5 Tips on Saving Your Laptop’s Battery Life

Being able to take a computer with you wherever you go is one of the greatest advantages of technology’s ongoing progress. While operating your business from a mobile location, it’s paramount to keep your laptop and mobile’s battery running efficiently. Here are some tips for extending its life and making your portable office dreams come true.

1. Don’t drink and laptop

Beware of keeping liquids near your laptop. It’s wise not to work and latte at the same time, given how easy it is to bump a cup and end up with coffee soaking into your keyboard. The condensation from a cup can also get into your computer and harm the battery’s terminal, which can result in a costly – and avoidable – repair or replacement.

2. Don’t max it out

Although it’s convenient to use your laptop to charge other devices, such as cell phones, know that anything you charge through your laptop draws on the battery. This isn’t a problem if you’re able to plug in your laptop to work but assume that wall electricity isn’t going to be available. Keep the battery charged as much as possible so you’ll be able to work without interruption. There’s little worse than a computer automatically shutting down when you’re in the middle of a big project.

3. The big drain

It’s easy to think that leaving your computer plugged in all the time will prolong the battery’s life, but this isn’t entirely true. The battery is in use, if only a little bit, even when your computer is connected to a power source. Let your computer run on battery power alone every once in a while to keep it tuned up. Shut off your laptop entirely if you’re not planning to use it for a few days. Much like a television continues to draw power even when it’s off, so does a laptop battery continue to be used even when the computer is in sleep mode.

4. Bells and whistles

Screen brightness and optimum graphics both draw power away from your laptop battery. Turn the brightness down a bit and, if possible, change your graphics settings so that your battery doesn’t have to work overtime just for something pleasant to look at while you’re working. Save the graphics show for when you’re back in the office and not reliant on battery power.

5. Let it circulate

Hold your hand near your laptop and you’ll instantly know just how much heat your computer gives off. The fan that keeps your laptop from overheating runs on battery power. Make sure nothing is blocking the computer’s air vents, which will only require the fan to work harder to avoid heat damage.

It doesn’t take much effort to keep your laptop battery operating at its maximum efficiency. Just be mindful of all the battery needs to do while you’re on the go and you’ll save it from conking out at a crucial moment.

This guest article was written by Michael who blogs about technology and has written recently for http://www.technected.com. The only thing he fears more than a dying laptop battery is when his cell phone batteries quit at the wrong time.