dell battery tips

The Lenovo ThinkPad X100e is an 11.6 inch laptop with an AMD processor and Lenovo’s signature TrackPoint pointing stick in addition to a large touchpad. Peter at Netbooked has posted one of the first detailed reviews of this thin and light business-class notebook. The verdict? The ergonomics are excellent. The battery life? Not so much.

That shouldn’t come as any surprise, since Lenovo clearly stated that the ThinkPad X100e would get just about 2 hours of run time off of a standard battery and only up to 5 hours with the higher capacity battery. But Peter says you’ll be lucky to get from 3 to 4 hours.

On the bright side, Peter says the laptop has one of the best keyboards he’s used, the AMD Athlon Neo MV-40 processor offers a decent performance boost over your typical Intel Atom processor, and the fan is very quiet.

As an added bonus, Peter used my benchmarks to compare the ThinkPad X100e with a number of other systems including models with Intel CULV or Intel Atom processors. You can find that chart, plus more details at Netbooked. The ThinkPad X100e is available from Lenovo for $449 and up.

SANYO North America Corporation, an energy and environment conscious company reportedly announced the introduction of “eneloop music booster,” which is a rechargeable DC 9V battery unit for music devices.
Company sources added that the eneloop music booster rechargeable battery will be available in late spring this year at music specialty stores in the U.S.
 
“We are committed to providing energy and environment-related solutions for professionals and consumers, and the eneloop music booster allows us to do both in one package,” said an official from SANYO.
 
The eneloop music booster was displayed at the NAMM Show 2010, a musical instrument trade show last week.
 
Power is an important requisite for music devices including effects units, amps, graphic equalizers and multi-track recorders which is provided via an AC adapter or a 9V dry cell battery. When musicians are playing with AC adapters they can perform only where electrical outlets are present and still have problems due to noise interference and so on.
 
To eliminate such problems SANYO offers the solution in the form of the ‘eneloop music booster’ which is designed to offer stable, long lasting portable 9V power with a high capacity rechargeable lithium-ion battery. This is expected to promote a music style that matches eneloop lifestyle of reusing and recycling energy for music devices.
 
“SANYO will reshape the way the music industry uses power, by offering our battery technologies like those found in the eneloop music booster for musicians to help them support a lifestyle that values reusing and recycling,” said Tom Van Voy, general manager of the Consumer Products Group for SANYO North America.
 
He added, “We are committed to providing energy and environment-related solutions for professionals and consumers, and the eneloop music booster allows us to do both in one package.”
 
The eneloop music booster provides stable voltage and features a three-stage power indicator which indicates battery level at a glance even during use by means of a LED display of different colors.
 
SANYO sources said that the eneloop music booster is water resistant as well as stipulated by the JIS IPX3 compliance level. This is a Japanese testing standard for water resistance which assures that there will be no damage when sprayed with water in vertical position at angles of up to 60 degrees on both sides.

Dell’s Vostro V13 is a slimline, 13.3in business notebook with plenty of style and a very sturdy body. It feels great to use and it has a decent amount of power under the hood. Best of all, it only weighs around 1.5kg. It’s an almost perfect combination of size, speed and mobility.

An Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 CPU powers the Dell Vostro V13, and its 1.3GHz clock speed and two CPU cores help move things along swiftly. You can multitask, watch high resolution videos or create media-rich presentations without getting bogged down. Helping the CPU are 4GB of DDR3 SDRAM, a 500GB (5400rpm) hard drive and integrated Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics.

In our WorldBench 6 benchmark suite the notebook scored 67. This means that, in terms of overall system performance, the Vostro V13 is over twice as fast as a typical netbook with a 1.66GHz Intel Atom CPU and 1GB of RAM. In our iTunes MP3 encoding and Blender 3D rendering tests, which primarily test CPU speed, the Vostro V13 was approximately three times as fast as netbook. The hard drive’s performance was also impressive, recording a speed of 35 megabytes per second in our transfer tests. However, it is a big drive and it will inevitably slow down somewhat once you start to really fill it with files.

You can use the Dell Vostro V13 laptop for just about any office task. What it won’t do is display 3D graphics smoothly. Its Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics adapter is fine for viewing videos, but it won’t give you much grunt for real-time 3D rendering — it scored only 573 in the 3DMark06 benchmark. You will be able to play games on the laptop only if they are not graphically complex — think board games, stacking games and card games to pass the time with.

The Vostro V13 is one of a number of ultraslim laptops to hit the market in recent times, but its design is a little different to the norm. It actually looks a lot like the Adamo by Dell. The screen is mounted almost 1cm in from the spine of the notebook, so its metal hinges are not located directly on the spine itself. The spine acts as a handle of sorts. The location of the screen gives the notebook more strength and changes its centre of gravity. It feels beautifully balanced; when the notebook is lying flat on a desk, the screen can be lifted using only one hand (it doesn’t have a latch). The hinges have just the right amount of resistance to allow precise adjustments.

The screen has a native resolution of 1366×768, plenty of brightness, and adequate viewing angles. The lid is made out of aluminium and does a good job of protecting the screen. You can press down on it or twist it and puddles won’t appear on the screen. The chassis is only 1cm thick and feels equally strong (the Vostro V13 is only 1.8cm thick with its lid closed). It’s also made out of aluminium, while the palm rest is plastic. The notebook doesn’t creak, nor does it bend when you hold it from either of its corners. Some vents are located on the bottom of the chassis, so if you use the Vostro V13 on your lap it might get a little warm, but overall it won’t be too uncomfortable. There is an air vent on the spine of the notebook that you should make sure you don’t block.

There are some drawbacks to the design of the Vostro V13. The USB 2.0 ports are located on the spine of the notebook, rather than the sides, which makes them hard to access. The laptop only has two USB 2.0 ports — it could use at least one more. You also don’t get any digital video output ports (you do get a VGA port, however). Perhaps the biggest drawback is that the battery is sealed in the chassis, so you can’t just slot in a unit with a longer life. More importantly, you can’t carry a spare with you to prolong your productivity away from a power outlet. This probably isn’t much of a concern for travellers spending time in airport lounges or on planes, but it would be nice to have the option to give the Vostro V13 more juice. It’s a 6-cell battery and it lasted two hours in our video rundown test, which is an average result.

Because the unit only has two USB 2.0 ports, the included ExpressCard/34 slot will be handy handy for installing a 3G adapter while leaving the ports free for external storage devices. It sits next to an SD card slot. The front of the Dell Vostro V13 has headphone and microphone ports, while the rear includes a Gigabit Ethernet port in addition to the two USB 2.0 ports and VGA port. One of the USB 2.0 ports doubles as an eSATA port, which is very convenient for quickly backing up data to an external hard drive. We love the keyboard on the Vostro V13: it has keys that are 18mm wide and have just the right amount of resistance. The keyboard bounces only slightly when you hit it, so it’s not as solid as it could be; that’s understandable given the relatively low price point of the laptop. The only thing the keyboard could use to make it better is backlighting. The touchpad is big (81×44mm) and it has soft buttons that don’t make a sound when you press them.

You can purchase the Dell Vostro V13 for $1299, and this includes a one-year, next business day warranty. We think it’s a great model to consider if you’re after a slim, light and reasonably powerful laptop with a roomy screen and keyboard. However, we hate the fact that the battery is sealed and that there are only two USB 2.0 ports.

It’s a common problem for parents with toddlers.
A battle to make sure their little ones don’t put anything in their mouths. One family learned the hard way, after their little boy swallowed a battery and died.

“You could just look at him and smile, and he would smile,” said the mother of 13-month-old Aidan. “In fact, he just started to walk.”

He was the baby in the family, the youngest of three kids, and he loved to eat.

“He loved food, so we knew something wasn’t right when he didn’t want to eat and couldn’t hold anything down,” said mother Michelle Truett.

That was the first sign the family said they knew something was wrong. After a second trip to the doctor’s office they thought maybe Aidan had a viral infection, but that wasn’t it either.

Initial x-rays missed it too.

Finally, Aidan’s doctors found the problem. They found that Aidan had swallowed a battery and it was in his stomach. The discovery was made a week and a half after his symptoms had started. Following a successful surgery that removed the battery, the Truett’s thought their problems were over.

“We thought we were on the road to recovery,” said Michelle.

But two days later, when Aidan’s parents put him to bed for the night they heard him cough.

“We both ran into the bedroom and he was sitting up and coughing a great amount of blood. I noted right then he was going into cardiac arres,” said Michelle.

She tried CPR, while her husband Lonnie called 911.

Aidan was airlifted to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, but it was too late.

He passed away on November 22, 2009.

The Truett’s kept the battery that took their son’s life. They say it is a reminder of the dangers an object the size of a nickel can cause.

“We want to reach out to other parents and let them know the dangers and the loss that you can get from a battery,” said Lonnie Truett.

After Aidan’s death an autopsy revealed the battery leaked acid which burned a hole in his esophagus.

The Truett’s now attend family counseling, which they say has helped with their loss.

Some of the most interesting items at CES don’t use electricity.  We found several accessories that enhance the electronic lifestyle, while made entirely out of non-technical materials.

Love it or hate it, the TV Hat made the 5-hour flight home from CES bearable… even enjoyable.  This baseball cap with an elongated “duck” bill has a clear “pocket” for an iPhone, iPod touch, or similar-sized video player.  A serious built-in magnifier can be adjusted back and forth to give the screen the appearance of being 50% larger.  Flaps block external light so you can have a relatively effective virtual home theatre that travels with you!  Just make sure you’re not driving!  My traveling companion had to answer the questions from confused flight attendants and fellow passengers, while I enjoyed Star Wars: The Clone Wars and several other movies!

You use your own headset or earbuds. I used my ZAGGphones which did a good job of blocking out the outside world. The TV Hat gave me a first class experience, for the low price of $19.95, and I will definitely be packing it in my carry-on bag for the 7-hour trip to MacWorld!

When I wanted to be more social, I removed the TV Hat and used the Thiphone . As you might imagine, the Thiphone is a thigh-mounted “belt” with a suction cup so you can attach your iPhone, iPod touch, or similar device.  With a naked iPhone or a solid plastic case, it should be fine.  Because the Thiphone uses a suction cup, you can rotate the device in landscape mode for videos or vertical for games.

The makers of the Thiphone also have a belt holster called the Flex Clip.This is a unique combination of rugged plastic, elastic nylon, and foam padding (the result of about 200 prototypes) and it is now my preferred holster for when my iPhone is not in a case.  I’ve gone through many belt clips but they are either junky, unreliable, or require a special case.  The Flex Clip works with a naked iPhone (or an iPhone in a slim case) and hangs on for dear life.  With no mechanical parts (the heavy duty elastic handles the swivel and release functions), there’s nothing to break from repeated use.  And you can easily tilt the phone to see who is calling (unless of course, you have my app, AutoRingtone Caller ID Talking Ringtones!).

MobiValet is another fashionable accessory that facilitates travel and does so in style. This sturdy but elegant protective holder is designed to mount (using sturdy Velcro) in your vehicle, on the console for example, and stay put.  Your iPhone or other smartphone is cradled safely but with enough of an opening to plug in your car charger.  You can leave the phone in place and use your Bluetooth to answer the phone.  Instead of tossing your phone in a cup holder, you have a dedicated place to keep the phone, so you can easily find it without taking your eyes off the road.  Available in many colors and styles, including leather, faux alligator, pebble leather, and nylon, there is bound to be one to match your car’s interior and/or your wallet or purse!

Another enticing factor of this device was the fact that it is a netbook , a smaller, less functional version of a notebook computer. PC makers tout netbooks as a secondary computer good for Web surfing, checking email, watching videos and listening to music. Everyone knows these lower-cost PCs are about the only things selling right now in the decimated computer business.

I borrowed a Vivienne Tam netbook from the H-P team in Palo Alto, and took it out for a spin. I took it to a cafe in the trendy neighborhood of Duboce Triangle in San Francisco. There, I could get free wireless, plus the barista knows me and will not throw me out if I am there too long.

Unfortunately, I did not get the companion wireless mouse, with the same Chinese red and peony flower design. So I used my USB mouse to supplement the touch pad. I normally work on an IBM, (now Lenovo) ThinkPad and am used to the little track point, so it slowed me down a bit to get used to the touch pad.

It also took some time to get used to the not-quite Lilliputian keyboard. Although not nearly as small as the BlackBerry or other smartphone keyboards, this one took some getting used to, because you are in the mode to type a full document.

Once I got used to the smaller size, the keyboard moves along nicely. The bigger problem was that oil from my fingers temporarily dulled the shiny surface. I left ugly fingerprints all over the red keyboard. It was also a tad harder to see some of the tiny keyboard imprints in gold, especially with aging eyes.

Light on software
The netbook is not loaded with too much in terms of software. It has Microsoft Corp.’s /quotes/comstock/15*!msft/quotes/nls/msft (MSFT 30.32, -0.03, -0.10%) Windows XP Home Edition, Internet Explorer Version 7 and Microsoft Works, a slimmed down version of Office.

It also has built-in wireless and Bluetooth connectivity, and a Web camera. I decided to write my column in “the cloud,” where documents are stored on a remote server, instead of locally on the computer itself. So I opened up a Google Inc. /quotes/comstock/15*!goog/quotes/nls/goog (GOOG 585.22, -1.87, -0.32%) document.

When browsing the Web, I found the netbook fast. At one point, I had seven browser windows open without a problem. The 1.6-gigahertz Atom chip from Intel Corp. /quotes/comstock/15*!intc/quotes/nls/intc (INTC 21.08, +0.12, +0.57%) seemed to zip along. I also installed Yahoo Inc.’s /quotes/comstock/15*!yhoo/quotes/nls/yhoo (YHOO 16.93, +0.03, +0.18%) instant messaging software, which downloaded pretty quickly.

A friend messaged me for a while, and I did not crash the netbook. Some netbooks are prone to crashing if they get too many process-intensive applications running at the same time.

I was able to work for about two hours and 15 minutes in the cafe before having to recharge the battery. This is a bit shorter than my much heftier ThinkPad, which has about 3 to 4 hours of battery life, with its much heavier battery pack.

Scant attention
I was a bit disappointed that no one in my cafe commented on the computer. The red design with Chinese peonies, a symbol of prosperity and good fortune, is eye-catching. I should note that I was the only woman in the cafe for hours, which may seem to confirm the appeal of this device to women. I then took it to a girlfriend’s house, where reactions were more favorable.

So the question is, would I buy one? At $699, this netbook is priced more like a regular laptop, whereas most netbooks are around $300 or so.

I like the light feel of the netbook and the speed of the system. But in order to really make this system work for me on a daily basis, I would probably have to install Microsoft Office and MarketWatch’s VPN software. They could be a bigger resource hog and slow it down.

I think users are paying an extra premium for the snazzy designer look. H-P also has a special mouse for the Vivienne Tam edition, which will cost under $50. By comparison, the H-P Mini 1000 XP Edition, with a standard black casing, is much cheaper at $399.

I have to agree with a recent Sanford Bernstein report. The analysts who wrote it conclude that netbooks are good for surfing the Web and a few random tasks, but will not replace your regular PC or notebook computer — even in a sexy Chinese red.

Beshear announced Monday afternoon that the university has received $11.8 million in federal stimulus money from the National Institute of Standards and Technology for a nearly 36,000-square-foot laboratory building at the Spindletop research site in Lexington.

The Kentucky-Argonne National Battery Manufacturing Research and Development Center, a joint venture involving researchers from the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville, would use the laboratories for research.

The overall cost of the construction project would be $15.8 million, with the state kicking in $3 million in stimulus funding and the university $1 million.

University of Kentucky President Lee T. Todd Jr. said construction is expected to be completed in late 2011.

Beshear said the project is especially important for Kentucky, the nation’s third leading producer of cars and light trucks, to try to position itself for the development and production of plug-in vehicles.

Kentucky researchers will focus particularly on improving lithium-ion batteries 8N544 , FK890 , HD438.

“Lithium-ion cells need a longer life span,” Beshear said. “They need a longer charge life. They need to be smaller. They need to be cheaper. But, most of all, they need to be produced more efficiently.”

The scientists will also be doing research in Lexington on capacitors for storing energy, biofuels production, solar energy technologies, and clean-coal technology.

Beshear said producing clean-burning fuels from coal is especially important in Kentucky, where some 17,000 people work in the coal mining industry. He has been a leading proponent of coal production despite criticism from environmentalists.

“The renewable resources that we’re working on and the coal that we have will both play a big party in Kentucky’s future and this country’s future,” Beshear said.

A milk float has been stolen from a dairy in Cambridgeshire for its lead batteries C1295 , PC764 , HD438 .

Thieves cut through the fence of Dairy Crest in New Bridge Lane, then drove away in the milk float on Tuesday night.

The vehicle was found on fire a short distance away at the caravan park in Newbridge Lane.

Police have warned battery-powered vehicles are vulnerable to thieves because of the lead content.

Lenovo is previewing a new type of hybrid PC at the Consumer Electronics Show this week featuring laptop and tablet capabilities. Called the IdeaPad U1, the hybrid device has a base that functions as a laptop and a detachable screen that doubles as a multi-touch slate tablet. Moreover, each component has its own dedicated processor and operating systems.

Lenovo also unveiled two new netbooks this week, including the company’s first netbook to offer tablet capabilities. Though Lenovo previously entered the netbook market in the fourth quarter with its IdeaPad S10, the company hopes to differentiate its offerings from those of netbook market leaders ASUS and Acer.

Netbook accounted for around 15 percent of worldwide notebooks shipments in 2009, according to iSuppli. “When you consider that netbooks were not on sale at the beginning of 2007, the segment has grown hugely in a very short space of time,” noted Matthew Wilkins, a principal analyst at the research firm. So having a strong presence in netbook “allows an OEM to capitalize on the growth this segment has achieved,” he said.

Two PCs In One Package

Featuring a footprint about the size of a sheet of notebook paper and tipping the scale at 3.8 pounds, the IdeaPad U1 sports an 11.6-inch LED screen and Microsoft’s Windows 7 operating system. In addition, the U1 comes with a video camera, two stereo speakers, and an integrated microphone featuring echo cancellation.

The notebook and tablet are designed to work in tandem as a clamshell laptop that harnesses the computing resources of both devices. When operating as a combined unit, the two microprocessors become synchronized to work as a single unit.

Lenovo hybrid switch technology enables the processors in the notebook and tablet to toggle back and forth. Additionally, users can be surfing the web in laptop mode and continue from the same point without interruption after detaching the screen for tablet mode.

But when the multi-touch display is detached from the device, it becomes an independent slate tablet that weighs 1.6 pounds. The tablet, which operates in portrait or landscape modes, integrates an ARM-based microprocessor that runs Lenovo’s customized Skylight operating system.

A Netbook/Tablet Combo

Both the laptop and tablet sides of the IdeaPad U1 are designed to deliver more than five hours of 3G web browsing. Slated to become available at the beginning of June, the IdeaPad U1 will be priced at $999.

“By fusing the functionality of a notebook with the slate tablet’s rich multi-touch entertainment and mobile Internet experience, U1 provides consumers the freedom to choose the device they prefer for any activity,” Lenovo Senior Vice President Liu Jun said ThinkPad T40 battery ,  ThinkPad T60 battery .

Available now at prices that start at $499.99, Lenovo’s IdeaPad S10-3t is the company’s first release of a netbook/tablet combo with multi-touch capabilities. The new machine integrates instant-on quick-start technology and automatic hard-drive protection against drops and falls.

To convert the S10-3t netbook into a tablet, swivel the device’s 10.1-inch screen 180 degrees and fold it over. The new hybrid machine integrates NaturalTouch — a touchscreen technology that Lenovo says is more responsive to fingertip movements than conventional pressure-touch technology.

The IdeaPad S10-3t sports a low-power Intel Atom processor, a 1.3-megapixel webcam, a 320GB hard drive, two USB 2.0 ports, and a six-in-one memory card reader. Wireless connectivity options include WiMAX, Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n), and Bluetooth.