Hi Katie, the software changes will help the battery, but they won't "fix" it - you're correct in your assumption that a year-old battery is only going to improve so much. As Robert said, our CEO recently announced that we'd be servicing any mPowers that aren't showing acceptable behaviour as regards battery life. I'd guess the main issues would be be low capacity and/or short critical time - if you want further information regarding your battery issues, you can email me, either on or off the list. I've just dug out the email for any who missed it:
Dear HumanWare Customers, HumanWare would like to share with you news about ways in which we're improving quality and timeliness of our service to you. Over the past few months, some of you have experienced battery performance problems with your BrailleNote and VoiceNote mPowers. These problems include very rapid drops in battery level and the need to calibrate repeatedly. Since these problems have only affected a small number of customers, it has taken us a while to identify the source of the issue. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused those of you who were affected. You'll be pleased to know that we now have a solution. For those among you who have experienced problems, please contact us and schedule a time to ship your BrailleNote or VoiceNote mPower in for a free modification. We will not be able to modify all units immediately, but we will advise you at the time you call of when we will be able to modify your unit. For those of you who have not had problems, and this will be the vast majority of you, continue enjoying your BrailleNote or VoiceNote mPower without interruption. Be assured that if you ever send your unit in for repair or for the free cleaning we offer for units under warranty or service contract, our service department will automatically check to see if your unit needs the free modification. While we've been working on these battery issues, we've had to take special care before shipping units to customers to minimize the likelihood of these issues occurring. Because of this extra quality assurance procedure, we know there have been delays in getting our product to you. We apologize for this, as we know how important these products are to your achieving independence in all walks of life. Not only are we confident that you will see delivery times improve, but we have hired additional technical support, servicing, and quality assurance staff to ensure we meet your needs in the manner we want to, and in the way you have the right to expect. We appreciate your understanding and support. Dr Richard Mander CEO, Humanware ---- Andrew Riden Software Development Engineer HumanWare Ltd. 11 Mary Muller Drive, Christchurch, New Zealand. DDI +64 3 940 2264 Fax +64 3 384 4933 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Internet: www.humanware.com ___ To leave the BrailleNote list, send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To view the list archives or change your preferences, visit http://list.humanware.com/mailman/listinfo/braillenote
