Can you "over charge" cell phones and ipods?

lajsc

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Submitted by lajsc on April 4, 2008 - 10:36am.

Hi all,

A bunch of us were sitting around talking the other night, and one guy said he had left his ipod in the charger too long and now the battery doesn't last as long. I had never heard of this before. Is this possible? How long is "too long"?

Also, would this also affect cell phones? I just recently got a new Razr, and it doesn't seem to hold a charge very long. I don't use my cell phone a whole lot (I can actually go days without making a call on it), but last weekend after a short conversation with son and one with my daughter, it was practically drained. I've talked to other people who have Razrs and they said they're batteries don't last very long, either.

I usually keep my phone plugged in to charger when I'm at work to keep it charged up. Should I stop doing this?

Thanks in advance for answers/advice.

L

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lyndeeluwho

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Re: Can you "over charge" cell phones and ipods?

April 4, 2008 - 2:16pm

I don't know anything about I-pods but as far as cell phone's go the only thing that is supposed to do long term damage is from car chargers. At least thats what a radio shack guy told me about 6 months ago when I heard the same thing lol.

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FairyGirl

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Re: Can you "over charge" cell phones and ipods?

April 4, 2008 - 10:48am

I've heard that the new Lithium batteries shut themselves off after the charge is complete. The problem with overcharging was only with the old NiCd (Remember...the ones you were supposed to drain completely before recharging), or so they said in TV Smiling

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lajsc

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Re: Can you "over charge" cell phones and ipods?

April 4, 2008 - 11:38am

Thanks, FairyGirl. I do remember the old days of having to completely drain the NiCd batteries and knew that problem was resolved. I didn't know that the Lithium batteries shut themselves off, though. That's what I love about being a GuG - you learn something new every day!

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Hot2na

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Re: Can you "over charge" cell phones and ipods?

April 4, 2008 - 10:59am

FairyGirl wrote:

I've heard that the new Lithium batteries shut themselves off after the charge is complete.

cellphone battery:

a Lithium-ion battery may be damaged by extensive overcharging (continuously on a charger for more than 24 hours).

iPod battery:

Macworld is great for iPod battery charging issues.

Lithium-ion batteries perform better if you bump their little electrons around every so often. So even if you’ve purchased a newer iPod, you should still charge your older iPod once a month to keep its battery in good shape. You can also keep it stored in its cradle—there’s no danger of overcharging it.

Apple continues to work on increasing battery efficiency. As it finds ways to better battery life, it rolls those tweaks into its iPod software updates. By keeping your player up-to-date with the latest software, you could give your iPod a performance boost.

Tuna ><((((*> the other white meat!

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FairyGirl

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Re: Can you "over charge" cell phones and ipods?

April 4, 2008 - 2:21pm

Hot2na wrote:

cellphone battery:

a Lithium-ion battery may be damaged by extensive overcharging (continuously on a charger for more than 24 hours).

Whoops...So I guess you shouldn't believe everything they say on tv Smiling

It's great though that Apple, as always, has thought of everything...Yay for Apple!!!!

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lajsc

GuGee Since: 31-Aug-2007
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Re: Can you "over charge" cell phones and ipods?

April 4, 2008 - 11:42am

Thanks, Tuna! That was a great article.

I was worried because I recently left my ipod on the charger for a week and thought I had ruined it for good!

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LadyCerridwen48

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Re: Can you "over charge" cell phones and ipods?

April 4, 2008 - 10:45am

I don't know if that's true or a myth, but I have been told that it's the reason my HandSpring Visor won't hold a charge for more than a few hours anymore. I'd love to know if anyone actually knows the truth behind this. Great question!

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lajsc

GuGee Since: 31-Aug-2007
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Re: Can you "over charge" cell phones and ipods?

April 4, 2008 - 11:45am

I've kept my phone off the charger for the past two days and it's only down one bar. I've had one short conversation with my daughter and sent her a text, plus I received my morning traffic updates, so that's it for use. I'll see how long it lasts. . .

BTW, I love your signature!

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