Thread: 9900 First impressions: Phone 90%, battery 20%

Well, truth be told, it's very very nice. Smooth, good weight, excellent screen, great touch-sensitive panel, responsive QWERTY keys that are well spaced out making texting a breeze. Looks wonderful in every respect.

Overall then - a winner. Except...


The battery life is the one major failing.

I have to charge it twice a day sometimes. That is terrible really. Why only a battery at 1230mAh?


Paul.

Are you running the latest OS 7.1? There is a battery saving mode that seems to help a bit.

I'm on 7.0 Bundle 2406 (v7.0.0.585, Platform 5.0.0.734)

If I check software updates on the phone, it does say it is up to date though.

I'm in England, UK. Would that make any difference Joe?


Paul.

That just means your carrier has no other current software version they are offering. However, you can install the latest official OS 7.1 on your device from another carrier. Which I would recommend if you want better battery life. You can find the official OS for the 9900 here... Telenor Norway_9900_7.1.0.342 - Downloads - BlackBerryOS.com

Let us know if you need help with installing it.

Is this safe to do Joe, even though there is no prompt from the phone itself?

Originally Posted by Paul Iddon

Is this safe to do Joe, even though there is no prompt from the phone itself?

Yes, it's safe. But if you are not comfortable doing so then you may not want to.

Im downloading it to the desktop on my PC. is that right?

Originally Posted by Paul Iddon

Im downloading it to the desktop on my PC. is that right?

Yes, then you need to install to your computer once you have downloaded.

Read over our upgrade guide for assistance... All In One Guide - How To Upgrade Your Device - with Pictures & Videos

Post back here if you have further questions.

Main thing to remember is to back up your device before upgrading.

Device backed up, download in progress.

I will have to do it tomorrow though, UK time is nearly midnight and I have to get up for work at 6.30am so I will be back online tomorrow. Hopefully, all will go to plan.


Paul.

Installed on PC.

Presumably, I just connect the BB, run the DTM, and allow it overwrite the OS? How long does it take, and once it starts, I assume I just allow it to run, then once complete, the OS will be on?

All my current apps and theme(s) will remain?

Will check for your advice/update in the morning.


Paul.

One more question - when I put the new OS onto my handset, will all the contacts in the address book and my BBM, and the e-mail settings all remain unaffected?

Paul.

Update Joe - all done!


Paul.

The phone is incredible, but a terrible battery + 20% improvement still equals a not so​ terrible of a battery. The update helped a little, but bad battery life is a small price to pay for such an awesome phone.

try this apps it will help a little in your settings Battery Saver by iamgreen for bold 9930,9900.

Originally Posted by Paul Iddon

Update Joe - all done!


Paul.

Hey Paul, was busy so just getting back to you. That's great you updated successfully! Be sure to let us know how the new OS 7.1 affects your battery life and if has improved.

Originally Posted by herbert yu

try this apps it will help a little in your settings Battery Saver by iamgreen for bold 9930,9900.

Hi Herbert,

Is Battery Saver Pro the best battery application around for BB 9900? I already purchased BatteryPlus and I don't see much impact. I'm thinking of uninstalling it and giving Battery Save Pro a try. Your thoughts will be much appreciated. If anyone else has suggestions, please feel free to share. I love my BB9900 and the only downside I see is battery life and I want this issue resolved so bad

I know that app cvgpaulgo it seems like nothing happend when useing it , out BB9900 have its own battery saver mode it works well for me tnx. for the info I only use the battery menu so I can see the percentage of my batt. and a small app that boost up my battery.

Today has been the first day running the new OS update, and the phone was switched on around 9am, and at 9pm, was at 20%.

Now that suggests a great improvement.

However...

Today was also the first day of my week long holiday, so I have not been accessing the phone anything like as much as I would during the day when I am in work, so to be honest, it's hard to say if it has made a difference to the length of time the battery has held out for. Hopefully, it is a genuine improvement. Only time will tell, but it may be a while before it gets put to the same amount of use as when I am working.


Paul.

Hi Paul,
You may want to consider getting a spare battery. The 9900 is an awesome phone (love it!!!!!)J but it's also a 4G phone and they tend to burn through battery life. So, while an OS update will help and a battery app might help, in the end the only true way to combat the battery life is to use the phone less (why on the world would we want to do that???) Or prepare for the drain by having a spare battery on hand.

Already ordered a brand new one from E-bay.

You're right though, 2 will be best solution until RIM make one that's 2500mAh...

Paul.