Power Management in the Field Oughtn’t To Be Tricky

Power Management in the Field Oughtn’t To Be Tricky

By MUSYOKA NGUI

I

t may be a conspiracy for machine makers to overlook research in battery life so that they can sell spare parts but any good manufacturer worth their name should consider developing a battery that does not keep users worried on the life of their devices.

 

Mobile Phone Battery/Internet Source

For journalists in the field gathering news constant supply of power is crucial since it is the connection they have with the studio. No one wants to be scooped by competitors merely because they didn’t upload a story in time simply because the battery ran low.

To avoid such embarrassing circumstances ensure you have charged your batteries before leaving the house or office for work. Include extra batteries which foresight should have told you that they should be charged beforehand.

Unfortunately outdoor settings expose your gadget to a lot of light meaning you cannot reduce the screen brightness to minimize the consumption of energy in your camera, laptop, smartphone or tablet. Minimized light renders the monitor too dim for you to read the display.

But if you are in a seminar you can lower the display settings so that it matches the surroundings. Indoor lighting is friendlier to machines unlike outdoors. Additionally, you can carry extensions and adapters to charge your devices as the press conference continues. You may need to ask permission from the organizers of the workshop to avoid unnecessary trespass. You will earn respect that way.

Some smartphones come with a power bank that you can charge your phone should the battery run low. Power banks are must haves for users whose phones cannot last a day without requiring a recharge.

If you can, invest in a good gadget that has excellent battery life. Sony Xperia Z3 lasts up to two days when charged. It has superior specifications such as a 20 MP camera and plenty of memory space you may want to store your gallery. It also comes with a Lollipop Android OS that enables fast browsing thus giving you an upper hand when it comes to cruising across internet pages as opposed to your rivals who are stuck in a rut waiting for their phones to resume from hanging.

Turn off applications which you do not use at the moment to minimize power wastage. Do not remove your device before it is fully charged and beware of overcharging it too. Unless you need to capture a moment that cannot wait, avoid removing and returning the device from and to the socket when it is not fully charged.

Some programs like Games consume a lot of charge and unless you have a super battery you do not want to play games then when the real game starts you have no field to play.

It may be a conspiracy for machine makers to overlook research in battery life so that they can sell spare parts but any good manufacturer worth their name should consider developing a battery that does not keep users worried on the life of their devices. No one wants to walk around carrying power cables. It’s tedious and taxing.

Musyoka is a writer, blogger and a journalist