the Charge for Zire 21

[Chicago48]

I have a Zire 21 and have to recharge it every 3-4 days. It just doesn't hold a charge, even if not in use. Is this common with all Palm PDAs? is there a PDA brand I should look for that's better at holding charges?

[NetBrakr]

Hello Chicago48 and welcome to Brighthand.

The Zire 21 is pretty old, since it was release 7 years ago. So I am not surprise the battery is going bad. Unfortunately, all rechargeable batteries will loose its charge overtime. So if you want to keep your Zire 21, just keep it charging. But in my opinion, I think it's time to upgrade.

[Chicago48]

Hello Chicago48 and welcome to Brighthand.

The Zire 21 is pretty old, since it was release 7 years ago. So I am not surprise the battery is going bad. Unfortunately, all rechargeable batteries will loose its charge overtime. So if you want to keep your Zire 21, just keep it charging. But in my opinion, I think it's time to upgrade.

This was a new Zire21 that I bought 2 months ago and I don't use it much. But I notice that 3-4 days I have to recharge it.

Do you know PDAs that holds a charge longer? I have a cell phone but it doesn't have the calendar and notepad function.

[Hook]

This was a new Zire21 that I bought 2 months ago and I don't use it much. But I notice that 3-4 days I have to recharge it.

Do you know PDAs that holds a charge longer? I have a cell phone but it doesn't have the calendar and notepad function.

Where did you buy it from? The point NetB was making is that the Zire21 has not been manufactured in maybe 6 years. If you found one new in the box even, that battery has been sitting around for a very long time. Actually, 3-4 days isn't terrible if you are using it, but if it is just sitting around, a Zire21 ought to do better. In general, for any PDA, I would just plug it in and let top off each night while you are asleep.

By and large PDAs are not made any more, although HP is still selling new IPAQ 110s and 210s which would have a warranty on their batteries.

Your best bet, if you would like a Palm PDA is to buy a refurb with a new battery. I would recommend looking at what Chris Short has to offer. Remember, the more capable the device, the more battery power it will take. For example, a TX is a great PDA, but with color screen, wifi on, etc, you'll probably not get much more than a day.

All Products : PalmDR.com, PDA Repair Done Right!

Otherwise, you are pretty much going to have to look for a smartphone.

[raspabalsa]

Welcome to Brighthand, Chicago48

I have a Zire 21 and have to recharge it every 3-4 days. It just doesn't hold a charge, even if not in use. Is this common with all Palm PDAs? is there a PDA brand I should look for that's better at holding charges?

As said above, the Zire21 is an old unit, assembled long ago, even is yours is "new". The problem is that Lithium-Polymer batteries as used on Palms (and also on cellphones, laptops, and most any other consumer mobile device) have a limited lifetime, approximately 3 years. This means that after 3 years (on average), the battery starts to lose the ability to get or hold a full charge. But here's the catch: the 3 years are counted from the very moment the battery is built, regardless of its use (or lack of). A Li-Poly battery sitting on a shelf in its original package will still age. This is why your Zire's battery is failing even though the unit is "new".

Also, the Zire21 uses real RAM to store data. This RAM needs to be constantly powered, else the data is lost. This means that even when the screen is off, the RAM is still consuming a small amount of power from the battery.

However, 3 to 4 days is a very good endurance, IMO. Later PDA models (not only Palm, but also most other brands) with larger screens, more powerful CPUs and SD cards have endurances best measured in hours, not days (of course this varies widely with usage).

As Hook recommends above, try contacting Chris Short. He can install a new battery to your Zire21.

[hal]

I have a Zire 21 and have to recharge it every 3-4 days. It just doesn't hold a charge, even if not in use. Is this common with all Palm PDAs? is there a PDA brand I should look for that's better at holding charges?

I have a Palm 21 currently seating in the Old Guard. In its current sparse service, it needs to be recharged every 6 ~ 7 days. But in this "standby mode" (a-la-cellphone ) it seems to hold a much better stationary charge, cause when I used it as my everyday device (2004 ~ 2007), I remember that a full charge didn't last for more than 3 days. I just want to point out that common everyday service really takes its toll of charge, and at its best in full duty, my device was never past the say 4 day threshold at most.

IMO, either your device's battery behaves mainstream, or a replacement is due. If you feel comfortable with the device and wish to keep it, I'd say go for the second option. My Zire 21 gave me a tremendous service in its own time.

[Chicago48]

Welcome to Brighthand, Chicago48


As said above, the Zire21 is an old unit, assembled long ago, even is yours is "new". The problem is that Lithium-Polymer batteries as used on Palms (and also on cellphones, laptops, and most any other consumer mobile device) have a limited lifetime, approximately 3 years. This means that after 3 years (on average), the battery starts to lose the ability to get or hold a full charge. But here's the catch: the 3 years are counted from the very moment the battery is built, regardless of its use (or lack of). A Li-Poly battery sitting on a shelf in its original package will still age. This is why your Zire's battery is failing even though the unit is "new".

Also, the Zire21 uses real RAM to store data. This RAM needs to be constantly powered, else the data is lost. This means that even when the screen is off, the RAM is still consuming a small amount of power from the battery.

However, 3 to 4 days is a very good endurance, IMO. Later PDA models (not only Palm, but also most other brands) with larger screens, more powerful CPUs and SD cards have endurances best measured in hours, not days (of course this varies widely with usage).

As Hook recommends above, try contacting Chris Short. He can install a new battery to your Zire21.

Who and where is Chris Short?

[raspabalsa]

Who and where is Chris Short?

Chris Short has a Palm repair business. He has a reputation for very good and fast technical service, at reasonable prices. I haven't used his repair services, but I have purchased spares and accessories from him, and I'm very satisfied with the quality and speedy delivery. You can find contact info in his website (palmDR), linked to in Hook's post above my previous one.