[YourMobileGuru]

Bottom line -- Lithium Ion batterys can NOT be overcharged and it is best to top them off whenever you can, so go ahead and charge them overnight. They are not like Nickle batteries which have a memory in them and you need to drain periodically. You will not hurt them by leaving them on the charger or charging them all the time.

[anon(368121)]

What kills the battery is constantly keeping a charge in it. It's good to let it fully drain every once in a while to help keep the battery healthy.

At least that's what I like to do. Same thing with my laptop, I just let the battery die out every once in a while and then fully charge it back up again and it helps the battery life.

This is fine advice for NiMH batteries, but death to Lithium. Deep discharge on LiIon batteries kills 'em fast, and they very much prefer to be kept "topped off" on the charger.

The only time you may want to deep discharge a LiIon is when recalibrating a laptop's battery meter, and that's only very rarely.

See Battery University's treatise on LiIon Battery Life.

[benzo77]

I use the docking station every night and haven't had any problems.

[Jfredrix]

I have seen aftermarket cradles that also have a slot to charge an extra battery. Anyone have one of these and how do you like it? These look like they hold the Storm in portrait position whereas the one Verizon sells holds the Storm in landscape position I think, without a spot for an extra battery. I like the landscape style but I have an extra battery and really like the ability to charge both batteries at once.

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[asmallchild]

I bought this wonderful phone so that I can use it. I don't want battery life to ever be an issue in the middle of the day. So I charge overnight every night.

IF this is more taxing on the battery, I'd gladly fork over the price for a new battery (since I get large discounts from VZW accessory store anyway) every 6 months in order to ensure my phone is always ready for activity in the middle of the day

[PhantomS10]

Just make sure you don't use a cheap generic charger.

[Jfredrix]

If the batteries are made to not overcharge, what is the problem with a cheap aftermarket charger? If it's a piece of garbage that stops working, then shame on me. But should I be worried about damage to the Storm or the battery?

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[gabemtz83]

Well to put an end to all this speculation modern lithium ion cells are designed to not overcharge. unfortunetely the trickling of electricity to the cells over an extended amount of time WILL decrease the life of the battery and cause swelling. The circuitry built is to slow the charge not stop it. Overcharging can and will occur. Best practice is to charge until it says charge complete or in this case lightning bolt to disappear then unplug. I have a degree in electonic engineering and hae studied all different types of batteries.

[Can_Berry]

I have always charged mine overnight when needed. This type of battery is supposed to not overcharge anyhow. I am seeing a difference in battery life now after a few overnighters. When I first got the storm battery life was only 6 hours now I am good for a full 12 hours of heavy use of email 100+ a day moderate use of media and approx 90 min talk time

[Latin Thug]

Here is my thing....if it takes anywhere from 3 to 6 hours to charge and a normal nights sleep is 8 hours then what the big deal of an extra hour or two on the charger? None! Honestly.....how long is overnight?

I charge my phone overnight every couple of days which mean I put my phone on the charger about when i am done playing with it and get to bed about 12:00am - 1:00am and I get up and take it off the charger when i leave at 6:00am - 7:00am. My battery is at 100 percent and lasts about 48 hours!

Currently im on the 46'd hour and at 25 percent.

[SilvioBenussi]

I had to replace the battery on my old phone (LG VX9900 enV) because I ended up frying it after repeated overnight charging sessions. It's a habit I had to train myself to break. On Friday night and Saturday night I remembered to keep it uncharged overnight, but I accidentally left it plugged in last night. Did I cause any damage to my battery by doing this?

Why is this thread still alive????
The storm has auto shut off to prevent overcharging.

[anon(368121)]

Well to put an end to all this speculation modern lithium ion cells are designed to not overcharge. unfortunetely the trickling of electricity to the cells over an extended amount of time WILL decrease the life of the battery and cause swelling. The circuitry built is to slow the charge not stop it. Overcharging can and will occur. Best practice is to charge until it says charge complete or in this case lightning bolt to disappear then unplug. I have a degree in electonic engineering and hae studied all different types of batteries.

While continuous charging of the battery may do as you suggest,

The storm has auto shut off to prevent overcharging.

Exactly. The Storm's protective circuitry will stop charging once the battery reaches its maximum voltage and will not start charging again until it drops a certain percentage below that maximum.

gabemtz83, while your degree in EE may provide you with the theoretical basis for your claim, my practical experience of owning (and charging) LiIon-powered phones for a number of years now provides me with plenty of empirical evidence to the contrary . . . overnight charging has no negative effect on modern cell phone battery technology.

[Roboto]

Is the codename for the Storm's battery the Supercell?

...Sorry.... Couldn't resist

[csiguy1]

That is one reason that I like the BB over the iPhone, replaceable batteries. If it does go bad, drop $30.00 and slap a new one in the phone and you are off and running. Try that with the iPhone.

[pinyin]

The average battery life for a handheld pda is 500 charging cycles. This means that you can plug it in and charge it 500 before it needs to be replaced. Overcharging a battery allows too many positive ions into the battery, causing bulging and overheating. Kind of like putting too much oil into the crankcase of your cars engine. But considering the condition of most cars I've worked on, people generally have no concept of how to maintain their property, be it a pda or an automobile.