HP EliteBook 8540w Battery |
Posted: October 13, 2017 |
If Windows 10 S is a hit in the classroom, that'll bring more educational apps to the platform. But that won't encourage developers to bring their more mainstream apps and games to the Windows Store. And without those mainstream apps, it'll be a struggle to attract mainstream users ... which would further dissuade developers from bothering with the Windows Store in the first place.Couple that with the potential market confusion between Windows 10 S and Windows 10 Pro in the first place, and Microsoft has a real challenge ahead.Under CEO Nadella, Microsoft has made great strides in making Windows relevant again. Now, Microsoft has to step up and prove that it can keep that train rolling.A company that was spun out from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has developed a new type of battery that it says can last twice as long as normal smartphone or laptop batteries. The MIT news office published a summary of the battery, which uses thin lithium-metal foil instead of graphite to extend the capacity of the battery. That means that it can either store twice as much charge, or take up half the room and offer the same lifetime.SolidEnergy Systems, the company that developed the battery, previously raised over $12 million (£9.1 million) from investors. It says that it intends to release the first versions of its battery in early 2017 for smartphones and wearable devices, then a larger capacity version will be released in 2018 for electric cars.The chart above shows the different generations of battery that SolidEnergy Systems has gone through, from an initial dangerous prototype to the current version with its thin metal foil.Founder Qichao Hu told the MIT news office that developing a rechargeable lithium battery like his latest prototype is a holy grail for batteries. He explained that with two-times the energy density, we can make a battery half the size, but that still lasts the same amount of time, as a lithium ion battery. Or we can make a battery the same size as a lithium ion battery, but now it will last twice as long.At first blush, it feels nice. That should be the case, given how much Microsoft is talking up the build quality of its new take on the traditional clamshell, but that premium feel carried over in the short time I was able to play with the new Surface at the company's New York City event on Tuesday. The lid is covered in smooth aluminum, which seemed to pick up some light smudges, but the whole device comes off as clean and solidly put together.It's not the thinnest or lightest machine out there, but, at 14.5 millimeters thick and 2.74 pounds, it's unlikely to encumber you on the go. It also just looks great — the burgundy and dark blue models in particular are striking in a way that should immediately stand out. That's the best thing it has going for it.The trade-off is a lack of ports — you get a headphone jack, USB 3.0 port, and mini DisplayPort, and that's it. That's fine enough for a notebook aimed more at college students than pros — photographers aside — but Microsoft's continued rejection of the increasingly popular USB-C isn't great.The Alcantara fabric isn't as fuzzy as it might look, but it feels soft all the same.Jeff Dunn/Business InsiderThe cloth-like Alcantara fabric that coats the palm-rests and lies underneath the keyboard is probably the signature design feature. If you've ever used one of the Surface Pro's pricier keyboard covers, it's more or less that.I wouldn't say it's more luxurious than metal, but it's soft, warm, and, more notably, different. It's one of those things that'll signify you're Using A Surface, which is kind of the point. How well that fabric will hold up over time is another question, but one for the future.
Likewise, it's too early to say how well the essentials will perform in the long run. But the 13.5-inch touch display was bright, sharp, and responsive, the keyboard had enough travel and space to feel comfortable (unlike, for me, Apple's MacBook), and the trackpad was perfectly acceptable, if a bit stiff to click.I wasn't able to check out the speaker quality in such a noisy environment, but if nothing else, Microsoft's decision to plant those speakers underneath the keyboard is clever. And the promised 14.5 hours of battery life will be great if it holds up.On the inside, the Surface Laptop starts with the latest Intel Core i5 chip, with an option for a stronger Core i7 chip, with boosted graphics, beyond that. You can get 4, 8, or 16 GB of RAM, and 128, 256, or 512 GB of SSD storage. Only the base silver model gets a choice, though; with the other colors, you have to pay $1,299 for a Core i5 and 8 GB of RAM.My demo unit felt speedy with that configuration, but part of that is because it runs Windows 10 S, the lightweight variant of Windows 10 that Microsoft announced alongside the laptop on Tuesday.This is what's going to determine whether the Surface Laptop is worth it. The laptop itself looks and feels great, but so do HP's Spectre x360 and Dell's XPS 13, both of which start around the same $999 price point. But whereas those laptops run an unhindered version of Windows 10, here you have a Microsoft-ified alternative to Chrome OS. You're mainly running through Microsoft's Edge browser (for now), and you can only download apps from Windows' app store, which has its holes. If you try to download, say, Google Chrome from the web, you'll get a pop-up recommending you use Edge instead.For a lot of people, including many college students, that's still plenty. Chrome OS has shown that people can get by with just a web browser, Edge is getting better, and the Windows app store has a good chunk of the essentials. (Full versions of Microsoft Office apps are coming soon, too.)Windows 10 S looks virtually identical to plain Windows 10 in function and aesthetics — you just can't download as much. And if it's anything like Chrome OS, it should get more out of lesser hardware than its beefier sibling.But if you need the whole shebang, or you just don't want to pay close to $1,000 to be locked into Microsoft Land, then the Surface Laptop loses a bit of its shine.Microsoft's ace in the hole is that you can switch to the full Windows 10 for free until the end of the year — it'll be $50 after that — but that lowers the value a bit, particularly if you're using the entry-level model and its lesser RAM and storage. In that sense, the Surface Laptop is as much Microsoft's Chromebook Pixel as Microsoft's MacBook.Nevertheless, as a piece of hardware, the Surface Laptop feels like it belongs with the other top-end devices in the Surface series. It has that object of desire feel going for it, and the lighter software load should help it get more out of what it's working with. It'll be up to you — and how much value you place on design versus simplified software — to decide whether that's worth the premium.A former Navy SEAL has filed suit against an e-cigarette company after the battery in his vaporizer exploded in his pants pocket, possibly leaving him with permanent damage to his right thigh. Matthew Bonestele filed the suit in Texas against LG Chem America, Inc. and Great Vapes, LLC., claiming the e-cigarette battery was defectively designed and manufactured. The e-cigarette was distributed by Lightfire Group, LLC. and sold to Bonestele by Great Vapes, LLC.The incident happened on April 21, 2016, when Bonestele's LG Chem HG2 18650 battery apparently exploded, causing third degree burns on — and severely lacerating — most of his right thigh. It exploded in his pocket, caused his pants to catch fire burning his entire right leg, Bonestele's attorney, Randy Sorrels, said. There’s a pretty big hole in his upper thigh.“He’s still suffering pretty significant injury,” Sorrels told KTSA News, adding that “It’s worse than anything he ever experienced while in the military or serving with the SEALS.
This is also not the first time a veteran has been injured from exploding e-cigarette batteries. Tim Jensen, an Army veteran from Alabama, who served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, also had an e-cigarette battery explode in his right pocket in 2016. He suffered second and third degree burns to his hands and legs, and had to receive 60 staples and skin grafts. The reality is that these batteries are small sticks of dynamite and the e-cigarette industry needs to make wholesale changes to ensure the safety of all those who use these batteries, Sorrels said in a statement.The Navy banned e-cigarettes from its vessels on April 14 after several reports emerged of exploding devices injuring sailors. The American Vaping Association criticized the Navy's decision.When used and charged properly, vapor products pose no more of a fire risk than any other product that is powered by lithium-ion batteries, like cellphones or laptops, Gregory Conley, president of the association, said in an email to The Virginian-Pilot. It is a shame that the Navy made this move without consulting active duty personnel or consumer advocates, as there are many ways this issue could have been addressed without resorting to a blanket prohibition that will only serve to discourage current tobacco users from quitting.The US Government has thrown the world of travel into chaos again by banning tablets, laptops and other electronic devices from cabins of planes originating in 8 African and Middle Eastern countries (Morocco, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates). These devices will have to be packed in checked-in luggage. The US transportation safety administration (TSA) has stated and other security officials have said that the move is in response to intelligence indicating that the group ISIS is developing the capability of targeting aircraft with explosives hidden in batteries in electronic devices. There has been no indication that this move is in response to a specific threat of a planned attack.The UK followed with a similar ban except that it only covers 6 countries: Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia.Electronics … should be packed in carry-on luggage because they are typically fragile, expensive, and more prone to breaking if transported in checked baggage.Add to that the fact that airlines and aviation authorities have been especially cautious of putting devices with lithium batteries in the cargo hold and the move of the US starts to make less sense as a security measure.There has already been extra safety rules regarding electronic devices being carried to the US with the requirement that the batteries are fully charged so that the devices can be switched on to check if they are functioning by security staff. That check, as well as a visual inspection of the device stopped being an option when the devices are put in checked in luggage. Terrorism experts believe that these moves will do little to minimize the threat of a remote-controlled explosive device. If it is really the case that these devices will be hard for regular security to spot, it is should be as easy to get them onto a flight from a country not covered by this ban. There is nothing intrinsically unsafe about Dubai International Airport. In fact, Abu Dhabi International Airport, also covered by the ban already implements the US Homeland Security pre-clearance techniques.There is then the question devices with lithium batteries and the potential for fires. This is actually made worse by the fact that these devices could be thrown about when inside luggage, not only causing damage to the device but potentially damaging the battery and causing a fire.For travellers, it is not just the inconvenience of not being able to work on a laptop or tablet during the flight, but for the business travellers, traveling with carry-on luggage only will no longer be an option. This may seem like a small thing but waiting for luggage and risking losing that luggage will add a significant stress to business travel.
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