Few things are as frustrating as having your cell phone die right in the middle of a conversation. Adhering to Murphy's Law (which dictates that whatever can go wrong will go wrong at the worst possible time), the death of a cell phone battery is most likely to occur when you're talking about vital matters with your stock broker or cardiologist, as opposed to shooting the breeze about the latest "American Idol" casualty with an old fraternity buddy.
It's not surprising that many people who rely on their cell phones to make it through the day are searching for ways to extend battery life. The good news is that a number of techniques are at your disposal in fulfilling this objective. The most basic way of saving power is, not surprisingly, to take advantage of your phone's "power save" function. All recent Wireless by AT&T, formerly Cingular Wireless models come with the feature, so be sure to read the manual carefully in order to get the maximum benefit.
When in operation, turning off the backlight and vibrate function on your phone can also go a long way toward extending the life of your battery in between charges. Obviously, many people consider these essential functions, thus you must consider a trade-off when trying to preserve battery life. Keeping the ring tone at the lowest preferable volume is another good way to save power. Using certain high-end features (such as a camera or Internet mode) is sure to drain the battery, so it helps to be judicious with these features.
Aside from making the battery last longer in between charges, there are some other issues to keep in mind if you want to extend the overall life of the battery. It's important to realize that some simple steps taken to care for your phone can make a dramatic difference in this regard. For instance, you always want to keep the battery cool whenever possible. Prolonged exposure to high temperatures is very detrimental. Sometimes this can't be avoided, obviously, but you should make every effort to do so. You can even toss your battery into the fridge for thirty minutes or so every now and then. Just be sure not to leave it in there too long (and never put it in the freezer) as excessive coldness is just as harmful as excessive heat.
It's also good to understand the importance of charging your battery properly. The latest AT&T cell phones come with lithium-ion batteries, which tend to work best with frequent partial charging. Unlike the older nickel-based batteries, prolonged connection to the charger does not negatively affect lithium-ion models.
Every so often, you may decide to give your cell phone a rest (while you're on vacation, for example, or serving a brief prison term). In this instance, you must make sure to store the battery correctly. Disconnect it from the phone and store it in a cool dry place. Remember not to put it into storage immediately after a full charge, but rather when it has about 40 percent power left. Obviously, you will need to recharge the battery completely before using the phone again.
The bottom line is that regardless of how well you care for your battery, some day it's just going to run out of gas. When this happens, be sure to recycle the battery once you've gotten a new one. That's the only responsible option at your disposal.
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