We’re all familiar with that sensation of a brand new, shiny Nokia mobile phone. You’ve hurried home from the shop and panting with anticipation, thrown off the bag, discarded the receipt, barely given thought to the loving smoothness and hard lines of the beautiful box it’s encased within, tantalizingly eased it open. And. There. It. Is.

via nokia-news

A pristine, glowing handset, flawless and new, nestled neatly within a cradle of chunky packaging, just waiting for your eager hands to smother it in loving joy and eternal happiness!

The regulatory thing that most do first - peel away the protective film from the screen. Most find that it is during this intimate moment, a phone is liberated and its life with its new owner takes off immediately. Once taken off and discarded, the swift removal of this mobile umbilical cord now leaves your new possession at the mercy of the elements; grubby fingers, stains, scratches and everything in between. It is at this crucial stage when several integral commandments should be strictly adhered to, in order to prolong the longevity of your new responsibility.

And that is why we have come up with some crafty tips and helpful pointers when it comes to looking after your mobile phone. We all know how quickly that screen becomes tainted, how battered the edges become and how dusty those annoying little gaps between the keypad become. And before you know it your phone is no longer an immaculate baby, but a declining oldie. But you can change this and easily keep your phone eternally young by following some simple rules.

Nokia’s top 10 T.L.C tips:

 1. Battery Life – Certainly one of the most integral organs within your phone, the battery is the engine of your handset. No battery power = no phone. So, in order to get the best out of your battery, and therefore your phone, it’s important Li-Ion/Li-Poly batteries are not regularly drained, but charged frequently and kept topped up. It’s good to use a battery properly and only charge it when needs be.

2. ‘Open sesame’: a password protects – More than 2 million mobile phones are stolen in the United Kingdom alone every year (that’s one every 12 seconds!) and 55,000 were left in the back of taxis in 2008! If your phone allows, make it secure and give it a password. It is straightforward and easy, and could really save you a lot of time and hassle. So if your phone was ever misplaced or stolen, whoever’s hands it lands in, won’t be able to access your data or make calls that rack up an enormous phone bill. So be one step ahead of the game and get a password. Worth doing don’t you think?

3. Spring Cleaning - You should ‘never use a spray bottle to clean your cell phone’, but use some standard screen wipes and/or a cotton bud (remember, everything in moderation, so don’t go overboard) and gently rub it over your phone. This will get to all those unreachable parts and attack the dust to give your mobile a brand new feel. This will also extend the life of your phone if you do it reguarly enough. Also, if you have a sliding cover for your camera, it makes sense to use it and prevent any dirt from blemishing the lens.

4. Invest in some body armour -  Just look at the Nokia 3720 below; robust and rugged, it’s water, shock and dust resistant. Yet unfortunately, not everyone has such an armoured phone, so it is well worth investing in a protective case instead. Reinforcing the body of your mobile will protect it from any knocks and bruises. We’re not suggesting you attach an airbag to it, but you can easily pick up a trendy case at a very good price. Cases come in a wide range of colours and designs, so you’re not only making your phone look super cool, but staying safe at the same time!

via electronicsinfoline

5. Apps drain your battery – Many people out there do not realise that applications such as Facebook, GPS, WiFi and 4G really drain your battery life. It’s important to reiterate here that we are not discouraging the use of these wonderful applications on your mobile phone, but reminding you that they do take the life out of your battery. So it’s worth bearing in mind, close all the apps (that means selecting the ‘exit’ or ‘close’ option, not just hitting the home button) when you are not using them and you will be looking after your battery.

6. Temperature gauge - Try to keep your phone away from the elements – and we all know that leaving a phone in direct sunlight for too long can only be bad for it, warping and damaging the insides. The cold can also suck the power from you battery, so try to keep your phone at a consistently regular temperature and you’ll both be happy!

7. Handle the heat - On a similar note, it’s always worth turning your phone off when you are not using it to prevent you needlessly wasting valuable battery juice. Your voice and text messages will still come through when you turn it back on and this way, you won’t have to waste time, and energy, excessively charging your handset all the time.

via allaboutsymbian

8. Remember you IMEI number - Your International Mobile Equipment Identity number can be found under your battery, or by tapping in *#06# into your home screen. This fifteen digit number is the equivalent of your phone’s fingerprint. Every phone has a unique one and this number can be used to disable your handset if it has been stolen. So look it up, write it down and keep it somewhere safe!

9. Playing lifeguard - Waterproof phones – now there’s something to think about for the future. In 2008 around 200,000 mobile phones went into washing machines and around 600,000 were dropped down the loo. But there’s one little trick that can really resuscitate your phone when you’ve accidentally tried to make it swim. And we don’t mean mouth-to-mouth! Whether you’ve taken a swim with your phone in your pocket, or simply dropped it down the toilet, dried rice (and that means uncooked rice!) can save the day. Without panicking, act as quickly as you can when your phone takes a splash. Take it out and immediately turn it off, ‘the main reason that phones are killed when submerged in water is due to the electrical shorts that take place in the water’. The second is due to corrosion within the phone. Take the phone apart quickly and lay out all the parts (battery, SIM etc.) on an absorbent surface. DO NOT use a hair dryer – you will just damage your phone further! Instead, fill a bowl with uncooked rice and submerge your phone within it overnight. The rice will draw out the moisture from your handset and go a long way to saving it.

Courtesy of daan via flickr

10. Be vigilant – Okay, this last part isn’t really ‘useful’, but may we remind you all out there; look after your mobile phones! It’s about common sense at the end of the day, so give your phone the treatment it deserves. For example; don’t flaunt it in public places or leave it sticking enticingly out of your back pocket as someone will pinch it! And if you apply all these rules, you and your phone are in good stead.

What would your ten tips be for prolonging the life of your Nokia mobile phone? Has this list been helpful at all? We’d love to hear back from you so let us know what you think.