Today, however, Apple seems to be taking steps to address the issue, starting with a new list of 11 questions that run the gamut from asking about push notifications; to wifi and Bluetooth; to this one, identified by the iPhone Blog: "When you notice a power drop, does it seem to be a legitimate power drop, or rather an issue with the battery icon indicator?"

There's also an unsigned battery life logger that Apple has offered up for download. Once the user installs the logger, their phone will synch the logs with iTunes, at which point the software will ask if it can report back to Apple. Steve Jobs will then personally respond to you via email*

While battery life issues are nothing new for iPhone users, this approach by Apple is, and it lends some credibility to the many users who have pounded the Apple help desk discussion boards with complaints about 3.1. Who amongst the Gizmodo readership is also losing juice at an alarming rate since the introduction of 3.1?

*Steve Jobs will respond to you via email only if you are Joe Nocera. [iPhone Blog - Thanks, Rene]

On Twitter we noticed that everybody seemed to get back more space from Snow Leopard than the guy before him: "I got back 9GB, wow!" "Hey, I got back 12GB, jeez." "Holy mother, I got back 20 gigs, whoooooa!" So by now, some of you should've gotten back like a terabyte—on your 250GB hard drive. We got back around 6GB, what Apple advertised.

Battery-wise haven't noticed much of a difference compared to Leopard, but if you have, let us know and what kind of machine you're using.

[Giz's Snow Leopard Coverage]

To be fair to Microsoft, iPod video format support is pretty horribly limited, but wide codec compatibility would've been something of a coup for the the Zune HD. As it stands, here's what it can handle:

Windows Media Video (WMV) (.wmv) – Main and Simple Profile, CBR or VBR, up to 3.0 Mbps peak video bit rate; 720 pixels x 480 pixels up to 30 frames per second (or 720 pixels x 576 pixels up to 25 frames per second). Zune software will transcode HD WMV files at device sync.
MPEG-4 (MP4/M4V) (.mp4) Part 2 video3– Simple Profile up to 2.5 Mbps peak video bit rate; 720 pixels x 480 pixels up to 30 frames per second (or 720 pixels x 576 pixels up to 25 frames per second). Zune software will transcode HD MPEG-4 files at device sync.
H.264 video – Baseline Profile up to 2.5 Mbps peak video bit rate; 720 pixels x 480 pixels up to 30 frames per second (or 720 pixels x 576 pixels up to 25 frames per second). Zune software will transcode HD H.264 files at device sync. DVR-MS4 – Zune software will transcode at time of sync.

720p playback will only come by means of an external dock connector—not that the 480 x 272 screen could display it anyway, or that it would matter on a device this size. In any case, this is fine—transcoding video is something we're used to for portable devices, and past Zune software has been serviceable. About that battery life, though:

Music, up to 24 hours (wireless off); video, up to 4 hours* (They've since changed this—see below)

24 hours is plenty for music playback, though it's well under the iPod Touch's (admittedly inflated) 36h claim, and we'll have to see how well the battery holds up during radio playback and, most importantly, web browsing. The video figure is concerning though, not just because it's kinda low, but because that asterisk points down to "320 x 240 WMV9 500 Kbps" video—well below that maximum possible playback quality. Is Tegra a little bit of a battery hog?

UPDATE: Microsoft has come out and said their spec page was incorrect—the real figures are 33 hours of music playback and 8.5 hours of video—better than the iPod Touch on both fronts. As you were! [Microsoft via Engadget]

AMD, as part of a some kind of PR campaign, is saying the culprit is a battery testing suite called MobileMark 2007:

the parameters for this test include having the screen at just 20 percent brightness, Wi-Fi turned off and no music, video, games or Web pages running. More or less, the test turns a computer into a dimly lit clock, then sees how long it can run.

That is exactly the kind of test you'd have to run to hit manufacturers' 50-100%-inflated figures, and the perceived ubiquity of the test gives it an air of authority—or at least respectability—within the industry. Using anything more honest would put a manufacturer at a competitive disadvantage.

This is where the story lapses into accusations of subterfuge: AMD says these tests don't just benefit laptop manufacturers in general—they're unfairly biased towards Intel, whose chips are optimized for these less-than-realistic scenarios. It's easy to see how this would be upsetting, but it's not clear what AMD can really do. They're proposing a system by which manufacturers show two battery ratings—one the shows a theoretical, low-use maximum, and one that reflects heavy use. (To their credit, Sony already does something like that). Intel tacitly admits the practice, but is predictably standoffish about it, while AMD doesn't inspire much confidence:

By 2010 or 2011, something might show up from a consortium that could be used. It takes two to three years."

Well, thanks for trying, I guess! [NYT]

Laptop Mag took a gander at Toshiba's NB205 netbook and found an awful lot to be happy about. The netbook, which boasts the same specs as every other 10-inch netbook out there (1.66GHz Atom, 160GB hard drive, 1GB RAM, Windows XP) seems to really bring it in the non-component hardware department, with a stellar keyboard and thankfully normal-human-sized trackpad along with an LED-backlit display and, of course, that crazy 6-cell battery. They managed to eke out 8 hours and 33 minutes of real time battery life, which means continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi. That's far and away the best battery life we've seen on this category of netbook, and with its above-average performance, it definitely looks like a mini-laptop worth your attention if you're in the market for a 10-incher. [Laptop Mag]

If you hate the look of a huge bezel around your screen (and have elf hands), you'll probably be better off with the N110, but it's not a bad idea to just stretch the chassis a bit to accommodate at 12" laptop's keyboard; anything to make typing on a tiny, tiny netbook easier, I'm down with. Crammed into the bezel you'll also find an enhanced 2.1 SRS speaker set, with a tiny dedicated subwoofer buried somewhere within.

And on top of that, the N120 is packing the jumbo 6-cell battery thus far only touted on the NC310 in Asia, building on the N110's 8 hours with a promised 10.5 hours of runtime. That's a lot.

Are you confused yet? Good. So far the only one with confirmed pricing and availability for the US is the N110 ($469, next month), so we'll see what happens with the others and keep you posted. [via T3 and Netbooknews.de (translated)]

South Korea, March 24, 2009. Samsung Electronics, a market leader in consumer electronics and world leader in IT technology, today launched the innovative Samsung N120 mini notebook. Samsung Electronics, a market leader in consumer electronics and world leader in IT technology, today launched the innovative Samsung N120 mini notebook. Although slim at just 10.1″, the N120 is designed for optimum usability and performance, with its full-size 12" notebook style keyboard, larger touchpad and an ultra-lightweight and robust slim line casing. Although slim at just 10.1 ", the N120 is designed for optimum usability and performance, with its full-size 12" notebook style keyboard, touchpad larger and an ultra-lightweight and durable slim line casing. What's more, its enhanced sound system means you can experience a rich multimedia experience when you are on the go. What's more, its enhanced sound system means you can experience a rich multimedia experience when you are on the go.

With the N120 you can enjoy high-quality sound anywhere using its integrated SRS 2.1ch system, featuring 2 x 1.5 Watt stereo speakers with a dedicated sub-woofer. With the N120 you can enjoy high-quality sound anywhere using its integrated SRS 2.1ch system, featuring 2 x 1.5 watt stereo speakers with a dedicated sub-woofer. It also features a larger touchpad and a full-size 12" notebook style keyboard with optimized key spacing, so you can type faster and make fewer mistakes. It also features a larger touchpad and a full-size 12 "notebook style keyboard with optimized key spacing, so you can type faster and make fewer mistakes. Its ergonomic design places less stain on your wrists, which all adds up to a more enjoyable and productive experience. Its ergonomic design places less stain on your Wrists, which all adds up to a more enjoyable and productive experience.

Shielded by the robust Samsung Duracase, this mini notebook is more than capable of rolling with the punches. Shielded by the rugged Samsung Duracase, this mini notebook is more than capable of rolling with the punch. Having passed a grueling series of quality assurance tests, ranging from rapid temperature change to electrical surges, it sets new standards for survivability and resilience, giving you much less to worry about when you're traveling. Having passed a grueling series of quality assurance tests, ranging from rapid temperature change to electrical Surge, it sets new standards for Survivability and resilience, giving you much less to worry about when you're traveling.

As well a being extremely portable, the N120 also delivers a significantly longer battery-powered performance of up to 10.5 hours* with a long-life 6 cell battery, independent of any power supply, for maximum freedom and mobility. As well a being extremely portable, so the N120 delivers a significantly longer battery-powered performance of up to 10.5 hours * with a long-life 6 Cell Battery, independent of any power supply, for maximum freedom and mobility. The unique combination of its power efficient LED display and optimized processing performance coupled with Samsung's class-leading engineering ensures that you're always ready to go anywhere and do anything thanks to the N120's vastly improved battery life. The unique combination of its power efficient LED display and optimized processing performance coupled with Samsung's class leading engineering ensures that you're always ready to go anywhere and do anything thanks to the N120's vastly improved battery life.

To help you get the most out of life when you're out and about the N110's small form is packed with comprehensive array of the latest technology for maximum performance on the move, including advanced connectivity tools to help you stay in touch. To help you get the most out of life when you're out and about the N110's small form is packed with comprehensive array of the latest technology for maximum performance on the move, including advanced connectivity tools to help you stay in touch.

An integrated 1.3 megapixel digital motion camera combines the resolution and image quality of a still camera with the sustained high frame rates of a video camera, so it's much easier to keep in touch with friends and family, using video-conferencing or live messaging. An integrated 1.3 megapixel digital motion camera combines the resolution and image quality of a still camera with the sustained high frame rates of a video camera, so it's much easier to keep in touch with friends and family, using video-conferencing or live messaging .

To make it as simple as possible to exchange data, including documents, pictures and music, between almost any modern camera, peripheral or audio-visual device, the N120 incorporates a range of advanced connectivity tools, including a 3-in-1 memory card reader, 3 built-in USB ports and optional Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate). To make it as simple as possible to exchange data, including documents, pictures and music, between almost any modern camera, peripheral or audio-visual device, the N120 incorporates a range of advanced connectivity tools, including a 3-in-1 memory card reader, 3 built-in USB ports and optional Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate).

As well as safeguarding your data, the N120 also uses the latest medical technology to protect your health by providing a more hygienic computing environment. As well as Safeguarding your data, so the N120 uses the latest medical technology to protect your health by providing a more hygienic computing environment. Its anti-bacterial keyboard is coated with a special finish that successfully eliminates virtually all bacteria by making it almost impossible for them to live and breed. Its anti-bacterial keyboard is coated with a special finish that successfully eliminate virtually all bacteria by making it almost impossible for them to live and breed.

"Now everyone can afford to experience exceptional portability and usability with the full sized keyboard and advanced communications tools of the ultra-light Samsung N120 mini notebook. "Now everyone can afford to experience exceptional portability and usability with the full sized keyboard and advanced communications tools of the ultra-light mini Samsung N120 notebook. It's the perfect choice for anyone who needs to stay in touch on the go," said Seong Woo Nam, Senior Vice President of Samsung Computer Systems Division. It's the perfect choice for anyone who needs to stay in touch on the go, "said Woo Seong Nam, Senior Vice President of Samsung Computer Systems Division.
The Samsung N120 will be available from April in European, CIS, Asian, and also in the US country. The Samsung N120 will be available from April in the European, CIS, Asian, and also in the U.S. country.

FEATURES: FEATURES:

Intel® Atom™ processor Intel ® Atom ™ processor
Incorporating Intel's smallest and lowest power processor, the Intel® Atom™ processor, which is specifically designed to deliver an amazing Internet experience using mini notebooks. Incorporating Intel's smallest and lowest power processor, the Intel ® Atom ™ processor, which is specifically designed to deliver an amazing Internet experience using mini notebooks. Based on an entirely new microarchitecture, the Intel® Atom™ processor increases energy efficiency to extend battery life, while delivering enhanced mobile performance and increased system responsiveness. Based on an entirely new micro architecture, the Intel ® Atom ™ processor increases energy efficiency to extend battery life, while delivering enhanced mobile performance and increased system responsiveness.

Genuine Microsoft Windows® XP Home Genuine Microsoft Windows ® XP Home
Packed with multimedia features, Windows XP Home Edition aims to unlock the full potential of your mini notebook. Packed with multimedia features, Windows XP Home Edition aims to unlock the full potential of your mini notebook. Designed exclusively for home computing, Windows XP Home Edition puts the exciting experiences of the digital age at your fingertips. Designed exclusively for home computing, Windows XP Home Edition puts the exciting experiences of the digital age at your fingertips. From digital photos, music, and video to building a home network, Windows XP Home Edition brings you into the digital age with ease. From digital photos, music, and video to building a home network, Windows XP Home Edition brings you into the digital age with ease.

Richer sound Richer sound
Enjoy a full and rich multimedia experience on the go with high-quality sound thanks to the integrated SRS 2.1ch system, featuring 2 x 1.5 Watt stereo speakers with a dedicated sub-woofer. Enjoy a full and rich multimedia experience on the go with high-quality sound thanks to the integrated SRS 2.1ch system, featuring 2 x 1.5 watt stereo speakers with a dedicated sub-woofer.

Large size keyboard Large size keyboard
Makes typing easier and faster with a full-size 12" keyboard packed into a 10.1″ mini notebook. Makes typing easier and faster with a full-size 12 "keyboard packed into a 10.1" mini notebook. Despite its small form, the ergonomic design, with optimized key spacing and larger touchpad, provides a more pleasurable and productive experience, with less strain on your wrists, fewer errors and faster typing speeds. Despite its small shape, the ergonomic design, with optimized key spacing and larger touchpad, provides a more pleasurable and productive experience, with less strain on your Wrists, fewer errors and faster typing speeds.

Slim line design Slim line design
The class-leading slim line design lets you do more on the move – and still look good! The class-leading slim line design lets you do more on the move - and still look good! As well as premium ergonomics and haptic styling, the elegant, durable casing ensures maximum portability and reliability – making it easy to carry in a handbag, briefcase or luggage. As well as premium ergonomics and styling Haptic, the elegant, durable casing ensures maximum portability and reliability - making it easy to carry in a handbag, briefcase or luggage.

Long-lasting battery life Long-lasting battery life
Delivers longer battery-powered performance of up to 10.5 hours* with a long-life 6 cell battery, independent of any power supply, for maximum freedom and mobility. Delivers longer battery powered performance of up to 10.5 hours * with a long-life 6 Cell Battery, independent of any power supply, for maximum freedom and mobility. This vastly improved battery life is guaranteed by the power efficient LED display and optimized processing performance coupled with Samsung's class-leading engineering. This vastly improved battery life is guaranteed by the power efficient LED display and optimized processing performance coupled with Samsung's class leading engineering. So you're always ready to go anywhere and do anything. So you're always ready to go anywhere and do anything.

Light weight Light weight
Experience optimum mobility with this ultra-light mini notebook, which weighs just 1.28 kg (including a 6 cell battery) – allowing you to carry less, but do more. Experience optimum mobility with this ultra-light mini notebook, which weighs just 1:28 kg (including a 6 cell battery) - allowing you to carry less, but do more. Despite its compact size, it still incorporates comprehensive functionality for maximum performance on the move, including advanced connectivity tools and an ergonomic keyboard. Despite its compact size, it still incorporates comprehensive functionality for maximum performance on the move, including advanced connectivity tools and an ergonomic keyboard.

Durable casing Durable casing
Shielded by the robust Samsung Duracase to ensure reliability and durability, this mini notebook is more than capable of rolling with the punches, giving you less to worry about when traveling. Shielded by the rugged Samsung Duracase to ensure reliability and durability, this mini notebook is more than capable of rolling with the Punch, giving you less to worry about when traveling. A grueling series of 54 quality assurance tests, ranging from rapid temperature change to electrical surges, set new standards for survivability and resilience. A grueling series of 54 quality assurance tests, ranging from rapid temperature change to electrical Surg, set new standards for Survivability and resilience.

Always stay in touch Always stay in touch
An integrated 1.3 megapixel digital motion camera makes it easier than ever to keep in touch with friends and family, using video-conferencing or live messaging. An integrated 1.3 megapixel digital motion camera makes it easier than ever to keep in touch with friends and family, using video-conferencing or live messaging. The camera combines the resolution and image quality of a still camera with the sustained high frame rates of a video camera. The camera combines the resolution and image quality of a still camera with the sustained high frame rates of a video camera.

Simple data sharing Simple data sharing
Enables simple data sharing with a host of advanced connectivity tools, including a 3-in-1 memory card reader, 3 built-in USB ports and optional Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate). Enables simple data sharing with a host of advanced connectivity tools, including a 3-in-1 memory card reader, 3 built-in USB ports and optional Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate). That means you can easily transfer pictures, movies and data to and from virtually any modern camera, peripheral or audio-visual device. That means you can easily transfer pictures, movies and data to and from virtually any modern camera, peripheral or audio-visual device.

Healthy working environment Healthy working environment
Using the latest medical technology, the Samsung anti-bacterial keyboard is coated with a special finish that makes it almost impossible for bacteria to live and breed. Using the latest medical technology, the Samsung anti-bacterial keyboard is coated with a special finish that makes it almost impossible for bacteria to live and breed. So, virtually all bacteria are successfully eliminated and the notebook remains clean, creating a more hygienic computing environment. Thus, virtually all bacteria are successfully eliminated and the notebook remains clean, creating a more hygienic computing environment.

ECO friendly Eco friendly
Samsung's own certification mark (ECO), which guarantees Eco-friendly features, including removal of hazardous substances and material, optimized energy efficiency and effective material usage for a more environmentally friendly product. Samsung's own certification mark (ECO), which guarantees Eco-friendly features, including removal of hazardous substances and material, optimized energy efficiency and effective material usage for a more environmentally friendly product.

Warranty, On Time – and On Us Warranty, On Time - and On Us
All this is backed up with the peace of mind that your notebook is protected by Samsung's class leading warranty service. All this is backed up with the peace of mind that your notebook is protected by Samsung's class leading warranty service. In the unlikely event that something goes wrong with your notebook, the Samsung international warranty infrastructure will provide you with a fast track collection repair and return service for your notebook in order to minimize disruption and get you back working as quickly as possible. In the unlikely event that something goes wrong with your notebook, the Samsung International warranty infrastructure will provide you with a fast track collection repair and return service for your notebook in order to minimize disruption and get you back working as quickly as possible.

Given the large, ultra-sharp screen, graphically intensive OS and constant requests to its tightly integrated online services, one would expect that the Pre would be something of an energy glutton—at least moreso that the Centro and 800w, which share its battery. Given that even the Treo Pro, with a 1500mAh battery, isn't good for much more than two days of regular use, it looks like the Pre might fall into the iPhone/G1/Storm trap of requiring a full charge every night, or worse.

For reference, the iPhone's battery is a more generously apportioned 1400mAh unit, where the G1's power comes from a sad little 10001150mAh lithium polymer. PreCentral deduced the Pre's 1150mAh figure from the existing capacities of this battery type, whereas PalmInfoCentral was told directly by a PR rep to expect 1200mAh.

The news isn't all bad though, as there are already a plethora of cheap aftermarket batteries that were designed for the Centro and 800w, and will therefore fit the Pre. Additionally, if you're upgrading from another Palm device you'll be able to carry your current batteries as a backup. [PreCentral via PalmInfoCenter]

The 1400mAh battery adds an additional 400mAh over the OEM version, which should earn you an extra hour or so of talk time. And, as mentioned, it does not take up any additional space, so no replacement battery door is necessary. On the downside, it will set you back $43—which may be a bit more than the casual user is willing to spend. [Seidio]

We were hoping for it, and it looks as though will actually get the iPhone 2.1 update on Friday. Word is that the free update will "fix a lot of bugs." Expect less call drops, crashes, better battery life, and a faster sync (thank God). Still no copy and paste though. Bumnmer. UPDATE: Current iPod touch owners will have to spend $10 to get the 2.1 software via iTunes—unless you purchased 2.0. For those users it is a free update. It is also included free with the purchase of a new unit.

Notebook vendors usually base their battery numbers off of Japanese tech association Jeita's method, which measures power depletion when the laptop's completely idle and then averages that number with the laptop's life when running a movie file. Sony will be switching to a Jeita “A” standard, which uses only the movie file test's results. Good news for the hapless consumer, I guess, but I'm pretty sure everyone was hoping for something more like “Hey, your battery will in fact last 11 hours and it won't explode on you either!” [PC Authority]

HP Breaks the 24-hour Battery Life Barrier

Customizable HP EliteBook delivers all-day power

PALO ALTO, Calif., Sept. 8, 2008 – HP today announced an unprecedented milestone in mobile computing: up to 24 hours of continuous notebook operation on a single battery charge.

As measured by an industry-standard benchmark, the new HP EliteBook 6930p configured with an optional ultra-capacity battery delivered up to 24 hours of battery runtime.(1)

"All-day computing has been the holy grail of notebook computing," said Ted Clark, senior vice president and general manager, Notebook Global Business Unit, HP. "With the HP EliteBook 6930p, customers no longer have to worry about their notebook battery running out before their work day is over.

Designed and tested to last, HP batteries benefit from a combination of HP engineering and energy-efficient notebook components such as Intel® solid-state hard drives (SSD) and mercury-free LED displays. For example, the highly efficient HP Illumi-Lite LED display boosts battery run time by up to 4 hours compared to traditional LCD displays, while the Intel SSD provides up to a 7 percent increase in battery life compared to traditional hard drives.

With up to 24 hours of battery life, business travelers can easily:

Use an HP EliteBook 6930p continuously on the world's longest scheduled commercial airline flight – linking Newark Liberty International Airport and Singapore Changi Airport – approximately 18 hours, 40 minutes.

Take more than 10 trips on the EuroStar train between London and Paris – approximately 2 hours, 15 minutes each direction – before recharging the battery.

Travel as a passenger by car from Maine to Florida using a notebook during the entire journey.
Solid state for mobile professionals

Inspired by aircraft construction and designed for style-conscious mobile professionals, HP EliteBook notebooks feature the latest mobile technologies.

In October, customers will be able to purchase an HP EliteBook with the new Intel high-performance SSDs – HP is a launch customer for new Intel X25-M and X18-M Mainstream SATA SSDs

In addition to helping achieve outstanding battery life, these new Intel SSDs provide greater durability and reliability as well as faster system responsiveness. Internal HP benchmarks show overall performance boosts of up to 57 percent on industry benchmarks, and data transfer rates almost six times faster than traditional hard disks.

"Intel architected its new line of high-performance solid-state drives specifically to bring a new level of performance and reliability to the computing platform and make significant impact to the way people use their PCs," said Randy Wilhelm, vice president and general manager, NAND Products Group, Intel. "The HP milestone is an example of the impact of this new level of performance that specifically delivers on lower power consumption for longer battery life."

EliteBook 6930 for mobile professionals

The initial ENERGY STAR®-qualified HP EliteBook 6930p configuration starts at only 4.7 pounds (2.1 kilograms). It features a 14.1-inch diagonal widescreen display and is available with an optional, mercury-free Illumi-Lite LED display.

The HP EliteBook 6930p is built for the corporate road warrior as it features a shock-resistant hard drive, enhanced display panel and spill-resistant keyboard to help defend data against bumps, drops and spills. It was designed to meet the tough MIL-STD 810F military-standard tests(2) that measure levels of environmental reliability and operation at extreme temperatures, while withstanding vibration and high humidity.

The inner magnesium shell of the notebook's HP DuraCase is equipped with a honeycomb pattern that is thermally bonded to anodized aluminum for a solid construction.

All HP notebooks are designed with the environment in mind, with energy-efficient features and select materials for easier recycling. For example, HP has set a goal to remove all mercury – a material commonly found in notebook screens – from its entire notebook line by the end of 2010.

[HP]

There are some hedges that need to be made here that almost no one is making. Because of 3G, you'll kill batteries faster, but you're also downloading much faster, so can get more browsing done in a set amount of time. What's the math on the total number of web page refreshes vs. the old one? Secondly, no one yet is checking on the battery life while playing a high-end 3D-game like Monkey Ball or Motionx-poker; these games are not only running the GPU and CPU full bore, but the screen too. Gaming is probably the most intense activity you can do. Just wait for the multiplayer gaming to start and see what happens. Thirdly, because the apps give new functionality to the iPhone, you're going to be using it a lot more often than before. Especially in the first few days.

But back to the scores. As you can see, they're kind of all over the place.

One takeaway seems to be that as far as straight-up 3G talk time goes, the iPhone 3G is near the top of the range—Wirelessinfo and PC World both found it to be among the best 3G handsets they've tested for voice talk time. For mixed use and browsing numbers, the range is pretty wide, since the variables at play are nearly infinite.

Ars Technica: 3:00-4:30 (mixed use); under 4:00 (video playback)
"Using the iPhone constantly for various tasks like reading e-mail, surfing the web, sending updates to Twitter, and using other apps that make use of the network connection, we managed to get anywhere from 3 to 4.5 hours of Internet use out of the device. As for video playback, we watched several TV shows purchased from iTunes back to back until the battery died completely. Doing this, the battery went from full to empty in just a hair under 4 hours."

Wirelessinfo: 5:50 (3G talk time)
"The iPhone 3G lasted five hours fifty minutes in our test of call time. This is significantly above average and is the best time amongst our comparison phones. The web browsing test on the iPhone 3G has been one of the most vexing. So far our results have been 162 minutes, 168 minutes, 253 minutes and 409 minutes. One possible factor is that we leave the backlight to set itself automatically as our standard is to leave settings in default except for a few like making sure the screen stays on."

PC World: 5:38 (3G talk time)
"The battery life on Apple's new 3G iPhone isn't great, but it beats that of other 3G smart phones we've seen. PC World's Test Center ran it through our standard talk-time battery life test, and found that on average it ran 5 hours, 38 minutes, a running time that we consider earns a Fair rating...Of other handsets that support AT&T's HSDPA/UMTS network, only the HTC Touch Dual came close, with an average talk time of 5 hours, 18 minutes."

Engadget: 5:24 (video playback)
"We managed just 5 hours and 24 minutes of continuous playback of our 320 x 176, H.264 video encoded at 127kbps. (Our tests were conducted with the screen at half brightness, half volume, with Apple's stock headphones, WiFi on, but not connected, Bluetooth off, 3G and cellular radios on, and location services on — pretty much all the defaults.)"

PC Magazine: 5:43 (3G talk time)
"On our 3G talk time test, the iPhone lasted 5 hours, 43 minutes." [Spare words, eh guys?]

CNET: 5:00 (3G talk time); 9:00 (EDGE talk time)
"On EDGE the iPhone 3G fell about an hour short of its rated time of 10 hours, while 3G calls matched the promised time of 5 hours. Those times aren't bad, but we'll run another round just to be sure."

Anandtech: 3:17 (3G web browsing)
"At 197 minutes, the iPhone 3G can keep you browsing for a little over 3 hours before completing dying. That's with no additional phone calls or anything else going on in the background, just constant surfing. The problem is that this is a very realistic scenario for many users."

DVICE: 2:54 (3G web browsing /mixed use)
"This is a real-world test, too. Just as Apple tested its iPhone 3G, I had Wi-Fi running but not associated with any network, call forwarding on, and “Ask to Join Networks” and Auto-Brightness were turned off. Then I just browsed from site to site as I would normally do, checking email and downloading a few apps from time to time. It was all 3G, all the time."

Walt Mossberg/WSJ: 4:27 (3G talk time); 5:49 (3G web surfing)
"In my test of [3G] voice calling, I got 4 hours and 27 minutes, short of Apple’s maximum claim and nearly three hours less than what I recorded in the same test last year on the original iPhone. In my test of Internet use over 3G, I got 5 hours and 49 minutes, better than Apple’s claim, but far short of the nine hours I got using Wi-Fi in last year’s tests."

PC World says that the result is remarkable knowing that AT&T's HSDPA/UMTS network is very power-hungry because voice calls use the more battery-demanding 3G band. Apple's own tests give the new iPhone a 5 hour talk time over 3G, so that's 38 minutes more. By contrast, the Samsung Instinct—which runs on EVDO—switches to CDMA for voice, which they say it uses less power. In theory—as the results show.

They also claim that the iPhone 3G's battery performance is lower than the iPhone over 2G, which is true. But that's like comparing apples to oranges (no pun intended). They didn't test the latest iPhone's battery life over 2G networks, which Apple rates at 10 hours (the same as the iPhone classic). Also, these tests don't compare the iPhone to some options available elsewhere in the world—like Nokia's—but it gives a good idea of where the iPhone 3G stands against the competition. [PC World]

The battery prototype was made by the R&D team at Sony Material Laboratory, which told spectators at the Small Fuel Cells 2008 expo that it was in talks with Sony's operation division to push the tech out soon. Looks like the day when our gadgets can stay unplugged and awake longer than we can might finally have arrived. [Tech On]

Instead of getting 30 hours of audio with Wi-Fi off, CNET got only 22 hours, followed up by 18.5 hours with Wi-Fi on. To compare, The 80GB iPod actually got 45 hours (up from its stated 30 hours), and the original Zune got only 13 hours. It's a step in the right direction, but Microsoft's still got a couple hardware iterations to go before matching Apple's iPod. Then again, with that gigantic screen on the Zune, it's possible that that can never happen. [Crave]

Sure enough, many, many classic owners are experiencing troubles. On this Apple Support thread alone, 33 posts discuss the issue, with speculation about whether the cause is use of Cover Flow or even leaving the clock display on (for as long as it lasts) when music isn't playing. Most people say the problem hit when they upgraded to 1.02, the supposed classic "fix."

In my own circumstance, the cause couldn't be Cover Flow, because I rarely use it. (Sorry Steve!) It could definitely be related to the 1.02 update, as I had no problems until I updated. If you haven't updated to 1.02, you may want to hold off. If you have, some people recommend restarting it to get it out of its continuous battery-draining spin. Some people simply recommend taking it back to the Apple Store for a replacement.

Over the next few days or weeks, I will be paying careful attention to the classic's power consumption, and I encourage you to comment to this post if and when you experience similar issues. And Apple, I know you're listening: if, as we presume, this is a software problem, please fix it before thousands of poor bastards try to take their classics back to the shop. [Apple Support, iLounge Forums]