Travel Technology - Cellphone Mystery

I was in the USA recently and took a fully charged Samsung M110 with me, although I know it won't work over there it is useful to have the adress book/ a phone at the departure airport etc. I do have another (cheap) phone for use in the US and use that when over there but the phone numbers aren't in it. Now the day after I arrived, despite the phone being switched off and in the flight mode setting the phone had lost all the charge in the battery.

I recharged it using the charger switched off the airplane mode and then switched it off and again it lost charge almost a day later, it refused to switch on and when I reconnected the charger it and turned it on it said the battery was low. But back over here in the UK it works fine and holds a charge for days, any ideas anyone? It has me stumped completely.

Are you using the same charger?

Are you using the same charger?

Yes exactly the same, just with a US adaptor plug to change the pins to the US style.

It's bizarre.

Yes exactly the same, just with a US adaptor plug to change the pins to the US style.

It's bizarre.

Have you tried using a different US adapter plug?
A different charger?

It also could be that the charge is no longer able to deal with the lower US voltage (most chargers are dual voltage, but something may be broken).

Have you tried using a different US adapter plug?
A different charger?

It also could be that the charge is no longer able to deal with the lower US voltage (most chargers are dual voltage, but something may be broken).

When plugged in it said it was charging and then after the usual amount of time said charging complete and showed a full battery. From that I assumed that there was some voltage going to the phone, I only have one charger but I did use a different adapter to check it wasn't that.

All the alarms were off and I don't use the calendar feature on it so there should have been nothing to cause a battery drain.

It sounds like it was not really off and instead was searching and searching for a tower (which it will usually do at higher power) and just killed the battery.

It sounds like it was not really off and instead was searching and searching for a tower (which it will usually do at higher power) and just killed the battery.

The phone was off in the first case with airplane mode activated which meant that it should have had all wireless connections off. If that isn't the case I will be talking to Samsung as this is a serious flaw in the phone and may potentially affect other models as well.It asks you when you switch it on if you wish to remain in Airplane mode, so I know that it was still activated once I had enough power to switch the phone on.

This isn't the first time it has happened either the trip before last I was in the same situation with it in airplane mode and off (which I did before leaving the UK) and still despite a full charge before leaving it would not to turn on the next day whilst in the US and needed to be connected to a charger before it would work.

The phone was off in the first case with airplane mode activated which meant that it should have had all wireless connections off. If that isn't the case I will be talking to Samsung as this is a serious flaw in the phone and may potentially affect other models as well.It asks you when you switch it on if you wish to remain in Airplane mode, so I know that it was still activated once I had enough power to switch the phone on.

This isn't the first time it has happened either the trip before last I was in the same situation with it in airplane mode and off (which I did before leaving the UK) and still despite a full charge before leaving it would not to turn on the next day whilst in the US and needed to be connected to a charger before it would work.

Sounds very weird!

Ok, this might not work on a phone, but try it any way!

Turn the phone off - take out the battery - try turn it on several times to drain the circut from any current "stored" in it - put the battery back in, and turn it on!

Or it could be that the NSA is looking over your shoulder, even if the phone is not working... I have heard before from people that are being monitored, that the phone drains much faster than usual...
Look at your boardingpass, did you have an "SSSS" on??

What happens when you turn on Airplane mode for a day in the UK? Does it drain as quickly then too? I guess it could be something bizarre happening with that setting.

Turn the phone off - take out the battery - try turn it on several times to drain the circut from any current "stored" in it - put the battery back in, and turn it on!

Don't understand what's happening, but if you remove and reinsert the battery, but don't switch it on, then the charge should hold.

<SNIP> Turn the phone off - take out the battery - try turn it on several times to drain the circut from any current "stored" in it - put the battery back in, and turn it on!

Both of my phones share the same OS, but they do their own weird things sometimes. One will actually stop charging at some point, and I have remove/replace the battery to get it charging again, even though I never unplugged it. Gotta love Windows Mobile (not).

What happens when you turn on Airplane mode for a day in the UK? Does it drain as quickly then too? I guess it could be something bizarre happening with that setting.

Nope it's fine in the UK on Airplane mode and normal mode, even in locations where there is no signal in the UK (on any network) it doesn't drain as fast as it does in the US. I've tried taking the battery out whilst abroad because I was forced to by the TSA who wanted to see the inside of the battery compartment :confused:

I think I'm going to call Samsung and ask them if they know whats going on.

It still sounds rather weird...

My head is burning on this one... It shouldn't be that the phone cannot find any network so it keeps searching, even if it is not supposed to do so, because it is in flight mode! But that would be my best answer!

There is that "thing" if you turn your phone off, it is still on, otherwise the alarm would not go off if it was set! This has been used before by NSA and other authorites as a backdoor to tap the phone! :( You need to take out the battery to "silence" your phone totally!

Some people will not believe this, but that is not my problem! ;)