Pitiful Battery Life?

[MarsGuy]

Hi folks!

I have had my Tungsten E for about a week, and I have been noticing that the battery is draining pretty fast (it seems like it is to me, anyway). I have the backlight set on its absolute lowest setting (which is definitely bright enough for normal use, btw). This morning, the battery was a 41%. After using my palm for about an hour or so, it has dropped to 17%. To be clear, the only things that I was doing on it were fiddling with datebk5 and playing some card games. No music, no video.

Does this seem right? Should the battery be lasting longer? Should I take it back and get a new one? :confused:

As a side note, I am not sure if this is related, but after the initial charge (it was more than 3 hours), I turned it on and it gave a low battery warning, then showed that I had a full battery.

Thanks

[iboar]

I encountered the same thing on initial charge of my T|E. I think my battery is draining rather quickly too. I went through this with the m505 and Palm replaced it. I hope we're not going through this again! I will try to use mine more to see if it is really draining that fast.

I use ZLauncher which gives a battery level. I've noticed that the level tends to fluctuate a bit, occasionally showing a lower charge level and then the level suddenly shoots up to a higher level. I wonder if this indicates a software anomoly rather than a battery problem?

[iboar]

Did some research using my T|E. I ran it continuously for 25 minutes using DeLorme HH Streetmaps 2004 to calculate several routes. I started with a battery charge level 60% and finished with a charge level of 33%. It dropped 27% in 25 minutes, that's more than 1% per minute. At that rate it won't even last 1 hour on a full charge. :mad:

I had been attaching the charger frequently, so that's why I hadn't noticed this before. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to return it to Best Buy. Otherwise, I have been really impressed with the T|E.

[LVjay9_]

Hopefully, when I do get the T|E issues that I have seen addressed here and elsewhere will be resolved.

[Ni+Mh]

True,the Tungsten-E which I'm testing out is also rather short in terms of battery life.The initial charge I left it on charging for 6 or more hours,but until now I constantly charge still it does drain very quickly!

[MarsGuy]

Well, I'm glad it's not just me then. Looks like I'll just have to plug it in at night almost every day. I'll live.

Now, I have also noticed that the USB cable does SLOWLY charge the T|E while connected to the computer. That seems to help a little bit

[iboar]

I'm contemplating taking my T|E back and exchanging for a better unit. The battery is not that good and the flip lid has already scratched the case.:( Plus I miss not having a cradle or standard connection port. I think I'll sell my NX60 and trade up to a T|T3.

[Alsicole]

If you're happy with the square 320x320 screen why not look at a T2 instead of a T3. It also has 32MB of RAM, is very stable and doesn't have any of the current problems plaguing the T3. Also now the 3 is out, the prices should be dropping!

[countolaf]

I agree that the battery life is not great, but for $199, I'm still quite happy with this unit. I returned a Clie SJ22 and got the Tungsten E instead, and haven't looked back.

This afternoon I played Monopoly on it for about 45 minutes, and then later typed a paper on-and-off for about an hour using the Palm Wireless keyboard. My battery is still at about 60%. I have set the screen brightness to the minimum level, which is still pretty bright. I use my Tungsten mainly to take notes in class, and although the battery life isn't perfect, it's still good enough for me, especially since my budget doesn't allow for a T3 or other unit.

BTW, for anyone contemplating using the E for a word processor, the bundled version of Documents to Go doesn't include a spell-checking feature, and upon registration with DataViz you are encouraged to "upgrade" to the Premium edition for $29.99 to get this and other features. :mad:

[FIA WRC]

I also picked up a T/E and think it does well since it only has a 840Mah battery in it. I charged mine for 5 hours before I did anything with it. I then set up all my software and played around for 30 minutes and the battery dropped from 4.20v to 4.12. The brightness was at 50%. I always let it charge up longer than what the manual says. I learned the hard way after I didn't let my T665c charge up for more than 2 hours, and it could never hold a charge for long. I'm very satisfied with both my T3 and T/E.

[Gnam]

Originally posted by countolaf

BTW, for anyone contemplating using the E for a word processor, the bundled version of Documents to Go doesn't include a spell-checking feature, and upon registration with DataViz you are encouraged to "upgrade" to the Premium edition for $29.99 to get this and other features. :mad:

Wow! Thanks for that vital (for me) piece of information. I'm trying to decide between a TJ35 or TE.

I was probably going to buy the TE (even though it appears to have a poor battery and manages to scratch it's plastic(?) body with its own flip-cover) because Docs to Go 6 was included in the package.

If I'm going to have to pay an upgrade fee for the spell-checker Imay as well buy the complete program for my Tj35 (maybe I can upgrade from Docs to Go 4 which came with my wife's Palm 130).

Bye,
Gnam

[ZPWeeks]

One thing that faces a lot of new users is because they improperly charged their devices the first time. When you first take the T|E out of the box, make sure that you charge it for several hours before you even touch any buttons. Otherwise you could cause the Lithium battery to improperly calibrate itself.

[iboar]

Definately charge it well beyond the suggested time. I read a good point the other day in that after the first charge run the battery almost completely out and then fully charge it again. It helps this kind of battery to properly set itself and to better retain its charge.

On another note, I sold my NX60 last night and went to BB this morning and upgraded my T|E to a T|T3.:D

It's charging right now, and will be charging for several hours! ;)

I so loved the screen on the T|E that it prompted me to sell the NX60 and move back to a PalmOne device. I had originally bought the T|E as a backup to my Clie and as an easy carry alternative on days when I didn't want to lug around that huge monster just to have my contacts and maps with me! I still recommend the T|E but with these two caveats:

1. Charge it thoroughly the first time around, at least 4 hours.

2. Don't use that darn flip cover that comes with it. The stitching will scratch your case. If you must use it, put some soft tape over the stitching to prevent it from contacting the case. (BTW: The flip cover that comes with the T|T3 is designed differently and does not scratch the case!)

The T|E definately blows away the competition. Within its class, there is no Clie that comes close, including their new TJ35.

[Mandragoran]

I think the battery life of the T|E is ok. I get the first warning message after 6:50h. OK, I used Energy Dimmer to set the brightness to 10 % which is (for me) bright enough The lowest Palm setting seems to be 25%.

Bye,
Andreas

[lioncitysg]

where you get that energy dimmer?? is it come with T|E?? or we can download somewhere?

[Mandragoran]

I've got Energy Dimmer from PalmGear -> http://www.palmgear.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=software.showsoftware&sid=111FE45E-07FA-4A30-8A679376C5BEEE0D&prodID=28880

[BobT]

Originally posted by Mandragoran
I think the battery life of the T|E is ok. I get the first warning message after 6:50h. OK, I used Energy Dimmer to set the brightness to 10 % which is (for me) bright enough The lowest Palm setting seems to be 25%.

Bye,
Andreas

I'm trying Energy Dimmer on my TE. It appears to add considerable time to the battery life between charges. Thanks.

I've noticed some games, particularly graphic intensive games like Warfare Incorporated, drain the battery faster. Anybody else notice this?

[Nate]

I get down to 25% or so after a normal school day on mine. That's roughly 2-3 games of dope wars (I know, I know I'm trying to quit.), I read for 1 hour or so and then just checking like my tasks and such every now and then. The last 2 days (my first two days with it at school.) I was transfering some file through the infared for 5-10 minutes and turning the tv off in the lunch room. Is that about average?

[BobT]

Originally posted by Nate
I get down to 25% or so after a normal school day on mine. That's roughly 2-3 games of dope wars (I know, I know I'm trying to quit.), I read for 1 hour or so and then just checking like my tasks and such every now and then. The last 2 days (my first two days with it at school.) I was transfering some file through the infared for 5-10 minutes and turning the tv off in the lunch room. Is that about average?

Using Energy Dimmer, I have 4 hours use and 23% battery left. That's after playing Warfare Inc. for about 2 hours :D , the rest is just "normal" use. (I am testing TealPaint Beta6 which probably drains the battery a little faster.)

[Nate]

What is Warfare Inc.? Also, is EnergyDimmer at download.com?

[BobT]

Originally posted by Nate
What is Warfare Inc.? Also, is EnergyDimmer at download.com?

Warfare Incorporated
http://www.handmark.com/warfare/

Energy Dimmer
http://www.palmgear.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=software.showsoftware&sid=71B2248E-1179-4583-A99A563C88DEA6E6&prodID=28880

[drillbit]

I have also read that if you turn off the infa-red detection (for keyboard detection) you can get another hour or so.

There is also a few free rpograms on http://www.freewarepalm.com/

PALMDISK - its a file transfer program but it also lets you set your screen dimness:

http://www.freewarepalm.com/utilities/palmdisk.shtml

Auto Dimmer is a sweet little japanese program for OS5 that does exactly what Energy dimmer does, but it's free!

http://www.freewarepalm.com/utilities/autodimmer.shtml

If there is a need people will patch it. Just keep your eyes on freeewarepalm.com

drillbit
www.argsounds.com

[BobT]

Originally posted by drillbit

Auto Dimmer is a sweet little japanese program for OS5 that does exactly what Energy dimmer does, but it's free!
drillbit
www.argsounds.com

Auto Dimmer will dim your backlight and return it to a specified brightness when you tap the screen. Very basic but very good at what it does. Access via Prefs.

Energy Dimmer will allow you to set the brightness of the backlight from 0 to 100%, and auto dim if you choose. There are custom profiles you can set and the app is accessed by tapping the silkscreen brightness icon.

Energy Dimmer does alot more than dim your screen and costs $9. Auto Dimmer is free but does one thing.

Try both! :-)

Thanks for the info on PalmDisk drillbit. :)

[Ni+Mh]

Aha,I've finally put it to the ultimate test. According to my Dad (Who plays Bejewelled everyday on my T|E), it'd probably last 5-6 hours for constant usage. Not too impressive

[Nate]

My sound is pitiful. I can only hear it if I stick it straight to my ear.... Do I have a broken one?

[ziggy]

Originally posted by Nate
My sound is pitiful. I can only hear it if I stick it straight to my ear.... Do I have a broken one?

The sound on the TE is quite decent, so if you hear hardly anything, it might indeed be a hardware problem. Just check that you don't have the sounds on "low" (in preferences). Also, you might do a hard reset and check the sound to be sure that it is not third party software causing the problem.

[ibole]

I get 2 hours as maximum possible performance, using only regular features, no music, no games, no graphics, etc.

Is this is normal for the TE?
Have checked with other users in another forum in the internet, and I got two types of responses, people either get (a) 2-3 hours when dealing with heavy graphics, playing games, or long hours MP3 listening or (b) 4-5 hours at let's say normal or light usage (checking news, calculating, data entry, etc).

I'm seriously considering to swap it for a new TE or perhaps get a T3?(though I heard it's quite xpensive...)

I will appreciate your comments.

P.S.{after trial period for the Auto Dimmer, do you still keep a standard version or is it "over" unless you buy it?}

[ziggy]

Originally posted by ibole
I get 2 hours as maximum possible performance, using only regular features, no music, no games, no graphics, etc.

Is this is normal for the TE?
Have checked with other users in another forum in the internet, and I got two types of responses, people either get (a) 2-3 hours when dealing with heavy graphics, playing games, or long hours MP3 listening or (b) 4-5 hours at let's say normal or light usage (checking news, calculating, data entry, etc).

I'm seriously considering to swap it for a new TE or perhaps get a T3?(though I heard it's quite xpensive...)

I will appreciate your comments.

P.S.{after trial period for the Auto Dimmer, do you still keep a standard version or is it "over" unless you buy it?}

2 hours is not very good. Around 4 hours is fairly normal. Better exchange it for a new one.

Autodimmer is freeware, so there is no trial period. Energy dimmer is not freeware; I'm not using that one so I don't know what happens after the trial period. I think energy dimmer has more options than autodimmer, but if the only thing you want to do is dim the screen after a certain period, just use autodimmer. It works fine on a TE.

[ibole]

I exchanged it yesterday night and guess what!
The replacement has:

(1) one out of 4 lights at a lower power (this shows as a "yellowish" soft light type triangle spot in the screen);

(2) the "famous" stiff" down button (mine didn't), and


(3) after overnight charge and 10 minutes of ultralight usage, 17% down in the battery. that's about 60 minutes projection, isn't it?


Can wait to unwind the store swap , I wish they still have my old 2-hour performing TE...

Any advice you could think of? (I know I begin to sound desperate...)

[ziggy]

You seem to have bad luck....:(
The only advice I can give is: exchange it again (and again, and again...) until you have a proper unit.

Some people have written in another thread that a battery should be initiated as follows: charge it for several hours, then use it until it reaches a low voltage (10% or something like that), and then charge it again fully. This seems to help with the calibration of the battery. Furthermore, some batteries seem to be only fully functional after a few charge-discharge cycles.

[Nate]

I think I have found my solution to my sound problem it is that my music is too quiet. :mad:

[ziggy]

Battery life can be tested with Battery Time 1.70 (http://www.palmgear.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=software.showsoftware&sid=005D19A6-F9FD-47C7-A65FB3C918CD5C2B&prodID=45712) . I get 4h 20 min out of my TE, with brightness set to the lowest setting (which is still quite bright), and with autodimmer disabled. Later I will test it again with autodimmer enabled , to see whether that really makes a difference.

[socloseyetsofar]

My battery life tops out at 2:00 straight (according to Battery Time). I seem to use it longer than that though with intersparsed games and word doc typing. Prob. closer to 3.5 - 4 hrs. I'm seeing whether autodimmer helps, esp. since I read alot w/ autoscroll in Plucker, so the dimmer works well.

[drillbit]

Auto Dimmer (the free one) does keep your screen at any dimness (low) just set both the Min and Max to the same low value. Just disable it when you want to go back to normal. Great for night reading.

[GypsyJon]

Is there any way to kind of "reset" the battery meter that comes on the TE?

I think my battery life may be OK, but it drops down to, I'm guessing about 20% left then seems to last a long time.

Which makes me think that the battery meter thing is not calibrated correctly.