Laptop Battery
Laptop batteries are interesting pieces of technology, in that over the last ten or twenty years, major advances have been made in every component of a portable computer except the power source. Processors have gotten infinitely smaller, quieter and cooler, memory has been crammed into ever smaller cases, and hard drives have gotten a much higher capacity. Even the LCD screens have undergone a major transformation, albeit slow. If you put an old black and white Tandy laptop from 15 years ago in front of a new Dell laptop, the difference is undeniable. But notebook batteries keep chugging along with their old technology, forcing the other components to have to adapt in order to get more life out of them.

In fact, the new processors from Intel and AMD do just that. They implement power saving technology to turn off the parts of the processor that are not being used in a process, in order to use less power and drain the battery less. Also, many laptop manufacturers have implemented special power saving technology into their motherboards and operating systems, turning off certain components of the computer like the network card when it’s not plugged into direct current. And in some of the new laptops, there is an option to dim the screen when running off the battery, so as to not tax the laptop battery as much.

But even though laptop batteries are old technology, you still need them if you’re going to work where there is no direct current. To buy a new laptop battery, it’s usually best to contact the manufacturer of the laptop itself, as they would have the best chance of having a battery for your particular model. Aside from that, there are universal laptop batteries available that fit most major models. To use one, all you have to do is plug it into your AC connector on the computer like you are going to plug it into the wall. Another good thing to have is an external laptop battery charger, in the event that you can’t be near an electrical outlet, but your battery dies. Having these accessories can often make up for the limitations that laptop batteries sometimes present.