New iPhone Dazzles, But Battery Fizzles

Lost amid the hoopla over the new iPhone 3GS is an annoying flaw: its battery rarely gets through the day without pooping out. Apple's website now advises users to temporarily shut down certain features, including the 3G network itself, to prolong battery life, reports the Los Angeles Times. Battery life depends largely on how many gizmos are running; Luddites who use their iPhones simply to talk can figure on about 7 hours.

"There's trouble in the battery field in that there's only so much energy you can squeeze in a certain space," said one tech analyst. "There's not really a solution in sight." It doesn't help that the battery is 15% smaller than the one in the original iPhone, a change necessitated by the sleeker design. Palm's Pre smartphone has similar problems but also an advantage, notes the Times: its battery can be swapped for a spare.
(More Apple stories.)