615c battery longevity

[jkulp]

Hi-

I'm considering picking up a Clie 615 to replace my dying Palm IIIx. One of the things that I liked about the Palm was the fact that it ran on AAA's..readily available anywhere.

I realize that a color screen will exhaust batteries faster between charges, but what about the need to replace the battery itself. Any info regarding how long the batteries last in these units, and how soon I'll need to send it back to Sony for a replacement? Thanks!

[massmac]

I've had my 615C for a couple of months now, and also expressed concern over the relatively short battery life. Someone said it's a problem consistent with many Sony products.

With typical usage (a mix of notes, games, AvantGo, Paint, etc.) I get about a day and a half worth of battery life, or the equivalent of perhaps 4 to 5 hours of continuous use. I "top-off" the battery every day or so by plugging in to the cradle, which is recommended.

If you keep the backlight either off, or turned down half-way, the life of the battery certainly improves significantly. Also, using the auto-off function prevents accidental battery drainage.

I can't speak on the issue of battery replacement, because I haven't owned it for very long.

Not sure if this helps, but that's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

[jkulp]

Thanks for the feedback. I guess I've gotten spoiled with only needing new batts in my IIIx every six or seven weeks. That may give you an idea of MY usage....less than five minutes a day including a sync.

But the 615 display is just beautiful. Other than battery life, are you happy with your choice? Thanks again.

[jimcuz]

I loved my lllx, too but it was hard as the devil to read in most lighting conditions AND it's...well...colorless...<sigh> ANYway, I get the same kinda results that MassMac has had...and I don't for a MINUTE regret the change.

The 16k lets me keep newsgroups and Excel files. I've got the fun of multimedia stuff to impress my friends...I'm reading a book on it as we speak AND TealPaint to keep my hands busy. Oh, and a little full color PowerPoint presentation for my vendors.

Nope, the lllx wasn't this much fun.

cuzzer

[jkulp]

Hello cuzzer-

Good news: after a fix found elsewhere on the board, my IIIx has been working for three days.

Bad news: my IIIx has been working for three days.

But one more failure, and it's on to the 615c. Maybe I'll see how well the IIIx works in the shower tomorrow AM!

Thanks again!

-Jack

[jimcuz]

MEGS, DAMMIT! I MEANT MG!

<dummy>


cuzzie

[jkulp]

I understood. No Prob.

BTW, my IIIx barfed again tonight. So it's off to get the 615c tomorrow. Thanks again for your help!

[cshall]

I had a IIIxe and a IIIc and considered myself to be a loyal Palm user until a very good salesman convinced me to try the Clie instead of a new Palm. The included software was also a plus, especially Docs to Go. At first, the 615C felt a little clumsy but now I love it. I use it several hours a day and have not found the battery drainage to be a problem unless I play games for several hours (which is rare). I do make a point of recharging it every night. I also have a travel charger which comes in very handy. I have no regrets switching to the Sony.

[timboch]

I just switched from a IIIc to the T615c. I have found that I only get about 2 days off of a full charge. Appox. 5-6 hours according to GConsole. Big difference from my IIIc which usually gave me 5-6 days and 30+ hours. All in all not a bad replacement though. Just need to keep that travel charger near by.