After installing Tasker on my Xperia X10 mini pro, and configuring it
to check my email every one hour from 6 to 21 hours, I have seen an
improvement in my battery life.
I am near my office or house (using a state of [cell near]). So it turns it on (data, sync and wifi -if near home or office-) for
three minutes every one hour. With this setup, I have my battery run a complete three days before reaching 5%. If you need some help to configure it, let me know in the comments section.