The Cell Phone Batteries

By Roy D'Silva
The cell phone may well be the most important invention in recent times. This little communications device has played a major part in making communications simpler and making people believe that if wireless communication over a certain distance is possible, so is data transfer across continents.

While the cell phone was a mere device to take and receive calls a few years ago, today the cell phone is on the verge of becoming a complete portable entertainment device, with just one of its features being making calls.

However, the cell phone is not a standalone device. It has many complicated and important parts within itself, without which, the basic need of a cell phone is defeated. One such important component of the cell phone is the cell phone battery. Earlier, cell phones used to contain NiCad (Nickel Cadmium) batteries. These batteries had low power and were also heavy.

It is suspect whether these batteries could sustain power enough for a cell phone to double up as a digital player, let alone be digital camera and MP3 player. Surprisingly, the most battery using feature of a cell phone is connecting to the Internet. Back in the days of WAP, the NiCad batteries would lose their power after about half an hour of internet browsing using the cellphone.

Success Stories and Failure
The cellular battery is an integral part of the cellphone. Though it may seem completely dispensable, there have been times when people have kicked themselves for not having a spare battery. In fact, may cellular models of many handset companies could never take off because their batteries didn't have the capacity to power all their features.

The battery life and the range are two reasons why the number one cellular handset company in the world is the number one cellular handset company in the world today.

Innovating Success
Batteries today are made of NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride), which plays an important role in making the cell phone light and breezy to use. The NiMH batteries also are less prone to have the 'memory effect' as compared to NiCad batteries. The NiMH batteries are also known to give a better performance as compared to their counterparts, NiCad batteries.

The recent entrants in the market are Lithium-ion batteries and Lithium Polymer batteries.Batteries made of either material weigh less than both NiCad and NiMH batteries and give a superior performance. In fact, the Lithium-ion and Lithium Polymer batteries can power the latest cellular phones in the market today for a full week.

Precautions
One should be careful while using batteries. Batteries normally have a 500 recycles lifetime. After this, the batteries may decrease in standby as well as talk time power. Simply put, any battery will work well for not more than two years. One should also be careful enough not to overcharge the batteries.

Overcharging the batteries may result in the battery to overhead and finally damage the mobile phone battery. A cellular battery typically attains full charge in three to four hours.

Also, avoid exposing your cellphone to extreme heat or cold. Also, do not let the cellular battery be dormant for a long time. Another good idea is to keep the battery terminals in the cellphone clean. If the battery is to be kept dormant for an extended period, it is suggested to take the battery out of the handset and store in a cool, dry place until use.

Deciding Factor
The battery life of a cell phone has always been a deciding factor in the buying decisions. One should decide as to which cellphone is to be bought, and which features would be used at present or in future. It is extremely necessary that a feature-rich cellphone should have a strong and robust cellular battery. One other option is to always keep a spare battery, for those days of long chats.