Battery life...what battery life?! This should be a great phone. It has a spare modern design - in sharp contrast to most of the current phones, which seem to be aimed at a 13-15 year old demographic -, excellent transmission clarity, power outage backup, etc. One small problem though. The phone dies after only a minute or two of talk time. I've switched batteries, purchased new batteries...nothing works. Don't buy this phone unless you want to use it as a bit of post-modern electronica art.