[kindlematt]

So, I have been enjoying my Kindle Paperwhite!!  The only problem is that the battery life seems awfully short.  I have been reading several hours a day, but with Airplane Mode on, and with the light on medium or so. The battery only seems to last about three days. Does that sound normal?

 

[history_lover]

That seems a little short but if you've been downloading a lot of books, that will use a lot more of the battery as the books index. Also, sometimes books get "stuck" indexing which eats away at the battery - on previous versions, there was a way to check to see if this happened and remove/redownload the book but I'm not sure what it is with the PW, someone else might be able to help with that.

Also, I remember you were trying to browse the Kindle store on your Kindle - this may use more of the battery since you're clicking and loading more data than you would be if you were just reading.

Amazon's estimated battery life is 8 weeks based on a half hour reading per day, with the light set to 10 and airplane mode on (wifi/3g OFF). That basically means you should be getting 28 hours of reading out of it if you have airplane mode on and the light set to 10. Even if you have the light a little brighter, it shouldn't significantly reduce the battery life. You should still be getting more than a few days out of it unless you're using it 6+ hours a day. If by "several hours a day" you mean a few hours, it should be lasting more than a few days.

 

[Ann in Arlington]

That seems a little short but if you've been downloading a lot of books, that will use a lot more of the battery as the books index. Also, sometimes books get "stuck" indexing which eats away at the battery - on previous versions, there was a way to check to see if this happened and remove/redownload the book but I'm not sure what it is with the PW, someone else might be able to help with that.

Basically the same: search for a nonsense string. You shouldn't get any results, but will get something that tells you if there are any books that are still not indexed. If you do it again an hour later and the same number of books are not indexed, then there's likely a corrupt file somewhere causing trouble.

Also, I remember you were trying to browse the Kindle store on your Kindle - this may use more of the battery since you're clicking and loading more data than you would be if you were just reading.

Very true. . .though I don't guess you can do that while in 'airplane' mode, as that means all wireless is off. But, yes, more use of the wireless for browsing the store will use the battery faster. I leave my wireless on all the time, and I'm sure I don't charge my PW more than every couple of weeks or so. I don't really keep track, but that's how it seems to me. My light is usually at 10 -14.

But, in general, I agree. . . . 3 days seems pretty short. Definitely check for books not indexed. If you find any let us know and we can let you know how to fix that. Then let it go until it's virtually dead. . . I mean, read past the warning until it just shuts off on you. THEN, plug it in and let it charge to full. If you've not been doing that, just going by the guage, it might be that you weren't getting a true reading and there was lots more battery than it seemed. A full discharge followed by a full charge up should reset that.

 

[backslidr]

It really depends on how much you are reading a day. I read up to 8-9 hours a day and am charging every 3 days, but that's normal battery life. But, loading books and indexing will shorten it at first, so you might just give it a few charge cycles before you start to worry about it.

 

[kindlematt]

Ok thanks everyone. I feel better. I have been downloading a ton of books, and reading 5-7 hours a day!

 

[charlie51923]

Make sure to turn the wireless off when you aren't downloading. That will save you quite a bit of battery power.

 

[Ann in Arlington]

Make sure to turn the wireless off when you aren't downloading. That will save you quite a bit of battery power.

Agreed. . . . .if you have a WiFi network available, it's not as big a deal. But if you don't and you have a 3G kindle, it will use a disproportionately large amount of battery power to keep checking it has a signal and all. But if you just turn the wireless off when you don't need it, that definitely helps.

 

[Spankypoo]

Agreed. . . . .if you have a WiFi network available, it's not as big a deal. But if you don't and you have a 3G kindle, it will use a disproportionately large amount of battery power to keep checking it has a signal and all. But if you just turn the wireless off when you don't need it, that definitely helps.

Is there still no way to disable the 3G radio but leave the Wi-Fi one on?

 

[Linjeakel]

Is there still no way to disable the 3G radio but leave the Wi-Fi one on?

No, the two things are still altogether in one setting. If you have wireless on, the Kindle will look for wi-fi signals to use as a preference and then, if one isn't available, go for the 3G connection.

So, the 3G is effectively disabled anyway, when you're in range of a wi-fi signal and when you're not, well then you need the 3G to be on anyway. If you don't ever want to use 3G at all, then you need to get a wi-fi only model.

To be honest, I think Amazon have probably done it the best way. I have a 3G and wi-fi model I wouldn't want to be constantly switching between one and the other as I move about between signals - have the wi-fi on a home, switch it off when I go out and turn on 3G, switch that off and turn wi-fi back on when I get somewhere that has wi-fi, then change again when I leave and again when I get home....not my idea of fun!

 

[patrickt]

I suppose it's a normal obsession for a new owner but I haven't worried about the battery in years. I did keep track for a few months with leaving my WiFi on and turning it off. I don't have 3G, of course. With my usage on my Kindle Basic, it moved me from recharging every eight days to every seven days. Not a biggie. My Paperwhite doesn't seem to need recharging, with my normal usage, any more often.