ragamuffinn
Member

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Mililani, HI, USA
Posts: 256 |
quote: Originally posted by Madkins007
Li-Ion batteries offer a few benefits not yet mentioned.
Alkaline batteries, like all batteries (including Li-Ion) contain materials that are hazardous or just harmful to the environment. 1 Li-Ion pack in a PDA replaces 48 or more AAA batteries in our landfills.
Sorry, but look at the title of the thread. I didn't mention alkalines. I use AAAs--NiMH AAAS. I have been using the same four NiMHs for the past two years. So I'm producing about as much waste as I would if I used li-ion. NiMHs are surely not as convenient as a li-ion, but in terms of ecological impact, they're on par.
quote: Li-Ion packs offer more power and/or a longer drain time in a smaller package. The Edge and the slimline Sony's would not be possible with AAA batteries- nor would most color screen PDAs.
You're right. I probably mistitled this thread. I'm not against li-ions so much as I'm against the way they're being implemented and priced. They should not start at $95, and Handspring should have engineered a more cost effective means of replacement.
quote: Most Li-Ion battery packages are pretty standardized in size. As they become more popular, more places will be able to replace them cost efficiently. I believe I have already seen ads for similar services with other Li-Ion battery powered devices.
As they become more popular. However, they are not that popular yet, nor does eventual popularity help those individuals who already suffer from useless batteries. Furthermore, supposing replacement batteries were available 3rd-party, replacing a li-ion on the current lineup of PDA's is simply user unfriendly, and I would not recommend it to most people.
quote: Although most places state that Li-Ion has a two year life, this is misleading in that it is the average MINIMUM life. They actually last between 5+ to 2 years in real life, and the shorter life is usually a result of almost abusive use.
Fair enough. I didn't know that.
quote: Most Li-Ion battery users will see 3-4 years out of their batteries, and most PDA users will replace the device in that time anyway!
But think about Handspring's Visor model. If you have a Pro or Prism and you bought into the idea of springboards and other accessories, you will want your investment to last as long as it can. Unless cash is burning holes in your pocket or have more money than sense, you're not going to want to toss a $600-plus collection of hardware. I've already mentioned my Platinums. I've spent enough on the Visor, keyboard, and springboards that I can't afford to swap to something that isn't compatible with my current host of accessories; unless I want to scrap the amount of usage I current enjoy. Yes, I could own something faster with more memory and a better OS, however I'd have to sacrifice more than those options are worth to me. In other words, I will not replace my device in 3-4 years but in at least two times that amount if I can help it.
In any case, the stubborn and gadget freak user, like me, is not the norm--the stubborn, non-gadget freak user is. These users, like my wife and sister, who are not the first adopters, will want to upgrade to a new device and learn new ways of doing what they already easily do with their current PDAs about as much as they will want to get their teeth pulled.
quote: (By the way- your PDA screen has about the same life expectancy, especially if it is the older color version. That will also cost you about the same as a new PDA to repair if you send it in, and the cheapest I have seen a Visor B&W screen is $65- about 75% of what I paid for my Neo- with no installation fees.)
This is altogether a different scenario and cannot be compared to the battery issue. B&W LCD screens just do not fail at the rate of li-ion failure, even though LCD failure warnings are expressed by manufacturers. The screen on a PalmPilot Personal that I bought back in 1997 is still as good as the day I bought it. The Casio watch I bought 15 years ago is still fine (although to be honest I no longer use the watch). Unless you shatter it or it stops working from some other hardware related issue, the screen really won't just stop working.
quote: This situation is by no means unique to PDAs. I know of many laptop owners who get quite furious when the find out that they have been 'abusing' their laptop batteries and it is going to cost a small fortune to replace them- 1/10th to 1/6th of the cost of the laptop in a lot of cases.
Again, I can't say that this is a fair comparison. Don't laptop batteries simply cost more? And isn't the battery a much more crucial element for a PDA than for a laptop? Yes, people regularly use laptops untethered and battery powered, but any experienced laptop user is aware that a power cord is indispensible. A PDA, on the other hand is always dependent on battery power during handheld use (i.e., not while cradled). You simply cannot call your PDA functional without a battery, but the same is not true for a laptop.
I'll try to draw a more fitting comparison: You bought a laptop that depended on a special power supply/cord which had a lifespan of two-five years. This supply failed sometime during that term and you sought a replacement--only to find out that it would cost you 50-80% of the price of the laptop. Now we'd have a situation that resembles the one I'm raising with a li-ion PDA. I'm really addressing both the principle of a company's li-ion implementation and replacement path (price).
Last edited by ragamuffinn on 07-26-2002 at 09:24 PM
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