If it’s true we look at our smartphones about 150 times a day, perhaps it’s no surprise the battery conks out before we do.
Limited battery life plagues our other portable devices, too, including smartwatches, laptops, and to a lesser extent, tablets. In other words, the more we use – nay, rely – on these do-it-all devices for work and play, the more demanding it is on its battery. But there are a few things you can do to help squeeze more life out of your digital devices while on the go. The following are some tips to help you out, and a few recommended products, too.

BATTERY-SAVING TIPS

A few small tweaks to your device’s settings could make a big impact:

Dim the screen: Turn down the brightness of your smartphone or laptop to at least half, as it will help preserve battery life. This can be found in the Options or Settings area, or by swiping up on the screen (iPhone) or down from the top (Android). You'll get used to a dimmer screen in no time. On a related note, also set your screen to turn off after a minute or so of inactivity.

Reduce push notifications: On smartphones, reduce or disable push services that notify you of new info -- such as incoming email, game updates, or real-time sports scores -- as it needs to “ping” a remote server to send you updated info every time. In plain English, this can eat up battery (and data). You probably want push mail, so you’re notified when messages arrive in your inbox, but at least disable push notifications for little-used apps (in the Settings area).

Use the power-saving mode: While you might not want it on all the time, many new smartphones offer some form of a “power-saving” mode, enabled in Settings, that often turns the screen to black and white, darkens the display, and turns off non-essential wireless features. Some phones may handle this mode a little differently, but the battery-saving effect is the same.

Turn off some wireless features: Unless you need them, turn off some wireless features on your phone, tablet or laptop, as they can also drain your battery. This includes GPS, Bluetooth, NFC, and Wi-Fi. Or, in a pinch, turn off all radios, including cellular connectivity, by selecting Airplane mode – such as when you board a plane – and remember your device will charge up much faster in this mode, as well. While you’re at it, turn off your smartphone’s vibrations, too.

Applications matter: The battery will drain faster if you’re using your device for tasks that are more demanding on the system’s resources -- such as watching video or playing multiplayer games -- than less taxing tasks, such as typing notes or browsing the web. Multitasking, such as listening to music while reading an ebook, can also contribute to faster battery drain. Some apps drain the battery faster than others, too, such as freemium downloads with many video ads.

Room temp, software updates: Something to keep in mind in the winter months: Try to keep your tech at a reasonable temperature or else it can prematurely drain your battery. If you can help it, don’t keep your gadgets exposed to extreme cold or heat – like leaving it in your car. On an unrelated note, be sure you download the latest software updates for your phone, tablet, watch or laptop, as engineers always try out new ways to improve power management.

IDEAL MOBILE COMPANIONS

A couple of portable picks for on-the-go types. Each one costs $99.

Watch this: Kanex’s GoPower Watch is a compact, portable battery for Apple Watch, with a magnetic charging dock on top to rest your watch while charging. Because of its integrated 4,000mAh battery, it can top up your Apple Watch up to 6 times -- and it features a USB port to simultaneously charge your iPhone, too. A blue LED indicator light displays battery levels and charge status. When it’s time to charge up the GoPower Watch (cable included), it will cleverly charge up the watch first and then the battery, when connected to a power source.

Power, storage, Wi-Fi: Kingston’s MobileLite Wireless Pro is a smart 3-in-1 device. About the size of a deck of cards, this portable 6700mAh battery can charge up a smartphone 2 or 3 times (depending on the model). It also has 64-gigabytes of built-in storage, which you can load up with media and then wirelessly access it on multiple devices (there’s also a USB port and SD card slot to insert media). The MobileLite Wireless Pro is also a router; simply plug this doohickey into a modem via its built-in Ethernet port on the side.

Big ‘uns: For “power users,” the mophie Powerstation XXL is a 20,000mAh portable charger, which could juice up an iPhone 7 about 10 times or a Samsung Galaxy S7 almost 7 times. In fact, you can charge up to three phones, smartwatches, ereaders, wireless headphones, or tablets at the same time (up to 2.1-amp output per device). Other features include a 4-light LED battery indicator and miniUSB port to charge up the Powerstation XXL when it needs it (microUSB cable included).

Follow Marc on Twitter: @marc_saltzman. E-mail him at askmarcsaltzman@gmail.com.

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