Battery Life on the Road

ByDaniel Gottilla

Battery Life on the Road

It’s happened to all of us. You’re on a plane or somewhere out of the office steadily working. Just as you get into your groove, a little warning message comes up telling you your battery power is low, and if you want to save your important files, you’d better do it now. Sure, sometimes you’re near an outlet and you can plug your machine in, but why not take some steps to make sure this problem never surfaces at all.

• The easiest way to increase computer use is to recharge your battery at every opportunity. Are you at a coffee shop? Most of them have outlets next to some of the tables. Scout for one and plug your laptop in, and you can work for hours. When you are in your hotel room, charge up the battery as you prepare for your day or unpack your bags. There may not be time for a full charge, but every bit of power you can get into that battery can make a difference when you’re out.

• While you’re using your laptop, there is another important step you can take to conserve battery power. All you have to do is to lower the brightness. You’d be surprised at just how much extra power a small bit of light sucks up. There are usually buttons at the top of your keyboard that look like little suns. They are probably on your F1, F2, or other function buttons. Simply press “function” and also press the smaller sun, and you should see the brightness decrease. Lower the brightness as far as you are comfortable, and you’ll save battery life.

• Use travel energy options. You can purchase adapters that allow you to plug your computer into a car’s cigarette lighter. Planes also offer an in-flight power option in some of their seats, though you may need to purchase an adapter to make it work. You can also invest in a netbook or other energy efficient laptop for use during travel, since the battery life tends to be much, much longer in these products.

Now that you have some battery conservation tips, try putting them to use on your next foray out of the office. You won’t just save power, you’ll save yourself some hassle as well.