Pocket eDGe - boosting battery life

This weekend I discovered a way to add a lot of battery life over the course of the day is to disable the wifi before closing up the PE (which puts it into "Sleep" mode). The easiest way to do that is with a desktop widget - I use the Power Control widget to do this.

Since I got my PE I've noticed that even in "Sleep" mode, it drains the battery much faster than the EE did after the EE got the sleep mode last summer. It turns out that the PE (possibly the EE now, too) keeps the wifi enabled in sleep mode (I've noticed emails still come in, for example). Oddly enough, when you awake the PE, you'll notice the wifi symbol still in the Notification area, it then disappears, and a few seconds later reappears (after the connection is reestablished).

Turns out that turning on the wifi each time you open the PE takes no more time than waiting for the PE to do it by itself, and it can really extend the battery life (from 6-8 hours to 8-12 hours if left mostly in sleep mode).

That's the same way Android phone users manage battery, there's an app for that. http://www.androidpit.com/en/android...-battery-saver
It lets your WiFi turn on long enough to push email and check for messages, then shuts it down again. I use it on my phone, it lets me actually use my phone and still have battery at the end of the day.

Unfortunately this app is not compatible with Pocket Edge

Originally Posted by televisi

Unfortunately this app is not compatible with Pocket Edge

I use Battery Booster, which is available through Slide: http://slideme.org/en/application/battery-booster . You can put the widget on your home screen, and it controls your wireless and bluetooth connections, plus screen brightness and timeout with the touch of one button.

I don't have a special program installed on my Pocket eDGe and I have the same capabilities mentioned above. Here's how to do it.
1. 'Long press' on the screen
2. Click 'widgets'
3. Click 'power control'

Voila! There's your power control widget without having to download any programs.

Sammieb - Thanks! Now what do those icons on the power control widget mean? I am embarrassed to ask. I get that the lightbulb is screen brightness but the rest area a mystery.

Hi Melusina,
No need to be embarrassed; this is exactly the place to ask those sorts of questions.
From left to right, the buttons are:
-dot with three curved lines above: turns wifi on and off
-light bulb: keeps LCD screen on at all times (no time out)
-bluetooth: turns the bluetooth on and off
-Sun (half white, half black): toggles between different brightness levels
-Lock: puts the eDGe into sleep mode (wait ~2 seconds after the screen goes dark before shutting the eDGe)
In general, if the green bar below the button is lit, that feature is active. If it is white, the feature is inactive.

hope that helps!

Cool! Now I don't have to ask! Thanks, Melusina and Dr. T!

Sorry, I haven't gotten on in a couple of days. Thanks, Dr. T for responding =) And for Melusina and Filark, there is no need to feel embarrassed, it's better than doing something that can harm your device! When I first started, I had to ask directions on how to charge the Pocket eDGe! No one laughed (as far as I know) and I now know how to do it, thanks to the info from forum users =)

Originally Posted by sammieb77

When I first started, I had to ask directions on how to charge the Pocket eDGe! No one laughed (as far as I know)

I assume that it can be charged the way I charge all my appliances. You put the appliance in a bath tub (with water but no bubble bath) along with a power source, such as a toaster. And people do, too, laugh.

LOL! Okay, thanks for the info. I guess I'm giving "people" the benefit of the doubt... I don't think I've ever laughed at a question some has asked on here (I could be wrong). One thing that I truly believe is that the only dumb questions are the ones not asked. Besides, when you ask a question, that saves someone else from having to do it.

And I'm thinking the bubble bath might be good for my little eDGe ;-)