Battery Saving Tips BlackBerry OS 6

Our friends over at the BlackBerry help blog have offered up a suite of battery saving tips for you guys running on OS6. Most of the tips are actually generic to all BlackBerry operating systems, but you'll have to search through the options menu to find the relevant settings as the instructions below apply to the OS6 interface. So read on and remember to leave us a comment on your own battery saving tips.

Source: http://helpblog.blackberry.com

Ever wonder how you can get even more battery life out of your BlackBerry® 6 OS smartphone? Lucky for you, the new user-friendly OS makes it even easier to fit more productivity into your busy life before you start running low...

Charging – Top it up!

To keep your device running in top shape, make sure your battery is fully charged whenever possible. Whether you’re at your desk, in your car or relaxing at home, keeping your device plugged in will ensure the battery is ready to go when you are.

Quick Tip: Wall chargers are the preferable method of charging as it is a direct electrical current to your battery which allows it to recharge quicker. 

Screen Display

Take a look at your Backlight settings. Simply turning the Backlight off when your device isn’t in use will help to conserve battery life. An easy way to do this is to reduce the “Backlight Timeout” on your device. You may also want to reduce your screen brightness – you’d be surprised how well you can see when it’s not fully lit.

To Reduce Backlight Timeout
(Go to options > Display > Screen Display > Scroll down to backlight time out > lower this to 20 sec)

To Reduce Backlight Brightness
(Go to options > Display > Screen Display > Scroll down to Backlight Brightness > lower this to 30)

When your device is not being used hold down the ‘Lock’ button in the upper left corner to enter the BlackBerry® smartphone into standby mode.

Typing and Input

If you don’t need it, turn off your key tone. If you think about how many keys you press in a day, it can really add up.

(Go to Options > Typing and Input > Keyboard > Uncheck Key Tone)

Network Connections

Be sure to turn off any unused connections when they aren’t in use like your Wi-Fi® and Bluetooth® signals.

(From the home screen, select ‘Manage connections’ – here you can disable Bluetooth and Wi-Fi)

Browsing

Another new feature with BlackBerry 6 is the ability to create icons on the home screen. Save yourself from having to browse for your favorite website by creating shortcuts right on your home screen.

(Open the Browser to your favorite website > Press the menu key > Select ‘Add to Home Screen’)

Also, make sure to close your Browser when you’re not using it. Be sure to use the ESC key to exit instead of the red End key.

Applications

If you’re running really low and need to make your battery last, a final resort is to turn off all background Applications that may be running. Be sure to close the app by pressing the Menu key and selecting Close.

Also, keep an eye on your Podcast and social application updates. You might want to consider changing the frequency of your notifications until you’re able to top up your battery.

GPS

Keep in mind that GPS uses up power even if you aren’t using it. So unless you’re running Applications that require GPS to be on, such as BlackBerry Traffic or Facebook Places for BlackBerry smartphones, you might want to turn it off until you need it.

(Options-Device > Location Settings > Location Service > Location off)

Media

When your battery is running low, you’ll want to limit usage of your media player. If you aren’t using it, be sure to exit using the ESC key instead of the red End key. You can also set the default timeout to shorter interval within Media > Options. If you need to use it, reduce volume and use headphones.

For more great tips to get the most out of your battery life on your BlackBerry smartphone, check out this article on BlackBerry smartphone battery power saving tips.

Share your own Battery Saving Tips in the comments box!