01-14-2012, 06:25 AM | #1 |
Wizard
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Next version of KFire needs to have better USB charging
I don't personally care if I have to keep it hanging on my USB port all day, but at least let me charge and use it at the same time.
A year or so ago I made the decision to stop using all but one power strip (which will also be out the door soon enough now that I only need two plugs for the DVR box and TV itself), because with how technology is changing, you don't need 20 something cables popping out of computers anymore. I used to have everything from scanners, routers, modems, to speakers on one strip. All my devices are capable of charging via USB, including my Windows Mobile devices, my iPods, my Zune, and eInk Kindle. The Kindle Fire can charge by USB, but you can't be using it at the same time, which defeats the whole purpose of being able to hook it up to your computer in the first place. When it's a device which is in fact running a mobile variation of Android, it amazes me that everything else it a tablet standard. And while you can use the thing while it's charging via a wall socket, they didn't take into consideration that commonly most of them are like three inches from the ground, thus very uncomfortable. That and the fact that you either have to have a small table nearby or have the thing sitting on the carpet/floor/whatever. I know it needs more power, and that the iPad also has this problem, but let me put it this way... If you're working on a program, having the Kindle next to you can let you go over the related guide at the same time without having to have it open on the same computer and switching back and forth. You could also follow videos more easily. And again, because the Fire isn't exactly running real tablet software, and there are specific versions for it, it makes more sense for Amazon to make it so it uses less power. My rant for 5 o'clock in the morning. :P. Hopefully someone feels the same way. |
01-14-2012, 07:59 AM | #2 |
↓↓ Skirt!! Earrings!!
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I haven't thought about it, but I keep the nice long cord from my K2 plugged in next to my chair all the time, and use it for whatever micro usb device I need it for at any given time. I keep the Fire cord plugged into an extension cord by my bed.
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01-14-2012, 08:55 AM | #3 |
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I just charge it overnight and it lasts all day, but I may not be using it to the extent others do.
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01-14-2012, 10:45 AM | #4 |
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The Fire's battery is way too large to be charged by USB, the screen alone uses up more power than the USB can provided. Amazon can't change the laws of physics to suit your USB fetish.
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01-14-2012, 03:08 PM | #5 |
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You'll find that Andriod devices are generally not useable during USB charging because it disables the SD Storage (in the Fire's case, not really SD, but seen as an SD Card).
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01-14-2012, 04:46 PM | #6 |
Wizard
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USB charging cannot meet the demands of the battery while the device is in use. The display alone can consume most of the charge. Charging via AC is the best method.
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01-14-2012, 07:23 PM | #7 |
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01-14-2012, 07:27 PM | #8 |
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01-15-2012, 07:28 AM | #9 |
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I got one of the New Trent battery packs (IMP70D). It delivers enough current to charge the Fire while using it and it's portable. But because the Fire's battery is so large the IMP70D can only charge it a little over one full time before it needs recharged itself.
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01-15-2012, 02:03 PM | #10 |
Wielder of Hammers
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I use my Fire all the time while it's charging. I don't mean just via the supplied charger either. There are times when I'm at my PC and will have it hooked in via USB. I just set the display down to the lowest brightness, turn off WiFi, and read. It charges very slowly that way, but it does still charge.
Maybe mine is just an oddity for some reason...but I would highly doubt that. |
01-15-2012, 06:17 PM | #11 |
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The distance to the wall socket can be dealt with by using a charger with a removable cord and adding a USB extension cord. I do this with my wife's (the ratchet-jaw that she is) cell phone charger since she regularly needs to plug in while talking.
As others have said, the USB spec doesn't provide for enough current to both charge and operate high drain equipment like today's tablets. Its all USB can do to one or the other. Even then, charging is often slower over standard computer USB ports (500ma limit per pair of ports) than when using separate chargers (typically 700-800ma and sometimes 1000-1500ma). |
01-16-2012, 04:17 PM | #12 | |
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Quote:
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01-16-2012, 08:41 PM | #13 | |
Wielder of Hammers
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Quote:
I'm saying that I can have it on and in-use while plugged into the port on my PC and it still charges just fine, just a little slower than usual. |
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01-17-2012, 08:35 AM | #14 |
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Does it not also depend on the output of your PC?
As far as I know, there are some laptops who limit the USB power in order to preserve battery time. I use my Kindle 3 charger to charge all my micro-USB devices (and even my ipad with the ipad cable) now and then. Best regards, Andy |
01-17-2012, 10:08 AM | #15 |
Connoisseur
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My laptop seems to put out well more than 500mA on the one port I've tried. So it will charge my Fire while using it. But my desktop won't. The current supplied is close to the current needed by the Fire in normal use, so after many hours of being used, the battery meter is not significantly changed.
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