As more
and more people are becoming part of the mobile workforce
and using laptop or tablet PCs battery life is often
a primary concern. Today's portable computers use
lithium-ion batteries instead of older style nickel-cadmium
power sources. In addition to being able to hold a
greater charge, lithium is also very light weight,
another important concern for portable computers.
When
you are purchasing your computer investigate if a
long-life battery is available. While it will add
to the cost it can give up to double the usage of
a normal laptop battery. To get the most usage out
of your laptop battery you'll need to understand a
little bit about how batteries work. Each battery
has a limited number of charge cycles. If your laptop
battery lasts for 4 hours and on the first day you
use it for 2 hours and then recharge it fully and
the next day you use it for 2 hours again and then
fully recharge it again, you will have completed one
charge cycle. Each battery has a limited number of
charge cycles before it starts losing it's the charge
it can hold.
If
you aren't using your wireless connection to connect
to the internet or network turn off the wireless connection
it will extend the life of your laptop battery. The
same holds true for Bluetooth connections. Another
way to extend your laptop battery life is to lower
the brightness of your monitor. Lastly bear in mind
that using your portable computer to play a DVD movie
uses more power than using a spreadsheet.
If
you find that you are often using the computer with
the laptop battery at full charge while connected
to the main power supply you may want to remove the
battery. Keeping the laptop battery fully charged
while it's at a high temperature, which is typical
of conditions of a laptop that is always plugged into
the main power supply, will dramatically shorten its
lifespan. Discharging the laptop battery regularly
is also conducive to long battery life. Under optimal
conditions a laptop battery will last 24 to 36 months;
under less than optimal conditions you may shorten
the lifespan down to 12 to 18 months.
To
help keep your laptop battery operating at optimal
conditions try to fully discharge it once a month.
Many people find it helpful to set a calendar reminder
so they don't forget. If you find your laptop battery
lasts less than 60 minutes, try fully discharging
it several days in a row. Just leave your computer
on overnight with no applications running. Be sure
to turn off any alarm or lower power warnings that
are associated with your power settings. If this fails
to work you will need to replace the battery.
Eve Larson
is the senior author of Tablet PC News and Reviews
(http://tabletpc.6ln.com). She provides information
that will help you get the most out mobile computing
platforms.
