[popcornhack]

Greetings.

Just four days after buying what I believed would be a beautiful, work-horse of a Blackberry Bold 9900 - I am now repacking it and preparing to return it. What a huge, huge disappointment.

Let me explain.

I have been a Blackberry user in the past and always swore by the devices. They did exactly what it said on the tin and were fantastic for heavy users of phone/email etc.

I was delighted when the new Bold came out and once I had the �500 saved up, I went into my local phone store and proudly became the new owner of one.

Yes, it is a piece of beauty. Yes the dual touch screen/keypad is excellent. However all of that is pointless if the battery is crap.

Let me give you an example that finally tipped me over the edge.

This morning, my phone was fully charged at 9am. By 12.30 it was dead, kaput, no battery life at all. In those three and a half hours my usage consisted of - checking emails twice (three emails, not a huge amount), checking Twitter twice and receiving and replying to one text message. There wasn't even one phone call.

I have read about people having issues with the battery life but this is frankly ridiculous. A colleague told me that I may have received a faulty device. Maybe I did but I cannot leave that to chance. I cannot run the risk of running out of battery after three to four hours on a business day.

So I am sad to say that my love affair with Blackberry is over - until they release a new phone that can at least last for eight hours without charging.

Anyone else had a similar experience?

[grover5]

No. You had a bad battery. Way to overreact.

[Snipperdo17]

So you're basing your experience off of a faulty phone?

I have no problem getting through the day under normal use.

[Anipilot]

you have overreacted like a horny bunny when poked from behind by a new mate

either you had a faulty battery or phone. I would have given it a week with 3 to 4 charge cycles to begin with. My wife's iphone did the same in the first week but she persisted and is now getting a decent batt life

Sent from my BlackBerry 9790 using Tapatalk

[Snipperdo17]

I can understand he is mad, but there are bad devices in mass production sometimes..

[boldkeyboardholic]

I guess he was overreacing as there were probably something wrong with an app, or just not correct charged, battery cycles etc. blabla.

But every owner of an 9900 who honestly is saying he (or she) is happy with the battery life of it: I call that a lyer ;p

I am definitley not happy with it and the answer to his post/thread is typically.

5% idle discharge is way to high and since 7.0.5xx I never got below. only with the org. os (.296) coming with the 9900 in September I got 3% with EDGE, and 5% with UMTS, since the updates EDGE does not reduce idle usage anymore but after two bad OS-version with 7.1...342 I now have at least 5% UMTS idle again.

So max. 20hr for the device, without doing anything. My phone needs a break at 4pm or I need very good nerves at the end of the day (I mean workday, 8pm at latest when put from charger at 7pm)

[m12k1177]

Hey man, I understand your frustration, but try asking for a new battery and cycle it once or twice. I guarantee you it's an issue with that specific battery.

Yes, BB9000 battery isn't the best out there, but even with extremely heavy use (wifi on, bluetooth on, BBM, textng, emailing, and browsing) I get 10 hrs. Normal usage, I get 18 hrs, but I'm left with about 20-30% battery left.

Also depending on certain apps on certain OS's, it'll drain battery faster or slower.

Ask to have whole device replaced or ask for new battery before you give up on the BB9900!

[cajunguy]

. . . and on the "happy side", I got my 9900 in December, and LOVE it.

Yes, the OP may have a defective battery, but it should be under warranty. Get another one and give it a chance.

As to battery life, like has been said in numerous threads on the topic, it depends on usage.

I typically have many business and personal e-mails, several text messages and several phone calls per work day, and over the past seven days I am averaging 2.22% battery drain per hour.

I normally charge overnight, turn the phone on at around 7Am and run it until around 10PM most every day with between 40-plus % battery left at 10PM.

2.22% per hour? I can live with it.
Did I mention that I love my 9900?


.

[Snipperdo17]

I guess he was overreacing as there were probably something wrong with an app, or just not correct charged, battery cycles etc. blabla.

But every owner of an 9900 who honestly is saying he (or she) is happy with the battery life of it: I call that a lyer ;p

Liar*
And I am perfectly fine with the battery life. I have had 2 Bolds and neither of them had the issues that are being described here. As long as it gets me through the day with normal usage, I am fine if it doesn't get me through on a heavy day because no phone will anyways.

[kryptic123]

I can understand he is mad, but there are bad devices in mass production sometimes..

i had the same problem as the OP and alot of people are putting it down too either bad phone or battery but there seems too be alot of problems with the mass released batches then if that is the case. So why have RIM kept selling them with out ironing out the kinks 1st. i had the Bold 9900 and sold it too buy a Galaxy Note, and the battery is one of a lot better, it lasts me all day on heavy use.

[Mr.Monty]

So you signed up to a forum that you had no intention to use to resolve your problem or troubleshoot, just to bash the device?

Funny, I didn't sign up on a Mac forum to complain that I had to replace my new MacBook Pro after 24 hours due to a memory malfunction. I did "lurk" them to see if I could find what the problem was, but I didn't sign up for the sole reason to rant. Actually, this is the first time I've mentioned it online.

[EdY]

You need to give it a chance. This can happen to any product, it is NOT representative of all Bolds.

Personally I have a 9810 and get 1.5 to 2 days of use with wifi on. I typically charge every 2nd night.

Tips to newbies:

- battery savings mode, you can set the threshold higher like 35 or 40% to get it to start saving sooner (probably throttles down the CPU)

- screen backlight set to very low, I find it is bright enough for me even at some of the lowest settings


If you are in an area with crappy reception, have bluetooth ON all the time, plus some heavy duty apps installed (like not quiting them either) it will shorten battery time.

There is a utility in OS 7 under Options, Device, Advanced System Settings, Blackberry Device Analyzer, Battery Tests....

It will log your battery drainage and also show you which processes are running which use the most juice! Then you can decide which apps or services are drawing most power.

Try those above tips to help the battery situation.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9810 using Crackberry Tapatalk Forum app

[popcornhack]

So you signed up to a forum that you had no intention to use to resolve your problem or troubleshoot, just to bash the device?

Funny, I didn't sign up on a Mac forum to complain that I had to replace my new MacBook Pro after 24 hours due to a memory malfunction. I did "lurk" them to see if I could find what the problem was, but I didn't sign up for the sole reason to rant. Actually, this is the first time I've mentioned it online.

Actually no. I am a regular lurker around these parts. I did seek advise on another (Irish) forum, but to no avail. As you will see from my original post, I actually love the BB Bold 9900. I think it is genuine thing of beauty. So I certainly am not trying to bash the device.

And if my post was 'a rant' as you describe it, why did I ask if any others had a similar experience?

In fact, many who responded to my post have been very helpful. They have pointed out that there is an issue with the battery. And my thanks to them for their help and courtesy.

Last I read, this was an online forum for opinions and advice. I gave my opinion and sought advice.

[BearSnout]

I've had my 9900 for months and ... as an example, I went to Paris this week on the Eurostar. The phone was all I tok with me communication-wise. It was lit up and turned on and I was either doing emails or on the phone during the journey and all afternoon. By 7pm ish I had about 60% left, maybe a little less.

Your experience OP is is obviously not the phone.

[TroyPoseidon]

No. You had a bad battery. Way to overreact.

He's right. Get a new battery and upgrade OS to 7.1, you should be fine from 9am-5pm

[BigBadWulf]

Actually no. I am a regular lurker around these parts. I did seek advise on another (Irish) forum, but to no avail. As you will see from my original post, I actually love the BB Bold 9900. I think it is genuine thing of beauty. So I certainly am not trying to bash the device.

And if my post was 'a rant' as you describe it, why did I ask if any others had a similar experience?

In fact, many who responded to my post have been very helpful. They have pointed out that there is an issue with the battery. And my thanks to them for their help and courtesy.

Last I read, this was an online forum for opinions and advice. I gave my opinion and sought advice.

This is a forum for opinion and advice.

My opinion:
You lurked the #1 forum for BlackBerry users and abusers, then "say" you asked for help on an obscure forum. Put up the link and prove it, because I find that hard to believe.

My advice:
Ask for help here, and detail your OS, apps, use, and experience with regard to signal strength. Then we can properly assist you in fixing the issue. There's no mention of applying the analyzer, removing apps, location, etc.

Unpack the phone, charge it up, and start from the beginning.

[albee 1]

Have a Waaaburger with them French Cries! Hahaha! Holy Crap!

[popcornhack]

This is a forum for opinion and advice.

My opinion:
You lurked the #1 forum for BlackBerry users and abusers, then "say" you asked for help on an obscure forum. Put up the link and prove it, because I find that hard to believe.

My advice:
Ask for help here, and detail your OS, apps, use, and experience with regard to signal strength. Then we can properly assist you in fixing the issue. There's no mention of applying the analyzer, removing apps, location, etc.

Unpack the phone, charge it up, and start from the beginning.

Hi there.

Thanks for the reply.

Regarding apps etc, I removed as many as I could (even Facebook) yet it made no difference. I switched off all GPS and location services (which kinda defeats the purpose of having a smartphone), adjusted screen brightness down to 20% and all to no avail. It is obviously a problem with the battery but how can I be sure it won't happen again even if I get the battery replaced?

And regarding the 'obscure' forum, I don't think O2 would be too pleased with that description!!!

Again, thanks for your reply. After forking out �500 for the phone, you can't blame me for being a bit mad!!

[jebulls]

He's right. Get a new battery and upgrade OS to 7.1, you should be fine from 9am-5pm

I brought mine back because I couldn't get from 6am to 3pm. IP4S goes from 6am to 10pm easily. Battery life is not great on 9930. Def went backwards from 9650. When I had 9930 I didn't even want to use it cause the battery went so fast. 9am to 5pm is not good enough sorry.......

[popcornhack]

I brought mine back because I couldn't get from 6am to 3pm. IP4S goes from 6am to 10pm easily. Battery life is not great on 9930. Def went backwards from 9650. When I had 9930 I didn't even want to use it cause the battery went so fast. 9am to 5pm is not good enough sorry.......

It is such a pity that the battery life is poor. It is a beautiful device with tonnes of potential.

[popcornhack]

Yea I'd be mad too, why should it be expected of a consumer to troubleshoot newly acquired products that cost $500 in 2012?

Very true. But in my experience with phones, nothing is ever plain sailing! There is always a hitch - regardless of the phone. Though before smartphones were invented and we had the old Nokia bricks, I never encounters any problem with them!!!

The price of progress!!!

[BigBadWulf]

Hi there.

Thanks for the reply.

Regarding apps etc, I removed as many as I could (even Facebook) yet it made no difference. I switched off all GPS and location services (which kinda defeats the purpose of having a smartphone), adjusted screen brightness down to 20% and all to no avail. It is obviously a problem with the battery but how can I be sure it won't happen again even if I get the battery replaced?

And regarding the 'obscure' forum, I don't think O2 would be too pleased with that description!!!

Again, thanks for your reply. After forking out �500 for the phone, you can't blame me for being a bit mad!!

Compared to CrackBerry I would consider verizon's forum obscure. I would understand you being frustrated, but mad, no. Your problem is most likely the battery, but I also understand signal strength to be an issue around your country, especially 3G. Either get your battery replaced under warranty, or if it's not undeR warranty, purchase a replacement. The easiest way however to understand your baTtery issues is to run the "battery analyzer". I would be happy to explain how to do this if you need direction.

[Snipperdo17]

i had the same problem as the OP and alot of people are putting it down too either bad phone or battery but there seems too be alot of problems with the mass released batches then if that is the case. So why have RIM kept selling them with out ironing out the kinks 1st. i had the Bold 9900 and sold it too buy a Galaxy Note, and the battery is one of a lot better, it lasts me all day on heavy use.

There seems to be a lot of problems because people come to the forums to tell their problems and see if there is a fix. Most people that have the phone and don't have the problems won't come here and post that their phone is perfect. If it didn't work for you, cool. Have fun with that massive thing.

[kg4icg]

I guess me going 12 hours on my 9930 today receiving about 20 emails listened to about 5 songs while doing laundry, rcv'd about 4 alert text from county agencies that I'm on the list for and being bridged to my playbook, I must be lucky. Stock battery.



The 20% drop was due to watching some YouTube videos while doing the laundry at laundromat and surfing about 10 different websites at the time.

[BigBadWulf]

Even with my heavy use today, I was at just over 8% per hour. i do have one extra battery, so if for some strange reason I'm nowhere near a power supply all day, I will make a full day. The $10 it cost me was well worth the peace of mind.