Until new nano lithium technology comes in later in 2009, mobile phone batteries are still notoriously flaky. Just when you need to make an important call the battery indicator tells you the charge is all but extinct. You may have conditioned your battery in line with all of the advice and old wives tales floating around but still have to re-charge yours every day. Short of buying a spare and keeping that charged what can you do?
Now you want to discharge the battery. If you disable the hibernation setting or anything else that might make the computer go into power saving mode, it would be better. Let the computer run until it shuts down due to loss of battery power, then turn it back on.
Your iPod uses a eddy stock ion battery. That is not the round kind found in a flashlight. Rather, it is a light, thin battery that is more powerful than conventional batteries. Using your device causes the battery to drain - simple enough. However, every time you charge your iPod battery, it loses some of its total charge. Over time, it will simply run out of power and you will have to replace the iPod battery with an iPod battery replacement kit.
Batteries - Many of the battery products found at the dollar stores are made with carbon zinc, as opposed to lithium, so they do not last as long. Carbon zinc can also leak, thus doing damage to your electronics.
When you store it, make sure the temperature is not too high nor too low. Don't freeze it and storing the unit in a hot car or near the radiator is a bad idea as well. Use a sealable bag, charge the Lithium battery stocks to about 50% and put it into the fridge between 0 and 5C.
OLithium-ion Batteries: these are the newest type of cell phone battery and, while having certain advantages over the older NIMH and NICD batteries, care must still be taken to ensure they perform at their best. For example, a new Lithium mines Ontario-ion battery should be "conditioned". What this basically means is that for the battery's first three charge cycles, fully charge the battery overnight and allow it to fully discharge before charging it again. This will increase the life and effectiveness of the cell phone battery.
Now, you may be asking yourself why your iPod does not use conventional batteries. Here is the answer: find any size battery in your home and try to place it in your iPod. You will soon figure out why lithium ion is the weapon of choice for iPod mini batteries. They are smaller, longer lasting, and have the juice to power today's high-performance devices.
Using these easy tips to keep the battery in the best condition won't do wonders, but will let you use it to the maximum number of recharges. Ever wondered why some laptops keep their maximum capacity for 3-4 years, while others dive under an hour of runtime in one? This is why.