Is it normal to have to charge my Treo every day?

[Malatesta]

Originally Posted by wouldya

i keep my backlight at 2 "clicks" above off and make sure that all running programs are ended before i put it down for an extended amount of time.

My Treo and battery are still new (10-25-06) and I'm getting 24-30 hours on a charge.

The way you treat your battery in the beginning of its life is also crucial in how it will act in the future. It must be cycled a few times (FULLLLLLL charge and complete discharge) before it will start performing the way it should.

When I first got my PPC-6700 the battery lasted me 5 hours. After I cycled it about 5 times it started lasting around 16-20 (which is awesome for the OEM 6700 battery that has, what 1200 mAh?)

(a) you do NOT charge and completely discharge LION batteries. THAT IS BAD FOR THEM. and you can actually damage the longevity of the battery that way. You basically just gave eveyone the exact opposite of good advice:

From wikipedia

- Unlike NiCad batteries, lithium-ion batteries should be charged early and often. However, if they are not used for a longer time, they should be brought to a charge level of around 40%. Lithium-ion batteries should never be "deep-cycled" like NiCd batteries.
- Li-ion batteries should be kept cool. Ideally they are stored in a refrigerator. Aging will take its toll much faster at high temperatures. The high temperatures found in cars cause lithium-ion batteries to degrade rapidly.
- Lithium-ion batteries should never be depleted to empty (0%).
- According to one book[6], lithium ion batteries should not be frozen. Note that most lithium-ion battery electrolytes freeze at approximately −40 ?C, which is much colder than the lowest temperature reached by most household freezers.

From Another site:

Avoid frequent full discharges because this puts additional strain on the battery. Several partial discharges with frequent recharges are better for lithium-ion than one deep one. Recharging a partially charged lithium-ion does not cause harm because there is no memory. (In this respect, lithium-ion differs from nickel-based batteries.) Short battery life in a laptop is mainly cause by heat rather than charge / discharge patterns.

(b) closing programs (assuming they are not accessing the internet or actually doing something) does NOT save battery life. If the program consumes CPU cycles, then it will save battery life. Leaving IE, Explorer, Email, etc. in the background has NO effect on battery life.

[wouldya]

Mala, thanks for the input.

I used the wrong words to describe what I was trying to convey. When I get a new phone (that comes with a new battery and I'm using 'phone' for this example), mine, and I'm sure that everyone's first instinct is to turn it on and play with it right away.

I fight the urge and charge the battery before using (most of the time).

I, out of habit, charge my phone when it says "low battery". Not when it turns off because of no battery power. I've had memory effect develop with Li-Ion batteries. And yes I have. Not to the extent that a Ni-Cad, but a 2 hour standby life on a full charge for a Li-Ion, when the perceived average is 10 times that, is not normal. And this all happened at room temperature.

My experience with treating my batteries with consideration and not leaving them in direct sunlight or freezing temperatures may contribute more to the battery performance than charging cycles. But this habit/method I am in hasn't been detrimental to my devices.

And the leaving programs open/closing them... you're right. I make sure that I close the programs that do something. i.e. Instant Messengers.

[Malatesta]

yeah, not a problem.

it is worth noting that LiON batteries usually do take a couple of weeks before they reach full capacity. Not sure if that is a byproduct of the battery or the device adjusting it's calibration.

I tend to charge my device whenever I'm not using it and have a charger nearby (I have 3 cradles, so it helps!).

[wouldya]

Originally Posted by Malatesta

it is worth noting that LiON batteries usually do take a couple of weeks before they reach full capacity. Not sure if that is a byproduct of the battery or the device adjusting it's calibration.

I tend to charge my device whenever I'm not using it and have a charger nearby (I have 3 cradles, so it helps!).

That's exactly what i'm thinking.

And yes, I have 2 AC chargers and 2 Vehicle chargers (with AC/DC inverters) cause god forbid i cant charge my phone.