Monday, July 5, 2010

You MUST Charge For 8 Hours!

I recently bought a new cell phone. Nothing was really wrong with my old one which I only bought just three months back. I just needed an upgrade and since there was no objections from wifey, I decided to get a newer model of my current HTC and gave my old one to wifey.

The poor girl gets cell phone hand me downs ... LOL! Not that she minds (at least I don't think she minds) cos she's not one of those people who likes fancy schmancy phones and all that. She's quite content to keep her old one as long as it works.

Every time I tell her to buy a new fancy one with all the bells and whistles, her reply is,

'As long as I can make a call and text from it, I don't need a new one'

So since I bought a new one last Saturday, I gave her my three month old phone which already had a host of fancy applications to it that even gave me headaches to use. She told me to sell it online at first but after some persuasion I managed to convince her to give it a try cos I'd rather she have it than selling it for below market value.

She was a bit daunted by the amount of functions on that phone at first but I think she's secretly liking it since it keeps her connected to her online stuff easily (admit it honey, you like the phone, don't ya ... LOL!).

Anyways, that really isn't what this post is all about. I actually wanted to ask a question which kinda stupefies me. No, it's not about the best multivitamins also. I'm just hoping one of you will give me a satisfactory answer to this mind boggling question.

Whenever you buy a new cell phone, the sales person will ask you to charge the battery for at least 8 hours. In this day and age, with the advancement of battery technology, is that something that must still be done or is it an urban legend.

I mean I can understand if our batteries were the old Ni-cads but not with the lithium ion ones that we use now. Besides, my HTC charger shuts the charging process down after it reaches its full capacity which is around 3-4 hours so how in heavens name do I keep it charging for 8 hours and most importantly, WHY?

When you ask the sales guy why do you need to charge it for 8 hours that can NEVER give you the reason. Most of the time they will just tell you that it must be charged for 8 hours but no explanations would be given.

So, someone please satisfy this curiosity of mine which has been giving me sleepless nights tossing and turning like a fish being fried! I would be greatly in your debt.
.

34 comments:

  1. My sis bought a brand new, very canggih MP3 player and was told the same thing... I suppose the sales people just pass on the 'knowledge' from their older colleagues, or from previous jobs. What does the manual say?

    Btw, my previous phone (bought circa 2005) was not charged for 8 hours and the phone lasted until September 2009 (with me) I passed it on to my dad and if I'm not mistaken the battery officially died about 2 months ago only

    ReplyDelete
  2. Iono why the 8 hours charging when you first purchase also, I wanna know the reason too. But at some point I gave up trying to find the reason heheh.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Terra - Yes, I think they just pass on useless info like that from generation to generation. Well, we'll see how long my battery lasts cos I really didn't bother to charge it for 8 hours.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Maslight - LOL! I also gave up already but it's still bugging me silly!

    ReplyDelete
  5. donno... but that's what they tell u too when u buy a new car (not that i have one).. dun go over 70 until u have reach 2000kms or something like that... crazy lo.. a new car's already been going 120 or more by the sales guys before it gets to the showroom rite.. hehhehee

    its like a passed on tradition kot..

    kinda like twilight zone... why la u ask all these qns.. now i really want to know why we have to charge our batts for 8 hrs *LOL*

    ReplyDelete
  6. It's just hogwash amigo, like old wives' tale. In those days, way back when batteries were crap, we had to charge for a considerable number of hours to ensure the batteries are fully maximized because it has its own levels of charge, so if you charge 75% for the first time, next charge will still give you 75% output and not 100%. I remember trying this out and it was true, I had to change battery then.

    These days however, don't bother with that nonsense, just charge as usual. I did it with my new Nokia X6 and it works fine. I also did it with my new digital camera as well, charging until the light's green, and it works fine.

    Sales people are just victims of old mentality. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Remember 'curiosity kills the cat' ... don't bother with the crap that these sales people feeds us sometimes. Just follow the manual, good enough.

    ReplyDelete
  8. i couldn't satisfy you with the correct answer nick cos the last time i bought a cell phone was 3 years? 4 years? back which im still using up to this day. i think im like your wife. nothing fancy schmancy so long i can answer and receive calls and do SMS.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I wish my hubby wants to buy me a "canggih" phone. He's like your wifey. He kept saying, as long as the phone can make and receive calls, why change. LOL

    Charging for 8 hours. Charge more and the phone will blow up. That's what I heard one salesman telling one lady one time. :D

    Hmmm.... I'm salivating over Samsung's Wave nowadays....

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anny - Exactly! I've seen those sales people drive those unregistered cars to the showroom faster that Lewis Hamilton and yet they tell you to drive the car slowly for a few months! LOL!

    Well, I've been bugged by this question for years so I might as well bug everyone ... hahaha!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Gallivanter - That's what I thought too but I'm still amazed that these sales people keep on insisting to charge the phone for 8 hours and don't bother with a reason. What's worse is some people actually do it!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Wenny - Yes, I tend to follow the manual more than listen to people.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Carol - I don't think I could go for years without changing my phone la ... LOL! I'm one of those people who loves gadgets and new phones :D

    ReplyDelete
  14. Lina - Seriously? The salesman actually said the phone will blow up after 8 hours? Hahahahahahahaha! I'll bet that lady probably thought it was for real even!

    I haven't seen the Samsung Wave, must go look see :D

    ReplyDelete
  15. i just bought new phone but i didnt bother charging 8 hours. just 2-3 hrs then good to go!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Xin - Yup, same here, I think I charged mine for only 4 hours cos they battery was drained from all my messing around with it the moment I took it home ... LOL!

    ReplyDelete
  17. i just bought a new camcorder cam (Benq m1) the sales girl told me that i have to charge it for 8 hours and now i'm watting but from a few hours the light goes green and that what's make me search on google cuz im going crazy i wanna try it :D

    ReplyDelete
  18. Eslam - I really didn't bother to wait for 8 hours. The moment the light turned green, I started using my cell phone :D

    ReplyDelete
  19. My dad just bought a new iPhone 4G. I accidentally off the charger while he was charging. He scolded me and said the battery won't give it's fullest. I'm paranoid now, is it really true though ?

    ReplyDelete
  20. As far as I can remember, it's so that the Lithium Ion cells are all activated properly. It's the same reason as why you should let a laptop battery run fairly low before recharging it every now and then, rather than keeping it on the mains 24/7 or letting it dip a few % then putting it back on charge.
    The longer these cells don't have a charge/are activated by a current, they stand a higher chance of not being able to hold as much of a charge, resulting in poor battery life or faulty batteries.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Anonymous - I suppose you could be right but then I'm an impatient man and cannot wait to mess around with my gadgets ... LOL!

    ReplyDelete
  22. i think that's another marketing strategy. they require us to overcharge it to drain the battery, so that we can buy their products again. but that's just my opinion. =)

    ReplyDelete
  23. That charge time is usually called the "core charge" when you get a new device the battery is dead or has been on a sleep mode. Anyway that time is to give it a corecharge, meaning more battery life in the long term.

    Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_do_we_need_to_charge_a_new_electronic_device_for_8_hours#ixzz1KMZPUrlv

    ReplyDelete
  24. The first 8 hour charge is important as the battery isn't "optimized" yet. The factory sends out pre-charged batteries because if left empty for long period of time, the battery tends to degrade. The idea is, the battery reaches it's full potential after a few charge/discharge cycles.

    But doesn't the battery STOPS charging after it is full? Why must we carry on charging since it isn't really charging anymore?

    This is an excuse and mistake that many people made when they are too excited to try out their "new toy".

    And doesn't everybody that? Being EXCITED about the new buy!

    The answer is that although your battery is "charged" and it doesn't charge anymore while sitting in the charger, but after about an hour or two, in the non-charging state, the battery will drain a little and can immediately activate a full charge again if it is sitting in your charger. This "fast charge, slow discharge" process happens a few times during your 8 hours.

    If you simply start using your battery after the first full charge, the battery tends to remain in that "unoptimized" condition for the rest of it's lifespan.

    If you use it after the 8 hours charge cycle, the battery is optimized and will stay in that condition for a long time before it starts its normal degrading.

    Do a simple test with 2 batteries, one allowing it to sit for 8 hours, and the other being used immediately after it's first full charge. In a short period of time you should be able to see the difference in terms of how much a charge the batteries can hold.

    Hope it helps!

    Kiki Tay
    www.KikiTay.com

    ReplyDelete
  25. It should be in the manual if it required to charge for 8 hours. Engineer vs Sales persons your choice

    ReplyDelete
  26. Come on.. i brought a nokia phone 5 years ago and yeah! i'm still using it. I still remember, the first time i brought this phone i straight away charge for 30min at that time it display battery full and yeah! the battery can last me 2 - 3 days. whenever i saw my battery goes 20%, i will charge it till its full. U DON"T NEED TO CHARGE 3 - 8HOURS! u're trying to spoil the battery. same goes with my new phone now. sumsung galaxy S2.. the first time i brought i charge 20 - 30min... then i start to download the app and everything. the battery still goes fine. It last me 2 - 4 days depend how much i play the app. DON'T EVER OVERCHARGE THE BATTERY! u make things worst.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yup, I agree. I don't bother charging it for 8 hours anymore!

      Delete
    2. the 8 hours charging applies to LI-ION batteries.

      Delete
  27. Haha, your wifey resembles alot of my mother and gf...both of them did not fancy themselves with new phones as long the old one can be used

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Why buy something new when the old still works? That's her policy ... hehehe ...

      Delete
  28. oHO..my younger bro was too excited to play with his new PSP ...the salesgirl told us that the PSP must be charged for 5 hours...he only charged it for 2 hours..what are the effects actually??

    ReplyDelete
  29. Maybe 8 hours isn't that necessary. But after making sure it has charged till 100%, you are supposed to use it until the phone tells you that it needs to be charged again (usually 10-15%). Do this cycle for a few times. And apparently this is for the battery to "memorize" it, allow it to function best.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Actually, you are only supposed to charge a new phone for 8 hours after draining the battery for the first time. It needs to “memorize” how full it was the first time you charged it. For the following charges, you have to stop once it’s full (after 4 hours, in your case) or else your battery will overheat and its lifespan will lessen.

    Regards,
    Venus Eckert

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for leaving a comment on ANYTHING GOES!