Battery saving tips for laptops

Laptops make your life and work much easier. So every time they run out of battery, you can't stop shaking, especially when there's no power outlet around for charging. Here are tips to help your laptop operate as long as possible .

1. Remove the peripheral devices, adjust the settings

While traveling on the road, you can "conserve" the battery's power significantly by adjusting the brightness of the laptop screen. Make sure that no CD or DVD is hiding inside your device's drive, and don't connect any external USB devices.

Turn off Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and 3G networks. All of them are "monsters" that consume batteries.

Also, review the power setting mode ( Power Settings ) of the device to protect the battery. For example, in Windows Vista, visit the Control Panel Control Panel and select "Power saving" mode.

2. Purchase "preventive" batteries

Many laptops today can use two batteries in parallel. When the main battery's power is depleted, the replacement will immediately take action. In most cases, the primary battery is included with the device and extra batteries must be purchased.

For example, HP's EliteBook 6930 laptop model can run 24 hours per charge - but that's only when you add an additional "super-12-core" battery pack. Not to mention that you have to "downgrade" the operating system to Windows XP.

As everyone knows, this second battery pack will make your laptop cumbersome and much heavier.

A second option: buy a portable battery pack. Duracell Powersource Mobile 100 is an ideal "candidate", because it is compatible with a variety of devices, from laptops, mobile phones, and portable DVD players to camera camcorders.

Most importantly, Powersource Mobile is equipped with its own power cord, not requiring special power cables to recharge the device like some rival products. Its price is about 110 USD.

3. Know the battery configuration

When buying a new laptop, or a sub-laptop battery pack, pay special attention to the "power" configuration. In other words, you need to know how many batteries there are. The more cores the longer the battery runs between two charges. For example, a 12-core battery pack will last longer than a standard 6-core battery.

Some firms (like Apple) do not announce the number of battery cores but replace them with Watt per hour. The higher the ratio, the longer the battery life.

4. Check the power outlet before going on business

Before booking a flight, you can find out what type of aircraft you will use. Then, visit the Seatguru.com website, which provides aircraft seating maps for most domestic and international flights in North America.

The black dots above this map refer to the on-site electrical outlet. However, it is likely that you will have to share this socket with the person nearby, if they also bring the laptop with them.

Finally, make sure your laptop is fully charged "sneaky" before you step out of the house.

5. Listen to music using a dedicated machine

Listening to music or watching videos on a laptop is a great way to kill time, but it also makes the battery "dry". Music and audio files often impact the hard drive, causing the battery to be gutted continuously.

If you need to work during the long journey, but can't stand the tedious silence, enjoy your favorite songs on a dedicated MP3 player. This way, you will not torture your computer.

6. Watch videos saved in the hard drive

Watching movies directly on the DVD player of the laptop will cause the battery to corrode quickly. However, if you watch the video file saved in the hard drive, it will become much easier.

Before starting your journey, it's best to download your favorite movies or TV shows onto your hard drive. Or you can convert your DVD collection to a file for later viewing on your hard drive.