MacBook Pro 3,1

My MacBook Pro 3,1's battery (Serial Number: Sony-ASMB012-394b-b8) is only lasting about 30 minutes, significantly less if the CD drive is running or if my iomega USB2 drive is connected. The battery was replaced a couple times already, so the battery itself (system says cycle count=511, assuming the number automatically reset when the new battery was installed) is nowhere near as old as the computer. (Sad that a 4 yr old computer is considered "old.") Anyway, I tried to find info as to whether there's anything I can do other than buying a very-poorly-rated new battery from Apple for $130--a different brand, or maybe I can "reset" my battery to get a little more life out of it... The only thing I could find was the following (from the Apple Store website, it was a rating for the new battery they offer:

"Cycle your Battery

• Written by CD from los angeles
• Mar 26, 2006

If you follow the instuctions in the manual, and cycle your battery once a week. You can get about 4 to 5 hrs of battery life out of your mac book pro. i tried cycleing the battery and it really works and restores the batteries life. But the key is you have to do it once a week."

But, I couldn't even find directions on how to "cycle" my battery--nothing in the manual that I could find. So, thoughts? Do I just suck it up and buy the "crappy" new battery from Apple?

Thanks in advance!