Did you know that the laptop battery needs proper maintenance to last its entire life? Laptops these days are shipped with lithium-ion batteries which needs a little babysitting to last its estimated life. Replacing a worn-out laptop battery costs more or less $100 which is quite an expensive consumable, so it is a good practice to calibrate such batteries regularly.
When I bought my Acer Aspire 4740G laptop last year, I was not even aware that the batteries that came with the device needed regular maintenance. I was probably like other people who think that batteries need no extra attention, only to come across complaining people that their laptop batteries disappoint them. Most manufacturers also don’t bother placing instructions on how to calibrate these kinds of batteries, and I’m beginning to think that this is their ploy to get their customers to purchase brand new lithium-ion batteries in a short time.
A good battery lasts for two to three years. Various factors like excessive heat and even keeping the laptop unused for several months on a very low charge could shorten the battery life.
Why is there a need for calibration?
Lithium-ion batteries often indicate inaccurate battery wear and capacity readings over time. In effect, the laptop charge doesn’t last long and indicates low battery mode even if the battery is still in good condition.
Simple steps to calibrate your laptop battery
Battery charge should last a bit longer after each calibration. Do the calibration every 30 cycles of charging and discharging, or every month, whichever comes first! Again, most instructions apply to Windows users but there is no reason not to perform calibration on Mac and other operating systems too.
I’ve previously blogged about having a brand new shiny Acer Aspire 4740G laptop which I use for working outdoors. Whether I’m working on a coffee shop, a restaurant or drive myself to one of the few scenic places up here in Baguio, my laptop is such an indispensable tool whenever I just need to boost my creativity on a different environment. My laptop had also served many times as my backup computer.
I’m not carrying a light netbook: my notebook weighs more than two kilos which is suitable for Photoshop work, web design and some blogging activities. When I purchased it, I chose performance over battery life. I noticed that my notebook’s battery charge lasts for about three hours with normal use.
image credit to Lauri Rantala
I am sharing these tips on how to extend your laptop’s battery life. I am a 100% Windows user so I have written these tips using the Windows operating system in mind. continue reading »
This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of faceVsion Technology USA. All opinions are 100% mine.
Any experienced freelancer knows that communication is the key to building successful projects which, in turn, results to keeping good clients. My means of communicating with clients at present is through email, instant messaging services, voice and video calls. I haven’t explored yet the possibility of using video conferencing to work with other people. One reason is that leading video conference solutions such as Polycom, Tandberg and Radvision are way above what home-based individuals like me could afford.
Video conferencing would have been such an awesome and better communication tool to use – especially when working in groups!
Before I became a freelancer, I had co-workers. Approaching the boss or a co-worker at the right time and mood sometimes help me accomplish a piece of work, or even get an assignment that I want. Obviously, I should avoid talking to the boss or co-worker who is in the middle of a foul mood.
Things are different when using emails or instant messengers. We simply don’t know if we are trying to talk to a person who just had a lousy day. Without video we take words at face value, and not based on the kind of facial expressions we see.
Fortunately, HD video conferencing is becoming affordable. I have stumbled earlier across faceVision technology USA which claims to be the HD video conferencing solution that is affordable to the masses. One of their most affordable products is the faceVision FV Express Combo which is worth only $149.99 at their faceVision on line store.
At a glance:
Native 2 megapixel sensor with autofocus
Up to 30 fps True HD (720p) video calling experience
True plug & play experience
Auto-focus
28mm wide angle
iF award-winning HD camera
For Notebook PC
FV Express Combo product image
FaceVision FV Express Combo is Gmail-friendly, so these Gmail users will be pleased to find out that this gadget could deliver high-quality video resolution over the internet without any special software. The presence of H.264 hardware encoder and decoder chip is what gives this faceVsion gadget the capability to stream HD videos over the internet. Moreover, owners should be pleased that FV Express Combo HD Video Conferencing doesn’t behave like Microsoft Cinema and Logitech Pro 9000: both of the latter devices are capable of taking high-resolution videos but are not able to stream these at the same high quality.
FV Express Combo is available through shop.facevsion.com and other value added partners. On-going promotion with $10 off any purchase, using the promo code of FVTBTS2 while checkout. The promotion ends 09/30/’10.
As soon as I learned that I was able to get a salary loan from SSS and a multipurpose loan from PAGIBIG, I went out looking for laptops that satisfy that budget. After those few years of working at home at a desktop computer, maybe it is time for me to get out of my home and explore the world, right?
When I went out shopping, I already had set my sights on the ideal computer that I want: as light as a netbook but as powerful as a laptop. Performance was my first consideration; weight comes second. Soon I learned that finding one was difficult at this time.
After scouting around I decided to get an Acer 4740G notebook computer. Any person looking over this laptop gets to see these specifications written at the palmrest just below the right hand side of the keyboard.
This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Heineken. All opinions are 100% mine.
This particular video had me laughing so much today. This girl in red had gotten herself drunk too much that she actually did some embarrassing pole dancing during a wedding. The bride seemed to sense something wrong and she was right!
To most, this video seemed real because it looks like any other homemade videos, but good thing this turned out to be just one of the viral videos made by Heineken to continue their last year’s “Enjoy Heineken Responsibly” campaign. Now this one is catchy and Heineken is successful at catching people’s attention to drink responsibly this time.
To further promote this campaign, they are offering a free iPhone application called Breathalyzer that turns any iPhone into a realistic breathalyzer. The application works by simply having a friend blow into the breathalyzer to show which one of the funny drunken characters he or she is turning into: The Crier, The Fighter, The Sleeper, The Exhibitionist, The Groper, The Flirt or The Stumbler. Visit The Heineken Know The Signs website to further know each of these characters.
The application is not a true breathalyzer, but it can be effective in reminding a friend that he or she is near to turn into one of those drunken characters.
