apple new technology

Where'd Apple Get Its Juice? How they made the iPhone battery last longer.

By David Sessions

Apple announced on Monday that its much-anticipated iPhone will offer eight hours of talk time rather than the previously announced five. On Wednesday, Jack Shafer mocked journalists for lavishing attention on this tiny morsel of news. Even so, that clever bit of Apple PR got Explainer wondering: How do you make a battery last longer?

Tweak the hardware. Cell phone batteries are often as large as the gadget's casing can accommodate, and there are no surprise technologies that can make a standard battery retain its juice longer. Instead, manufacturers concentrate on power management.

One way to improve power efficiency is to upgrade the hardware. A smart phone's circuit board incorporates dozens of chips that control the display, operating system, and the phone's wireless connection, among other things. Along with the screen, chips are the biggest power-consumers in a cellular device. By working with numerous chip manufacturers, Apple and other electronics companies can pick and choose individual chips that are particularly energy efficient. The iPhone's glass screen, announced this week, will also help save energy. Glass transmits light more efficiently than plastic, which will allow the iPhone's screen to maintain the same brightness while using a little less power.

Another way to extend battery life is to shut down parts that aren't in use. The more tasks a phone is running (phone calls, Web browsing sessions) the more quickly the battery gets depleted. Advanced operating systems—iPhone uses a version of Apple's OS X—can regulate the device's power usage, powering down the processor or the screen when they're not active. (Tech companies occasionally calculate a device's battery life with most of its hardware components shut off, an unrealistic situation that tends to produce an inflated projection of the gadget's real-world power consumption. Apple claims it tested iPhone's talk time with all of its default features turned on except the Wi-Fi network scanner.)

Most consumer electronics, including the iPhone, are powered by lithium-ion batteries. These power sources are popular because they pack many times the power of other types of batteries in a fraction of the space. Still, chemists can't do much to change the amount of electrical current created by the chemical reactions inside a lithium-ion battery. The only way to build a more powerful battery is to make it larger, thus creating space for extra chemicals.

Bonus Explainer: Since batteries aren't getting better and phones keep adding features, how are next-gen devices going to have enough juice? Tech analysts say new screen technology will offer a huge amount of power savings. A large touch screen like the one on the iPhone is particularly power-intensive. As a result, gadget manufacturers are increasingly ditching traditional LCD displays in favor of the more energy efficient organic light-emitting diode screens. OLED screens are more expensive to produce than their LCD counterparts, but they put out virtually the same amount of light as a conventional screen while using a fraction of the energy.

Got a question about today's news? Ask the Explainer.

Emily Dickinson

A Bird Came Down

A bird came down the walk:
He did not know I saw;
He bit an angle-worm in halves
And ate the fellow, raw.

And then he drank a dew
From a convenient grass,
And then hopped sidewise to the wall
To let a beetle pass.

He glanced with rapid eyes
That hurried all abroad,--
They looked like frightened beads, I thought;
He stirred his velvet head

Like one in danger; cautious,
I offered him a crumb,
And he unrolled his feathers
And rowed him softer home

Than oars divide the ocean,
Too silver for a seam,
Or butterflies, off banks of noon,
Leap, splashless, as they swim.

Breathing

Power Breathing :

The Power of Breathing

by Nicky Rogers
A lot of cultures see breath as a connection to the soul. Each one of us can be considered as a breathing expert or guru -- after all, we have been breathing since we were born. However, this is an incorrect assumption because most of us don't truly understand the power of breathing.

The importance of breathing is obvious as we depend on taking in oxygen for our lives. As humans, we have to eliminate the things our body is no longer using, and breathing takes care of 70% of this process. Other than eliminating the air from your lungs, after the oxygen has been absorbed, breathing also expels toxins from your body. You can also eliminate other things such as emotions or stress. By harnessing the immense power of breathing, you can create a better connection with your inner self.

By becoming more aware of your breathing you will be able to reduce a lot of outside negativity. Focus your attention on your breath and tell your mind to think only about it. The rhythmical sensation your breath produces will help your mind, and your body, relax and slow down. Thinking is responsible for most of the tensions and stress we face, and this little exercise takes thinking into a harmonious and peaceful location.

Many of our thoughts are negative. We often use or think about words like "won't," "can't," or "shouldn't." These negative connotations reflect on the way we feel, increasing nervousness and stress. Your brain processes millions of thoughts on a daily basis and focusing it on your breath gives it a break. Temporarily lowering your mind's activity gives you extra peace and helps relax both your brain and your body.

Try to appreciate your breathing education as you would practice a sport. In order to reach a goal, you will need to improve and enhance certain skills. You can't just be an Olympic athlete -- you have to become one through hard work. This can be done by building up your strengths and stamina, as well as improving your physical abilities.
Improving your breathing works exactly the same way. Right now you are at a low level, as you most likely don't do any additional exercises to improve your breathing. (Think of it like an RPG game -- you must build up your "experience points" to reach the next level.)

Your subconscious mind usually takes care of the breathing process, leaving your conscious mind to deal with other things. However, this is the time to take breathing matters into your own hands, and consciously control your breath while you exercise this technique.

At first, try to analyze yourself each time you inhale and exhale. Do this until your mind gets used to the rhythmic tone of breaths and lets your brain preoccupy itself only with your breathing. It may be tough at first, as you will get distracted by sounds or movements around you. In time, however, you will manage to ignore outside interference and sustain a prolonged period of clear, utmost focus. Regularly practice with your breathing and you will soon begin to see some of the positive effects of better understanding and controlling one of the vital elements that keep us ticking.