Maximizing Battery Power
Application Management
Multitasking - Close any running BlackBerry®
smartphone applications that are not being actively used. An easy way to see
which apps or games are open is to press and hold the Menu key which causes the
App Switcher to appear. Then switch to the application or game that is not
being used and after pressing the Menu key, select the Close or Exit option to exit the application or
game. Additionally, theCPU screen in the Application Management feature of the Options application will show the running applications
that do not appear on the App Switcher screen. Applications that are not
running will appear with Not Running under their name.
Closing Applications Correctly - Avoid using the End key to close
applications as this simply minimizes the application and leaves it running in
the background. Instead, press the Menu key, select the Closeor Exit option to exit the application.
Closing Browser Tab – BlackBerry® Device Software
6.0 and higher provides a tabbed browsing experience. Ensure that tabs that are
no longer in use are closed by pressing the Menu key, selecting Tabs, and
clicking on the red X under the tabs that are no longer in use.
Configure Instant Messaging and Social
Networking Application Settings – IM and Social applications may send and receive information on a periodic
interval. These applications may have options or settings that will reduce the
frequency at which data is transmitted. To further reduce the frequency at
which data is transmitted, Logging out of IM and Social applications when they
are not needed can further improve battery life.
Configure Podcast and Social Feed application
settings – Podcast and Social Feed based applications may be configured to
automatically download content on a periodic interval. These applications may
have options or settings that will reduce the frequency at which data is
transmitted.
Close Media applications – When pausing media playback, the
application playing the media will still be running in the background. If media
playback will not be in the near future, choose to press the Menu key and
select the Close or Exit option to exit the application.
Wireless Connections
Disable Wireless Radios when not in use – BlackBerry smartphones feature
multiple wireless radios Cellular, Wi-Fi®, Bluetooth®, GPS, and NFC
connections. If one or more of these wireless connections is used, it is
recommended to disable the corresponding radio to prevent it from using battery
power. For example, if it is known that no connection will be made to
any Bluetooth devices while at home or at a restaurant, a quick way to save
some battery life would be to turn off the Bluetooth radio. To review and modify
network connections on a BlackBerry smartphone, click the connections area
along the top of the home screen, or select the Manage Connections icon from the
home screen. Enabling and disabling network connections can
be actioned by checking, or clearing the check boxes.
Low Cellular Coverage situations – When in low cellular coverage
situations, the BlackBerry smartphone may increase power to the Cellular
radio. In locations that have poor cell coverage such as basements, use
the Wi-Fi functionality built into the BlackBerry smartphone to connect to
available Wi-Fi network. If a Wi-Fi network is not available and
cellular connection is not needed while in the low coverage environment, consider turning off the Mobile Network connection by click the
connections area along the top of the home screen, or select the Manage Connections icon from the
home screen and disable network connection by clearing the check box for Mobile
Network.
No Coverage situations – When in an area without cellular
coverage, the BlackBerry smartphone may continue to search for available
mobile networks. In locations that have no mobile network coverage such as
basements, use the Wi-Fi functionality built into the BlackBerry smartphone to
connect to available Wi-Fi network. If a Wi-Fi network is not available and a
cellular connection is not needed, consider turning off the Mobile Network
connection by clicking the connections area along the top of the home screen,
or selecting the Manage Connections icon from the home screen and disabling network connections by clearing
the check box for Mobile Network.
Device Settings
Adjust Backlighting Settings – An easy way to see improved
battery life is to customize the backlighting settings on a BlackBerry
smartphone. As the BlackBerry display brightens, more power is consumed.
Configuring the Backlight Brightness, Backlight Timeout, and Automatically Dim
Backlight settings within the Options application to
lower values will improve battery life.
Enable Auto On/Off Settings – The Auto On/Off feature of the
BlackBerry smartphone, contained within the Options application, allows
configuration of preset times at which the BlackBerry smartphone will
turn on and turn off. Newer BlackBerry smartphones allow for separate Auto
On/Off settings for weekdays and weekends.
Configure a Power Efficient Notification
Profile – The speaker and vibration components of the BlackBerry consume energy
when used. Consider configuring an energy efficient notification profile that
minimizes use of these components by shortening the length of the notification
as well as minimizing the number of times that the notification is produced.
The vibration notification requires more power than other notification types,
eliminating this notification type all together for an energy efficient
notification profile, is a way to maximise battery performance. The LED light
on the BlackBerry uses the least amount of energy, so for notification types
where this form of notification is sufficient consider using it exclusively.
Maximizing Free Memory
Monitoring available memory
To see the approximate amount of occupied flash memory on the BlackBerry smartphone, complete the following steps.
To see the approximate amount of occupied flash memory on the BlackBerry smartphone, complete the following steps.
For BlackBerry Device Software 5.0 and earlier
1.
On the Home screen of the
BlackBerry smartphone, open Options.
2.
Select Status.
For BlackBerry Device Software 6.0
1.
On the Home screen of the
BlackBerry smartphone, tap All, then open Options.
2.
Select Device.
3.
Select Device and Status Information.
The File Free field shows the approximate
amount of available flash memory available for data. To make sure that this
value is as accurate as possible, restart the BlackBerry smartphone to initiate
a full garbage collection. For instructions, see KB02141.
From the Status screen, press the Menu key, to
the right of the green phone key, and select Database Sizes to view the number
of objects and size of databases on the BlackBerry smartphone.
What is considered low flash memory?
The BlackBerry smartphone's Java® operating system has a complex and dynamic way of determining exactly how much available flash memory it should have before starting the Low Memory Manager application. To determine if it has low flash memory, the BlackBerry smartphone takes into account a number of factors, such as the BlackBerry smartphone hardware model, the operating system version, the number of installed applications, the frequency at which BlackBerry smartphone user data is added and removed, and so on. Generally speaking, the more the BlackBerry smartphone is used, the more memory the operating system sets aside for normal, efficient operation.
Note: When the BlackBerry smartphone has determined that is has low flash
memory, it automatically starts the Low Memory Manager application, which
reclaims memory.
The File Free field shows 0 - When the File Free field shows 0,
it most likely means that the BlackBerry smartphone is full of data. The
BlackBerry smartphone determines that it has low flash memory and performs more
extensive garbage collections in order to make room for any new data. However,
even when the BlackBerry smartphone is full of data, it is designed to operate
properly. The Low Memory Manager application starts recovering flash memory
when data is added that requires additional flash memory.
Storing Data on Micro SD Media Card
Media cards are especially useful for
BlackBerry smartphone users who want to store media files like songs, pictures,
videos, voice notes, and ring tones, or who want to store pictures they take
with the built-in cameras. Built-in video cameras on BlackBerry smartphones
require a media card to function.
To make sure the built-in camera is set up to
save picture files on the media card, complete the following steps:
1.
Install the media card in the
BlackBerry smartphone.
2.
Open the Camera application (for
BlackBerry Device Software 6.0, tap All, and then open theCamera application).
3.
Display the menu and select Options.
4.
Set the Store Pictures field to On Media Card. Folder
settings can be changed so that a particular folder to save pictures is
selected.
Note: For BlackBerry Device Software 6.0, this option has been removed. However a different location can be specified when the file is renamed after image capture.
Note: For BlackBerry Device Software 6.0, this option has been removed. However a different location can be specified when the file is renamed after image capture.
Removing Unused Languages and Applications
Removing features and applications that are
underused increases the available flash memory on the BlackBerry smartphone.
Use the Setup Wizard application to remove languages that are not
used from the BlackBerry smartphone. Removing languages is highly
recommended because it is one of the most significant ways to increase available
flash memory.
To remove languages from the BlackBerry
smartphone, complete the following steps:
BlackBerry Device Software 5.0 and earlier
1.
On the Home screen of the
BlackBerry smartphone, open Setup Wizard.
2.
Select Languages.
3.
Select the languages to be used,
and uncheck those for removal on the BlackBerry smartphone. The BlackBerry
smartphone deletes all languages that are not selected.
For BlackBerry Device Software 6.0
1.
On the Home screen of the
BlackBerry smartphone, tap All, and open Setup.
2.
Select Languages.
3.
Tap Manage Languages to expand the
option.
4.
Select the languages to be used,
and uncheck those for removal on the BlackBerry smartphone. The BlackBerry
smartphone deletes all languages that are not selected.
5.
Tap the Update button at the
bottom of the list to save the changes.
For BlackBerry Device Software 7.0 and
7.1
1.
On the Home screen of the
BlackBerry smartphone, tap All, and open Setup.
2.
Select Languages and Input.
3.
Tap Input Languages to expand the
option.
4.
Tap the Manage button.
5.
Select the languages to be used,
and uncheck those for removal on the BlackBerry smartphone. The BlackBerry
smartphone deletes all languages that are not selected.
6.
Tap the Save button at the bottom of the list
to save the changes.
To remove applications from the BlackBerry
smartphone, complete the following steps:
For BlackBerry Device Software 5.0 and earlier
1.
On the Home screen of the
BlackBerry smartphone, open Options.
2.
Select Advanced Options.
3.
Select Applications. The
BlackBerry smartphone takes time to build a comprehensive list of the installed
applications.
4.
Highlight the application to
delete, display the menu and select Delete.
For BlackBerry Device Software 6.0 and higher
1.
On the Home screen of the
BlackBerry smartphone, tap All, and open Options.
2.
Select Device, then Application Management.
3.
Tap the application to delete. The
Application Properties screen appears for that application with a Delete option to remove
the application.
Remove Data that is No Longer Needed
Remove Old Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS)
messages – Because MMS messages can contain large media files and cannot be stored
on a media card, MMS messages can use a lot of flash memory. If an old
MMS is to be kept, open the MMS message and save the media files on the
media card before deleting from the BlackBerry smartphone.
Automatically Remove Old Messages and Calendar
items – Change the Keep Messages and Keep Appointments settings on the
BlackBerry smartphone to reduce the number of old messages using flash memory.
To change the Keep Messages and Keep Appointments settings on the BlackBerry smartphone, complete the following steps:
For BlackBerry Device Software 5.0 and earlier
1.
On the Home screen of the
BlackBerry smartphone, open Messages or Calendar application.
2.
Display the menu and select Options.
3.
Select General Options.
4.
Set the Keep Messages field to
either 15 Days or 30 Days.
For BlackBerry Device Software 6.0 and higher
1.
On the Home screen of the
BlackBerry smartphone, tap All, and open Messages or Calendarapplication.
2.
Display the menu and select Options.
3.
Tap Message Display and Actions or Calendar Display and
Actions.
4.
Set the Days To Keep Messages or
Keep Appointments field to 15 or 30.
Remove Contacts that are Not Needed – Minimize the number of contacts
stored in the Address Book on the BlackBerry smartphone by removing contacts
that are no longer needed. One way to minimize the number of contacts
stored in the Address Book is to use the remote address lookup feature when an
email message is sent rather than store company contacts in the Address
Book. This feature is available if the BlackBerry smartphone uses
BlackBerry Device Software 4.0 and later and one of BlackBerry® Enterprise
Server 3.5 or later for Microsoft® Exchange or BlackBerry Enterprise Server 2.2
or later for IBM® Lotus® Domino®.
Device Settings to Minimize the Size of Stored
Messages
Configure Email Settings to Minimize the Size
of Stored Messages – By disabling both the Auto More and HTML Email features, it is possible to minimize the size of the stored messages
thereby minimizing amount of memory held by email messages.
To set the Auto More option to No, complete
the following steps:
For BlackBerry Device Software 5.0 and earlier
1.
On the Home screen of the
BlackBerry smartphone, open Messages.
2.
Display the menu and select Options.
3.
Select General Options.
4.
In the Auto More field, select No.
For BlackBerry Device Software 6.0 and higher
1.
On the Home screen of the
BlackBerry smartphone, tap All and open a message list.
2.
Display the menu and select Options.
3.
Select Message Display and Actions.
4.
Remove the check from the Auto More option.
To turn off HTML email support on the
BlackBerry smartphone, complete the following steps:
For BlackBerry Device Software 5.0 and earlier
1.
On the Home screen of the
BlackBerry smartphone, open Messages.
2.
Display the menu and select Options.
3.
Select Email Settings.
4.
Change the Enable HTML Email field to No.
For BlackBerry Device Software 6.0 and higher
1.
On the Home screen of the
BlackBerry smartphone, tap All and open a message list.
2.
Display the menu and select Options.
3.
Select Email Preferences.
4.
Remove the check from the Enable HTML Email option.
·
The BlackBerry smartphone is designed to
operate properly with a modest amount of available flash memory. However, the
BlackBerry smartphone can still operate at peak efficiency by maximizing its
available flash memory. To maximize flash memory and battery power, it is
recommended to know both how to monitor the available memory and what strategies
help preserve flash memory and battery power.
Causes for decreased performance
BlackBerry smartphones based on Java
technology depend on available flash memory for many tasks. Having low flash
memory can lead to delays in processing information on the BlackBerry
smartphone because the process for recovering blocks of flash memory, known as
garbage collection, happens more frequently, which takes time. Java garbage
collections automatically reclaim flash memory that is no longer being used by
the Java operating system. Java garbage collections may also rearrange blocks
of flash memory that are in use to create larger contiguous blocks of available
flash memory. Just as a computer uses the hard disk as a source of virtual
memory, the BlackBerry smartphone writes out lesser-used portions of its
operating flash memory (normally held in fast static random access memory
(SRAM)) to the slower flash memory. As the BlackBerry smartphone's flash memory
begins to fill up, the BlackBerry smartphone must work harder to rearrange the
flash memory to allocate the storage space it needs for normal operation.
Therefore, low flash memory causes garbage collections to happen more
frequently and take a longer time to complete, which also uses battery power.
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