[jc1409]

I'm not getting near the battery life posted by most in this thread. I'm still in the 'constant playing with the phone' stage of my Droid experience though, and have downloaded lots of apps - including many that are out trying to update location/etc. in the background.

I'm playing with setting to maximize battery life for my usage pattern. I keep the screen at the minimum setting all the time, with 1 minute refresh. My default is no GPS on ([unfortunately] I'm usually just going back and forth to work), and with sync and auto sync enabled. I use home screen toggles for bluetooth and wifi, so leave them off as default and only enable when I want them.

I use the App 'Locale' to have certain rules that kick on when things happen -- for example, when I connect to a charger, I automatically have the screen go full bright, and GPS turn on (for car navigation). Between midnight and 6am, everything goes off. I also have created Locale rules specific to applications, that will load the application and turn the GPS on when I click the rule button in the Locale application, and then once I turn off the rule, the GPS goes off (after I'm done with the application).

I've used smartphones before so am used to the battery drain, but it is frustrating based on my desired use of the device!