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iPod touch What's the battery life like if I use the touch as a PDA?

R

robby818

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
May 2, 2007
587
6
So, i am thinking about getting a touch for my sister for Christmas to replace her Palm Tungsten E2. She just got a Macbook Pro and Palm really hasn't done much for the Mac platform in awhile so I thought she might like a touch as a replacement for her E2.

But the E2 gets amazing battery life. 3-5 weeks without charging. She loves that feature, so I don't want to get her something that she needs to charge every few days like her cell phone.

If she disables the wi-fi and doesn't use the touch as an ipod and uses it as a pda (30 second- 1 minute usage) 3-4 times a day, then can a touch go a couple of weeks or more before needing to be recharged? I really like how nicely the touch can sync with iCal and address book, but I think she wants something that she can keep in her purse and nto worry about it being charged on a frequent basis. thanks
 
Uh...

I really doubt it.

What's wrong with charging every day, just like you would a cell phone?
 
anti-microsoft said:
just before going to bed plug it in and then in the morning unplug it!

simple!!

Your other option is to get another PDA...:p
Click to expand...

Then you'd have to buy the power adaptor, which costs like $30 (unless you leave your computer on all night)

If she's going to be using it for a short amount of time and with no wifi enabled, no music and videos, the most I'd guess it would last is about a week to 2 weeks
 
I don't think the lack of battery power is the only thing that differs it from a PDA. I think the real thing you need to be asking yourself is whether you can really substitute a PDA with an iPod? Don't forget that the touch has been designed as an MP3 player, so it won't have features and applications on it similar to PDA's.

For example, out the box, you can't store text files on the touch. The only software you really get on it that you might get on a PDA is the web browser. Other than that, I think a touch is an MP3 player - it won't substitute a PDA.

G
 
robby818 said:
So, i am thinking about getting a touch for my sister for Christmas to replace her Palm Tungsten E2. She just got a Macbook Pro and Palm really hasn't done much for the Mac platform in awhile so I thought she might like a touch as a replacement for her E2.

But the E2 gets amazing battery life. 3-5 weeks without charging. She loves that feature, so I don't want to get her something that she needs to charge every few days like her cell phone.

If she disables the wi-fi and doesn't use the touch as an ipod and uses it as a pda (30 second- 1 minute usage) 3-4 times a day, then can a touch go a couple of weeks or more before needing to be recharged? I really like how nicely the touch can sync with iCal and address book, but I think she wants something that she can keep in her purse and nto worry about it being charged on a frequent basis. thanks
Click to expand...

It will need recharged every few days. She will see the screen, see how movies play, listen to music, take notes (go here:http://conceitedsoftware.com/iphone/site/112jb.html) and find she can't do without it. You can buy a charger from Fye or ebay for less than $10.
 
It's already been stated within the thread, and I will reiterate, that the iPod Touch WILL NOT replace a PDA! It is first and foremost an MP3 player. Now, if she is in the market for an MP3 player there is nothing else that I would recommend over the iPod Touch. my $0.02
 
What, exactly, makes the iPod Touch an ineffective PDA, now that you can enter calendar entries on it?
 
nimicus said:
It's already been stated within the thread, and I will reiterate, that the iPod Touch WILL NOT replace a PDA! It is first and foremost an MP3 player.
Click to expand...

Really?

Mine has Safari, Mail, youTube, iChat client, iCal, Contacts, Notes, Maps, pdf Viewer, eBook reader, Clock, Calculator, 4 or 5 games, plus all the iPod features. There might be more I can't think of right now off the top of my head.

The Touch works fine as a pda. Sure you have to hack it now (which takes < 10 minutes to do) due to Apple's poor decision making, but even they have admitted they were wrong (hence the official sdk in February).
 
JeffTL said:
What, exactly, makes the iPod Touch an ineffective PDA, now that you can enter calendar entries on it?
Click to expand...

The only thing missing right now for her purposes (without hacking) is the notes application. Aside from that one missing feature, it could replace her E2.

Thanks for the advice everyone. I think she'll try the touch and see if it works out for her.
 
I disagree that the iPod touch would be a lousy PDA. Out of the box, it's a great PIM - calendar, contacts, etc. With the jailbreak it's a little computer, with mail, notes, driving directions, etc -- and even though things like maps and Mail don't come on the touch, they still integrate with apps that do (like Contacts and Safari).

Your concern about battery life is warranted, however. Even with wifi switched off you're not going to get 2-3 weeks of power. But as others have said, it's relatively easy to charge it, either during the day at your desk, in the car or overnight. Any old iPod charger will work as long as it has a dock adapter.
 
I use my touch first and foremost as a PDA. Hacked it, calendar, to do list, notes apps and so forth. If I don't watch any videos, I can get 3 or 4 days of use out of it between charges.
 
Nick Carter said:
You can't edit or work on Office documents, or PDF's...
Click to expand...

That would make it an ineffective *laptop*. As mentioned by others, I expect most people consider PDA = PIM. Not a tiny Office-running laptop. As a highly portable PIM device, the Touch/iPhone is wonderful. I've finally ditched my David Allen-style wallet notepad in favor of a hacked iPod Touch. Couldn't be happier.

And yeah, you want to treat it like a cell phone and plug it in overnight. You should be able to find generic AC->USB power adapters for closer to $15.
 
I use mine as a pda, i hacked it so my calender can add events and i use sketches to jot things down real quickly. Safari runs my email so im good.:D
 
Pls, forgive my ignorance

I have read all the replies to this thread with a lot of interest but I am still "fishing".

Would you please forgive my ignorance and let me know exactly, what is suppose to do a PDA ?

I have a lot of iPods (1GB Shuffle 1st Gen, 6GB Mini, 30GB video, 4GB Nano 1st Gen, 16GB Touch), a MacBook 2CD black, a Mac Mini, and PC. I see some people with a little device called PDA, but exactly what is it good for?.
Just for taking notes ? Normally I take my notes with a fountain pen on a piece of paper :confused:

Sorry for a, perhaps, too stupid question :eek:

regards,
Ro
 
Using the Touch as a PDA would kill it way quicker then 1 week. I hate the battery life.
 
Hoopdy said:
Using the Touch as a PDA would kill it way quicker then 1 week. I hate the battery life.
Click to expand...

After using it only 5 min or so per day as the OP states? Maybe in standby mode, but probably not powering down for the night. I only charge mine once or twice a week - that's using it for 2 or 3 hours per day as ipod and web surfing.
 
James L said:
Really?
The Touch works fine as a pda. Sure you have to hack it now (which takes < 10 minutes to do) due to Apple's poor decision making, but even they have admitted they were wrong (hence the official sdk in February).
Click to expand...

Stupid question, but what is the SDK?
 
really??

my battery life suckssss... yesterday, first time brought it to school..
half a day, it;s already 50% gone... i hope it's not a faulty unit... :(
 
I'm actually anticipating Google Docs allowing editing on mobile devices soon. You can already view all of your google docs from PDA's, smart phones, and the ipod touch. I'm sure that with the strides Google is making to become a mobile device platform, we'll see editing functionality before too long.
 
my 5.5G ipod has Contacts, Notes, Calendar, Clock, Stopwatch etc
although i've never used them
 
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