Dell Inspiron 5150 Battery |
Posted: January 8, 2015 |
Dell's new XPS 13 ultraportable laptop is boasting 15 hours or more of battery life, and was unveiled with a host of new slimmed down devices yesterday. The XPS 13 is a showcase for some of the innovations Dell is offering to make PCs more attractive and user friendly. It's up to 15 mm thick, weighs 1.13kg and starts at $799 in the US with 128GB of solid-state storage. The laptop has a 13.3-inch screen but a frame-size similar to that of an 11.6in MacBook Air. The reduced size is made possible by an edge-to-edge display, with a very slim border around the LCD screen. The base model has a non-touch, high-definition screen, but that can be upgraded to a 2560x1440 resolution display. A dense lithium polymer battery provides power for 15 hours, extendable to 22 hours with a small companion battery that plugs into the laptop.
The long battery life is due partly to Intel's latest Core processors, based on the Broadwell microarchitecture. The new Core chips are faster and more power-efficient than those used in previous XPS laptops. Users can select Core i3, i5 or i7 chips, all made using Intel's latest 14-nanometre manufacturing process. Dell tends to experiment with new ideas in its XPS laptops and then implements the features in other products later, said Frank Azor, general manager for its XPS and Alienware products. The XPS 13 is shipping this month and headlines the new laptops and tablet being announced by Dell at the International CES trade show in Las Vegas this week. Dell's latest Venue 11 Pro is designed to be like Microsoft's Surface Pro 3 - a tablet that can replace a laptop. It has a full HD screen and Intel's Core M chip, which is more power-efficient than the Intel Core i5 chip based on Haswell in the Surface Pro 3. The Venue 11 Pro will be available this month. One Venue 11 Pro highlight is the ability to manage and secure the tablet remotely. For example, system administrators can remotely wipe out data in case the device gets lost or stolen. A full-size keyboard and dock can be bought separately. Dell is also bringing the latest Intel Core chips - which are called Broadwell U - to its consumer-focused Inspiron 13 7000 and Inspiron 15 5000 laptops. Beyond the XPS and Inspirons, Dell is also upgrading its Alienware 15in and 17in gaming laptops. The new Alienware 15 and Alienware 17 are 25% thinner than predecessors, and will have the high-end Intel Core processors code-named Haswell H.
It will also be possible to attach external graphics cards to the laptops through an amplifier into which the desktop GPUs from Nvidia or Advanced Micro Devices can be plugged. The graphics amplifier connects to a specialised port on the laptops, and it will allow users to play more demanding games that typically cannot be played on laptops. The feature was previously available only in the Alienware 13, but has now been expanded to the new Alienware laptops. The gaming laptops come with Windows operating systems. Pricing for the Alienware laptops was not immediately available. The Alienware 15 can also be purchased with a 4K screen. There are several factors that contribute to an Apple MacBook Pro battery life and lifespan. These primarily revolve around the way you have it configured and your habits when using it. Following these steps should help you get the most from your laptop’s battery and optimize its performance. 1. Adjust Screen Brightness Perhaps the easiest way to extend your battery life is to set the brightness of your screen to the dimmest setting that’s still comfortable. According to Apple, “compared to any other setting on your computer, your screen brightness can have the greatest impact on battery life.” To adjust the brightness, simply tap F1 to make it dimmer and F2 to make it brighter until you find a setting that works for you. Remember that the dimmer it is, the longer your battery will last. 2. Utilize Energy Saver Energy Saver is a feature that allows you to control the length of time your MacBook Pro sits idle before it sleeps and whether or not your display is dimmed when battery power is on. Making a few tweaks to this can help your laptop minimize the amount of power it draws off the battery and extend its life. To access this feature, click on the apple menu and “System Preferences.” Then click on “Energy Saver” and “Battery.” Start by making sure that the “Automatic graphics switching” box is checked.
3. Adjust Sleep Settings From there, adjust the “Computer sleep” and “Display sleep” settings to a time that works for you. The less amount of time that passes until your computer and display sleeps will maximize the life of your battery and vice versa. So choose a short period of idle time before sleeping and you should be able to get the most from your MacBook battery. 4. Allow Hard Disks to Sleep Underneath the “Computer sleep” and “Display sleep” settings, you will see three more features: Put hard disks to sleep when possible 5. Dim the Display You will also want check the second box so that your display is slightly dimmed while on battery power. Using these two features will help your battery go further and won’t waste its power. 6. Disable Power Nap Updatesr At the same time, it’s best to disable the “Enable Power Nap while on battery power feature.” That’s because when it’s enabled, it will perform functions like checking email and making updates that can reduce your battery life. Disabling it will help preserve your MacBook battery life.
7. Keep Your Laptop in the Comfort Zoner Besides the settings on your laptop, your usage habits can affect the battery considerably. For starters, you will want to keep your MacBook in the “comfort zone,” which is between 50 to 95 degrees. Otherwise, extreme temperatures can have an adverse affect on battery life, battery lifespan and performance. 8. Store Under Right Conditions If you store your laptop long-term, you want to do so under the right conditions. When it comes to percentage of battery charge for storing, it’s recommended that you leave it around 50 percent. According to Apple, “if you store a device when its battery is fully discharged, the battery could fall into a deep discharge state, which renders it incapable of holding a charge. Conversely, if you store it fully charged for an extended period of time, the battery may lose some capacity, leading to shorter battery life.” You should also leave it in a moisture-free location that’s no more than 90 degrees during storage. 9. Turn off Wi-Fi When Not in Use For your Wi-Fi settings, it’s recommended that you turn it off if you’re not connecting to a network. That’s because leaving it on will consume power. To turn it off, click on the Wi-Fi icon on the top menu bar and click on “Turn Wi-Fi Off.” 10. Disconnect Peripheral Devices While on Battery Power You should disconnect peripherals when you’re away from a power source. Because USB and Thunderbolt carry power, they will draw it from your battery and drain its energy.
11. Close Processor Intensive Apps Certain apps force your processor to work hard, which can quickly eat up battery life. If you’re running your laptop solely on battery power, then you want to make sure that you’re not using processor intensive apps. Less apps equals less power being consumed and a longer battery life. 12. Close Background Apps Finally, you should make it a point to close any background apps like Dropbox if you’re not using them and your laptop isn’t plugged in. These too can make your MacBook Pro battery life short. Choosing the right settings and being smart with how you use your laptop should help you get the most from your MacBook Pro battery. That way your laptop can run on battery power for longer and you can prolong its lifespan. It’s easier than you might think to give your laptop’s battery a longer life. Although I can’t help you transform older batteries that have already been through the mill, I can say that you will be able to stockpile power by performing a few simple housekeeping tasks on your laptop. It’s important to look after your laptop battery. Even though the latest Lithium Ion batteries can be recharged and discharged at will, we still find it’s worth putting them through a full charge cycle regularly. Check out all our other Windows tips and tutorials How to save battery power The amount of life left in your battery is shown by the icon in your Windows 7 notifications area, or your system tray if you’re using an older version of Windows. By clicking on the icon you can see the exact length of time your battery has left as well as your current power plan – I’ll be looking at that next. When you left-click on the battery icon, you’ll be able to see this menu. I’ll look at the Windows Mobility Center shortly but for now, just select Power Options. Coincidentally, the other option on this menu enables you to turn system icons on or off in the notifications area.
The Power Options window enables you to change settings that affect how your laptop consumes power. That means you can conserve energy when you need to be frugal and give your machine a boost when you need more performance. Click on ‘Change Plan Settings’ next to the High Performance label. As you can see, the default settings for this power plan always leave the display on and never put the computer to sleep, regardless of whether it has its power adapter plugged in or not. Now go back out of this plan by clicking Cancel, then select ‘Change Plan Settings’ next to the Power Saver label.
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