Wednesday Buzz: Why Your iPhone’s Battery Life Stinks

Feel like your phone is coughing up fumes these days?

If it’s an iPhone 5, it may not be your fault. This week, Apple announced a recall of certain iPhone 5 models containing batteries that “may suddenly experience shorter battery life or need to be charged more frequently.”

The problem is in a small subset of models sold between September 2012 and January 2013—and if you purchased yours within that time frame, you may be entitled to a battery replacement. Check to see if your serial number is on the list by typing it into this page  (opens in a new tab).

The replacement’s free even if you’re not under warranty. If your model has damage that could affect the battery replacement, such as a cracked screen, you need to have it corrected before turning the phone in for a new battery.

And if your iPhone isn’t included in the recall, this page may help you  (opens in a new tab) optimize your battery’s performance.

Instagram’s New Video Trick

http://vimeo.com/104409950

It was a feature so good, Instagram couldn’t bring itself to bury it in its main app.

On Tuesday, the Facebook-owned social network launched Hyperlapse, an app that shoots time-lapse videos, without a lot of the inherent shakiness that occurs when doing this with your iPhone.

“Traditionally, time-lapse videos depend on holding your phone or camera still while you film,” the company writes on its blog  (opens in a new tab). “Hyperlapse from Instagram features built-in stabilization technology that lets you create moving, handheld time lapses that result in a cinematic look, quality, and feel—a feat that has previously only been possible with expensive equipment.”

The line that’s been floated is that people can replace a $15,000 camera rig with a single app—an impressive trick and one that opens the technique up to people just trying to shoot cool photos on social media.

There’s no Android app yet because of differences in functionality between iPhone and Android, but the company hopes to release something soon, according to The Next Web  (opens in a new tab).

Other good reads

The content-marketing-software firm HubSpot just filed for a $100 million initial public offering—which says a lot about content marketing. CMSWire analyzes  (opens in a new tab) what HubSpot’s success means.

Trying to remember something you just learned? Mission to Learn‘s Jeff Cobb suggests relaxing afterward—and backs this advice up with science  (opens in a new tab).

Event Manager Blog has a useful roundup of the latest startups shaking up the world of event-technology providers  (opens in a new tab).

(photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)