A battery, especially a low powered battery like a cell phone will show wear and tear more quickly than other batteries, simply because the amount of use and abuse it gets as we carry it around. There are a few things you can do to increase your battery life on your cell phone, however, that will ensure that it will last you through your contract.
1) Charge your battery only after it's been drained down as frequently as possible. While yes, your battery develops a charging threshold, most people don't realize that your cell phone has a threshold as well - the threshold that develops when the internal software that measures your battery life 'sticks' and tells you that you have less capacity than you really do.
2) Turn your phone off then on at least once per day. Your phone registers with several cell sites over the course of the day, especially if you find yourself travelling a long distance. Turning your phone off then on forces it to re-register with your last known cell tower, saving the battery life involved with registering with several cell sites.
3) Keep your roaming library updated (CDMA only). Updating your PRL will install the most current cell tower locations in your phone, creating less work for the phone battery as it searches cell towers.
I did write an article specifically for Verizon Wireless cell phone users, but it might be relevant to saving your cell phone battery life, located
here.
