Lenovo's ThinkPad ( http://www.laptop-battery.org/lenovo-laptop-battery.htm ) range has been a stalwart of the business landscape. It is a product line that seldom features cutting-edge design, but it's always robust and ready for the demands of on the go business users.
The ThinkPad Edge 14in uses an Intel Core i3-330M CPU, integrated HD graphics and 2GB of RAM (to this end it comes with the 32-bit version of Windows 7 Professional).
Storage is via a 250GB 5400rpm hard drive. The 14in screen uses the common 1366 x 768 resolution, and while it isn't the greatest we have seen it copes adequately with text and office tasks.
The screen is topped with an inbuilt microphone and webcam for videoconferencing needs, while the speakers are neatly embedded into the lid between the hinges, under the screen.
This hardware may not be jawdropping but it is perfectly adequate for the intended use. 2D performance pips that of our current A-List business laptop, but the life of the six cell battery is disappointingly average.
One of the most impressive aspects of the ThinkPad is the design. Rather than the whizz-bang glossy approach taken by nearly every other laptop manufacturer, Lenovo has gone for an incredibly functional design.
The screen has some give to it, but still feels solid. We were also enamoured with the isolated key keyboard - a departure for Lenovo - that feels as though it has been designed to cope with the kind of beating that a business laptop will take.
The distinctive dual Trackpoint and Touchpad design means that those familiar with either technology can use the laptop easily and as a side effect it pushes the keyboard towards the back of the chassis and provides a very comfortable palm rest.
It does lack some of the more future-proof technology that we are beginning to see on some manufacturers' laptops. While there is a single eSATA port, and an Expresscard slot, the three USB ports are USB 2.0.
There is the standard combination of D-Sub and HDMI outputs for the integrated graphics, giving options for attaching to external displays.
Overall the ThinkPad Edge 14in is a solid, all-round business laptop. It doesn't pretend to be a sleek consumer design; it is tailored to the rough and tumble environment in which a business laptop resides.
Performance is great but we do worry that the battery life falls behind some competing models.
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Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Acer Aspire TimelineX 4820TG 14-inch Laptop Review
The Acer Aspire TimelineX 4820TG is a 14-inch laptop that packs in an Intel Core i5-430M processor and dedicated ATI Radeon HD 5650 graphics, making it a powerful 14-inch laptop – at least on paper. It also claims to offer eight hours of laptop battery life.
The Acer Aspire TimelineX 4820T-3697 is a thin laptop with a somewhat industrial, business-like design that is complimented by a slick brushed aluminum cover. Under the hood you get a 2.4GHz Intel Core i5-450M dual-core processor with Turbo Boost Technology and 3 MB L3 cache. Intel Turbo Boost technology helps provide you with more performance when you need it. The way it works is that the processor automatically adapts its speed according to whatever you’re doing at the moment. So when you start doing a processor intensive task, the processor will get faster. The processor will then slow down when you’re doing low performance tasks. This helps contribute to the energy efficiency of a PC and can help improve battery life. And in this case, the Acer Aspire TimelineX AS4820T’s battery life really excels.
Other features include a 500GB 5400RPM hard drive, 4GB of ram, Intel HD Graphics, 4GB of ram, a 8x SuperMulti DVD±R/RW drive, 1.3megapixel HD web cam with a 1280 x 1024 resolution, stereo speakers with third-generation Dolby Home Theater audio, Wireless-N Wi-Fi, ethernet, Bluetooth 3.0, a multi-in-1 digital media card reader, 4 usb ports, and HDMI output for playing back movies on a TV or external LCD.
The Acer Aspire TimelineX 4820TG is well built, and although not quite ultraportable, it’s thin and weighs 2.1kg (with a six-cell battery) and has a form factor that’s easy to carry around compared to other 14-inch laptops – like the Dell Studio 14 Artist Edition and Acer Aspire 4740.This young Timeline member comes packaged with a 3-pin plug to AC adaptor for the supplied AC adaptor that juices up the machine of course. A quick guide, limited product warranty and international travelers warranty are included among the paperwork that comes with it. There’s also a soft cleaning cloth for those who are in the habit of wiping down their laptops instead of counting on their full-sleeved garments to do the job miraculously like yours truly. Acer has been more generous with the software as compared to the hardware and other frills and fancies. The laptop is loaded with the Windows 7 Home Premium OS, Norton Online Backup Security, McAfee Internet Security Suite 2009 trial, Microsoft Office Personal 2007, Microsoft Office Trial, Adobe Flash Player 10, Acer Video Conference Manager, Windows Live Essentials, a host of trial versions of games and more.
The high-definition Acer Cine Crystal LED-backlit TFT LCD impressed us with clear visuals, thanks to its 1366 x 768 pixel resolution. We could also easily execute our tasks faster with simultaneous multi-window viewing, a praiseworthy innovation for those who’d like to close and open windows at regular intervals for a flake of fun (just a guess). The image clarity is good enough to keep you grooving over your favorite artists’ videos or favorite comedy flicks for long hours. The screen is definitely bright, like what we’ve seen earlier from Acer, and didn’t disappoint us with any dim horizontal angle viewing.
Overall, the Acer Aspire TimelineX 4820T is a well designed laptop that doesn’t sacrifice notebook battery life in lieu of performance. It has some flaws – including a mediocre LED display, but for the price you’re getting a capable machine. The Acer Aspire TimelineX AS4820T recently dropped in price from $849 on Amazon to $796.73 The laptop also comes with a one year International warranty.
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Top 10 Back to School PC Buying Tips
We give you the ten top tips for finding that perfect desktop or laptop for your schooling needs.
The return to the school year is often fraught with various decisions to make. One of the most important is what kind of PC you should get, particularly if you're off to college. We give you the ten top tips for finding that perfect desktop or laptop for your schooling needs.
1. Desktop, notebook, or tablet? If you like to type notes in class or work on papers in the library (or the quad), choose a notebook. Tablets work well in classrooms because the writing is noiseless, and if the professor draws diagrams, you can too. If you'd rather have high performance or a larger screen over portability, and cost is a top priority, choose a desktop.
2. Picking the right processor. For a desktop system, you don't necessarily need the fastest processor. A 1.6 or 1.7GHz processor is fine for writing papers and surfing the Internet. To help with better multitasking or multimedia tasks, go with a dual-core or better yet, a quad/six-core CPU, such as the Intel Core i5, i7, or the AMD Phenom II X4 or X6.
When picking a laptop, look for a mobile processor that's strong but won't run down your laptop battery too fast. A dual core Intel Core i3 or Core i5 processor will usually does the trick, but you should also pair it with a decently sized battery. Research the battery life. Not all systems fare the same even with the same processor; battery lives vary from 3 to 7 hours.
3. How far to go with graphics. If your schoolwork is basic word processing, spreadsheets, Web surfing, and e-mail, then an integrated graphics chip will suffice. If you do 3D rendering or have a yen to do digital-editing, steer clear of integrated graphics and get the best graphics card you can afford. If you're into gaming, a graphics card can make or break a winning streak. If you're a middle-of-the-road gamer, go with cards like the ATI Radeon 5850 or the Nvidia GeForce GTX 460 for desktops and the ATI Mobility Radeon 5000 series or the Nvidia GeForce 300M Series for laptops. Toshiba PA3641U-1BRS battery
4. Hard drives (where size and speed matters). Get a big hard drive—500GB minimum on a desktop and 320GB for a laptop—if you're tackling Video Editing 101 and hope to graduate with Spielberg honors. Look for systems with an eSATA port, which can take storage beyond the included drive and not be hampered by USB speeds. USB 3.0 is a new interface standard that's faster (with the right port), plus it's backwards compatible with USB 2.0.
5. Upgrade to 4GB of memory. Even the most affordable systems come standard with 4GB of memory (1GB for netbooks). It's the least expensive way to squeeze the best performance from your system. We recommend upgrading to at least 2GB on a netbook, and if a bigger laptop doesn't have 4GB, then you should look elsewhere. The additional cost of upgrading is minimal, and the performance boost you get in return is definitely worth the money.
6. The importance of being wireless. All laptops today have wireless capability, some more than others. Wi-Fi is the most common wireless method, and most campuses have wireless 802.11 networks in place. Some schools will even allow you to setup your own router in your dorm room, in case you want a stronger signal. Laptops that offer 3G connectivity are growing in numbers, though monthly plans are still rather expensive. But being connected to the internet at all times is a luxury, especially during long train or bus commutes to class.
7. DVD burner or bust. Don't settle for anything less than an optical drive (or drives, if you're getting a desktop) that burns and reads dual=layer DVDs. Nearly all desktops now come with dual-layer DVD+/-RW drives that can write to optical discs that hold up to 7.95GB of data. BlurRay drives are coming down in price, and you can find one in a laptop or desktop without going over budget. With it, you enjoy all the latest flicks in full 1080p glory. Of course, buying a laptop without an optical is not a bad idea if you rarely use one. You'll have more room in your backpack for textbooks or gym clothes.
8. Easy on the eyes. Consider a 24-inch LCD monitor for your desktop; it's a good-size display that will still save space on your tiny dorm room desk. Bigger can still be better: If you have the room, 27-inch LCDs are the new big monitors on campus. Regardless, look for true 1080p or 1,920 by 1,080 resolution, so you can watch online videos and Blu-ray in full 1080p HD.
On a laptop, you want a screen that won't make you squint halfway through your midterm paper but isn't so huge that it weighs down the system. Laptop screens add weight and rob battery life as they go up in size. The key is a balance between screen size and portability; 13- to 15-inch screens seem to achieve this best.
9. Windows 7? Most people will choose between different versions of Windows 7 if they're buying a brand new desktop or laptop this year. The version of Windows 7 hinges on what type of laptop you buy: A mainstream laptop or desktop will more often than not have Windows 7 Home Premium, whereas a netbook will ship with Windows 7 Starter Edition. The differences between the two are minor at best, with Starter Edition lacking some visual eye-candy, tools like Media Center and Mobile Center, and placing a 2GB maximum on system memory. Other Windows 7 versions like Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate are tailored to more sophisticated users, like business professionals. A 64-bit version of Windows 7 will allow your PC to address system memory beyond 3GB, which is why the Starter Edition is capped at 32-bits.
10. Know your Warranty. Almost every desktop or laptop is backed by at least a 1-year complimentary parts and labor warranty (Systems bought from a retailer like Costco actually come with a 2-year warranty). Extended warranties are also available, but that depends on who you are as a user. The standard warranty doesn't cover accidents that stem from a spilled drink, a little brother that rips off a button, or a drop on a hard surface. Most vendors sell accident coverage as a separate plan, on top of extended warranties that work on top of a standard one, so you might end up spending close to $300 for three years of coverage. Apple offers a maximum 3-year extended warranty ($250), while most Windows-based desktop and laptop vendors will offer up to 4 years. Toshiba PA3636U-1BRL battery
Our rule of thumb is that if the warranty costs more than 15 percent of the total laptop price, you're better off spending the money on backup drives or services that minimize downtime in case something does go awry. Of course, you can't put a price tag on peace of mind. There are instances when the logic board or the display—the most expensive pieces of a laptop—fail, and while rare, that can cost you half of what the laptop is worth. Faulty components usually break down during the first year; anything after that is probably your fault.
Laptop-Battery.org sell high quality and low, discount price replacement batteries, laptop batteries, replacement laptop batteries, notebook batteries, digital camera batteries, Cordless Drill Batteries, camcorder batteries, laptop AC/DC adapters,Cell Phone Batteries and battery chargers. etc.
The return to the school year is often fraught with various decisions to make. One of the most important is what kind of PC you should get, particularly if you're off to college. We give you the ten top tips for finding that perfect desktop or laptop for your schooling needs.
1. Desktop, notebook, or tablet? If you like to type notes in class or work on papers in the library (or the quad), choose a notebook. Tablets work well in classrooms because the writing is noiseless, and if the professor draws diagrams, you can too. If you'd rather have high performance or a larger screen over portability, and cost is a top priority, choose a desktop.
2. Picking the right processor. For a desktop system, you don't necessarily need the fastest processor. A 1.6 or 1.7GHz processor is fine for writing papers and surfing the Internet. To help with better multitasking or multimedia tasks, go with a dual-core or better yet, a quad/six-core CPU, such as the Intel Core i5, i7, or the AMD Phenom II X4 or X6.
When picking a laptop, look for a mobile processor that's strong but won't run down your laptop battery too fast. A dual core Intel Core i3 or Core i5 processor will usually does the trick, but you should also pair it with a decently sized battery. Research the battery life. Not all systems fare the same even with the same processor; battery lives vary from 3 to 7 hours.
3. How far to go with graphics. If your schoolwork is basic word processing, spreadsheets, Web surfing, and e-mail, then an integrated graphics chip will suffice. If you do 3D rendering or have a yen to do digital-editing, steer clear of integrated graphics and get the best graphics card you can afford. If you're into gaming, a graphics card can make or break a winning streak. If you're a middle-of-the-road gamer, go with cards like the ATI Radeon 5850 or the Nvidia GeForce GTX 460 for desktops and the ATI Mobility Radeon 5000 series or the Nvidia GeForce 300M Series for laptops. Toshiba PA3641U-1BRS battery
4. Hard drives (where size and speed matters). Get a big hard drive—500GB minimum on a desktop and 320GB for a laptop—if you're tackling Video Editing 101 and hope to graduate with Spielberg honors. Look for systems with an eSATA port, which can take storage beyond the included drive and not be hampered by USB speeds. USB 3.0 is a new interface standard that's faster (with the right port), plus it's backwards compatible with USB 2.0.
5. Upgrade to 4GB of memory. Even the most affordable systems come standard with 4GB of memory (1GB for netbooks). It's the least expensive way to squeeze the best performance from your system. We recommend upgrading to at least 2GB on a netbook, and if a bigger laptop doesn't have 4GB, then you should look elsewhere. The additional cost of upgrading is minimal, and the performance boost you get in return is definitely worth the money.
6. The importance of being wireless. All laptops today have wireless capability, some more than others. Wi-Fi is the most common wireless method, and most campuses have wireless 802.11 networks in place. Some schools will even allow you to setup your own router in your dorm room, in case you want a stronger signal. Laptops that offer 3G connectivity are growing in numbers, though monthly plans are still rather expensive. But being connected to the internet at all times is a luxury, especially during long train or bus commutes to class.
7. DVD burner or bust. Don't settle for anything less than an optical drive (or drives, if you're getting a desktop) that burns and reads dual=layer DVDs. Nearly all desktops now come with dual-layer DVD+/-RW drives that can write to optical discs that hold up to 7.95GB of data. BlurRay drives are coming down in price, and you can find one in a laptop or desktop without going over budget. With it, you enjoy all the latest flicks in full 1080p glory. Of course, buying a laptop without an optical is not a bad idea if you rarely use one. You'll have more room in your backpack for textbooks or gym clothes.
8. Easy on the eyes. Consider a 24-inch LCD monitor for your desktop; it's a good-size display that will still save space on your tiny dorm room desk. Bigger can still be better: If you have the room, 27-inch LCDs are the new big monitors on campus. Regardless, look for true 1080p or 1,920 by 1,080 resolution, so you can watch online videos and Blu-ray in full 1080p HD.
On a laptop, you want a screen that won't make you squint halfway through your midterm paper but isn't so huge that it weighs down the system. Laptop screens add weight and rob battery life as they go up in size. The key is a balance between screen size and portability; 13- to 15-inch screens seem to achieve this best.
9. Windows 7? Most people will choose between different versions of Windows 7 if they're buying a brand new desktop or laptop this year. The version of Windows 7 hinges on what type of laptop you buy: A mainstream laptop or desktop will more often than not have Windows 7 Home Premium, whereas a netbook will ship with Windows 7 Starter Edition. The differences between the two are minor at best, with Starter Edition lacking some visual eye-candy, tools like Media Center and Mobile Center, and placing a 2GB maximum on system memory. Other Windows 7 versions like Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate are tailored to more sophisticated users, like business professionals. A 64-bit version of Windows 7 will allow your PC to address system memory beyond 3GB, which is why the Starter Edition is capped at 32-bits.
10. Know your Warranty. Almost every desktop or laptop is backed by at least a 1-year complimentary parts and labor warranty (Systems bought from a retailer like Costco actually come with a 2-year warranty). Extended warranties are also available, but that depends on who you are as a user. The standard warranty doesn't cover accidents that stem from a spilled drink, a little brother that rips off a button, or a drop on a hard surface. Most vendors sell accident coverage as a separate plan, on top of extended warranties that work on top of a standard one, so you might end up spending close to $300 for three years of coverage. Apple offers a maximum 3-year extended warranty ($250), while most Windows-based desktop and laptop vendors will offer up to 4 years. Toshiba PA3636U-1BRL battery
Our rule of thumb is that if the warranty costs more than 15 percent of the total laptop price, you're better off spending the money on backup drives or services that minimize downtime in case something does go awry. Of course, you can't put a price tag on peace of mind. There are instances when the logic board or the display—the most expensive pieces of a laptop—fail, and while rare, that can cost you half of what the laptop is worth. Faulty components usually break down during the first year; anything after that is probably your fault.
Laptop-Battery.org sell high quality and low, discount price replacement batteries, laptop batteries, replacement laptop batteries, notebook batteries, digital camera batteries, Cordless Drill Batteries, camcorder batteries, laptop AC/DC adapters,Cell Phone Batteries and battery chargers. etc.
Don't lose control of battery usage
If you have recently purchased a new Android smart phone or even if you have been using one for years, one of your main concerns is probably the laptop battery life. With all of the apps available to download, home screen widgets to give you all the information you need at a glance, and even basic functions of the operating system, it’s easy to lose control of your battery usage. Here are a few tips on how to get it back.
First, know what’s causing the problem. In the “about phone” section of the main settings, there is a battery use utility. It displays items and the percentage of the power it used since it was last unplugged. It does not show use from previous battery use so checking this multiple times will help you catch every battery hog. This should be your guide to what battery issues to address first and which tips you can simply ignore.
The biggest culprit is the display. It may look nice when it’s at its brightest but setting it to the lowest acceptable setting is key. There is an automatic brightness feature in the display settings but it’s best to set it manually, or change it as needed with the power control widget. Also, lowering the screen timeout to 15 or 30 seconds, turns off the display when not being used.
Other core functions should be monitored closely as well. Wifi and Bluetooth will search for wireless networks and devices even when your phone is idle, GPS can be used by idle applications to get your location, and sync may be updating your e-mail and other apps more often than you need. These can all be turned on and off using the power control widget as well.
Many apps require data to be transferred in order to keep you updated while on the go. Facebook and Twitter are the most popular, but these along with most others will come set to update very quickly. Most every app will have an option to change how often it updates, and if it doesn’t have that option it might be best to find a different one that does. If the app also comes paired with a widget, it is wise not to use it if you don’t need to. Widgets are constantly active when the home screen is visible, and sometimes even when its not, draining much more power when doing basic tasks like text messaging or switching between apps.
There are also many apps that run idle in the background while you do other tasks, requiring processing power even when not in use. Installing an app like advanced task cleaner or taskiller will allow you to automatically turn off specific applications running in the background after you stop using them, or when you turn your phone off. If you see many apps running that you don’t even use, uninstalling them (Settings/Application settings/Manage applications) is the best solution.
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Batteries can be transported safely
I read with interest and then dismay the article about lithium-ion batteries that asked, "Are these batteries the next threat to flier safety?" The answer is no (Cover story, Money, Aug. 16).
Over the past decade, passengers have brought millions of lithium-ion batteries and millions of portable electronic devices — cellphones, laptop computers, portable DVD players, even medical defibrillators — on board an aircraft without incident. These notebook batteries and products also have been transported by air safely when those shipments complied with existing hazardous materials regulations.
Of the 113 battery "incidents" cited by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), more than half did not involve lithium-ion or lithium-metal batteries. Many cases were due to shippers who failed to comply with existing hazardous materials regulations.
There also is a misperception about regulation of products carried onto aircraft by passengers. Hazardous materials regulations in fact do impose carry-on restrictions for small lithium-ion batteries. The regulations state that passengers may carry these batteries or equipment onboard the aircraft only if intended for personal use. The regulations also require each spare battery be individually protected to prevent short circuits. The passenger who brought 58 cellphones, batteries and chargers on the American Airlines flight appeared to be in violation of the rules.
Finally, FAA testing has demonstrated that fire suppression agents installed in transport category aircraft are effective in suppressing a lithium-ion battery fire, and testing by the UK Civil Aviation Authority has confirmed that any fire that might occur in a passenger cabin can readily be controlled.
laptop-battery.org ------- sell high quality and low, discount price replacement batteries, laptop batteries, replacement laptop batteries, notebook batteries, digital camera batteries, Cordless Drill Batteries, camcorder batteries, laptop AC/DC adapters,Cell Phone Batteries and battery chargers. etc.
Over the past decade, passengers have brought millions of lithium-ion batteries and millions of portable electronic devices — cellphones, laptop computers, portable DVD players, even medical defibrillators — on board an aircraft without incident. These notebook batteries and products also have been transported by air safely when those shipments complied with existing hazardous materials regulations.
Of the 113 battery "incidents" cited by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), more than half did not involve lithium-ion or lithium-metal batteries. Many cases were due to shippers who failed to comply with existing hazardous materials regulations.
There also is a misperception about regulation of products carried onto aircraft by passengers. Hazardous materials regulations in fact do impose carry-on restrictions for small lithium-ion batteries. The regulations state that passengers may carry these batteries or equipment onboard the aircraft only if intended for personal use. The regulations also require each spare battery be individually protected to prevent short circuits. The passenger who brought 58 cellphones, batteries and chargers on the American Airlines flight appeared to be in violation of the rules.
Finally, FAA testing has demonstrated that fire suppression agents installed in transport category aircraft are effective in suppressing a lithium-ion battery fire, and testing by the UK Civil Aviation Authority has confirmed that any fire that might occur in a passenger cabin can readily be controlled.
laptop-battery.org ------- sell high quality and low, discount price replacement batteries, laptop batteries, replacement laptop batteries, notebook batteries, digital camera batteries, Cordless Drill Batteries, camcorder batteries, laptop AC/DC adapters,Cell Phone Batteries and battery chargers. etc.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Does your laptop's battery keep going and going?
The march forward has been steady enough that it might have gone unnoticed, but the battery life for laptop PCs and other portable devices is getting longer. In the GCN Lab’s May 2007 roundup of laptop PCs, the Dell Latitude D830 lasted the longest in the Lab’s worst-case-scenario battery test, clocking a time of 3 hours, 4 minutes. In this year’s laptop roundup, Apple’s MacBook Pro led the field with a time of 5 hours, 13 minutes.That’s a sign of progress for mobile users, reflecting advances in the development of lower-power systems, for one thing. But it’s not that simple, of course. A lot of factors go into the battery life of a mobile device, including the type of processors, display screens and the batteries themselves – say, whether they are six, eight or nine cells. A laptop manufacturer looking to make a light, highly portable machine might sacrifice battery life for the lighter weight of a smaller battery, for instance.
Nevertheless, if battery life is paramount to you, the length of time
your laptop keeps running outweighs, as it were, those other factors.
And, overall, manufacturers have been making progress. So, how did the
six laptops the Lab recently reviewed stack up in this category?
The Lab tests battery life by running a movie on the hard drive, with
the screen brightness and sound each set to 80 percent, a scenario
designed to put a lot of stress on the battery. Most users -- the ones
not using their PCs as a home theater system substitute -- would find
that their laptops last longer than the time listed here.
The top battery performers from this year’s review:
* Apple MacBook Pro: 5 hours, 13 minutes.
* Lenovo ThinkPad W510: 3 hours, 21 minutes.
* Samsung P580: 2 hours, 33 minutes.
* HP EliteBook 8540w: 2 hours, 10 minutes.
* Sony Vaio EB Series: 2 hours, 2 minutes.
* Fujitsu LifeBook E780: 1 hour, 49 minutes.
The laptops in that review were powerhouse machines, posting high
scores on the PassMark Benchmark tests the Lab uses. But if you need
that much juice, you might opt for a netbook. They're small, light and
inexpensive, but with less powerful processors – though still adequate
for many uses. Netbooks might not have big batteries, but they don’t
really need them.
Battery life times from the Lab’s November 2009 netbook roundup:
* Toshiba Mini NB205-N210: 6 hours, 17 minutes.
* Sony Vaio W-series: 4 hours, 30 minutes.
* Dell Latitude 2100: 4 hours, 28 minutes.
* HP Mini 5101: 4 hours, 5 minutes.
* Fijutsu M2010: 3 hours, 42 minutes.
* Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2: 2 hours, 35 minutes.
If you need power and durability in the field, of course, rugged laptops are the obvious choice. You have to accept extra weight for the power and ruggedization, but you don’t have to trade off notebook battery life, in most cases. Battery times for laptops and convertible tablet PCs from the Lab’s October 2009 rugged roundup:
* Panasonic Toughbook 30: 6 hours, 14 minutes.
* General Dynamics Itronix GD 8000: 4 hours, 45 minutes.
* Getac V100: 2 hours, 6 minutes.
In July 2010, the Lab tested the new Toughbook 31. It lasted 4 hours, 30 minutes in the battery test, but it’s also worth noting that it’s a much more powerful machine than the 30, scoring nearly twice as high on the PassMark Benchmark test.
Short laptop battery life was once the bane of mobile computing, but these days it’s fairly easy to find a device that will at least get you through most domestic flights, or let you work from the back porch. And even longer times could be ahead, considering that the Apple iPad typically get 10 hours from a single charge.
Nevertheless, if battery life is paramount to you, the length of time
your laptop keeps running outweighs, as it were, those other factors.
And, overall, manufacturers have been making progress. So, how did the
six laptops the Lab recently reviewed stack up in this category?
The Lab tests battery life by running a movie on the hard drive, with
the screen brightness and sound each set to 80 percent, a scenario
designed to put a lot of stress on the battery. Most users -- the ones
not using their PCs as a home theater system substitute -- would find
that their laptops last longer than the time listed here.
The top battery performers from this year’s review:
* Apple MacBook Pro: 5 hours, 13 minutes.
* Lenovo ThinkPad W510: 3 hours, 21 minutes.
* Samsung P580: 2 hours, 33 minutes.
* HP EliteBook 8540w: 2 hours, 10 minutes.
* Sony Vaio EB Series: 2 hours, 2 minutes.
* Fujitsu LifeBook E780: 1 hour, 49 minutes.
The laptops in that review were powerhouse machines, posting high
scores on the PassMark Benchmark tests the Lab uses. But if you need
that much juice, you might opt for a netbook. They're small, light and
inexpensive, but with less powerful processors – though still adequate
for many uses. Netbooks might not have big batteries, but they don’t
really need them.
Battery life times from the Lab’s November 2009 netbook roundup:
* Toshiba Mini NB205-N210: 6 hours, 17 minutes.
* Sony Vaio W-series: 4 hours, 30 minutes.
* Dell Latitude 2100: 4 hours, 28 minutes.
* HP Mini 5101: 4 hours, 5 minutes.
* Fijutsu M2010: 3 hours, 42 minutes.
* Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2: 2 hours, 35 minutes.
If you need power and durability in the field, of course, rugged laptops are the obvious choice. You have to accept extra weight for the power and ruggedization, but you don’t have to trade off notebook battery life, in most cases. Battery times for laptops and convertible tablet PCs from the Lab’s October 2009 rugged roundup:
* Panasonic Toughbook 30: 6 hours, 14 minutes.
* General Dynamics Itronix GD 8000: 4 hours, 45 minutes.
* Getac V100: 2 hours, 6 minutes.
In July 2010, the Lab tested the new Toughbook 31. It lasted 4 hours, 30 minutes in the battery test, but it’s also worth noting that it’s a much more powerful machine than the 30, scoring nearly twice as high on the PassMark Benchmark test.
Short laptop battery life was once the bane of mobile computing, but these days it’s fairly easy to find a device that will at least get you through most domestic flights, or let you work from the back porch. And even longer times could be ahead, considering that the Apple iPad typically get 10 hours from a single charge.
Six things laptops can learn from Apple iPad
Apple sold 3.3 million iPads in Q2, the product’s first quarter on the market. That was more than the number of MacBook laptops (2.5 million) that the company sold in Q2. Plus, the two products combined catapulted Apple from No. 7 in the global notebook market to No. 3.
Meanwhile, all of the other top five notebook vendors saw their growth slow during the same period, suggesting that the iPad cut into their sales. Will these iPad numbers be a short-term bump based on the unparalleled hype and anticipation for the product, or will it be amplified even further during the back-to-school and holiday seasons? That will be one of the most interesting trends to watch during the second half of 2010.
APPLE A1185, MA566 Laptop Battery
Nevertheless, the iPad has already sold enough units to alarm laptop makers and make them contemplate how to react. Nearly all of them are already working on competing tablets, powered by Google Android in most cases.
But, laptop makers should also look at the factors that are triggering the iPad’s popularity and consider how some of those factors could be co-opted into notebooks. Here are the top six:
1. Battery life is a killer feature
When Apple first shared the technical specs of the iPad and claimed 10 hours of battery life, I rolled my eyes. Published battery life numbers rarely hold up in the real world. However, the iPad actually exceeded expectations. I’ve easily milked 11-12 hours of battery life out of the iPad, and others such as Walt Mossberg of The Wall Street Journal have reported the same thing.
This kind of battery performance is huge for business professionals because it untethers them from a charger for an entire business day. Whether it’s for a full day of meetings or a cross-country flight, they can focus on their work without having to worry about finding a place to plug in at some point. I’ve see several business users state that this was their primary incentive for using the iPad.
2. Instant On changes the equation
The fact that you can simply click the iPad’s power button and have it instantly awake from its sleep state and be ready to pull up a Web page, glance at a calendar, or access an email is another major plus. Compare that to dragging your laptop into a conference room, for example. Even the best laptops with Windows, Mac, or Linux take about 30 seconds to boot and then you have to log in and wait some more until the OS is ready.
You don’t always want to fire up your laptop at the beginning of a meeting and leave it on because then you could get distracted or appear as if you’re not paying attention to the other people in the room. But, if something comes up and you want to quickly access your information, then you want it instantaneously so that you don’t have to tell the other people in the room, “Hang on for a second while I pull up that data,” which can break the flow of the conversation and even make you look unprepared.
APPLE MB771 battery
While some laptops can accomplish something similar by quickly going in and out of a sleep state when you flip the lid open or closed, this can regularly cause problems with wireless networking and other basic functionality, and tends not to be as quick as the iPad.
3. Centralize the software
The feature that made the iPad infinitely more useful for lots of different tasks is its massive platform of third party applications, which are all available in a central repository (that’s the key feature) — the Apple App Store . The App Store also serves another valuable function: All updates for iPad apps are handled there as well.
Contrast that with laptops where you can get software preloaded on your compter, buy software shrink-wrapped, or download it from the Internet, and then nearly all of the different programs have their own software updaters. It’s a much more complicated and confusing process for the average user. There’s no reason why a desktop/laptop OS platform can’t have an app store. I recently noted that Ubuntu Linux 10.04 offers a nice step in that direction.
4. Simple interfaces are best
There’s a classic children’s book called Simple Pictures Are Best where a photographer is trying to do a family portrait and the family keeps wanting to try crazy things and add more stuff to the portrait and the photographer keeps repeating time and time again, “Simple pictures are best.”
It’s the same with a user interface. There’s a natural tendency to want to keep trying to toss in more things to satisfy lots of different use cases. But, the more discipline you can maintain, the better the UI will be. Since the iPad runs on Apple’s iOS (smartphone) operating system, it is extremely limited in many ways. However, those limitations also make it self-evident to most users because it requires little to no training. People can just point and tap their way through the apps and menus.
Software makers have been attemtping simplified versions of the traditional OS interface for years, from Microsoft Bob to Windows Media Center to Apple Front Row. None of them have worked very well. The question may be one of OS rather than UI. Could a thin, basic laptop run a smartphone OS? I expect that we’ll see several vendors try it in the year ahead.
5. Most users consume, not create
One of the biggest complaints about the iPad is that it offers a subpar experience for creating content. There’s no denying it, and frankly it’s one of the reasons that I personally don’t use the iPad very much. It’s mostly a reader of books, documents, and files for me, because when I go online I typically do a lot of content creation, from writing articles on TechRepublic to posting photos on Flickr to posting tech news updates on Twitter.
However, I’m not the average user. Even with the spread of social networking, which is much more interactive, the 90-9-1 principle still applies across most of the Web. That means only 1% of users are actual content creators, while 9% are commenters and modifiers, and the remaining 90% are simply readers or consumers. The iPad is a great device for content consumers. But, it’s not very good for the creators and modifiers, who are both strong candidates to stick with today’s laptop form factors, which are perfect for people who type a lot and manipulate content.
That leaves a huge market that could be easy pickings for the iPad. As a result, vendors need to think about ways to make laptops better content consumption devices.
6. Size matters
Being able to carry the iPad without a laptop bag is another huge plus. The power adapter is even small enough to roll up and put in a pocket, a jacket, or a purse. The diminutive size of the iPad can make business professionals feel as if they are traveling very light, especially if they’re used to lugging a laptop bag that included the laptop and a bunch of accessories to support it. On a plane, working with the iPad on a tray table is a much more roomy experience than trying to use most laptops.
The lightweight nature of the iPad can also make it more likely that professionals will carry it into a conference room or into someone else’s office to show a document or a Web page, for example.
APPLE A1175 Battery
There are plenty of ultraportable laptops on the market from virtually every vendor, but these tend to be specialty machines and are often higher priced. In light of the iPad’s success, vendors might want to rethink their ultraportable strategy by looking to make these devices smaller, less expensive, and better on battery life. They may also consider experimenting with a mobile OS such as Android on some of these devices.
Meanwhile, all of the other top five notebook vendors saw their growth slow during the same period, suggesting that the iPad cut into their sales. Will these iPad numbers be a short-term bump based on the unparalleled hype and anticipation for the product, or will it be amplified even further during the back-to-school and holiday seasons? That will be one of the most interesting trends to watch during the second half of 2010.
APPLE A1185, MA566 Laptop Battery
Nevertheless, the iPad has already sold enough units to alarm laptop makers and make them contemplate how to react. Nearly all of them are already working on competing tablets, powered by Google Android in most cases.
But, laptop makers should also look at the factors that are triggering the iPad’s popularity and consider how some of those factors could be co-opted into notebooks. Here are the top six:
1. Battery life is a killer feature
When Apple first shared the technical specs of the iPad and claimed 10 hours of battery life, I rolled my eyes. Published battery life numbers rarely hold up in the real world. However, the iPad actually exceeded expectations. I’ve easily milked 11-12 hours of battery life out of the iPad, and others such as Walt Mossberg of The Wall Street Journal have reported the same thing.
This kind of battery performance is huge for business professionals because it untethers them from a charger for an entire business day. Whether it’s for a full day of meetings or a cross-country flight, they can focus on their work without having to worry about finding a place to plug in at some point. I’ve see several business users state that this was their primary incentive for using the iPad.
2. Instant On changes the equation
The fact that you can simply click the iPad’s power button and have it instantly awake from its sleep state and be ready to pull up a Web page, glance at a calendar, or access an email is another major plus. Compare that to dragging your laptop into a conference room, for example. Even the best laptops with Windows, Mac, or Linux take about 30 seconds to boot and then you have to log in and wait some more until the OS is ready.
You don’t always want to fire up your laptop at the beginning of a meeting and leave it on because then you could get distracted or appear as if you’re not paying attention to the other people in the room. But, if something comes up and you want to quickly access your information, then you want it instantaneously so that you don’t have to tell the other people in the room, “Hang on for a second while I pull up that data,” which can break the flow of the conversation and even make you look unprepared.
APPLE MB771 battery
While some laptops can accomplish something similar by quickly going in and out of a sleep state when you flip the lid open or closed, this can regularly cause problems with wireless networking and other basic functionality, and tends not to be as quick as the iPad.
3. Centralize the software
The feature that made the iPad infinitely more useful for lots of different tasks is its massive platform of third party applications, which are all available in a central repository (that’s the key feature) — the Apple App Store . The App Store also serves another valuable function: All updates for iPad apps are handled there as well.
Contrast that with laptops where you can get software preloaded on your compter, buy software shrink-wrapped, or download it from the Internet, and then nearly all of the different programs have their own software updaters. It’s a much more complicated and confusing process for the average user. There’s no reason why a desktop/laptop OS platform can’t have an app store. I recently noted that Ubuntu Linux 10.04 offers a nice step in that direction.
4. Simple interfaces are best
There’s a classic children’s book called Simple Pictures Are Best where a photographer is trying to do a family portrait and the family keeps wanting to try crazy things and add more stuff to the portrait and the photographer keeps repeating time and time again, “Simple pictures are best.”
It’s the same with a user interface. There’s a natural tendency to want to keep trying to toss in more things to satisfy lots of different use cases. But, the more discipline you can maintain, the better the UI will be. Since the iPad runs on Apple’s iOS (smartphone) operating system, it is extremely limited in many ways. However, those limitations also make it self-evident to most users because it requires little to no training. People can just point and tap their way through the apps and menus.
Software makers have been attemtping simplified versions of the traditional OS interface for years, from Microsoft Bob to Windows Media Center to Apple Front Row. None of them have worked very well. The question may be one of OS rather than UI. Could a thin, basic laptop run a smartphone OS? I expect that we’ll see several vendors try it in the year ahead.
5. Most users consume, not create
One of the biggest complaints about the iPad is that it offers a subpar experience for creating content. There’s no denying it, and frankly it’s one of the reasons that I personally don’t use the iPad very much. It’s mostly a reader of books, documents, and files for me, because when I go online I typically do a lot of content creation, from writing articles on TechRepublic to posting photos on Flickr to posting tech news updates on Twitter.
However, I’m not the average user. Even with the spread of social networking, which is much more interactive, the 90-9-1 principle still applies across most of the Web. That means only 1% of users are actual content creators, while 9% are commenters and modifiers, and the remaining 90% are simply readers or consumers. The iPad is a great device for content consumers. But, it’s not very good for the creators and modifiers, who are both strong candidates to stick with today’s laptop form factors, which are perfect for people who type a lot and manipulate content.
That leaves a huge market that could be easy pickings for the iPad. As a result, vendors need to think about ways to make laptops better content consumption devices.
6. Size matters
Being able to carry the iPad without a laptop bag is another huge plus. The power adapter is even small enough to roll up and put in a pocket, a jacket, or a purse. The diminutive size of the iPad can make business professionals feel as if they are traveling very light, especially if they’re used to lugging a laptop bag that included the laptop and a bunch of accessories to support it. On a plane, working with the iPad on a tray table is a much more roomy experience than trying to use most laptops.
The lightweight nature of the iPad can also make it more likely that professionals will carry it into a conference room or into someone else’s office to show a document or a Web page, for example.
APPLE A1175 Battery
There are plenty of ultraportable laptops on the market from virtually every vendor, but these tend to be specialty machines and are often higher priced. In light of the iPad’s success, vendors might want to rethink their ultraportable strategy by looking to make these devices smaller, less expensive, and better on battery life. They may also consider experimenting with a mobile OS such as Android on some of these devices.
ASUS will use Boston-Power's batteries in laptop line
Boston-Power Inc.'s lithium ion Sonata battery is being used to power a new line of notebook computers, the Westborough company said today.
The Series B line from ASUS International, a $7.5 billion company which sells portable computers that run on the Microsoft Windows operating system, will start shipping this month with the long-lasting Sonata battery, according to a press release from Boston-Power. The company's batteries, which are said to last three times longer than a typical laptop battery pack, already are used in Hewlett-Packard computers.
Calling ASUS's use of the Sonata a "tremendous endorsement," Boston-Power's vice president of marketing, Sally Bament, touted the battery's so-called green attributes.
"Users are seeking dependable high-performance, safe and environmentally sustainable batteries," Bament said in a press release. "Boston power has established a
global reputation for leadership in delivering those solutions."
Rudy Magna, director of sales at ASUS Computer International, said his company decided to use the Sonata, in part because of its environmentally-friendly qualities.
"Our customers look to ASUS to provide cost effective solutions that include innovative features such as the Sonata Long Life battery, which offers not only long-term dependability but is also environmentally friendly," Magna said.
The Series B line from ASUS International, a $7.5 billion company which sells portable computers that run on the Microsoft Windows operating system, will start shipping this month with the long-lasting Sonata battery, according to a press release from Boston-Power. The company's batteries, which are said to last three times longer than a typical laptop battery pack, already are used in Hewlett-Packard computers.
Calling ASUS's use of the Sonata a "tremendous endorsement," Boston-Power's vice president of marketing, Sally Bament, touted the battery's so-called green attributes.
"Users are seeking dependable high-performance, safe and environmentally sustainable batteries," Bament said in a press release. "Boston power has established a
global reputation for leadership in delivering those solutions."
Rudy Magna, director of sales at ASUS Computer International, said his company decided to use the Sonata, in part because of its environmentally-friendly qualities.
"Our customers look to ASUS to provide cost effective solutions that include innovative features such as the Sonata Long Life battery, which offers not only long-term dependability but is also environmentally friendly," Magna said.
Asus B Series Boasts Boston-Power Sonata Long Life Battery
Asus is offering anew range of laptops, the B Series which is intended for business use. The models included in this range are the B53J, B53F, B43J and the B43F. The B53 models are available with 15.6-inch displays while the 43 models come with a 14.1-inch display. There are also two choices of processors available and these are the Core i5 and the Core i7. The chosen processor will be paired with an ATI Radeon 5470 discrete graphics. They will also be available with either 2GB or 4GB of RAM. There are various storage capacities available that customers can choose from.
Some of you might be saying to yourself, is there anything unique to the B Series. As a matter of fact there is! This latest Asus offering makes use of Boston-Power Sonata Long Life laptop Battery. This lithium-ion battery is capable of retaining its charging capacity even after a long time of use. This battery boasts “triple the lifespan of typical notebook batteries.”
One of the problems that laptop users have is the diminished battery capability over time. This news regarding the B Series battery is definitely very welcome news. If I’ll be replacing my laptop in the near future, I’ll definitely go for Asus’ B Series laptops!
Thursday, August 5, 2010
How to remove the battery from a Dell Latitude D610 laptop
Sometimes a laptop battery goes bad and you need to replace it. Or maybe you've upgraded to a better, longer-lasting battery and you need to install it. Or maybe you just want to take the battery out to put it in the freezer for a while. Whatever the reason, if you need to remove the battery from a Dell Latitude D610 laptop, here's how:
First, turn off the computer. Shut it down completely - don't just hibernate it or put it into sleep mode. Disconnect it from any external power source as well, such as an AC adapter or car charger.
Next, flip the computer over so you're looking at the bottom. (Make sure the laptop is closed before flipping it over.) The battery is located in the lower left corner (diagonally opposite from the fan vent). There is one tiny Phillips head screw securing the battery in place; remove this screw, but do not lose it. Once the screw is out, just push in the tab with the arrow on it (on the right side of the battery) and pull up (away from the laptop), and the battery should pop right out. If you don't push the tab in all the way, the battery won't pop out.
Be careful with the battery - don't drop it, put it in the oven, or throw it at anyone (even if it's someone you don't like). If you plan to use the laptop without the battery in it, either for troubleshooting purposes or to save battery life, be careful when moving the laptop, because jostling it even slightly could dislodge the power cord and cause the computer to shut down.
When reinstalling the battery (or installing a new battery) just slide it in toward the left side, and once it's in the tab should snap into place. Make sure you put the screw back in - all it takes is for something to knock against that tab and the battery will fall right out.
Over time, the battery's life and performance will start to degrade. If you need to purchase a new D610 battery, there are many websites that sell them - just search Yahoo! or Google for "dell d610 battery." Be sure to read the description before purchasing a battery online; some are rated for longer life than others.
First, turn off the computer. Shut it down completely - don't just hibernate it or put it into sleep mode. Disconnect it from any external power source as well, such as an AC adapter or car charger.
Next, flip the computer over so you're looking at the bottom. (Make sure the laptop is closed before flipping it over.) The battery is located in the lower left corner (diagonally opposite from the fan vent). There is one tiny Phillips head screw securing the battery in place; remove this screw, but do not lose it. Once the screw is out, just push in the tab with the arrow on it (on the right side of the battery) and pull up (away from the laptop), and the battery should pop right out. If you don't push the tab in all the way, the battery won't pop out.
Be careful with the battery - don't drop it, put it in the oven, or throw it at anyone (even if it's someone you don't like). If you plan to use the laptop without the battery in it, either for troubleshooting purposes or to save battery life, be careful when moving the laptop, because jostling it even slightly could dislodge the power cord and cause the computer to shut down.
When reinstalling the battery (or installing a new battery) just slide it in toward the left side, and once it's in the tab should snap into place. Make sure you put the screw back in - all it takes is for something to knock against that tab and the battery will fall right out.
Over time, the battery's life and performance will start to degrade. If you need to purchase a new D610 battery, there are many websites that sell them - just search Yahoo! or Google for "dell d610 battery." Be sure to read the description before purchasing a battery online; some are rated for longer life than others.
How to increase the life of a laptop's battery
As a self pronounced computer geek, I have a laptop, and when I first got it, I didn't fully understand how the computer used the laptop battery power, so after looking into it, I have come up with a various amount of ways to improve the overall lifespan of your laptops battery.
1. Unplug any unused peripheral devices. These may be external hard drives, flash drives, or a web cam. Basically, if you have anything your not using in any of your USB ports, unplug it, as it takes up battery even if not in use.
2. If you can, dim your screen. All laptops, or at least ones that I've seen, carry a function where you can dim the back light on your screen. Lower the light, lower the amount of electricity it uses.
3. If your not using the your WiFi, turn off the card. This is another feature that many laptops have. Its function is to disable the WiFi card in your laptop, making it use less battery. For my laptop, I press [Function] + F2.
4. Try not to use the disc drive. The disc drive is often times the most energy consuming piece of hardware in your computer when its being used, due to it spinning the entire time your using it.
5. Don't keep your laptop on for extended periods of time. Even if its plugged in, the battery is still giving off charge, slowly decomposing the amount of electricity it can store.
6. Avoid using a large of amount of programs. This builds up the CPU's "stress" and requires it to use an excess amount of electricity.
7. Keep it clean! Defrag your computer and remove unnecessary files! This makes it so the hard drive doesn't have to do nearly as much work searching and using your files.
8. Keep your laptop cold. When computers overheat, its not only bad for the components in the laptop itself, but its pretty rough on the battery also.
9. When leaving your laptop on, at least hibernate it. And no, that doesn't man lock the desktop or put it on standby. I mean hibernate. Any of the other choices, and your computer is still using up quite a bit of battery.
10. Adjust your power properties. On all the laptops I've dealt with, there is an option, often times wherever you see you notebook battery life meter, where you can adjust the amount of time that is require before your laptop begins its screen saver, stand by, or hibernate.
I leave these wise words of battery advice to you, and hope that this article helped in some way, either to you or a friend.
1. Unplug any unused peripheral devices. These may be external hard drives, flash drives, or a web cam. Basically, if you have anything your not using in any of your USB ports, unplug it, as it takes up battery even if not in use.
2. If you can, dim your screen. All laptops, or at least ones that I've seen, carry a function where you can dim the back light on your screen. Lower the light, lower the amount of electricity it uses.
3. If your not using the your WiFi, turn off the card. This is another feature that many laptops have. Its function is to disable the WiFi card in your laptop, making it use less battery. For my laptop, I press [Function] + F2.
4. Try not to use the disc drive. The disc drive is often times the most energy consuming piece of hardware in your computer when its being used, due to it spinning the entire time your using it.
5. Don't keep your laptop on for extended periods of time. Even if its plugged in, the battery is still giving off charge, slowly decomposing the amount of electricity it can store.
6. Avoid using a large of amount of programs. This builds up the CPU's "stress" and requires it to use an excess amount of electricity.
7. Keep it clean! Defrag your computer and remove unnecessary files! This makes it so the hard drive doesn't have to do nearly as much work searching and using your files.
8. Keep your laptop cold. When computers overheat, its not only bad for the components in the laptop itself, but its pretty rough on the battery also.
9. When leaving your laptop on, at least hibernate it. And no, that doesn't man lock the desktop or put it on standby. I mean hibernate. Any of the other choices, and your computer is still using up quite a bit of battery.
10. Adjust your power properties. On all the laptops I've dealt with, there is an option, often times wherever you see you notebook battery life meter, where you can adjust the amount of time that is require before your laptop begins its screen saver, stand by, or hibernate.
I leave these wise words of battery advice to you, and hope that this article helped in some way, either to you or a friend.
How to choose a battery for your laptop
Having a good laptop battery is very important as to take full advantage of the laptop portability. Without a good battery you will loose that advantage and always have to plug the laptop into the wall. Most laptop batteries last from about to three to five hours depending on how many programs you run on a laptop or how long you use your laptop. If your battery has stopped to fully recharge or for some reason stops to hold its charge and you have to plug it in frequently, it probably means that you have to get a new battery.
Let's take things step by step there are certain things to consider before deciding on which battery to buy. First of all you need to the make of your laptop and its model number. If you don't know this information you can open up your laptop battery compartment while its off and unplugged of course. This is necessary because each laptop is designed to use only one certain type of batteries. Then second of all you need to decide whether you use your laptop on a regular or you use it occasionally because if that is the case you can get a way with getting a standard battery.
There is always the issue of whether to buy a used or a new battery. Well new is always better but if you don't use your laptop that often you may get an old battery. Always remember that before buying a battery it must have a warranty for at least a year. That is because poor quality batteries usually stop working after a minimum of three month.
The next thing you should look for is the type of battery. There are four main types they are Ni-Cad, Ni-MH, Li-Ion, and Li-Poly. Ni-Cad laptop batteries are really old which is why not a lot of manufacturers still make them. Ni-MH is newer and more advanced, but is not as good as its Li-Ion and Li-Poly counterparts. The Ni-MH batteries weigh more than the other two, but it produces less current than the rest of them. Li-Ion and Li-Poly are the most advanced types of batteries there is which is why you should try to get one of these two types if possible. Most laptops but not all laptops that come with one type of battery can not use any other type of battery i.e. if your laptop came with a Ni-Cad, it must be replaced by another Ni-Cad.
Now that you have seceded on which battery to buy you have one more thing to check first, the power rating. In the case of laptop battery they are rated be volts and mill amperes as they are really small in size. You should always go for the one which has the most mill amperes. Another way of rating a battery is to determine its Watt per hour. This is done by multiplying the number of volts with the number of amperes.
Whatever type of battery you decide to buy its important to keep good maintenance of these batteries. It always a good idea to try to drain out the whole battery supply before charges to maintain a life for your battery.
Let's take things step by step there are certain things to consider before deciding on which battery to buy. First of all you need to the make of your laptop and its model number. If you don't know this information you can open up your laptop battery compartment while its off and unplugged of course. This is necessary because each laptop is designed to use only one certain type of batteries. Then second of all you need to decide whether you use your laptop on a regular or you use it occasionally because if that is the case you can get a way with getting a standard battery.
There is always the issue of whether to buy a used or a new battery. Well new is always better but if you don't use your laptop that often you may get an old battery. Always remember that before buying a battery it must have a warranty for at least a year. That is because poor quality batteries usually stop working after a minimum of three month.
The next thing you should look for is the type of battery. There are four main types they are Ni-Cad, Ni-MH, Li-Ion, and Li-Poly. Ni-Cad laptop batteries are really old which is why not a lot of manufacturers still make them. Ni-MH is newer and more advanced, but is not as good as its Li-Ion and Li-Poly counterparts. The Ni-MH batteries weigh more than the other two, but it produces less current than the rest of them. Li-Ion and Li-Poly are the most advanced types of batteries there is which is why you should try to get one of these two types if possible. Most laptops but not all laptops that come with one type of battery can not use any other type of battery i.e. if your laptop came with a Ni-Cad, it must be replaced by another Ni-Cad.
Now that you have seceded on which battery to buy you have one more thing to check first, the power rating. In the case of laptop battery they are rated be volts and mill amperes as they are really small in size. You should always go for the one which has the most mill amperes. Another way of rating a battery is to determine its Watt per hour. This is done by multiplying the number of volts with the number of amperes.
Whatever type of battery you decide to buy its important to keep good maintenance of these batteries. It always a good idea to try to drain out the whole battery supply before charges to maintain a life for your battery.
How to calibrate a laptop battery
Laptops are nice, but their batteries never seem to last long enough. Even with recent technological improvements, laptop batteries seem to run out at the most critical and inconvenient times. Laptop batteries are also pretty expensive; so many users can’t afford the luxury of purchasing backups. Vehicle adapters are similarly expensive and oftentimes there is no accessible power outlet to plug in the laptop’s AC adapter. Besides, the beauty of having a laptop is that it can be used anywhere, right?
With repeated charging cycles (especially when the cycles are short) the laptop batteries lose sync with the battery power meter inside Windows. This often leads Windows to misrepresent the amount of power remaining. By calibrating your laptop battery, you can make sure you get maximum battery life and the most accurate representation of battery life from Windows.
Most people probably never calibrate their laptop’s battery even though major manufactures such as Hewlett Packard (HP) recommend that laptop batteries be calibrated once every three months. Although you should check with the manufacture of your notebook for specific calibration advice, the procedure listed here can help.
1. Disable Windows power management. You can access the power management settings by right clicking on the battery icon in your system tray, through Control Panel, or through the system screen saver menu when you right-click on the Windows desktop. The settings are similar and accessible in similar ways across all recent Windows versions. Visit support.microsoft.com to get more help with this if you’re unable to do this yourself.
Once you access Windows’ power management settings, take note of the current settings and then select the “Always On” profile and choose “Never” for all the power scheme’s options. Be sure to save these settings.
2. Charge the battery to 100% capacity. This is done by plugging in the laptop’s AC adapter and connecting it to the laptop. Check the battery meter in the system tray to make sure the battery is fully charged before proceeding.
3. Drain the battery. Disconnect the AC adapter from the laptop computer and allow the computer to run until it automatically shuts off.
4. Recharge the battery. Plug in the laptop’s AC adapter and connecting it to the laptop.
5. Reset Windows power settings. Go back into the Windows power management settings and set the power scheme back to its original settings. Usually, laptops are set for “Portable/Laptop.” Be sure to save these settings else, your system will run through battery power too quickly.
Once these steps are completed, your battery should be completed.
With repeated charging cycles (especially when the cycles are short) the laptop batteries lose sync with the battery power meter inside Windows. This often leads Windows to misrepresent the amount of power remaining. By calibrating your laptop battery, you can make sure you get maximum battery life and the most accurate representation of battery life from Windows.
Most people probably never calibrate their laptop’s battery even though major manufactures such as Hewlett Packard (HP) recommend that laptop batteries be calibrated once every three months. Although you should check with the manufacture of your notebook for specific calibration advice, the procedure listed here can help.
1. Disable Windows power management. You can access the power management settings by right clicking on the battery icon in your system tray, through Control Panel, or through the system screen saver menu when you right-click on the Windows desktop. The settings are similar and accessible in similar ways across all recent Windows versions. Visit support.microsoft.com to get more help with this if you’re unable to do this yourself.
Once you access Windows’ power management settings, take note of the current settings and then select the “Always On” profile and choose “Never” for all the power scheme’s options. Be sure to save these settings.
2. Charge the battery to 100% capacity. This is done by plugging in the laptop’s AC adapter and connecting it to the laptop. Check the battery meter in the system tray to make sure the battery is fully charged before proceeding.
3. Drain the battery. Disconnect the AC adapter from the laptop computer and allow the computer to run until it automatically shuts off.
4. Recharge the battery. Plug in the laptop’s AC adapter and connecting it to the laptop.
5. Reset Windows power settings. Go back into the Windows power management settings and set the power scheme back to its original settings. Usually, laptops are set for “Portable/Laptop.” Be sure to save these settings else, your system will run through battery power too quickly.
Once these steps are completed, your battery should be completed.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Buy a Cheap Laptop Battery
Computer batteries including laptop batteries come with specifications that state what amount of voltage they might be having and also the milliamp rating hour. The reason why you should care about what the abbreviations mean is because they are not hard to understand and they are important because they state how your cheap compact laptop battery operates.
For example, Volts- or V- indicates the potential energy measurement or it can also be explained as the electrons applying pressure on the battery of the laptop that is being used either as the negative terminals try to move the positive terminal or the other way round.
As for the Amp-or Ah-, this is the measurement of capacity where by the measurement is used to determine how long a cheap compact laptop battery can be able to last and how well it can deliver. The Amp hour on the other hand does not specify or indicate the electron flow at any given time.
For example a notebook battery can deliver about 0.5 Amp in duration of about two hours. In order to get a good over view of how much the laptop battery you have bought can deliver and last in terms of power, you can ask the dealer or go to the internet where the information is not hard to come by.
Depending on the screen size, the model, the floppy drive, processor speed, the usage of CDs and other factors, you can be able to know the time limit that the battery can be able to run your laptop.
It is common to see some laptop batteries with high voltage indicated on them while that does not make any impact on the performance of the laptop. This can mostly be seen on external universal batteries.
One thing that is very strange is the way some people are always ready to buy refurbished second hand batteries that do not even come with any guarantee while they can be able to get brand new batteries that come with warranty at a reasonable price.
When a person goes out to buy cheap Compaq laptop batteries, they should beer in mind that cheap laptop batteries that have been refurbished do not exist.
Although a laptop battery can be refurbished, it is not worth to buy it because the cost of refurbishing it is more than the cost of a brand new laptop battery.
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How to Increase Cell Phone Battery Performance
With current cell phone technology your cell phone battery life can be drained far sooner than what the manufacture may suggest. Large touch screens, fast processor and numerous subsystems running in the background together team up to drain down your battery. You can either deal with recharging the battery every chance you get or take some steps to reduce the battery consumption in your phone.
Battery Management
Go into your cell phones settings and find the Battery manager option. This option gives you the ability to set your phones settings to adjust for either high performance or energy saving mode. The options and wording may vary with different manufactures but the results are similar. The Battery Manager is a function that can shut down devices and apps that are not currently in use so that energy consumption is reduced.
Manual Battery Management
There are several manual steps a user can take to save battery life on a cell phone. Manual battery management is permanent in a way that it doesn't rely on whether or not if your phone is active or on standby. Once the options are changed manually they can only be returned to previously settings manually. Here are a few steps to manually control battery management.
Turn down screen brightness
Go into your settings and turn down the brightness of your LCD screen to a level that's comfortable to you. The lower the level then the more energy you save.
Screen Time Out
Change your screen time out setting to its lowest amount of time. This way your screen will shut off as soon as you stop using your phone.
Turn off Wi-Fi
Most of the time you're not using your Wi-Fi feature so why leave it running? Turning off your Wi-Fi will save you energy that's normally just being wasted. You can always turn it back on if you need it.
Turn off Bluetooth
If you're not using a Bluetooth head set then this is another waist of energy. These types of wireless features are constantly running in the background even though you may not be aware of them being on.
Instant insight: Searching for better batteries
Escalating global energy demand along with the limited supply of fossil fuels and mandates to minimise CO2 emissions has increased demand for alternative energy sources. Li-ion batteries have played a key role competing with Ni-MH batteries to supply power for small electronics since Sony launched the first generation Li-ion battery in the early 1990s. Recently, Li-ion batteries have predominantly provided the electrical power necessary to operate small portable electronic devices such as cellular phones, laptop computers, and camcorders. In addition, they have been used in both hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and back-up electricity storage units for renewable energy sources which require a large unit.
In 2008, sales of rechargeable Li-ion batteries reached 10 billion dollars and are currently growing at nearly 10 per cent per year. Furthermore sales are expected to grow dramatically if Li-ion batteries can be successfully implemented in HEVs or plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs).
A Li-ion battery is mainly composed of a carbonaceous anode (generally graphite), a carbonate-based organic electrolyte with a Li-containing salt (e.g. LiPF6), and a Li metal oxide cathode (generally LiCoO2). Li ions are inserted between graphite and LiCoO2 through the electrolyte during charge and discharge, respectively. Since the demand for safe Li-ion batteries exhibiting high power, large capacity, and high rate capability is ever increasing, research has been carried out worldwide to find new electrode materials to replace the currently used materials.
Li metal can electrochemically alloy and de-alloy with other metals at room temperature in an organic electrolyte electrochemical cell. Li-alloying reactions with metallic or semi-metallic elements and various compounds have been investigated during the past few decades. Although these alloying materials provide a larger specific capacity than graphite, except for a few transition metal oxides, they generally suffer from a large irreversible capacity at the first cycle and poor cycling behavior due to a large volume change during cycling.
If the microstructure of the electrode materials can be designed properly, the volume change during lithiation and delithiation would be compromised to some extent. In 1997, Fuji announced its Stalion battery, which employed an amorphous tin composite oxide (TCO) anode, but it was not commercialised because of its large irreversible capacity during the first cycle. Since then, Sony developed its Nexelion battery in 2005 using an anode material mainly composed of a Sn/Co/C composite with Ti metal synthesised by a high energy mechanical milling process. Not only composite materials, but also nanosized particles and nanostructured materials have also been suggested to alleviate the mechanical strain generated due to the volume change as the Li ions are inserted to and extracted from the host electrode materials.
A number of scientists have examined alloy-based anodes, in particular, focusing on the Group IV and Group V elements and their composites for Li-ion batteries. Research on Group IV elements has been performed using several material concepts based on nano-architecturing of materials, active/inactive composite, intermetallic compound, and the use of carbonaceous material as a matrix phase. Group V elements-based intermetallics can lead to interesting crystalline structures that enable new concepts for anode materials, such as topotactic reaction, quasi-intercalation reaction and other interesting insertion and conversion reactions, to be designed.
Although research on the alloy-based anode materials for Li-ion battery has a long history since 1971, a breakthrough is required to bring out their full potential for Li-ion battery. Development for alloy-based anodes will remain a highly competitive field providing us with an excellent and fascinating energy source.
iPhone 4 and iOS 4 battery drain
iPhone 4 owners and those that have upgraded their older iPhones to iOS 4 have noticed that battery life is suffering. We take a look under the covers to find the problem.
One of the big features that Apple has delivered with iOS 4, that was requested by users, was multi-tasking - applications continue to run in the background even when you’ve returned to the home-screen or another application. Here’s an example of how it works.
If you’re running a sat-nav and then decide to go to the browser to look something up, the sat-nav app continues to run in the background, tracking your movement and updating its route information. With any application that uses Location Services, it’s easy to see this running as there’s a small indicator near the battery meter at the top of the screen.
However, other applications are more insidious. For example, we were running an IM client, Yahoo Messenger, and found that it was running in the background, churning up CPU cycles. An easy way to check which applications are running under iOS 4 is to double-press the main button. That opens a small tray of your running applications.
This list scrolls across with a finger swipe and shows which applications are currently active on the iPhone. Based on our observations and use, it’s easy to end up with over a dozen apps all sitting there, either working or waiting for some further input from you.
If you want to really shut down an app, a tap-hold on the open application icon will reveal a small minus sign in the top-left corner of the icon. Tapping that will close the application down.
All of this has us recalling the early days of Windows CE and Windows Mobile. In those days, tapping the cross in the top-right corner of an app didn’t shut it down but sent it into the background. Over time, the device ground to a halt as system memory was consumed by applications that didn’t release memory correctly.
With iOS 4, the same sort of behaviour is manifesting itself although it seems that the presenting symptom is battery drain rather than memory. In our testing, we found that an iPhone 4 could run down in just four hours. The culprit in our case was a sat-nav application that kept the GPS chip busy even though the application wasn’t in the foreground.
We were also caught out by applications that automatically launched after a restart. We rebooted our iPhone 4 and found that applications that had been active restarted after the reboot. For example, Skype, Fring and Yahoo! Messenger all started automatically and logged in. There doesn’t seem to be an easy way to alter that behaviour.
There are a couple of things iOS 4 users can do. Firstly, after using your iPhone for a while, take a look at the apps that are currently running by double-pressing the main button. Shut down any unneeded apps by tap-holding the redundant applications and closing them down but tapping the red minus button on the icon.
Keep an eye on applications that use Location Services. For example, we use the SpeedTest application. It uses the GPS to determine where you are for testing. If you go back to the home-screen before the test finishes, the GPS remains active and eats away at the charge level.
Another handy app to install is the $0.99 iStat. This gives you a snapshot of everything that’s running on your iPhone, using up system memory and CPU cycles.
iOS 4’s multitasking is a boon although it does come at a cost. Application developers are going to have to get smarter and rework applications so that they don’t hog the battery in the background. Until that happens, users need to be vigilant and make sure that unwanted apps aren’t running in the background.
One of the big features that Apple has delivered with iOS 4, that was requested by users, was multi-tasking - applications continue to run in the background even when you’ve returned to the home-screen or another application. Here’s an example of how it works.
If you’re running a sat-nav and then decide to go to the browser to look something up, the sat-nav app continues to run in the background, tracking your movement and updating its route information. With any application that uses Location Services, it’s easy to see this running as there’s a small indicator near the battery meter at the top of the screen.
However, other applications are more insidious. For example, we were running an IM client, Yahoo Messenger, and found that it was running in the background, churning up CPU cycles. An easy way to check which applications are running under iOS 4 is to double-press the main button. That opens a small tray of your running applications.
This list scrolls across with a finger swipe and shows which applications are currently active on the iPhone. Based on our observations and use, it’s easy to end up with over a dozen apps all sitting there, either working or waiting for some further input from you.
If you want to really shut down an app, a tap-hold on the open application icon will reveal a small minus sign in the top-left corner of the icon. Tapping that will close the application down.
All of this has us recalling the early days of Windows CE and Windows Mobile. In those days, tapping the cross in the top-right corner of an app didn’t shut it down but sent it into the background. Over time, the device ground to a halt as system memory was consumed by applications that didn’t release memory correctly.
With iOS 4, the same sort of behaviour is manifesting itself although it seems that the presenting symptom is battery drain rather than memory. In our testing, we found that an iPhone 4 could run down in just four hours. The culprit in our case was a sat-nav application that kept the GPS chip busy even though the application wasn’t in the foreground.
We were also caught out by applications that automatically launched after a restart. We rebooted our iPhone 4 and found that applications that had been active restarted after the reboot. For example, Skype, Fring and Yahoo! Messenger all started automatically and logged in. There doesn’t seem to be an easy way to alter that behaviour.
There are a couple of things iOS 4 users can do. Firstly, after using your iPhone for a while, take a look at the apps that are currently running by double-pressing the main button. Shut down any unneeded apps by tap-holding the redundant applications and closing them down but tapping the red minus button on the icon.
Keep an eye on applications that use Location Services. For example, we use the SpeedTest application. It uses the GPS to determine where you are for testing. If you go back to the home-screen before the test finishes, the GPS remains active and eats away at the charge level.
Another handy app to install is the $0.99 iStat. This gives you a snapshot of everything that’s running on your iPhone, using up system memory and CPU cycles.
iOS 4’s multitasking is a boon although it does come at a cost. Application developers are going to have to get smarter and rework applications so that they don’t hog the battery in the background. Until that happens, users need to be vigilant and make sure that unwanted apps aren’t running in the background.
Ways to make your cell phone battery last longer
Cell phone batteries can be a giant problem for people and sadly the batteries never seen to last long enough. After using them for a few months the batteries often start to die incredibly quickly and rather more often than you may feel they should. Though there is no way to get the performance and life span of the early days back, you can use your phone, it's settings and the way you use it to substantially increase the time between needing to charge it. Remember each time it gets charged it damaged to battery little by little, for a few charges the damage isn't recognisable but over a long period it's massive.
Firstly modifying the settings on you're phone, for this the exact details and settings are all from the Sony Ericsson C902, but most modern phones will have similar options for you to change. First turn the brightness to the lowest setting the phone has (in this case 50%) the phones screen is still very visible though the power needed is much less, meaning the battery will last longer. Along with this are other display settings, for the background you should settle on a blank or “none” setting, as it uses less processing power than an intricate and clever pattern or a picture of you and your partner. This may seem a bit “dull” but when it comes to getting the most out of the battery life this is a great step in the right direction.
It's not only the lighting settings but the sound settings that can effect the battery life. Firstly put the phone onto mute, the sound needed to play your ring tune adds up over time, especially if you're phone is one that's constantly getting messages. Though what you should also do is actually turn the vibrate off as well as the vibrations use up some of the battery life, though it's not a lot, when you're wanting every drip of juice it adds up.
Staying with the settings, the biggest drains of the battery are what some phones call “Connectivity” options, things such as Bluetooth, 3G, Wi-Fi. Turn each of these off as they quickly sink their teeth into the battery and should only be turned on when needed. In the case of the C902 the phone can still surf online (using GPRS) with 3G turned off, rather than wasting battery life searching for a 3G signal constantly even when you're not wanting to be connected to the net.
Now with all your settings altered you should notice longer life, though there's more to it than just a few quick settings. Most modern phone users will use some programs or applications, be it to surf the internet (such as the Opera browser), play games or even gamble, though many users will also leave them running in the background. Leaving programs, such as those that are java based running can substantially cut the battery life, those that use both the internet and java therefore deliver a double whammy. If you're done using them close them, don't just leave them in the background where they are nibbling on your battery life.
Finally, if you're not expecting calls, texts or anything, turn your phone off. It may seem rather obvious to some, and incredibly backwards to others but it's only really using battery whilst it's on (though leaving it off for long enough will drain it) so turn it off until you need to need to call someone or text them.
Firstly modifying the settings on you're phone, for this the exact details and settings are all from the Sony Ericsson C902, but most modern phones will have similar options for you to change. First turn the brightness to the lowest setting the phone has (in this case 50%) the phones screen is still very visible though the power needed is much less, meaning the battery will last longer. Along with this are other display settings, for the background you should settle on a blank or “none” setting, as it uses less processing power than an intricate and clever pattern or a picture of you and your partner. This may seem a bit “dull” but when it comes to getting the most out of the battery life this is a great step in the right direction.
It's not only the lighting settings but the sound settings that can effect the battery life. Firstly put the phone onto mute, the sound needed to play your ring tune adds up over time, especially if you're phone is one that's constantly getting messages. Though what you should also do is actually turn the vibrate off as well as the vibrations use up some of the battery life, though it's not a lot, when you're wanting every drip of juice it adds up.
Staying with the settings, the biggest drains of the battery are what some phones call “Connectivity” options, things such as Bluetooth, 3G, Wi-Fi. Turn each of these off as they quickly sink their teeth into the battery and should only be turned on when needed. In the case of the C902 the phone can still surf online (using GPRS) with 3G turned off, rather than wasting battery life searching for a 3G signal constantly even when you're not wanting to be connected to the net.
Now with all your settings altered you should notice longer life, though there's more to it than just a few quick settings. Most modern phone users will use some programs or applications, be it to surf the internet (such as the Opera browser), play games or even gamble, though many users will also leave them running in the background. Leaving programs, such as those that are java based running can substantially cut the battery life, those that use both the internet and java therefore deliver a double whammy. If you're done using them close them, don't just leave them in the background where they are nibbling on your battery life.
Finally, if you're not expecting calls, texts or anything, turn your phone off. It may seem rather obvious to some, and incredibly backwards to others but it's only really using battery whilst it's on (though leaving it off for long enough will drain it) so turn it off until you need to need to call someone or text them.
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