It isn’t exactly a secret that a large number of iPhone owners have become somewhat disgruntled since the public launch of iOS 5 in October due to the fact that it brought with it some significant battery drain issues. The latest public release of the firmware is currently sitting at version 5.1.1, with the first developer seed of iOS 6 being in the wild, but the battery issues still haven’t been entirely eliminated.
So what is the solution to these power consumption woes? Just to sit tight and wait for Apple to finally get it right with a software update? Some may see that as an option while others go down a different route by turning the display brightness right down or killing apps from the switcher tray in the hope that it uses less power. If neither of those things suit you, then AMP Labs have launched the Carat application into the App Store that claims to provide the required solutions to those power-based iOS nightmares.
It is worth noting, first of all, that the app doesn’t have any privileged access to the device’s battery, but instead provides recommendations tailored to each device by collecting usage samples and logs from whenever the application is launched. The software works on the basis of collecting information from various aspects of the hardware, collating that info server side and delivering personalized recommendations back to the user about how they can improve the iPhone battery life.
The most alarming thing on first launch of the application is the requirement to accept a bunch of scary notices about data collection, but rest easy in the fact that the information is used purely to collate the results needed to make power-saving recommendations. When used for a period of seven days, with a decent amount of sample data sent to the AMP team, the Carat application offers the following benefits to users:
- The display of device specific information that lets users know exactly what information is being recorded and to check that it is accurate.
- Listed recommendations that outline details of how users can improve their battery life with forecasts of the improvements.
- Information centered entirely around installed applications that are using a lot of battery power and whether or not alternative device models suffer from the same issue.
- Comprehensive statistics reporting that shows graphs and charts of CPU and power usage.
- A J-Score rating that lets users know how their device is scored against other users.
It may seem a little strange to install an app to report on other applications that could be using power recklessly, but with a lower battery consumption overheard, the Carat app certainly seems to offer improvements. After investing the initial few days to allow the application collect data, power-saving suggestions should certainly help improve the device. Of course, an alternative measure is simply to carry a USB charging cable with you everywhere you go.
Download Carat for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad [iTunes Link]
(via TechCrunch)
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