The researchers have found that this kind of energy-taxing "idle listening" is occurring during a large portionofthe time phones spend in power-saving mode---as much as 80 percent on busy networks.
The biggest broadcast event ofthe year was suddenly jolted by silence and darkness when aportionofthe Super Dome in New Orleans lost power early in the game's second half.
The wind power's cost is as much as twice that of conventional power, but because it would be a small portionofthe overall energy pool, consumers would see at most a 2.2% increase to their monthly bills, according to estimates in a 2010 report by Massachusetts regulators.