It is really not good for these batteries to be let run all the way to die on a regular basis... but having said that, if you were to allow it to happen oh say as much as once per month it would not make enough difference to the total life of your battery to really make any noticeable difference. So, yes it is ok to allow it to happen occasionally for calibration purposes but don't run it all the way down all the time. Normally, I think it is probably best to charge before you get under 20%.
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Best Battery Widget out there!
- Thread starter necosino
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- htc droid incredible
It is really not good for these batteries to be let run all the way to die on a regular basis... but having said that, if you were to allow it to happen oh say as much as once per month it would not make enough difference to the total life of your battery to really make any noticeable difference. So, yes it is ok to allow it to happen occasionally for calibration purposes but don't run it all the way down all the time. Normally, I think it is probably best to charge before you get under 20%.
Emoney53
Well-Known Member
It really is the best widget out there I just started playing with the settings today. Like someone said earlier you can change it to read what the system does and also change what it shows, theirs like 10 different options and you can change the colors too. Godda love it
I am loving it as well but neco was on point when he said we get fixated on the number it shows (he might have said that in different thread?) love the program but i find my self wasting time messing with it constantly checking what it says, not sure but think i was better off when all i could see easily was the battery bar at top of display, lol
The phone shuts down well before the battery reaches a complete discharge in order to protect it.so i am confused about this widget. i thought it was bad to let your battery run completely down to nothing, but this app tells you to do just that so it can calibrate it correctly. is it or is it not bad to let your battery drain all the way down until it dies? i like the idea of this widget, but i also like my battery. please to advise. thanks!
teufeltexan
Member
The whole point of the widget is to provide a more "accurate" estimation than the system battery monitor... If the 2 sets of numbers match, then the widget is useless as it would simply be reporting what your built-in monitor already knows...
The system monitor simply computes the battery percentage as a function of it's overall capacity. Battery Left takes into account more factors (such as your typical use, current use, etc) to project how much practical usage you actually have left.
My two numbers (system vs widget) rarely ever match, but now that it's calibrated (I let mine continue to calibrate for several more days after it read accurate) - mine gives me a FAR more accurate idea of when I'll end up needing a charge than my system monitor does.
IE: With the 2150 battery, my phone is now 22h 15m since boot and the system is reading 66% battery. Mathematically, I could assume that I have another 27h 15m of use left. However, Battery Left is calibrated to figure in my actual previous experiences with this particular battery and tells me that I have 21h 33m of actual use left. If I sit down right now and play 3 hours of Robo defense, it will further calculate what time I should now be expecting to need a charge. All the while, the system % may be 6, 7 or 10% off from what the widget tells me. (It's usually a bit closer for me, 3-5% differential - but I have a larger battery therefore % points reflect a larger difference in actual mAh...)
I've built up enough faith in it over the last couple of weeks that I decide whether or not to bring a charger with me on shift based on the estimate it provides (working 24 hours shifts, here, so that becomes a real factor...). I haven't been shorted by it once since I got it calibrated...
ETA: Another factor of the Battery Left widget that I really appreciate is this: After almost 24 hours since boot, it has consumed 0.1% of my overall battery consumption. 32s of actual CPU time. That's excellent as some battery apps put a significant drain on the very battery you are trying to monitor. Despite all the calculation, calibration and constant presence on my home screen, this particular widget barely sips any resources...
howarmat
Android Expert
great informative post. If i needed convincing this would have put me over the top for sure
M
Member110111
Guest
I use Battery Widget by geekyouup. I havent noticed any battery drain from it and it has been accurate right from the get go no matter if I'm using the 1300mAH, 1500mAH, or the 2150mAH battery. it is a widget that you can toggle WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS with. It isn't the greatest looking widget but it works great for what I need which is just a percentage of battery left.
ChiTownJim
Android Expert
I'm gonna give it a shot, I've just been using the stock one and spare parts if I really need the percentage. In the past I have gotten a little anal about paying too much attention to the percentage on battery widget.
ChiTownJim
Android Expert
Ok so I started using battery left with my seidio 1750 now today i'm on my stock battery.
Spare parts was saying that I had 27% left while Battery Life was saying 13% . Anyone know why this is, my stock meater was also in the Green while Battery life was red
Spare parts was saying that I had 27% left while Battery Life was saying 13% . Anyone know why this is, my stock meater was also in the Green while Battery life was red
teufeltexan
Member
Battery Left is calibrated to your 1750 battery, and you're using a 1300.
Battery Left may not be your best choice if you'll be switching out batteries on a frequent basis...
ChiTownJim
Android Expert
Damn , I liked it but I'm all over the place with batteries. 1300, 1750 , 2150 and soon 2600.
I'm a huge battery slut, I cant stay faithful to just one , I want them all . And I hate plugging my phone in to anything, I must be free to roam
I'm a huge battery slut, I cant stay faithful to just one , I want them all . And I hate plugging my phone in to anything, I must be free to roam
ChiTownJim
Android Expert
I stoped using battery widgets because I got OCD about it constantly checking my battery life and I think I just amde it worse.
I cant be trusted with Battery Widgets
I cant be trusted with Battery Widgets
I haven't done much with battery widgets, mostly because as long as I know I can get through the day without charging I don't worry about the "percentage" left. However, I decided to give this a shot. After a few days, I have to say I'm impressed. This is way more useful than the "fuel gauge" battery meters I've tried.
To truly use this widget the way it's intended to be used, you need to get yourself out of the mindset of "I'm down to 90%" and instead think in terms of "how many hours of battery life do I have?". Because that's what this widget does. Someone above used an analogy of a car computer... which is excellent. Using the car analogy... think of the stock system reading as a fuel gauge (empty, full, or somewhere in between) while BatteryLeft is more like the car computer (you can drive another 353 miles before running out of gas). It's a measure of time, not of the battery charge itself.
The key to using it successfully: Install it, charge your phone, and then unplug it and use it as you normally would until the phone shuts down. Then repeat the cycle a few times. Note the "as you usually would" above... this widget is calibrating itself to match your normal use. Don't try to conserve battery life, or deliberately run the battery down by leaving the screen on, or whatever. You want it to calibrate itself to how you use the phone on a daily basis. The important thing is to only charge when you absolutely need to (for the first few cycles), and then recharge fully... otherwise BatteryLeft won't be able to properly calibrate.
So far, after 3 charge/discharge cycles, it seems to stabilize (and this is for MY use... your mileage may vary) at about 2.5 days from a complete charge to a complete discharge. If nothing else, I've learned that I apparently don't need to charge every single night, which is comforting.
To truly use this widget the way it's intended to be used, you need to get yourself out of the mindset of "I'm down to 90%" and instead think in terms of "how many hours of battery life do I have?". Because that's what this widget does. Someone above used an analogy of a car computer... which is excellent. Using the car analogy... think of the stock system reading as a fuel gauge (empty, full, or somewhere in between) while BatteryLeft is more like the car computer (you can drive another 353 miles before running out of gas). It's a measure of time, not of the battery charge itself.
The key to using it successfully: Install it, charge your phone, and then unplug it and use it as you normally would until the phone shuts down. Then repeat the cycle a few times. Note the "as you usually would" above... this widget is calibrating itself to match your normal use. Don't try to conserve battery life, or deliberately run the battery down by leaving the screen on, or whatever. You want it to calibrate itself to how you use the phone on a daily basis. The important thing is to only charge when you absolutely need to (for the first few cycles), and then recharge fully... otherwise BatteryLeft won't be able to properly calibrate.
So far, after 3 charge/discharge cycles, it seems to stabilize (and this is for MY use... your mileage may vary) at about 2.5 days from a complete charge to a complete discharge. If nothing else, I've learned that I apparently don't need to charge every single night, which is comforting.
Vaetix
Well-Known Member
I installed this, along with 5 or 6 other battery widgets and ultimately decided on Battery Watcher Widget.
I like the fact that the widget only takes up a 1x1 space on my screen and fits in with the phone's overall theme.
I like the fact that the widget only takes up a 1x1 space on my screen and fits in with the phone's overall theme.
Functionally, I like Battery Left but I must admit that Battery Watcher Widget looks very nice and clean. Wish I could have Watcher's display but and Left's functionality.
5150Marley
Well-Known Member
Why does Battery Left want to know about my calls... it says it reads phone state and identity.
And what was that about a Rastafarian battery widget??
And what was that about a Rastafarian battery widget??
VolsMcFalls
Well-Known Member
Does anyone know how to remove the stock battery icon from the status bar? I like this widget, but having 2 batteries in the status bar is annoying.
IMO these kind of questions need to be asked of the app developer(s), not of us.