> Interesting. It's actually rather tricky finding any definitive ratings on
> battery life for PPCs. I guess so many factors are involved. I think the best
> strategy is replaceable batteries like Casio has, along with offering them in
> varying capacities, like the EG-800 has. That way ppl have at least the option.
>
> Ideally I think most ppl would like to see a solid 8 hours of full tilt (screen
> on, sound going, input happening) power out of a battery. Not there yet, but
> that would be great.
>
> I even saw somewhere that some guy actually hooked a solar panel up to his Ipaq!
> :P Pretty cool tho impractical.
>
> -P-
>
Casio's replaceable battery model is an ideal solution but even better is, 'off the shelf' batteries. That way you can buy a couple dozen and keep on going.
I was very upset with the built in battery when I bought the iPaq, but a week later I went ahead and built a battery extender mentioned on Dale Coffing's site.

It really isn't that hard to do and it allows me to have replaceable batteries for any of my devices.
I built both a small AA one and a big DCell one. That way I can do a trickle charge with the light poratable AA one, and when I need to game for a few more hours I plug in big D :)
I keep the D unit in a neoprene case with just the plug wire sticking out. Its an extra case attached to the belt or on a table nearby but it does the job. Even the Casio can use such a device. The difference is you don't need to shut down and swap the battery out.

Between that and my PC Card Sleeve with the extra battery, I can usually go all day if needed without having to shut down. It is rare that I ever get that much time to do such a thing but its nice to know I can :)

As for the Solar Panel, I saw one in the Mobile Planet catalog. A big one for like $300 and an recently a Smaller more poratable one for about $99. Not really that impractical with the iPaq and its totally visible screen in full sunlight ;)


Cheers,
-Techmaster