About Rechargeable Batteries
BATTERY TYPES (CHEMISTRY)
There are several types of rechargeable batteries in the market. The main types used for common devises such as cellular phones, cordless phones, cordless power tools, notebook computers and camcorders are: Nickle Cadium (Ni-Cd), Nickle Metal Hydride (Ni-MH), Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) and more recently Lithium Polymer (Li-Ploy).
Ni-Cd batteries are now considered "old technology" but are still commonly used for cordless phones, cellular phones, video cameras, radios and other portable devises. Ni-Cd batteries tend to suffer from what is commonly known as "memory effect" - see below. This occurs when recharging a battery before it is fully discharged causing the battery to "remember" its previous partial charge level and not recharging to its full capacity. Conditioning (repetitive fully charging and discharging) may sometimes help erase built-up memory, but not always. For this reason, Rechargeable Phone Batteries do not offer Ni-Cd cellular or cordless phone batteries. Ni-MH batteries are a superior replacement for Ni-Cd batteries because they are available in higher capacities and are virtually memory-free. That means you can charge the battery when it is convenient for you, not when the battery is fully discharged. Ni-MH are now commonly used in cellular phone batteries but most cordless phones have Ni-Cd batteries. Ni-MH batteries are also more environmentally friendly than Ni-Cds since they do not contain heavy metals. Li-ion batteries are now replacing Ni-Cd and Ni-MH as the preferred cellular phone battery. They offer higher capacity and longer life yet are lighter and slimmer than Ni-Cd and Ni-MH and are free of "memory effect". Li-Ion batteries are generally more expensive but at Rechargeable Phone Batteries, our Li-Ion cellular phone batteries are very economically priced. They are also environmentally friendly because they do not contain toxic materials such as Cadmium or Mercury. Li-Poly batteries are the latest in battery technology and are still rare and expensive. MEMORY EFFECT
Ni-Cd batteries (and to a much lesser extent, Ni-MH batteries) suffer from what's called the "memory effect". What this means is that if a battery is repeatedly only partially discharged before recharging, the battery "forgets" that it has the capacity to further discharge all the way down. For example: If you regularly fully charge your cordless phone or cellular phone battery and then use only 50% of its capacity before the next recharge, eventually the battery will become unaware of its extra 50% capacity which has remained unused. The battery will remain functional, but only at 50% of its original capacity. The way to avoid this "memory effect" is to fully cycle (fully charge and then fully discharge) your cellular or cordless phone battery at least once every two to three weeks. Batteries can be discharged by letting the device run on the battery until it ceases to function. This will insure your cordless or cellular phone battery remains healthy. CAPACITY
Batteries are rated as: volts (v) and milliamp-hours (mAh). The milliamp-hours (mAh) capacity determines the length of standby and talk time that the battery will provide. Increased capacity requires greater battery size and weight, but Ni-MH and Li-ion batteries are able to provide high capacities while minimizing size and weight. Some batteries will have higher milliamp-hour ratings than the original cordless or cellular phone battery. This means a longer run-time (talk/standby time) but will not cause any incompatibilities. CHARGING NEW BATTERIES
Your new cellular or cordless phone battery will be shipped to you in a discharged condition and must be charged before use. We recommend a long initial charge (approximately twelve hours) - refer to the user's manual for charging instructions. All rechargeable batteries should be cycled - fully charged and then fully discharged - two to four times initially to allow them to reach their full capacity. (Note: it is normal for a battery to become warm to the touch during charging and discharging). New batteries are hard for the device to charge; they have never been fully charged and are therefore "unformed". Sometimes the phone/charger will stop charging a new battery before it is fully charged. If this happens, remove the battery from the device and then reinsert it. The charge cycle should begin again. This may happen several times during the first battery charge. Don't worry; it's perfectly normal. LIFE SPAN OF A BATTERY
The lifespan of a rechargeable battery operating under normal conditions is generally between 500 to 800 charge-discharge cycles. This translates into one and a half to three years of battery life for the average user. As your cordless or cellular phone battery begins to die, you will notice a decline in the running time of your phone - it is time for a new one. | 
