[RoadRider]

How much of a difference do they really make over a days time with average business use - 60 - 120 minutes phone, 25-50 emails, few IM's, few SMS, 30 minutes web?

[bremere]

it's an unbelievable difference, i could not get thru the day with my orig case, got a case with a mag and good to go....

-emb

[GMK]

In addition to the sleep function which turns off the keyboard and screen so you don't get any inadvertent key presses, certain functions such as your profile, allows you to have different settings while under the magnet or not. Very worthwhile to have a magnet holster.

[dabull]

how is it any different from just holding down the star key?

[GMK]

Originally Posted by dabull

how is it any different from just holding down the star key?

If you want press buttons I guess its OK. If you use "keyboard lock" via the * key don't forget that you need to do a two finger * plus the send key to bring it out of standby. Also, the keyboard is locked but any key press will turn on the backlight, if your just pocketing the phone, the backlight could be on forever if a key is pressed. Keyboard lock is slightly different than standby or holstered mode.

On the latest o2 release the top mute key will put you in standby and take you out with one key press. This deactivates the backlight on a key press as well, until you come out of standby.

[zachok]

I have had the phone dial a phone number with keys locked while in my pocket.
don't ask me how...

[ivada]

Originally Posted by RoadRider

How much of a difference do they really make over a days time with average business use - 60 - 120 minutes phone, 25-50 emails, few IM's, few SMS, 30 minutes web?

Meh - for me it's more of a "Wow look how cool this is" rather than any real power saving benefit. I charge it every night anyway and it's plenty battery life without having to obsess over saving power any which way.

I also have keyboard lock assigned to my left convenience button so 1 press is all it takes to lock the keyboard and put it into sleep mode.

Just my $0.02.

[blawicki]

I'm personally a freak about battery life lol....like it dips a bar...im raging I may have to adapt having a blackberry *will have it in a few hrs*

[BigFrost]

The battery life is amazing on the Pearl, I use my phone as an mp3 player for about four hours while at work, and I talk maybe 50-60 minutes a day, with 10-20 SMS/MMS, and a few emails, and I don't even make it down to 50% by the end of my day.

[dabull]

its hard to tell for me. my vx9800 would last usually a week or sometimes even two before it need a charge. with the pearl, i pretty much have to charge it everyday. the difference is though, the pearl get 100x more use. on the vx9800 the multimedia features were so lame they were pretty much useless. and the online browser was a joke.

with the pearl, i now use email, browse the net for weather, 411 information, and even the music player is nice because it plays in the background. my vx9800 wouldnt multi-task anything at all, so i really never used it except for phone calls.

[rwcohen]

I don't have a magnet case, but I do put the phone through its paces with surfing, email and calls. I rarely didp below 75% of battery life. Not like the 7100 which I needed to charge twice a day sometimes.

[TheBigNewt]

Sometimes I'm in a place with no connection (voice) and it tries to connect. If I put it to sleep will it quit searching for a connection (and save power), or so I shut it off?

[GMK]

Originally Posted by TheBigNewt

Sometimes I'm in a place with no connection (voice) and it tries to connect. If I put it to sleep will it quit searching for a connection (and save power), or so I shut it off?

If in standby, keyboard lock or holstered 'sleep" you will still receive connections so if you are in a weak area, turning off the wireless will save battery level. Being in a very weak reception area really puts the drain on the BB as it has to ante up the watts or fractions thereof to maintain or get a signal.

[RoadRider]

From the responses thus far, seems that the biggest benefit of the magnet is preventing the display from turning on if a button is bumped while in the holster. What about the so-called sleep mode the magnet supposedly induced? Is this the standby mode?

The reason for asking the question about magnets is that if they are really not that useful (to me 20%+ battery saving) over a day, then a lot more cases become attractive.

[dwc]

The biggest benefit of a magnet case is that you don't have to hold down the mute button to sleep and wake the pearl.

[CarlosO]

I like it a lot. You never have to lock your phone or unlock. (I did set it to lock after an hr just in case I lose it) when u pull it out of the case it stops ringing. It even pulls up the new msg. coming from a PPC I am shocked at all the little things the BB put into the phone