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Windows 7 as well as Windows Vista supports creation of fairly comprehensive power plans. A power plan is nothing but a collection of hardware and system settings that allow you to balance system performance with power consumption. Out of the box three power plans are provided – High Performance, Balanced and Power Saver. You can tweak each of these plans or even create a new plan from scratch according to your requirements.

Obviously High Performance (or even Balanced) power plan is suitable for use when the system is connected to a AC power source. However, if you use the High Performance power plan while traveling, Windows is going to eat through your battery’s charge in no time. Unfortunately, due to some inexplicable reason, Microsoft didn’t include any provision for automatically switching power plans based on the power source. Last year, I had reviewed two utilities that allows you to do just this – Notebook Hardware Control and BatteryCare. NHC includes tons of handy options, and is a handy utility for laptop users. However, if all you want to do is automatically switch power plans, then it will almost certainly be an overkill.

AeroFoil is a tiny utility, which silently operates in the background, and simply changes the power plan depending upon the power source. During installation, you will be asked to chose the power plans you want to use while on AC power and while on battery. After that AeroFoil will do it’s job automatically. The utility is super lightweight – it consumes negligible CPU cycles and requires just about 2MB RAM, and the switching of power plans is automatic and near instantaneous.

The power saver plan switches all peripherals (such as processor, WiFi adaptor and fans) into power saving mode to conserve power. Additionally, AeroFoil disables Aero effects while on battery. The combination of the two allows AeroFoil to significantly increase your existing battery’s backup time.

Download AeroFoil (631 KB)
Version Reviewed: 1.5.1
License: Freeware
Operating System: Windows Vista, Windows 7

Battery life is a major issue with all Android phones. Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google believes, “If you are not getting a day, there is something wrong”. The trouble is that most Android users don’t manage to get a day of battery life out of their handsets. When I got my Sony Ericsson Xperia X10i, I basically had to charge it round the clock. However, the good news is that there are a few things you can do to drastically improve your phone’s battery life. My Xperia now lasts for a day with moderate usage, and even a couple of days, if used lightly. Yes, this is the same handset that was consuming 35% battery overnight, while lying idle. Based on my own experience, here is a quick guide to drastically improving your Sony Ericsson Xperia X10’s (or any other Android phone’s) battery life.

Burn-in the Battery

My battery life improved on its own after using it for some time. If you have just purchased your handset, force the battery to go through at least 5-6 complete charge-discharge cycles.

Update Your Firmware

Firmware updates can make a big difference. Sony Ericsson Xperia X10’s R2BA026 is a huge improvement over the initial R2A016 firmware that I had received.

Disable What You Don’t Need

Disable features that you don’t need. For example, I use a 2G SIM, so I have disabled WCDMA (3G) (Settings–>Wireless Controls–>Mobile Networks–>Network Mode). Disabling Wi-Fi and Bluetooth can also significantly improve your battery life. I would also recommend that you allow your handset to auto-adjust the brightness (Settings–>Sound and Display–>Brightness), if it has an ambient sensor. Some users also disable GPS. However, I find GPS to be too handy to have disabled. Moreover, as long as an app doesn’t explicitly request GPS services, it won’t consume any power.

Be Careful about the Apps You Use

Badly coded apps can have a disastrous effect on your battery life. For example, a recent release of Facebook had a bug that prevented the system from ever going to sleep. As a result, that app tanked my battery in just a few hours.

Although pundits advice against using Task Managers in Android, I would recommend installing one. Just don’t use it every time you need to exit an app. Instead use it to kill the apps you know are troublesome. In general it’s a good idea to kill any (so called) HD games that are running in the background; I have found Gameloft games to be particularly troublesome. If you are experiencing unnaturally fast battery discharge rates, then you can use trial and error to find out which app is causing the problem. A more sophisticated approach is to use an app like WatchDog to monitor resource consumption of processes. Many people also swear by Autokiller (requires root).

You need to be especially careful about apps which connect to the internet to fetch data at regular intervals – e.g. Facebook, Twitter, email clients and RSS Feed readers. Don’t set the polling interval too high, else you will run out of battery in a few hours.

Widgets are another category of apps that can be battery hogs. Don’t use a widget, unless you really need it.

Another good idea is to limit the number of apps that starts up automatically during system boot. There are plenty of apps in the market that can do this. I use Startup Manager on my phone.

Root Your Phone

Rooting most handsets is pretty easy. The Universal Androot as well as SuperOneClick is capable of rooting a host of handsets including the X10. Xperia X10 owners can also refer to this thread on XDA for rooting their handset. Once you have rooted your handset, go ahead and purchase an app called SetCPU. You can download it for free from here, but it’s worth purchasing anyway.

SetCPU allows you to throttle your CPU on the fly to reduce battery consumption. Different people have different recommendations. The screenshot embedded below shows the configuration that I use. Feel free to experiment and find your comfort zone.

Basically, the important thing is that you should throttle your processor when the screen is off, and you should throttle your processor when your battery is about to die.

That’s it! If you follow the steps mentioned in this article carefully, you should end up with an Android handset with above average battery backup. In case, you need still more battery life, consider getting a spare battery or one with a higher capacity.

PS: If you are experiencing unusually high battery consumption, download an app called Spare Parts. Use the “Battery History” section to diagnose troublesome apps. I also use a nifty widget called aiSystemWidget for tracking battery consumption. Many people also swear by battery savers like JuiceDefender or UltimateJuice. However, I have had a bad experience with them, and found that I can do just as well without ever using them.

InvisibleSHIELD is one of the most well-known screen protector manufacturers. The military grade patented material used by InvisibleSHIELD is quite possibly its biggest selling point. Moreover, unlike most other screen protectors, InvisibleSHIELD also offers full body protection. My roommate Chinmoy Kanjilal graciously agreed test a review unit (sent by Mobilefun.co.uk) on his HTC Legend.

InvisibleSHIELD’s packaging is impressive and includes everything from adhesive and spray to squeezy (to squeeze out bubbles). However, applying InvisibleSHIELD turned out to be a lot tougher than expected and took around about an hour. Fitting the screen protector around edges demands some dexterity. The supplied manual is helpful, but anyone who purchases an InvisibleSHIELD should have a look at the video embedded below before getting started.

InvisibleSHIELD Installation Guide

After application, the InvisibleSHIELD took about half a day to heal. Although the screen protector is extremely tough, it is still thin enough to be comfortable to use. Unlike some of the other screen protectors, there was no perceivable loss of sensitivity with the InvisibleSHIELD. However, the surface has a rather plasticky feel to it (i.e. it lacks texture) that I don’t like.

InvisibleSHIELD Scratch Test

I have been using Martin Fields screen protector on my Xperia X10 for the past couple of months. After testing both, I would have to say that I am more impressed with Martin Fields. InvisibleSHIELD is undoubtedly more durable; the MF screen protector has already acquired quite a few scratches. However, it is a real hassle to install and feels less satisfying to use. It’s not a bad product by any means. All of the materials included are of high quality. Importantly enough, InvisibleSHIELD is reusable and the adhesive doesn’t leave any mark on the handset after removal. In fact, if you want full body protection and don’t want to use a screen cover that spoils the beauty of your handset, InvisibleSHIELD is your best option.

If you want a HTC Legend cover or screen protector head over to Mobilefun.co.uk.

Losing a phone is nothing short of a nightmare. Besides the monetary setback, it is also an emotional blow. At an instant you lose all your contacts, photographs, SMS and more. The situation becomes worse if you have a smartphone. Smartphones often store email passwords, Facebook and twitter login details, credit card numbers and other sensitive information. Losing one can be a major privacy and security nightmare.This is where an anti-theft tool like WaveSecure comes in.

WaveSecure is an award winning mobile security app that takes care of all the basics and then some. The main functionalities provided by WaveSecure can be grouped into the following four categories:

Improving Your Phone’s Security: WaveSecure has something called an Action Center. This is actually quite similar to the Windows Action center. It simply suggests and recommends changes you can make to your phone’s settings to improve security.

Backing up Your Data: WaveSecure can automatically backup critical information including your contacts, SMS and Call log. You can also manually backup pictures taken using your phone. This comes in handy, not only if you lose your phone, but also after flashing your handset (or performing a firmware upgrade).

Protecting Your Privacy: If you detect that your phone has been lost or stolen, you can instantly log on to the website or send an SMS to lock the handset. Additionally, you can also perform a remote wipe to remove any sensitive information stored on the handset. Stuff you can wipe includes contacts, SMS, calendar, photos, videos, call logs and even your entire memory card.

Tracking Your Phone: On a locked handset, WaveSecure blasts out a particularly annoying and loud alarm that is accompanied by a custom message. This can assist you in locating a misplaced phone, and even scare off a potential thief. Additionally, you can go online and track your phone. If you have a GPS enabled device, then the location displayed will be fairly accurate. Otherwise, WaveSecure will try its best to estimate the location based on the cell phone tower being used by the handset.

You can also configure WaveSecure to automatically lock the handset on detecting a SIM change. Once a handset has been locked, whenever the thief changes the SIM, pre-selected contacts (friends/family members) will automatically be notified of the new phone number. Moreover, the backup feature mentioned earlier, can also come in handy, as it allows a simple way to snoop on your phone’s new owner by monitoring all calls and SMSs.

Circumventing the security measures put in place by WaveSecure is quite tough. While on Windows Mobile and Symbian handsets, Wave Secure cannot be uninstalled without the secure PIN, any attempt to uninstall WaveSecure on Android will automatically lock the handset. If you have a rooted device, you can also ensure that WaveSecure cannot be removed even through a factory reset. However, there is one major chink in WaveSecure’s armour. If the thief manages to kill the WaveSecure background process (using a task manager/task killer) before the device has been locked, then WaveSecure won’t be able to offer any protection.

WaveSecure was the first app I purchased after getting my Xperia X10i. At $ 19.90 per year, WaveSecure might be more expensive that most apps; however, it is also one of the few apps that I won’t hesitate to term as “a must have”. Although, in this write-up I have essentially reviewed WaveSecure for Android, it is also available for Windows Mobile, Symbian and Blackberry. In fact, a free Java edition with limited feature set is also available. The functionality supported by WaveSecure on the former three platforms is similar to that offered on Android. Nevertheless, you are encouraged to download the 7 day trial version and give it a spin for free.

Download WaveSecure
License: Shareware (7 day trial)
Cost: $19.90 per year
Operating System: Android, Symbian, Blackberry and Windows Mobile

WaveSecure License Giveaway

TenCube has agreed to offer three 1 year licenses of WaveSecure (worth $59.70) to my readers If you have a smartphone (Windows Mobile, Symbian, Blackberry or Android), then you can participate in this content through the following simple ways:
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The contest is open to everyone and will close on August 28, 2010 at 12:00 IST.

* In case of dispute, all decisions made by me shall be final.