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5 Technological Remedies if You Suffer From Smartphone 'Low Battery Anxiety'

Many Americans report anxiety when their smartphones run low on power, but there are technological solutions for the problem. Here are five of the latest.

You're out with friends and the dreaded red battery icon pops up on your smartphone. Or maybe you're on the way to a business meeting or answering a time-sensitive email and your screen goes black as your battery dies. What do you do? Well, nine out of 10 Americans say they panic, according to a recent survey of 2,000 adult American smartphone users by LG Electronics. It's a feeling that everyone has experienced.

Although this condition is not a real illness or medical disorder, LG Electronics has coined the term "low battery anxiety" to describe it. People are beginning to organize their everyday lives around making sure their smartphones are charged and functioning.

In the survey, 32% of respondents said they will "drop everything" to go home and charge their smartphones. Meanwhile, among millennial respondents, 42% said they will skip going to the gym when choosing between working out and charging their smartphones. Twenty-two percent of all users said they would walk into a bar or restaurant and order something just to be able to charge their phones. And 39% of users said they would go as far as asking complete strangers to charge their phones.

LG Electronics came up with a list of symptoms indicating you may be suffering from low battery anxiety:

Asking a total stranger to charge a smartphone.

Arguing with a significant other or romantic interest because of unanswered calls or texts.

Ordering something at a bar or restaurant just to use a power outlet.

Secretly 'borrowing' someone else's charger.

Owning three or more smartphone-charging cables.

Low battery anxiety is a very real problem faced by millions of smartphone users worldwide. It effects our everyday choices and has even been blamed for relationship breakups. Nearly 25% of people participating in the LG survey reported having argued with a significant other for not answering text messages or phone calls because of a dead phone. Sixty percent of those surveyed reported a dying or dead smartphone as being the reason for not speaking to a loved one. Moreover, 33% of smartphone users purposefully didn't leave on time for a meeting or date because they wanted to charge up.

Rescheduling your life in order to prevent a dead smartphone is no way to live. That's why tech companies are working on accessories and gadgets to solve this growing problem. They're also extending the battery life of some phones. Following, we offer our take on a handful of fixes.

1. LG G5 Smartphone

This smartphone includes an easily removable battery. Users can simply switch out a used battery and replace it with a new one in seconds. So, instead of carrying around phone chargers, users can keep extra batteries in their pockets, briefcases or purses.

2. HTC's HTC10 Smartphone

This smartphone promises to give users a "full day" of battery life. Most of us use our smartphones more than what smartphone makers consider "average use," however. Between all the emailing, text messaging, Internet surfing, video watching, app usage and social media scouring that have become parts of our daily routine, the "average" daily battery life is more like half a day.

3. Apple Smart Battery Case

Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) released this battery case to compete with Mophie and other battery case companies. The introduction of the Smart Battery Case is basically Apple admitting the iPhone 6 and 6S have poor battery life. The case is supposed to give users battery capacity similar to the iPhone 6Plus. Still, the Smart Battery Case does not provide as much extra battery life as some of the other cases on the market. The Apple Smart Battery Case has a 1,877mAh battery pack, while the Mophie Juice Pack Air is packed with a 2,750mAh battery and the Incipio Offgrid Express has a 3,000mAh battery.

4. Mobeego Cordless Battery

If your smartphone is dying and your battery case is dead or you forgot it, LifeClips' (OTCQB: LCLP) Mobeego product could help prevent low battery anxiety. Mobeego is an emergency, single-use, cordless battery that provides an instant shot of power to your smartphone. Unlike battery cases, no precharge is needed, and with light usage, Mobeego could extend your battery life by up to 4 hours.

The product is not meant to be an extra full battery but rather an emergency option to provide a jolt of power to your smartphone when all else fails. Apple's Smart Battery Case and Mophie cases provide more power than a Mobeego. But battery cases must be precharged, meaning they can die just like your smartphone. If there is no charger or outlet in sight, a one-time boost from a Mobeego could save your day. And for only $3.99-$5.99 per battery can, it would be money well spent.

5. Sony Xperia Smartphone

This smartphone may be the best choice for consumers struggling with a phone that dies in less than a day. Sony (NYSE: SNE) says the Xperia has a battery that lasts up to two full days. Using groundbreaking Qnovo Adaptive Charging technology, Sony claims to be able to constantly monitor and adjust charging currents to maximize battery lifespan. And when you really need to stretch out your battery power, switch on STAMINA Mode, which automatically adjusts settings to keep the phone active for longer. In addition, Sony's Quick Charger UCH10 charger, which comes with Xperia phones, can provide up to 5.5 hours of power in just 10 minutes of charging.

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As Pokemon Go Stokes Demand for Video Technology Products, Competition Is Intensifying

According to one respected research group and consultancy, sales of virtual reality hardware units will reach $2.3 billion this year.

Growing demand for virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) products has been among this year's technological highlights, with smash hit Pokemon Go leading to an explosive growth of public awareness. According to a report byInternational Data Corporation, the trend will accelerate as consumers seek more thrilling, interactive experiences.

The research and consulting firm, which tracks information and consumer technology trends, forecasts shipments this year of 9.6 million virtual hardware units and revenues of $2.3 billion. The report predicts that augmented reality hardware, which is at an earlier stage of its development than virtual reality hardware, will start to grow more rapidly, and that combined, sales of virtual and augmented hardware shipments will "surge past" 110 million units.

The IDC report identified three major device categories for augmented and virtual reality markets:

Screenless viewers who use smartphone screens to create a virtual or augmented reality experience

Tethered Head Mounted Displays that use a PC, game console or smartphone to feed a head-worn display

Standalone Head Mounted Displays that combine processing with a head-worn display.* The IDC report said that Sony, Samsung, HTC and Occulus are among the leading manufacturers of VR and AR hardware and will drive the skyrocketing growth.

"In 2016, the first major VR Tethered HMDs from Oculus, HTC, and Sony should drive combined shipments of over 2 million units," said Tom Mainelli, vice president for Devices & Displays at IDC. "When you combine this with robust shipments of screen-less viewers from Samsung and other vendors launching later this year, you start to see the beginning of a reasonable installed base for content creators to target."

Lewis Ward, IDC's research director of gaming said that video games will spur the continued growth. "Video games will clearly be the lead rationale for people to pick up an Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, or PlayStation VR this year," he said.

Among smaller trends in video, look for growth in sales of 360 cameras that offer a fuller, more satisfying viewing experience. They allow users to view different parts of a scene, including peripheral areas that would have previously been out of reach without multiple cameras. They allow viewers to immerse themselves in a scene.

Big-name brands like Samsung SSNLF , Ricoh, and Kodak are vying with smaller companies like Bublcam, 360fly, and Vuze to become the GoPro of 360-degree viewing devices; that is, before GoPro's revenues tumbled almost 50% in its first quarter year over year. The company's early success may have spawned some of the competitors it faces today in a new technology.

Samsung's Gear VR, Alphabet's  

GOOGL Jump VR and Facebook's FB Oculus Rift also support 360-degree content. Major camera makers like Nikon are also now selling rigs for recording 360-degree videos.

CCS Insight, which provides information and analysis on mobile and wireless trends, forecasts sales of 24 million action cameras by 2018. FutureSource, which analyzes and predicts consumer electronics, expects action cameras to grow from 1% of overall sales to 14% by 2019.

"The action camera market has undergone a great deal of development over recent months," Futuresource analyst Arun Gill told Investor's Business Daily. "In particular, with 360-degree capture now available, we will see virtual reality applications emerge over the coming months, especially for sports broadcasting."

To be sure, the quality of 360-degree videos remains inferior to traditional fare. Run Direct Magazine, which covers video technology, forecasts improvement in processors, screen resolutions and content development over the next seven years.

Many 360-degree cameras suffer from poor resolution, limited memory and inadequate stitching, the combining of videos to create a panoramic view.  Improved software could remedy these issues but developing such systems can take time.

The industry also faces challenges in producing enough units quickly enough. Among others, BublCam and Giroptic 360cam have experienced long delays.

Many developers are offering a preorder option to secure sales.

What 360-degree cameras are lacking in is a good software that could smooth out many of the kinks consumer-friendly 360-degree cameras currently face. That includes low resolution, limited memory and trouble with stitching -- the combining of videos to build a panoramic view.

Among the most promising players may be Lucid, a Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company whose co-founders hold engineering degrees from Stanford and Cal-Berkeley. Lucid applies the same technology used by Hollywood 3D camera production systems to a pocket-sized device with a 180-degree range. The Lucid camera uses binocular lenses to create depth and capture peripheral images more effectively. It also includes two microphones.

Proprietary software reads and processes data in real time, which alleviates some of the stitching problems.

The camera also requires less memory and computer processing power, which helps translate to its $399 price -- more affordable than some competitors.

In April, the company secured $2.1 million in venture capital funding.

Charlotte, N.C.-based Life Clips (OTCQB:LCLP) will release its new HD 360° action camera that its CEO Bob Gruder describes as being able "to capture everything around you." The device will sell for $269.

"When you get to the summit of that mountain, when you finish that marathon or how about that celebration with all your family and friends, sometimes a regular snapshot doesn't do the moment justice," Gruder said.