This brings up a bigger issue: design. Couldn't the cellphone makers have concocted a simple way for, say, the phone to shut itself off, or stop drawing power once it's reached a certain charge level? I realize the device's battery will still discharge if the device is left on, possibly creating a never-ending loop, but how about a sleep function, or at least some sort of power reduction? I leave my phone plugged in pretty consistently when I'm not out and about with it, to make sure that it always has a charge—as a result, I've very rarely had the battery die on me. But I don't want my habits to be responsible for excessive fuel consumption when I had the means of preventing it.
Manufacturers seem to be on top of this idea now , but it doesn't really do anything for all of today's phone owners. So remember to unplug once in a while.
[via Lifehacker ]