Extending Battery Life Tips

[QuarlesLT]

So I have had a really pleasant surprise over the last couple days! I had forgotten that update 1.2 includes the option to disable data, which I had always done on my Treo. So I used the stock battery at work with data disabled most of the day unless I really needed for that quick weather check or Internet surf. I went from lasting 4 hours at the most on most days to over 9 hours before it got to 40% left! WOW! I was so happy LOL. And now today I decided to use my Seidio 2600 battery. I took it off the charger at 8am, and as of writing this (11am) I still have 96% left! So data does indeed cause HUGE drainage of battery, just like my Treo did, and I'm glad Palm implemented the option to disable it! So my problem is finally SOLVED! :-) Thanks for the help guys.

[Daemon]

That's not exactly "solved" though, just paused. It makes me wonder
if you've got a data network problem, or if there's something active
on your Pre using the network all the time. Are you doing ActiveSync
with Exchange for instance? Or a bunch of Facebook linked contacts
or such?

BTW, another option might be to test whether it's a problem
specific to EVDO. Dial ##EVDO# on your phone's pad and
switch it from the default of Hybrid Rev A to
1xRTT only, for instance and see if dropping to the lower
rate data network helps or hurts.

ian

[StoneRyno]

Originally Posted by QuarlesLT

I have also noticed that while using the phone while EVDO is activated, BatteryMonitor reports the temperature as around 39-42 degrees celcius. While it was in airplane mode, it went as low as 24 degrees.

Are you actively using the pre to do anything or is it idle while the temp is that high?

Originally Posted by QuarlesLT

So I have had a really pleasant surprise over the last couple days! I had forgotten that update 1.2 includes the option to disable data, which I had always done on my Treo. So I used the stock battery at work with data disabled most of the day unless I really needed for that quick weather check or Internet surf. I went from lasting 4 hours at the most on most days to over 9 hours before it got to 40% left! WOW! I was so happy LOL. And now today I decided to use my Seidio 2600 battery. I took it off the charger at 8am, and as of writing this (11am) I still have 96% left! So data does indeed cause HUGE drainage of battery, just like my Treo did, and I'm glad Palm implemented the option to disable it! So my problem is finally SOLVED! :-) Thanks for the help guys.

Ok with data off we are seeing into one cause of the increased drain so we need to get to the heart of what is using data so often. We also need to look into more detail the temp reported by battery monitor. What is the temp listed at when the pre is idle and you have data turned off? Higher temps will cause increase in drain too, and it is possible if idle temps are higher than expected there may be a background issue like something running the CPU more than it is supposed to or something.

[Nismode]

Originally Posted by QuarlesLT

So I have had a really pleasant surprise over the last couple days! I had forgotten that update 1.2 includes the option to disable data, which I had always done on my Treo. So I used the stock battery at work with data disabled most of the day unless I really needed for that quick weather check or Internet surf. I went from lasting 4 hours at the most on most days to over 9 hours before it got to 40% left! WOW! I was so happy LOL. And now today I decided to use my Seidio 2600 battery. I took it off the charger at 8am, and as of writing this (11am) I still have 96% left! So data does indeed cause HUGE drainage of battery, just like my Treo did, and I'm glad Palm implemented the option to disable it! So my problem is finally SOLVED! :-) Thanks for the help guys.

I have noticed the same thing. I've had data off since my phone service has been off for the past week The battery has lasted a lot longer.

Went from this with 1.1.2



to this recently with 1.2.1

[Daemon]

That is really high drain rate. If data on/off is the only difference, then
it has to be app/Synergy related. Something you've enabled is
trying to access the network *a lot*. Push email account? Short
email check interval? Logged into a messenger account all the time?

ian

[ccdoss]

I'm not quite sure, but at work I also had a huge drain on my battery. The battery monitor indicated it was draining at nearly 30% per hour, with no apps open. The only thing I can think of is I was running shoutcast earlier. The only thing that slowed the drain (actually to a halt) was turning on airplane mode. Of course, I don't want to do that. What could cause that? Also, how do you turn off data?

[joejoe1]

one major thing that worked for me after much tinkering. i switched my email acct from imap to exchange active sync. for both emails its on "as items arrive" but i see a drastic reduction in battery consumption with exchange.

[StoneRyno]

Originally Posted by ccdoss

I'm not quite sure, but at work I also had a huge drain on my battery. The battery monitor indicated it was draining at nearly 30% per hour, with no apps open. The only thing I can think of is I was running shoutcast earlier. The only thing that slowed the drain (actually to a halt) was turning on airplane mode. Of course, I don't want to do that. What could cause that? Also, how do you turn off data?

To figure out what is happening we will need a lot more info. What is your normal usage patterns: talk time, app usage (streaming etc and how long), SMS/MMS usage, IMs on or off, email types and settings, signal quality, etc typical to your routine. How long do you go between charges and at what percent do you charge back to full? Do you do any partial charging like take it off the charger before it is full or top it off at all? Do you or have you ever let the battery run down so that it auto powers off? If so how often? We will start here and then try and pin point anything that has changed in your routine or new to your pre that may be increasing your drain. I'm told shoutcast and one or two other streaming apps cause a lot more drain than would be expected. Twice as much power being drawn during use compared to pandora. Also one expects nothing to draw more power than talk time and talk time is 4 hours (25% per hour). In fact just about everything you do with it shouldn't even come close to drawing as much power as talk time. Unless perhaps there is some sort of unusual circumstances or something else going on that isn't normal.

[Daemon]

If you turn data off, and the high drain stops, then it's something
you have configured yourself. I think the most likely culprit for a lot of people
(based on what I'm seeing in multiple battery related threads)
is push email (IMAP versus pop, or active sync). There are other
apps that will cause high drain, but push email is the biggy if nothing
else is running.

If you turn data off (but leave voice on), and the high drain continues,
then it's most likely bad Sprint signal. I've experienced this myself
when I'm in a marginal area. Sometimes forcing it to roam can help this,
but that does little good if you're in your home or office.

If you put it into airplane mode and the high drain continues,
it's a hardware problem. Phone or battery. Turning the radios off
should cause the drain to drop to less than 2%/hr.

ian

[StoneRyno]

Yes in some cases email is the culprit and others signal. However email drain doesn't appear to be consistent. In that having the connection itself is not likely the drain but the frequency of email from the account. For example in my case and several others I have checked with where very few email is received if any at all on a typical day the battery doe not drain more as a result of the IMAP accounts being added to the pre. However in other cases people report less drain when going to an interval check rather than as items arrive which indicates their volume of email is high. Signal strength is the most common factor for battery drain which is why I always ask about it when trying to help someone figure out why their battery drains as much as it does. In this particular case with ccdoss there obviously must be more going on that just some inefficient choices of settings or account connections. Which is why I ask about the ins and outs of usage routines etc. I can only hope for a reply so we can help trim things or recommend and extended battery if the drain is due mainly to usage in which case trimming may very well do little good.

[Daemon]

My post wasn't a direct reply to yours.
I was simply laying out some simple diagnostic steps.

*If* you turn data off, and battery usage drops significantly then
it's most likely app settings, because poor Sprint coverage will
drain the battery fast whether data is on or off.

ian

[StoneRyno]

Originally Posted by Daemon

My post wasn't a direct reply to yours.
I was simply laying out some simple diagnostic steps.

*If* you turn data off, and battery usage drops significantly then
it's most likely app settings, because poor Sprint coverage will
drain the battery fast whether data is on or off.

ian

I know I was just supplementing the info. Obviously we will continue to see people seeking the forum for help with their battery wondering if they have a defect or if it is something they can control better. I just want to make sure as much info as possible is posted for those searching for it.

[Moller.Dance]

I'm travelling oversees (economy class, so no electric plugs to use) and was wanting to know how I can get the most out of my battery (use my laptop as long as possible).

I think the following would help (plz let me know if i'm wrong).

1. Turn wireless off
2. Turn one CPU Off (since I have dual core duo)
3. Reduce brightness (which btw, can I reduce any lower than the brightness applet on the panel will let me??)

[StoneRyno]

Originally Posted by Moller.Dance

I'm travelling oversees (economy class, so no electric plugs to use) and was wanting to know how I can get the most out of my battery (use my laptop as long as possible).

I think the following would help (plz let me know if i'm wrong).

1. Turn wireless off
2. Turn one CPU Off (since I have dual core duo)
3. Reduce brightness (which btw, can I reduce any lower than the brightness applet on the panel will let me??)

I have a netbook and on it there is an app that with preset power profiles. One of the profiles sets the maximum optimal power settings. When I use that setting I get 8 hours instead of 4 out of the battery. In vista there is a whole long list of things you can change for power savings. Control Panel > power options > advanced link. I don't know if XP has as many things you can adjust. Basically whatever hardware you can turn off turn off. USB ports, wifi, web cam. I'm not sure how much of a difference adjusting down the HD power setting is beyond the change made to it when switching to power save profile. Using that profile will itself be good along with turning off hardware you aren't using. If there is an option to underclock your CPU that is a way to save power too. My way old laptop Pentium 600mgz to give an idea how old had an option to underclock at 500mhz when on battery. Kill all unnecessary background tasks. No need to have live protection against virus and spyware if you aren't connected to the internet or any other network and aren't installing anything or doing anything else that could infect the system. The less the CPU is used the more the battery will last. Even if you are watching a movie on DVD the less other stuff using the CPU the better.

[Nismode]

Originally Posted by Daemon

That is really high drain rate. If data on/off is the only difference, then
it has to be app/Synergy related. Something you've enabled is
trying to access the network *a lot*. Push email account? Short
email check interval? Logged into a messenger account all the time?

ian

No messenger Account linked, since all I get are stupid emails.

I do have 2 (now 3) Gmail Accounts set to Set As Items Arrive. AIM I have since turned off, since I'm rarely on aim anymore.

[Daemon]

Originally Posted by Nismode

I do have 2 (now 3) Gmail Accounts set to Set As Items Arrive.

That's push email and that's what's doing you in. Knock your interval down
to 15 or 30 minutes and your battery usage will improve significantly.

ian

[madgrizzle]

Well, I managed to go from 12 hours of standby to 60 hours. I have two email accounts that I check on my Pre (work and personal). The work account is running off some linux server and I check it every 30 minutes. The personal account is from GoDaddy.com and I had it configured to check every 30 minutes also. After leaving work at around 6 pm at night, if I left the phone on my kitchen counter, when I got up in the morning, around 6am, it would be dead (less than 12 hours of standby)

I then changed the personal email account to check every 6 hours to see if that made a difference. This weekend, I went from Friday night 6pm to Monday morning 6 am and still had 17% battery left. The only change was that 30-minute to 6-hour shift on that one account. I also notice it takes a long time to check email on that account (probably because I have a ton of emails sitting on the server I need to delete.. that could be draining my battery as the phone processes through them).

[randompre21]

very cool tips. adjusting screen brightness made the biggest difference for me

[BobKy]

The tips in this thread (not sure which ones help the most) have significantly increased by battery life;THANKS!

[bobwill]

Using "Battery Saver" when you go to sleep, also eliminates the Sprint automatic backup of your Palm Pre. It takes place about 1:00 a.m. CST. Of course you can always do a backup manually.