Re/Charging Zire 71

[poli13]

I got a question about recharging Zire 71. I got mine yesterday and charged it for about 3h (or at least I think I did). The funny thing is that there was nothing lit on the cradle or on the Palm to tell me that the charging works well. Is this normal? When I took the Zire of the cradle, it was cold; I wasn't expecting it to be hot, but at least a little warm where the battery is.

poli

[numeropi]

When it's recharging, the battery icon at the top of the screen will have a yellow lightning icon. This icon will remain for as long as the palm is receiving energy (i.e. on the cradle and plugged to the wall). Other units have a charging light indicator, but not the zire 71

[poli13]

Thanks. How long should I expect the battery to last? I know that this depends on a lot of things (using camera, MP3 player, etc), but just a general idea, in your experience.

[numeropi]

I'd say about 8 hours of constant use, although this will depend heavily on what use you give it. Common advice is not to let the battery discharge too much before recharging, say, try to recharge it at 85% or so. Deep discharges cause the battery to degrade faster over time.

[poli13]

Thanks a lot for your advice. I'll have to get some accessories now...
poli

[Vill]

If on a certain day you plan on using your Z71 for a long time, lower the brightness setting. The brightness greatly affects the battery life of the Z71. I can get about 10 hours of use with the backlight on minimum, on the other hand it is less than half when the brightness is at max. I usually keep it at 20-30% and get 7-8 hours of continuous use.

Ryvil

[madkins007]

The Lithium Ion (LiIon) battery is designed ot charge 'cold'- heat will really mess the battery up. If you EVER feel the battery get warm, take prompt action!

Keep the battery as charged as you reasonably can. Old technology batteries liked being drained low to prevent 'battery memory', but that does not happen to LiIons. Avoid letting it fall below 80% charged if possible.

If you are at risk of running low during the day regularly, get a charger that fits your situation- car, AC, or battery. You can find these on eBay for the best prices, but they are also carried at a lot of web sites.

[poli13]

Thanks a lot for your advice.
poli

[Eliz Fish]

OK - are ya'll using the Zire for 10 hours AND recharging at between 80-85%?

I can get down to 85% in less than a half hour! (I think I was playing BeBop and/or Bejeweled)

I haven't yet tried to see how long I can go without a recharge, but when I saw it drop that fast I started getting worried.

[poli13]

One of the reasons that I started this thread was that in the first day the battery level dropped to about 60%. I admit that I was very excited and played with it a lot (including taking pictures). Now I changed the brightness to about 30% and the battery level does not drop so fast. How many hours do you guys recharge the Z71? Does the yellow lightning bold go away when fully charged?

poli