Review: Vaio UX180P standard battery: Part 3

Well, it's been a long time coming but Part 3 of the UX180P battery review is finally done. If you haven’t already, you can read Part 1 and Part 2 now.

For this string of tests, I enabled wireless options only when necessary (i.e., when I actually used them). In my multimedia tests, I often turned on the wireless radios just to find out how battery life was affected. Since I learned the hard (and long) way that the UX battery doesn’t really distinguish between "wireless on" and "wireless off," I decided not to spend any more of my life testing it out under an extra set of conditions.

Internet
Most of my UX time is spent online; in fact, sometimes that’s the only thing I’ll do with it for several days. All my web surfing is done either through a hardwire or wireless connection, with or without Bluetooth enabled for my Think Outside Stowaway Universal keyboard.

Sometimes I’ll also connect a Logitech V400 USB laser cordless mouse to the unit’s built-in USB 2.0 port.

I tested battery life under what I consider to be typical Internet usage sessions. “Typical” to me means visiting about 20 websites to read gadget and other news, post in forums, email, update this site, download trial software or freeware (usually smaller than 5MB), check for Windows updates, write a news post for Anything But iPod, watch a video clip or two, and maybe do some online shopping. I’m sure that spending more or less time doing any of these activities will affect battery life, but I didn’t alter any of my behavior. After all, realistic results can only be yielded from realistic tests.

Note: I still haven't signed up with an EDGE plan, so none of the results include how WWAN affects battery life. I do plan to write something about EDGE and Bluetooth DUN in the future, but it won’t be in relation to power consumption.

Hardwire
All wireless off: 1 hr, 42 min
All wireless off (w/USB mouse): 1 hr, 46 min
Bluetooth on (w/keyboard): 1 hr, 50 min
Bluetooth on (w/keyboard + USB mouse): 1 hr, 45 min

Wireless
WLAN on: 2 hrs, 11 min
WLAN on (w/USB mouse): 1 hr, 53 min
WLAN + Bluetooth on (w/keyboard): 2 hrs, 1 min
WLAN + Bluetooth on (w/keyboard + USB mouse): 1 hr, 55 min

Word processing
Microsoft Word is usually the only program I have open simultaneously with Internet Explorer, as I often need to fact check or look something up in the dictionary. I normally use my Bluetooth keyboard (powered by AAA batteries) and laser cordless mouse and stay wirelessly connected to the Internet, but I got a hold of a USB keyboard for these tests as well.

For the multimedia tests, I just set a file to play on repeat, walked away, and checked back periodically. With these tests, I had to actually interact with the UX and its 4.5-inch screen at all times. To retain my current contact lens prescription, I hooked up a 17-inch external monitor.

The behavior of the UX screen when connected to an external monitor can be defined in a number of ways.

Settings can be customized according to personal preferences, but what it boils down to as far as battery life is concerned is whether to keep the UX screen on or off. There's little reason to keep the screen on (extended desktop is an option, though not a useful one for me), but I did so for half of the tests. Essentially, leaving the screen on while connected to an external display drains the battery at the same rate as using the UX on the go. So the "UX screen on" results below are relevant for mobile mini desktop configurations.

I'm a staff writer at a fanzine, so I had an article to work on for a few hours. After I finished the piece, I wrote my OQO 01+ reviews and did a stream-of-consciousness thing for the rest of the tests. I didn't write nonstop, of course, but I didn't stare at the blinking cursor much either.

Note: For these tests, I was always connected to the Internet but I never went online or even opened a browser. Word was the only program open at all times.

Hardwire
UX screen on
Bluetooth keyboard + USB mouse: 1 hr, 55 min
USB keyboard: 1 hr, 58 min

UX screen off
Bluetooth keyboard + USB mouse: 2 hrs, 21 min
USB keyboard: 2 hrs, 24 min

Wireless
UX screen on
Bluetooth keyboard + USB mouse: 2 hrs, 8 min
USB keyboard: 2 hrs, 15 min

UX screen off
Bluetooth keyboard + USB mouse: 2 hrs, 40 min
USB keyboard: 2 hrs, 47 min

It's unreasonable to type for several hours using the integrated keyboard, so I have no idea how doing so affects battery life. I think this test is only suitable for the abnormally long-fingered typist or the average-fingered masochist. I am neither.

Reading eBooks
I threw in this test when I had a hankering to read an eBook the other day. As you may have read at Dear Author, I'm a bit of a fan. My eBooks are all stored on the UX hard drive in Microsoft Reader format.

All wireless off: 2 hrs, 45 min
WLAN on: 2 hrs, 41 min

Conclusion
After running all these tests, it's disconcerting that the performance times can be summed up like this: "about 2.5 hours." That's how long the battery lasts. And that's what Sony's low-end estimate was!

Not including the time it took for me to write this entire review (which in itself amounts to more hours than I’d care to calculate), I have spent a truly obscene number of hours charging/draining the UX battery (who is not pleased). Those hours weren't exactly labor intensive, of course, and I wasn't chained to the desk while the minutes counted down, but still! Was it necessary to spend all those hours to confirm what we already knew? Of course not. But so it goes when you're obsessed with a new electronic.

Keep in mind that there are still a lot of other power management settings to try out and that all of my test results were based on continuous use. I don't know whether battery life is extended if, say, the UX is put into standby or hibernate mode for a short period between hour-long sessions with the screen at a lower brightness.

But I'll leave those tests up to someone else.

Comments

[Bruno]

This has been very detailed and simply the most comprehensive and useful battery test I have seen to day. Thanks!

Bruno

[Anonymous]

I agree! Boo to cnet and their meager review (of the UX50), and yay to Jenn's truly useful battery of Battery Testing.

Nahum

[Jenn]

Thanks, guys.

Although I'm completely drained from the experience, comments like yours make it all worth it. Thanks again!

[Jahayra]

The New York Times had a fairly interesting article on extending battery life that might be worth a read.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/24/technology/24basics.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1156634017-niYsKN3/GqgSUXlNBlElCA

thanks for your site!

J.

[dwash]

Can anyone tell me, how can I get a manual for my microcomputer?

[Jenn]

Which one do you have? It actually should have come with a manual, but you can download it from Sony eSupport. Here's the UX180P one: http://esupport.sony.com/perl/model-documents.pl?mdl=VGNUX180P

[Spidubic]

A very in-depth look at UX battery life. Even after reading this and knowing the battery life is not all that great I am still going to get one. I am hoping that my usage(email, websurfing, forum replys) that it will do me fine.

[Dr Tom]

I find your research very interesting. Aside form the usage, I have had my UX180p sitting in the cradle now for ~ 2 mos. unused. This passed weekend I was demonstrating it to a friend for clinic use, and found my battery totally drained and will not recharge. Need less to say the impression for clinic use was not supported.