10.31.07
Always on or On Demand?
Well – which are you?
When the 770 came out it closed connections when you slid it back in the case which was a nice feature since it automatically switched into a more power efficient mode. When the N800 arrived and now with the N810, we have the opportunity to leave our tablets on at all times.
Clearly this takes a toll on battery life over the course of a day, but in my usage it seems well worth it. I actually have had both my N800 and N810 set to auto-connect to both WiFi and cellular connections so when I walk out the door, my tablet switches over to my phone as the wifi drops.
This system worked incredibly well with the N73 as my phone since the battery in that phone was hard to kill even with a full day of tethering. The N95 has a considerably less powerful battery — even the newer N95-3 which I’ve been using for a month or so. I find I’ve got power in the car as well as a Proporta Mobile Power system that lets me recharge or maintain charge on the phone while the tablet enjoys a very long day of use. If needed I can top off the tablet with the Proporta of course as well.
Last night on the Podcast, I discovered I was the only one of the three of us keeping my tablet in always on mode. I’m curious how others use their devices… since the tablet is predominantly positioned as a second device (phone being the first) I would think most users are using it as aggressively as I am, though this is clearly a personal thing.
I tested the On Demand method today and found that while it saved a bit of battery life on both devices, I prefer to be able to look down and see live updates to my mail and rss feeds. The tablet is a direct extension of how I use the internet and just like my laptop it’s always connected and powered on.
What works for you?
Update – Reggie posted a poll on Internet Tablet Talk – feel free to vote and share your opinion!
maemo.org - Planet maemo said,
November 4, 2007 at 12:03 pm
Poll: Always On or Always Available? at Internet Tablet Talk said,
October 31, 2007 at 2:47 pm
[...] Also check out Jonathan Greene’s thoughts about this very same topic over at [...]
Chrisbaildon said,
October 31, 2007 at 3:21 pm
Well I was using my N800 on bluetooth DUN when I was out and about on demand. However after listening to your podcast today I am now trying the constant connection as I don’t have to worry about my data limit too much. I am just a little concerned how my N95 battery will hold up.
Jonathan Greene said,
October 31, 2007 at 3:27 pm
@Chrisbaildon battery is definitely an issue… particularly with the phone as the tablet seems to offer much more time in active use. The proporta charger is gold … handles most of my gadgets and is quite small. Here’s a pic – http://www.flickr.com/photos/atmasphere/1718945217/
Matt said,
October 31, 2007 at 9:41 pm
Hey mate,
I use my N800 much like you, it’s always on for me. I found that I was only using 10% of my 3 datalimit, so I’ve started tethering my n800 to my phone for net access on the go.
Great blog mate, keep up the good work.
Matt
Jonathan Greene said,
October 31, 2007 at 10:41 pm
@Matt – I’m on an unlimited plan here … not sure it’s possible to really hit the top end, but I am sure ATT will let me know with a surprise bill if it gets there.
I like your site as well – keep rocking!
mieses said,
November 1, 2007 at 12:38 am
“always on” mode is fantastic. to be useful;, the tablet must notify me of incoming IM’s, emails and VOIP calls in real time.
Nseries WOM World » Blog Archive » Your Nseries Internet Tablet - always on or on demand? said,
November 1, 2007 at 9:44 am
[...] Greene at Maemo Apps weighs in with his opinion on the subject, saying that he is in the ‘always on’ camp. He recently tried the ‘on demand’ option and found that whilst it saved a bit of battery, he [...]
Adam said,
November 1, 2007 at 10:43 pm
Jonathan, you didn’t include the clarification you made during the podcast, when you said, ‘always on’ you meant ‘always connected.’ Whether you want to make that distinction here, I thought I’d provide a perspective on the opposite end of the spectrum.
I don’t have a data plan, and don’t intend to get one. I pay by the minute on my budget phone plan, and use my tablet on my couch as an inexpensive laptop. I can listen to podcasts or read RSS headlines on my commute and then read the articles at breaks at work. Downtown has plenty of free hotspots and I can write this on the bus, then post when I get home.
After reading your April post, I think i’m a ‘be entertained’ user, not someone who needs to ’stay in touch.’ I’m dissapointed that Nokia would rather work towards the seamless, ‘always connected’ user than develop better ways to sync or work offline, but I’m also really interested in a WIMAX model because it sounds more affordable than a phone+data plan.
Oh, and I do keep it on, even when not connected!
zerohalo said,
November 2, 2007 at 12:43 pm
Thanks for the info on the N810! Do you know whether N810 will connect to EAP-TLS network w/ certs?
TabletBlog.com by ThoughtFix: Polls and Results said,
November 4, 2007 at 5:55 am
Hmmm, ASUS EeePC, or N810? Or OLPC in November? said,
November 4, 2007 at 9:16 am
What would be really interesting is if Nokia had used/licensed the Battery Saving Tech that is found in the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project, that has dual mode LCD Screen that can be a regular screen and a sunlight readable screen.
Then, one wonders if with this OLPC screen, if the battery life could be extended and the always on feature might be less of a concern of users where a on mode of preferance might be too much of a tax on the battery life?
Of course, I would vote as well for any of these devices to:
- to be able to use AAA batteries in the N810 and like devices (as the AA 15 minute rechargeable systems that you can buy at any store now, THEY are WONDERFUL for my camera and other devices, AND you can even charge easily on cig-lighter adapter in a car in 15 minutes as well. It would be nice to use such fast charging batteries for devices like the N810 and any cell phone as well). Proprietary battery prices are a rip-off for when you tear em apart they are just AAA cell batteries in the package anyway, in most cases). 15 minute recharge time would be great. Of course to be able to have your N810, a cell phone, and any other devices (including the lower priced vs the N810 Eee PC that I am very interested in now, but it has some things lacking in these early models as well) … to have the ability to be in “portable mode” without having to carry extra batteries for either or both (or all), and instead carry a small 15 minute battery charger for those AAA batteries that would power all the devices we would have. THAT, WOULD BE HEAVEN.
OneOfThese said,
January 14, 2008 at 1:03 am
I’m preferring “always connected” mode.This mode is simply GREAT!I can recieve IMs, SIP and GTalk VoIP calls, e-mail, keep weather forecast and RSS updated… and all this WITHOUT bothering myself.And I like it.Machines should work.Humans should do something more interesting than dealing with on-demand connections.I’m personally would hate if I discover that my device has lost connection to IM accounts (and IRC), did not updated e-mail, weather and RSS for a while, etc and at very best I have to spend my time and wait while all stuff updates (while I’m usuallyneed actuall stuff right NOW if I’m dealing with device, duh).Let’s be connected.But I have nothing against option to shutdown network for saving power on some criteria.I’m personally simply will not use this option.But I will really hate if this option will be enforced.I’m like how my n800 behaves.The only thing is that I want to have “connections priority”.I.e. if I’m connected over GPRS and there is Wi-Fi available, I want my device automatically switch to wi-fi instead of GPRS.