Re:Verizon Names Data-Draining and Battery-Killing Apps
by jpitz on Monday February 11, 2013 @03:09PM
(#5202933)
It is the nav app keeping the display lit up like a Times Square billboard that is sucking the majority of your battery life down, by the way. Your suggestion stands, however.
Re:Verizon Names Data-Draining and Battery-Killing Apps
by buzzkillr2 on Monday February 11, 2013 @03:44PM
(#5203085)
You can lock the display and the voice directions still subsist. The battery drain is from the constant polling of GPS information in my experience though.
Re:Verizon Names Data-Draining and Battery-Killing Apps
by runeks on Tuesday February 12, 2013 @01:07AM
(#5205442)
> The battery drain is from the constant polling of GPS information in my experience though.
Why would that use a lot of power though? It's just receiving a signal. I have the impression that it's when sending out a signal that a lot of power is used. And in that sense electromagnetic radiation at GSM, Wifi or visible spectrum-frequencies are all the same.
I'd say it's both keeping the screen on and constantly downloading new map information from the cellular network.
Re:Verizon Names Data-Draining and Battery-Killing Apps
by wlesieutre on Monday February 11, 2013 @04:25PM
(#5203358)
I don't own a car charging adapter, but on most trips where I'm using my phone for navigation I'll also have a laptop and charger cable in the car.
For Apple laptops, if you start charging while the computer is awake it will keep charging when the laptop is sleeping. For PCs it varies by manufacturer, but IIRC some of them have a BIOS/UEFI option for powering USB ports while they're asleep.
Re:Verizon Names Data-Draining and Battery-Killing Apps
by mynegation on Monday February 11, 2013 @03:53PM
(#5203130)
Keeping the charger and iPod cable in the car at all times was probably the most well spent money on electronics' side.
Their directions really should say "ETA: 3 Hours from now. ETToBatteryDrained: 1.5 hours from now. Shoulda remembered your car charger, dumbass". 'Cause I do forget to pack it every goddamned time.
I don't know if this is really possible, but they really should have a "low-accuracy" mode, where if you're on a freeway with no turns for an hour, they should turn off the GPS, and just use inertial or cell-phone navigation mostly. Then only periodically check the GPS. If you are going to turn soon, or appear to have deviated, they can go back into active GPS mode, but the goal is to avoid wasting battery when you're probably just following the road.