Pokemon Go: Battery Saving Guide, Gameplay Tips and Tricks

Pokemon Go: Battery Saving Guide, Gameplay Tips, and Tricks

If you have been anywhere near the internet over the weekend, you have more than likely heard about the Pokemon Go frenzy that has taken the country by storm. It is a new mobile game that allows you to catch little creatures called Pokemon. The game uses the location feature of your smartphone to show you where all of the creatures are. Over the weekend people have traveled all over their neighborhoods, their cities, and their world searching for these elusive Pokemon.

 While the game is great and has created a frenzy not seen in a very long time, its impact on your battery life is immense. It is not unlikely for you to burn through 20% of your battery life in only a few minutes. We decided that we needed to put together a guide to help you get the most out of your battery and keep you catching rare Pikachu all day and night long.

In-App Battery Saving

• The first way to improve the battery drain of your Pokemon Go is actually found in the game settings
• First, click on the Pokeball icon on the middle bottom of the screen.
• Up in the right corner will be a settings icon, tap that.
• In the settings, there is an option to enable battery saving mode. Click this to improve your battery life.
• You can also turn off the vibration function or sound to further improve battery life.

General Phone Saving Tips

• Location services can be a huge battery drain. When you finished each Pokemon Go playing session, you should turn off your location settings. You can do this on most phones by pulling down from the top and tapping the location icon, or you can also turn this off in your settings control panel. There are apps you can download that lets you add a widget and turn this off in one tap.
• Brightness settings can also be a huge drain on battery life. We recommend you keep your brightness settings at around 50-75% for the best results. (Daytime outdoor hunting might still require a bit more brightness.
• Another huge battery drain for smartphones is data connection switches. When your data is on, it is always going in and out of connectivity. Turn off your data when you are not using it to greatly conserve battery life. Doing this will greatly reduce your Pokemon Go battery drain in between play sessions.

*Do not worry your phone calls and text messages will still come through even with your mobile data turned off.

 

Battery Solutions

Power banks and Portable Chargers

We now offer G-Fast Quick Charge Power Banks and other charging accessories that can charge your fast faster than ever. Perfect for recharging for a second Pokemon Go session, or to plug in while you hunt for legendary Pokemon like Lugia, Zapados, or Molteres.

Extended Life Phone Batteries:

An extended battery offers you twice the power of a traditional cell phone battery and can be easily installed. You can find extended batteries for a wide variety of Android smartphones. This will ensure you that you will not miss out on those extra Poke Balls, or hard to find Geo Dude.

LG G3 Extended Life Battery

LG G4 Extended Life Battery

Galaxy S3 Extended Life Battery

Galaxy S4 Extended Life Battery

Galaxy S5 Extended Life Battery

Note 2 Extended Life Battery

Note 3 Extended Life Battery

Note 4 Extended Life Battery

Extra Removable Batteries

Another simple solution for Pokemon Go battery life is carrying a second battery with you to swap out when one battery dies. You can find affordable removable replacement batteries as well as charging kits that allow you to charge a second battery while it is out of your phone. You can find these batteries and charge kits for a variety of Android Smartphones.

LG G3 Battery Charging Kit Two Pack

LG G4 Battery Charging Kit Two Pack

Galaxy S4 Battery Charging Kit Two Pack

Galaxy S5 Battery Charging Kit Two Pack

Note 2 Battery Charging Kit Two Pack

Note 3 Battery Charging Kit Two Pack

Note 4 Battery Charging Kit Two Pack

Pokemon Go Gameplay Tips

• You can actually choose Pikachu as your starter just run away from the first choices, and after the fourth time the game tries to follow you, Pikachu will be available.
• Nothing tracks especially your steps while you are away from the app except your consumables so you will have to enter the app each time.
• Eggs are a good way to get Pokemon, utilize them the best way that you can.
• Tossing Poke Balls is important too. Try to toss from the bottom of the screen to the top. The green circle that shows up on the Pokemon shows how difficult the capture is going to be.
• Use incense and lures to really get the Pokemon out of hiding.
• Lastly, you might be doing a bit of walking so wear comfortable shoes, and a comfortable outfit to make sure that if you can’t catch them all, you can catch a good majority of them.

What is G Fast Quick Charge?

G-Fast Quick Charge Guide?

Once you’ve used G-Fast Quick Charging you will never go back to your original charger again. But what exactly is Quick Charge and what does it really mean for the average user?

We put together this guide to help you learn more about G-Fast Quick Charge, find out if your device supports Quick Charge, how to maximize the charging speeds, charging techniques, and more.

Let’s start with the Quick Charge basics:

Here are the charging speeds of several different types of chargers:

Standard Phone Charger

Charges at 1A or 1000mAh (Used for older iPhone and Android Devices

Tablet Charger

Most tablets charge at a 2.0A or 2000mAh Rate

1st Generation Quick Charge

The first generation of Quick Charge charges at 2.4A or 2400mAh as you can see this is twice as fast as a standard charger.

G-Fast Quick Charge

Our newest charging technology. Charges at 3.0A or 3000mAh.

“I’ve Never See Charging Speeds so High”

-Vegeta describing Quick Charge speeds

Adaptive G-Fast Quick Charge

3000mAh is a lot of battery charging power to be moving through your smartphone. Not only that, but not every smartphone is G-Fast Quick Charge compatible.

That is where Adaptive Quick Charging technology can help. All of our G-Fast Quick Charge Chargers feature a special chip that will adjust the charging voltage to quickly and safely charge the device as fast as possible, even if it is not Quick Charge compatible. For Quick Charge phones when your battery is closer to 0 it will charge super-fast and slow down charging speeds as your device reaches 100%.

This protects against overcharging, overheating, and promotes overall battery health.

Taking Advantage of G-Fast Quick Charge

G-Fast and other Quick Charge technologies are best used when your battery is close to dying. It will charge the fastest from 0%-50% after that the device charging speeds will get slower to safely and efficiently charge your device. This also protects your device from potential damage and will increase the lifespan of your battery.

It is not unlikely that you can charge from 0-50% in as little as 30 minutes. Charging from 80 to 100% will not charge as fast but still way faster than a regular charger.

What Phones Support G-Fast Quick Charge

Nexus, LG G4, LG G5, LG G6, LG V10, LG V20, Droid Turbo, Droid Maxx, Moto X, HTC One, HTC A9, Xperia X2, Xperia X3, Asus Zenfone, HTC 10, Note 4, Note 5, Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Plus, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy S7/Edge, Galaxy S8 (+), select Xiaomi phones and more. Check your device manual for compatibility.

Gorilla University: Improve Smartphone Battery Life Hacks, and Battery Safety

Improve Smartphone Battery Life: Tips to Extend the Life of your Phone Battery

Danger Zones for your Phone and Battery

 Back Pocket or the bottom of a book bag:

This is a terrible place to keep your phone and your battery. Sitting on your phone can cause a flex in the device which could damage the screen and internal battery components of your device.

Glove Compartment/Dashboard Mount:

This one should be self-explanatory, but a hot car, or even in some cases a really cold car, is a bad place for a battery. This can cause overheating, which can damage your battery and the internal components of your phone.

Your beach towel:

Wrapping up your smartphone in your beach towel is not an effective way of taking care of your cell phone battery. This not only makes the battery hot but can limit ventilation which makes the battery even hotter. This is a surefire way to damage your battery.

Near metallic objects:

Cell phones and their batteries can touch metal, that is perfectly acceptable, however, constant storage of your phone next to keys or other metallic objects is asking for damage to your device.

Battery Charging Safety

The most overlooked aspect of cell phone battery care is in the charging techniques. Overheating accidents actually happen more often during the charging process. While charging your battery, try to not use the device while it is charging as this can cause uneven charging. Light browsing and general usage should be acceptable, but playing a CPU intensive game while charging is not recommended. There are a wide variety of portable chargers out there so make sure you have the right one.

Battery Charging Tips

Tip 1:

If you are going to be charging your device all night long, make sure it is placed in a well-ventilated area.

Tip 2:

Make sure you are using a compatible charger. Incompatible chargers are one of the leading causes of malfunction.

Tip 3:

Check your battery regularly for damage or bulging. A damaged battery is a dangerous battery. You should check your battery at least once a month.

Tip 4:

You should charge your cell phone battery when it gets to around 20% instead of 0% if possible. Letting a battery fully discharge all the way to 0% all of the time is not healthy for the Lithium Ion Cells. There are portable battery pack chargers available so that you can charge your phone wherever you are.

Tip 5:

If you encounter any problems with your battery a simple cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol brushed against the battery coils on top can fix most battery problems.

Hacks for Better Phone Battery Life

Location Services

Your phone has a feature called “location services”. This function is used to tell your phone and applications where you are. This is used for GPS and driving directions applications. However, this is also used for location based services for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Yelp, and Tinder (if that’s your thing).

Most people know that, but what you don’t know is that these apps use your location all day long, and that really kills your phone’s battery life. 
Turning this function off when you are not using it will greatly improve your battery life.

Task Killers

Task killers are a great way to make sure an app isn’t running when you don’t want it to. On the Google Play Store, there are hundreds of task killers promising you the world. However, most of those will not really improve your battery life the way you expect them to.

There are two that we really love. Our two favorite task killers are Greenify and Cleanmaster. These apps also work great on Android tablets.

Greenify is an application that can hibernate applications that run in the background. There is at least ten application running in the background of your phone that you don’t know about at any given time and that greatly affects battery life. Some task killers kill apps, just to have them reopen themselves after a while, Greenify prevents this. You can expect at least a 30% increase in battery life with this great app.

Cleanmaster is a very useful app that speeds up your phone by cleaning your cache. Your phone’s cache is used to make apps that you frequently use load faster by keeping their activities saved on your phone. This is a very useful function but after the cache builds up, can slow your phone to a crawl. Clearing this cache regularly can speed up you device up to 60%. We suggest using the Lite Version of CleanMaster due to the fact that the application is smaller in size and also requires less of your phone’s memory to run.

Social Media
Official Applications

You may or not already know this, but the Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram official applications are one of the most battery draining applications on your smartphone. They are secretly running on your device at all times. However, there are alternatives to the official social media apps that offer you almost all of the same functionality in a lighter easy to manage package.

Social Media Official App Alternatives

Metal for Facebook and Twitter is one of our favorite applications of all time. This app lets you access both Facebook and Twitter at the same time. It offers all of the functionality of the official apps but none of the battery drain. The layout looks very close to the official apps, and notifications are functional as well. This has made a massive difference in battery life and it isn’t unlikely that my LG G4 with an extended battery installed gets close to 48 hours of battery life with these battery saving strategies.

Social Lite, This is another great application that allows you to access, your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn accounts with no privacy invading permissions or battery draining useless features

Push Notifications

The general public has a love-hate relationship with Push Notifications. What is a Push Notification, you ask? These are those little messages that pop up telling you about a Facebook comment, or that your hearts are filled on Candy Crush, or even when a new email enters your inbox. While some people like to know right away when they have a life refill in a game, or need to check every email the second it hits their inbox. Many of us actually find them annoying. They are a huge culprit of battery drain. Lucky for you, you can actually turn off these annoying notifications individually. In each individual app settings control panel, you will find a “Push Notifications” setting. Just un-check that box and you are done. You can also turn off auto app updates and push notifications in the Play Store and Apple Store in the settings. Doing this can improve your battery life up to 40%.

App Sync

Many people love the ability to sync all of their devices. This allows them to see the same information whether they are using their phone, their tablet or their PC. However, constantly syncing app data all day long can have a huge negative effect on your battery life. Turning off automatic sync on your device will greatly improve battery performance. You can still manually sync your data periodically. Just go into your account settings and tap on your Google, or Apple account and you should see sync options.

Great Tip to Speed up an Aging Android Phone (or Any Android Phone in general)

This is a great way to speed up your aging Android or even your new Android device. It is relatively simple.

Step 1: Enable Developer Options

               *To do this go into your settings–Then go to the “about” section. Go to where it says “build number” and tap it 7 times.

               **This will enable the Developer Tools options

Step 2: Change Animation Scale

            *In the Developer Options panel you will find 3 settings called “Window Animation Scale” “Transition Animation Scale” and “Animator Duration Scale”

               **These three options will have a default setting of 1.0x

               ***Change all of these options to 0.5x

               ****You will notice a huge speed increase when you navigate around your phone in the app drawer, homepages, and in the overall browsing experience.

Thanks for reading, we hope this guide helps both your battery and your smartphone last for years.

Gorilla Tech Smackdown: Wireless V.S Wired Charging

Gorilla Gadget’s Tech Smackdown:

Wireless Charging Vs. Traditional Wired Charging

Wireless charging has really become popular over the last year. There is a lot to love about Qi wireless charging, but USB charging has a bit of a head start when it comes to charging prowess. In the first ever Gorilla Gadget’s Tech Smackdown, these two charging types are the first two combatants to hit our ring.

We are going to base this Smackdown on the three most important factors, convenience, charging speeds, and the “cool” factor.

Will Qi Wireless layeth’ the smacketh down on wired charging, or will the experienced veteran get the pin?

Tale of the Tape

USB/Wired Charging

Basic Requirements: 

-Compatible charging cables

-A wall charger, power bank, or another charger

Stats

Charging speed range: 1A-3.4A

Quick Charge 3.0: Yes

Types of charging cables:

Micro USB

Lightning

USB 3.0.

Type C

Other phone exclusive cables

Available for all devices: Yes

Can you use device while charging: Yes

Qi Wireless Charging

Basic Requirements: 

-Wireless compatible phone, or wireless charging adapter or charging case

-A Qi Wireless phone charging pad or power bank

Stats

Charging speed range: 3W-3000W

Quick Charge 3.0: no

Types of charging: 

Inductive (close range used in Qi Charging)

Resonance (Mid-Range, still not widely available)

RF (Long range, still being tested)

Available for all devices: No

Can you use device while charging? 

No (you can on some charging stands but it’s not easy)

 

 

Smackdown Round 1: Charging Convenience

Let’s start with wired charging.

Wired Charging

Pros:

• Easy to find accessories: Micro USB has become pretty universal on a lot of Android devices and it’s easy to find affordable cables and chargers pretty much anywhere
• Not only is it easy to find wired accessories, there are also a wide variety of different types including power banks, wall chargers, charging stands, car chargers, and even wireless speakers that can charge your phone
• Ease of use and familiarity: Chances are you have been charging with your USB of Lightning cable now for as long as you’ve owned a cell phone. There is something to say about being familiar with the technology. As they say, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Cons:

1. Having to carry around different cables for different phones
2. Always having to seek out the nearest wall outlet at an airport, at home with your family, or at work
3. Frayed or damage charging ports, or cables

Qi Wireless Charging

Pros:

1. Super easy to use, just plop it on the charger and it starts charging.
2. No tangled-up wires, or searching for the right cable for the right device
3. Cleaner charging: You can be charging your phone without long cables hanging out of your pocket, while on your commute, or on your desk or kitchen counter.
4. No frayed wires, worn out or damage charging ports

Cons:

1. Not widely available, more and more new phones are getting the technology but the majority of devices do not support Qi Wireless Charging.
2. Even the adapters and wireless charging case available to give you this charging capability are sometimes hard to install, or to find.
3. Finding compatible chargers is more difficult to do, especially in public places like libraries, airports, and coffee shops.

Round 1 Results: While both of these charging types have their advantages, and disadvantages they each have aspects that cancel each other out. So, we are going to call this round a tie.

Winner: Draw

Round 2: Charging Speed 

Wired Charging

Pros: 

1. USB charging speeds have drastically increases in the last year or so. Original cell phone chargers would only charge at 1A=1000mAh or less, but now there are chargers that can charge at 3.4=3400mAh or higher. These new fast chargers can charge in minutes what use to take hours.
2. Smart Charging Chips: The newest chargers and smartphones, have internal chips that safely control the voltage that flows through your phone to prevent overheating, overcharging, and damage to your battery for smartphone.
3. With the newest Quick Charge technology, you can power up your phone in the take it takes to commute to work. Not bad, in our opinion.

Cons:

1. Since Quick Charge technology is still relatively new, we will have to see what long term effects fast charging can have on your smartphone or cell phone battery.
2. A lot of mobile devices do not support quick charge, so these faster charging speeds only apply to a select few.

Qi Wireless Charging

Pros:

1. This technology is quickly improving: Some of the earliest Qi Wireless Chargers only charge at 0.5A or less. But in the last year or so they have drastically improved, getting closer and closer to standard wired charging. (Not anywhere near Quick Charge USB however)
2. Bet on the future: Some experts think this technology will be standard across all devices in the future. This means the best and brightest are working to improve wireless charging speeds every day.

Cons:

1. Still nowhere near the charging speeds of Quick Charge USB.
2. Due to the nature of this type of charging, heat is a factor. That is why speeds have to remain so low
3. You’d have to be sitting at a Starbucks a very long time, to get the same charge you would with a USB charger.

Round 2 Results: While both of these charging types have seen their charging, speeds increase dramatically in the last year or two, wireless charging just can’t compete with Quick Charge USB.

Winner: Wired Charging

Round 3: The “Cool” Factor

Wired Charging

Charging your smartphone in under an hour can be pretty cool depending on who you ask. Not everybody is a technology nerd like we are. In fact, many would argue that simply plugging a cable into your phone is not the most exciting and coolest thing out there.

Most of us have been charging our phones with a cable for decades now. Old news.

For the “cool factor” we are basing our battle on if you pull a random not tech savvy person off the street and show them your phone charger, would they think it was “cool” or interesting. No matter how much we tried, the majority of people just didn’t get too excited about wired charging.

Qi Wireless Charging

We found that the opposite was true in terms of wireless charging. There’s something futuristic and some might say “cool about wireless charging. The people we showed this technology to were immediately interested and wanted to know more about it. One of the most common questions were does my phone already have it, and how can I get wireless charging.

Nobody seemed to care about how it works, how fast it works, or how easy it is, they just had to have it.

Round 3 Results: While we think both charging types are pretty “cool” there was a clear winner in this round.

Winner: Wireless Charging

Match Results

Nobody likes a tie, but after looking at both of these charging types, it’s really hard to pick a winner. It really comes down to the individual user. If you have to have the coolest new tech, then wireless charging is perfect. If you could care less about cool and just want something functional than USB charging is for you.

It’s not about which one is better, but which one is right for you. The both offer a great phone charging experience. It’s kind of like Apple vs. Android they both offer a great experience it just depends on what type of smartphone user you are, and how you embrace technology.

Laser Pointer Safety Guide and FAQ

Laser Pointer Safety: FAQ and Proper Usage

Laser pointers are fun, yet powerful gadgets, but they can cause serious eye or skin damage, and be a distraction to planes and other vehicles if used improperly. It is important to be sure you use your laser pointer safely and responsibly. 

Laser Pointer FAQ:

Q: What are the biggest problems with laser pointers due to misuse?

1)  Laser pointers can interfere with aircraft and the pilot’s ability to see. They distract and disorient pilots.

2)  Laser pointers have also cause motor vehicle accidents when drivers were blinded by the beam of a laser pointer.

3) They can also cause eye and skin damage if used improperly.

 

Laser Pointer Hazard Distance Chart

Q: What does “mW” mean?

A: “mW” stands for milli-watt and it a measurement of how much power the laser pointer. It will tell you not only how bright the laser is, but also the laser pointer’s range

Q: What do people use laser pointers for?

A: There are several uses for laser pointers, the first being astronomy. You can use the laser to point out stars, planets, and constellations. You can also use it as a visual aid in presentations, or classroom situations. Others sometimes just use them to mess with their pets.

Q: Why are laser pointers dangerous to planes and vehicle operators?

A: There are three types of visual hazards that are caused by laser pointers.

Temporary Flash Blindness

Like having a camera flash directly in your eyes. You will not be able to see until the afterimage fades.

Glare and Disruption

 You cannot see past the light glare until the light stops. The glare is bright enough to disrupt normal operations.

Distraction

 You are distracted by a steady or flashing laser light that is significantly brighter than other normal light sources such as city lights and airport runway marker lights. These types of disturbances might not blind you but can be a mental distraction for pilots, and drivers on the road.

 *A 5 mW Laser can cause a distraction up to two miles away

*a 125 mW laser can cause a distraction up to 11 miles away

Q: What is the most powerful a laser pointer can legally be?

A: Laser pointers within the range of 1 mW and 5 mW are the only laser pointers that are legally allowed. Anything higher than that the lasers are too powerful and can cause both eye and skin irritation.

Q: What is the difference between laser pointer classes?

A: Each class refers to the strength of the laser. Only Class 3 is legal, anything above is considered dangerous and illegal.

Click Here to see the Laser Pointers we offer.

 

Tech Gift Ideas For Dads

“When you’re young, you think your dad is Superman. Then you grow up, and you realize he’s just a regular guy who wears a cape.”

As we get older we start to realize just how much our Dads were right. Just as they slowly realized that their Dads were right. So what do you get for the man that had such an impact in your life? Each year we struggle to find just the right gift for the man who gave us life. After a great deal of research, we put together a gift guide to get him the best gifts in tech, fashion, and overall “manliness.”

The old Father’s Day standby gift was a new razor. But there is a new way to get him the razors he needs all year long. With Dollar Shave Club, you can get Dad razors sent to his doorstep each month all year. You can customize each package to whatever dear old Dad might need.

For the tech loving Dad, you can get him an Obsidian Wireless Speaker. This is not just a standard Wireless Bluetooth Speaker. The Obsidian speaker is a vibration speaker that turns any surface into a speaker. This speaker has 36 explosive Watts of power making it the perfect addition to Dad’s garage, to play in the backyard, or to accent his man cave. For the super techie Dad, you can get him the Fahari Qi Wireless Charger or a Wireless Charging Adapter Case. Dad can charge his smartphone by simply placing it on a wireless pad, no wires, no hassle. To protect your Father’s device from the inevitable falls you can get him a protective case. With a virtual reality headset Dad can retire early and just play golf all day everyday (Virtually)

Your Dad might think he is still cool and hip on all of the latest fashion trends, however, you might need to give him a little help. I know American Eagle might be a little dimly lit and has a bad reputation but they do make a great shirt. Check out this Hawaiian Print Shirt that combines the quintessential Dad style with a hip new edge that will make him the talk of the neighborhood BBQ. Dad has worked hard to support you and the rest of your family for all these years let him relax in style with some of the best Shearling Slippers he has ever put on his feet. If there is one thing that most Dads love and that is a cold beer. These Beer Chilling Coasters keep your brew cold. If your Dad is a home brewer or just really loves beer you can get him a personalized growler and pint glass set. Our Fathers have done so much for us, lets show him we care with a gift that he will actually use.

My Power Saving Travel Solutions

Lately, there’s been a lot of talk around smart travel solutions. What happens when you really don’t have access to consistent electricity, fear of power surges, etc? Do you have to lug your computer around to charge your phone? With smart phones with increasingly better cameras is there even a reason to bring a camera?

 

I recently took a trip through the Thai jungle with only a backpack, carrying a netbook a couple changes of clothes, my Galaxy S3 phone and a Nikon DSLR. For the entire 2.5 weeks, I was stuck in torrential rain, inconsistent electricity, and far away from first world conveniences.

 

Too afraid to damage my Nikon, I relied 95% of the time on my Galaxy S3 to take photos, as it was smaller, easier to keep dry and I was less afraid of minor water damage. The phone was also much less precocious allowing me to take great natural images of villagers without disrupting their daily life. As an amateur photographer more interested in living the culture than the images, it was perfect.

 

The hardest part was keeping the battery charged the whole time. Over my many trips, I’ve found 2 rather elegant battery solutions. The first is making use of a couple Gorilla extended batteries. The batteries last at least twice as long as regular batteries and traveling with a back-up and wall charger means that whenever I’m in a café, a hostel or a hotel, I just plug one into the wall to charge as backup while the other is chillin’ in my phone. This has worked awesome for me especially traveling through urban areas using my primary smart phone.

 

Often when I travel to developing countries, I use a cheap travel phone for calling and my smart phone for internet and camera capabilities. For this reason, I like using power banks or external batteries. I can connect it to any device, phone or tablet and can recharge the average phone battery 3 times.

 

On my Thailand trip, this was my solution. I actually took the smallest external battery, the Uhuru 2800mAh, mostly because it was light, and a wall charger. Whenever I had the chance, I’d recharge the external battery in preparation for the 24-48 hours of no electricity. Blindly following a village leader trekking from one place to the next, I was worried about a lot of things: food, malaria, where I’d sleep, broken shoes, wet clothes etc. but it was nice not worrying about whether or not I’d have enough battery to capture awesome moments like these.

 

Tricia

 

What is Wireless Qi Charging?

Wireless Charging Technology

Mobile wireless technology has been moving faster than a dozen doughnuts in the office break room. It seems like every day we hear the announcement of the latest and greatest mobile tech gadget. Screens are pushing pixels to the limits of what the human eye can even see. Processors that allow you to do hundreds of things at the same. Batteries that charge in 30 minutes. No matter what the innovation or what the newest tech toy is it’s almost impossible to keep on top of it all.

What is Wireless Charging?

One of the newest and most exciting technological advancements has been charging technologies. Batteries now charge faster than ever and last longer than ever. The most exciting aspect of this wireless revolution is wireless charging. You may or may not have heard about wireless charging, but we believe that wireless charging will be the standard in the future. What is wireless charging you ask? First we’ll give the technical definition and then we’ll show you what wireless charging really means for home use, consumer use, transportation, wearable tech and so much more.

The Father of Wireless Charging Nikola Tesla

Wireless charging, also referred to as induction charging is the process of the charger emitting alternating currents through a coil that transmits the voltage to the receiver coil, that creates an electromagnetic field between the two devices that, in turn charges your device. The magnetic field “creates” electricity through the difference of potential and vibration. The first inkling of wireless charging technology started with a man named Nikola Tesla. Nikola Tesla first discovered that you could transfer power between to object through an electromagnetic field. This is the same theory that traditional wall chargers use. Now that the textbook definition is over let’s explain that in some more accessible terms. With wireless induction charging all you have to do is place your device on the charging plate and charge away. There are no specialized USB cables to connect and no wires to untangle. You can even charge your devices wirelessly through phone cases.

Wireless Qi Charging

There is a term floating around in the wireless charging industry is “Qi charging.” Qi charging is the global standard for many smartphones that allows you to charge your device via induction charging. With this new technology, it’s natural for questions to arise. Questions like, where can I use Qi wireless charging? How long does it take to charge my device through Qi charging? Is Qi charging dangerous? Right now you can charge your device on a wireless Qi charging pad, or other wireless charging bank. But just like Wifi Hotspots, Qi is going to be found everywhere, in hotels, airports, train stations and your local coffee shop. You may have actually seen these devices pop up at your local Starbucks. There are new quick charging wireless pads being released all the time, but at the moment the chargers are only able to charge at 1 amp, which is a little slower than most traditional wall chargers. This will soon change as technology advances. Charge times will vary by device but will always be improving. The device emits non-ionizing radiation which is not harmful to humans so it is completely safe.

Wireless Charging Cases

Do I have Wireless Charging on my Device?

Wireless charging is a new technology, so at the moment only the latest smartphones will support it. However, there are wireless charging adapter cards, or even wireless charging cases, that can quickly add the function to your smartphone. We strongly believe that wireless charging will be the new standard for charging. If your device supports it try it, or pick up a case or adapter and see for yourself how cool this new technology really is. It’s so awesome to be able to sit down for lunch place your charging pad on the table, and start charging your phone. No wires, no plugs, no hassle. There is something satisfyingly futuristic about it.

Wireless Charging Cases for iphones

The Future of Wireless Charging: Real Life Applications

You have heard what wireless charging means for the individual user, but there are much greater applications for how you interact with your world. First widespread application of this technology can be seen in the field of transportation. Imagine charged highways that can charge your car, train or bus just by driving over it. Watch new vehicles powered entirely by this type of induction charging, and being controlled by power electromagnets. The next application would be in the medical field. Medical devices can be powered with no wires. This can limit contamination and limit the physical hazards of typical medical battery packs. The last place where wireless charging will make an impact will be with wearable technology and traditional battery charging. Charging your watch is something that is new in the world of timepieces. With wireless charging you could just throw your watch on your nightstand like you usually do, but this time be charging it at the same time. Secondly, we all know that one drawer in our house that is filled with junk, whether it be tape, plastic bags, staples, small tools and other things like that. But one thing that drawer in your house always has is AA and AAA batteries that power your remotes, your smoke detectors and other devices. Imagine being able to charge these batteries wirelessly allowing you to clean out that junk drawer.

Charge your vehicle by driving over it, or roads powered by the sun.

Gorilla Gadgets Technology for the Urban Jungle

FAQ

How long should my battery last?

Our extended battery are double the capacity of your original battery. So you will generally receive 2 times the capacity as the standard battery with the same amount of use.

How to maximize the extended battery potential?

To get the full extent of your new battery please follow the conditioning cycles.

How long should I charge my battery for?

Depending on the size of your battery we recommend 9 to 10 hours of consecutive charging. If your battery is 4500mah or higher you would want to charge your battery for at least 10 hours.

Why is my battery not fully charged?

There could be many reasons your battery is not fully charging. The most common is not allowing the battery the full length needed to fully charge. Batteries 4500mah or higher would need to charge for 10Hr. If you can not fully charge your battery after 10+ hours please contact us via email at nancyp@gorillagadgets.com or by phone at 1-888-663-5998

My battery has a bulge in the middle. What does this mean?

There are a few reasons for this. If your battery is over a year old it could mean your battery is seeing its last days. If you’ve only had it for several months it could be due to improper charging. If you are still within warranty please contact nancyp@gorillagadgets.com. For proper battery care please refer to this link.