Get your piece of the internet at GoDaddy.com.

VMware and Parallels for Virtual Machines

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

It doesn't matter if you're running on Windows or Mac OS X - every power user needs either Parallels or VMware (or both). There's never been an easier way to test software without destroying your primary operating system's stability. Think of how many times you wish you could press a 'reverse' button on your computer. Plus, there's no easier way to try new Linux distributions - see what all the fuss is about. Run Windows in OS X, run Linux in Windows, but the best way to do either is with VMware and/or Parallels.

Coupons for Online Shopping

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 07:56:13 GMT

This feed is fueled by Lockergnome Online Shopping and Coupon Codes

Before you shop next time, see if we have a coupon first.