[IcyStorm]

Is it bad for the battery or the phone to have it plugged in a lot? I find that after seven hours of light usage with a few phone calls and some medium browsing, my battery's down to 50% or so. Is it bad to have my phone plugged in the entire time I'm home?

Also, is there a way to turn off data services (EVDO) without turning off the ability to send/receive SMS messages? Or am I stuck with leaving EVDO on the whole time to send/receive SMS messages?

Thanks guys.

[everywhere_but_nowhere]

It is not bad to keep the phone plugged in a lot as when the battery is charged the power will be drawn from the plug not the battery. As for the data you might want to try going to Manage Connections, then going to Mobile Network Options, then selecting Data Services and turning that off. Then try to send an SMS and are if it works. If so then you should be good that way. Turning data services off closes the EVDO connection and leaves you with 1X which should be able to send/recieve text messages.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[IcyStorm]

Thanks for the quick response. For the battery, that's what I thought but I was making sure because I read on some other forum (although I did skim the post) that some BlackBerry models still ran off the batteries when plugged in! So was making sure =P

As for the SMS/EVDO thing, I just tried out what you suggested and it worked. Thanks so much!

[everywhere_but_nowhere]

Glad to help. Speculation on batteres for any phone has been debated for a long time but I have never seen a phone blow up from being charged too long. To help maximize battery life I usually let my battery fully drain until the phone shuts off automatically then let the phone charge as it is off to calibrate the battery. I do this every month or two.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[DaMizZa]

Depending on whether the BlackBerry tries to charge the battery at all times when plugged in (ie: it doesn't know to stop charging the battery once it's fully charged) by leaving your phone plugged in with a full battery will reduce how long your battery lasts, as it can cause what's referred to as the Memory Effect. For this reason, it's best to let your battery drain completely at least once a month, and try not to leave your phone plugged in for too long when charging ...

[superaj]

Actually that is not the case. The battery that the berry uses has no adverse affects to charging when full and may be damaged by letting it drain completly.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[hilmar2k]

Lithium-ion batteries prefer partial discharges with frequent charging. Draining it completely will shorten its life. You are best to charge the phone whenever possible.

[DaMizZa]

lol wow, I just assumed it was a NiMH battery. I would probably do well to check next time haha