Bring electric cars to the masses：battery technology

CloudTags: battery , battery technology , laptops，laptop batteries , electric cars，

400whkg battery pic 2 img 1028 Bring electric cars to the masses：battery technology A startup working on battery technology says it’s developed a key breakthrough that could one day lead to an electric car that has a 300-mile range and could cost around $25,000 to $30,000. Envia Systems, backed by venture capitalists, General Motors, and the Department of Energy, plans to announce on Monday at the ARPA-E conference that the company has created a lithium ion battery that has an energy density of 400 watt-hours per kilogram, which Envia CEO Atul Kapadia told me in an interview could be the tipping point for bringing electric cars to mainstream car owner.

The secret sauce

Energy density is how much energy a battery can store and provide for the car with a given battery size — the more energy dense the battery, the less volume and weight is needed. For electric cars it is particularly important to have a high energy dense battery because electric cars need to be as light weight as possible (any extra weight just drains the battery faster), and batteries that are smaller and use less materials can also be lower in cost.

Kapadia tells me that current lithium ion batteries deliver an energy density of around 100 to 150 watt-hours per kilogram, while Envia’s battery can deliver 2.5 times that energy with about the same weight as the current electric cars that have hit the market. To build a 300-mile range electric car with standard lithium ion batteries, it would cost around $40,000 just for the batteries alone, says Kapadia.

Envia says with an energy density of 400 watt-hours per kilogram, its battery cell costs could be at $125 per kWh. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said recently that he sees battery cells dropping in price to below $200 per kWh in the coming years. Current electric cars like the Volt have been reported to be closer to $500 to $600 per kWh, and the Nissan LEAF at $375 per kWh.

Envia, founded in 2007 in the Palo Alto public library, began its business by developing technology for a low-cost cathode. A battery is made up of an anode on one side and a cathode on the other, with an electrolyte in between. For a lithium ion battery, lithium ions travel from the anode to the cathode through the electrolyte, creating a chemical reaction that allows electrons to be harvested along the way. After Envia developed its cathode technology, it started working on a silicon carbon anode, and then paired these two innovations together, with a high-voltage electroloyte.

Kapadia says the innovation is also important because many scientists have thought that the lithium ion battery had certain limits on how efficient and cheap it could get: “The rumors of the demise of lithium ion batteries are greatly exaggerated.”

Kapadia also says: “Gone are the days of relying on ancient consumer batteries for automobiles and stifling this revolution by making expensive electric cars.” And in case you didn’t get this reference, Tesla Motors uses small format standard lithium ion batteries like the ones found in laptops for its cars.

Getting the battery into cars

Charging up the Volt
Envia is announcing at the ARPA-E conference that it has reached this 400 watt-hours per kilogram milestone in tests, but the company is still in the prototype stage, and an Envia battery will probably take about three years to move into the commercial auto market. Envia plans to work with battery and auto partners, potentially licensing or creating joint ventures to get the batteries manufactured. Kapadia tells me that Envia plans to avoid the capital intensive model of trying to be a startup that does all its own manufacturing.

General Motors is one of Envia’s high profile investors, and invested $7 million into Envia about a year ago. GM has said that Envia will provide battery technology for future generations of GM’s Volt electric car. Other investors in Envia include Japanese giant Asahi Kasei, Pangaea Ventures, and Redpoint Ventures.

Envia received a $4 million grant from the DOE’s ARPA-E program to attempt to hit the 400 watt-hour per kilogram milestone. Expect Envia to be touted throughout the ARPA-E event, as proof that its program is working to develop green innovation in the U.S.

Lenovo ThinkPad T420 Reviews

Lenovo ThinkPad T420 Reviews

CloudTags: Lenovo , ThinkPad , T420 , Lenovo batteries uk , lenovo laptop , Lenovo thinkpad t61 batteries

As you may already know from my ultrabook editorial, I’m not entirely sold on them. There are disadvantages to being thin.

And as if to remind me of it, a Lenovo ThinkPad T420 suddenly appeared at my doorstep. Okay, that’s exaggerating a bit – I did know it was coming – but the timing of receiving an old-school laptop couldn’t have been better. Not only because I wanted to take a closer look at a laptop purposely designed to not be thin, but also because we haven’t had a ThinkPad T series for review in, well, forever.

This is a return to form for me. I owned several ThinkPads during my late teens, my college days, and the years just after college. My favorite was a T42 with a 14-inch display.

Of course, laptops have come a long way since then. The ThinkPad T420 we received for review is a good example of a mid-range model. Let’s look at the hardware specifications.

t420specifications Lenovo ThinkPad T420 Reviews

According to Lenovo’s website, this configuration is the second pre-configured option available. It can be had for about $1000 after an eCoupon provided by Lenovo. All of the features above are standard, even the 1600×900 display and Nvidia graphics. They are standard only for this model, however – some less powerful versions are available at lower prices.

The only option that came with our review unit was a 9-cell battery, which will set you back $50. We received both the 6-cell and the 9-cell batteries, so we will be testing the laptop’s battery life with both.

Design

At first glance, the T420 doesn’t seem much different from the T42 I used about six years ago. The classic ThinkPad black matte construction remains present, of course, and it does a good job of obscuring the more subtle details of the chassis.

Not that there’s much to obscure. Besides the laptop’s ports and a display lid’s latch at the front of the laptop, there’s nothing notable here. That’s the point. A business laptop is supposed to be like a business suit – handsome, but unobtrusive.

I don’t think everyone agrees with this philosophy, but this isn’t meant to be a debate about it. This T420 remains true to the core ThinkPad ideal of obsessive functionality. You either get it, or you don’t. If you do, then you’ll love how this laptop is built.

Durability is evident throughout the chassis. Picking up the laptop from any edge results in no groans of protest, nor is any flex evident when pressing upon various surfaces of the laptop (the middle of the display lid is an exception – but almost all laptops show some minor flex there). The display is attached by two large metal hinges that make it possible to open 180 degrees. More importantly, these hinges do not allow for any display wobble when typing.

Connectivity includes VGA and DisplayPort, four USB 2.0 ports (one of which is an eSATA combo port), a card reader, a 34mm Express Card Slot and a combo headphone/microphone jack. This impressive array is improved if you don’t have the discrete graphics option found on our laptop – the space freed by the missing GPU allows for the addition of two more USB 2.0 ports. USB 3.0 is notably lacking.

Most of the ports are located near the middle or rear of the chassis, and none are located on the front, which means that connecting devices will interfere less with your working space. The power cable connects at the only proper spot – the rear of the laptop – keeping the cord and adapter out of your way.

User Interface

Like the design of the chassis itself, the keyboard on the T420 is a bit of a dinosaur. It has refused to change over the years, ignoring the trends towards an island style keyboard layout. Even HP’s enterprise laptops have switched over to the more modern design.

But modern doesn’t always mean best. As I pointed out in our retrospective of the Acer Extensa 5420, an old-fashioned laptop keyboard like the one found here has strengths. The most noticeable is key feel. When you press a key, it responds with significant travel, and it doesn’t bottom out harshly. You can easily tell when you’ve fully depressed a key without looking at your display or the keyboard, resulting in more confidence when typing at high speeds.

The layout is a bit fussy, as is often the case with ThinkPad laptops. The FN (or function) key is where the Ctrl key is supposed to be, and this will cause new users to stumble. Lenovo also uses double-height Esc and Delete keys which feel awkward at first, but are probably more effective once you’ve learned them.

Below the keyboard is a small touchpad. It’s adequate. If you buy the T420 you’ll need to love – or learn to love – the trackpointer in the middle of the keyboard. The ThinkPad implementation remains the best, and once you become accustomed to it, you may never want to go back to a touchpad.

Windows 8 Hybrid Laptops all about the Trackpad

Windows 8 Hybrid Laptops all about the Trackpad

CloudTags: Windows 8 , Laptops , Trackpad , Dell inspiron 1545 batteries , Hp probook 4310s , thinkpad t61 battery

With Windows 8 coming later this year, Ultrabook makers are reportedly scratching their heads over how to integrate touchscreens with thin-and-light laptops.

Existing Ultrabook designs are inadequate, DigiTimes reports, because when you tap the touchscreen, you might end up pushing the top panel downward. Strengthening the hinge is an option, but then the entire laptop could topple back if you push too hard.

So now, instead of forcing touch on traditional clamshell setups, laptop makers are looking into other options, such as rotating or sliding screens that turn the devices into tablets. Lenovo solution, for example, is the Yoga, a laptop that folds all the way around into a tablet, with its keyboard disabled on the reverse side.

Sounds good to me. The idea of reaching out to a touchscreen on a traditional laptop always seemed awkward, because you have to reach over the keyboard and subject yourself to gorilla arm.

But as long as we’re brainstorming, I have one appeal to Windows 8 laptop makers as they try to combine laptops and tablets into a single device: Please, please, do not neglect the trackpad.

The trackpad is not only more comfortable than touchscreens in a laptop setting, it’s more accurate, and it allows the user to execute shortcuts through right clicks. Selecting text is also easier with a pointing device, because you can simply click and drag. For a tablet to double as a laptop, I’d argue that a trackpad is just as important as a physical keyboard. Fortunately, Windows 8 will support pointing devices throughout the OS.

But I’m not sure whether this is sinking in. At Intel’s CES press conference, for example, the chip maker showed off a concept tablet whose screen slid back into laptop position, kind of like Asus’ Eee Pad Slider. It did not include a trackpad. The Developer Preview tablet Microsoft handed out at its BUILD conference included a docking station that paired with a Bluetooth keyboard, but that keyboard did not include a trackpad. And despite all the Android tablets that have flooded the market, with their accompanying keyboard accessories, Asus’ Eee Pad Transformer is the only one I’ve seen with a trackpad built in.

I, for one, have no interest in Windows 8 tablet-laptop hybrids that do not include a trackpad. Reaching over to a touchscreen is too difficult, and too imprecise, and I’m too reliant on clicking and dragging, and using right clicks for productivity. So as device makers rethink the design of Windows 8 PCs, I hope the trackpad gets the attention it deserves.

Online discount Battery store : batteryfast.co.uk

Top 10 Tips to Enhance Your Laptop Life

Top 10 Tips to Enhance Your Laptop Life

CloudTags: Tips , Laptop , Life , laptop batteries , Compaq Laptop Battery , Dell Laptop Batteries , UK Hp Laptop Battery

It is obvious that a consumer will of course expect and even desire that his or her laptop should last longer. The life or durability of any electronic device depends on its utilityand usage whether it’s a laptop or a mobile or a tablet, etc. It depends on the user, the way he or she uses it and how one takes proper and gentle care of it while using and handling it. However, everyone is not of the same kind and hence some people are very gentle towards their laptops whereas some use it roughly. Laptop users, keep this in mind that the life of your device is solemnly in your hands. There are some conditions and criteria are which will increase the life of your laptop or device if you carefully follow them. These conditions are based on the remarks and experiences of some consumers and laptop users. Well, I am here to give you some tips for the long lasting of your device. Check out the list and discussions followed below.

Manage Your Battery Life

You should seldom drain the battery of your laptop and make sure that it should be drained completely for at least once a month. The laptop should be charged when the battery has reached a minimum level of charge to prevent the reduction of battery life.

Install an Anti-Virus Software

Anti-virus software is a must as malicious viruses may infect and spoil your system. These are available in large numbers and many are popular and well known to many computer users. Some are available for free downloads and some are updated regularly and some are just awesome in their functionalities. For you, I personally would like to recommend some of the free Antivirus softwaresuch as Microsoft Essentials, Malwarebytes, Spybot, Avast and AVG Free.

Carefully Plug In Your DC Jack

One needs to be careful while plugging in the DC jack or the power adaptor jack. The solder joints which connect the jack to the motherboard may crack if you apply much pressure or force while plugging in the jack. Therefore, you need to patiently push the jack in. One more precaution you must take is that your charger or adaptor should not be the one with a loose jack or a cheap one instead it should be a expensive one with a jack that properly fits into the port. Using a loose jack can cause damage to your adaptor as well as your motherboardtoo.

Download the Available Windows Updates

You need to update your Windows or Operating System for at least once in a week to prevent your system from malfunctions and infections by viruses. Often, Microsoft releases updates to its operating systems and allows its users to have the proper updates on a daily basis. In Windows 7, you just need to click on “Start” and then type “Windows Update”; a list of result is displayed. Now, click on the first result to be taken by the Windows Updater which follows the update thereby.

Clean the Cooling System with Compressed Air

You need to be careful while cleaning the cooling system which should and must be cleaned by a bottle of compressed air. To do this, you need to open the open the case first and incase if you could not, then call up the manufacturer or follow some help desks to guide you to open the case for proper maintenance. Once you have opened the case, blow and drive away the dust out of the fan and the heat sink in the cooling system. This should be done once in a month as dust gets easily cloaked on the heat sink because laptop heat sinks are very fine. For cleaning, I would like to suggest static-neutral compressed air and Dust-Off as the best preferences.

Consider Using a Cooling Pad

Laptop is an electronic device and gets heated like other electronic devices but it’s over heating should be avoided and one needs to be careful about this while the device is in use. Keep mind, the life of your laptop depends on the temperature of your laptop while it in use which confides that, lower the temperature of the laptop; the higher is its durability. Precaution is better than cure. Hence, prevent your laptop from overheating by using a Cooling Pad which lessens the chance of laptop failure, caused due to overheating.

Download and Use CCleaner

CCleaner for Mac and PC is the best tool for cleaning and protecting your laptop. It is a freeware system privacy tool for optimization which deletes Internet history and other idle files making your laptop run faster. It cleans up the system and allows Windows to run faster by emptying up the necessary hard disk space. This particular tool is available at various versions and is available freely for download.

Do not Use or Place your Laptop on a Bed

It really sounds silly when it is suggested not to use or place the laptop on a bed but in fact there is a grave reason behind this. The reason is significant because while placing the laptop on a bed or a sofa or any soft surface, the ventilation holes situated at the bottom of the laptop are blocked and hence not enabling the laptop to suck in air. It is very much necessary for the laptop to suck in air so that it cools the internal parts and keeps the device cool driving out all the heat. Now, where to place the laptop? –Place it on a hard surface such as a computer mat or a table which will provide enough space between the surface and the bottom of the laptop so that air ventilation is easily acquired. Moreover, the best way to use a laptop is by placing it on your lap and this is what most people probably do.

Do not Drink while Using the Laptop

Beware of drinks while using your laptop and avoid drinking near it because you may accidentally spill your drink over your laptop or on the keyboard. Moreover, this depends on the user’s personal carefulness and if you believe yourself of not spilling the drink, then you can of course drink near it. This way, if you electrocute or spoil the internal parts of your device, then you may have to undergo a replacement of a couple hundred dollars. Therefore, I personally would like to suggest you not to take unnecessary risks and better not to drink near your laptop.

Clean Your Display Screen Properly

The display or the screen should be cleaned properly and this can be done almost every day so that your device looks neat and clean along with a clear view of your display. Cleaning procedure should be carried out by two separate tissues, one being a dry one and the other one dipped in water. Firstly, clean the screen with the wet one to wipe away all the dust and dirt. Then clean it gently with the dry tissue so that it soaks all the water droplets giving a clear view of your screen. It would be better if you would prefer using the approved and recommended LCD cleaners that make your screen shiny and scratch free.

The above discussed tips for the long lasting of laptops are the best ten ways which secure your laptops and increase their life. These top ten ways are based on the remarks and experiences of some consumers and laptop users. Some of these tips are popular and well known to people around the world where as some are rarely known to most people. Hence, you need to go through these discussions to grab a detailed information and better preference of software and tools. Well, hope you would like this piece of article and do convey your feedback.

Guide the New Ultrabooks

Guide the New Ultrabooks

CloudTag: Ultrabooks , CES , battery life , technology , Asus A2500h , A3000 Battery , Asus A31-f9 Batteries

The big hit at CES this year was ultrabooks. Ultrabooks seek to bridge the gap between the functionality of a laptop and the convenience of a tablet. They have a reduced size and weight, and an extended battery life without compromised performance. At CES, the prototypes included touch screens, a feature not currently available with ultrabooks. So what makes a laptop an ultrabook? What are the best ultrabook features? And when should you consider buying an ultrabook? Keep reading to find out.

What’s an Ultrabook?

An ultrabook meets the following requirements:

Weighs less than four pounds

· Weighs less than four pounds

· Is no more than 0.8 inches thick

· Has at least a five hour battery life

Ultrabooks have these requirements to ensure that they are very portable devices, which is essential for the mobile worker. Another feature is the fast start-up time, which was inspired by tablets. This is accomplished by both flash drives and hybrid storage systems that pair flash memory with a traditional hard drive. If you need more storage in your ultrabook, go with the hybrid. But if you can live with less memory storage, then go with the really fast flash memory. You’ll find ultrabooks screens range from 13 inches to 15 inches.

Best Ultrabook Features

So what features are the best among the different ultrabooks available? Most ultrabooks are designed with a touchpad, so make sure you test it out before you buy it. The touchpad should be able to do gestures easily, such as pinch-to-zoom and two finger scrolling. Look for a keyboard with a backlight to extend usability in low light environments. High screen resolution is important — look for 1600 x 900 pixel resolution rather than 1366 x 768. Your eyes will thank you. Since ultrabooks are thinner, they won’t have all the ports and slots you might be used to in a laptop. If you need to connect a camera to your ultrabook, make sure you get one with an SD card slot. Most business professionals will need an Ethernet port and video graphics array (VGA), so look for those as well.

When to Buy

If you are an early adopter of technology (technology blog) , I bet you’ve already looked at the current ultrabooks available at your favorite computer store. But if you are one to wait until technology proves itself, you can feel comfortable basing your buying decision on either lower price or touch functionality. Lower price will probably show up around back-to-school season. Currently, ultrabooks start at around $800, but could possibly drop to $600 or less by August or September, making them around the price of or lower than laptops. If you want to wait for touch functionality, start keeping track of Windows 8. Once Windows 8 goes to market and is able to support touch, many providers will develop ultrabooks with touch functionalities based on the Windows 8 operating system.

So are you convinced that you need to transfer over to an ultrabook?

Top 5 Best Ultrabooks on the Market Today

Top 5 Best Ultrabooks on the Market Today

CloudTags: Ultrabooks , laptop , HP laptop batteries , Lenovo battery , Toshiba batteries , Asus uk battery

One of the newest buzzwords being bandied about has to do with a new breed of laptop. Last year, Intel decided to introduce a category of laptops called ultrabooks. But while the term may be new, the laptops themselves aren’t a mutation of some sort. Intel simply put a new spin on an evolving category of laptops that are incredibly thin, battery-efficient, and use low-voltage processors. Interestingly enough, these laptops were previously known as CULV laptops (CULV stands for consumer ultra-low-voltage processors), but Intel decided, and rightly so, that CULV doesn’t exactly sound sexy to consumers. In fact, it doesn’t sound like anything at all. Voila, ultrabooks.

But what exactly comprises an ultrabook? Intel has a long list of specifications on its blog. While the specifications are still evolving, the main ones are a low-voltage Intel Core processor, a frame no thicker than 0.83 inch, at least five hours of battery life, and fast boot times. The last rely on an Intel technology called Rapid Start, which makes use of flash storage embedded on the laptop’s motherboard.

Intel also expects touch screens to be an integral part of the ultrabook spec, with all eyes on Windows 8 and how Microsoft’s forthcoming operating system will drive this segment. That’s not to say that we expect to see touch screens on the first wave of ultrabooks released (and indeed, none that we’ve seen so far offer the feature). Rather, Intel is probably waiting for Windows 8 to launch later this year to add the feature to its checklist for the category. By including touch, though, Intel is essentially anticipating that its ultrabooks include tablets and convertibles or hybrids as well.

An unspoken factor is that Intel would like prices for ultrabooks to come in well below the $1,000 mark. What we’ve seen so far doesn’t really bear that out. Sure, there have been a couple of ultrabooks that are retailing for less than that, but most are just above—or way above—the $1,000 price point, depending on the configuration. Keep in mind, however, that this is a nascent category, with but a handful of systems that fall within its specifications.

Are ultrabooks for you? You can figure that out by reading our primer on the category and then studying our buying guide. But before you do, check out our picks for the top 5 ultrabooks on the market today.

HP Folio 13
Price: $899.99 with Windows 7 Home Premium, $1,048.99 with Windows 7 Professional
Our current Editors’ Choice, the HP Folio 13 ultrabook is a $900 revelation, with a comfortable keyboard and broad port selection at an undeniably attractive price.

Lenovo IdeaPad U300s
Price: $1,495 list
The Lenovo IdeaPad U300s, Lenovo’s entry into the ultrabook arena, is as well-engineered as you’d expect, but it’s not a knockout blow to its competitors.

Toshiba Portege Z830-S8302
Price: $1,429 list
(Best Deal: $1,429.00 at Toshiba) The Toshiba Portege Z830-S8302 is a slim, speedy ultrabook that may be a little too light and too pricey for mass appeal.

Toshiba Portege Z835-P330
Price: $799.99 list
The Toshiba Portege Z835-P330 is the lightest, longest-lasting ultrabook we’ve seen yet, and its affordability adds sparkle to a system with moderate performance and limited graphics capability.

Asus Zenbook UX31-RSL8
Price: $1,049 list
The Asus Zenbook UX31-RSL8 is a clear leader in the nascent ultrabook category, with better overall performance than any competitor. It also has a brilliant display, superb sound, and solid construction.

Top 11 Tips to Expanded Your Windows 7 Laptop’s Batteries Life

Top 11 Tips to Expanded Your Windows 7 Laptop’s Batteries Life

CloudTags: Windows 7 , Laptop , Battery Life , laptop batteries , al10b31 acer batteries , Canon nb-4l batteries , Dell inspiron 1545

Watching the life drain from your laptop when you’re on the move is stressful. Sure, there are extended and slice batteries for a variety of machines, and portable laptop batteries packs are available from companies such as Duracell and Lind Electronics. But those options can mean carrying more bulk in a bag already bogged down with cords, files and accessories. One surefire way to preserve the battery you do have is to follow these 11 tips.

1. Lower your screen brightness.

Your screen backlight uses the most power of any component in your notebook, so you can save a lot of juice by turning it down to the lowest acceptable level. You can manually raise and lower the brightness in increments of 10 percent by hitting the appropriate key combination for your laptop (example: Fn + left/right arrows on the Acer Aspire TimelineX series), but we recommend changing the brightness in your power profile so it lowers automatically every time you unplug.

To lower the brightness level in your power profile:

Select Power Options from the control panel.
Click Change Plan Settings next to your current power plan.
Select “Change advanced power settings.”
Expand Display, then Display brightness.
Enter a brightness percentage for On Battery, then Click OK.
Experiment with different brightness levels to determine which is the lowest you can tolerate.

**2. Prevent scheduled tasks from running on battery power.**

Your virus scanner and disk defragmenter, along with auto updates from the likes of Apple and Google, are scheduled to run themselves on a regular basis—often without your knowledge or consent. Set these tasks to run only on AC power so they don’t eat up precious juice running your hard drive, CPU and wireless while you’re unplugged.

Select Administrative Tools > Task Scheduler in the Control Panel.
Select Task Scheduler (Local) in the left window pane.
Go through each active task that has a future date in the Next Run Time column and do the following:

Double-click the task.
Select the Conditions tab.
Toggle on the first two power options: “Start the task only if the computer is on AC power” and “Stop if the computer switches to battery power” if they are not already checked.
Click the back button to return to the list of active tasks.

3. Turn off backlit keyboards.

If your notebook has a backlit keyboard, it will certainly help you see keys in a dark room, but it’s also sucking juice out of your battery. You’ll save some power by turning off that light. Every notebook has its own way of enabling or disabling its keyboard backlight, but the method usually involves hitting a Function key on the top row of the keyboard.

4. Unplug all USB devices and remove all discs.

Every USB peripheral attached to your notebook is eating up power just by registering itself with the operating system. By the same token, CDs, DVDs and Blu-rays can drain battery life, even when they’re just sitting idle in your optical drive. Remove any discs along with USB keys, card readers, modems or other peripherals you don’t need while on battery power.

5. Turn on High-Contrast mode.

The LED-backlit screens used on most modern notebooks expend less energy displaying black pixels than those showing colors. Setting your computer to show white and yellow text on a black background can improve battery life and even make text more readable when sunlight is hitting your screen.

To enable High-Contrast mode in Windows 7, simply hit the key combination Left Shift + Left Alt + Print Screen and click Yes when asked to confirm. You can turn off High-Contrast mode by hitting the same combo.

High-Contrast mode will affect your desktop and most Windows programs, including the latest versions of Internet Explorer and Firefox. However, if you use the Chrome browser, you will need to install the Change Colors extension, which is available for free from the Chrome Web Store. Once the extension is installed, it will show an icon in the right side of your address bar. Click that icon and select “Apply override on all pages” to enable high-contrast mode.

6. Close messaging software and apps that ping the Internet in the background.

While you’re surfing the Web, checking email or watching a movie, messaging apps such as Google Talk and Skype are hitting the Internet constantly, just to see which of your contacts are online and whether you’ve received any messages. Automatic updating apps from the likes of Adobe, Apple and Google may also be pinging the Internet to see if there are updates to your copies of Adobe Reader, Chrome browser or iTunes. To stop these silent power vampires before they start, prevent them from loading at boot time.

To see and disable programs from starting when your computer starts:

Type msconfig into the Start Menu text field, and click msconfig.
Select the Startup tab.
Uncheck messaging programs such as AOL Instant Messenger, Gtalk and Skype. You can always launch them manually if you want to use them.
Uncheck autoupdaters such as Adobe Update, Apple Update, Google Update and Java Autoupdater.
Click OK.

7. Hibernate instead of sleep.

When you close the lid on your notebook and put it to sleep, the computer is still sending some power to the RAM and motherboard in order to keep the current session in memory so your system can wake quickly. Some newer lightweight notebooks such as the ASUS ZenBook UX31 have been designed to use little power during sleep, but most notebooks suck down quite a bit of juice unless they’re completely powered off.

In Hibernate mode, your notebook will save its memory to disk and completely power off, rather than just going to sleep. It will take nearly as long to wake from hibernation as it does to boot, but once it wakes, your session will be right where you left it.

To make your computer hibernate on demand, simply click the arrow next to the Shutdown button and select Hibernate. If you do not see Hibernate available as an option, your computer does not support this mode.

If your computer supports hibernation, you may want to set it to hibernate every time you close the lid.

To set your notebook to hibernate upon lid close:

Type Lid into the Start menu text field.
Click “Change what closing the lid does.”
Select Hibernate from the “When I close the lid” menu under On Battery.
Click Save Changes.

8. Disable Bluetooth.

If your notebook has Bluetooth, you’re probably not using it much. However, the radio is still sucking power, even when nothing is connected to it.

To disable Bluetooth:

Type Network Connections into the text field in the Start Menu.
Select View Network Connections.
Right-click on the Bluetooth Network Connection > Disable.

9. Turn off Wi-Fi when not in use.

If you’re connected to the Internet via Ethernet, or if you’re working some place that has no wireless signal, you can save a lot of power by turning off your notebook’s Wi-Fi radio. Most notebooks have a Function key on the top of the keyboard that toggles Wi-Fi on or off, though some have a dedicated button or switch.

10. Minimize hard drive usage.

If your notebook has a 5,400- or 7,200-rpm hard drive, it’s sucking up a lot of juice just spinning that magnetic platter around. There are several ways to save power by minimizing disk activity.

Defragment your hard drive on a regular basis. If you run Windows 7’s Disk Defragmenter program every couple of weeks, your drive will spend less time spinning around looking for data.
Replace your hard drive with an SSD. Because they have no moving parts, SSDs use less power than hard drives. They also don’t need to be defragmented.
Add more RAM. Going from 2 to 4GB or 4 to 8GB of RAM should allow your computer to use less virtual memory and more physical memory, which means fewer hard drive accesses.

11. Turn off visual effects.

Such visual effects as Aero glass, showing window contents while dragging, and slide-out menus tax your CPU and, by extension, your battery.

To disable these effects:

Type Advanced System Settings into the Start Menu text field.
Select “View advanced system settings.”
Click Settings under Performance.
Select “Adjust for best performance.”
Click OK.

Asus U47 Ultraportable with Intel Ivy Bridge CPUs

Asus U47 Ultraportable with Intel Ivy Bridge CPUs

CloudTags: Asus , U47 , Ultraportable , Intel Ivy Bridge , CPUs , Asus a32-x51 , Asus a32-f3 , Asus a32-f5 batteries

In the second quarter of 2012, Asus prepares to introduce a couple of new U-Series ultra-portable notebooks based on Intel’s upcoming Ivy Bridge processors, which will feature an improved design and better specs than their predecessors.

The two notebook models that the company plans to release are the Asus U47A and the U47VC, the main difference between them being the type of graphics used.

To be exact, this aluminum-clad laptop is just an inch thick (25.1 mm) and weighs in at a mere 2.9 pounds (1.32 kg). The U47 may not look as sleek as razor-thin Ultrabooks such as the Asus UX31, but it’s certainly more portable than many midsize laptops. (The 14-inch HP Envy, for example, seems downright heavy now at 5.6 pounds, and even the Dell XPS 14z, which is another ultraportable that squeezes a 14-inch display in a smaller 13-inch chassis, weighs more than the U47, at 4.4 pounds.)

Besides portability, the U47 offers attractive configuration options, according to Notebook Italia. In addition to Core i5 or Core i7 processors, the laptop supports up to 8GB of memory and hard drive storage of up to 1TB.

You’ll also be able to equip the U47 with a dedicated Nvidia GeForce video card. Factor in the DVD writer and the eight hours of battery life, and the U47 looks like a laptop designed for power users. The display, however, is your typical 1366-by-768-pixels resolution.

For the U47A Asus will rely on the integrated Intel GPU found inside Ivy Bridge CPUs, while the more advanced U47VC will receive the addition of a next-gen discrete GPU built by Nvidia.

The names of the processors, or the GPUs, that Asus will install on these two U-Series models, were not revealed. However, Notebook Italia suggests that the Taiwanese company will most likely opt for CPUs from the Core i3 and Core i5 product lines.

Various hard drive options are also available, ranging in size from 320GB to 1TB, some of these coming with a spindle speed of 7200RPM for faster data access.

The rest of the specifications list is pretty much standard for this type of notebook design, with features including a built-in 0.3MP webcam and HDMI output to optional Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity.

Furthermore, the ultra-portables can also be equipped with up to 8GB of system memory and with a Super-Multi DVD drive.

A couple of USB 3.0 ports are also provided for achieving quicker data transfer speeds, while the 14-inch 1366×768 display installed is paired together with a thin bezel, that enables it to fit inside the space normally required by a 13.3-inch screen.

No information regarding the release date or the pricing of these upcoming Asus U47 laptops is available, but the first Intel Ivy Bridge processors are expected to make their debut at the start of April 2012.

Choosing Replacement Laptop Batteries Tips And Batteries Types

Choosing Replacement Laptop Batteries Tips And Batteries Types

CloudTags: Replacement Laptop Batteries , Tips , Batteries Types , batteries life , 484170-001 battery , Acer as07b41 , Sony vgp-bps2c batteries

Laptop batteries life is the major concern of laptop users. If the laptop batteries fail to work, users usually choose to buy a new one. And how to choose a right battery should also be taken into consideration. And this article is about the laptop battery types, maintenance tips and how to choose a battery replacement.

LiON batteries are now used in most new laptops. Unlike the NiMH battery, LiON laptop batteries have no memory effect. LiON batteries are also lighter than both NiCd and NiMH notebook batteries. Both of these advantages equal out to the Lithium Ion battery being the most popular and most expensive among the various notebook power sources.

Taking good care of your laptop battery is really important as you would love to have your laptop in working condition always. Most people use laptops these days at offices, hospitals, schools and colleges, etc. For all these people, it is really important to protect their documents and files that are stored on laptops. Only by protecting the batteries and taking good care of it; they can make sure all is well with their files and documents. Given below are some useful that will help you take good care of your laptop battery.

You can experience battery problems if you allow your battery to completely discharge outside the laptop. You should check the battery while it in storage so it will not be allowed to completely discharge. This could also prevent the laptop from accepting the battery when you place it back into the computer.

One thing you should consider when you choose a laptop battery is the reputability of the laptop batteries. There’re many laptop manufacturers on the market. If your budget is not so tight, then the best choice would be a battery made by the manufacturer of your laptop. But those batteries would be much more expensive than the average price in the market. Dell, for example, has been known to charge four times more than ones you can get elsewhere. Therefore, if you don’t want to pay the high premium price, you can get one from a different manufacturer.

Battery chargers of different compositions should never be used for your laptop. Different brands of chargers have connection ports and voltage settings of multiple types and may not necessarily suit your device. This could in turn affect the laptop battery. It is better to use the factory developed charger that was supplied to you along with the laptop. There’s one more thing you should be noted: be careful with the used or refurbished batteries. Because refurbished batteries do not hold as much power when compared to new batteries. Also, they can kick the bucket on you randomly since you really do not know how old the battery is.

Battery life is one of the most important things to consider in any electronic device. Laptops use a lot of power, so the quality of laptop batteries affects how long you can use your computer and how many programs you can run. If your laptop battery isn’t lasting as long as it used to or you find yourself charging more often, it may be time to replace it. Here are some tips for finding quality, compatible laptop batteries as a replacement.

Choosing Laptop Batteries:

Battery capacity: Laptop batteries will typically list their capacities in milliamp hours (mAh). A higher mAh rating means the battery will take longer to drain, giving your laptop a longer charge. Typically, laptop batteries will have 5000 mAh or more.
Compare your old battery: When comparing new laptop batteries, it will be useful to look at the specifications of your old battery. Laptop batteries drain at different rates, depending on how many programs you are running and what type of components your computer uses. Compare the mAh rating of your old battery to new ones you look at. If you want the same battery life or better from your new laptop battery, make sure it’s rated at least as high as the old one.
Battery materials: Lithium-ion is a fairly standard material for laptop batteries and other electronics. Lithium-ion has a good power-to-weight ratio and has no memory effect like some other battery materials.
Prolonging battery life: It’s better not to store lithium-ion laptop batteries when they are completely dead. Plug your laptop in soon after the battery dies, or don’t let it die at all. Laptop batteries deteriorate faster when used at high temperatures, also. Using your laptop with computer accessories, like a lap desk with a cooling fan, can help prolong battery life.

Simple Tips to Get Longer Battery Life out of Your Android Phone or Tablet

Simple Tips to Get Longer Battery Life out of Your Android Phone or Tablet

CloudTags: battery life , Android phone , tablet , Samsung nc10 , Dell latitude d630 batteries , Sony vgp-bps5 laptop battery

Frustrated by how quickly your favorite mobile gadgets die? Follow these simple tips to get longer battery life out of your Android phone or tablet.

Almost everything about Android phones is getting bigger and better. The screens, processors, and antennas are larger and faster but one thing just can’t keep up with the rest – the battery. Batteries are being taxed further and further with all of these new technologies, and they haven’t quite caught up.

Here’s a quick guide to make sure that you get the most out of your Android’s battery so your phone spends less time plugged into a wall.

Multitasking

One of the great features on Android phones is being able to run multiple apps at the same time.

The drawback is that running multiple apps in the background eats up tons of precious battery life. The Android Market features several app manager applications, but the most effective way to keep tabs on applications is already built into the operating system.

By going into the settings menu you can see what apps are currently running, and how much processing power they consume. To do this go into the settings menu and tap “applications.” Then hit “manage applications.” Shut down applications you aren’t using, or ones that are eating up battery life, by clicking on the name of the app and then tapping the “stop” button.

If you own an Android device built by HTC, Motorola, or Samsung you most likely have a useful customized version of the built-in application manager. For example, Samsung’s TouchWiz features a widget that shows how many apps you currently have running, and will allow you to close apps one by one, or all apps at once with a single click.

It sounds overly simple, but ensuring that you don’t have apps running in the background when you don’t need them will save your battery. Each application might be taking up a very small amount of power, but it adds up over time.

Take Control

One surefire way to waste battery life is leaving hardware that isn’t being used turned on. Examples include leaving GPS and Bluetooth on all day, instead of only when needed.

Nearly all recent Android phones – Android version 2.1 and newer – have a widget called “power control.” Its sole function is to save battery life.

This handy widget enables you to turn on or off Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and Sync with the touch of a single button. It also enables to you reduce the brightness of your screen. Unless you are directly using the Wi-Fi, et al, there is no reason to leave it on.

However, Sync and auto-brightness for your screen are handy features. It’s up to you if you want to turn those off or down.

Unfortunately, if your phone came with a custom skin it is possible the “power control” widget is not included on your phone. Most likely, though, the device should have a very similar widget or feature.

Some of the new 4G phones offer a 4G toggle switch to turn off the power-hungry 4G antenna. It’s better to have it off until you start consuming tons of data. Keeping on top of all these features throughout the day should prolong battery life.

Fade to black

This tip will only help those of you who have an AMOLED screen, essentially this refers to any recent devices from Samsung. We’ll skip the lesson about how screen technology works, and just say that AMOLED screens don’t use power to display black pixels.

If you keep the screen’s background as black as possible you will save a massive amount of power. Screens are one of the most power hungry aspects of phones, by reducing the power that the screen needs to operate you will drastically improve battery life.

Wrap it up!

Android gets a bad rap for being a power hungry operating system, and it can be if left unchecked. However, by shutting off applications that aren’t in use and only turning on Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or GPS functions when needed you’ll be amazed at how much longer the battery lasts.

Under average usage your device should easily last all day, and maybe then some. Of course, if you stream Netflix all day then bets are off.

Batteryfast.co.uk Offical Battery Blog

Battery blog about laptop battery care tips, battery news

Monthly Archives: February 2012