TCC Blog

I think we can all agree that phone manufacturers need to get with the program and stop focusing on making phones the size of a box of cereal, and instead beef up the battery capacity. Until that day comes, at least you can charge up your devices on the go without being tethered to a car cigarette lighter or an outlet.  I was going to title this post, “Anyone who doesn’t want or have a Powerocks Magicstick Backup Battery Charger is seriously missing out on some pocket-sized awesomeness,” but decided that any blog title that uses up almost all of the characters available for a twitter post is probably a touch on the long side. Having said that:  Anyone who doesn’t want or have a Powerocks Magicstick Backup Battery Charger is seriously missing out on some pocket-sized awesomeness.

I’ve been pimping out the Magicstick to all of my friends, family, colleagues, and strangers who look at me too long … even if they were actually not looking at me at all but still within ear shot.  I bought seven of these beasts and passed them out during the holidays since they make the best gifts. Everyone who got one was confused at first, but ultimately PSYCHED when they realized that they would not fall victim to a now-dead phone while away from an outlet or car cigarette lighter. They talked about it all night and everyone who didn’t get one was asking me where they could pick one up.

1. Fits in your pocket

At just 3.75 inches long, less than an inch thick, and weighing just 3oz, the Magicstick is small enough to be the perfect travel companion. It slips easily into your pocket or purse without adding any awkward bulk. So next time everyone’s phone is dying, you can miraculously produce this and be the hero.

2. Compatible with anything that can charge with a USB

If you’re a hipster, this is not the accessory for you. The Magicstick doesn’t discriminate between operating systems or devices. Sure it comes packed with its own micro USB cord, but that’s just so that you can charge it up. To charge your phone, just plug any standard USB plug in to the stick and the other end into your phone, tablet, MP3 player, etc. FINALLY, an accessory that Android, Apple, Windows, and RIM can let out a unified joyous sound about.

3. It can fully charge your phone TWICE on one charge

Small but mighty is really the only way to describe it. Sleek and small, yet powerful enough to boast 2600mAh of renewable power – enough to fully charge most smart phones twice! All you need to do is charge the Powerocks Magicstick via USB port, grab and go – the Magicstick charges any device with a USB slot. If you’re like me, you have taken to carrying around a spare wall charger for your phone just in case it’s dying. But when you’re out with friends, waiting in an airport, camping, in a meeting, or walking around an amusement park, it’s not exactly easy to get a charge. Charge this bad boy up once and you have enough power in this one little stick to fully charge most smartphones twice.

Make sure you never lose power when on the go again!  Grab a Powerocks Magicstick in the color of your choice – black, red, purple or blue.

Filed under “you get what you pay for,” researchers at Microsoft tested the energy consumption of various apps on Android and Windows Phone (iOS restrictions kept them from testing the iPhone) and found that up to 75% of an app’s energy use goes to power the advertisements in free, ad-supported apps. The numbers may not have much of an impact without tying them to an app you actually use, so what about an extremely popular game like Angry Birds:

In the case of Angry Birds, research suggested that only 20% of the total energy consumption was used to actually play the game itself.

Of the rest, 45% is used finding out your location with which it can serve targeted advertising.

Free applications typically have built-in advertisements so developers can make money without having to charge for the initial app download.

The lesson: Next time you’re choosing the ad-supported version of an app over, say, its $1 counterpart, you may want to consider whether you’re willing to pay extra just to keep your battery going longer.

Source:  Free mobile apps ‘drain battery faster

Winter is in full effect, and even though it’s been pretty mild for us here in Indiana so far, it’s getting pretty cold now. While I do travel with my gadgets quite a bit, I’ve learned that cold weather is not always tech-friendly. You may not realize it, but freezing temps can be just as dangerous – if not more so – to gadgets than the summer heat since there are hidden dangers you can’t see.

Check out these six winter weather tips that will help ensure your gadgets see the light of spring this year.

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Photo remixed from an original by Shutterstock.

You are loving your new smartphone. Of course you are. But sometimes it gets really hot in your pocket—like surface-of-the-sun hot. I’m sure you’ve thought what we’ve all thought:  Is there something wrong with it? Why does it get so hot, and how can I make it stop?

First of all, this is normal behavior, and something that happens to pretty much every phone. This heat is coming from your phone’s battery, which usually heats up when you’re drawing power at a faster than normal rate—say, when you’re in a phone call, using GPS, or watching a video. If your phone gets so hot that it’s powering down, then you might have a faulty battery—but otherwise, your biggest problem is that the phone just becomes uncomfortable to hold. And, if your battery’s hot, it means you’re draining that battery quickly, which is never good.

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