Battery and Power Consumption of Pocket PCs

Abstract

Due to the increased functionality in today’s portable devices, battery life and energy consumption continue to be a major concern for both designers and users. Unfortunately battery technology is not keeping pace with the energy requirements of these devices and therefore energy-efficient hardware design techniques, software optimization, energy management, and the design of efficient communication protocols continue to be explored by researches as viable means that would assist in the efficient use of the energy resources of these mobile devices. In this paper, using results obtained from a number of experiments, we investigate battery utilization and power consumption of two pocket PCs. Using benchmarks that are representative of typical workloads, and by varying the operating conditions of these devices we were able to explore the impact of a number of features available in these devices on battery life and the power consumed. Characterizing the consumption of these devices provides a platform for further research and contribute to the design of improved and energy-efficient future mobile computing devices.