My battery life has recently been getting so bad that sometimes I have to charge it 3 times a day! I have also noticed that the calls are no longer clear.

Hello markdshaw,

I was researching the symtpoms you are describing and first wanted to recommend this part of the article named iPhone: Hardware troubleshooting found here http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2802 to assist with the battery life.

Battery life seems short

1. Click ( www.apple.com/batteries/iphone.html) for tips on how to prolong iPhone's battery life.
2. Try turning iPhone off and then on again.
3. Connect iPhone to iTunes and restore iPhone.
4. If the screen shows a low-battery image, the battery is low on power and needs to charge for up to ten minutes before you can use it.
5. When charging iPhone, make sure to leave it charging until it is fully charged. You'll know the battery is fully charged when the battery icon in the upper-right corner of the screen looks like this .
   Note: When charging using a computer, don't connect iPhone to a keyboard. Also, the computer must be turned on and not in sleep or standby mode. If iPhone is connected to a computer that's not turned on or is in sleep or standby mode, the iPhone battery may drain.

As for the cellular connection clarity and connection, I would take a look at this iPhone Troubleshooting Assistant found here: http://www.apple.com/support/iphone/assistant/calls/

Cheers,

Sterling