Sony NW-A608 Battery/Charge Issue

[Wing]

Hi all,

I've been happily using my A608 for the last 5-6 months and I do believe it is the best investment I've made in terms of portable audio players. However, around a week ago, my A608 stopped charging properly. I would leave it charging overnight and maybe get 40-50 minutes of use outta it before it was almost completely drained. I automatically assumed that the battery is toast but before I go back to get it repaired/replaced, I would like to hear any insight or advice as to what could have happened and what I could try.

I use it daily on my way to/from work. My computer has never been subjected to a surge as it is protected via UPS. It always stays safely tucked inside the pouch which is always in my pocket and has never gotten wet. I may have dropped it on the ground once or twice, but it was a short fall.

I also noticed that Sonystyle Canada doesn't sell the A608 anymore, has it been discontinued?

Thanks in advance.

[navsimpson]

Heya,

The NWA608 prob has been discontinued as they are now selling the 2GB NWE005.

It sounds odd that your battery would just go from working normally to giving you just 40-50 minutes. Normal battery degredation tends to happen gradually. My HDD player was only giving me 7-8 hours while it was still under warranty and consequently I sent it in for repair. It came back saying that they had done some 'electrical realignment' and it did bump up my battery life by a few hours. Perhaps something similar has happened to you?

good luck,

Nav

[deviatorz]

Sounds like you got a bad battery with your player. I don't know if the warrenty covers battery related problems. If it doesn't, then you'll have to buy a new battery. Also, did you upgrade the firmware? The old firmware reduces battery life so it is recommended you upgrade it, or try reseting your player from the batton at the back.

Sorry this might sound offensive but do this at your own risk, I won't be held responsible for your actions.

Besides that, good luck fixing your player . Might I suggest getting the new SP2?

[Wing]

Luckily, the warranty covers parts and a battery defect is categorized as such. I've sent mine in for repair.

I tried updating the firmware but it didn't help.

I wouldn't want to change models, the A608 worked flawless for 6 months and it's really the (normal) battery life that I liked about it. I could easily get 36+ hours per charge.

[deviatorz]

That's good to know, just in case someone else or mine has a problem, I could still send it in for repairs. The only reason why I bought this player instead of the Ipod nano is because of the battery life. I listen to music everyday for 2 hours a day and I could use it for 3 weeks straight with no problem, and that's what I mostly liked about it. I really hate charging the battery, 2 reasons, one wastes time, and two, battery stability decreases every time you charge it so the less you charge it, the better your battery life stays. Anyways, to end this off, I know for one thing, and it's that it'll take a while before you get your player back, at least a month, from my previous experience and from my friends as well. Anyways, good luck!