How Can I Maximize My Mobile Computer’s Battery Life? no comments
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The battery on a laptop or mobile computer never feels long enough. The computer warns you right when the important email comes through or during the last paragraph of a proposal. However, some easy tricks exist to help get a little more juice from your battery.
1. Find the power-saving option All mobile computers have a power-saving options. Dell's support center offers a simple walk-through showing how to set this option. Check it out.
2. Do one thing at a time With so many things to do in a day, most people do at least a little multitasking. If you want to conserve your battery life, fight this instinct. Open one program and window at a time. Don't run your browser and your email client simultaneously. It may slow you down but it can add precious time to your power supply. Also, check for background programs, like the ones that start automatically. Those can eat your time as well.
3. Temperature Most computers don't have the tendency to over-heat anymore, but temperature still plays a role. If your computer gets too hot or too cold it can force the battery to work overtime. (Extra tip: don't put your computer on your lap, that can keep it from ventilating properly. If your laptop gets hot while you're holding it, you've cut off that air supply and the consumed your battery life.)
4. Matching your battery and charger Believe it or not, having the right charger for your computer makes a difference. If you use a universal plug to charge your battery it can keep your laptop from reaching full potential. Use the charger that came with your computer.
5. External Devices Just like running extraneous programs, having devices plugged into your computer will suck battery life. So unplug your USB drive and your mouse when you want to conserve power.
Of course, if you're really frustrated, you might want to find a computer that comes with a longer battery life. When you shop for your next laptop be sure to check the battery features.
Use a computer with a long battery life? Or perhaps one with a less than optimal power capacity? Share it with us!