1. Turn things off.  If you’re not using Wi-Fi then turn it off.  Same applies to Bluetooth.  If you’re out of your coverage area you can even turn off the cell radio so you’re not drawing down the battery.
2. Disable programs that use a lot of resources.  The navigation program and other location-aware programs can turn on the GPS receiver frequently.  Instant Messenger applications use the network.  Turn off those programs when you don’t need them.
3. Decrease the frequency of e-mail checks.  If you can go longer between e-mail checks you can extend your battery life.
4. Use Wi-Fi rather than the cellular network when possible.  Wi-Fi uses less power than than the cell radio so grab onto a Wi-Fi signal when you need to access the Internet.
5. Reduce screen brightness.  The backlight on he display will draw some power so, if you can live with a dimmer screen, turn it down some.  To adjust the screen brightness use the Screen and Lock app .  Tip:  From card view type ’sc’ then click on Screen & Lock.  Use the brightness slider to adjust the backlight.
6. Pick up the 1350 mAh battery from from Seido.  This larger battery fits into the Pre without modifying it and gives you 20% more battery life.
7. Plug in whenever you can.  Get an in-car charger for trips where you’ll be using the turn-by-turn driving directions and use the charger at the office or at home.

If you’re stuck somewhere without your charger and you know you’ll need your phone later you can completely power down the phone.  To power off completely press and hold the power button until a menu appears (about five seconds) then choose Power Off.

For more information on saving power check out this PreCentral Article and this PreCentral forum post.

Turning on the Pre

The following methods will turn on the Pre:

• Press the Power button:
  

  (1) is the power button

• Slide open the keyboard when it’s closed
• If the keyboard is open, press any key
• Insert the USB cable connected to a power source

Pressing the power button turns on the phone in locked mode, the other methods do not.

Turning off all radios

“The cabin door is now closed, please turn off all electronic devices.”  If you need to turn off all the transmitters in the phone quickly, Airplane Mode is for you.  Enabling this mode will turn off all radios, disabling it will turn back on the radios that were on when it was enabled.  After enabling Airplane Mode you can turn individual radios back on using the methods below.  To turn Airplane Mode on or off:

• Tap the connection menu (upper right corner of the screen where the signal strength bars are), then tap Turn on Airplane Mode or Turn off Airplane Mode.
• Press and hold the power button until a menu appears then tap Airplane Mode.

You can tell you’re in Airplane mode because the following icon appears in the upper right where the signal meter usually goes:

Turning on and off WiFi

WiFi decreases battery life on the Pre.  You can disable WiFi when you don’t need it.  Here are a few ways to enable and disable it:

• Tap the connection menu (upper right corner of the screen where the signal strength bars are), tap Wi-Fi,  then tap either Turn on Wi-Fi or Turn off Wi-Fi.
• Use the above mentioned Airplane Mode.
• Launch the Wi-Fi app and click On or Off.

Turning on and off Bluetooth

Bluetooth can be another battery drainer.  Here’s how to enable and disable it:

• Tap the connection menu (upper right corner of the screen where the signal strength bars are), tap Bluetooth, then tap either Turn on Bluetooth or Turn off Bluetooth.
• Use the above mentioned Airplane Mode.
• Launch the Bluetooth app and click On or Off.

If there’s something else you need to know how to turn on or off let us know in the comments below.