An important aspect of using any mobile device is learning how to manage battery power carefully. Treo devices are efficient, but their battery life depends a great deal on how you use them. In other words, the amount of device usage you get out of each battery charge has as much, if not more, to do with you as it does the device itself. So it's worth examining some strategies to help maximize battery life on your Treo. First, the Treo battery is designed to provide about 6 hours of talk time when using the device as a mobile phone or about 300 hours of standby time if the phone is doing nothing more than waiting for calls. Using the device for other things can add to or take away from this usage range. For example, Bluetooth puts a significant drain on the battery, so it's worth considering whether you want to leave features such as Bluetooth turned on all the time. The first step you can take toward maximizing the Treo battery is to charge it regularly. Unlike some older battery technologies, the lithium ion battery in your Treo performs better when topped off regularly, as opposed to letting it run down entirely before each charge. So charging your device every night is generally a good idea. You can also get into the habit of connecting it and allowing it to charge when you're at your desk. Because the Multi-connector used to synchronize your device includes a plug for the AC charger, you can combine charging the device and synchronizing it into a single step. Although charging the battery regularly ensures that your battery has a good charge, it doesn't address the issue of making the charge last as long as possible. Following are some suggestions for squeezing the most out of each battery charge:
Even if you follow all these tips to help prolong each charge of your battery, you might be in a situation, such as traveling, where you have absolutely no access to an AC charger to recharge your Treo. Don't despair because some interesting options that don't involve a fixed power source are available. I'm referring to Treo chargers that use traditional batteries to charge your Treo battery. For example, a company called Seido makes an Emergency Charger for the Treo 650 that allows you to use a 9-volt battery to charge your device. A single 9-volt battery can charge your Treo battery to 40% to 50% of its full capacity, which isn't bad. This affordable charger is available from the TreoCentral Store at http://store.treocentral.com/just search for "seido emergency charger." If you prefer using AA batteries instead of 9-volt batteries to charge your Treo, you might want to look into BoxWave's Battery Adapter, which uses four AA batteries to charge your device. This adaptor also requires BoxWave's miniSync cable, which is a dual charger/synchronization cable. BoxWave also makes an interesting product called VersaCharger that serves as both an AC charger and a car charger in one compact unit. To learn more about BoxWave's charging products for the Treo 650, visit the Treo 650 section of its website at http://www.boxwave.com/products/easyfinder/products-for-palmone-treo-650_442.htm. Note Palm also makes a car charger for charging your Treo device using the cigarette lighter plug found in most automobiles. This charger is available online at Palm's Palm Store at http://store.palmone.com/. |