external batteries

No need to check the calendar.  It’s true.  We are fast approaching 2010 and still the most you can hope to get out of a laptop battery is 3 - 5 hrs.  “But, but…” I know, I know, there’s a robot on Mars and a man on the moon. Go figure.

Until manufacturers can figure out the short-lived battery dilemma, external batteries remain the only key to unfetter the mobile writer.  We’ve all seen the chaos that can ensue over the lone outlet jack in the airport terminal or Starbucks cafe.  It’s an ugly site and quite frankly, degrading as much as it is ridiculous - human beings hovering over a single outlet jack like a squirrel burring a nut for the winter. Rise up from the muck and mire people and go forth hauling 20+ hours of battery life with the HyperMac extended battery.

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For whatever reason we can rove the landscape of mars with robots and walk the face of the moon, but we can’t figure out how to get 24-hours of juice out of laptop batteries.  Nonetheless, this article offers a few solutions to extending your mobile writing time with extended or external battery options. 

Extended vs External

Extended batteries are OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) add-ons that offer additional juice either by swapping out a battery and replacing it or attaching an additional battery.  Many laptops on the market have the ability to remove the optical drive and replace it with an additional modular bay battery, thereby adding 3 - 5 hours to the main battery life.  When purchasing a “mobile” laptop be cognizant of optical drives described as "Modular DVD/CD, DVD-ROM, etc".  Modular means it’s removable and not screwed into place. Since you probably rarely use the DVD/CD on the go, this isn’t a bad option if your laptop is equipped to do so.  Some laptops allow for the main battery to be easily replaced with a larger, more powerful extended battery.  For example if your main battery is only 6-cells, you can upgrade to a 9-cell battery and gain several additional hours of computing time. 

External batteries are more flexible than their extended brethren. These gadgets not only power your laptop but additional devices like your cell phone and iPod.  These non-OEM devices are usually more powerful, offering as much as 10 hours or more of juice.  Some external batteries like the Electrovaya PowerPad 130 recharge the main battery while powering the entire laptop.  Before choosing you want to be certain that the voltage output (if not adjustable) matches the voltage input of your device.  Extended batteries usually come with multiple adapters so it is a “one-size-fits-all”.  The caveat emptor here is size and weight.  Remember, as a mobile writer, the lighter your gear the better. 

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