How do I know if my pen has enough battery?

[hughlle]

What is enough?

And I prefer the ability to just pop a new battery in than sit around waiting for it to recharge. And if it were a case of rechargeable batteries, well I know nothing about electronics in this regard, but I have noticed that with mice, there seems to have been a large shift away from rechargeable, in favour of disposable, and as I say, I can't comment on how well rechargeable batteries would do, but these mice can now get a year on a single set of batteries. I just don't see the issue. Keep a spare and pop it in when the tome arises.

 

[msolok]

Well, the very first SP pen was not rechargeable, so it's not like if they were forced to and stuck with just one size. But the bottom line, though, is that this is not new technology and there is a solution out there that can be engineered. I'm reminded of the very first kickstand: Initial comments by many indicated that MS had no choice but to choose one angle, but look at it today.

Without a doubt there is the tech to do it, but that tech is a trade off. In order to make the pen chargeable costs would go up, battery life would be drastically cut, there would be an impact to the Surfaces battery life, and the only USB port on the device would have to be consumed by the pen for charging.
The issue, in my mind, is not so much one of available tech, but more trade-offs to benefits. In my mind (and obviously the minds of the designers too) the small benefits don't outweigh the trade offs. In the end the batteries in the pen lasts months already, so it's not like the the battery consumption is huge.

Having to carry spares means additional maintenance; after all, spares do not keep their full charge forever. That used to happen to me with my shaver: My spares were either very weak or dead. Now I no longer bother; rather, at the beginning of each month, I change batteries. No more stress.

The shelf life of current single use Alkaline and Lithium batteries is 7-10 years. The upkeep of keeping your batteries fresh is next to nothing. Hell, if you buy a 4 pack of batteries, and consume 1 every 6months you won't need to worry about them for 2 years.

As far as cable is concerned, I'd be very surprised for anyone not to already have a micro-USB cable--especially Road Warriors. I can't tell the last time I purchased a device and used its charging micro-USB cable because I already have at home and for on-the-road. I end up keeping them in case a cable goes bad or something; otherwise, I do not need an extra charging cable.

No, I have several piles of micro-USB cables. They are used for charging a lot of my devices. However when I am out on the road I don't bring any with me. They are bulky (far bulkier than 1 or 2 AAAA batteries), get in the way and make a mess. I instead make sure I am fully charged before I head out and leave all cables at home. Batteries are a much preferred option than cables.

 

[GreyFox7]

I think the ink should turn red when the battery is low then fade to normal color. OneNote should chirp if the button battery is low.

 

[bluegrass]

I'd love it to do that GreyFox7 or how about it dribbles ink on your screen if the battery is low.

 

[Nuspieds]

Without a doubt there is the tech to do it, but that tech is a trade off. In order to make the pen chargeable costs would go up, battery life would be drastically cut, there would be an impact to the Surfaces battery life, and the only USB port on the device would have to be consumed by the pen for charging.
The issue, in my mind, is not so much one of available tech, but more trade-offs to benefits. In my mind (and obviously the minds of the designers too) the small benefits don't outweigh the trade offs. In the end the batteries in the pen lasts months already, so it's not like the the battery consumption is huge.



The shelf life of current single use Alkaline and Lithium batteries is 7-10 years. The upkeep of keeping your batteries fresh is next to nothing. Hell, if you buy a 4 pack of batteries, and consume 1 every 6months you won't need to worry about them for 2 years.



No, I have several piles of micro-USB cables. They are used for charging a lot of my devices. However when I am out on the road I don't bring any with me. They are bulky (far bulkier than 1 or 2 AAAA batteries), get in the way and make a mess. I instead make sure I am fully charged before I head out and leave all cables at home. Batteries are a much preferred option than cables.

Costs would go up? Really? We are now at SP3; it has lots of changes different from the original SP--things that might lead one to conclude (back at the original SP days) to say, "No, that would increase costs, so don't do it" but here we are today with a much-improved product.

This is technology we are talking about; it improves over time and its costs decreases over time. My Bluetooth earpiece is rechargeable; my mouse is rechargeable; my cell phone is rechargeable; my MiFi is rechargeable; I even have an automatic soap dispenser at home that is micro-USB rechargeable--a soap dispenser of all things! And you mean to tell me that my Surface Pen cannot be rechargeable without greatly tipping the scale of the cost of the Surface?

As far as shelf life is concerned, when you buy one of those battery packs off the shelf, how long has it been on that shelf? The bottom line is that you do not know how long they will last and you have to be mindful of that and manage the situation accordingly.

No arguments here when it comes to cables, though! Whether they're earphones, computer cables, electrical cables, or whatever, I always end up in a tangled mess! Seriously, though, that's why I even upgraded my Bluetooth earpiece and standardized on one cable that can support both micro USB and Lightning. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like I'll be ditching from the iPhone anytime soon, so I'm stuck for a while.

 

[Lobo]

No arguments here when it comes to cables, though! Whether they're earphones, computer cables, electrical cables, or whatever, I always end up in a tangled mess!

I set up and service cash registers from all companies and ages. Sharp, Casio, Orderman, Micros, the whole nine yards. They all insist in different interfaces for their machines, not to mention the peripherals and different generations. A nightmare. All I need for my job is basically a SP3 and a double 53' box-trailer for the cables.

So yes, please tell me about a tangled mess.

 

[msolok]

Costs would go up? Really? We are now at SP3; it has lots of changes different from the original SP--things that might lead one to conclude (back at the original SP days) to say, "No, that would increase costs, so don't do it" but here we are today with a much-improved product.

Sure, when the extra cost outweighs any draw backs. The benefit of the chargeable battery is that every 6-12 months you don't have to replace a single AAAA battery. But the trade offs are much shorter battery life (which would be really annoying), lose of the devices only USB port for charging of the battery (very VERY annoying), a reduction in the battery life of the Surface itself (this will only be minute, but it when still be there), and much more limited life frame for the pen (as the tiny recharge battery that would fit int he pen would only have a finite life). The trade offs DO NOT justify benefits or extra cost.

And you mean to tell me that my Surface Pen cannot be rechargeable without greatly tipping the scale of the cost of the Surface?

No, more the cost of the pen itself will increase. Considering the cost of the pen is included in the original price of the Surface, there might be an impact there, but I am more just refering tot he pen itself.

As far as shelf life is concerned, when you buy one of those battery packs off the shelf, how long has it been on that shelf? The bottom line is that you do not know how long they will last and you have to be mindful of that and manage the situation accordingly.

Most batteries have dates printed on the box. Make sure your gab some from the shelf with a fair period of time left.