Certainly the Dell at 50% will not be as bright as the 4700 at 100%, so I guess the only way we'll ever know is if someone we trust (Jason) does a side by side test with both set to the same apparent brightness level (I'd suggest dimmest set at 100%, then the other set down to match would be a fair comparison). We don't need absolute figures as they're meaningless anyway, just a comparrison like "x lasted twice as long as y".
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I agree with everything you've said. If both machines were the same price I'd almost certainly go with the HP, but $650 vs $465 is a big difference.
There is another thing that needs to be taken into accound - the X50v that Jason is testing is pre-release... :wink: so I'll have to wait for the final machines to be release to say anything definative.
Yeah, the Experience Music Project. I wouldn't consider that a kiosk, that's a vertical application. Those are also custom Windows CE devices that are built to be dropped, have huge batteries, etc.
Being a non-IT-techy type person, could someone explain what a vertical application is please? In fact, what use are PPC's put to in kiosks? I've never seen one used other than as a conventional PDA over here, so I'm intrigued
Well, they're not IN a kiosk, but they're used temporarily by non-owners. So yeah, they are probably the ruggedized kind. And maybe the distributor has software to override things like the warning window. But my point was that that's a situation where you might want a PDA that limits the user's interaction.
Vertical application is a term used when electronics are by employees of a company for a specific work-related purpose and nothing ever ever more because the other abilities of the device were disabled. In these cases, the device is more a "tool" than a computer or a PDA - it's just used to get the job done.
Why do these OEMs put in these types of non-overridable behaviors that put a stranglehold on the kiosk mode use of these devices in vertical market business applications?
I agree that it's incredibly stupid...but by the same token, I've never heard of a non-powered kiosk. Isn't that a bit, well, impractical? :-)
By "kiosk mode" I just meant that our app doesn't allow access to the rest of the PDA. The person using it is mobile, walking around for their whole work shift, using the handheld as a primary tool related to their job. They usually know nothing about WiFi, whether it might be important, or why turning it off to save battery might be a VERY BAD thing to do.
If the X50 is like the X3, it also will not allow WiFi to be turned back on without exiting our app and doing it through the regular OEM supplied means. Recharging, suspend/resume, soft reset, nor any programmatic means will work.
By "kiosk mode" I just meant that our app doesn't allow access to the rest of the PDA. The person using it is mobile, walking around for their whole work shift, using the handheld as a primary tool related to their job. They usually know nothing about WiFi, whether it might be important, or why turning it off to save battery might be a VERY BAD thing to do. If the X50 is like the X3, it also will not allow WiFi to be turned back on without exiting our app and doing it through the regular OEM supplied means. Recharging, suspend/resume, soft reset, nor any programmatic means will work.
Ah, ok - I see where you're coming from here. No consumer-grade Pocket PC will last a full workday with WiFi turned on, so I think you're barking up the wrong free - even if the device turns off WiFi at 24% battery, the device will still in a low battery state the the OS will give warnings about that. Plus, you can't turn on WiFi in any way while in a low-battery state, so kiosk or not, it's a moot point...
Can I ask why you haven't looked at a Symbol device with a big battery? That seems to be the best solution for you.
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Very good battery test, thanks. I'd also like to see the battery life at a couple brightness settings while playing a video full screen. My arbitrary limit set what I think is acceptable is 2-100 minute movies while on a trip or plane flight. I was initially turned off by the small battery when I ordered my 50v. I chose the extended warr. over the extended bat since my 2 children also play/drop my PDA. Now at lease I know the bat will work fine UNTIL a lion/mugen comes out. I personally don’t want a thicker bat. The dell's smaller size is a big reason I'm going 50 over 47. The 47 was a strong contender, but no 2700G, and that touch pad. No thanks. On the other hand, magnesium, 4”, and 1800mha, very nice!
By "kiosk mode" I just meant that our app doesn't allow access to the rest of the PDA. The person using it is mobile, walking around for their whole work shift, using the handheld as a primary tool related to their job. They usually know nothing about WiFi, whether it might be important, or why turning it off to save battery might be a VERY BAD thing to do. If the X50 is like the X3, it also will not allow WiFi to be turned back on without exiting our app and doing it through the regular OEM supplied means. Recharging, suspend/resume, soft reset, nor any programmatic means will work.
Ah, ok - I see where you're coming from here. No consumer-grade Pocket PC will last a full workday with WiFi turned on, so I think you're barking up the wrong free - even if the device turns off WiFi at 24% battery, the device will still in a low battery state the the OS will give warnings about that. Plus, you can't turn on WiFi in any way while in a low-battery state, so kiosk or not, it's a moot point...
Can I ask why you haven't looked at a Symbol device with a big battery? That seems to be the best solution for you.
Since you asked...
We already have hundreds of handhelds in the field working great (both Axim X5 and HP 2210 because of their optional extended battery option: 3400 mAh and 3600 mAh respectively). The units are used during the worker's shift every several minutes for a few minutes at a time, then back into suspend mode. So they're on about half the time on average, always using WiFi when they're on. They can easily last 17 hours (two shifts) before an overnight recharge under that duty cycle.
Neither the Axim X5 nor the HP 2210 will cut power to the CF slot (where our wifi card sits) under low battery conditions, so on those devices wifi continues to work fine all the way down to 10% battery, at which time our app starts warning the user. For these new devices with built in wifi, the OEM's are forcing their own agenda with respect to wifi availability and the low battery condition. And THAT'S the problem.
Symbol handhelds would be ideal if they didn't cost so much. But that's starting to change with the new MC50 just announced.
By the way, since this is a battery life thread, I can tell you that the grand-daddy of battery life is the HP 2215 with the 3600 mAh battery. Running continuously at default brightness with a CF wifi card also running continuously, the unit will last... (drumroll)
Re: Dell Axim X50/X50v/X30 Battery Life Tests
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