21-Mar-2012 10:04

Free Mobile Apps a Drain on Your Handset?

Studies suggest that free mobile apps applying third-party services to display advertising consume considerably more battery life.

Researchers used a special tool to monitor energy use by several apps on Android and Windows Mobile handsets.

Findings suggested that in one case 75% of an app's energy consumption was spent on powering advertisements.

Free applications typically have built-in advertisements so developers can make money without having to charge for the initial app download.

The tests were carried out by running the app over a 3G connection. The results noted that many apps leave connections open for up to 10 seconds after downloading information.

Surely developers should give more consideration to energy consumption when building in new features.

(Source: BBC Technology Website)