Powerbook G4 randomly shuts down even with full battery power

I have a three and a bit year old powerbook g4 (my apple care ran out in November) that has recently - as in the last two days - started randomly powering down without warning or error messages, regardless of how much battery power I may or may not have.
A bit of history - not sure what is and isn't pertinent.
I only recently - about six months to a year ago - switched out my recalled battery for a replacement one.
I also received a new power cord under warranty within the last year - but have had no problems before.
Before my powerbook came out of warranty, I took it into my local genius bar to have tests run to see if anything was wrong that I was not aware of, hoping to be able to get it fixed while still in warranty - it came back to me with no repairs and a clean bill of health.
I was on vacation for two weeks, and while on vacation my powerbook sat - powered down - in it's bag untouched the whole time. The problems started (or at least I first noticed them) within a few days after returning.
The other day, before any of this started, I noticed that even though the power adapter was in and glowing, the battery charging icon said "not charging".
The second time the random power-off happened, I did notice that the battery icon had an "x" in it, before it shut down.
The shutdowns are not like proper shutdown processes... one minute the computer is on, the next it's not. It's like the computer thinks there's no power, regardless of the actual charge of the battery.
I use my laptop on a laptop tray to maintain airflow underneath it and reduce overheating, but even so, the laptop seems to get very hot (although this is one of the issues I was worried about when I took it in to the genius bar before the warranty ran out, and they said it didn't get any more hot than they were supposed to), and also the power connector gets very hot. I don't know if overheating might have something to do with it?
So far I haven't noticed if it has happened while I've had the AC adapter plugged in... I think it only happens if it's running on battery, but not completely sure of this.
After the computer shuts down, I can restart it immediately (though these days it is taking longer) and I do not receive any error messages.
I usually turn off my computer when I won't be using it for a while - like before I go to bed or to work.
I recently upgraded my OS from panther to leopard, but was assured that it was compatible. I've had Leopard installed for at least three months, and the problems have only just started, so it probably doesn't have anything to do with that.
Well, that's about every possible piece of information I can think of that might be at all relevant to the situation. Does anyone have any ideas about what's happening? I have a feeling the news is going to be bad and I'll probably have to get a new computer...
Message was edited by: rraaarr

Here's the Apple article on how to reset the PMU:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=14449
Possibly this might fix the problem. If not, here's a link to the MBP battery program:
http://www.apple.com/support/macbook_macbookpro/batteryupdate/
This program does NOT apply to your battery, but I think you may recognize some of the symptoms that yours is exhibiting. It also sounds like your power adapter may be getting warmer than it should, but that could have to do with the battery being defective. But if less than a year old, the power adapter should also be under its own warranty period.
If you have access to an Apple Store, you could make an appointment with the genius bar. They should be able to evaluate both the battery and the power adaptor by swapping yours out with ones that are known to be good. If not, call Apple.
Good luck!

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