How to Conserve Laptop Battery Life
September 10, 2008 by Rico Mossesgeld
Filed under Laptops
Sure, HP managed to squeeze out 24 hours of battery life from one of their laptops. But we all know how possible that is in real-world conditions.
Still, maximizing battery life is a laudable goal, because that means you get more for each charge, or more what you pay for electricity.
Laptops may be as different as the residents of a cosmopolitan city, but there are some universal “truths” when it comes to prolonging battery life:
- Dim Your Screen. Lots of juice keeps your screen bright. So, if you’re in a bright area anyway, why not shave off some levels your display brightness?
- Turn Off What You Don’t Need. Don’t need to surf? Goodbye WiFi. No need to sync with your phone? Off with the Bluetooth.
- Stick to Simple Apps. No CGI Rendering Please! Why waste time by forcing your laptop to do something intensive, when it won’t be able to do it as quickly when on AC?
- Take Care of Your Laptop Battery. By treating it well, namely by plugging it only when it’s almost out of juice, you make a battery capable of carrying more power for a longer period of time.
Got any more useful info? Let us know with a comment below.
Uhh…Tip number 4 is WRONG! If you have a Li-Ion battery, you should try charging it frequently. Waiting for it to completely drain, then letting it charge would lessen the time the battery can hold a charge. So the more you try tip 4, the lower your battery life would slowly decrease over time.