Sons of Loki

Smartphones! Where were we without them? It seems unthinkable that a few years ago, we were getting by with Snake and FM radio as the killer apps. Now you can take a phone call while using GPS to find yourself and then use Wi-Fi to download a map of a YouTube video of your own head … All the while powering an OLED screen so bright it outshines direct sunlight, on a battery that a few years back was only expected to provide enough power to play your obnoxiously funky ringtone.

Unsurprisingly, then, one of the most disappointing things about modern smartphones is the battery life. Using Spotify on a data connection to listen to music during a long train journey, for example, I’ve found myself seeing that dreaded red bar before the trip was even over. And unlike the days when exhausting your iPod’s battery just meant you couldn’t listen to music, now running out means you’ve lost your phone, camera, and GPS as well.

Enter the Energizer AP650MC.

It’s small and smart, with a ring to stick it on your keychain (though I wouldn’t trust myself not to sit on it). There’s a micro-USB port to charge it using your phone’s charger, and a matching micro-USB plug to connect to your phone’s charging port. (Obviously you’ll need one of the Android phones that use a micro-USB charger rather than a proprietary connector.)

Once charged and the little LED is off, you can then take it around with you until your phone starts to run out of power. I tested it out on my ZTE Blade – a budget Android device that doesn’t have exactly stellar battery performance, so the Energizer device is ideal. I ran down the battery with a day or two of usage and finished it off with a few YouTube videos on maximum brightness, then let the Energizer get to work.

It’s a slightly awkward shape, as it’s designed to fit a number of different phones. On my Blade, it covered up the notification bar when facing straight on, and it was slightly difficult to use the touchscreen, so some kind of adjustable hinge would have worked better here.

From a dead battery, the Energizer booted up my phone and started charging. I downloaded a few programs from the market, using the Wi-Fi and display to some extent – the same sort of usage you might have in an emergency situation where you need your phone for just a few minutes. 30 minutes later, the Energizer’s LED went off and stopped charging at 12% as the below graph (sort of) indicates:

So, it won’t bring a depleted phone back to 100%, but 12% is enough for a few emergency phone calls or texts, and could last you a couple of hours (with careful usage) until you can get back to a charger. If you’re the sort who always forgets to charge their phone, it’s a great thing to keep at the bottom of your bag – just in case you ever need it.

I’ve recently started using the amazing JoliOS on my netbook – a hybrid cloud/local OS, it’s not as bulky as Windows, but neither is it as thin and weedy as ChromeOS. You’re not tethered to the Cloud and if you haven’t got an internet connection (the era of constant, cheap wireless net is not quite here yet, especially in Blighty) you can still get work done offline. Better still, there’s an impressive app store which includes a version of Spotify running in WINE for Linux compatibility. Unfortunately, there’s a bug with Facebook connectivity that means it crashes on startup if you’ve linked your account with Facebook. This is easy enough to fix:

1. Log into Facebook.
2. Go to “Account” > “Privacy Settings”.
3. Scroll down to “Apps and websites” and click “Edit your settings”.
4. Click “Edit settings” next to “Apps you use”
5. Scroll down to Spotify, click the little x and press “Remove”. Job done!

Don’t spend more than you need to: find out how to grab a bargain Galaxy S II with the perfect plan.

The new Samsung Galaxy S II is a seriously hot piece of kit. With a lightning-fast dual-core processor, crisp 4.3 inch Super AMOLED screen and 8-megapixel camera, it’s no wonder reviewers are raving about it.

Non-contract users
Price: £479.99
Plan: O2 Pay & Go

For those after pay-as-you-go or already on a SIM Only contract, you can’t beat £20 off the RRP.

Light users
Price: £9/month, £304.99 handset
Plan: 3 Internet Talker 100 (24 months)

If you absolutely must have the Galaxy on the cheapest contract available, 3 offer the handset for £305 with 100 minutes, 100 texts
and internet for £9 per month.

Texters
Price: £15/month, £249.99 handset
Plan: Orange Dolphin 15 (24 months)

You’ll pay £250 for the phone, but for £15 per month you get unlimited texts and 100 minutes.

Talkers
Price: £35/month, free handset
Plan: 3 The One Plan (24 months)

It’d be hard to run out with unlimited data, 5000 texts and 2000 minutes (that’s more an hour of chatting every day) – and the handset for free.

Internet users
Price: £25/month, £100 handset
Plan: T-Mobile Pay monthly 25 internet (24 months)

If you don’t mind £100 for the handset, grab 300 minutes, 300 texts and – for a limited time – all-you-can-eat internet for £25 per month.