On 10/2/2012 5:43 PM, William Sommerwerck wrote:
"Tom Biasi" wrote in message
...
On 10/2/2012 5:21 PM, jim stone wrote:

Not being able to find a small internet radio to buy we liked,
we got a mobile phone with which we link with WiFi to a modem
router, and use it as an internet radio.

Keeping the phoned plugged into its charger all the time, we are
using it to play *all-day* background classical music through an
amplifier and speakers.

Since the phone has no "moving parts" unlike a computer, we are
wondering if this continuous playing all day of the phone is going
to shorten its working life ?

Using anything shortens its working life.

Not so. There aren't any obvious failure mechanisms in solid-state devices
(other than dopant migration in high-power output transistors).

It's also true that most mechanical devices "like" moderate use. Letting
anything mechanical "sit" most of the time will probably cause it fail
sooner than if receives regular use.

It's now possible to build computers without moving parts (other than the
optical drives). My new computer has a solid-state "hard disk", and you
wouldn't believe how fast it boots up, or how fast programs start to run.


There are many factors that cause something to fail. I you don't use it,
it has no working life. I don't wish to play semantics but if you use it
you are using up it's working life.