VAIO BATTERY LIFE

[Keef04]

Hey All

I've seen some comments on various threads about the battery life of the VAIO. Just wondering what are other people getting out of theirs. I've already sent my pocket back to Sony because I was getting shocks from the charger and the most the player could manage was about 8 hours max. They kindly fitted another battery and a new charger. Haven't had time to test it just wondering what all of you are getting battery wise just for comparison.

[diverse]

Any update on this?

whenever i leave my unit alone, ie don't use it the battery drains completly!

I tried an Archos video unit with 80gb drive, left it alone for several weeks and the battery was 100% full!

This draining issue occurs on the Ipods so no VP bashing from Ipodders, plus we can play gapless music without the need to convert an album to a single track!

[blackup]

I have the same problem. After 2-3 days without using it. I have to set the time, date and calibrate the g-sensor system again!!!

I am an electrical engineer, I can explain what is happening, but I won't. I don't really care.

This matter shows the inability of the designers of this model. It's quite idiot for a system to consume so much power when it is off or on any type of standby mode!!!

Apart from the fact that it is anti-ecological! We paid for the pocket, we pay the bill for the current and we consume the energy sources of the planet, and all these for something we don't use! All this happen when we don't use it!!!!

[JoergK]

So, now I tested it:

Wednesday, January 12 I charged my VGF-AP1 over night, and took it from the station Thursday morning.

In the following days each morning I checked the battery status, i.e. I turned it on for a few seconds, just long enough that the battery indicator appeard on the display, and then turned it "off" again. I did not use it otherwise in all that week.

Friday: Battery 100%
Saturday: Battery 100%
Sunday: Battery 100%
Monday: Battery 95%
Tuesday: Battery 50 %
Wednesday: Battery 25 %
Thursday: Battery 25 %
Friday: Battery 25 %
Saturday: (DEAD)

So, charged full and turned "off", my device discharges itself in about 8 days, that is about 200 hours.

So, even turned "off", in about 10 hours the device consumes as much energy as in playing 1 hour of music. If I would listen 2 hours of music a day, in the remaining 22 hours it would consume about another 2 hours, so even if the battery would be true to the "20 hrs" promise, this would amount to about 10 hrs of music in 5 days (+ another another 10 hours consumed while being turned "off" 100 hours) , after which the battery would be empty.

Now, it would be very important to me to know, if this is correct, or if I do have a somehow defective device. (I contacted Sony Support on this issue, but they obviously do not deem me worthy an answer. Got my money in your pocket, eh?)

In other words: Is there somebody, who turned his/her VGF-AP1 off, put it away, and 2, 3, 4 weeks after when he turned it on again, it worked?

I really tried to inform myself before I bought it, among various internet sites in stereoplay 1/2005, and nobody mentioned this flaw. I can hardly believe, that a construction flaw like this escaped the attention of the testers.

By the way: Somebody mentioned that the Ipod discharges itself as well?

[diverse]

The ipod does discharge itself, the main reason for getting rid of it (& no gapless p!ayback, poor sound and apalling battery usage time!)

Problem here is Vaio support or lack of! In the UK they want £'s to just talk to them when the item has a basic design flaw which is plain wrong and goes against the consumer laws that protect us here in the EU!!

[diverse]

UPDATE

Spoke to SONY, PV should last for 10+ days before it fully discharges, which still means it uses 10% of usual power for doing nothing which is just WRONG in my opinion!

I don't care about timing or prior usage!

The HD1 & 3's allow you to switch off battery to preserve it!

I want to be able to fully shut down and preserve unit otherwise i am having to do full charge cycles of my battery when i am not getting the benefit!

Have been advised to press reset button and do overnight charge, otherwise it's going in for a new battery but from what i gather from other users this is not a battery issue, it's a power discharge issue which is not related, they need to reduce the battery load when off to 0!

[kamtung]

The Sony Vaio Pocket discharges slowly - and it varies player to player. Mine discharges over a period of 3 weeks (approximately 20 days), and the battery lasts from 18 hours - 23 (continuous with occasionaly fiddle with the screen turned off). Note that when the message shows "Battery Low" - the unit can actually last for another 45 mins with the backlight turned on.

Because the Sony Vaio Pocket uses an inbuilt Li-On battery, you have to drain it once a month - and yes, it takes 6 hours to charge by the mains (with it turned off). But note that other mp3 players, such as Samsung-Napster's take 8 hours to charge and only lasts 12 hours! The Apple iPod takes 4 hours to charge by FireWire and 8 by USB. Creative Zen Xtra takes 5 hours, Zen Touch 4 hours by DC, 8 hours by USB - and it must have 25% battery remaining to charge by USB.

I'm quite satisfied with the Vaio Pocket's battery life - and believe it or not, it does last more than 16 hours - the minimum!

Creative mp3 players have complete shut off (eg the whole unit is turned off) when the player is left idle for 2 days. Hence after 24 hours of being turned off, the whole player goes to shut down instead of sleep mode. Therefore instead of a quick startup (3 seconds), it takes about 12 seconds for the mp3 player to start, warm up, load all the data, etc.. :smileygrin: