Battery Drain "Fix"

[jsh1120]

Rather than continue to note this in multiple threads, it seems worthwhile just to make the point in a single thread. For those concerned about battery use (and who isn't?) there's a relatively simple, inexpensive fix. Buy another battery and a charger.

I purchased an extra OEM battery on Amazon about three weeks ago for $11 and change. (They're now about $10.60.) Actually I purchased one for myself and one for my wife's droid. Been using them both and find their performance to be indistinguishable from the batteries that came with the phones.

Amazon.com: Motorola DROID 1300mah Standard Battery: Cell Phones & Service


In addition, I purchased a standalone battery charger for about $15, also from Amazon.

Amazon.com: NEW OEM Motorola Droid Cliq Battery Charger SPN5564: Cell Phones & Service


The charger comes with a cable and a wall plug and is small enough to be tossed in my bag when I travel.

So for less than $30 including shipping and tax I have an extra battery and charger. The combination easily gets me through a couple of days on the road regardless of how heavily I use the phone. And with occasional access to a wall outlet, I can go on indefinitely.

A side benefit is that when/if one experiences unusual battery performance (or non-performance) it's easy to determine if the problem lies with the phone/apps or with a bad battery.

 

[mitchb2]

Wow, that's cheap! Would especially come in handy when flying.

 

[darreno1]

This is what I do right now, but I might actually spring for the Seidio 2800 mah as well. I'm a heavier surfer these days, and I love watching tons of videos on that tiny screen for some reason.

 

[Pagaldesi4life]

jsh1120, thats a good solution to our dilema with the battery performance, I've considered doing that as well, but the thing is, not many people want to carry a second battery in thier pockets/purses/bags etc (al though it is a good solution for people with if they have thier own work desks). We should have to reside to the idea of needing a 2nd battery for our phones unless if we demand such a heavy use out of it. Personally my battery gets me by on just a little below average use. My point is, why can't these manufacturers develop a battery that can exceed these "average" benchmarks. I mean come on, there are companies that build batteries for space shuttles that can withstand the harsh conditions of outer space and provide performance in the time of need...all I want is a simple battery for my phone that will let me browse the web, send a few msgs, make a couple calls, listen to music, etc, and not worry about it dying half way through the day lol.

 

[takeshi]

My point is, why can't these manufacturers develop a battery that can exceed these "average" benchmarks.

Well, take a look at Seidio's 2600mAh battery... There are always compromises to be made with every design decision. If you want more juice you need more space for more cells assuming that you're sticking with Li ion.

 

[jsh1120]

jsh1120, thats a good solution to our dilema with the battery performance, I've considered doing that as well, but the thing is, not many people want to carry a second battery in thier pockets/purses/bags etc (al though it is a good solution for people with if they have thier own work desks). We should have to reside to the idea of needing a 2nd battery for our phones unless if we demand such a heavy use out of it. Personally my battery gets me by on just a little below average use. My point is, why can't these manufacturers develop a battery that can exceed these "average" benchmarks. I mean come on, there are companies that build batteries for space shuttles that can withstand the harsh conditions of outer space and provide performance in the time of need...all I want is a simple battery for my phone that will let me browse the web, send a few msgs, make a couple calls, listen to music, etc, and not worry about it dying half way through the day lol.

I'm sure if you're willing to pay for a battery developed for the space shuttle you'd get better performance. And there is nothing to prevent a manufacturer from providing a battery that will last weeks or months between charges as long as you're willing to carry a 20 lb phone.

The fact is that compared to progress with other "hi tech" components, batteries continue to be stone age devices. It's not a question of "will;" it's a question of physics, weight, cost, and consumer demands for convenience.

For example, you could use a tiny watch battery if you're willing to sacrifice a big bright screen. And you could have a big bright screen if you were willing to have it lit only as long as you pressed down a button to keep it shining (like one of those keychain flashlights.)

And yes, you can have a battery that lasts twice as long if you're willing to pay, say, $100 for the exotic materials that are required for such batteries.

Technology ain't magic. That tiny 2x3x1/8 battery in your phone that weighs less than an ounce does a lot of work in your Droid. In terms of functionality it's roughly equal to my netbook that weighs 20 times as much and whose battery lasts about 4 hours. And frankly, I prefer to carry around an extra ounce in my pocket than have a Droid that looks 8 months pregnant.

 

[m@tt]

jsh1120, thats a good solution to our dilema with the battery performance, I've considered doing that as well, but the thing is, not many people want to carry a second battery in thier pockets/purses/bags etc (al though it is a good solution for people with if they have thier own work desks). We should have to reside to the idea of needing a 2nd battery for our phones unless if we demand such a heavy use out of it. Personally my battery gets me by on just a little below average use. My point is, why can't these manufacturers develop a battery that can exceed these "average" benchmarks. I mean come on, there are companies that build batteries for space shuttles that can withstand the harsh conditions of outer space and provide performance in the time of need...all I want is a simple battery for my phone that will let me browse the web, send a few msgs, make a couple calls, listen to music, etc, and not worry about it dying half way through the day lol.

I'm sure if you're willing to pay for a battery developed for the space shuttle you'd get better performance. And there is nothing to prevent a manufacturer from providing a battery that will last weeks or months between charges as long as you're willing to carry a 20 lb phone.

The fact is that compared to progress with other "hi tech" components, batteries continue to be stone age devices. It's not a question of "will;" it's a question of physics, weight, cost, and consumer demands for convenience.

For example, you could use a tiny watch battery if you're willing to sacrifice a big bright screen. And you could have a big bright screen if you were willing to have it lit only as long as you pressed down a button to keep it shining (like one of those keychain flashlights.)

And yes, you can have a battery that lasts twice as long if you're willing to pay, say, $100 for the exotic materials that are required for such batteries.

Technology ain't magic. That tiny 2x3x1/8 battery in your phone that weighs less than an ounce does a lot of work in your Droid. In terms of functionality it's roughly equal to my netbook that weighs 20 times as much and whose battery lasts about 4 hours. And frankly, I prefer to carry around an extra ounce in my pocket than have a Droid that looks 8 months pregnant.

And frankly, I prefer to carry around an extra ounce in my pocket than have a Droid that looks 8 months pregnant.:rofl3:

 

[Darkseider]

Hey jsh1120 I have had this question irking me for some time. You and I are both in agreement that task killer, process killers, etc... make absolutely NO difference in battery life. The question I have now which is a goody is how are more and more people reporting these ridiculous times? I avg about 16 hours before I have to go on the charger at 20% or so. I consider myself a moderate user, 2 hours of mp3 playback or pandora, 1 hour or so of browsing/facebook, 20 to 30 gmails a day and about 30 minutes of phone. Again 16 hours avg.

Now these folks that proclaim 24+ hours with moderate usage with a stock battery makes me wonder if in fact some of the batteries that shipped with some Droids were bad. The reason I conclude this is that after looking through an extensive Nexus One thread no battery life it seems that they were having similar issues and the batteries were problematic. Another group in that thread had the phone replaced and the problems seemed to have been solved, maybe a bad charging circuit? In any case I am getting more curious as to what causes these HUGE discrepancies in battery life reports.

 

[m@tt]

Not to thread jack, but I use Apollo Task Killer and Auto Memory to kill process that are running. I also use Screebl lite been pretty happy with my battery performs.