A PDA is one of the most important mobile tools to a person, particularly when working away from home. This is especially true for professionals keeping appointments, or businesspeople sending frequent e-mails or updating vital files. Fortunately, there are some important steps you can take to extend the life of your PDA's battery.
Firstly, most PDAs have an AC adapter, or a cradle of some type fulfilling the same function. Try to use your adapter whenever you possibly can, as not only does this continually recharge the battery, but can also help to extend its life.
You obviously don't want to be draining the battery while the device is not in use. Your PDA should have an option to turn itself off after a specified period of time automatically if it is not in use. In order to conserve battery life, reduce the delay so that the device shuts off more quickly.
When using your PDA, consider adjusting the brightness level of the screen. A very bright screen consumes a fair amount of power, and most people tend to leave the brightness setting much higher than it needs to be. Turning the brightness down even a small amount will be wonderful for your battery since it doesn't have to work as hard, and the change to the screen will be nearly unnoticeable. For best results, turn it down as far as you are willing to tolerate. Similarly, PDAs with a backlight use up more power if backlighting is on, so try setting the device to turn the backlighting off automatically after a certain amount of time has passed.
Configure your PDA to run as few applications at a time as possible, especially background tasks. The more applications the device is running, the more it has to work and thus more strain is put on the battery. Similarly, reduce how often automated tasks, such as checking your e-mail, take place.
Removable devices such as Compact Flash and PC cards use up power as well. If you are not using these extra devices at a given point in time, remove them from your PDA's system. Any range of additional devices which are not in use, such as wireless LAN cards, memory cards, and modems can be removed or shut off to conserve power. Wireless cards are constantly searching for a signal, even if you are not attempting to use networking features. Turn these off when you do not intend to use them--doing so will save battery power considerably. It is also important to note that you should never overclock your PDA. Not only will this drain the battery much more quickly, it will likely also void the warranty.
Keep the device away from extreme temperatures. Different temperatures can affect the performance of a battery in different ways. It is recommended that you always use and charge batteries at room temperature, as a battery will drain much more quickly in extreme conditions.
Finally, use your battery until it is completely drained, and avoid partial charges as well. Partial charges significantly shorten the life of any battery, as do partial discharges. This is particularly important when you have just gotten your PDA, as the first few charges can slightly lengthen your battery life on a permanent basis.
Keep these tips in mind for your laptop, rechargeable MP3 player and other portable instruments, as taking good care of your power sources will extend the life of almost any device.
