It’s no secret that cell phone batteries typically suck, sometimes not even lasting us until we get home in the evening. What’s the secret to good battery life? The general rule of thumb is that if your phone is doing anything, your battery power is being drained. And if you’re doing something fun on your phone, you can bet your battery meter will be running low shortly. This means photos, games, and web surfing will all impair your battery’s performance significantly more than regular use. So what are some steps you can take to maximize your battery life without sacrificing the fun? Read on for 10 things you can do to increase your phone’s battery life:

The NYRIUS Global Talking Translator offers 8400 programmed phrases in 12 languages. The unit has a speaker so that it can say the phrases for you in the language you choose. In emergencies, this could be quite helpful since you wouldn’t need to worry about miscommunication due to mispronunciation.

The form factor is small — small enough to fit in a shirt or pant pocket. However, the sacrifice for such a convenient size is the lack of a keyboard to type in phrases, leaving you tied to the unit’s less than convenient menu tree of phrases. Access to the menus is via dedicated buttons on the unit, such as Emergency, Transportation, and Restaurants. The unit does come with a paper reference guide that maps the phrases by the menus. Finding a phrase this way is a bit quicker than doing it through the unit, but it means you’ve got one more thing to bring with you. More after the break.

One of the main complaints you see with the Kindle, or just about any eBook reader is the lack of an available backlight. That means it becomes the task of third party accessory makers to fill in that gap. The latest accessory comes in the form of a Lighted Folio from Periscope. The Lighted Folio more »