As our phones become more complex, have larger, brighter screens and more features than any other portable device we use, they also munch through more battery power. My current N95 might last 48 hours with normal use, while my antique Nokia 6100 lasted nearly two weeks between charges.

Here are ten tips to help you extend your phone’s battery life that little bit longer, just until you can get back to base and stick it on charge for a few hours.

1. Always make sure you have the latest firmware for your phone, (Some firmware updaters: Nokia UK, Sony Ericsson)
2. If your phone has Bluetooth and WLAN network search, turn them off when not needed
3. If you have a camera, make sure it’s really off - Leaving your camera lens exposed, for example on a Sony Ericsson P990, the camera circuitry is still running and draining your battery. Doublecheck before putting it in your pocket!
4. If you aren’t a regular user of mobile data, turn off 3G - running on 2.5G can nearly double your battery life
5. Limit the length of your light time-out and power saver time-out
6. If you’re using push email, consider changing the interval to less frequent email checks
7. Close unnecessary active applications like IM chat, instead of letting them run in the background
8. Get an extended battery, if one exists for your phone type
9. Get the ultimate in long battery life
10. If all else fails, get a secondary battery and an external charger to keep with you (And if you spend a lot of time in your car, charge it while on the go with a car charger!)

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 1st, 2007 at 9:40 am and is filed under Tips and tutorials. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.