Thread: The Li-ion Power of the PlayBook

According to RIM, the battery life of the PlayBook tablet is 10 hours of normal use. Well, what is normal use? Normal use is definitely different for different users.

This all depends on how hard you use the Playbook! Surely listening to music, whilst browsing the web, sending emails, then later watching a movie and then later on play a high graphic game will reduce the battery life dramatically. But how often would you do all the above on a daily basis?

So how could you improve the battery on your device, here are my tips:

Turn off Bluetooth Connectivity
While your PlayBook is sitting around and not in use, it is using battery power to look for and connect to Bluetooth connections. If you don't need a Bluetooth connection, turn it off

Turn off Wi-Fi
If you aren't using the Internet, turn off Wi-Fi to save some battery juice.

Enter Standby Mode Automatically
If you are setting your PlayBook aside for a few minutes, make sure it enters the battery saving Standby Mode automatically. Also change the Standby Time-Out to 90 seconds

Speed Up Automatic Backlight Turn Off
If you're not looking at the display, there's no reason for it to be on. Make sure your PlayBook Backlight Time-out is set to the shortest time option--so the display isn't running a moment longer than needs be.

Keep Bridged Devices Close
If you're using the Bridge feature to keep your BlackBerry smartphone and PlayBook tablet connected, you will want to keep them as close as possible to each other for optimal reception and battery life. Bridge uses Bluetooth and the less your PlayBook has to search for the signal and less distance it takes for the data to travel from your BlackBerry the better.

Optimize Display Settings
While the display with native resolution and settings may look spectacular, changing some of the display settings to a lower mode will use less power. Lower the Brightness level. It may not look as crisp, but lowering it will definitely save some battery juice.

Close Or Pause Inactive Apps
One of the great features of the PlayBook compared with the iPad is real multitasking. While this feature comes in extremely handy at times, if you don't need an app open, close it out and save your battery.

Use Streaming Services and Video Chat Sparingly
Music and video streaming services are great when you have idle time, but they also guzzle battery power. When you know that you'll have long periods between opportunities to power up your PlayBook, use these services as little as possible.

Drain the Battery now again
Just as with laptops, notebooks, and smartphones, it's a good idea to completely drain the power periodically to "revitalise" your battery and let it start over from scratch with a full charge.

My next post will be more research based on the battery and what could have been better for BlackBerry to use to power the PlayBook.

That's a great guide. Thanks man!

All BlackBerry Playbook users should know that their Playbook uses a Li-Ion battery. So how does Lithium Ion work?

Here is a basic understanding...

During discharge, lithium ions Li+ carry the current from the negative to the positive electrode, through the non-aqueous electrolyte and separator diaphragm.

During charging, an external electrical power source (the charging circuit) applies a higher voltage (but of the same polarity) than that produced by the battery, forcing the current to pass in the reverse direction. The lithium ions then migrate from the positive to the negative electrode, where they become embedded in the porous electrode material in a process known as intercalation.

According to iFixit’s teardown of Playbook, it uses a 20 watt-hour battery, which is a bit smaller than the iPad 2's 25 watt-hour and the Motorola Xoom’s 24 watt-hour battery.

Here are the details that are printed on the sticker on the battery:
Voltage: 3.7V
Capacity: 5400mAh
Watt: 20 Watt
Replace code: SQU-1001, 1ICP4/58/116-2, 916TA029H

I wonder if there is a way for changing the battery to make the PlayBook last longer? Anyone?