Extending your PDA Battery Life so that you get the most cost effective use of your PDA battery begins with always keeping a spare pda battery replacement. PDA batteries are cheap enough that owning a backup pda battery makes absolute sense.

Beyond a spare pda battery replacement you can use some basic battery conditioning techniques to help further extend the life of your pda battery like: use the AC adapter or pda cradle at a desk, powering your pda battery down when not in use, dimming your pda screen down, and using peripherals wisely.

But with PDA batteries there is far more going on internally that work against the life of a pda battery. Contained within your PDA Battery is a design and chemistry make-up that impacts your battery life far more than your usage activity and there is no amount of conditioning you can do to preven the ultimate power loss of your pda battery.

For example we know that batteries are rated by their voltage, their mAh, and of course the chemicals contained within. These three technical facts about your battery give some insight into the actual life of (energy stored within) your battery.

But the length of time a pda battery can operate is not linear to the amount of energy stored in the battery. In fact their are four ongoing problems with all batteries that affect performance and the extended battery life of your pda.

They are: declining capacity, increasing internal resistance, elevated self-discharge, and premature voltage cut-off on discharge.

These are more complex issues that are beyond user control and are wholly contained within your pda battery and within your device! As we will see these issues (declining capacity, increasing internal resistance, elevated self-discharge, and premature voltage cut-off on discharge) do more to cause PDA Battery Degradation and PDA Power Loss than your typical PDA owner could ever do.

Declining Capacity

Declining capacity is when the amount of charge a battery can hold gradually decreases due to usage, aging, and with some chemistry, lack of maintenance. PDA batteries are specified to deliver about 100 percent capacity when new but after usage and aging and lack of conditioning a pda battery's capacity will drop. This is normal. If you are using a pda battery (or any lithium-ion or lithium-polymer battery) when your battery's capacity reaches 60% to 70% the pda battery will need to be replaced. Standard industry practice will warranty a battery above 80%. Below 80% typically means you have used the practical life of a battery. Thus the threshold by which a battery can be returned under warranty is typically 80%.

Loss of Charge Acceptance

The loss of charge acceptance of the Li?ion/polymer batteries is due to cell oxidation. Cell oxidation is when the cells of the battery lose their electrons. This is a normal process of the battery charge creation process. In fact every time you use your pda battery a loss of charge acceptance occurs (the charge loss allows your battery to power your pda). Capacity loss is permanent. Li?ion/polymer batteries cannot be restored with cycling or any other external means. The capacity loss is permanent because the metals used in the cells run for a specific time only and are being consumed during their service life.

Internal Resistance

Internal resistance, known as impedance, determines the performance and runtime of a battery. It is a measure of opposition to a sinusoidal electric current. A high internal resistance curtails the flow of energy from the battery to a pda device. The aging of the battery cells contributes, primarily, to the increase in resistance, not usage. Expect a typical life span of a Li?ion battery to be one to three years, whether it is used or not. The internal resistance of the Li?ion batteries cannot be improved with cycling (recharging). Cell oxidation, which causes high resistance, is non-reversible and is the ultimate cause of battery failure (energy may still be present in the battery, but it can no longer be delivered due to poor conductivity).

Elevated Self-Discharge

All batteries have an inherent self-discharge. The self-discharge on nickel-based batteries is 10 to 15 percent of its capacity in the first 24 hours after charge, followed by 10 to 15 percent every month thereafter. Li?ion battery's self-discharges about five percent in the first 24 hours and one to two percent thereafter. At higher temperatures, the self-discharge on all battery chemistries increases. The self-discharge of a battery increases with age and usage. Once a battery exhibits high self-discharge, little can be done to reverse the effect.

Premature Voltage Cut-Off

Some pdas do not fully utilize the low-end voltage spectrum of a pda battery. The pda device itself cuts off before the designated end-of-discharge voltage is reached and battery power remains unused. For example, a pda that is powered with a single-cell Li?ion battery and is designed to cut-off at 3.7V may actually cut-off at 3.3V. Obviously the full potential of the battery and the device is lost (not utilized). Why? It could be something with elevated internal resistance and are pda operations at warm ambient temperatures. PDAs that load the battery with current bursts are more receptive to premature voltage cut-off than analog equipment. High cut-off voltage is mostly equipment related, not battery.

Dan Hagopian of Batteryship.com authored this article. http://www.Batteryship.com offers PDA Battery Replacement Kits with tools and instructions for iPod battery, iPAQ battery, Clie battery, Palm Battery, Axim battery, Treos, and Blackberries.

The PDA phone revolution is here. Only a few years ago, many of us used to carry around a cell phone as well as a PDA, and suffered form the "too much a handle" syndrome. The PDA as well as the cell-phone manufacturers saw this development, and sensed that people need something else. Their answer was to come out with a PDA phone, or a smartphone. This sophisticated device integrates a PDA with a cell phone and allows you to stay on to of things without getting over-whelmed. The smart phone will enable you to:

1. Keep one calendar instead of two.

2. Talk to people on the phone and check things on your email on the web at the same time. This saves a lot of time and returned phone calls.

3. Carry less

4. Upgrade just one device instead of two, when it's time to upgrade.

5. Look sharper than ever!

So after we talked about the many advantages of having a smartphone, how do you find the Best PDA Phones and choose the one for you?

There are quite a few smartphone manufacturers - iPAQ, Palm-Treo and BalckBerry to name a few. When ever you look for a PDA phone, pay attention to theses parameters:

1. Is it compact and light? some smartphones are just heavy and awkward to handle. You don't need that. Go for a light and thin device that won't be a burden.

2. Is it easy operate? Some PDA phones have complicated menus that require you to invest a lot of effort. Take a good look at how the PDA phone in operated and look for one that is easy.

3. Does it use standard software? - most smartphones are. But just check to be sure. You don't want a smartphone that is "spoiled" and needs special software and accessories to operate at a basic level. For instance, prefer one that uses an operating system like the Palm OS.

4. Is the phone working well? There is a fine balance between the PDA and the Phone parts in any phone PDA. The Best PDA Phones balance that well and both parts work perfectly, and are fully integrate. Make sure yours does.

5. Do you feel comfortable with it? Perhaps the most important one of all. If you're not comfortable with the device, it deosn't really matter if it's considered the best in the market, does it? Choose the one you feel good about.

Taking a good look at the variety of smartphonmes as well as reading reviews and consulting with owners is good practice. It will ensure you come up with the Best PDA Phones on the market, from which you can choose yours.

IF you've been around a PDA for more than a few seconds, you understand that this device is a great invention. It has very little disadvantages. But one distinct disadvantage is the fact that it's almost impossible to write more than a few words on the PDA's keyboard. It's too small and completely un comfortable. That why the PDA keyboards were introduced to the market. It's a simple solution. You get yourself a portable, wireless keyboard, sync it with your Palm iPAQ, or whatever PDA you're using and that's it. You now can type all day long like you do on your PC and get all that fed right into your PDA for later use. And the keyboards are not expansive - less than $50 will get you a great wireless keyboard that will serve you well.

There are quite a few keyboard models on the market, and it's best to do a little research before buying. You'll be wise to check a few parameters before you buy yourself a PDA keyboard, to make sure you're choosing the right product.

1. Is it wireless? Most keyboards on today's market are wireless. Sure you can get one with a wire but it makes no sense. Why limit yourself? You'll want to use the keyboard in all kinds of situations, maybe with the PDA tucked down inside your handbag? Go for wireless - the price gap in insignificant.

2. Is it comfortable? Not all keyboards are nice and comfortable, and not all of them are agronomic. If possible, try to use a few keyboards before buying. Choose the one that is the most comfortable for you, even if costs a little more. You'll thank yourself later.

3. Does it allow you to type as fast as you like to? If you chose a keyboard that is comfortable for you, typing fast will be easy.

4. What kind of power source does it need? Most keyboards need a few standard batteries to operate. Make sure your chosen keyboard doesn't need anything exotic.

5. Installation - make sure the installation process is easy. Make sure your version of the PDA and it's Operating System support this keyboard. This sounds trivial but you'll be amazed how many times people over look this.

Getting a portable keyboard will make your life a lot easier that having to get along with out one. In fact, many users claim that buying a $45 keyboard to add to their PDA saved then investing $1200 in buying a new notebook computer. So consider getting that keyboard - you'll never understand how you managed without it.