8 Simple Tips for How to Decrease Battery Power Consumption in N900 Maemo 5 Tablet

I love my N900 tablet to such extent that when I got the iPhone 4 as a gift from my employer, the comparison just took a couple of seconds and the conclusion was reached immediately that I can’t live without my N900. 

But let me be honest as well. According to my experience (and I am sure most of other N900 users have the same experience), one of the rare complains about N900 phone is its deficient battery life. Generally, it will not make through a full working day with an active internet connection + call usage. For me, I would be surprised if it would last more than 12 hours.

There is no rocket-science to figure out that the major part of the battery consumption depends on the desktop widgets, instant messengers (IM), frequency of email usage, softwares running in the background, usage of Bluetooth, quality of network signals and network standard being used (3G vs GSM), etc. Let me try to explain a few simple tips to make the N900 battery last longer.

1. Turn-off 3G if you are not using it.

By default, Nokia N900 is set at Dual mode (auto detect 3G and GSM). If 3G is not available it will auto switch to GSM. However, the constant scan for available 3G or GSM drains the battery life faster. So use a single connection mode or disable 3G connection if you don’t use it.

To turn off 3G in Nokia N900:

a. Go to “Settings” >> “Phone”

b. Scroll down and find “Network Mode”

c. Change “Network Mode” from “Dual” to “GSM”. If you can’t live without 3G then change it to 3G.

d. Click “Save”

e. Done!

Now you can view “2.5” beside the battery icon at the top indicator bar. You will surely notice the difference.

2. Decrease Brightness Level.

Logic is simple. The brighter the lights, the more the energy consumes. Decrease the brightness units to you level of comfort. I have set mine to only 1 out available 5 units and comfortable with it.

3. Use Bluetooth meanly

Bluetooth consumes a lot of power when performing data transfer. However, when even not in use but active, it still consumes enough power. So better to enable it when it has to be used and then disable immediately after it. I am doing it and noticing the difference.

5-steps-to-sleep

Google contributes $11.5 million to the battle to counter modern slavery!

Google is getting into the holiday spirit through $40 million in contributions to donations – containing the biggest distinct funding ever given to counter modern slavery.

Google is getting into the holiday spirit through today’s statement of $40 million in humanitarian donations to causes containing science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and girls’ education, technology, and the battle against modern day slavery.

But it’s that latter one I want to focus in on – Google’s $11.5 million input is very likely the “biggest-ever corporate funding dedicated to the backing, involvement and liberation of people being held, enforced to work or deliver sex against their will,” according to the Associated Press.

That $11.5 million is actually distributed amongst various groups that battle slavery globally, according to Google’s official blog entry:

Modern day slavery is a multi-billion dollar industry that ruins the lives of around 27 million people. So we’re funding a number of groups that are working to tackle the problem. For instance, in India, International Justice Mission (IJM), along with The BBC World Service Trust, Action Aid and Aide et Action, are forming a new coalition. It will work on the ground with governments to stop slave labor by identifying the ring masters, documenting abuse, freeing individuals and providing them with therapy as well as job training. Our support will also help expand the reach of tools like the powerful Slavery Footprint calculator and Polaris Project’s National Trafficking Hotline.

Becoming a pale, pasty programmer

http://pennyhacks.com/2011/12/12/becoming-a-pale-pasty-programmer/

OneLoupe – Free Screen Magnifier Tool for Windows

OneLoupe - Free Tool for screen magnification

OneLoupe Tool by programmer Nenad Hrg is a free screen magnifier. It’s compact, entirely portable and actually user-friendly. It’s great for visually impaired people, but also someone who needs to zoom in on a portion of their monitor will like it.

I love viewing old-school tools that parcel a lot into a tiny download but at 19.5KB, OneLoupe is lesser as compared to ReadMe files for several softwares and is possibly the tiniest program I’ve tried that claims complete Windows 7 64-bit compatibility. As portable freeware, OneLoupe needs no formal installation; only click the extracted program icon and it executes.

WinUtilities Free Edition (Windows)

Win Utilities Free Edition for Windows

Supports Windows 7, 2000, XP, Vista, 2003 Server. 32/64bit version

WinUtilities (Free Edition) is a multi-functional system performance and optimization suite for Microsoft Windows. This collection of tools lets you supercharge your PC’s performance, enhance its security, tweak and optimize its settings, and customize and personalize your screens. Registry Cleaner makes your system more stable by cleaning out the bad Registry entries that build up each time you install and uninstall software. The program’s Registry Optimizer defragments and rebuilds your Registry, making your entire system run more smoothly and quickly.

The program includes powerful tools to clean and optimize your hard drives. The Disk Cleaner removes clutter and unnecessary files from your PC, allowing it to run more quickly. The DiskDefrag module defragments your hard drive, keeping it running efficiently. WinUtilities’s Windows Optimizers keep Windows running faster. The Memory Optimizer ensures that memory is released properly when you stop running each program on your system.

The software has Security and Privacy tools to protect you from malware and identify theft. The History Cleaner module erases your Internet history and other private files that could be used to track your online activities. The File Shredder function permanently deletes files and folders so that this data can never be recovered. The EXE Protector lets you add password protection to sensitive applications. The Undelete function lets you restore files that you accidentally deleted. You can even save files from deleted partitions.

By making it simple to do routine management on your system, WinUtilities keeps your computer running smoothly. You can manage the Windows Startup process, ensure that programs are uninstalled properly, and automatically schedule your detection and maintenance scans.

 Optimize, clean and boost the speed of your Windows.
 Protect your privacy and security.
 Block spyware, trojans, adware, etc.
 Fix certain application errors.
 Simple, fast and User friendly interface
 For only private use

You can download Win Utilities Free Edition for Windows from here.

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