New app promises longer battery life for smartphones

Battery technology has struggled to keep up as new smartphone features and the addition of 3G, GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth take an increasing toll.

Ravensoft's Battery Extender is similar to the power management settings found on most laptops, and can automatically adjust phone settings such as screen brightness or GPS to extend the amount of time between charges.

The application has been developed for Nokia S60 Third Edition devices, and works on most current Nseries and Eseries smartphones.

Battery Extender sits in the background and reacts to battery level changes, although its actions are completely configurable by the user.

The application comes preconfigured with five profiles, from the most conservative 'Maximum Battery' setting down to the 'Improved Battery' option which changes settings only when the battery runs low.

Ravensoft claimed that using Battery Extender based on an average of 35 one-minute interactions every day with the phone, will provide up to 30 per cent longer battery life.

"The more advanced smartphones become, the more people rely on their phone and the more pressure is put on the battery," said Dr Chris Byrne, head of operations and strategy at Ravensoft in the UK.

"Battery Extender works as a solution for people who want to get the most out of their phone's battery between charges."

Battery Extender is available for download at US$14.99 (A$20.61), and Ravensoft offers a 14-day free trial.

It will also be available from Nokia's Ovi online store later this year.

Ravensoft is currently working on a version for Windows Mobile.