Battery life on laptops varies quite a bit. Netbooks and Macbook Pros are usually on the higher end of the spectrum but all travelers have come up on battery warnings hours away from the next electrical outlet. You can increase the life and extend your battery on each charge by making your laptop an efficient and cool machine. Travelers need battery life, it’s one of the most important considerations when looking at any travel gadget since outlets can be hard to come by in hostels, long haul flights, and airports. These tips will give you a few more minutes of life when you really need it and if you practice these habits early, you might be able to save yourself from that frantic search for a place to plug in.
Start Early
The sooner you begin implementing the tips in this article in a charge, the most battery life and power you’ll get out if it. When you know you’re not likely to get access to an outlet in advance (like on a long flight) be sure to get efficient quickly. Don’t wait until you’ve only got 3 minutes of battery life left, otherwise these tips won’t help you much. In fact the best time to start conditioning your battery is well before you take your first trip with your laptop. To get the most out of each charge, you need to condition your battery by charging it full and discharging it whenever you unplug it from a power source. Batteries only work as hard as you push them and if you end up recharging after just and hour of battery use over and over you’ll hurt your battery’s total capacity.
Turn Off Wireless
On airplanes, trains, and bus stations that don’t have a wireless connection it doesn’t make sense to leave on your wireless card. It’s pretty easy to turn off on both Windows and Mac systems and will really extend your battery life. This is especially true where there is no wireless network around, as your wi-fi card burns a lot of electricity trying to look for a decent signal.
Another great way to significantly reduce the drain on your battery is to lower the brightness on your screen as much as comfortable. The screen is the biggest culprit for battery drain so lower the light low when you want to make the most out of a single charge. Cool laptops also run more efficiently and you’ll save power by not placing your laptop on your lap, but rather using your backpack as insulation. This will prevent most of the heat radiating from your legs from heating up your laptop any further.
Some other easy ways to extend each charge are to use applications one at a time (shut down any you’re not actively using), not using your speaker but instead headphone, and limited the use of your CD or DVD drive (burn those songs or movies to the hard drive instead). By using these methods above you can squeeze out every last drop of electricity from you laptop.
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