Bad Power Flaw with Tour 9630

[The 214 Boss]

Ok. I hadn't put my Tour to charge all day and the battery got down really low. The phone turned off the radio feature but the phone was still on. Well, I tried turning the radio feature back on and it gave me the message "Battery to low... to access radio". So, I go put it on my charger and tried to make a call immediately. Well, I get the same error message. I look at the battery and it was definitely charging. So, I turn the phone off/on and tried placing a call again. Same message. I go take a shower while the phone charges and when I come back, I have 2 bars. I turned the radio on and was able to place the call.

So, through my super tech powers of reasoning and deduction, I conclude that the Tour 9630 always looks to the battery (DC power) for powering the radio and ignores the plugin (A/C power) for phone operations. Can anyone else confirm this? What about it blackberry? Am I correct? Are we expecting a patch to fix this? What if it was an emergency? I'd have to wait for the battery to charge before being able to use my phone.

[stevetaz]

Hi The 214 Boss and welcome to EB:

BlackBerrys do not like to be run down to the point of having the radio turn off (I forget if it is 5% or 10% or somewhere in between). There is something in the system that after it runs down you cannot dial anything until a certain % is charged and part of that may be to insure that if you are going to make a call on a minimum charge, that the device isn't going to turn off after dialing and connecting. I do know that once the charge reaches a certain amount I can make calls while plugged in without a problem.

The key is to try to not let the device run down that low and if that may happen due to your schedule or expected lack of proximity to a charging device you should think about purchasing a second battery and keeping it ready.

If you just got the BB you should find that after a week or two the battery life will actually increase a bit. Do keep in mind that the LiIon battery in a BB likes to be kept topped off so if you can, keep it plugged in while at your desk or in the car.

Also look around to see if there are reports of particular power issues with certain OS builds as you may want to upgrade. You should also take a look at our Tips and Tricks sticky, post #2. Also check to be sure your Bluetooth is off if you aren't using it as that will drain the battery.

I hope you enjoy your time here and that you will visit and post often.

Thanks for registering......

[The 214 Boss]

Thanks Steve!

I just upgraded to the tour from the Curve. The Curve didn't have this issue. That's why when it happened this time, I freaked out. Is this issue indicative of the Tour 9630 or are you saying all BB's should behave this way.

[stevetaz]

Thanks Steve!

I just upgraded to the tour from the Curve. The Curve didn't have this issue. That's why when it happened this time, I freaked out. Is this issue indicative of the Tour 9630 or are you saying all BB's should behave this way.

No, I am saying it is a new BB to you and we have to figure out if there might be an obvious reason. Often users have apps running in the background, but if you are a previous BB user you probably know to look for that already.

What OS version are you using? I have seen a few complaints about poor battery life with the original OS (.247?), but I have not seen that many, which doesn't indicate major issues across the board. I believe .266 and .282 are out there.

That said, have you added any third-party apps to your Tour or did you install anything that you had on the Curve? Curve apps may not function properly with the Tour's updated OS.

Any RSS feeds in the background or maybe weather apps like Weather Bug?

[stevetaz]

Oh, also, are you in a 3G area? The Curve was probably not a 3G phone, but the Tour is. Try swithching to 2G if you can.

Are you in a fringe reception area? If the BB is constantly looking for a stronger signal or a 3G one that can have a negative effect on the battery too. If you have a constant strong signal that probably is not the issue, but I understand 3G can eat up a battery faster. I don't have 3G to offer personal experience....