How to make your laptop battery last longer

The computer world is yet to see laptop batteries that can last for more than 24hours, unaided, on a single charge. The exact time it takes a laptop battery to fully discharge differs from one PC manufacturer to another depending on many factors. Laptops are very useful, especially on trips. However, it's frustrating when you are on the move and your laptop battery ran out of energy just when you needed it the most.

An average laptop battery is supposed to last anywhere from 1.5hrs to 2hrs give or take. This figure is subject to debate as laptop manufacturers are not forthcoming as to what exactly is the average battery life. Nonetheless, if you intend to use a laptop faraway from an external power source, for more than 24 hours; then you may want to check out Apple's external laptop charger (If you have a MAC). This laptop charger provides external power and charge up capability for Mac book for more than 32 hours.

Airline operators are trying to provide electricity outlets for computer connections as well. The Scandinavian Airline, SAS, were the first to provide this service on close to 85% of seats on business class. Another way to enjoy the service of your laptop, if you have a car at your disposal, is by using a car charger. A car charger lets you charge your laptop battery off of your car's power. It is extremely useful for people traveling long distance in cars or spending a holiday in a recreational vehicle.

To give you the best tips for longer battery life, we had to tweak the tricks around MobileMark 2007 test. In the test, it is assumed no web pages are running, no video games, Wi-Fi is turned off, no music or movies of any sort, and brightness turned down to a awful 20%. Our golden tip to you is to use the aforementioned features one at a time for greater battery time. For example, if you are just listening to music, you can turn off wi-fi and turn down the screen brightness.

To extend the life of your laptop battery, the following tips will be useful:

Always remove the battery when connected to AC power –don't keep the battery on 24/7 charge.
Only run programs that you need in the background.
Use your laptop in a well-ventilated environment if possible. A cool environment replaces the function of the laptop fan.
Unplug external tools like USB flash drives, web cams, and so forth.
Defragment regularly.
Remove and store the battery when not in use for a long time. Ideally, the best way to store your Li-ion battery for a long time is get it up to 45% charge. Put it in a waterproof bag and store in a fridge.
Clean up the laptop regularly to prevent dusty particles from sealing up the air vents.
Do not use screen savers.
Minimize power consumption using the power options built into your laptop software.
It is advisable to completely discharge and recharge the battery every once in a while.

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-By Dominic

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