How do we keep our batteries from running dry? Where is the best signal in the school? Should we use the WiFi or a carrier’s internet? These just some of the big questions phone users have here at HBHS.

Let’s start with batteries. If you play games on your phone in the few free minutes you have, I have one piece of advice: skip any 3D games. As great as they may look, the technology that runs 3D rendering uses a large amount of power and runs at high temperatures, which lowers energy efficiency even more. Games like the popular Hearthstone can burn through battery because of its 3D graphics, even though the game is a slower, strategy based game.

Another important note is to remember to close apps that you are not currently using. For those who don’t know how to do this, double press the home button and swipe the app up for Apple Products. Androids take a slightly different approach, having a specific button for pulling up the open apps, though the “swipe to close” direction varies for Androids and other smart phones.

An incredibly effective form of battery conservation for phones is to lower brightness. While the screen may be harder to see, it requires less energy to run than a brighter setting.

Alongside the brightness, a phone owner should also turn off bluetooth. Even if nothing is connected to the phone, the bluetooth is constantly searching for something to connect to, slowly lowering your battery for no real reason.

Now to the signals: where are they at HBHS? The best signals come surprisingly from the first floor and the Language and Math wings of the building each have strong signals. The library has an acceptable signal strength. The worst three places for signals are as follows: the computer labs, the “Secret Hallway”, and the cafeteria. It would be best to use the WiFi in these places, although in the cafeteria the WiFi also has a weak signal.
With one of the most stable connections in the school for both WiFi and data, as well as places to charge batteries, the library would be one’s best bet for use of their phone. Just remember not to be on your phones during classes!