[3GScottishUser]

From BBCi (21/09/2005):

Top of the list for the most desirable feature of a next generation mobile device is not some fancy new function, but a battery that lasts much longer.
Two-thirds of mobile and personal digital assistant owners in a marketing survey across 15 countries said two days' active battery life was vital.

It also showed almost half wanted more memory, and a high-resolution camera.

The findings come as the electronics industry scrambles to develop the next essential device in people's pockets.

The report by marketing firm TNS Technology said that poor battery life on mobile devices was one of the main reasons people did not play more games, music and video on their devices more often.

"The study shows that there is an appetite among consumers for powerful new applications, particularly those around entertainment media and imaging," said Hanis Harun, from TNS.

"However, the research also indicates that consumers now fully realise that such applications require enhanced battery life and increased memory and they are demanding these improvements as a priority."

Fourteen of the 15 countries in the research agreed that a battery that lasted two days while in active use was essential.

The exception was China; respondents there said that at least 20GB of storage capacity was the top must-have feature.

Full Story (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4265220.stm)

What do you think and what is your experience with your current handset?

Vote in the poll and leave your comments below.

[whatleydude]

I voted very important.

I'm fortunate enough to have a Nokia charger pretty much wherever I go..
( My flat, my car, my desk.. )
..so my battery rarely runs flat. But - being the convergence fiend that I am - I use my phone for a LOT of things. Music, Games & Movies being just a few.
Longer/Stronger battery life would prevent me having to worry about how many 'bars' I've got left y'know?

So yeah.
Very Important.

[gorilla]

Very important. I used to have a NEC phone that lasted a week on a single charge.
I can charge at home and at work as well, but that's not really the point is it? A single charge on a battery should last (with normal use) about 3 days in my opinion.

[Hands0n]

Very Important - nuff said.

As mobiles become more powerful their battery life decreases. Pointless adding all that extra functionality if it cannot be practically used in a working day. Thus, I end up having chargers at strategic points - home, car, office, inlaws .... just to keep safe. Hell, I've even been experimenting with a Solar Panel Charger from eBay (not very successfully yet). And I'm not even using my mobile to its fullest extent yet!

I have even (in the past) resorted to using a 12v Alarm Panel lead acid battery coupled with a car charger to top up/use a mobile phone. The LA battery was carried in a pocket of my rucksack. It worked a treat, kept the mobile, PDA and Bluetooth GPS going for a couple of days before it, too, needed a recharge.

[Ben]

Very Important.

No common mobile can take more than a few hours constant use and it's just not enough to cut it in a world where Mobile Operators want a greater share of total calls placed, ie taking calls away from landlines that are always on, power or no power, regardless of how cloudy it is.

It goes beyond battery life in the conventional sense. We need to find new, efficient and environmentally friendly ways to power our mobile devices.