PDA power

rockofclay · 8th September 2004, 12:39 PM

I've been intrested in buying a pda for some time now, as I am completely disorganised, but it seems they have a small battery life, especialy when you use the storage brick drivers to hook up a laptop drive. How long does the average 200mhz xscale pda last doing the following tasks
A: Playing mp3s
B: remaining active for alarms
C:using office
d: playing videos

Anyone know of good pdas that use little power?

Spingo · 8th September 2004, 1:21 PM

The actual battery life will depend on a multitude of factors. For starters, batteries with greater capacity will last longer (the Dell Axim is the example in question - the optional phat battery will last a little under twice as long as the standard slim one, and only costs about $30).

Secondly, there are other factors. Are you playing media from a storage card? What is the screen brightness that you're using? Are wireless networking options actiavetd during playback? Are other applications running on the PDA at the same time?

The actual playback time will vary from one situation to another. In my experience, I have known some PDA's to ast not even 40 minutes when playing back MP3s, but I've known others that last over 4 hours.

PogiPinoy · 8th September 2004, 5:01 PM

like spingo said

factors that contribute to battery life are:

- battery : make sure to not just get any extended battery because you need to read the battery size..or you can purchase high capacity batteries that hold over 2000mAh of power

- brightness : some pdas can only be toned down with brightness to any level..like the ipaq 2210...but some pdas can only be toned down according to levels of 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%...like the ipaq 1930..stay away from these as these pdas suck up too much battery

- storage : SD/MMC/CF Type I cards suck up less power than CF Type II cards, i.e. microdrives...because microdrives have moving parts, thus sucking up more battery

- software : make sure that the software you use allows the pda to still function during music playback with the screen turned off...like pocket player

Nevac · 9th September 2004, 8:15 AM

Although I havn't actually timed my battery life on my PDA I can use it for an entire day befor I drain the battery. But from my experience using the backlight while playing multimedia will suck up a lot of power, as a music player it can go for hours if you turn the screen off. Windows pocket media player allows you to map a button to turn off the screen which I use. If you want it for alarms and keep it in your pocket, it will last the entire day easily.

dr_evil6_6_6 · 13th September 2004, 10:33 PM

My h5550 (400mHz) lasts for hours when playing games (like everquest) with full back light, and if u are using it for an alarm it will last days, as you can turn it off and it will wake up and give u the alarm when u programmed it too. YOu can also designate how long it stays on for to alert you.

DrDevil · 14th September 2004, 11:46 AM

have u thought about the Palm PDAs?

because they run on slower processors (the OS is smaller and doesnt need the speed that PocketPC needs) the battery life is alot better.

I use my Tungsten E for movies, mp3s, office documents (word, excel and powerpoint) and most importantly games and PIM (personal information management). I find that I can get a day or twos usage even when I listen to Mp3s and watch videos.

Most importantly, the Tungsten E will charge using it's USB cable, so if you are near a computer you can keep it charging without a bulky adaptor. You can also use it as a USB drive with some downloadable programs.

dr_evil6_6_6 · 15th September 2004, 12:09 AM

My girlfriend had a tungsten E, and its nice and small (great fo PIM usage) but it has nowhere near the versitility of the iPaq PDA;s that i have used.

THen again this is probably completly outweighed by the fact that a tungsten E costs 300 or less dollars

For a good PDA that u can do almost anything on, and doenst cost 800+ i would sugest an h2210. They are fast, accept SD and flash cards, and i think u can get an upgraded batery for them.

PogiPinoy · 15th September 2004, 8:46 AM

yupz you can get 2000mAh batteries for your ipaqs that double the battery life but are still the same size

dr_evil6_6_6 · 15th September 2004, 10:00 AM

With the double battery life on the h2210 i would go for it. Playing mp3's (with the back light off) will not drain it very fast at all, and should last for ages.

On a side not the quality of the sound from my PDA (h5550) is better then the older iPods

archie · 15th September 2004, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by dr_evil6_6_6
With the double battery life on the h2210 i would go for it. Playing mp3's (with the back light off) will not drain it very fast at all, and should last for ages.

you can even turn the screen off to save even more power when playing mp3s.. there are free utils that can do that or if you use GSplayer to play mp3s/ogg/pls/m3u it has it builtin.

thrillhouse · 15th September 2004, 8:44 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by PogiPinoy
yupz you can get 2000mAh batteries for your ipaqs that double the battery life but are still the same size

Or if you don't mind a little bump on the back you can get a 3600mAh battery for it!

I wish I could get one for my 5450, my battery is dying.

DrDevil · 15th September 2004, 11:19 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by dr_evil6_6_6
My girlfriend had a tungsten E, and its nice and small (great fo PIM usage) but it has nowhere near the versitility of the iPaq PDA;s that i have used.

any specific examples of what it cant do compared to a Ipaq? (minus internet and bluetooth cos i know my Palm doesn't have those features)

dr_evil6_6_6 · 16th September 2004, 12:10 AM

Alot of games are only avaliable on the iPaq. Also the tungsten E has a small screen (even tho its 320 by 320) compared to my 3.8 inch screen thats only 240x320. The faster processers in teh iPaqs are also good for opening PDF files, and can play music and videos without an SD card (i know the tungsten E cant do this, not sure about the others). iPaqs are also very easy to sync with ur mail (palm can also do this, but not as easily). There are also alot of specifics that some palm PDA's arnt good at. eg the T3's have really bad battery lifes, but great looking screens. Im not sure, but i dont think the palm PDA's can run linix either.

PogiPinoy · 16th September 2004, 7:37 AM

oh and pocket pc pdas can play:

- age of empires
- links golf
- tiger woods golf
- simcity 2004
- worms
- full hand casino
- who wants to be a millionaire
- pocket nester (nes emulator)
- morphgear (emulator)

those are the games i play the most

dr_evil6_6_6 · 16th September 2004, 11:13 AM

The everquest series are the best games ive played on my PPC

8th September 2004, 12:39 PM	#1
rockofclay Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Melbourne Posts: 418	PDA power I've been intrested in buying a pda for some time now, as I am completely disorganised, but it seems they have a small battery life, especialy when you use the storage brick drivers to hook up a laptop drive. How long does the average 200mhz xscale pda last doing the following tasks A: Playing mp3s B: remaining active for alarms C:using office d: playing videos Anyone know of good pdas that use little power?

8th September 2004, 1:21 PM	#2
Spingo Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: At night, rave near the guards compartment, naked, with a blue light Posts: 987	The actual battery life will depend on a multitude of factors. For starters, batteries with greater capacity will last longer (the Dell Axim is the example in question - the optional phat battery will last a little under twice as long as the standard slim one, and only costs about $30). Secondly, there are other factors. Are you playing media from a storage card? What is the screen brightness that you're using? Are wireless networking options actiavetd during playback? Are other applications running on the PDA at the same time? The actual playback time will vary from one situation to another. In my experience, I have known some PDA's to ast not even 40 minutes when playing back MP3s, but I've known others that last over 4 hours. __________________ This is the noise that keeps me awake...

8th September 2004, 5:01 PM	#3
PogiPinoy Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Sydney (No Cable) :( Posts: 1,300	like spingo said factors that contribute to battery life are: - battery : make sure to not just get any extended battery because you need to read the battery size..or you can purchase high capacity batteries that hold over 2000mAh of power - brightness : some pdas can only be toned down with brightness to any level..like the ipaq 2210...but some pdas can only be toned down according to levels of 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%...like the ipaq 1930..stay away from these as these pdas suck up too much battery - storage : SD/MMC/CF Type I cards suck up less power than CF Type II cards, i.e. microdrives...because microdrives have moving parts, thus sucking up more battery - software : make sure that the software you use allows the pda to still function during music playback with the screen turned off...like pocket player __________________ BLAQUE - Believing in Life and Achieving a Quest of Unity in Everything OCAU Club PDA Member #6 Nintendo Club Member #4 OCAU iPod Owner #65 ASUS Owners Club \|\|Dr. Pepper Club Member #21\|\| Motorola V-Club Member - V3i DELL Laptop Owners Club

9th September 2004, 8:15 AM	#4
Nevac Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Brisbane Strathpine Posts: 1,496	Although I havn't actually timed my battery life on my PDA I can use it for an entire day befor I drain the battery. But from my experience using the backlight while playing multimedia will suck up a lot of power, as a music player it can go for hours if you turn the screen off. Windows pocket media player allows you to map a button to turn off the screen which I use. If you want it for alarms and keep it in your pocket, it will last the entire day easily. __________________ Notebook PC : Si Desha Desktop PC : Grae Belus

13th September 2004, 10:33 PM	#5
dr_evil6_6_6 Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Wollongong Posts: 244	My h5550 (400mHz) lasts for hours when playing games (like everquest) with full back light, and if u are using it for an alarm it will last days, as you can turn it off and it will wake up and give u the alarm when u programmed it too. YOu can also designate how long it stays on for to alert you. __________________ Give a man fire and he's warm for a day. Light a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.

14th September 2004, 11:46 AM	#6
DrDevil Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Brisbane Posts: 1,137	have u thought about the Palm PDAs? because they run on slower processors (the OS is smaller and doesnt need the speed that PocketPC needs) the battery life is alot better. I use my Tungsten E for movies, mp3s, office documents (word, excel and powerpoint) and most importantly games and PIM (personal information management). I find that I can get a day or twos usage even when I listen to Mp3s and watch videos. Most importantly, the Tungsten E will charge using it's USB cable, so if you are near a computer you can keep it charging without a bulky adaptor. You can also use it as a USB drive with some downloadable programs. __________________ DrDevil

15th September 2004, 12:09 AM	#7
dr_evil6_6_6 Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Wollongong Posts: 244	My girlfriend had a tungsten E, and its nice and small (great fo PIM usage) but it has nowhere near the versitility of the iPaq PDA;s that i have used. THen again this is probably completly outweighed by the fact that a tungsten E costs 300 or less dollars For a good PDA that u can do almost anything on, and doenst cost 800+ i would sugest an h2210. They are fast, accept SD and flash cards, and i think u can get an upgraded batery for them. __________________ Give a man fire and he's warm for a day. Light a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.

15th September 2004, 8:46 AM	#8
PogiPinoy Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Sydney (No Cable) :( Posts: 1,300	yupz you can get 2000mAh batteries for your ipaqs that double the battery life but are still the same size __________________ BLAQUE - Believing in Life and Achieving a Quest of Unity in Everything OCAU Club PDA Member #6 Nintendo Club Member #4 OCAU iPod Owner #65 ASUS Owners Club \|\|Dr. Pepper Club Member #21\|\| Motorola V-Club Member - V3i DELL Laptop Owners Club

15th September 2004, 10:00 AM	#9
dr_evil6_6_6 Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Wollongong Posts: 244	With the double battery life on the h2210 i would go for it. Playing mp3's (with the back light off) will not drain it very fast at all, and should last for ages. On a side not the quality of the sound from my PDA (h5550) is better then the older iPods __________________ Give a man fire and he's warm for a day. Light a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.

16th September 2004, 12:10 AM	#13
dr_evil6_6_6 Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Wollongong Posts: 244	Alot of games are only avaliable on the iPaq. Also the tungsten E has a small screen (even tho its 320 by 320) compared to my 3.8 inch screen thats only 240x320. The faster processers in teh iPaqs are also good for opening PDF files, and can play music and videos without an SD card (i know the tungsten E cant do this, not sure about the others). iPaqs are also very easy to sync with ur mail (palm can also do this, but not as easily). There are also alot of specifics that some palm PDA's arnt good at. eg the T3's have really bad battery lifes, but great looking screens. Im not sure, but i dont think the palm PDA's can run linix either. __________________ Give a man fire and he's warm for a day. Light a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.

16th September 2004, 7:37 AM	#14
PogiPinoy Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Sydney (No Cable) :( Posts: 1,300	oh and pocket pc pdas can play: - age of empires - links golf - tiger woods golf - simcity 2004 - worms - full hand casino - who wants to be a millionaire - pocket nester (nes emulator) - morphgear (emulator) those are the games i play the most __________________ BLAQUE - Believing in Life and Achieving a Quest of Unity in Everything OCAU Club PDA Member #6 Nintendo Club Member #4 OCAU iPod Owner #65 ASUS Owners Club \|\|Dr. Pepper Club Member #21\|\| Motorola V-Club Member - V3i DELL Laptop Owners Club

16th September 2004, 11:13 AM	#15
dr_evil6_6_6 Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Wollongong Posts: 244	The everquest series are the best games ive played on my PPC __________________ Give a man fire and he's warm for a day. Light a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.