Do you keep your phone in your purse or briefcase? That's a bad idea...

If you’re sporting a new phone, or making the most of your old one...

...Consumer Reports has some tips to keep your phone working at peak performance:

• Just leaving your phone on in area with little or no signal can completely drain your battery - even if you never touch it. Also, avoid stashing the phone in a crowded purse or briefcase. It can be harder for a phone to get a signal there.

• Smart phones need a fresh restart. Smart phones are actually full-fledged computers and need to be restarted every one or two days to purge memory and to correct various other glitches that can hinder performance.

• Video kills your data allowance. Other data drainers include streaming music and playing connected games online. Try to use your phone's Wifi connection instead of the data connections for those.

• Skip the screen protector. Many of today's touch screens already come with a protective layer of Gorilla Glass or other hardened material that make scratching them nearly impossible. 

• You can skip the case too. Today's smartphone bodies often include Kevlar, carbon fiber, or other hardened materials that are quite tough. Aftermarket cases may offer a bit of extra protection, but they can hinder access or slow the responsiveness of the phone's screen and buttons.