Registered: Nov 2002
Location:
Posts: 23

The fact remains that: 1) the Prism li-ion isn't easy to find; and 2) replacing the battery isn't that easy for most of us, assuming we can get a replacement battery. With all the hassle, I wonder if it isn't wiser to just shift to a late-model PDA.

Registered: Nov 2002
Location:
Posts: 23

I should add that the whole idea of owning and using a PDA is to make work and life easier. Why do we need to wrack our brains on the simple question of where to get a replacement battery and how to replace the old one?

Registered: Nov 2001
Location: Sumner, WA
Posts: 70

Handspring probably did this so we'd replace our Prisms every 2 years when the batteries die... I just bought a new Prism from Officemax.com, so I'm not worried about the battery for two years.

Dana

Registered: Aug 2002
Location: St. Louis
Posts: 108

quote:

---

Originally posted by Stardust
The fact remains that: 1) the Prism li-ion isn't easy to find; and 2) replacing the battery isn't that easy for most of us, assuming we can get a replacement battery. With all the hassle, I wonder if it isn't wiser to just shift to a late-model PDA.

---

\\

Great! When your Prism battery dies, assuming everything else was in good working order, and you "just shift to a late-model PDA", please send me your Prism. I will pay for the shipping!

I just got a Visorphone, and I love it. Mounted on the Prism, it is an unbeatable combination, especially considering the price. Now all I need is a nice leather case with a belt clip. Hmmmm.....how would two Prisms look in black leather cases on a black leather belt, on on each hip, along with my eyemodule2, Handspring 33.6K modem, various Memplugs, Targus voice recorder, Magellan GPS Companion, PocketTop wireless keyboard, Xircom wireless Ethernet module, various Franklin Reader reference springboards,.....well, you get the idea! <grin>

Was Batman the ultimate Geek?


"Where does he get those marvelous toys?"
- The Joker

"I'm Batman."
- Batman

__________________
The Prismer

"I am not a number, I am a person!"

Registered: Dec 1999
Location: New York, NY, USA
Posts: 60

VPh/Prism Combo is great!

Prismer2 you are so right! I have been using the VisorPhone for more than a year and I couldn't be happier. I am in NYC with Voicestream (now T-Mobile). The 39.99 plan suits my needs just fine and the coverage seems to have steadily improved. The biggest reason I am looking for a battery replacement is to streach out this combo. The Treo 300 is nice, but I want Grafiti!

I am hpoeful that getadeal.com will come through with new replacement batteries. I have no problem opening up the unit to swap out the battery.

By the way, I use a Vaja leather case with the belt clip. It has been great!

Registered: Nov 2002
Location: Atlanta GA
Posts: 14

/me dosent have a prism so /me feels left out


buuuut someone was talking about the 802.11 thingie costing to much... well you could always get it at http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...;item=800205016

__________________
wheeeeeeeeeee

Registered: Nov 2002
Location:
Posts: 23

We all cling to our Prism as a shipwrecked seafarer would to a piece of driftwood. Do we deserve this Fate?

Registered: Aug 2002
Location: St. Louis
Posts: 108

quote:

---

Originally posted by Stardust
We all cling to our Prism as a shipwrecked seafarer would to a piece of driftwood. Do we deserve this Fate?

---

Interesting analogy, but I prefer a different one. Instead of our intrepid seafarer clinging to a piece of driftwood, I would prefer to think of the Prism as the lush, tropical island paradise on which the castaway finds friendly natives and all the ripe, low-hanging fruit he can pick. Yes, he is now cut off from "civilization" and the latest "Wowser!" technical innovations and creature comforts of his former life, but, man, what a trade-off! He is now content to bask in the noon-day son, make love to native women all night, surf the choicest of waves, and hope he NEVER gets rescued!

__________________
The Prismer

"I am not a number, I am a person!"

Registered: Nov 2002
Location:
Posts: 23

Okay, let's dream on.

Registered: Aug 2002
Location:
Posts: 67

Batteris at "getadeal.com"

Hello fellow Prism users,
just wanted to give an update on those batteries for our Prisms. They will be available in two weeks from "labtops for less" web site: www.getadeal.com.
They are going to cost about $49.00 and will come with a screwdriver and instructions, and of course a brand new li-ion battery. I actually contacted the company awhile ago about the Prism battery, and they were kind enough to give me prototype replacement battery for my Prism... I am there guinea pig! I do have the battery and it is the same size, etc. as the one currently in my Prism, I am going to do the battery swap tonight then charge over night... I assume all will work well, I'll keep you updated on how the new battery performs!
Currently my 1 1/2 year old Prism is only holding a charge for about 2 1/2 hours of use. I use a EM2 camera attachment about 35% of that time, the rest of the time, reading books, avantgo, datebook, memo entries, etc.. Also after a full charge, my battery instantly goes down to around 90% as soon as I use it for 3 minutes! full charge never seems to go above about 96%. -maybe I am getting too detailed here,

I think my initial mistake was constantly running the battery down all the way before charging when I first got my Prism. I don't recall the instructions saying this wasn't a good thing, and I didn't know that "li-ion" batteries were different from rechargable "ni-cad" batteries (as I do now). -Aslo I didn't know about "visorcentral" when I first got my Prism (this site and the people who contribute to it have provided me with great info.) -much more than I can say for the Handspring site!! (sorry a little stab).

-eric.

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Baltimore MD, USA
Posts: 717

quote:

---

Originally posted by DanaWheels
Handspring probably did this so we'd replace our Prisms every 2 years when the batteries die... I just bought a new Prism from Officemax.com, so I'm not worried about the battery for two years.

---

Registered: Apr 2000
Location: San Jose, CA
Posts: 118

eric2002,
May the Charge be with you.

Registered: Aug 2002
Location:
Posts: 67

ah, thanks for the info. I wasn't aware that batteries could begin losing their overall life cycle by sitting in the warehouse. At least I know this new battery is brand spanking new!

I certainly do hope the "charge" is with me!!!

-eric

Registered: Apr 2000
Location: San Jose, CA
Posts: 118

Sources for Battery Info

Here are my main sources for battery info:

Cadex - they say that Li-Ion batteries only last 2 years after manufacture:
http://www.buchmann.ca/faq.asp

Peter's Pilot Pages - he talks about charging, and not letting Li-Ion batteries get too low:
http://www.pstec.de/ppp/pppm500/pppm500.html#T4

Registered: Dec 1999
Location:
Posts: 23

Swapping Batteries

Eric2002:

Have you swapped the the batteries? Is the replacement working?

Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Nebraska- the Good life
Posts: 695

For what it is worth, the idea that Li-Ion batteries die after two years is not universally accepted, although few of the companies that make these go out of their way to publish the calendar life data.

http://www.cmt.anl.gov/science-tech...allenges.shtml, for example, claims three years for 'average' Li-Ion batteries and is working on improving the lifespan.

Many of these companies warranty their batteries for 18 months. A rule of thumb is that you warranty an item for 50% of its expected life span to minimize the number of free warranty replacements needed.

Also, I would not count on any sort of 'explosion' of people making Prism battery packs as the units get older. Most users will simply discard their old device and upgrade, leaving a pretty small hard-core group. The question will be will it be worth tooling up for this specific configuration for the number of units you might sell to?

Based on what has happened with the sales of modules over the last year, I'd bet that few companies bother.



On the other hand, two to three years is a pretty decent lifespan for a handheld device like this. I would bet that the display screen's lifespan isn't a whole lot longer, and I'd further bet that the buttons are only designed for about the same amount of service.

Lifespan design is a tradeoff- longer life means more cost and usually more bulk/weight. There is also a trade-off for repairability- battery connectors both cost money and take up space.

I am absolutely against the idea of 'use and toss' design, but I am also human enough that when I was ready to buy my Prism- if they would have had two models side by side, a customer-serviceable version with a replacable battery, and the existing design, I would probably not have paid the extra money or been happy with the slightly bigger size of the serviceable version while I was standing there.

Sure, 2-3 years later, I might be kicking myself for that decision, but that is perfect hindsight.

My advice? It is pretty mercenary of me, but I'd sell it and the modules now while the market is still OK for them and I'd move on to another platform.

Right now, I don't know what to recommend any more, though. Pocket PCs are getting cheaper and smaller- rapidly closing the gap that used to exist between the two. Sony has gone form-factor crazy, offering so many forms that it is difficult for manufacturers to offer accessories for them all. The new Tungsten looks good (and I can't believe I am thinking nice things about a Palm!)

__________________
Do what you can, with what you have, where you are at!

Registered: Nov 2002
Location:
Posts: 23

I think the real issue is why PDA manufacturers don't design color PDAs so the batteries can be easily replaced. The question probably won't matter if you buy a PDA for, say, less than $200 and get 2-3 years of use. But what if the bloody thing costs $400 or more?

My gut feeling is that the first PDA-maker who addresses this issue will create an impact on the market that we've never seen before.

Registered: Aug 2002
Location: St. Louis
Posts: 108

quote:

---

Originally posted by Stardust
I think the real issue is why PDA manufacturers don't design color PDAs so the batteries can be easily replaced. The question probably won't matter if you buy a PDA for, say, less than $200 and get 2-3 years of use. But what if the bloody thing costs $400 or more?

My gut feeling is that the first PDA-maker who addresses this issue will create an impact on the market that we've never seen before.

---

I totally agree, but perhaps not for the same reasons. Long-term battery life is certainly one issue. Another is battery capacity versus power requirements.

Despite what I said earlier about not designing a PDA around an off-the-shelf battery (which I still stand by, because a replaceable battery usually is still a custom-designed battery), the fact that color screens are very much energy hogs, recent efforts by Sony notwithstanding, leads one to believe that a "hot-swappable" battery would be a big plus for a color PDA. Cell-phones, two-way radios, camcorders, laptops, and many other hand-held devices designed to be used on-the-go, in a portable/mobile environment, all come with this feature as standard. This allows the user to extend his uptime for situations when it may not be convenient or timely to stop what they are doing just to recharge the battery. A spare battery can be a lifesaver. It is ludicrous that Handspring now wants to market its Treo "communicators" without this feature!

On the other hand, for low-power usages, an internal rechargeable battery does provide for a space-saving, lightweight design. Good marketing would be to provide products that offer customers the choice, as Madkins007 described above. There are distinct advantages to both methods and the choice ought to be left to the customer, or else the product will be left on the shelf by the customer!

__________________
The Prismer

"I am not a number, I am a person!"

Registered: Aug 2002
Location:
Posts: 67

"piotrek" asked how my new battery was doing..

...well so far not good! I put the new battery in on Tuesday (12 Nov.) and it wouldn't charge.

The battery I was sent was a prototype, so I am still confident that they will get whatever problem mine had resolved before they begin selling them to the public.

I opened my Prism and took out the old battery (very easy to do), when comparing the new battery I was sent with the original they appeared nearly identical (other than the coloring, my original was in a white shrink wrap..the new one in a blue). After swapping the batteries I put my Prism on it's cradle, but no charge, the "LED" light did not blink, nor did it even light up. I re-opened my Prism and double checked to make sure I connected the battery correctly (I did, in fact you can't connect the battery incorrectly as there are guides around the connecter.. much like a phone line..only one way to insert it). I tried to charge it again and still no luck. I emailed the person from the company with this but am still waiting to hear back from him, perhaps he'll have a solution?
Anyway I put my old battery back in, and my Prism is working fine.. although it doesn't keep a charge very long... usually not a problem while I am in or near the office or home (as I can constantly charge my Prism).

I love my Prism and what it can do, I am still intent on getting a new battery for it, as I don't want to trade it in for another PDA. -It just seems like too much of a waste of money for me with all I've spent on my Prism to abandon it after only 1 1/2 years of use. Heck I've had my MAC G4 for about 3 years and it's still an awesome computer! My PC for nearly 5 years!!! Although I don't expect to be using the same PDA for 5 years, to buy a new one every other year seems like such a waste of money.

-eric

Registered: Apr 2000
Location: San Jose, CA
Posts: 118

Batteries may be custom, but notice that the Nokia 5100 series batteries fit all 6100 series phones too. And the 3300 series Nokia all have the same removable battery. Having something somewhat standardized saves design time. Nokia has not sacrificed much in terms of style, either.