battery life

[Wahooka]

I bought an Ipaq 3765 a few years ago. The battery life was
horrendous, I was playing a lot of pocket chess on it which was very
demanding on the CPU and I barely got 30-40 minutes out of it before
recharging. Less demanding applications still drained the battery
after about 70 minutes. This really diminished the value of the item
as a "PORTABLE" device. A few years later the battery died, and my
pocket pc was sold.

I'm probably going to get out of the pocket pc world completely unless
I can find:

1. A pocket pc with a substantial battery life of 6 hours or more

2. A battery that doesnt die in a few years, or if it does can easily
be replaced if it does.

Ok, I need advice please! thanks!

[Patrick Y.]

Just a thought, it seems weird that your battery life varies with applications used. If I recalled correct, older CPU as the one on 3765 can't be under/overclocked. The CPU always runs at the same clock speed despite the load. So, it really shouldn't effect the battery life that much. The backlit LCD is what's eating most of your battery, so try to set it as low as possible.

Anyway, I hope my following answers will help you.

1. A636 is probably the best device for you. I'm sure whether you need built-in GPS, but a636 certainly has the best battery life out of ALL PPC
backlight level and the lowest clock rate) the A636 lasted for 35 hours 50 minutes on a single charge. The MP3 playback from the memory card with the screen of drained the device completely out within 23 hours 24 minutes. Under the maximum load Asus A636 worked for 4 hours 10 minutes. In GPS navigation mode with 50% backlight level the device was good for 7 hours 10 minutes.
Here is the review: http://www.mobile-review.com/pda/review/asus-a636-en.shtml

2. Currently, there is NO rechargeable battery that doesn't die after a few years, whether it's in your laptop, digital camera, camcorder, etc. Read this for more info about Lithium-ion battery, which is the most commonly used rechargeable battery.http://www.aximsite.com/articles/link.php?id=206

Fortunately, almost all modern PPC comes with replaceable battery. You can also purchase TONS of batteries and switch between them. Many manufacturer also include the options of extended batteries, which are super-sized battery (1800mah-3300mah).

[leroybrown]

Fortunately, almost all modern PPC comes with replaceable battery. You can also purchase TONS of batteries and switch between them. Many manufacturer also include the options of extended batteries, which are super-sized battery (1800mah-3300mah).

Just wanted to add my $.02. My treo 650 is still limping along these days, with seemingly normal battery life after about a year and a half of heavy usage. If the battery craps out completely after 2-3 years, I wouldn't cry - indeed I wouldn't keep a device that long. I know some people can, but I simply can't keep any sort of mobile device, be it smartphone, pdaphone or whatever for a very long time. In fact, this is the longest I've ever kept a phone or pda before.

On the flip side, I do like the fact that the batteries are replaceable / removable, so I can have a spare if need be.

[Menneisyys]

Just a thought, it seems weird that your battery life varies with applications used. If I recalled correct, older CPU as the one on 3765 can't be under/overclocked. The CPU always runs at the same clock speed despite the load. So, it really shouldn't effect the battery life that much. The backlit LCD is what's eating most of your battery, so try to set it as low as possible.

All ARM-based CPU's have wildly varying power consumption, depending on the actual CPU load and independent of their ability to be dynamically and automatically underclocked.

[BoxWave]

I think Patrick hit it right on the nose and his suggestion of setting the backlight lcd to the lowest is probably about the only thing you can do. Outside of that, you may look into getting a replacement battery with extended life.

Also if you are constantly charging your battery, you also weaken the battery life. In otherwords you may be overcharging your battery and wearing it out. This is actually the top cause of deteriorating battery life.

[applejosh]

Also if you are constantly charging your battery, you also weaken the battery life. In otherwords you may be overcharging your battery and wearing it out. This is actually the top cause of deteriorating battery life.

I thought all modern lithium based batteries (in PPC's at least) have a circuit to protect it from overcharging, and that completely draining a lithium battery is what kills them. (And I have a couple of PDA's which echo that sentiment.) :?:

[Nurhisham Hussein]

Also if you are constantly charging your battery, you also weaken the battery life. In otherwords you may be overcharging your battery and wearing it out. This is actually the top cause of deteriorating battery life.

applejosh is absolutely right - what you are describing is the state of affairs with respect to NiCAD and NiMH batteries, not modern LiIon or LiPoly batteries. In fact the opposite is true - keeping a LiIon battery on constant charge will substantially increase it's usable life. You can get a more technical discussion of this here:

LiIon batteries (http://www.batteryuniversity.com/partone-5.htm)

Charging LiIon batteries (http://www.batteryuniversity.com/partone-12.htm)

How to enhance LiIon battery life (http://www.batteryuniversity.com/parttwo-34.htm)