Frustration with my cell phone battery and laptop battery has been building and building and finally came to a head this past weekend.  After visits to both the cell phone store and my local computer shop, I found out I was to blame for my own battery drama.  Did you know your batteries have memories and get used to a certain charge cycle?  And, if you charge your battery every time your battery indicator gets to halfway full, you are hurting the battery and are more likely to have a weak one?

Here are some tips to get the most of out your cell and laptop batteries:

• Let your battery run a full cycle.  This means you should let it die before you recharge.
• Only charge a battery until the battery is full.  It’s best not to let it stay charging overnight.
• If possible, charge your cell phone battery with the phone off.
• Program your phone to go into power save mode earlier and turn off any indicator lights you don’t need.
• Be aware that vibration settings take up more battery juice.
• Be sure to always use the correct charger – just because it fits doesn’t mean it’s compatible.

• Condition your battery every two to three weeks.  Completely discharge it and then recharge it completely.  This will optimize its life.
• Set up your power settings to turn off the hard drive when the system is in an idle mode, same with the screen.
• If you don’t plan on using your laptop for a long period of time, remove and store the battery with a 50% charge.

Who knew?