The Lithium Ion batteries that are now standard on all laptops need a constant/healthy charge discharge cycle to maintain proper operating condition. Weather and temperature also tends to influence the longevity of batteries for as we all know it use it or not your battery discharges at a constant rate. In cooler weather, your batteries will discharge faster than in moderate weather/temperature. While on the hot side, it will also discharge faster so keep it cool.

Leaving it plugged in without the ability to cycle(charge/discharge) shortens the lifespan of the battery, robbed of it’s designed purpose. Keep the battery cool for it will literally cook itself in its own juice if it overheats. It can even spring a leak and catch fire given the proper conditions. Use only the recommended chargers which are normally the ones that came with the laptop or an equivalent form the manufacturer to ensure all safety systems remain intact. Ensure authentic battery packs and chargers for cheap replacement ones may not have protective circuits built-into originals. With these in mind, longer use of your trusted laptop is ensured, free from any sudden death brought about by the demise of your battery pack.

Not in the near future, for these thin nifty gadgets to have a lot of advantages but with the current state of technology, they are still quite limited. Battery life is the most common problem for there is still a need for a better power source. Sure we have these solar chargers that come in backpacks and other emergency power sources but the actual battery built into these devices are still limited to a few hours of use.

Time may come when they may be the next big thing but for now, it is still a fad or status symbol. Part of us wants to get the latest and most exclusive gadget around but they still have a long way to go in terms of computing power and use. They may have a niche to fill in but for mainstream business and overall general use, the standard laptop still rules. Besides, who wants an expensive gadget so thin you’d forget it was in your folder and then sit on it while getting into the car!

Laptops rely heavily on their batteries on the go and they are considered to be the weak link when it comes to overall performance. Better batteries and processor designs have indeed raised the bar in terms of usage hours but you could squeeze in a whole lot more juice out of your batteries the next time round.

Even with an old laptop, you could re-calibrate the power gauge software part of the manufacturer’s drivers by turning off power saving and hibernation. This would allow the battery to drain totally till the unit turn’s off. A quick recharge resets the power meter to the actual power capacity of the battery instead of the one recorded by the software, logged into the system each and every time you use the computer. Keep it cool always and if you use your laptop as a desktop, always plugged into a power outlet, pop it off. As long as the unit is plugged into the mains it’ll work fine(just remember to bring the battery when you do go mobile).

With the release of Apple’s iPad, a new market niche has been created – that for tablets. When the iPad first appeared almost a year ago, it was seen as a very separate niche that won’t affect the laptop market much. But this has proven to be wrong. Based on studies, the iPad is eating into the once very lucrative netbook niche of the laptop market. Who would’ve thought that would actually happen in just the iPad’s first iteration, when people skeptically thought that it won’t ever replace a netbook in terms of functionality.

With the popularity of tablets, specifically the iPad, the market is now rethinking about the viability of both niches. What about you? Which of the two would you prefer? Are you for a netbook or for an iPad?

I remember when I first started up my brand new computer in seconds, it booted, responding immediately at the click of a mouse and each time I pressed the crisp buttons of the keyboard. Now, a year later, I wonder why it takes a very long time to turn it on, open applications and files. Later did I realize that all I needed to do was simple housekeeping to maintain my computer’s performance. Like in my home sweep up dust bunnies, and keep it spic and span by throwing away junk. With my computer, I need to do the same keep it running smoothly by freeing it from cyber-junk.
There are a lot of utilities out on the market that aim to do the upkeep of your computer for you but even with the basic OS installed, they tend to have built-in utilities that can easily clean up your computer, ridding yourself of a lot of unused stuff left lying around within your computer.

LOS ANGELES – Santa’s lap won’t be the only one occupied this holiday season.

Laptop computer sales jumped in 2007, boosting the entire PC business from a weak showing at the end of 2006, according to research by market research firm IDC. Changes in the laptop specifications like shapes, weight, sizes, and prices translates to more people the world over are finding a comfortable spot for portable computers.

Total worldwide shipment of PCs improved 16% over the previous year during the third quarter of 2007. By contrast, PC shipments during the fourth quarter of 2006 had grown only 8% from a year earlier.

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If you bring your laptop with you everywhere, there’s a high chance that it may get stolen and a slim chance that you’ll ever get to find it. However, there’s a way to increase that chance by using Locate PC. It will send you an e-mail whenever your laptop is connected to the internet and another e-mail every time the IP address changes. The e-mail contains information on the network connections, and a dial-up connection will reveal the number and the username that the thief is using. Traceroute commands can also be issued so you can locate the laptop. However, the application has several limitations. Locate PC will only work if the thief boots up your laptop while being connected to the internet. Once the thief reformats the drive and uses a new OS, Locate PC won’t work either.

Here are a few tips you can follow to protect your laptop and prevent data loss due to damage.

Most people treat laptops as though they are indestructible. Remember though that laptops have very fragile hard drives, which can be easily knocked out of their alignment when dropped or even jostled lightly. Keep your laptop motionless and flat during use because vibrations can damage your hard drive.

Store your laptop in a clean environment. Spilling beverages or placing your laptop in a dusty area can cause a lot of problems.

Make sure your data is secure by password protecting your hard drive.

Make back-ups of all important documents, especially if your laptop is your primary computer.

Consult a technician if your laptop doesn’t boot up properly or makes a lot of strange noises.

Samsung is fast becoming one of the most innovative consumer electronics manufacturers in the world and with the release of their OMNIA line of mobile phones comes the latest in display technologies that might set the stage for the laptops of tomorrow. Laptops all use LCD’s which requires back-lighting to make the display visible. Some of the oldest types of back lights used extremely thin fluorescent tubes that are very fragile and a diffusing plastic layer to evenly light the display. Some newer models use high intensity LED bulbs along with the diffuser but with Samsung’s technology, they took it a step further by incorporating Active-Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diodes (AMOLED), that required no back-lighting. Read more »

When you purchase your laptop, you are most often overcome by excitement when it comes to using it failing to take some simple checks before you begin using it. Though you may have checked it at the store and the staff would surely have done so to make sure they are not at fault to any problems. Things to check are the protective films on the casing and the display which would ensure you have a fresh unit. The battery should also be checked and conditioned according to the manufacturers instructions. The hinges of the display should be smooth without hampered movement. Read more »