Hi, quick question is,

I think I have to get a new battery, what's been your experience on the best value battery to get?

Or am I stuck w/ just going to the t-mobile store & buying whatever they have for blackberrys?

Or do I just need to drain my battery totally before recharging it?

I did a search but didn't find any threads talking about this – maybe I used the wrong keywords, or there just aren't any options. I looked at the FAQs but my question is not that there's some problem w/ my blackberry, but more about the type of new battery to get (I assume I need a new battery by this time).

The details:

I have had my 8700g Blackberry for about 16 months. I actually don't use it much. (just don't have much of a life I guess ) I bought it new when I needed a cell phone for the first time & got it off Amazon

I've only had it on the factory installed Lithium Ion Rechargeable Battery C-S2 (Japan)

I've only recharged w/ the plug directly thru the outlet, I haven't synced it w/ my home computer yet – one of these day, I'll get around to that. I've always followed the instructions & have only recharged it when it got down to 45% charge, except for maybe a handful of times.

I've noticed recently that, even tho I don't use it much, the battery doesn't hold a charge like it used to – seems to lose 5% a day even if I don't do anything but turn it off & on a few times to see if I have a message (& by a few, I mean, like 2-3 times, then leave it off or maybe locked).

I DO NOT get the symbol of a battery w/ a line thru it or anything, I just have to recharge it far more frequently than I have had to in the past.

I don't think anything is draining the battery. I don't think I have a lot of applications running in the background. When I hold alt and press the 'back' button only 4 icons pop up, the "message", the "call log", the "internet browser" & the house. I don't leave it in the holster or my pocket w/o turning it off or putting it on "lock".

And I don't have a lot on it to drain the power -- I only have about 30 phone #s saved in it (see? I don't have a life); I've only added a few browser locations (like yahoo, google) & reqally nothing else saved, as I don't really use it as a PDA.

Any suggestions or experiences you want to share on the right battery replacement to get will be appreciated.

Wirelessly posted (8800: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.0) BlackBerry8310/4.2.2 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)

Lou, it does seem you've done all the right research.
Yes, the battery could be getting old! But be fore you spend $20-30 on a new battery, try these things.
Remove the battery while the BlackBerry is powered on, replace it and reboot. Allow the battery to drain to about 15% the next three times, and each time, fully charge to 100%.
See if your battery keeps a better charge then.
You said you looked at the FAQs, did you see the link toward the bottom "Maximize your Battery Life"? Some of the tips ouve already done.

Good luck.

Thanx, i will try. I did see that section in the FAQ, but as I said, I was wondering about replacement batteries.

I will follow ur suggestion but even if it does extend the life of this battery, at some point I will have to get a new battery (we all will, won't we?).

So anyone who wants to share what kind of battery they've had the best value in for replacement will be appreciated, if anyone wants to share.

I have a friend w/ a blackberry & she got some bigger battery w/ a new bulge on the back of her machine that she says lasts a lot longer (& costs a lot more but her company covers her costs), but I don't want to go that route.

Thanks for your reply, and thanks in advance for anyone who has something to add about which replacement battery to get

Do what JSanders suggest and get you a seidio extended battery. Have had mine for over two years, the best replacement battery and reasonably priced. Then you get more power and good replacement!

I highly recommend the Seido extended life battery. My first replacement battery was the BB extended battery and I had no real complaints with it, I just wanted more.

What was interesting was that the instructions said to run it down completely and completely re-charge it 4-5 times for full capability to be reached. It means it. During those initial 4-5 cycles I wondered if I had wasted my money. Then after that, wow!!!! This thing typically goes a full week and I do lots and lots of phoning and e mailing.

Go for it and follow the instructions.

Plus, and I don't know if this is a good thing or not, but I used the battery door that came with the BB extended life battery with the Seido even though it seemed a little tighter. Now when I drop the thing it doesn't seem to lose it's brain like it previously did. I have to wonder if the tighter grip that the door has on the battery. If anyone knows, weigh in please.

MikeyMike