Lithium ion batteries, common in the PDAs and dedicated, Gemstar-style devices used to read e-books, typically last just two or three years even if not used regularly. That tidbit comes from the Washington Post today.

True? Not sure. May well depend on which battery guru you quote. I myself have indeed noticed declining performance in my used Dell PDA’s auxiliary battery, which now will take only a 70 percent charge (of course maybe there’s some weird software-related glitch that may be the culprit, not the battery itself).

At any rate, battery age might be something to consider next time you see bargain batteries on sale on eBay. You may want to see if they come with an expiration date.

A few more details: Here’s the lowdown from Battery University sponsored by Cadex Electronics: “Lithium-ion benefits from a controlled life cycle test because the aspect of aging plays a less significant role. The service life of lithium-ion in real life is a combination of cycle count and aging. All batteries are affected by aging in various degrees.”

The good news: Remember, OLEDs are on the way and will consume less power and presumably will lower battery costs, one way or another. Also don’t forget the the Cholesteric Liquid Crystal Display technology that Kent Displays is refining. Even without power, existing images can remain on the screen. So instead of $75 batteries, you presumably need worry only about penlight cells.

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