10-23-2004, 03:00 PM
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5000+ Posts? I Should OWN This Site!
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 5,133
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X50/X50v Battery
We've seen a few reports on the battery life of the X50/X50v. Basically, at full brightness, heavy use, and with wireless on, the battery life can be quite short. People have, however, gotten significantly better battery life by lowering the screen brightness and/or turning off wireless, but some have their doubts as to whether or not this models everyday use accurately.
For those of you who have or are considering ordering an X50/X50v, did you buy or are you going to buy the extended battery?
[Edit - Jason Dunn now has a few battery tests posted]
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10-23-2004, 03:11 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 426
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Since I carry my PPC around a lot, I'd like it to be as thin as possible. I imagine that the extended battery would make the X50v too thick for me. I would consider buying a 2nd regular battery, in the future. The 1100mAh spec does seem a little light to me...
I'm going to wait and see what my power needs are before buying any extra batteries at all.
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10-23-2004, 03:14 PM
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Theorist
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 284
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I have an iPAQ 4150 and rarely use WiFi and my screen at max brightness. If I do so, my battery life would be no more than a little over 2 hrs. Granted, the 4150 does not have as large a battery capacity as the x50v or the 4700 out the box. I primarily use BT (for web surfing, active sync, and BT keyboard) and the lowest screen brightness and average ~ 4 hrs continuous use. For my everyday needs, I suspect that the battery that comes with the x50v will suffice. For those who use WiFi all day, it most likely won't.
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10-23-2004, 03:14 PM
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Developer & Designer, News Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,959
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by MPSmith
Since I carry my PPC around a lot, I'd like it to be as thin as possible. I imagine that the extended battery would make the X50v too thick for me. I would consider buying a 2nd regular battery, in the future. The 1100mAh spec does seem a little light to me...
I'm going to wait and see what my power needs are before buying any extra batteries at all.
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That's the issue though. You will need to use the second battery as much as the first one otherwise the life of the battery will drop. That is why I refrain from purchasing additional batteries (not just for my Pocket PC, but laptop as well). The concept of an extended battery adds that "convenience" factor into it.
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10-23-2004, 03:34 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 426
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by DJ Apod
That's the issue though. You will need to use the second battery as much as the first one otherwise the life of the battery will drop. That is why I refrain from purchasing additional batteries (not just for my Pocket PC, but laptop as well). The concept of an extended battery adds that "convenience" factor into it.
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That's a good point.
If I bought a 2nd battery, I would only use it as an emergency battery and label it with tape on the inside (so I know which is which). That way I would always have one nearly new battery and one used battery and wouldn't have to worry about using each battery equally.
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10-23-2004, 03:34 PM
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Theorist
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 284
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by DJ Apod
You will need to use the second battery as much as the first one otherwise the life of the battery will drop.
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Why would the life of the battery drop if you own a second battery. One would think that the battery life would be extended as Lithium ion batteries lifespan are measured in total recharge cycles. If you aren't frequently depleting and recharging the Li battery it should last quite some time before it stops holding a charge. Also Dell was kind enough to include a charger for the 2nd battery in the cradle so it can always be "topped off". 
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10-23-2004, 03:47 PM
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Developer & Designer, News Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,959
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by CESkins
Quote:
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Originally Posted by DJ Apod
You will need to use the second battery as much as the first one otherwise the life of the battery will drop.
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Why would the life of the battery drop if you own a second battery. One would think that the battery life would be extended as Lithium ion batteries lifespan are measured in total recharge cycles. If you aren't frequently depleting and recharging the Li battery it should last quite some time before it stops holding a charge. Also Dell was kind enough to include a charger for the 2nd battery in the cradle so it can always be "topped off". |
Haha. It doesn't quite work that way. Yes, they have recharge cycles which measure the lifespan, but bear in mind that rechargeable batteries store its electrical energy by way of chemical reactions. Ultimately, a number of factors can affect its capacity: temperature, number of recharge cycles used, the unused storage period, and another thing called "conditioning".
With Li-Ion batteries, you want to avoid two things: (1) full discharge states (when possible), and (2) leaving them unused (more so in a discharged state) for an extended period of time.
With the second point, you want to avoid this as you can increase the risk of a battery short-circuit, for electrochemical reasons I won't go into. Basically, it's not good for the overall life cycle of the battery. This concept is known as "conditioning" and also applies to the fact whereby you generally fully charge the battery when you use it for the first time to "activate" its chemical components to allow for full battery life.
It's confusing, I admit it. 
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10-23-2004, 03:50 PM
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Developer & Designer, News Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,959
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I realised what I said in the first post was a bit confusing. I meant that you should interchange between the two batteries when you charge and use them in the same timeframe, rather than going through battery #1 until it's dead and it's lifespan is depleted, and then going through battery #2. Why? For the reasons I listed above.
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10-23-2004, 04:02 PM
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Theorist
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 284
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I'm not a chemist but I do have a background in the biomedical sciences so I follow your logic. I had an iPAQ 3150 refuse to hold a charge after letting it sit around long enough that the battery trickled down to zero. Of course, the 3150 series batteries were not user accessible so I now use it as a paperweight (will send it to the tech guys to replace the battery at some point and then give it to my sister). Experience is always a good instructor (if not always a pleasant one  ).
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10-23-2004, 04:51 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 119
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The battery life on some of these wifi PDAs is pretty interesting. It brings about the question, "What is the manufacturer's ideal usage for one of these devices?"
After experiencing the short lifespans of the 3115 and 4155, I had no choice but to buy an extended battery for my 4155. My usage obviously doesn't fit the manufacturer's original intentions, but then who's does?
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