From First Bell to Homework: 5 Ways Students Can Get Their Smartphones and Tablets to Last Through The Day

CUPERTINO, CA--(Marketwired - Sep 23, 2013) -  School is back in session and along with backpacks and books, millions of students worldwide are carrying something new to class -- mobile technology. According to a recent Pew Research Center study, 23% of American teens have tablets and 47% have smartphones. Students can now instantly access textbooks, encyclopedias and more in the palm of their hand. But even with all the benefits that these technologies bring to the classroom, insufficient battery life remains a challenge.

To help students get the most out of their tablets and smartphones, here are some tips that will help ensure their devices keep working from the first bell to the last homework question:

1. Focus on The App At Hand: If you have e-books for your classes or use your device to take notes, make sure that there are no unnecessary apps running in the background. Not only are background apps a distraction, they can also significantly drain your battery. Even if you won't be using social media apps during class, that doesn't mean that Twitter, Vine and Facebook running in the background won't be lonely and check for updates every few minutes.

2. Bright Isn't Always Smart: Did you know that your device's display can eat up more than 60% of its battery life? To combat this, keep your smartphone and tablet screens slightly dimmed when you're using them. Reducing the brightness by as little as 20% can add hours to your runtime.

3. Connections for (Battery) Life: Classmates are often friends for life. But when it comes to battery life, network services can be your enemy. If you don't use any Wi-Fi networks, be sure to turn off Wi-Fi because it can drain your battery by constantly searching for nearby networks. On the other hand, if you use your school's Wi-Fi, you can save battery life by disabling cellular data (3G, 4G or LTE) during school hours. And if you don't need network access for your schoolwork, use airplane mode to make your battery last longer.

4. Take Time to Unplug: It's possible to have too much of a good thing! Having your device always connected to a charger can actually damage its batteries, making them less able, over time, to hold a charge. For optimum battery health, charge your battery in the evening until it's at 95 to 100%. Allow it to remain unplugged overnight, then top off the charge in the morning before school. Experts also recommend that you let your device's battery drain to below 20% at least once a month to maintain a healthy charge cycle.

5. Install a Trusted Battery Saving App: All the tips we've given are simple to do, but manually adjusting your phone's brightness and network settings and turning off unused apps can be a hassle. By downloading the FREE DU Battery Saver app for Android devices, you can have all of it done for you automatically. With DU Battery Saver, you'll get 50% more life out of your battery, so you can enjoy using your phone without constantly tweaking your settings. DU Battery Saver can be downloaded for free on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dianxinos.dxbs

For a limited time, you can upgrade to the Pro version of DU Battery Saver for only $0.99 and get premium features and even more power savings -- up to 70%. Offer Ends October 8, 2013!