BlackBerry: to charge or not to charge
to charge or not to charge
by cootie182 - 4/18/09 2:45 PMGreetings to all...I have been told by an AT&T rep that I don't have to worry about overcharging a Blackberry Blackjack II. A Samsung rep tells me to let the phone completely discharge before re-charging. This doesn't seem right to me, but which method is a preferred method? Thanks for any help.
cootie182
Charge as little as possible
by stephiel1 - 4/24/09 7:38 PM In reply to: to charge or not to charge by cootie182As someone who works a lot with cell phones and has read many articles about battery care, I can tell you a few things about battery care. Firstly, don't let the battery go all the way dead; charge when it gets to about one bar. Current batteries are usually Lithium Ion or Lithium Polymer, and don't develop memories. They usually last between 400 and 500 charge cycles, so charging less often is better. Don't use the phone for prolonged periods while it is on the charger because it can overheat the phone and put stress on the charging port. If storing the battery, take it out of the phone and store at about a half charge.
To answer your exact question, if you use the home charger that comes with the phone, the phone should switch to a trickle charge when the charge is complete. This is to keep the battery charged, and while not horrible on the battery, it is still using it and will, after a period of time, cause more wear and tear. Some after market or off-brand chargers will not switch to trickle charge mode, so always be careful when buying car chargers or replacement chargers. Sometimes, you get what you pay for (a burned out battery or even the phone).
to charge or not to charge
by cootie182 - 4/25/09 10:30 AM In reply to: Charge as little as possible by stephiel1Thanks for advice.
cootie182
Do not completely discharge
by LucJs - 4/27/09 5:12 AM In reply to: Charge as little as possible by stephiel1Discharging used to be necessary with NiCd batteries.
Modern devices use LiIon batteries and, in my experience, do not need to be discharged before recharging, it even makes reduces the capacity faster.
I've always had a mobile phone that is always in the car charger and a PDA that is always connected to my PC - and thus charging. Batteries have been OK for years. After 3-4 years it's finished, but that's normal I suppose
great advice
by krgronbach - 7/9/09 9:09 PM In reply to: Charge as little as possible by stephiel1Thanks. Very insightful.
to charge or not to charge
by maggiedev - 4/24/09 11:13 PM In reply to: to charge or not to charge by cootie182i have always been told that you need to train your battery and i have found this to be reasonable. i use a blackberry and i let it completely discharge before recharging the first 3 times i used it. i have also been told that to leave a cell phone on a car charger can ruin the battery (i lost one that way), but you can leave it on the house charger indefinetly. this is now what i do. in my vehicle i charge only long enough to get a full charge and then unplug.. at home, i leave on all the time. so far, so good and batteries are holding up well with this routine.. all the cell phones in our house have been allowed to fully discharge a couple of times and we have had really long lived batteries.. hope this helps
Think Green
by lschonbe - 4/27/09 6:16 AM In reply to: to charge or not to charge by maggiedevAfter a cell phone is fully charged, unplug it from the charger and unplug the charger from the electric outlet to save energy. While the charger is plugged into the outlet it is constantly drawing energy even if the cell phone itself is unplugged.
Charge It!
by friarchuck - 4/27/09 10:28 AM In reply to: to charge or not to charge by cootie182I don't know where someone got that 400-500 charges thing, that is complete bull. I have a Blackjack II, which by the way is not even remotely a Blackberry, so try to avoid calling it a Blackberry Blackjack, and I charge it every night when I go to bed. I have had my phone for almost a year and a half, and the battery still last just as long as it did when I got it. By my count, that would mean I am charging it 365 times in a year, or roughly 550 times since I got it. I have used cell phones for as long as 4 years with this method, being 1,460 charges, and have never seen any degradation in battery performance. The only thing I will warn you about the Blackjack, and any other smartphone, is be mindful of what applications you have on them and what schedule you use for email updates. Smartphones will run applications in the background and will eat up the battery very quickly due to continuous data connections. Try to avoid setting your phone to check the email every 5 minutes, or you won't make it past lunch on a charge. Every half hour and you should be ok for the day. Enjoy your Blackjack, I love mine, and don't worry about how often you charge it, it will last a few years. Even if it doesn't, unlike an iPhone, you can change the battery yourself in 1 minute or less and it will only cost about $50, so there's the bright side for you!
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