"Battery too low for radio use." uhm...

[emiliog]

ok, i'm going to be as polite as possible, because heinous complaining is bad form for a first post.

got a new 8830. first cell phone in 7 years (seriously - Motorola M75 was the last). got it because a BB 8100 was the first phone i'd touched in a long time that didn't make me want to throw it through a window within 5 minutes. i'm an interface designer, and most cell phones aren't much better than a Neo-Geo arcade system while the BB is Bruce Wayne's Alfred by comparison.

well, now i want to throw mine through a window. or at least call it bad names.

"Battery too low for radio use." around 10% battery life.

hmm. kinda silly, considering that very radio is the purpose of the device's existence. well, ok, maybe there's something about data corruption or... something. sure. i'll plug it in, then, to the wall charger.

"Battery too low for radio use."

i can't express how profoundly baffling this suddenly became. everything i knew about portable electronic devices has been thrown topsy-turvy. wow, this thing really is revolutionary!

ok, i'll wait 15 minutes. maybe it needs to bring the battery up to some vague charge equilibrium... but now i'm really rationalizing, like the wife with the slob husband who just "knows" he'll get better someday.

"Battery too low for radio use."

uhm... ok, is this broken, then? it must be, because i could only find one other complaint online regarding an 8100 and this startlingly shortsighted and naive device performance. i'm thinking perhaps there is something wrong with my battery, as i charged this puppy for a full 8 hours last night and with about ZERO calls today it was "Battery low" before the end of my workday.

so, please tell me it's probably a defective battery or phone. because i just can't begin to wrap my head around a device that would perform like this. i mean... do i really need to mention the emergency access implications, let alone the flaw of prematurely disabling this device's purpose? or is this par for the course for an 8830, and i'm alone in thinking... well, you can imagine what i'm thinking.

- emilio

[John Clark]

10% is the normal cutoff for radio use on the BB. It's been like that for years. The new lithium ion batteries are happiest when they are kept charged. They don't have the memory issues that nicads had. The recommendation is to drain the battery to 15-20% 3 times and then keep it charged after that. I routinely charge mine every night and sometimes even plug it in during the day if I've been talking on it alot.

[emiliog]

thanks for the responses!

i'm going to see how the phone acts through the weekend, and if there are still issues with short charges i'll try to get a replacement battery from a Sprint store.

my buddy with a T-mobile 8100 says that the phone does shut its radio off, but only after extended periods of no service; apparently he can run it with the radio on until the battery is dead. that's the way it should be.

but really, it's not even that. does it sound unusual that i can't turn the radio on even though it's plugged in?! that's the most mindboggling portion of this whole thing - i can turn on Bluetooth all i want, but the main radio can't be touched 'till the battery hits 15%. can i bypass this?

- emilio

[naviwilliams]

I totally understand you issue. But, I don't think I've even had my Blackberry lower than 35%. So, needless to say I don't ever expect to have this issue.

[vverm]

emilog, I had to sign up for this forum just to tell you how %100 I agree with you. Its the stupidiest thing i've ever seen on a cell phone to date.

Just yesterday I was on a job (i'm a cumputer tech), and my phone "radio use" died 2 hours in. I DONT CARE what damage "leaving the radio on past 10%" will do, this is the worst thing to deal with ever.

O, let me plug it inot the wall so I can have some use. NOO, you have to wait.


Anyone that does'nt see this point is a moron.

Jake

[akpak]

I joined just to post on this topic. This is a very frustrating restriction considering that the primary function of the phone involves the radio! And also since this restriction is still in place even after the phone is plugged in.

Anyway, I think I may have found a solution that atleast worked for me this one time. Manualy reboot your phone using Alt+R-Shift+Del. Turning off and on does not work, you have to manually reboot.

I think this should work for everyone since the phone technically does work when under 15% charge while battery is draining. It only seems to disallow radio use when it's charging back up and level is under 15%. I think the reboot fools it into forgetting that it had reached that previous low point.

Good luck.

EDIT: I have a Curve(8320), but I think it should work for the 8830 as well.

[bpreiss]

By far the most dangerous issue any cell phone has ever had - you have an emergency and you cant plug in your phone to use it.... unbelievable how engineers can actually design themselves into dark hole... they forgot what the phone is for!!! MAKING PHONE CALLS MORONS!!!! You should be able to plug in your phone to a charger and USE IT!!! Like EVERY other cell phone ever made - ever.... engineering gaff of the most unbelievable scale.... Blackberry WILL get sued over this by someone - jus wait.

[Shao128]

Originally Posted by bpreiss

Blackberry WILL get sued over this by someone - jus wait.

Uhm ya.... sure.

[bpreiss]

By the way Naviwilliams....Are you serious? You are a moderator? Your response to this is "I've never had my phone under 35%" - do you leave your house? Do you?? I mean how could that possibly be a serious response as a "moderator" to what is by far that most deficient aspect of the blackberry or any cell phone for that matter - this isnt a gameboy we are talking about - this is a CELL PHONE - but you are exactly part of the problem - another engineering geek who can't possibly see how "anyone" could let thier cell phone drain - because we...out here...actually walk more then 15' from our computers during the month...get it? It's a cell phone...not just a little cool way to get e-mail from Nintendo.

[bpreiss]

Shao - people have actually sued for cell phones not working underwater (True Sprint Spectrum Class Action Lawsuit1999 - of course Sprint Won that).....you don't actually believe someone will sue for thier phone not working in a service area when the phone is plugged into a wall. and they have to wait 30 minutes more? K....got it.... Canada may not be suit happy... crazies down here...well they are.

[vndlewis]

I too never let my BB get below 35%. I am charging it now and am able to use it. Sounds like you may also be leaving applications running the background which will eat up battery. To close you applications go to menu and close/exit. Never use the red button or the escape as they will continue to run in the background. When you are not using your BB are you leaving it open or locked? My suggestion is to put your BB in stand-by. You can still lock it then put it in stand-by. This will also extend battery life.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[rrrebo]

Way to bump a year-old thread. Simmah down, there, Sparky.

The BlackBerry was designed first and foremost as a data device. It is an always-on connection, and it requires certain amount of minimum power for optimal use. Would you rather be in the middle of sending an important e-mail and have the radio cut out? It was designed as a safety margin.

Shame on you for letting your all-important lifeline to the world get so low on juice! Charge the thing. Whenever you get the chance. Feed it. Love it. Care for it and it will care for you. You would lash a horse for keeling over when you've run it into the ground with no rest or food, wouldn't you?

Learn how to optimize your battery life, keep your BlackBerry charged, and your mouth shut.

Taking potshots at a mod is not a great way to win support, especially considering he agreed with you.

Tool.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[gtstang462002]

Originally Posted by rrrebo

Way to bump a year-old thread. Simmah down, there, Sparky.

The BlackBerry was designed first and foremost as a data device. It is an always-on connection, and it requires certain amount of minimum power for optimal use. Would you rather be in the middle of sending an important e-mail and have the radio cut out? It was designed as a safety margin.

Shame on you for letting your all-important lifeline to the world get so low on juice! Charge the thing. Whenever you get the chance. Feed it. Love it. Care for it and it will care for you. You would lash a horse for keeling over when you've run it into the ground with no rest or food, wouldn't you?

Learn how to optimize your battery life, keep your BlackBerry charged, and your mouth shut.

Taking potshots at a mod is not a great way to win support, especially considering he agreed with you.

Tool.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

+1

Charge your phone. You know how long the battery lasts and if you will be needing to charge it on the road. That is why they make car chargers. I use my phone to the point of where it actually replaced about 70% of my computer usage. I can get a day and half out before having to recharge, though I charge it every night because that is the most convenient time for me.

[TheMiz]

Originally Posted by gtstang462002

+1

Charge your phone. You know how long the battery lasts and if you will be needing to charge it on the road. That is why they make car chargers. I use my phone to the point of where it actually replaced about 70% of my computer usage. I can get a day and half out before having to recharge, though I charge it every night because that is the most convenient time for me.

Speaking of car chargers, when I got my 8830WE 2 weeks ago
I was told I could charge the unit with any charger but I could only use the BB car charger for use in the car, Anyone have any thoughts on this?


BTW thanks for having such a board to help us who just can't seen to figure things out using the BB user guide all 56 pages of it.

Cheers

[gtstang462002]

I have found that any charger that powers micro usb components will charge my blackberry. Now the differeance between most chargers is the amperage output. The more amperage to a certain point the faster the battery will charge. I have found that my wall charger and my car charger will charge my phone from 35% to full in about 45 mins. However if I plug it into the PC it will take close to 3 hours to do the same charge.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com