cell phone battery charging question

Hey, that's interesting, Dys. I'm not sure what the truth is - I leave mine on the charger a lot, too.

The truth is batteries tend to develop a memory (for lack of a better word). If you leave it on the charger, it won't charge beyond full... but as soon as a little of the charge dissipates, it will immediately charge back up. This creates a memory of a very tiny lifespan. Better to not leave it on the charger.

I've hated my cell phone from the start. I only needed one in California when I drove from one end of the state to the other. Otherwise, it was nice to call and say I'd be ten minutes late. That cell phone held a charge for a fairly short time, say a day, without bringing it in and hooking it up in my kitchen, whence I forget it the next morning.

Here in the southwest, I have a new cell phone that holds a charge for days. Who eee... but I know less people here and have less occasion to use it.

I am tempted to dump it. It costs a lot for little use in my present life.
True, it didn't help me with a stalled car, as it was still in my kitchen charging away. As it was, the people at the bank in whose parking lot I was called the number for me.

I guess it depends. If you use it in your life as a social being, then it's worth it. For me, watching dollars, I'm not so sure.

I did like having it when I visited Chicago this last year, and could connect with folks where we would meet when.

Its good practice to allow the battery to discharge completely - to the point the phone turns off - at least once a month. It also is good practice to not leave the phone connected to its charger during periods of non-use. If you know you're not gonna use the phone for several days or longer, fully charge it, then shut it off and remove the battery. The batteries of typical current-market cellphones will give several days of standby time, even if used a few minutes a few times a day. Its best to let the battery get fairly low before recharging, and to remove the phone from the charger as soon after its fully charged as you can manage.

Pretty much the same advice applies to cordless phones too; very bad idea to leave the handset in the charging cradle all the time.


All that is very easy to understand; you see, the profit margin on the sale phones themselves is slim, in many cases even negative. The price of accessories, however, from cases, faceplates, and headsets to batteries, is almost all profit margin. The dealer most likely will realize far more profit selling you a replacement battery than was realized months earlier from the sale of the phone. Trust me, the dealer really WANTS to sell you as many batteries as you need. And say, while you're here, let me show you this nifty new multi-function case designed to perfectly fit your phone ....


Oh - and car chargers - bad idea too; typically they're rough on batteries, the wall charger may not be as convenient, but its much kinder to your battery. A car charger can be handy to have, for those times you find your phone's battery too low to make/receive a call, but don't make a practice of using car chargers all the time. Unless, of course, you really enjoy buying batteries.

Here's the word from Phoenix

I had been told that new generation batteries did not suffer from the "Memory" problem. however It may be prudent to peurchase a power point timer. Plug the timer in to the power point set it for 3.5 hours and plug in your cell phone charger. Ever notice how when you buy a new cell phone the old charger is never suitable?

Lithium Ion and Nickel-Metal Hydride batteries are less prone to memory effect than are the older Ni-Cad batteries, but they're not immune, and constant charging will shorten their usable life, as will frequent use of a car charger. They do last longer, charge faster, and give longer duty cycles than did older battery types, but they cost more to replace. Take proper care of 'em, and you'll replace 'em far less often.

Honestly, I keep a cellphone just about 'till its buttons wear out, and I have NEVER had to replace a battery.

I do use 2 batteries, though, and a charging cradle that charges a battery not mounted in a phone. I rotate the batteries, switching the one in use to the charger when it gets way low, and popping on the freshly charged battery - which, once its reached full charge, is popped out of the cradle and set on the desktop, it isn't left in the cradle. I've been doing this since the days cellphones were the size of briefcases.

I am going to place these words here as a method of bookmarking.

I'm probably placing these words as a method of phone tossing..

I don't recharge the battery until it shows it's out of juice or very low when I go on vacation. As somebody alraedy mentioned, I believe some batteries has a memory, so you need to let it discharge fully before another recharge. I also think there are no-mem batteries you can charge up any time to full without affecting it's capacity. I also saw an ad for a double A battery backup for cellphones at reasonable cost.

You wouldn't toss a good phone just because you never use it, would you?

Who me? Yes, I would. Keeping it is 'spensive.

I know I owe x amount forever. Will have to check re the numbers.

Oh, that's terrible. I use a Trac Phone. It's prepaid, and the actual usage is quite expensive, but no monthly charge. It's idea for no more than I use it.

Would something like this product solve Dys's cell battery problem?

This is an article from a newspaper that product tested it and gives their opinion of it.

Instant Cell Phone Charger

For a cheap solution to cell-phones; go to RadioShack. Virgin Mobile (Sprint) has a plan that's $6.99 p/month + 10 cents a minute. It's a fair deal whether you use it a little or a lot.

That sounds quite good, Bill

There are a number of "Instant Chargers" that use AA or AAA batteries. Really, they're more useful as "emergency power supplies" than as chargers. They can be handy in a pinch, but they're no substitute for properly maintaining your cellphone battery.

I was thinking he could do the monthly charge/drain of the cell phone battery and between times keep the emergency power supply nearby for a quick charge when he finds a need to use the cell phone. That way the phone isn't on the charger 24/7 but he still has the option of 24/7 access to the cell phone with the aid of the instant recharger.

Not feasible?

reality sets in; a replacement battery $34.99; a new phone (essentially the same as I had) $19.99. I got a new phone.