If you're one of those mobile phone users who always find their device's batteries running on empty, this little online tidbit might be of interest.
According to rumours that have circulated on the Internet for years, a nifty key combination code can be used to activate the reserve battery power of one's mobile phone.
Several versions of this rumour have been found online, and the results of this special key code 'power-up' vary from site to site.
In some cases, users were told to expect just enough juice to make an emergency call, while other claims state that the battery indicator will be at the 50 per cent mark once the special code is activated.
One such email post on several sites and dating as far back as 2005 claims that after keying *3370#, the phone restarts on reserve battery power and the device will show a 50 per cent increase in battery life. The message also claims that the reserve power will be recharged once the user charges the phone.
Some websites have said that this special code only works on Nokia phones, but others claim the code is a universal one that is meant for emergency purposes.
Overjoyed by this new find? Don't celebrate just yet - it's fake. Keying *3370# or any other key combination won't give you any extra battery power.
If a mobile phone had such a feature for emergencies, one would expect that the code be found in the manual.
An online check also turned up a possible reason for this mobile phone myth: Some Nokia phones do allow users to toggle between certain codes so as to switch the phone into different speech codec modes.
The first mode enhances voice transmission quality but takes up more battery power, while the second enhances battery performance while compromising on voice quality.
Changing settings might be a good way to prolong battery life, or keep more in reserve on a long day. But key in special codes for extra juice? No way.
