20,000mAh worth of reserve power is enough to charge the average smartphone nearly 10 times over. Couple that with the green energy of the sun and you get a nearly unlimited supply of clean backup battery power. That’s what ZeroLemon’s SolarJuice battery pack offers, and it can be yours now for 50% off the retail price at AndroidArea.com.
ZeroLemon’s SolarJuice portable charger features a 20,000mAh Lithium Polymer battery cell and offers dual 2.1 and 1 amp USB ports for charging multiple devices quickly. The 1.2W monocrystalline solar panel will recharge the internal battery in nearly any lighting condition. Designed to be both durable and portable, the SolarJuice is a backup you can’t go without. It even features a built-in LED flashlight if you’re in a pinch.
In case you needed further confirmation that a Samsung Galaxy S6 Active for AT&T is indeed a thing, the boys at SamMobile are now chiming in with details of their own. According to their sources, the phone will feature one hardware spec that’s sure to make any Android fan drool and no, we’re not talking about water resistance here.
Going by the model number SM-G890A, the Samsung Galaxy S6 Active will reportedly come equipped with a whopping 3,500mAh battery — that’s a fairly big bump from the regular S6’s 2,550mAh battery (which is actually smaller than the previous Galaxy S5).
We also get a look at the dimensions 73.6 x 146.9 x 8.8mm and compared against the regular S6 model (70.5 x 143.4 x 6.8mm) is only about 3mm wider and taller, but a good 2mm thicker. Probably to compensate for that larger battery and added ruggedness.
Looks like the only thing we’re waiting for now is for Samsung or AT&T to make this thing official. Well, before the device is leaked in the wild like last year’s version. Even with a more battery efficient Exynos 7 process at the helm, we could always use a little extra battery life from our devices. With water resistance, a likely more rugged form factor, and substantially bigger battery — anyone considering picking up the Galaxy S6 Active for AT&T?
We see improvements in all areas of tech each and every day, but the trickiest problem to tackle by far is that of the battery. Battery technology of today just isn’t keeping up with these fast iterations in tech, and while companies have resorted to fast charging technologies to make up for it, Google seemingly isn’t satisfied with that.
The company is reportedly exploring improved battery technology in the comfy confines of their X Labs department, according to the Wall Street Journal. Details from the report are scarce, though we do know the team is comprised of four engineers, including a former Apple expert on battery technology.
While we all simply want better batteries in our smartphones, Google’s end-game is to develop the technology for life-enhancing industries which are still growing such as robotics, medical accessories and driver-less vehicles.
As it stands, any improvement to battery technology will be good for anything that has anything to do with portable electronics, so we’re sure everyone the world over will be rooting Google on to see if they can make significant progress in a much lacking area. Fingers crossed that the brilliant minds at the Googleplex can come up with anything of substance.
With great advancements in design come great sacrifices that must be made. For the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, those sacrifices had to be made in areas of expandable storage and user-replaceable batteries.
But there’s a big catch — these instructions aren’t meant for you. Samsung left the goods in there for repair technicians who might need a refresher on how to get skin deep. In fact, we have it on good authority that Samsung will use new versions of the manual that completely omit this section altogether.
What the instructions don’t mention is that there’s a big slab of glass stopping you from simply prying the back cover off. Getting through said glass is likely to require a heat gun and some fine-toothed tools to get it off cleanly and without a break.
Even if you do manage to get it off, getting it back on cleanly is another story. One screw-up and you could find yourself covered in shards of glass or a very messy-looking back plate not worthy of being called “beautiful.” Samsung’s big warning about your warranty being voided through unauthorized repairs should be reason enough to shy away from giving it a go yourself.
Long story short, if you aren’t professionally trained to make delicate smartphone repairs then you shouldn’t even try to replace your own battery. Let Samsung’s repair technicians handle that should you ever need some fresh lithium inside your Samsung Galaxy S6, or if you can’t handle not being able to gain easy access to the battery compartment you can simply choose to go with a different smartphone altogether.
As amazing as smartphones and tablets can be, their battery life leaves a lot to be desired. It’s 2015 and most devices still can’t last for more than one day without needing a charge. Sometimes we have to hunt for power outlets just to keep our devices from dying, which can be hard to do when you’re on the go. That’s where the Innori Portable Battery Pack comes in.
The Innori Portable Battery Pack will fuel your gadgets time and time again with its massive 22,400mAh battery, and trio of USB ports for simultaneous charging. Two of the USB ports are optimized for smartphones, while the third is for tablets. It recognizes devices to allocates the appropriate current automatically, and an LED indicator notifies you when devices are full charged.
Coming in at just around 6×3-inches and less than an inch thick it can easily fit in bags and pockets. The Innori Portable Battery Pack is on sale right now from AndroidArea.com for just with free shipping. It will only be available until April 12th. Grab this deal now and never leave the house without backup power!
Just one week ago we saw the announcement of Pebble Time, a new smartwatch from Pebble on Kickstarter. The Time boasts a brand new design, improved interface, color display, and the same great 7-day battery life. Many people are not fans of the Pebble Time’s “amateurish” design, but it still sold like crazy. Today Pebble has announced a new steel version of the Time.
The Pebble Time Steel looks a lot like the original Pebble Time, except it’s made out of stainless steel and comes with leather and metal bands. It’s amazing how much nicer this version looks. The Time Steel has a few more improvements as well. It’s 1mm thicker than the original Time, which gives it room for a bigger battery, and battery life up to 10 days. No other smartwatch on the market can come close to competing with that.
The display is laminated on the Steel Time, which should make the color e-paper look even better. Pebble has also added a nice subtle texture to the buttons. You can back the Pebble Time Steel on Kickstarter for 0 right now (will be 9 at launch). They’ve put the Time Steel in the same campaign, which means if you already backed the Time you can switch your pledge to the Steel. You’ll have your choice of black, silver, or gold.
Pebble also announced Smartstraps, a way for hardware manufacturers to add tech to watch straps. Things like NFC, GPS, heart rate monitors, and even extra battery can be built into a Smartstrap. Pebble hasn’t actually made any Smartstraps of their own, but they’ve released the schematics for other manufacturers to start building. It’s a really cool idea if it catches on. Are you going to back the Pebble Time Steel?
Google has refreshed the Chromebook Pixel, and set it inside their snazzy new online storefront. This 2015 refresh brings a number of very notable changes that will probably have you itching to upgrade.
The biggest is the inclusion of not one, but two USB Type-C ports. Why is that a big deal? To now, Apple’s new Macbook (announced at the same event we heard about the ridiculous Apple Watch price tags) was the only device known to launch with the next generation USB port.
USB Type-C is a flexible new standard that serves multiple functions. It’s a charging port for one, and can also be used as a high speed USB 3.1 port, video-out and more. It’s reversible, to boot, so there’s no need to make sure you’re plugging the cable in the right way — either side is the right side.
There are adapters available for purchase that’ll let you connect Type-A USB 1.0 to USB 3.0 products to the laptop (there are two Type-A USB 3.0 ports available so this might not even be necessary), as well as adapters for direct USB 3.1 Type-C to HDMI, MiniDisplay and other video-out standards. It’s a pretty big deal and we’re glad to see more and more products popping up with the technology.
That’s not all. The 2015 Chromebook Pixel gets a whopping 12 hours of battery life compared to the 5 hours promised in the previous generation. It’s also a bit thinner by 1mm, sports Intel’s latest Core i5 and Core i7 mobile processors, and still looks downright gorgeous. Here’s the full spec sheet in case you’re wondering what, exactly, you’re in store for:
Dimensions
11.7” x 8.8” x 0.6” / 297.7mm x 224.55mm x 15.3mm
Weight
3.3 lbs/ 1.5 Kg
Screen
12.85″ display with a web-friendly 3:2 aspect ratio
2 USB Type-C (up to 5 Gbps data, 4K display out with optional HDMI or DisplayPort adapter, 60W charging)
2 USB 3.0 ports
SD Card
Headphone/Mic combo
Camera
720P HD Wide Angle camera with Blue Glass
Memory
8GB or 16GB
Storage
32GB or 64GB of Flash Storage²
Wireless
802.11ac Wireless with support for A/B/G/N/AC, 2.4 and 5ghz, 2×2 spatial streams
Bluetooth 4.0 BR/EDR/LE Smart Ready controller
Audio
High Power Stereo Speakers, Dual Microphones, Headset jack,
Support for headset with microphone
Graphics
Intel HD Graphics 5500 (Integrated)
Video
Supports 4K video output over DisplayPort™™ or HDMI with optional Type-C video adapter cable
Charger
Type-C USB Charger, new industry standard
Overkill for a laptop that basically runs nothing but a web browser? Possibly, but at least you’ll know you’re equipped with a device powerful enough to handle whatever innovations Google’s Chrome team comes up with next. And there’s always the ability to replace it with a Linux distribution if you’re handy enough to do something like that.
The 32GB storage, 8GB of RAM and Core i5 kit starts at a cool 9, while the 64GB storage, 16GB of RAM and Core i7 version will Cost about 0 more. Not bad for all the cutting edge goodness stuffed inside this portable package. The device ships a mere couple of days after placing your order so head to the Google Store to secure one if you’re interested.
The Power Vault is perfect in a pinch when an outlet is far away; it can charge even the highest capacity Android smartphones nearly six times over before needing a recharge itself. A sleek aluminum design is not much bigger than your average smartphone, making it easy to carry in your pocket or bag.
Normally priced at 9, you can pick up the Power Vault from AndroidArea.com now for only .99, effectively eliminating dead batteries from your life altogether.
If you were watching the Google IO 2015 keynote, you’ve gotten an early look at some of the things Google’s doing for Android M. One of the biggest things they announced was a feature called “doze,” and it has everything to do with saving precious juice on those petite batteries.
The simplified explanation is that “doze” is a system state that will idle your device and background apps to a near-off state when you haven’t used it for a while, a tactic that can make your phone last twice as long as it would if your Lollipop phone were on standby.
This comes with one sacrifice: apps don’t stay as “fresh,” meaning they won’t be fully up to date with the latest information while your phone is dozing. That’s a small price to pay for double the battery life, though.
And the reason it’s called “doze” is because that doesn’t mean your device has to be completely off the grid to get these battery gains. You’ll still get alerted about phone calls, alarms, and high priority messages (such as text or Hangouts messages) to make sure you don’t miss a thing.
Battery life has been something of concern for Android users since the beginning, and with devices coming with more demanding hardware we’re glad Google is taking drastic measures to improve it.
When Verizon announced the Motorola DROID Turbo for their network, we were sold on the device’s future-proofed hardware and near-perfect form factor. The only real issue we had with the Turbo was the fact that the 64GB model only came with the Ballistic Nylon battery cover. We found it was closer to a backpack-like material and simply put, favored the soft touch finish on the 32GB model much, much more.
It bothered us so much, we actually decided to do something about it. A quick Google search turned up replacement battery covers for each model. Given the only difference between the 2 models is their storage capacity, we figured the 32GB and 64GB models would be identical to one another.
From there, we watched a few teardown videos on YouTube to give us an idea on how difficult a battery cover transplant would be to execute. You can find a quickie posted above. After deciding to go through with it, we purchased a “DuPont Kevlar fiber” battery cover (32GB model) from a 3rd party parts supplier, and quickly swapped them out. Here’s exactly how we did it:
Warning: proceed at your own risk
Step 1 – Remove the SIM card tray from the phone.
Step 2 – Use fingernail to pull from the SIM tray gap and create a small enough separation that you can slip a guitar pick or mini keyring card into.
Step 3 – Begin sliding the pick/card along the sides. You’ll hear audible “pops” whenever passing over a clasp but don’t worry, you’re not breaking anything. Make your way entirely around the device to loosen all the clasps.
Step 4 – Use a blow dryer on the back for about a minute to loosen the adhesive.
Step 5 – Begin to pull the battery cover off slowly, starting with the top. You may find the wireless charging pad cover sticking to the back cover when separating (it stayed on the device for us). Use a credit card/tool to gently scrape and peel the wireless charger off of the battery cover to make sure it stays on the device.
Step 6 – A good portion of the adhesive will more than likely stay on the old battery cover. So, you’ll want to use an adhesive of your choice to apply to the new battery cover, using the old cover as a reference.
Step 7 – Snap new cover into place and stack a few heavy books on top until adhesive fully dries.
Possible complications: Adhesive not adhering properly, creating small gaps of air between battery cover and the phone, creating lumps.
If all goes well, you’ll have a slightly slimmer, much more grippy, soft touch battery cover on your Motorola DROID Turbo. We’re not sure how many DROID Turbo owners out there are even looking to go through with something like this, but whether you had your heart set on a different finish or color (there’s blue Ballistic Nylon too), you may want to give this a shot. Just whatever you do, don’t stick it in the freezer for any reason.
iFixIt has done their tried and trusted teardown on the new LG Watch Urbane, the latest Android Wear smart watch from the South Korean company. As beautiful as the smart watch is on the outside, we’re always curious about the bits that you won’t often get to see in your day-to-day usage.
The teardown didn’t reveal anything out of the ordinary. LG still knows how to fit square circuitry into a circular chassis. Assembly is very clean and makes us confident the smart watch can stand the test of time.
One thing iFixit notes is that the battery is quite easy to replace if you find it’s on its last legs. This is thanks in part to a motherboard that is held in place with standard Philips-sized screws and a just a few connectors to deal with. Watch band replacement is also going to prove to be quite easy, though this is by design and should be possible even without fully dismantling the watch.
Unfortunately the display is where things get trickier, as LG has a multi-layered design that features a good deal of adhesive. While it’s possible to completely remove the display without breaking anything, it will require you to re-adhere the display and glass. That could become a messy job for someone who isn’t experienced, so the Watch Urbane was awarded a repairability score of 7/10 (10 is easiest to repair). Take a look at the full teardown notes at the source link if you’re curious.
The sun is full of unlimited free energy. Our phones are full of batteries that don’t last nearly as long as we’d like. What if you could solve that problem with the sun? Thanks to ZeroLemon you can. Thanks toAndroidArea.com, you can for only .99.
ZeroLemon’s SolarJuice portable battery pack features 20,000mAh of portable power. That’s enough to charge even the biggest Android batteries 4 or 5 times over before needing to locate a power outlet. Actually, you won’t even need to find a power outlet because, as its name implies, the SolarJuice battery pack features a 1.2W monocrystalline solar panel for charging using the nature power of the sun.
The SolarJuice battery offers dual charging ports for simultaneous use with multiple devices, features indicator LEDs for keeping track of how much charge is left, and even includes an LED flashlight. But if that wasn’t enough, this battery pack also features bombproof design with resistance to shock and water.
It’s no wonder ZeroLemon normally charges 0 for the SolarJuice, but you can take advantage of 50% off through AndroidArea.com now for the next five days. It’s the perfect companion for your next camping or hiking trip.
Most of us are happy to get anything between 2,600mAh and 3,500mAh in a smartphone for battery, but one company is pushing the limit in a big way. Oukitel has been working on a prototypical smartphone that houses a whopping 10,000mAh battery.
As you can imagine, the battery adds a whole hell of a lot more girth than the typical size would, and you would have a tank of a smartphone to carry around. That shouldn’t be an issue for someone who values battery life over size, though. And it doesn’t even look that bad in the few photos of the thing we’ve seen.
We will always prefer improved battery technology over sheer capacity, but in the absence of development for the former side we’d say this is a nice stop gap for anyone who can’t stand the petite batteries of today. No word on what other specs this thing will have or if it’ll ever come to market, but let us know if you wouldn’t mind owning a brick of a phone in order to get what should equate to days of battery life.
HTC is pushing out a new upgrade for the HTC One M9. It’s not a big overhaul of features or a new version of Android (we’re still on 5.0.2 here), but it does bring a number of important enhancements for crucial device features.
For starters, that all-important camera will be getting tweaks to make for better images. The changes include a better auto-exposure balance to make for better exposed shots. We’re also getting reduced noise and blur for low light photos, as well as the reduction of yellow and green hue in photos to make them more color accurate.
In areas of battery life, HTC has improved their Facebook and YouTube integration to make sure they’re sipping less power. Finally the company has improved smart charging to make sure the device doesn’t get too hot while it’s juicing up.
The upgrade is headed out to European devices starting today, while those in North America will have to wait a while longer. You’re looking for version 1.40.401.5, so check for it (carrier variants might not receive it right away) and let us know how it’s treating you on the other side.
If you were bummed that you missed out on LG’s initial LG G4 promo back when the phone first launched — which officially expired toward the end of June — you could have a second chance. LG is now offering up a new deal for the month of July to anyone still on the fence about picking up a G4 and it’s not too unlike their previous deal.
In fact, it’s almost identical. The only difference is they’ve swapped out that free 32GB SD card for your choice of leather battery cover (available in yellow, pink, blue, orange, and red). Making a return is the free 3,000mAh spare battery and charging cradle to keep you juiced up on-the-go.
To get in on the deal, you’ll need to purchase an LG G4 before July 31st and submit your receipt before August 15th. That should be more than enough time. For anyone else that recently bought an LG G4 between June 21st and July 1st, it appears you’re out of luck. Oh, and for the record, this is US-only.
So what are we getting? Basically everything we’ve already heard about. The specs list should be the same as the one Samsung had on their website, but AT&T’s promo page has an updated listing for battery: it’s 3,500mAh instead of the 2,550mAh Samsung accidentally listed. This should assuage fears by many that the Galaxy S6 Active won’t have enough juice to truly last you an entire day (and then some).
Everything else is still accurate:
5.1-inch 2560 x 1440 Super AMOLED display
Octa-Core Exynos 7420 chipset (2.1GHz and 1.5GHz cores)
32GB of UFS 2.0 storage
16MP rear camera with 4K video recording, 5MP front camera
Bluetooth 4.1, WiFi ac Dual-Band MIMO, GPS, NFC, Heart Rate Sensor, Infrared Blaster
5.65 x 2.78 x 0.27 inches , 138g
3,500mAh battery
Android 5.0.2 Lollipop
Activity Zone app that brings together Weather, Barometer, S Health and more
We also now know that the Samsung Galaxy S6 Active has been rated MIL-STD-810G, which is military-grade protection from drops, resistance to water and dustproof (all of which combine for a top-tier IP68 certification).
So, you’ll be able to grab one for down on AT&T Next for .17 with 30 device payments on Next 24, .96 per month at 24 payments on Next 18, or .75 per month at 20 payments on Next 12.
Unfortunately AT&T still didn’t have anything to share in regards to availability, but with the phone officially out for the world to see we reckon it won’t take long to get those details. In the meantime let us know if the improved battery has restored your interest in grabbing one of these.
[Update]: AT&T has reached out to confirm that the device will be available starting June 12th.
The Samsung Galaxy S6 has notoriously bad battery life. To make things worse, Samsung opted to go with a non-removable battery. One thing you can do to solve this problem (besides clinging to power outlets) is to use a battery case. The ZeroLemon 3500mAh battery case for the Galaxy S6 is on sale right now from Android Area for just .99.
The ZeroLemon battery case usually goes for around -60. The 3500mAh adds an additional 125% of battery life to your Galaxy S6. It also allows you to remove the battery and replace it, which can extend the battery life even more. The case does add extra bulk, but all things considered it’s pretty slim. The case also includes 4 LED lights to show the charge level. Head on over to AndroidArea.com to snag the deal right now.
