I came across this post from our good friend Al Sacco yesterday, and it got me thinking a bit. BlackBerry 10 is heading our way soon and there are lots of questions left unanswered. In just a few days, eager developers will get their hands on the BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha prototype device during BlackBerry Jam, and while we've been reassured it's not a final production unit by any means, it will give some sense of what is in store for BlackBerry 10.

One thing I love about my BlackBerry is that it has a removable battery. I like that I can charge up 2 or 3 spares when I'm on the go (at BlackBerry World for example) and easily swap out a new one instead of having to plug in to charge. I know many of you feel the same, but with devices like the iPhone, Droid 4, HTC One X and plenty of others heading the way of non-removable batteries, it leaves us wondering if BlackBerry 10 will do the same? BlackBerry 10 devices will be modeled after the BlackBerry PlayBook which itself has no removable battery.

So what we want to know is if you'll still want to use a BlackBerry 10 device with a permanent battery. I say if the battery life is good awesome then I have no problem, but if I have to constantly plug in my device during the day, it may be more than a bit frustrating. Let us know in the poll above, then hit up the comments for more.

Back when the BlackBerry PlayBook was first available for sale, power options weren't readily available. You could tap the Turn Off icon from the home screen or you could hold down that much-maligned power button. That was pretty much it.

In later OS updates, Research In Motion introduced a popup window to give you more options however. Tapping the battery icon at the top of the home screen would give you the status of the tablet's battery as well as options for turning off, restarting, and placing the PlayBook into standby. These newer options worked quite well with one exception: if you had set a password on the device, standby would almost immediately lock it, requiring you to enter your password before the tablet would awaken.

The new PlayBook OS 2.0 software addresses that problem with a new fourth button on the battery popup window: Lock. If you haven't set a password on your PlayBook, you won't see the new control; but once you set a password, the Lock button will be there. So that begs the question: what's the difference between Lock and Standby?

Simply put, tapping the Lock button will immediately place your PlayBook on Standby and require you to enter your password before you can use your tablet again. Tapping the Standby button will allow you to awaken your tablet with a single swipe across the screen, no password needed. I should note that if you leave your BlackBerry tablet in Standby mode for long enough - from 10 to 30 minutes depending on your settings - it will lock itself and require that password.

So what is your choice? Do you use a password to lock your PlayBook? Or do you just opt for the simple standby mode? Sound off in the comments!

If you are the type of BlackBerry owner that likes to monitor battery status, and analyze the ins and outs of your usage, then you will definitely want to check out Battery Watch by S4BB. With this app you can have the both of best worlds, with Basic Mode for users that want just to see a quick overview and have notifications for battery status, and Professional Mode with detailed information, line charts that display energy levels over day, week, or month and more. Battery Watch is FREE and compatible with all BlackBerry smartphones.

More information/screenshots and download Battery Watch from the CrackBerry store
More information/screenshots and download Battery Watch from BlackBerry App World

Pop quiz, hotshot. There's a bomb on a bus. Once the bus goes 50 miles an hour, the bomb is armed. If it drops below 50, it blows up. What do you do? What do you do? Oh, and your BlackBerry's battery is about to die. The correct answer of course is that you jump off the bus at the earliest opportunity (be sure to tuck and roll) and charge your BlackBerry.

While the events of the movie Speed are thankfully uncommon, a battery drained BlackBerry isn't. The device is a victim of its own success; our CrackBerrys typically last a day or more on a single charge.  Why would you charge a device that doesn't need it? Then, towards the middle of the day, the battery level drops into that dreaded yellow zone. Less than 30% power remains. Be it a USB cable, wall, or car charger; get your BlackBerry some juice, stat. If that's not an option, there are a few things you can do to minimize your power use. You and your BlackBerry just might be able to limp along until the end of the day.

Turn off the radios. The Bluetooth, Wifi, and GSM/CDMA radios use a lot of power. If you're not using them, turn them off. I suggest turning off Bluetooth and Wifi first. You'll still be able to get messages and emails through the mobile network.

Close unused applications: Every application in your app switcher is silently draining power from your battery. From processor cycles to contacting servers on the internets, everything these apps do is slowly killing the remaining power in your battery. Close those resource hoggers.

Turn off the phone: There is a danger of draining the battery in your BlackBerry too much; if it dies too much, it won't hold a charge. There are systems designed to prevent this, but that doesn't mean you can't help. At less than 5% charge, your device will automatically shut off all radios. That's pretty much the signal for you to power down. Hold down the red key until the phone "shuts down."

Or, you could simply carry a spare battery. Oh, and please don't try that jumping off the bus thing. It seriously hurts. 

A closer look at the all new JM1 1230mAh battery featured in the new BlackBerry Bold 9900 / 9930 Smartphone

Need a spare battery for your BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930? Get it at ShopCrackBerry.com!

During our indepth hands-on with the BlackBerry Bold 9930 at BlackBerry World 2011, we pulled the battery cover off the device and saw a new battery that had a grey and blue wrapper on it. It turns out that particular device was a slightly older engineering unit that didn't feature the final production battery. To clear things up and make sure we got it right, we went back for another look at the new touch Bold and took some photos of the production JM1 battery as you can see in the photos above and below.

The JM1 battery is 1230mAh, which is a bit smaller in capacity than the 1550mAh MS1 battery that's been used in the Bold 9000 and 9700/9780. The footprint of the battery is about the same, but the JM1 is definitely thinner as you can see in the comparison shots below. During our press briefing session this week on the device I asked about RIM's expectation of battery life on the 9900 / 9930, seeing as there's a smaller battery but a higher performing processor, and RIM seemed very confident in the battery life. RIM's always put battery life as priority, and they haven't sacrificed the user experience here - so expect the device to power you through a full day of work and play. With the new Bold being the thinnest BlackBerry to date they needed to go with a slightly thinner battery. And for power users who eat through batteries regardless, the good news here of course is that you can always buy a spare battery and swap it out if you need to - I'm glad to see RIM still allowed for a removable battery on the new Bold.

Learn More / Buy BlackBerry Batteries

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You'd think that charging your BlackBerry is the easiest thing in the world, undeserving of a full BlackBerry 101 article. You plug in your power source and let it sit there. But for many of us, there are still some lingering questions about proper battery care.

I come from a time when batteries weren't as smart as they are today. There were all sorts of secret tricks and rules you'd have to know, or you'd kill your battery. You couldn't recharge a battery until it had fully discharged; otherwise, you'd limit the battery's capacity. Later years brought batteries that had to be "trained." Fully discharging and recharging multiple times.

Today's modern BlackBerry batteries are different. There's none of that to worry about. Charge your BlackBerry whenever you want. In the car? Charge it. Sitting at your desk for 10 minutes? Charge it. In fact, the only real trick to remember is to make sure the battery doesn't get too low. A study by Cadex found that many Li-ion batteries fail due to being over-discharged.

Your smartphone battery - like your smartphone itself - performs best when it's charged. There's no need to keep it at 100% all day, every day. But there's no reason to let your battery level fall into the red, either. Giving your BlackBerry a few minutes of power will do more good than harm, so go ahead.

There are many charging options for powering your BlackBerry. Inductive charging, solar charging, good ol' USB cables, and more... after the break

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Been wondering just how long the BlackBerry PlayBook battery will last when you're busy browsing the web, watching movies, listening to music, sending emails ... you get it - well we have too. Up until now we haven't really been informed of just what the PlayBook was packing as far as battery life. We know that the PlayBook will be sporting a 5300mAh battery (compare that to the awesome 1550mAh battery on the Bold 9700) so it definitely has some juice. Looking closely on the Staples pre-order page we can actually see the device listed as 10 hours with continual use. So, providing that isn't just a made up number and it actually came from RIM, that means you'll have plenty of go time on the PlayBook. If it's 10 hours with continual use, we can only image what the "down time" battery life will be. Of course we won't know for sure until we get our overly-ready hands on one, but it's totally promising as of now. What do you think? Will the PlayBook battery be just plain awesome or not get the job done? Sound off in the comments!

Contest: Keep reading for details on how to win an extended battery for your device!

If you are like me, and struggle to get a full day per charge on your standard battery that came with your 9650, then you are probably looking for new battery options. While hunting around, I came across the Seidio 2600mAh battery for the 9650, and while initially I was rather hesitant to add the size to gain the capacity I decided the pull the trigger on the battery anyways, and give it a shot. This decision is one that I am forever going to be happy with, and let's hit the jump together to see if this battery is also right for you.

Read Full Review

One lucky member of the CrackBerry Nation will win one of these Ventev PowerCELL Backup Battery packs. Read on for details.

No matter how hard I try I really cannot make any device I own last a full and complete day any more. My BlackBerry Bold 9780 comes close but it's just not enough. I really don't like the idea of running out of juice when I need it most. For some folks carrying a spare battery is the ultimate option but given that I often have a few devices that I make use of, I was looking for something that would be compatible with them all.

I finally decided to give the Ventev PowerCELL a try as it includes several connectivity options, most of which are compatible with all the devices I own. After having used it for a while now, I'm glad to say I no longer fumble around with multiple batteries and chargers. I simply deal with one battery, for all devices and top each one up as I need to.

Read Full Review

A great deal of BlackBerry owners pay close attention to certain information about their devices such as memory usage, battery temperature, battery percentage and so on. I've never really been one to micromanage my device in that way, maybe because I've never really had a problem with memory drainage or anything like that. The one thing I do have an issue with now that I am using the BlackBerry Torch is battery life! I can't make it through a day without needing to charge midway through. In the CrackBerry app store today I found a free application that may help me more accurately judge how much battery life I have left on my device.

My BB Bat is a small app (40.3k) by nisido that monitors your battery and tells you at a glance some quick information about its status. After installation, device reboot, or battery charging, the app calculates the residual level of your battery, or how much time you have left before your battery is empty. As your battery level decreases, the app recalculates the residual level to the nearest 10%, and reflects that amount with an indicator on your home screen. So for example, if the app shows that you have 1 hour and 45 minutes of battery life left, the indicator would show a 2 on your home screen. Personally, I like that it shows actual time left as opposed to a percentage because I don't have to try and calculate how long that percent might last me.

The app requires no set up or interaction from the user. You install it, wait a few minutes for it to gather information and calculate your stats, and that's it! Other information that My BB Bat shows includes battery status, level (as a percentage), temperature, voltage, and uptime. Best of all, it's free!

For more information and to download My BB Bat from the CrackBerry store

Well, I haven’t yet laid my hands on one of these things for a full review, but I saw the announcement and thought it would be worth bringing to your attention anyway. Our friends over at Seidio have just released a new 2400mAh Extended Life Battery for the Pearl!

Seidio Extended Life Battery for Pearl

They state that this gives you up to 170% more capacity with only a 6mm increase in thickness. I didn’t see any infomation about how much weight it added. It comes with an extended battery door that provides openings for the Pearl’s speaker and camera, which should improve on the speaker sound quality.

If you want one, go here!

## This Article Was Originally Published by AllBlackBerry.com     

There are a number of tricks to save battery life and adjustments you can make to your BlackBerry that will increase performance and put less stress on your battery.

Here are some easy tips: 

• The Auto On/Off feature is designed to program the device to automatically power off and power on. On the Home screen, click the Options application. Select Auto On/Off to select the time the device will turn off and on.

• When wireless coverage is not needed, “Turn Wireless Off” to avoid unnecessary attempts by the radio to find coverage.

• For Bluetooth enabled BlackBerry devices, “Turn Bluetooth Off”, if it is not in use.

• BlackBerry devices should be kept in their holsters when not in use because this will turn off the LCD screen.

•  Don't use the backlight. This isn’t always an option, but if you have a version of the device that allows you to avoid using the backlight, then avoid it when you can. Your backlight eats up a huge amount of battery life.

•  Recharge often. Unlike some mobile batteries you don’t need to fully discharge the battery packs frequently. Several partial discharges with frequent recharges are better for lithium-ion batteries than one total discharge.

• Use BlackBerry shortcuts to access common system features quickly.

There are some other things you can do to optimize battery power. For example, if you are using BlackBerry Desktop Software, disable the forwarding option of messages to the BlackBerry when it is cradled. This will avoid duplication of e-mails to both the desktop computer as well as
the device, while you are working on the desktop computer. To do this go to your ‘Desktop Manager,’ click ‘Redirector Settings.’ Then select the ‘Disable e-mail redirection’ while your handheld is connected. Checkbox and click ‘OK.’ 

• Set the 'Wireless Email Reconciliation' option to 'Prompt' for deletions. This option allows you to delete e-mails locally to save space on the device without necessarily deleting the emails from the original mailbox. In the 'Messages' application, click the trackwheel and select 'Options' from the menu. In the 'Messages Options' screen, select 'Email Reconciliation' and change the 'Delete On' setting to 'Prompt.' Click 'Save.'

• For large messages, the 'More' and 'More All' features are available for up to 32KB of a message; however, these features should only be used when necessary. Disable the 'Auto More' function. In the 'Messages' application, click the trackwheel and select 'Options' from the menu. In the 'Messages Options' screen, click 'General Options' and change the 'Auto More' setting to 'No.'

• For BlackBerry devices running version 3.8 or 4.0 handheld software, disabling Content Protection and/or Content Compression will allow for improved system performance. However, using this option will eliminate additional security for stored data and will decrease file system space. From the handheld 'Home' screen,  click 'Options' and click 'Security' from the 'Options' screen. In the 'Security' screen, change the 'Content Protection' and the 'Content Compression' options to 'Disabled.'

* August 2011 Update - Read our new article featuring the Top 10 Tricks and Tips to Maximize Your BlackBerry Battery Life *

The one thing we all crave from our BlackBerries, aside from a smaller price tag, is more battery life. In the spectrum of wireless devices, BlackBerries are actually pretty good in terms of battery life. Still, it’s always nice to have a little bit more, especially when you forget your travel charger on that business trip you’re taking.

Here’s a few tips:

1) Don’t use the backlight. This isn’t always an option, like in the 7100 models, but using the backlight will eat up a fair amount of battery life. Save it for when you really need it.

2) Ease back on wireless stuff. I know it’s cool to surf the web and chat from your Berry. But programs that use the wireless capabilities of the device, like the browser, put additional drain on the battery. Go easy when your battery gets low.

3) Turn off wireless when coverage is poor. Being in a fringe or no coverage area means that your BlackBerry may have to transmit many times before the packets make it through. This will eat up the battery faster than normal.

4) For that matter, turn off wireless completely. Gasp! There, I said it. I know, that’s really no fun at all. But if you’re far from a charger and low on battery, you gotta do what you gotta do.

5) Turn off bluetooth when you aren’t using it.

6) Recharge often. Don’t try to fully discharge the battery packs too frequently. Several partial discharges with frequent recharges are better for lithium-ion batteries than one total discharge. Lithium-ion batteries don’t have a “memory”, so recharging a partially charged battery doesn’t cause any harm.

7) If battery life continues to be a problem, consider buying a spare. For around $30 you buy some peace of mind that you’ll always have power. Because everything on the BlackBerry is written to Flash ROM, your data is safe while you pop out the old battery and replace it. Buy Spare Batteries Here.

## This Article Was Originally Published by AllBlackBerry.com on April 26, 2006