Got another one for you, will charging it half way or 3 quarters full hurt the battery? Or how about draining it all the way before charging it? I guess I could read the manual just though I would ask here first...
Eugh. Lithium Ion Battery 101:
1. Don't drain it to 0% - This will do MAJOR damage to the cells.
2. Don't charge it constantly - If you're only using it in your house, and you aren't using a cellular radio of some kind, you can probably get 3 days out of it at least before it needs a charge (general statement about Lithium Ion batteries). Charging Lithium Ion batteries isn't the best for them either, but with a cell phone
its a necessary evil. Better to lose a little battery life than to
be without your phone during an emergency. Charge your phone every night.
3. Lithium ion batteries
can be overcharged, but it is not 1994 anymore, and modern batteries and devices have overcharge protection.
4.
There is no such thing as conditioning a lithium ion battery. Hit anyone you see telling someone this with a large, heavy, steel object. Tell them to stop spreading lies, and then run away and call the police to come pick up the remains. *(Don't really do that - but seriously, you don't need to condition these batteries.)
5. EVERY single time you use about an 80% charge of a lithium ion battery
its maximum charge capacity will decrease. This will happen even if you split the 80% discharge, say over 2 40% discharges, or anything else that will add up to about 80%. Eventually, the battery will become unusable. Motorola sells replacements - Deal with it.
6. Do
not expose your Lithium Ion batteries to water. This
includes being in the bathroom with you when you shower. the humidity CAN trigger an explosion in these batteries. Lithium is an alkali metal - like all alkali metals, when exposed to water it will explode. The lithium in your battery is no exception to this. If you suspect that your battery has been exposed to water
stop using it immediately, and store it in a seal-able zip-lock bag or similar. Turn it in to a recycling facility immediately.
7. Not fully charging a lithium ion battery will
not harm it in any way - it does not have a memory in that sense. also, discharging it to a specific level every day doesn't cause memory either. In fact, laptops from Lenovo actually use this property of Lithium Ion batteries to extend their lifespan by
deliberately not charging them to full every time you plug the laptop in (With an override for when you need to make sure its fully charged, like if you plan to travel)
8. Every other standard battery warning applies - don't puncture it (it'll probably explode), don't expose it to extreme stress, don't hook it up backwards, don't expose it to fire (it'll probably explode) or bridge the contacts (it'll probably explode)
9. Most importantly, NEVER throw a lithium Ion battery away in regular trash, they are HIGHLY toxic and need to be recycled properly (and not the shipped to china where they end up in a landfill properly - real live battery recycling. An industry that DOES still exist in the United States)
if this post is scary, just realize how insanely stupid you have to be and deliberately ignore several warnings to make the battery explode. Lithium makes a pretty toxic mess when it explodes, I've done it several times working as a lab assistant at my college. Just don't do it.