Until my company supports the iPhone, I’m going to have to love my Blackberry. It’s not a bad device, it’s just that my thumbs are suffering from repetitive stress disorder. Seriously. They hurt! Okay, I digress. Back on topic.
One of the most frustrating things about having any cell phone is dealing with battery life. Recently, I have discovered some real battery vampire applications that will suck the life out of your phone in just a few hours. I wanted to share my top 3 hotlist of applications to avoid if you want to extend your battery on your Blackberry.
- Facebook: This app is top of the charts when it comes to sucking the life out of your Blackberry. For some reason, it loves to burn power and your phone will become warm to the touch just running it. I have actually had hog all of the cycles on my phone’s CPU and grind it to a halt. I know it’s a pain to use the mobile Facebook site, but it has gotten better. Avoid this app at all costs.
- News Apps: Apps that deliver news in real-time will drain your power very quickly. The interface might be nicers, but stick to the browser based mobile sites for AP and Reuters. They are fast and will only use battery when you take the time to read the news.
- Blackberry AppWorld: My advice is that once you have the apps installed that you want, delete this app from your phone. It tends to be somewhat chatty to the Blackberry AppWorld servers and can speed the drain.
Reconsider installing any application that will stay online and download anything in the background. These will keep your data connection too active and you’ll find yourself down to one bar of power after lunch. Most good applications will give you the option of only downloading on demand or fully closing the app when you click the return button.
Also, avoid gaming for extended periods except to kill time at the doctor’s office. Putting your Blackberry into standby mode when it is in your pocket or holstered will really help to reduce power consumption. Press and hold the button on the top of the phone for a second or two to put it into standby. I don’t know why this is not standard behavior with Blackberry phones. There is an application on App World named AutoStandby. It will automatically put your phone in standby mode to help eek out a few more precious minutes. My battery now lasts late into the evening.
Hope these tips have helped. Please share any tips you have learned about which apps to avoid or how to improve battery life.
Rob Alfieri - WordPress Test Site 