Electronic Gadgets

Just another Edublogs.org weblog

How about the cheapest tablet PC? –Cost less than $100

February 22, 2011 by · No Comments · Laptop&Accessories

I plan to buy a tablet PC of affordable price. After researching what I could find there are various Android OS Internet Tablets out there in the prices of more than $150, however, most of them with terrible Reviews of hardware issues. And when I saw the 7″ Notebook WiFi Apad Google Android 1.6 MID Tablet PC , I doubt the quality of the products for the amazing low price of $89.99 only, and finally I decided to bite the bullet and purchase the this unit.

 

I purchased this unit and received my package about a month later (it is really a little long) and I immediately plugged it in to charge the battery (it notified of full charge after 1-1/2 hours). I decided to play with the unit a little, since I could not resist. I will say I was impressed with the quality of the unit; it seems very sturdy and well built. It powered up fine and I found it very easy to navigate thru the functions (both on screen and the case side buttons). Of course, I recommend that you visit pickegg.com and see the detailed product description.

 

 

Especially the touch screen, it functions excellent in my opinion. None of the quirks other mention about this unit or other units being sold. And forget about HAVING to use your fingernail or the stylus to select or scroll. It works great with my finger tip, better than even the stylus. I admit, the finger swipe method to scroll thru lists or menus takes a bit of practice, but that may be only me, because I have never used a touch screen device of this type before, better than expected. Anyway, enough about that, it just works fine.

 

Setting up a wireless connection was simple and effortless (using my own home wireless connection). Surfing the Internet was easy too, once you get used to seeing “mobile device formatted” versions of web pages. All my favorite web pages loaded quickly (I mean fast) and problem free. (For those interested, even Facebook loads and works fine – I tried it). The Ap for Youtube works great as well. Youtube videos load as fast as my desktop PC and of all the 10 or more that I tried, they played without any delay, chopping or buffering. Way better than I expected.

 

Using the Email AP, I set up a POP3 account very quickly and sent and received messages effortlessly (all verified). File transfers to and from my PC went smooth, using the included USB cable.

The included Ebook reader works perfectly too. And, the built in accelerometer works nice. The screen will automatically change from portrait and landscape mode. Battery life is stated to be 7 hours (we will see), with its rechargeable 4000mA battery (a larger capacity than most other brand tablets).

That is my experience with this unit. I purchased it for the small, light form factor (no more clunky laptop), the wireless Internet, Email function, Reader and MP3 player, things I use often on the move (outside on lunch break at work, in bed at night or anywhere in the house or workplace, etc), but hate being tied to a power cord or a heavy laptop. So far, it has shown to serve this purpose with flying colors.

I realize I have not covered everything pertaining to this unit, but I wanted to post a good and a truly honest review for prospective buyers. I hope it will be of help to someone.

I love it and look forward to being productive with it.

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Cell Phone Buying Guide – Several Key Cell Phone Features

January 24, 2011 by · No Comments · cell phones

With all the cell phone products with different style and multiple functions, sometimes it’s hard for someone to pick a great cell phone from others. Well, maybe you should just pay attention to the following several key features of cell phones, you might get some clues about what kind of phone are you looking for.

 Making calls

 This is the basic function all cell phones have, because this is why they are made for at the very beginning. And what you should pay attention here is the voice dialing feature which lets you make calls without using the keypad. It is very convenient when you are with a headphone or when your hands are not available.

 Texting and emailing

 Texting includes SMS and MMS. Normally all the cell phones have the function of SMS, but some don’t have the function of MMS, which allows you to send messages with pictures, audio or video. If you’d like to receive personal or work e-mail on your handset, make sure it supports this feature. Most handsets that support e-mail use a Web interface for accessing your inbox, which can be clunky, but smartphones and high-end models can sync e-mail automatically with your server.

 Camera

 Camera functions are quite handy and useful to take pictures and shoot video clips. Most camera phones now have resolutions of a few megapixels or more, which offer clear pictures or photos. Some cell phones actually do a quite professional job here with all the related features such as photo editors and the video shooting functions. You can see people photo with cell phones everywhere.

 Memory

 With a multimedia phone, large memory is necessary. Some cell phones have been built-in large memory of 2GB or 4GB. And some can support extension card like TF card. This function rocks, you should really pay attention to this function.

 Bluetooth

 This feature lets you wirelessly connect via low-frequency radio waves with external devices, such as a headset for making calls. Some even allows your cell phone to exchange files with other Bluetooth devices.

 Multimedia player

 This feature includes music player and video player. This is a must have function for the multimedia cell phones. People are not satisfied with the basic calling and messaging functions any more. This function meets people’s need for entertainment.

 WiFi

 Wifi allows the cell phone to connect to the Internet when within range of a wireless network connected to the Internet. So if you love to surf the internet on the phone, this is what you should pay attention to.

 Applications and games

 Not every cell phone can have hundreds of applications for choice like iPhone does, but all the high-end cell phones support downloading and running applications and games. For entertainment needs, you should pay attention here.

 GPS

 A cell phone with GPS functions save you from getting lost in a strange city. GPS with directional services is an increasingly popular feature. Verizon Wireless, Sprint, and AT&T offer their own GPS services while other handsets, like the iPhone, use Google Maps.

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Meizu M9 – Best Apple iPhone 4 Replacement from China

January 6, 2011 by · No Comments · cell phones

I bet you won’t feel surprised at all if you see people queuing for Apple iPhone. However, you would be stunned if you see there are so many Chinese queuing up to buy a China Cell Phone, named Meizu M9. All cell phone fans from the country are crazy – they even start their queuing from the middle night before the phone’s launching date. In Huaqiangbei, which is famous for Clone phones manufacturing, more than 1,000 Meizu-lovers waited for their dreamed phone to show up that makes the police close the store in the New Year’s Day in case misery happens. How hot this mobile phone from China is!

No people better than Chinese that familiar with Shanzhai Phone from China. Many of them stay away from Shaizhai as they know how some shoddy goods of these phones performs and are manufactured and how hard to find a reliable mobile phone supplier. But not Meizu. Many Chinese have higher appraisal for the M9 over iPhone 4. In their opinion, all the components of the phone are made by trustworthy, world-famous manufacturers and the whole manufacturing is under strict supervision, so the quality of the phone is rest assured. In comparison, all the Apple iPhone parts are made by different factories which not very familiar by us and Apple is only the one who assemble the phone. Meizu M9 is much better – no wonder it even arouses Apple’s attention and many other brands. Meizu is a brand which makes all Chinese proud.

Have a Glance…

Appearance: Full touch screen bar shaped phone

Measurements: 59.8×113.0×11.2mm

Screen: 3.6 ” touchscreen at 720 × 480 resolution

Screen brand: Sharp ASV

OS: Android (google Android2.2internal core)

Sensor: CMOS

Camera: 5MP camera supporting auto focus and 720 p hifi video record

System: GSM, WCDMA

GSM Network: 850/900/1800/1900MHz

WCDMA: 900/1800/1900/2100MHz

Data transfer: GPRS, EDGE, WCDMA, HSDPA

CPU: Samsung S5PC110

RAM: 512M

ROM: 512M

GPU: Imagination PowerVR SGX540

Audio: Ti

Flash 10: Support

XviD display: Support

SRS surround sound: Support

GPS: Built-in

Compass: Built-in

Bluetooth: Built-in

WLAN: Built-in

WAPI: Support

G sensor: Support

Light Sensor: Support

Micro SD / TF

FM radio: No

Battery: 1350 mAh battery

Color: only black available on the market

Retail Price in China: 2,499 RMB for 8G, 2699RMB for 16G

Summary:

MeizuM9 is a China Cell phone that could be paralleled with Apple iPhone 4. Many people have higher appraisl over the phone than Apple multitouch cell phone.

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Latest Rumors about iPhone 5 & iPad 2

December 28, 2010 by · No Comments · apple accessories

Rumors about iPhone 5 and iPad 2 have never stopped. Latest rumors originated from an analyst at Rodman & Renshaw say that iPhone 5 and iPad 2 will have the dual cores in order to do battle with RIM’s PlayBook tablet and the Android Honeycomb Moto tablet. And Kumar the analyst expected that iPhone 5 would get a similar treatment later in the summer of 2011.

 

“Apple is on track to refresh the iPad by March and iPhone by late summer,” says Kumar. “A key component upgrade across these platforms will be a dual-core processor featuring a pair of 1GHz ARM Cortex A9 cores.” If things really happen as Kumar expected, this would be the first for the ios device. We all know dual cores are awesomely powerful. But will Apple really do this to be the Champaign of the electronics marketplace?

And there’s another rumor about the iPad 2. A Japanese blog Macotakara has managed to have a couple of iPad 2 cases. According to them, iPad 2 will have a flat back and tapered sides like the current iPod Touch. “The volume buttons on the side of the next-generation iPad appear to be of the split style with an oblong form factor as seen on the current iPod touch, as opposed to the rocker buttons used on the current iPad and the round split buttons used on the iPhone 4.” said Macotakara.

 

If you search the internet, I’m sure you would find more rumors about Apple’s due products. It looks like everybody is adding their own needed features to the iphone and ipad. Well, that’s a good thing actually, because maybe Apple is viewing all the rumors for inspiration. (Kidding.)

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Laptop Battery FAQ

December 20, 2010 by · No Comments · Laptop&Accessories

How to identify your laptop battery?

There is usually a label on the battery to help identify. The label information usually includes:

* Voltage of the battery pack

* Capacity

* Chemical construction

What types of battery is common on the market?

The common types are Li-ion (Litdium Ion) batteries, Ni-MH (Nickel Metal Hydride) batteries, and Ni-Cd (Nickel Cadmium). Li-ion (Litdium Ion) is one of the newest cell types, Ni-MH is the most-frequently used and easiest to find on the market, Ni-Cd is one of the oldest cell types which only could be found in the older version laptops.

What is the difference among those three laptop battery types?

Li-ion doesn’t suffer any memory effect. People like this type, as they don’t need spend too much time on their maintenance. Its defect is that their prices are usually higher than other types.

Ni-MH is easy to suffer from memory effect, although it’s cheaper than Li-ion.

Ni-Cd has higher ability to handle higher loads. But they are also infamous for their vulnerability to memory effect.

What is memory effect?

Memory effect refers to a battery which is repeatedly only partially discharged in prior to recharging. The battery “forgets” that it still has some capacity needed to be discharged. If you want to counter this, it’s necessary for you to fully charge and fully discharge once every two to three weeks.

What is a battery cycle?

Cycle life is key in battery applications, for example, notebook batteries and light batteries. One cycle refers to every time a battery is charged and discharged.

How long a full charge needs?

Different batteries have different battery charge length. Common laptop batteries usually charge for about 2 hours. Charge duration relies on the battery itself.

How to care laptop battery?

* Enable the power saving feature while you use your laptop on battery power if possible.

* New battery should be charged and discharged 3-4 times during for the early use.

* Don’t connect the battery to your laptop when you use AC power.

* Calibrate your battery with a full discharge every 30 charges. But fully discharging too frequently shortens the life span of the battery.

* Store in a cool dry place. You could store in the refrigerator, but remember to put it in a sealed plastic bag to keep moisture out.

* If it is too hot outside, don’t forget your laptop or battery in your vehicle.

What is the rating for battery?

V(olts): make sure the new battery voltage is consistent with the original voltage.
mAh (milli-Amp hours,1 mAh=0.001Ah). The higher the number is, the longer the battery would run. Any incompatibilities won’t happen in the process.

For more information about laptop battery FAQ, please read on in my next article.

Summary:

Laptop Battery FAQ. What you should know about the battery of your laptop?

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Invisible Guard Protective Cover for iPad on Time Limited Promotion NOW

December 16, 2010 by · No Comments · apple accessories

No one likes fingerprints and glare on the screen of their devices, especially on the precious iPad. Actually, for ipad, you should protect not only its screen, but also the full body. Invisible Guard is such a popular protective cover that specially made for iPad. Ever since it’s on market, the sale of this ipad accessory has been totally going crazy. And now, PickEgg has sliced its price from $12 to $9 on a time limited promotion.

This protective cover is precisely cut for Apple iPad, which would perfect fit your ipad without any trim. It’s designed with super thin and transparent appearance, looks absolutely invisible that you would forget its existence. Well, it’s true that this invisible shield cover is a little bit more complicated than other screen protectors. You need to let it untouched for about 24 hours after the installation to let it idle. The bubbles would fade away in the wee hours of the waiting time. But the wait really paid off, the invisible shield is as good as advertised. Ok, let’s see how much Invisible Guard can do for your iPad and you.

For the screen

Invisible Guard can prevent the screen and backside from scratching and other damages, reduce glare from sunlight or bright lightning. Anti-static, dustproof, avoid fingerprint on the screen. Protect it from general wear and tear.

For the full body

As a full body protector, it would save your iPad from scratches and everyday dust. It has a great feel which offers an additional nifty grip both at the front and back of the device.

For your eyes

To protect your eyes, it can reduce ultraviolet radiation and light reflex. Also, it would enhance the 3D effect to alleviate the fatigue for your eyes.

If you don’t like any stupid protector cover to fatten your iPad, then this Invisible Guard would be a perfect choice to protect your ipad when it goes naked. At the present price at PickEgg plus the free shipping, it’s definitely a great chance to get one!

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Car DVD Player Buying Guides – Usual Types of Car DVD Players

December 14, 2010 by · No Comments · Car Accessories

Car DVD players boast in popularity. Thanks to advanced technology, their prices are now affordable for the majority of us. A lot of people think that car DVD players do no good to drivers as people who drive need to focus on their attention on driving. Yes, for people who always drive alone, having a car DVD is unnecessary and silly. However, if you travel with your family or friends, these electronic devices matter in killing time effectively. Before you buy such kind of devices, you should have a clear idea about usual types of car DVD players.

In-Dash Car DVDs, including In dash car DVD player no screen, In dash car DVD player with motorized screen and In dash DVD player with screen, are the most frequently used DVDs in the car. It is easy to be installed on any standard dash opening. Some screens are separated from the player and we could install them anywhere possible in the car, for example, the ceiling and the headrest. Featuring great sound and easy-to-control system, most models of this kind are easily expanded to incorporate GPS devices, cameras and so on.

A Ceiling Mount DVD Player is usually more expensive than a portable type. It requires professional installation. As its screen could be up to 10″ or more, this kind of car electronics is ideal for multi-user backseat viewing in larger vehicles like SUVs. Ceiling mount DVD player also helps save space because of it foldable design.

Headrest Style Monitors are perfect for backseat viewing. They require professional installation. The accessory headrest bracket mounts eliminate the need for doing any splicing or dicing to the upholstery. Famous suppliers of headrest style monitors include Saavy, Myron, Vizualogic and so on.

Portable DVD Player is all-in-one entertainment system that offers continuous fun beyond the confines of a vehicle. It is a compact, lightweight, folding DVD player with a clamshell design, offering convenience for bringing out. There is no installation needed. If you want to permanently install the player to the car, you could buy additional mount.

Summary:

If you travel with your family or friends, car DVD players matter in killing time effectively. Their prices are becoming more and more affordable. Before you buy such kind of devices, you should have a clear idea about usual types of car DVD players.

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Should YOU get a new MacBook Air?

December 13, 2010 by · No Comments · apple accessories

Apple have promised to deliver a portable computer that is lighter than the average netbook, this is the new Macbook Air. This new macbook is comparable in size but with much more muscle, at a price which starts at $999. There so many wonderful features, especially the Flash storage, Multi-Touch trackpad, Long battery (5-7hrs, according to Apple) and a high display pixel density have been put forward by Apple. The computer can even stay in sleep mode for up to 30 days according to Apple test. Previous owners of the Macbook Air mainly complained about overheating issues, and now the new one shows that Apple have fixed this issue. And now, the only question is what can you really do with the Macbook Air? Should you get a new macbook air?

I think it is so useless to discuss the topic: “buy / don’t buy”, becuase there are as many uses for computers as there are users. And as a new macbook air user, the help that i can offer is to tell you what can the macbook work for me (and what didn’t), hoping that you can figure out how things would turn out for yourself and decide to buy it or not.

Before I owned this new macbook air, I have bought a powerful desktop PC and a 15″ laptop. Both are my good working assistants when I’m in the office and on a trip. So, this macbook is the third one, I chose the 15″ according to my part of job, I blog, but also do some programming and sysadmin work and I find a 13″ computer is really annoying to work for weeks. Sometimes, I also carry the 15″ laptop for doing something that requires a little bit more muscles, such as a live blog or something similar. But in most of time, I primarily use a desktop to do most of the job.

However, there are really sometimes when I  would typically use a lighter, smaller computer, such as attending a meeting, going for a short trip or when light weight is “critical” (like roaming at CES for 1 week). The work that I do on a macbook are usually simple, but mostly, I need to open/close the laptop a lot, because I want something that boots fast and is relatively quick to resize and watermark high-resolution photos. Now you can see, how I use my computers, what is the macbook air working for me!

If you still do not know that I should get such or such computer. And here, I try to list the most frequent case here, when you have reviewed all these cases, I’ll just assume that you’ve already decided that you can afford to buy it.

You are a student and need a laptop: In this case, I can guess that this computer would be your only/main one. So I would remind you to think about whether you’ll need more storage space for your music, and other media/data. The macbook may have limited storage space.  You might also need to think about how much “portability” do you actually need? And as a student, in most of time, you’re sitting in classes, so the portability maybe not that much necessary. And the Air is usually not a great “main computer”.

You are a gamer: This computer can never be considered as a “gaming” system with the highest quality settings, though you can run games on it.

You are learning programming: You usually need to open more windows and so on, so more screen real estate is necessary…

If you want to do light email, web browsing and Skype: that seems the MacBook Air can accomplish this kind of job in perfect and which is totally capable of handling all that with ease. However, there was the Skype problem, but it is said will be solved shortly hopefully.

You are an executive and would like to go from meeting to meeting: That sounds great for owning a macbook — The only problem is to make sure that IT can set you up with VPN and Exchange. Mac OS X does support Exchange natively, however, entourage for Mac is still considered as awful, although you’re a heavy MS Office user, to install Windows with BootCamp is always needed.

If you just want to buy the air for its cool-looking: I suggest you not, to buy a computer only for its good looks is so silly. The major value of a computer is its software. Make sure that you can work and do whatever you need to do with Mac OS X software. Also, just because a software package exists on Mac and PC, it doesn’t mean that they are identical.

You are a blogger: This might be your best computer for ever, but to be honest, a blog job doesn’t require a whole lot of computing.

Whatever outcome, if you know good or bad points, you CAN make a decision based on use.

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PickEgg New Arrival Sports Arm Band Strap for Ipod Nano 3G

December 8, 2010 by · No Comments · business

There are always some people like to invent some innovative Apple Accessories. Recently, the strap product for iPod is very hot on the market. PickEgg New Arrival Sports Arm Band Straps for Ipod Nano 3G are representative of such products which available in colors of black, pink, green, blue and white.

These Sports Arm Band Straps keep your full-size iPod Nano 3G secure yet accessible whilst you do some sports or take part in outdoor activities like hiking, riding, running, gardening or sky-diving. These small cool gadgets free our hands from iPod bringing, allowing us to maintain the tempo of your lifestyle all the time. The inner lining is soft, so it could shelter your iPod without wearing its corner, sides, back and screen.

The product is designed only for iPod Nano 3G. With so multiple colors available, it is easy for you to locate the strap for her or him. Free shipping is available for such a small sized product. The more you order, the more you will save.

PickEgg also has other kinds of Apple Accessories, including Mac accessories, iPhone accessories and iPad accessories. No matter what kind of accessories you are looking for, from screen protectors to cables, from cases to chargers, you would find here.

Summary:

There are always some people like to invent some innovative Apple Accessories. Recently, an iPod watch strap project has aroused world attention. The strap product for iPod is very hot on the market. PickEgg New Arrival Sports Arm Band Straps for Ipod Nano 3G are representative products which available in colors of black, pink, green, blue and white.

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How to Prolong iPhone 4 Use after One Full Charge?

November 30, 2010 by · No Comments · business

iPhone is the combination of eye-catching appearance and incredible functionality. However, one full charge of your multi touch phone might not last long. Do you want to use your iPhone 4 longer after one full charge? Via some small smart tips, these devices could reach our expectations.

Basic Rules
1. Stick on charging the phone via matched cell phone charger. You’d better not charge your iPhone 4 through USB interface on your PC. Such kind of charging couldn’t fully charge the phone, sometimes, electricity leaking even happens.
2. Use software installed by deb as less frequently as possible and reduce reinstall of some programs which have the same applications. Applications like backgrounder and sbs consume energy quickly.
3. Get used to shutting down the switch when not use your phone.
4. Clean software as frequently as possible. Applications which are not used in 2 weeks could be deleted. You could reinstall when you use them.
5. When close Safari, close all the websites you browse and then click Home.
6. Use up all the energy of your phone then charge your iPhone 4 (Charge the phone unless it automatically turns off.) Although it is not necessary to do like this all the time, we should hold on doing that once a month for maximal electricity quantity proof for our smart cell phones.
7. Don’t use battery package or charger from third party.
8. Stop beautifying where it should stop. The tools used for beautifying occupy internal memory and consume lots of energy.
9. Don’t upgrade your iPhone 4 too frequently.

Basic configuration

1. Carriers: Don’t set signal automatic search. It consumes electricity.
2. Notice: Turn off
3. Sound: Set according to your actual needs.
4. Brightness: Lower setting is recommended. Those who like to stay at home could shut off automatic adjustment function.
5. Wall paper: Pure color could reduce system’s unzip work load when starting up your phone or unblock your phone.
6. Common setting
A. Internet: Open your Wifi, VPN or 3G when necessary.
B. Bluetooth: Close
C. GPS: use when necessary.
D. Automatic Lock: set automatic lock in a very short time, for example, seconds.
7. Mail, address book and calendar:
A. Change your mail status to “inactive” when not in use.
B. Update: turn off.
C. Calendar “Update…”: turn off.
8. iPod: shut off equalizer

High Configuration:

The following operation is recommended to be used in WinSCP as they are not convenient to set up on cell phones. The booting up programs for backstage course (.plist files) are always placed under the category of /System/Library/LaunchDaemon. If there is some course you don’t want to start, you could delete relevant plist files. But before deleting, you should make backup in case you might use the program in the future.

* The following course could be deleted:

1. com.apple.DumpPanic.plist for evaluation of system crash
2. com.apple.DumpBasebandCrash.plist for evaluating band crash
3. 5 .plist files in ReportCrash for collecting system message or system program crash information
4. com.apple.CrashHouseKeeping.plist relevant to program crash
5. com.apple.powerlog.plist for detecting the third party chargers which is incompatible with iPhone.
6. com.apple.tcpdump.server.plist could be deleted if you are not software developer.
7. com.apple.chud.chum.plist

* The following should be chosen to be deleted:
1. com.apple.AddressBook.plist. If you don’t mind the speed of address book loading become slow, you could delete this program.
2. com.apple.accessoryd.plist. If don’t start up this apple accessory course, some auxiliary equipment couldn’t be used like FM radio and AV cable.
3. com.apple.apsd.plist. If this is banned, you will not receive the mail notice by Push.
4. com.apple.dataaccess.dataaccessd.plist which is relevant to Exchange or Google Sync.
5. com.apple.datamigrator.plist for transferring the contact stored in SIM to iPhone smart phone.
6. com.apple.racoon.plist for VPN
7. com.apple.MobileInternetSharing.plist for network share
8. com.apple.AOSNotification.plist for MobileMe.
9. com.apple.AdminLite.plis for stopping some program.
10. com.saurik.Cydia.Startup.plist for deb software installation.

Courses Need Manual Revision
com.apple.itunesstored.plist shouldn’t be banned completely, or you couldn’t use AppStore to install program. But we could revise some part of it, so it would shut down automatically when necessary. How to? Open .plist file, find Code “SuccessfulExit” and revise to “SuccessfulExit”.

After you manage the mentioned courses, the spare memory of iPhone 1 or iPhone3G could reach to 58MB, iPhone3Gs more than 170MB and iPhone 4 is even bigger. The time you use you iPhone after one full charge maximizes.

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