[unboringuy]

I currently have the BB7250 and am very satisfied with the battery. I can go several days between chargings with heavy email use and relatively light phone use. I will be upgrading to the 7130e in a couple of months and I'm wondering if the time between chargings should be comparable, or if I'll experience a shorter usage time between chargings? Thanks.

[markhutchison]

Wirelessly posted (7250/4.0.0.204: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.0) BlackBerry7250/4.0.2 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1)

Most of the people that I have seen move from the 7250 to the 7130e have been dissapointed with the battery life; many have chosen to purchase an extended battery.

[mrchun]

Originally Posted by markhutchison

many have chosen to purchase an extended battery.

Mark, do you mean a spare standard-life battery? I have not been able to find an extended-life battery for the 7130 yet.

As for the battery life on the 7130: I live and work in an EVDO area and with a modest amount of calls, much emailing, and periodic web-browsing, I am getting two solid days of usage on a single charge. Oh, and I constantly check and change things on the calendar application. I usually have to charge it the evening of the second day. I hope this helps answer your question.

[markhutchison]

Wirelessly posted (7250/4.0.0.204: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.0) BlackBerry7250/4.0.2 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1)

I'm referring to a BlackBerry branded, extended life battery for the 7130e; it's about twice as thick as the standard and comes with a replacement battery cover door.

Pin me if you are interested in pricing: 30075F09

[markhutchison]

-deleted duplicate post-

[SDCromer]

Originally Posted by markhutchison

Wirelessly posted (7250/4.0.0.204: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.0) BlackBerry7250/4.0.2 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1)

I'm referring to a BlackBerry branded, extended life battery for the 7130e; it's about twice as thick as the standard and comes with a replacement battery cover door.

Pin me if you are interested in pricing: 30075F09

I'm interested. PIN sent.

[kb9liq]

I'm very interested in the battery. Please send me some info.

[Roco]

How do you send a "PIN"?

Thanks

[unboringuy]

Is the battery life disappointing enough to warrant not upgrading from the 7250 to the 7130e? I must admit I am happy with the 7250, I just thought I might be happier with the 7130e.

[KonTiki]

To me the bottom line is this, if you use the email feature more than the phone then the 7250 and only because of the Suretype. I have a 7250 and it is great for my needs both with email and phone quality. I could not even try to do the work I do with Suretype, try connecting to a server remotely and issue commands with Suretype just once to see what it is like. I now have EVDO on mine so that is no longer a factor to make the switch to the 7130e even remotely possible.

Originally Posted by unboringuy

Is the battery life disappointing enough to warrant not upgrading from the 7250 to the 7130e? I must admit I am happy with the 7250, I just thought I might be happier with the 7130e.

[markhutchison]

Wirelessly posted (7250/4.0.0.204: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.0) BlackBerry7250/4.0.2 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1)

I would personally take the hit in battery life for the speed, memory, high res display, speakerphone, etc you get with the 7130e. SureType is something to consider, but for most people's needs it is not a liability. I suggest arranging a short trial period with your carrier to see if the 7130e is right for you.

[ctfsdude]

Can the extended battery be purchased at local cell retailers or is this something you have to order through rim?

I have 4 7130e blackberries in my company and all of them only get 1 day of battery life, with minimal use. In a non evdo area.

Comparable to a 8700r unit with EDGE network which lasts me about 4 days, the 7130e doesnt seem worth the price.

[markhutchison]

Originally Posted by ctfsdude

Can the extended battery be purchased at local cell retailers or is this something you have to order through rim?

They are definitly available for sale directly from cellular carriers.

[nb_mitch]

If you are upgrading in a "couple of months", I would consider upgrading to a 8700 if you like the full keyboard of the 7250 rather than the suretype of the 7130. Starting in Feb or March, everyone should have the 8700. I get about 4 days out of my battery now, maybe a little better than my 7290.

[whsbuss]

Originally Posted by nb_mitch

If you are upgrading in a "couple of months", I would consider upgrading to a 8700 if you like the full keyboard of the 7250 rather than the suretype of the 7130. Starting in Feb or March, everyone should have the 8700. I get about 4 days out of my battery now, maybe a little better than my 7290.

Hope you're correct about other carriers (Verizon) carrying an 8700 type BB. I like my 7130 (OS 4.1, EVDO, etc.) but prefer a full QWERTY keyboard.

[unboringuy]

First, does anyone know why the battery life for a 7130e is so much shorter than for the 7250?

Second, I don't think Verizon will be going to the 8700 in the near future...at least that's what I'm hearing.

[ctfsdude]

Not sure why the battery life is so bad on the 7130e, got a brand new unit last friday and did some tests on it over the weekend, and with no use at all, the battery was just shy of 24 hours and the unit was dead. our company is considering returning them all back.

[whsbuss]

Battery life is affected by network signal for EVDO. If you don't have a good EVDO signal your battery life will be reduced somewhat. Even with 1X.

I'm getting almost 3 days of usage with moderate email and phone operation.
But I'm almost always in an EVDO signal area.

Also, the 8700 availability for Verizon is unknown at this time. RIM has not yet committed to producing a CDMA version for any carrier.

[jkukis]

yea the availability of EVDO is a HUGE factor. When I am in EVDO areas where it never switches to 1X the battery lasts a long time.

[markhutchison]

Originally Posted by nb_mitch

If you are upgrading in a "couple of months", I would consider upgrading to a 8700 ...

I'm hearing 6 to 9 months with a strong emphasis on the 9 for the release of a CDMA 87xx model. Considering how recently the 7130e was brought to market and the time it took for RIM to get it here I think that estimate is probably pretty accurate.

Although I would LOVE to hear otherwise!