Upgrade Report [Hardware Tips: Longer Life, Lower Cost for Batteries - 08/09/2005]
- From: Ablang <HilaryDuffPerfectGirl@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 09 Aug 2005 22:26:16 -0700
August 9th, 2005
Hardware Tips: Longer Life, Lower Cost for Batteries
by Contributing Editor Kirk Steers
Everyone who owns an MP3 player, cell phone, digital camera, or other
portable device wants batteries that cost less and that last longer
between recharges or replacement. These tips will help you get more
power for your battery dollar.
If your PDA, camera, or mechanical bunny uses standard AA or AAA
batteries, disposable alkaline ones aren't your only--or even
best--choice. Eveready's Energizer E2 Titanium and other high-end
alkaline batteries deliver much longer battery life for some uses. The
catch: They cost $6 per four-pack online, and up to twice that at
retail, about double what you would pay for standard alkaline
batteries.
You pay a similar premium for lithium-based AA and AAA batteries,
which also cost about twice as much as standard alkalines. However,
they sometimes offer more than twice the performance, especially for
such power-hungry devices as digital cameras and CD players. (Winter
sports enthusiasts should note that lithium batteries perform well in
cold environments.) Go to the SafariQuip site for a battery-life
comparison:
http://www.safariquip.co.uk/i_petzl_torch.html
By time you read this, stores should be selling Panasonic's disposable
Oxyride batteries, which lasted twice as long as comparably priced
alkaline batteries in PC World tests; see "New Batteries: Twice the
Life":
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,119723,tk,urx,00.asp
You can protect your pocketbook and the environment by using
rechargeable batteries. Nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries cost a
bit more and take slightly longer to charge than nickel cadmium (NiCd)
batteries, but the NiMH kind last longer (see the chart below). AA and
AAA battery rechargers cost as little as $10 online, at electronics
stores, and at discount chains.
To get the most out of a rechargeable battery, you have to store and
recharge it properly. While most of today's gadgets use lithium ion or
lithium polymer batteries, some rely on the older, less-expensive, and
lower-capacity NiMH and NiCd type.
NiCd batteries need to be fully discharged before recharging to
prevent "memory" problems, which can limit the battery's storage
capacity when it hasn't yet been fully depleted. NiMH batteries don't
suffer from memory problems, but some experts consider fully
discharging the battery regularly to be beneficial. However, lithium
batteries last longer if recharged when not fully drained.
Check with the battery's manufacturer for the best way to recharge it.
And if you've had battery trouble with your IPod, you're not alone.
Read the IPod Battery FAQ for a wealth of useful information about
IPod battery issues:
http://www.ipodbatteryfaq.com/
Batteries start losing charge capacity from the moment they're
manufactured. To minimize aging, store your batteries at 50 to 60
degrees--but don't freeze them. And for optimal long-term storage,
keep your lithium, NiMH, and NiCd batteries about 50 percent charged
to minimize capacity loss during long periods of nonuse. Of course,
there's no easy way to determine a battery's remaining charge with any
precision, so first recharge the device fully, and then use it for
what you approximate is half its standard charge duration before
putting it away into cool storage.
When a rechargeable battery becomes unrechargeable, don't throw it
away; recycle it. The cadmium in NiCd batteries is especially toxic.
Recycling centers are easy to find; go to the Rechargeable Battery
Recycling Corporation site for a listing of locations nationwide:
http://www.rbrc.org/index.html
Power on the Go
Any USB port in a storm: You can recharge any device that comes with
an internal rechargeable battery and a USB port by connecting it to a
powered USB hub, whether in your PC or a stand-alone device. USB
cables are easier to carry around than the bulky "wall wart" AC power
adapters that accompany most portable devices. Cell phone makers often
provide USB cables as an accessory. If yours doesn't, APC carries USB
adapters for various types of cell phones, most of which are less than
$20:
http://www.apcc.com/products/family/index.cfm?id=206&ISOCountryCode=US
Targus manufactures a Universal Notebook Docking Station ($150 list;
$125 online) that supplies two "always-on" USB ports for convenient
charging, even when your laptop is not attached:
http://pcworld.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php?masterid=6526340/tk=urx
If you're driving, a USB adapter for your car's cigarette lighter
costs less than $15 at computer stores or at such sites as
101cells.com.
One adapter to rule them all: Minimize the number of power adapters
you have to carry around by using a universal power adapter such as
those sold by Belkin and Targus. These light, thin adapters come with
tips that fit many laptops, PDAs, cameras, and cell phones. Prices
range from $80 to $150, depending on the wattage they provide.
Auto-matic AC: If you spend a lot of time in an automobile,
12V-DC-to-110V-AC power converters such as the AC Anywhere from Belkin
and the Mobile Power Inverter from Targus deliver standard AC power
from a car's cigarette lighter. You can't run a table saw from them,
but they will power any small electronic device up to a laptop PC.
Spin cycle: My all-time favorite gadget for cell phones is the
SideWinder cell phone charger from IST Designs. This tiny, 2.5-ounce
generator allows you to manually charge your cell phone anytime,
anywhere, by spinning a small crank. Just 2 minutes of turning
provides about 5 minutes of talking time on my Nokia cell phone. A
small light on the SideWinder's case makes a handy emergency
flashlight as well. The SideWinder comes equipped with a set of
adapters to accommodate a wide range of cell phones. Here's the URL:
http://www.istdesigns.com/product_info.php?cPath=1&products_id=1
Catch some rays: If you're going where there's no power but lots of
sunshine, consider the $70 Coleman Exponent Flex 5 by ICP Solar. The
flexible solar panel weighs 1 pound and folds into a
7-by-9-by-1.5-inch packet that's easy to stow and carry. Devices
connect via a cigarette-lighter adapter. In full sunlight at the
equator, the unit supposedly produces enough energy to charge a
typical cell phone in 3 to 5 hours. Here's the URL:
http://www.icpsolar.com/specifications.php3?id_article=38
Take the 64-Bit Plunge?
My PC has an Athlon 64 CPU and is currently running Windows XP Home.
I'm thinking of installing the 64-bit edition of Windows XP. What are
the chances of hardware incompatibilities, and what kind of hardware
does my PC need to handle the new OS?
Ian Smith, Denver
Kirk's law states: Never buy the first version of a hardware or
software product. You may think this sounds like cynical advice, but
over my many years of computing it has proven to be sound.
If you're set on switching to 64-bit Windows, first read PC World's
evaluation of an early release, "64-Bit Windows? Wait for Longhorn,"
from the July issue:
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,120913,tk,urx,00.asp
Microsoft's minimum requirements for Windows XP X64 aren't too
intimidating: a 64-bit CPU with a clock speed of at least 733 MHz, 1GB
of RAM, and 1.5GB of free disk space. If you do install the new OS, I
expect that your biggest hardware headaches will involve device
drivers. Most devices requiring a driver utility will need a new
64-bit version. Windows XP X64 will include drivers for many, but not
all, current devices. Hard drives, optical drives, and other devices
that connect via ATA or newer SATA ports, for example, shouldn't pose
a problem. But I guarantee that a few printers, network cards, and
other older devices, especially those from lesser-known manufacturers,
will be left driverless under XP X64, just as they were during the
transition to Windows XP a few years back, and during every other
major OS upgrade as it rolled out.
For another take on the subject, read "Adventures in 64-Bit
Computing":
http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,120760,tk,urx,00.asp
And be sure to visit PC World's Info Center for Windows to keep up on
the latest developments:
http://www.pcworld.com/resource/infocenter/0,ctrid,6,ic,Windows,tk,urx,00.asp
Send your tips and questions to:
kirk_steers*pcworld.com
Read Kirk Steers' regularly published "Hardware Tips" columns:
http://www.pcworld.com/resource/columnist/0,colid,14,tk,ur,tk,urx,00.asp
===
"The pressure is outrageous. Everyone is picked apart and it's so superficial and not real. I'm not superskinny and not overweight. I'm just normal."
-- Hilary Duff
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