I think I'm understanding this for the first time. The "memory" is only an indicator as to how the OS is interpreting how much remaining juice we have in the battery - which has nothing to do with the actual remaining power. It begins to give false indications of more or less remaining power relative to the use/charge cycles we put the phone through. So, in effect we have to "teach" the OS to better give us proper readings. In reality we may have more or less power remaining than our phone is telling us we have. Right? Does the way I typed it make any sense?
I'd a thought that they could somehow more effectively produce a perfect indicator of actual power left - I mean, we've "put a man on the moon for Christ sakes"!
Me, I charge whenever I see mine under 80% and I'm at my desk or in my vehicles. Because I never know what might incur that might leave me running down the battery and not near a charger in the next few hours or so. For example - I broke down on a long section of lonely highway last summer. I was on a delivery trip to a destination four hours away. I was in my big box van and no phone charger (at that time) and did not think about charging my phone in full before I left. I mean - I was only going for the day and my phone, I knew was quite capable of lasting that long under normal usage.
Well, breakdown occurred. As well as almost two solid hours of phone conversations calling for help, a tow truck large enough to pull my 10,000 pound box van and calls to my guys, my customer and whatever other calls I made. So, there I was 180 miles from home on a long, lonely stretch of highway with a cellphone that had a dead battery. So now, as a result I always charge it anticipating just such an occurrence again. Though now I have chargers in all vehicles.
I'm hoping this does not shorten the life of my battery, but if Skull is right I should have no worries, right?
mike
EDIT: I do plan on getting one of those batteries for remote charging (ie: mophie) once they release one for the iPhone5 - this for any long trips I may go on, including some of the train trips I take up to New England where I amuse myself watching uTube videos or such.