Tag: Portable Charger

Pokémon Go gamers shouldn’t leave home without a portable battery charger.

The incredibly popular and newly released AR mobile game Pokémon Go, from Nintendo and Niantic Labs, is a battery killer. Android and iOS smartphone users who have been playing the game have complaining about the drain it’s had on their smartphone batteries. It seems that anyone who wants to play the game on the go might want to have a portable charger with them if they don’t want a dead phone battery.

The game’s drain on a smartphone battery isn’t a big surprise.

Pokémon Go heavily relies on the use of a smartphone’s GPS technology and camera. These are two features that use a lot of power. Furthermore, for the majority of today’s mobile devices, the manufacturing focus has been placed on design and available applications. This means the efficiency required to handle all the new technology and features with which these phones are equipped and their battery life have taken a backseat.

While this wouldn’t matter for many other types of mobile games – as players can shut off certain power-draining features when they’re not needed – Pokémon Go needs these features to function if the player wants the true Pokémon trainer experience. The game relies on the phone’s sensors, camera and location-based algorithms to place Pokémon in real-world locations. As a result, smartphone battery life suffers.

Players who want to “catch ‘em all” may want to invest in a portable charger.

As brutal as Pokémon Go may be on smartphone battery life, the fact remains that this augmented reality (AR) game is popular for a reason. It’s unique, engaging and a lot of fun. Players who want to enjoy this game on the go – as it was meant to be played – may require an external battery charger. A portable charger will not only ensure that players can enjoy the game for longer, but they also won’t have to worry about not having enough juice to make or receive calls, texts or use other applications.

Niantic says it is aware of the game’s battery-drain issue and is working on a solution. However, considering the power-sucking processes on which the game relies, it is not yet clear how the company will be able to address the issue. Until then, for Pokémon Go players, a portable charger seems to be the next best solution.

Security experts claim that plugging your mobile device into a public charging station could lead to a cyber attack.

Mobile users who are concerned about smartphone security might want to think twice before they plug their mobile device into a public computer or charging station. According to security experts from Kasperksy Lab, these practices could lead to hackers stealing personal data.

Computers communicate and share information.

Most smartphone or tablet users wouldn’t give plugging their mobile device into a free public charging station a second thought.

However, what some users don’t realize is that every time they plug in their phone, data is transferred between their smartphone and the charger or computer. As soon as the connection is made, information is shared claims Kaspersky Lab researchers.

The amount of data that is shared between devices varies depending on the manufacturer. For instance, data that may be shared includes: the name of the device, the model and manufacturer, firmware information, serial number, and even its electronic chip ID.

That being said, all devices will transfer the same basic information: device manufacturer, device name and serial number. Unfortunately, this is enough information for a hacker to breach a person’s smartphone security, break into their device and steal personal information, according to the researchers.

Improving smartphone security will help to reduce the risk of cyber attacks.

The sad truth in regard to smartphone cyber attacks via public charging methods is that the hacker doesn’t actually need to be an expert to corrupt a device.

Alexey Komarov, a Kaspersky Lab researcher, explained that “if you’re a regular user you can be tracked through your device IDs; your phone could be silently packed with anything from adware to ransomware.” Komarov added that “you don’t even have to be highly-skilled in order to perform such attacks, all the information you need can easily be found on the Internet.”

While a disturbing thought, there are a few things mobile users can do to improve their smartphone security such as:

• Use only trusted computers and USB charging points when charging a device
• Purchase a personal external battery charger for charging a device when on-the-go
• Secure the phone with a password or fingerprint scanner.
• Never unlock the phone while it’s charging
• Install an antivirus app that is able to detect malware
• Protect data with encryption technologies