Slate’s Farhad Manjoo recently interviewed Isidor Buchmann, the CEO of battery-testing equipment manufacturer Cadex Electronics, about characteristics of contemporary gadget batteries and how to use them to your advantage. Note that the tips below only apply to Lithium-Ion batteries, the most popular type used in gadget today:

Keep Your Batteries Away From Heat. Heat lessens a battery’s lifespan, and unfortunately many gadgets today (especially laptops) can get very hot. The solution, aside from keeping the unit as cool as possible, is to always charge the battery when the gadget is off. When using laptops that are plugged in, remove the battery once it’s fully-charged.

Maintain an Optimum Charge Level. As Buchmann says, “you should try to keep your battery charged from 20 to 80 percent”. This means you should actually minimize letting a battery drain, and of course be mindful of overcharging it. Once the battery is full, unplug!

Charge Before Storing. Storing a battery drained of all power definitely lowers its lifespan. So if you plan to stow away that power pack for a long time, make sure to charge it to around 40 percent. Aside from prolonging the battery’s life, you’ve also got power for those emergencies.

Reset Your Battery Meter. This is tricky: some gadgets reset their power meter once you let the battery completely drain before charging it up back to full strength—a clear violation of maintaining an optimum charge level. But, if not done frequently (i.e., only when you think your gadget’s remaining power estimates are off), the damage to lifespan should be minimal.

Do you have your own proven tips on prolonging your gadget’s battery life? Remember, the longer our batteries last, the more efficient we become!

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Post from: The Gadget Blog

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:

1. 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?
2. 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.
3. 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?
4. 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.

Post from: The Gadget Blog