Get to Know Battery Specifications

When buying a new laptop or a second laptop battery, pay attention to the power specs. Generally speaking, you need to know how many cells the battery has. The more cells, the longer the battery can last on a charge. For example, a 12-cell battery is designed to last much longer than a six-cell battery. Alternatively, the specs might list Watt-Hour rating, or WHr. The higher the number, the longer your battery should last. Some computer makers, such as Apple, describe laptop batteries in terms of WHr, while others use cells.

Customers can also choose between 120- and 160-GB hard drives and a 16GB solid state drive (with both the XP and Ubuntu operating systems) or an 8GB solid state drive with the Ubuntu OS.

Lenovo has also announced the expected July arrival of their IdeaPad U350, running a CULV processor, which is starting at $649 with a similar-sized screen to the X-Slim, but will keep you tethered for a few hours more. Acer(ACER BAT0302003 Battery)has taken a different approach, moving significantly past netbook sizes with the Aspire Timeline series sized at 13.3-, 14- and 15-inch models.

The 14z features Intel Pentium Dual Core processors, up to 5 GB of 1,066MHz DDR3 Dual-Channel SDRAM memory and SATA hard drive storage options with a capacity of up to 500 GB, speeds up to 7,200 rpm and a free-fall sensor to reduce damage in the event of a tumble.

Shelter attendants say the number of laptop VGP-BPS2C Laptop Batteries-toting overnight visitors, while small, is growing. SF Homeless, a two-year-old Internet forum, has 140 members. It posts schedules for public-housing meetings and news from similar groups in New Mexico, Arizona and Connecticut. And it has a blog with online polls about shelter life.

Many gadgets use a USB cable for power. If you're already toting a laptop(Dell 6Y270 Battery), leave the wall-charger at home. Just pack a USB cable, and charge your Blackberry, MP3 player, or other device through the notebook VGP-BPS2B battery.

Before I book a flight, I find out the type of aircraft I'll be on. Then I jump over to Seatguru.com, which offers helpful seating configuration maps for most domestic and international airlines. The black dots on seat maps indicate the presence of in-seat power ports. Keep in mind, though, that sometimes (especially in coach) you may have to share one power port with your neighbor.