[Fauxreal]

What the heck is a Huawei device?

[Coda]

Huawei is a cell phone manufacturer from China. Most of the time their stuff gets rebranded by the carrier -- if I had to take a guess this is in no small part because Americans tend to have a fairly dim opinion of Chinese electronics. But Huawei's actually really good, this is the second Huawei phone I've owned (the first was a high-end dumbphone) and I've been very satisfied.

Better than LG phones. :P

[Fauxreal]

Ah! I feel like posting that - *The more you know!* rainbow. lolz!

[Quiet Man Cometh]

I liked my old LG "dumbphone." I only have an iphone because it was offered free with a new contract, and given I was in hospital at the time, it really helped to have the data plan and apps so I could handle email and such from the hospital (which had no wireless I could use on that floor) instead of getting friends and relatives to handle everything for me. I have little battery issues with it, though I'm told iphone batteries don't last as long in the rural area I'm moving to (most people have Samsungs or Blackberries) but it seems alright so long as I'm not playing one of my battery sucking games.

[Fauxreal]

QMC, my mom let me use her lappy top when I was in the hospital. That made like so much more bearable. I played a lot of Lord of the Rings online.

I can't wait to get to Japan. I'm going to see what kinda cool cell phone covers they have for my phone!

[Coda]

Cell phones do drain more battery in areas with poor signal (they're trying harder and more frequently), so there's some truth to the statement.

[Fauxreal]

oh gosh - I wonder what kind of signal I will get in Japan. I don't know if I should try to get the international chip, sim? card for it - or just deactivate it for three months.

[Quiet Man Cometh]

Originally Posted by Fauxreal

QMC, my mom let me use her lappy top when I was in the hospital. That made like so much more bearable. I played a lot of Lord of the Rings online.

I can't wait to get to Japan. I'm going to see what kinda cool cell phone covers they have for my phone!

Oh I could have brought my laptop. The problem was there was no wireless connection that I could use it with, so the data on the phone was handy.

And yeah, I know about the connection thing. My old LG which normally lasts forever would die on a daily basis out at my sister's farm where the connection was bad. It was always looking for a signal.

[Quiet Man Cometh]

Assuming I'm going to keep my LG around, would be worth buying another battery for it while they're still available, or would it just die while sitting in a drawer?

[Coda]

Nah, it'll bleed charge in the drawer (might need recharged after a year) but it won't hurt the battery chemistry as long as it doesn't overheat.

[Fauxreal]

I was going to sell my old phone - but I might keep it for artistic purposes. :)

[Filthgrinder]

I'm considering buying a new phone soon. The battery I have now is awful now, since it's "swollen," and it's always shutting off automatically about ten minutes after a full charge due to over-usage and me foolishly waiting until the battery has a red slash through it to run to a charger. XD

On top of that, the LG Optimus T really sucks, and even if I did like it, a new battery would cost way more than the phone itself.

[Coda]

If your battery is swollen you should really stop using it RIGHT AWAY. Swollen batteries are EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. They're an EXPLOSION HAZARD, and swelling only happens when the battery has been damaged in the first place.

Fully discharging a battery isn't bad for it -- in fact it's actually healthy for the battery to occasionally go through a complete drain-recharge cycle. Overcharging the battery is what's bad for it.

When you've got a swollen battery, it's from one of a few causes:

* The battery overheated. Don't leave batteries in a hot place, and ESPECIALLY don't charge them when they're hot.

* The battery has been physically damaged, perhaps by being dropped or stepped on. You can't necessarily see the damage from the outside. (There's no need to be paranoid and stop using a battery just because you dropped it, but if it swells, stop using it.)

* The battery has been electrically shorted, perhaps from water (which can include being operated in a humid environment or cold enough to form dew).

* The battery has been overcharged. Most modern devices are SUPPOSED to automatically disable the charger when full, but there are reasons this might not work or not be enough. You should avoid leaving a battery plugged in longer than necessary.

* The battery has been charged with dirty power. Don't buy cheap chargers. You'll break stuff. (Sometimes you can even see the problems in action from the touchscreen misbehaving while plugged in.)

Furthermore, due to the fire and explosion hazards, you should never dispose of lithium batteries in the trash. (It's actually illegal.) And if it's swollen, you shouldn't even use a battery recycling drop-off bin; you should take it inside some place like Best Buy and give it to someone in person for safe disposal.

[RedRum]

FauxReal, I as well, have a Samsung Galaxy S4 and it far surpasses the performance of my previous phone which was an iphone 4. The battery only drains quickly with the use of large apps such as Pandora or Youtube.

I'm not sure what is meant by adding an extra battery.

Coda, I had no idea this 'Swollen' battery thing could happen. How can one tell?

[Coda]

The S4's stock battery just wasn't big enough for the device's power consumption, that's all. But you can buy extra batteries, keep them charged, and switch them in when you need them, or you can buy external power banks and plug the phone into them for a recharge on the go during the day.

A swollen battery is literally that -- a battery that you can see visibly swelling. It's not flat any more; you can see it bulging out. A battery that's gotten to that point is seriously dangerous and you should take it to a safe disposal center (DO NOT throw batteries away in the trash!) and replace it.

[RedRum]

Thanx, I appreciate the explanation. Gave my battery check and it does not have a bulge. I'll now be sure not to leave it on the charger after it's fully charged which I have been known to do just to ensure it had full battery when I leave the house.