[AG11]

Can't wait till next week to get my Tour! I just wanted to know what you guys thought on getting the most out of your battery. I used to hear that it was good to use a new battery till it dies and then charge it (on first use). Is that true?

Also, I beleive I remember a Verizon rep saying that with newer batteries its best to not charge them unless it is needed....that it is best to let them almost die out, charge them, but then remove the phone from the charger.

These are both things I seem to remember or have read so I am definitely wont be surprised if you say none of this is true! Is there any truth to any of this? Thanks for the advice.

[Teksu]

Can't wait till next week to get my Tour! I just wanted to know what you guys thought on getting the most out of your battery. I used to hear that it was good to use a new battery till it dies and then charge it (on first use). Is that true?

Also, I beleive I remember a Verizon rep saying that with newer batteries its best to not charge them unless it is needed....that it is best to let them almost die out, charge them, but then remove the phone from the charger.

These are both things I seem to remember or have read so I am definitely wont be surprised if you say none of this is true! Is there any truth to any of this? Thanks for the advice.

Cell phone batterys do not need to be drained fully before they are charged, this applies to nickel based batteries only, cell phones now use lithium-ion batterys that have no "charge memory".

Also, they my be charged when you want to carge it without issue.

Lithium-ion battery - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

read the "advantages" section

[JohnJSal]

Cell phone batterys do not need to be drained fully before they are charged, this applies to nickel based batteries only

Do you mean to say "do need to be drained fully"?

[Outrigger]

Do you mean to say "do need to be drained fully"?

no, he means DO NOT need to be drained fully. These type of batteries are best served when you keep topping off. Its actually harmful if you drain the battery.

[JohnJSal]

no, he means DO NOT need to be drained fully. These type of batteries are best served when you keep topping off. Its actually harmful if you drain the battery.

Really? I thought it was the nickel batteries that developed a "memory" if you charged them before they were fully or mostly drained, and resulted in shorter and shorter battery life?

[Stang68]

Really? I thought it was the nickel batteries that developed a "memory" if you charged them before they were fully or mostly drained, and resulted in shorter and shorter battery life?

Yes...that is right. The nickel batteries ARE the ones with memory. The Tour does not have as nickel battery. It has a lithium-ion battery that does not have a memory which allows you to charge it whenever you want, leave it charge overnight, etc.

[JohnJSal]

Yes...that is right. The nickel batteries ARE the ones with memory. The Tour does not have as nickel battery. It has a lithium-ion battery that does not have a memory which allows you to charge it whenever you want, leave it charge overnight, etc.

I know that, but in the previous posts we are talking about nickel batteries.

[atype77]

I also read that you do not need to drain your battery before re-charging.

[PredatorGanaz]

Yeahh the old school method just aint working anymore yeahhh

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[anon(1993947)]

on that thought....


what if you are charging the battery overnight and you let it charge long after it gets to 100% is that harmful in any way?

[PredatorGanaz]

If you watch ur battery power indicator when it reach 100 it will stop charging by itself .

So overnite charging won't hurt abit.

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[Stang68]

If you watch ur battery power indicator when it reach 100 it will stop charging by itself .

So overnite charging won't hurt abit.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Exactly correct. The little "lightning bolt" on the battery goes away when it is done charging. Many, many people use the RIM Blackberry charging cradle as an alarm clock...I don't think RIM would release an alarm clock stand knowing it would kill the battery.

[AG11]

Thanks for the replies everyone. So charge when I want, for however long I want to....that's what I like to hear!

[mixtape86]

So since we're on the subject of batteries:

What is the proper way of using your Tour the first day?
Right out of the box I assume the phone will have some juice in it.
So should I keep the phone powered off after the store's activation and charge it at home? Or is it ok to leave it on that day and charge it when I sleep?

With my Sidekick LX, the instructions said to charge the phone before using it. I know RIM is a completely different company, but batteries are batteries?

[JohnJSal]

So since we're on the subject of batteries:

What is the proper way of using your Tour the first day?
Right out of the box I assume the phone will have some juice in it.
So should I keep the phone powered off after the store's activation and charge it at home? Or is it ok to leave it on that day and charge it when I sleep?

With my Sidekick LX, the instructions said to charge the phone before using it. I know RIM is a completely different company, but batteries are batteries?

It will have a charge so it can be used out of the box, but I'd probably just fully charge it once you're done activating it. That's what I did for my Curve.

As for your Sidekick, does it have a LiIon battery? If so, then it's the same. Probably they say fully charge it so people don't use up the half-charged battery in an hour and then complain that the battery life sucks.

[mixtape86]

The online specs of the Sidekick say 1540 mAh LiIon. I figured that charging it right out of the box would allow it to top out and you'd get the most from your battery. This has always been a hazy subject for me

[spenchey]

What about charging while the phone is on or in use. Does that harm it?

[JohnJSal]

What about charging while the phone is on or in use. Does that harm it?

Not at all. Why would you even turn it off?

[MarcSt]

The posters are all correct. Li-On batteries (such as the one used in the Tour) do not need to be fully discharged before recharging. What I wanted to add was that the old method of discharging fully (which applied to the Nickel metal Hy batteries of the past) will actually SHORTEN the usuable life of you battery. These newer Li-On batteries have a life expectency based on "charging cycles" and "charging length" so just charge your battery as necessary, don't over do it and don't fully discharge.

By the way, you may read that a notebook computer Li-On battery should be fully discharged from time to time. This has nothing to do with battery life. It is to calibrate a sensor in the computer that controls the on screen meter that displays remaining battery life.

[JohnJSal]

By the way, you may read that a notebook computer Li-On battery should be fully discharged from time to time. This has nothing to do with battery life. It is to calibrate a sensor in the computer that controls the on screen meter that displays remaining battery life.

Mmmm, I love knowledge.

[Jodiuh]

I know battery university talks about letting it discharge fully every 30 cycles or so to keep the meter accurate, but I wonder if that's really accurate anymore.

I charged my battery out of the box last night fully and left it charge for about 10-12 hrs until the battery began to cool down. It's @ about 50% now and I'm wondering if I should:

a. let it die and charge it up again to set meter
b. charge it now
c. wait til it hits 30

Here's the funny part. My bro's working on a new technology for Li Ion batteries, does literally BOOKS of research on the subject, and works w/ scientists daily. Here were his thoughts...

"You could take 2 guys. The first one would be very meticulous about the charging cycles, never to let it fully zero out, keeping it from heat, etc. Then you another who charges it whenever, let's it hit zero all the time, leaves it in the 100 degree car, etc. After 1 yr, they'd be within 10% of each other."

If that's really true, then we're really worrying over absolutely nothing at all and should pay more attention to holstering it or remember to hit standby instead.