Home

2013-03-13

Laptop Battery Tips

In most respects, life like a laptop-carrying frequent flyer has become a little easier. Exhibit A: Though faraway from commonplace, it isn't freakishly bizarre anymore to locate a power port your airplane seat--during coach. Virgin America and American Airlines are one of the most generous airlines with regards to supplying power ports to passengers.

But it is still much too simple to depletes juice flying, or during a good day clear of a wall socket. Virtually any for keeping your laptop running as long as possible when you find yourself out and about.
Ditch the Peripherals, Tweak Settings

When you find yourself traveling, it is possible to significantly conserve juice by dimming your laptop screen's brightness. Make certain there isn't any CDs or DVDs using your optical drive, and do not connect any USB peripherals--all power hogs. Turn off Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and 3G networking (you must do that on the wing anyhow).

Also, tweak your laptop's power settings to conserve your battery. E.g., in Windows Vista, go to Board, Power Options and choose the "Power saver" setting You possibly can adjust the "Power saver" settings, if you would like, or you could make your own power plan.
Obtain a Second Battery


Many laptops today can run off two batteries. If your juice in the primary battery runs dry, the auxiliary kicks in. Generally, the leading battery incorporates laptops; the second reason is an optional purchase. One example is, HP's EliteBook 6930p promises as much as a day useful from a single charge--but on condition that you attach an optional, external 12-cell ultra-capacity power supply ($189) being a secondary battery to augment the laptop's internal, primary six-cell battery (There are more requirements, too, including the need to downgrade to Windows XP.) Remember second battery packs, sometimes also known as battery slices often add bulk and weight to your laptop.

Another option: Get hold of a portable power supply. I prefer the Duracell Powersource Mobile 100 (about $110 or more online) because doing so allows you to power a range of devices, including laptops, mobile devices, portable DVD players, and video cameras, applying their own cords. In comparison, some portable power rechargers require special tips or cables to recharge your gear. The Duracell Powersource may also recharge two USB devices simultaneously together with your laptop.
Become familiar with Battery Specs

When selecting a whole new laptop or perhaps a second laptop battery, take notice of the power specs. Generally speaking, you must know the amount of cells battery has. Greater cells, the longer the battery last on a charge. E.g., a 12-cell battery was created to last for a long time than the usual six-cell battery. Alternatively, the specs might list Watt-Hour rating, or WHr. The bigger the phone number, the longer your battery should last. Some computer makers, like Apple, describe laptop batteries when it comes to WHr, although some use cells.
Pay attention to Power Ports When you Fly

Before I book a direct flight ticket, I determine any type of aircraft We will be on. I then jump over to Seatguru.com, that provides helpful seating configuration maps for many domestic and international airlines. The black dots on seat maps indicate the existence of in-seat power ports. Remember, though, that sometimes (particularly in coach) you may have to one power port along with your neighbor.
Play Your Music with a Portable Player

Playing music or videos on your own laptop is a superb approach to pass enough time--and drain your battery. Music and audio tracks make frequent hits on your hard disk drive, which consumes battery power. If you wish to work on a long flight, but you want to silence that crying baby in 12B, listen to music on your portable media player. Doing this you may not tax your laptop battery. Most airplanes today have an in-flight stereo system, which you'll want to focus on even during take-off and landings (that you just can't do using a portable camera).
Watch Videos on your own Disc drive

Playing a relevant video on a laptop's DVD drive eats juice. Video playback from the harddrive, however, is less taxing. So for your forthcoming long flight, consider downloading a couple of movies or Series on your disc drive. Or convert your personal DVDs into files it is possible to match your hard drive. As PCWorld.com blogger Rick Broida indicates, you need to use the favorite open-source program Handbrake to rip DVDs into files for watching on the laptop or iPod/iPhone.
Share an Airport Power Plug

Or even attemptedto find an available electric outlet at an airport departure gate? Most likely, other folks previously taken the few existing wall sockets. This is why I travel using a multi-plug power adapter. Example: Kensington's Portable Power Outlet ($21 on Amazon.com) allows you to simultaneously plug approximately three devices into one wall outlet. What's more , it lets you turn on to 2 USB devices concurrently, and it offers surge protection. Belkin produces a similar product, the Mini Spike suppressor With USB Charger (about $14 or more online).

没有评论:

发表评论