Battery Life

[crazedover]

How about this camera phone?

 

[Holokauston]

@ Holokauston

Cor!, Those pictures are small though. :rolleyes:

Trooper

Fixed haha


crazedover >> hehe love that one ;D

 

[Firefox]

I've never seen a half-decent cameraphone, they just can't the pictures like a proper camera can.

I use the camera on my phone for fun snaps, or for quickly snapping the sign that gives a shop's opening hours, etc. The pictures it takes can't compare in quality with those from my proper camera, though. I think the difference is that the lenses on phone cameras just don't gather enough light.

*However*, lately phones have started appearing that have proper camera lenses on them. I'll definitely be looking at those when I upgrade, because carting a "proper" camera around is a pain in the arse and so I often don't bother.

You can consolidate your music player and GBA by way of pandora, and you can also consolidate your camera and phone by buying a cameraphone. Then you'll just have the pandora, cameraphone, and laptop left

Yeah, I currently use an iRiver hard drive based player running Rockbox as my music player. I'm hoping the Pandora can replace it (especially with big SDHC cards getting cheaper by the day), and my GBA as well.

 

[izzie]

You won't really need to take the battery out at all until it goes bad several years down the line. I can almost guarentee that a custom 4AH Li-po battery will cost more than $20, but it's not something you will have to worry about any time soon.

actually it is. I don't expect to have to wait for an empty battery to charge before I can use the pandora, I do expect to pop out the empty battery put it into charge and pop in a faully-cherged spare battery as I currently do with my gp2x.
so yeah I intend to take the battery out quite often (almost every time it's empty) and to be able to charge the battery outside the pandora without having to buy any additional equipment.

any info about the possibility to charge the battery outside the pandora ?

I`ve never really understood usb charging myself either, I suppose it was implemented for convenience for those people that never leave their pc`s. *snip*
Couple that with the fact that it takes a lot longer to charge via usb, I just can`t see the appeal.

At first, I thought the same as you, but it turned out to have practical applications I didn't suspect. being able to charge a device when you're on the go and forgot the required ac adapter or cable is quite enjoyable, when you plug the device to a computer for any reasons it gets a slight boost of charge with whatever you plugged it in in the first place.
when in a remote place with no working power outlet, you can rely on foldable/portable solar panels; most of them provide usb connectivity and a full charge of your device will be awfully slow anyways.

of course it's not going to fully replace an ac adapter anytime soon., but it turned out to be added comfort and a useful backup way of charging a device.

 

[Tobriand]

actually it is. I don't expect to have to wait for an empty battery to charge before I can use the pandora, I do expect to pop out the empty battery put it into charge and pop in a faully-cherged spare battery as I currently do with my gp2x.
so yeah I intend to take the battery out quite often (almost every time it's empty) and to be able to charge the battery outside the pandora without having to buy any additional equipment.

any info about the possibility to charge the battery outside the pandora ?

Legitimate concern, certainly, though personally I don't expect to buy an additional Pandora battery, bearing in mind it's predicted to be 10 hours for mainline apps. Which presumably means, for CPU-light apps, significantly longer. That means the actual probability of the battery running out between charge-points falls very significantly compared to the Gp2x.

In addition, I believe it has been stated (though there was a backlash, and it has yet to be re-iterated) that the battery cover will be screw-on, because they aren't expecting people to change batteries very often. This could, as mentioned, be old info.

Add to that that if you buy a spare and *don't* use it, its capacity will still decrease in line with the normal way Li-Poly batteries' capacity decreases with time regardless of use. Personally, I'll go with buying a replacement three years or so down the line.

Oh, and given how cloe to the wind they're sailing this project profit-wise, I'd be *very* surprised if there is an out-of-the-box external charger for Pandora batteries, though presumably a universal Li-poly trickle charger will do. We shall see .

 

[Chip]

You won't really need to take the battery out at all until it goes bad several years down the line. I can almost guarentee that a custom 4AH Li-po battery will cost more than $20, but it's not something you will have to worry about any time soon.

actually it is. I don't expect to have to wait for an empty battery to charge before I can use the pandora, I do expect to pop out the empty battery put it into charge and pop in a faully-cherged spare battery as I currently do with my gp2x.
so yeah I intend to take the battery out quite often (almost every time it's empty) and to be able to charge the battery outside the pandora without having to buy any additional equipment.

any info about the possibility to charge the battery outside the pandora ?

That's kind of a tall order. If you absolutely need to charge the batteries seperately from the unit, your best bet is to check RC hobbyist sites for generic Li-Po chargers. Failing that, consider a USB battery pack.

 

[izzie]

Legitimate concern, certainly, though personally I don't expect to buy an additional Pandora battery, bearing in mind it's predicted to be 10 hours for mainline apps. Which presumably means, for CPU-light apps, significantly longer. That means the actual probability of the battery running out between charge-points falls very significantly compared to the Gp2x.

In addition, I believe it has been stated (though there was a backlash, and it has yet to be re-iterated) that the battery cover will be screw-on, because they aren't expecting people to change batteries very often. This could, as mentioned, be old info.

Add to that that if you buy a spare and *don't* use it, its capacity will still decrease in line with the normal way Li-Poly batteries' capacity decreases with time regardless of use. Personally, I'll go with buying a replacement three years or so down the line.

Oh, and given how cloe to the wind they're sailing this project profit-wise, I'd be *very* surprised if there is an out-of-the-box external charger for Pandora batteries, though presumably a universal Li-poly trickle charger will do. We shall see .

from what I've read the battery life is expected to be more less than 10hours and more than 3 depending on use I guess.
3 hours is short enough for the battery to run out on you on a regular basis while 10 hours is not long enough to prevent it happening (think of plane traveling as an example).

don't forget about charge time, you can't use your pandora while the battery is charging (unless you don't go farther than the wire allows you to). I haven't seen any info about charge duration, it could take some time, which means that if you forgot to put it into charge yesterday evening, it will have to stay home charging in the morning.
with a readily available spare battery, forgetting to put the battery in charge in the evening means losing a couple minutes in the morning to swap batteries.

the comparison with gp2x actually depends on your usage.
To me battery life is not a concern anymore now that I use accupower AA 2900mAh NiMH batteries (couldn't find bigger ones). they give me around 4-8 hours of continuous usage (mainly emulation, watching videos and listening to music) and I carry around 4 fully charged spares with me, which allows for 12-24hours of almost continuous usage.

let's assume the pandora battery will be enough for 90% of usage cases (for people who can and do remember to put the device in charge when not in use), for some unknown reasons I seem to run constantly in those other 10% of cases, and to get stuck with an empty battery useless brick at times when I could use it, and can't recharge it until the time I'm back home when I don't need to use it anymore.

back to the pandora, I don't know if there's any plan for a cradle extending its connectivity as there's one for the gp2x, but if there's one it would be great if it features an embedded battery charger.

 

[craigix]

The battery life will not be as low as 3 hours, there would have to be something wrong with your pandora for that to happen. We are really aiming for a LONG battery life in all situations.

We will be selling spares and probably an optional 5000mah battery.

 

[Squidge]

actually it is. I don't expect to have to wait for an empty battery to charge before I can use the pandora, I do expect to pop out the empty battery put it into charge and pop in a faully-cherged spare battery as I currently do with my gp2x.

A problem with that is your not supposed to remove the battery, so you will not have anywhere to charge the battery should you remove it (unless you build a charger yourself). Also, leaving batteries in an uncharged condition is a bad idea and can damage the battery.

However, with the long play time, just topping up the battery by plugging it into your pc (or ac adaptor) each time you go bed will ensure you have a full battery at the beginning of each day.

If you really need more than the 10 hours, then you can buy external battery packs that plug into the usb port and charge the battery at the same time as powering the device (such as http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/reviews/ite...ice_Charger.php )

 

[Holokauston]

http://www.proporta.com/F02/PPF02P05.php?t...&t_mode=des

6000 mAh and works with USB devices

 

[Squidge]

You could use one of those not-quite-so-portable chargers to charge your portable mobile device charger(s), which in turn could charge your Pandora on the go

Spare batteries? Pah, who needs'em

 

[Holokauston]

You could use one of those not-quite-so-portable chargers to charge your portable mobile device charger(s), which in turn could charge your Pandora on the go

Spare batteries? Pah, who needs'em

Whaaaaat??? my suggestion is portable ;P
Weight: 600g
Dimension: 220mm x 130mm x 15mm


Pandora
Weight: ~300g??
Dimensions: 140mm x 83mm x 27mm

ok so it's a little bit bigger than Pandora but still, you get more portable time ;P
Besides have a 1meter USB cable and you can have it in your backpack =D

 

[izzie]

A problem with that is your not supposed to remove the battery, so you will not have anywhere to charge the battery should you remove it (unless you build a charger yourself). Also, leaving batteries in an uncharged condition is a bad idea and can damage the battery.

However, with the long play time, just topping up the battery by plugging it into your pc (or ac adaptor) each time you go bed will ensure you have a full battery at the beginning of each day.

If you really need more than the 10 hours, then you can buy external battery packs that plug into the usb port and charge the battery at the same time as powering the device (such as http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/reviews/ite...ice_Charger.php )



not supposed to remove the battery ? unable to charge it outside the console ?
if this is true, then this device is crippled and flawed by design to the point it is pretty much useless to me.

can anyone confirm what squidge said ?

I happen to travel to places where having access to a power source is not a sure thing (think of wilderness, or places such as india or africa). with the gp2x, I can switch batteries when needed and so am able to use it on the go which is exactly what I expect from a mobile device.
I'm not gonna buy 2 pandoras one to actually use while the other act as a charger. this is stupid.

 

[JakeK]

The battery life will not be as low as 3 hours, there would have to be something wrong with your pandora for that to happen. We are really aiming for a LONG battery life in all situations.

We will be selling spares and probably an optional 5000mah battery.

Good to hear.

 

[Chip]

not supposed to remove the battery ? unable to charge it outside the console ?
if this is true, then this device is crippled and flawed by design to the point it is pretty much useless to me.

can anyone confirm what squidge said ?

Squidge would know better than almost anybody - he's one of the lead devs. There is no plan at the moment for an external charger. That doesn't mean you can't use a universal LiPo charger.

As to being "crippled" or "flawed", I think that's a bit harsh considering 99.9% of users DO have regular access to AC power and won't need to replace the battery until it actually dies. If I'm a deep sea diver, is it fair for me to claim that the Pandora is crippled and useless because it is not waterproof down to 300 feet? Obviously you can't please everybody.

 

[Tobriand]

not supposed to remove the battery ? unable to charge it outside the console ?
if this is true, then this device is crippled and flawed by design to the point it is pretty much useless to me.

can anyone confirm what squidge said ?

I happen to travel to places where having access to a power source is not a sure thing (think of wilderness, or places such as india or africa). with the gp2x, I can switch batteries when needed and so am able to use it on the go which is exactly what I expect from a mobile device.
I'm not gonna buy 2 pandoras one to actually use while the other act as a charger. this is stupid.

I think it is safe to say that the Pandora will be as crippled to you as mobile phones or PDAs currently are, and if more, then marginally more. Mobiles generally are what charge their own batteries; with PDAs either they do, or they have a cradle which does. Many of them lose track of date/time etc. if the battery is removed.

BUT their batteries *can* be charged outside the device by use of a generic charger. But that charger is like as not, not one produced by the phone/PDA manufacturer, but rather by some third party, and it'll probably work for most LI batteries too.

NB also that I am not involved - take this with a pinch of salt unless confirmed by Craig, Squidge, or MWeston.

 

[Squidge]

I happen to travel to places where having access to a power source is not a sure thing (think of wilderness, or places such as india or africa). with the gp2x, I can switch batteries when needed and so am able to use it on the go which is exactly what I expect from a mobile device.
I'm not gonna buy 2 pandoras one to actually use while the other act as a charger. this is stupid.

Well, you could remove the battery and insert a charged one and have another 10 hours or so, but you would have to eventually reinsert the dead battery(s) into the console to charge them. (Or find some other way to charge them, but then if you damage the battery, note that it will be doubtful if its covered under warranty, as you didn't use the official charger)

Its the exact same technique used by Apple, Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, Nokia and others. Do you refuse to buy handheld portable devices (including mobile phones) from those people also?

 

[Holokauston]

not supposed to remove the battery ? unable to charge it outside the console ?
if this is true, then this device is crippled and flawed by design to the point it is pretty much useless to me.

can anyone confirm what squidge said ?

I happen to travel to places where having access to a power source is not a sure thing (think of wilderness, or places such as india or africa). with the gp2x, I can switch batteries when needed and so am able to use it on the go which is exactly what I expect from a mobile device.
I'm not gonna buy 2 pandoras one to actually use while the other act as a charger. this is stupid.

Or you can buy an extra 150 portable USB batteries 6000mAh each, that should keep you going for atleast 2 months in the bush

 

[craigix]

This is a pretty standard way of using a li-ion battery. If you wanted 2 fully charged just charge 2 in the pandora before you leave on your trip.

We are not wasting thousands of $ in making a stand alone charger when a) such things already exist via 3rd parties B) only a tiny fraction of the market would buy such an accessory.

Sorry but we have to draw the line somewhere, why can't you charge the extra battery overnight for example? Remember the battery life on the Pandora should be more than DOUBLE maybe even triple the GP2X battery life.

-Craig

 

[atomicthumbs]

Fine with me.

Although that may be because I plan on using my 7000mah SLA as an external battery pack