Battery loss while using Navigation in the car?

[icculusX]

I was just curious to see what people have been experiencing. I really do love my Razr, and I was worried about the battery life but it turns out to be perfect for me. Lasts a long time and charges at night when I need it to...

Now for my question. While using GPS Navigation in your car, does your Razr still LOSE battery life even while plugged in? I was really surprised - I took a 45 minute drive this past weekend and like always I was playing music. I needed directions so I also was using Google Navigation, and yes the phone was plugged in the entire time. Well I found that when I got the my destination my battery had lost a lot of its life! I know it is using a lot of energy with GPS signals and 3/4G signals with music playing, but I still thought the charger would keep up... Because of that my phone was on real low battery the rest of the day. This normal?

 

[Einsteindks]

Sounds about right. The Razr is a power hog when you multi-task it like that. The stock car charger is good, but not with that power drain.

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[SallyC]

I've not tried that but seems surprisingly to me that being plugged in doesn't supply enough power.

But I've never tried running the gps and music together.

 

[FoxKat]

I've not tried that but seems surprisingly to me that being plugged in doesn't supply enough power.

But I've never tried running the gps and music together.

That is my exact configuration in my car and I use Navigation while streaming as much as 1MB/second since I use Jamcast (see it in the market - I was a beta tester for it from the first beta releaae), and stream FLAC encoded audio. All of my CD collection is ripped to FLAC (over 3,800 CDs) and on 4G while navigating with the Razr plugged into the charger it not only doesn't lose power but it actually tops off my battery. I also have Bluetooth running and take calls as well.

I would check the charger jack to make sure it is a tight fit. If the charger adapter is loose it may be cutting in and out on you without your knowledge.
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[icculusX]

Yea I use SubSonic to stream all my music. I honestly CAN NOT be in a car without music playing... I have been using a generic car charger that I had with my old Droid1, so maybe that is an issue but I wouldn't think it would matter THAT much. I will think about dishing out the cash for a moto bran charger.

I hardly ever use navigation in the car, but when I need to it is for a long trip with music, so a draining battery is not cool in that situation... Thanks guys...

 

[SallyC]

You got me curious so I just drove around in a snow storm for an hour running Zillow with the GPS in map mode and streaming Google Music in high quality mode.

Combo of 3G/4G depending on where I was. After an hour my phone went from 49% to 55%.

 

[LtKen]

On my Rezound, I use an AC Inverter and the AC charger to keep my phone charged in the car -- I find that the extra current that the AC inverter pushes out keeps the phone charged while it's under heavy use, while the DC car charger or USB charger doesn't.

 

[DF Smod]

My Nexus did the same while recording a time lapse video on the autobahn a few days back - car chargers aren't very strong, it's kind of like a trickle charger

Geschickt mit meinem Galaxy Nexus aus Deutschland

 

[icculusX]

Hmmm, a few mixed results huh?

 

[scottysize]

Don't tell anyone, but I stream the NFL games on the way home each Sunday and Monday night and it still charges as I drive.

Most days I listen to Sirius which is streaming music and have used navigation as well with no loss of battery.

 

[FoxKat]

Yea I use SubSonic to stream all my music. I honestly CAN NOT be in a car without music playing... I have been using a generic car charger that I had with my old Droid1, so maybe that is an issue but I wouldn't think it would matter THAT much. I will think about dishing out the cash for a moto bran charger.

I hardly ever use navigation in the car, but when I need to it is for a long trip with music, so a draining battery is not cool in that situation... Thanks guys...

The charger may be the culpret. Generic chargers for cars are often underpowered for the smart phones since the manufacturers don't know what phones you may use them on and they would rather it be under than overpowered, possibly causing a liability situation. Also, many portable players that use the micro usb port are designed to only need 500ma (USB 2.0 standard) to charge properly so people can charge them from their computers, whereas this phone requires 750ma if it is performing any CPU-intensive and/or radio-intensive functions. If the charger is only putting out 500ma, that would likely cause the results you experienced.

Bite the bullet and pick up an approved charger and see if your results don't change.

 

[FoxKat]

My Nexus did the same while recording a time lapse video on the autobahn a few days back - car chargers aren't very strong, it's kind of like a trickle charger

Geschickt mit meinem Galaxy Nexus aus Deutschland

Actually, it all depends on what current rating the car charger has. See if it's labeled anywhere with a voltage rating (i.e. 5.0V), and an amperage rating (i.e. 750mAh). Car chargers are many times referred to as a "rapid charger" since they're often charging at a faster rate than the stock home charger. Some home chargers are called a "trickle charger", however trickle charging for cell phones is old technology and now most, if not all cell phone home chargers are actually fast chargers.

In most cases, the car charger will provide more than enough power to both charge and run the phones. Still, many power adapters for the car are limited to lower output than smart phones require due to having been designed for older portable devices such as MP3 players. To properly power the phone, you need at least 750mA to both power and charge the phone.

 

[rwdfan]

Your best bet is to jump on eeh-bay and buy an OEM Motorola car cord. They are dirt cheap.

 

[smokiedabong]

Look at the output power of your charger, if it only gives 200-400mA it's crap cause the phone eats more power than that in full load so of course there's nothing left to go to the battery. I have a dual USB port charger with 2.1 amps per port, it shoves energy into the phone in no time no mater how much I use it.

 

[tommyg562000]

Also, this could be a heat issue. I know that my phone will stop charging if the battery gets too hot. So putting the phone under load and having it in the car window with the sun beating on it would probably cause it to heat up pretty quick. Just a thought, I could be completely wrong though.

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