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laptop reviews-ASUS U31SD-A1

Tagclouds:ASUS U31SD-A1,asus laptop battery,Asus a32-f9 battery ,Hp pavilion dv6 battery

The ASUS U31SD-A1 is a thin-and-light laptop that knows how to get its game on. That’s because this machine packs a 1GB Nvidia graphics card to go along with its Core i3 processor. When you’re just surfing the web, the notebook automatically switches to Intel’s integrated graphics, enabling the system to last more than 9 hours on a charge. Pretty sweet for $799, right? Read on to find out if this portable has everything you need.

Design

The U31SD-A1 has the same sleek brushed-aluminum lid and two-toned interior as the U31JG and U41JF. The top of the deck is still glossy black plastic with attractive diamond cross-hatching above the keyboard. The palm rest goes for the same brushed-aluminum aesthetic, but it’s made of plastic. It’s a classic look, but the Lenovo IdeaPad Z370′s eye-popping blue design pops more.

Measuring 12.9 x 9.1 x 1-1.12 inches and weighing 4.2 pounds, the U31SD-A1 is nearly identical in size and weight to the Acer Aspire TimelineX 3830TG, and can slide into a messenger bag and be transported for an extended period of time with relative ease. The IdeaPad Z370 is slightly smaller at 12.9 x 8.7 x 0.8-1.3 inches, but has a little more heft at 4.6 pounds.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The U31SD-A1 has a large island-style keyboard with generous spacing between the keys. The large black keys provided decent feedback. There’s also plenty of space to type, with the exception of the undersized right Shift key, which led to a number of errors. Unfortunately, the layout exhibited some flex, a slightly annoying ASUS trademark.

ASUS U31SD-A1

The 3.1 x 1.75-inch Synaptics touchpad on the U31SD-A1 doesn’t offer a huge amount of real estate. However, the smooth surface was quick and responsive, making it easy to navigate websites and highlight text. Multitouch gestures such as pinch-to-zoom and two-finger rotation were equally responsive, but we had trouble getting rotate and three-finger flicks to work on the first try.

Although we prefer discrete mouse buttons, the bar beneath the touchpad worked fine on the ASUS U31SD-A1.

Ports and Webcam

The right side of the U31SD-A1 has two USB 2.0 ports, a 5-in-1 card reader, HDMI, VGA, and Ethernet. Another USB 2.0 port, a headphone jack, a microphone jack, a Kensington secure lock, and the power jack are located on the left of the notebook.

ASUS U31SD-A1

ASUS U31SD-A1

The 0.3-megapixel camera captured clear but slightly dark images in natural lighting. We were limited to capturing images and videos at a maximum of 640 x 480 pixels using ASUS LifeFrame software. During our Skype session, our caller reported clear video and audio.

Heat

After streaming a Hulu video for 15 minutes, the U31SD-A1 was able to retain most of its cool. The touchpad registered a frosty 77 degrees Fahrenheit. The space between the G and H keys measured 88 degrees while the bottom of the notebook registered a warm 91 degrees. We found the bottom vent to be the hottest area, blowing out an uncomfortable 100 degrees–5 degrees hotter than what we consider comfortable.

Display and Audio

ASUS U31SD-A1

The U31SD-A1′s 13.3-inch 1366 x 768 glossy display is surrounded by a glossy black bezel. Text on LaptopMag.com was sharp and easy to read, but images were dull and just a little grainy. Watching video on the notebook was disappointing. The night scenes in the 1080p YouTube trailer of Cowboys and Aliens were pixelated, and day scenes were no better, providing muddy visuals. The usually brilliant reds and golds in the Immortals trailer appeared washed out.

Audio on the U31SD sounded hollow and muted. Despite the Altec Lansing speakers located on the front lip of the notebook, the music couldn’t fill a small room. We used the ASUS Sonic Focus control panel to make adjustments to no avail; despite adjusting sound levels for vocals, surround sound, adaptive volume and bass, vocals on Sade’s “Sweetest Taboo” sounded muffled while the bass on Kanye West’s “Flashing Lights” were distorted. Sonic Focus was most effective when using headphones. We especially liked that the software let us choose between small and large headphones as well as earbuds.

Performance

The U31SD-A1 won’t win any performance awards, but its second-generation 2.1-GHz Intel Core i3-2310M processor and 4GB of RAM ensure that it’ll get the job done. On PCMark Vantage, the notebook scored 4,177. That’s 1,484 points below the thin-and-light average (5,661). The Acer Aspire TimelineX 3830TG and the Lenovo IdeaPad Z370, both of which have a 2.3-GHz Intel Core i5-2410M CPU, scored 6,228 and 5,124 respectively. During real-world testing, the ASUS was able to juggle multiple tasks, including streaming web video, keeping multiple browser windows open, and running a virus scan.

Booting Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit on the U31SD-A1′s 640GB, 5,400-rpm hard drive took a sluggish 71 seconds, well behind the 65-second category average. During the file transfer test, the ASUS duplicated a 4.97GB folder of mixed-media files at a rate of 18.3 MBps, far below the 26.1 MBps thin-and-light average.

The U31SD-A1 took a snail-like 1 minute and 9 seconds to transcode a 114MB video to AVI using Oxelon Media Encoder, failing to meet the 0:57 category average. The Timelinex 3830TG finished in 49 seconds, while the IdeaPad Z370 took 45 seconds.

Graphics

Packed with a discrete Nvidia GeForce GT520M GPU and 1GB of graphics memory, the U31SD-A1 redeemed itself in the graphics department. On the 3DMark06 test, the ASUS scored 5,191, besting both the category average (3,894) and the IdeaPad Z370 (4,578), which has only Intel integrated graphics. Acer’s TimelineX 3830TG scored an impressive 8,040, thanks to its Nvidia GeForce GT 540M GPU.

During our World of Warcraft test, the U31SD-A1 averaged 64 frames per second at 1366 x 768p on Good–22 points below the 86 fps thin-and-light average, but still a good questing pace. The Z370 posted 45 fps, while the TimelineX 3830TG shattered the competition with 104 fps. When we adjusted the settings to maximum, the ASUS was even with the average (30 fps), while the 3830TG continued its stellar performance, posting 48 fps.

The U31SD-A1 maintained its solid showing on Far Cry 2 (autodetect) at 1024 x 768p, posting 31 fps, which is just below the 36.2 category average. The IdeaPad gave us 23 fps, while the 3830TG scored 44 fps. On maximum, the U31SD’s frame rate dropped to 25 fps and the 3830TG scored 33 fps.

Battery Life

During the LAPTOP Battery Test (continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi), the U31SD’s eight-cell battery lasted a whopping 9 hours and 39 minutes, nearly twice as long as the 5:06 thin-and-light average. The Acer Aspire TimelineX 3830TG lasted a very good 6:58 but was still far behind.

ExpressGate and Instant On

Similar to other ASUS notebooks, the U31SD has a Linux-based instant-on operating system called ExpressGate which you can use to get online more quickly than the standard Windows 7 OS. Press the button on the upper left of the keyboard deck and the U31SD launches into a rudimentary UI broken down into six panels (Google Chrome, Photos, Calendar, Music, Videos, and Games). The whole setup takes approximately 13 seconds to boot.

Software and Warranty

ASUS U31SD-A1

ASUS bundles a moderate amount of software on the U31SD-A1. ASUS FancyStart let us select which splash screen would appear during boot-up. ASUS WebStorage enables users to upload up to 2GB of files, folders, and applications to the cloud for free. We used Power4Gear to manage our processor power settings as well as screen brightness and sleep mode. ASUS Game Park is a web portal housing a large suite of casual games covering a number of genres, including action, puzzle, and word games.

The ASUS Vibe Fun Center is a multimedia hub that we used to download games, listen to samples of music, and even learn some introductory Chinese. Third-party software includes Google Chrome, Windows Office Starter, Nuance PDF Reader, and a trial version of Trend Micro Titanium Internet Security.

The U31SD comes with a two-year parts and labor warranty and a one-year accidental damage warranty. There is also free two-way shipping and 24/7 tech support. See how ASUS fared in this year’s Tech Support Showdown and our Best & Worst Brands report.

Verdict

ASUS U31SD-A1

The ASUS U31SD-A1 is an attractive 13-inch laptop with decent overall performance, good graphics power, and superb battery life. Overall, we prefer the Acer Aspire Timeline 3830TG, which offers even more graphics oomph and a faster Core i5 processor for the same price.

The caveat with the Acer is that you have to give up about 2.5 hours of unplugged time. If you want all-day endurance along with the ability to game between classes or meetings, the U31SD-A1 is a fine choice.

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How to Remove Spy ware From Your Laptop computer

Tagclouds:Remove Spy,laptop,dell vostro 1000 battery,dell xps m1530 battery,Dell xps m1330 battery

laptop battery

Is your personal computer been running slower than normal? Are you currently worried someone may be able to access your pc and steal your personal information and use it against you? If that’s so, they’re feelings I’ve shared with you in the past.

Some time back, my 3-year old computer was running so slow that I must buy a new computer. Or at least I thought I needed a new computer. Then within a matter of weeks of surfing on the internet, my new pc was also running so slowly. Moreover, some programs didn’t run well on my computer, and I didn’t recognize a few of the programs that were running on my computer. That scared me most. Were these programs that were tracking my keystrokes on my computer or programs I just not remember installing? I knew I’d to get a answer and solution fast.

The truth is, we can all put up with a sluggish computer, but few of us want others to have access to the information on our computers,but that is just what can happen when spyware or malware is loaded on our pcs without our knowledge.

According to Spyware Nuker?Spyware applications are programs and files that hide on the PC’s hard drive without your direct knowledge. These programs allow hackers and advertising companies to track your every move, both online and even when you work offline. They can track the web sites you visit, the things that you buy online, your email you send and receive, your Instant Message dialog, and worst of all they can even record your credit card number, personal identification numbers, as well as your passwords. If you use dial-up to connect to the Net then spyware can be used to bill 900 numbers to your phone bill. Case a short list of the harm that spyware can cause.

The website also provides statistics that show spyware has become a problem effecting lots of people. “27.3 million Americans have been victims of identity theft during the last 5yrs, including 9.91 million people or 4.6% of the population in the last year alone.”

In addition, it is very easy for your computer to become infected with spyware as “The many all downloadable games, music, screensavers, etc., can infect your pc with SpyWare or AdWare. Many people do not know that after simply clicking on a random “pop up” ad,their computers may well are already infected with SpyWare or AdWare.”

No matter the way we get spyware, listed below are 10 very real reasons you don’t want spyware on your desktop.

1. Your pc may start running slower 2. Some programs on your computer will never run correctly 3. May very well not recognize programs that are now on your pc because they could have been installed there by a spyware related internet site or program you loaded on your desktop.

In addition, you might be worried that:

4. Someone could most likely read your e-mails 5. Someone could possibly access your e-mail list 6. Someone could possibly see you track the keystrokes you type 7. Someone could possibly access your credit card information on your pc 8. Someone could most likely access your passwords list on your desktop 9. Someone could possibly steal your social security number 10. Someone could most likely track all the web sites you visit

As I discussed, a large number of programs get on your computer with out you even knowing, but another frustrating part is I recognized a few of these programs because I remember installing AND uninstalling them! So now i know that when we install some of these handy little utilities to track passwords online or programs to help with e-mail or keep track of the weather, even though we uninstall them,they could not be gone from your computers. They are still in our computers, waiting to spy on us, at the least.

A great way to find and remove spyware is to run a spyware detector and remover. Many spyware detection and removal software today supplies a free scan to verify that you do or do not have spyware on your computer.

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usefull Tricks for Maximizing Battery Charge

usefull Tricks for Maximizing Battery Charge by batteryfast.com

When running on battery power, many people forget about maximizing Apple MacBook battery charge. But, the more life you get out of the battery, the longer you can go between charging sessions. Here are a few tips on extending your battery charge. Take your screen brightness level down to the lowest level where you can still work comfortably. Screen brightness has a big impact on your battery charge. When you press the F1 key, you can bring the brightness down incrementally. You can extend the battery charge by a few hours by changing this setting. Make sure you can still work comfortably however.

MacBook Battery Tips

Get to know the Energy Saver preferences on your computer. When maximizing Apple MacBook battery charge with these preferences, you can make several adjustments. You can adjust the time when the hard drive sleeps as well as when the computer and displays shut down when you are not using the laptop. Some MacBooks have options such as Better Battery Life and Automatic Graphic Switching. These options automatically give the laptop the option to maximize battery charge by changing certain settings without user intervention. If you are running a graphics intensive program or high-powered application, you may have to decide between battery optimization and performance.

Make sure your computer is not running any unnecessary peripherals or programs. Eject any discs you are not using. Disconnect any peripherals, unless you need them. Check for any programs running that you are not currently using. By taking care of these small power drains, you will be maximizing Apple MacBook battery charge. Shut down the Bluetooth and wireless networking in order to save large amounts of battery charge. Only have up what you are using now. If you are not going to use a program for a while, shut it down.

Another part of maximizing Apple MacBook battery charge is to monitor the battery status menu occasionally. If you see your battery status going down faster than it should, that is a sign that you may have missed something that is draining the battery’s charge. It also gives you an indication whether you need to consider finding a charging option before you drain the battery completely. These simple steps can give you several hours of additional battery charge. However, no battery will last forever. It is important to make sure to save your work regularly and keep an eye on the battery gauge.

Tagclouds:Maximizing Battery Charge,hp pavilion dv6000 battery,compaq laptop battery,hp dv2000 battery

source:http://blog.bateryfast.com

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HP Laptop AC Adapte – Easy to Find and Affordable

Tagclouds: HP Laptop AC Adapte, hp laptop batteries,hp pavilion dv6 battery,hp mini 110 battery

There will come a point when you need to purchase a new battery charger for your laptop. It happens to everyone often when they least expect it. Finding HP battery chargers is not a difficult task. In fact, you can even find them at great discounts on the internet. If you are searching for a new battery charger for your laptop, consider looking on the internet. Have your computer information handy before you start your search and know what your budget is. Also keep in mind what your timeline is and how soon you need the item in your hand.

HP 90W Smart Pin AC Adapter

When searching for HP battery chargers keep in mind some of the features that many of the sellers include with the item. Some sellers will offer a thirty day money back guarantee. In addition, you should receive a one year manufacturer’s warranty with the product. These are things that should be listed on the internet site. Some sellers even offer free shipping on certain items. If you do not see any of these features you may want to consider contacting the seller and ask about them. The warranty is an important item when you are buying any electronic item.

You can plan on spending between $25 and $45 for HP battery chargers as well as any shipping costs. If you are in desperate need of the charger you may want to check into expedited shipping. You could have your charger in just a day or so delivered to your door. If this price is still more than you want to spend, you might consider online auctions as a source. There are often excellent low cost new products on these sites. Be sure to ask all the important questions such as return policy, warranty information and shipping options. This can yield a very low price for excellent products.

HP 65W Smart Travel AC Adapter

If you are still not finding HP battery chargers that work for you, consider your local retailers. Most computer retailers carry an assortment of chargers for your convenience. Be prepared with your computer information when you go looking at the local retailer in an effort to speed up the search. You may also be able to locate the product at a discount or on sale locally. Contact your local retailer ahead to find out when they are having a sale on the product you are looking for and ask about coupons that might be available.

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Easily tips for Extend Laptop Battery Life

When we say we want to “extend the life of a laptop battery” this could me a couple different things: It could mean you want to make the charge last longer, so if you’re out of the office the charge will get you through until you’re able to plug in again. Or, extending the life of your battery could mean you want to make the battery last as along as you can before you need to physically replace it. Both are directly determined by how you use your laptop. With a little conscious effort, you can utilize tactics that will keep your laptop running happily for years to come.

increase laptop battery life. You can increase the time between charges by doing some routine maintenance and changing a few settings.

Increase Laptop Battery Time

You can increase the time between charges by doing some routine maintenance and changing a few settings.

  1. To begin, get in the habit of defragging your hard drive every couple of months. This reduces the amount of work your hard drive needs to do to access data on the drive. Less hard drive movement means less heat and less power drain.
  2. Next, remove any DVDs from your optical drive. A drive will spin if there is a disk in it, so make sure you do not have any disks in the drive.
  3. Turn off Wifi or Bluetooth if you’re not using it. These are usually on by default.
  4. Unplug any external USB devices.
  5. Reduce the brightness of the screen. This can be done using shortcut keys
  6. Hibernate your laptop rather than using standby mode. Hibernating the laptop saves the system current state and shuts the computer down, saving power.
  7. Kill unnecessary programs. Got to start and in the run box, type msconfig and hit ok. Under the start-up tab, uncheck any programs you know do not need to load each time your computer boots up. The less programs you run in the background, the longer your charge will last.

Increase The Lifespan Of Your Laptop Battery

Your laptop battery will usually last between two and three years. These tips will help ensure you do not unintentionally reduce the lifespan of your laptop, and may even help you extend its lifespan.

  1. Do not frequently completely discharge the battery. Continuously running the battery down to noting causes unnecessary strain on the battery and may reduce its life.
  2. Completely discharge the battery once a month. While Lithium-ion batteries don’t suffer from past battery memory issues, it doesn’t hurt to do a controlled drain once a month.
  3. Keep the laptop and battery cool. Heat is a battery killer. Do not leave the laptop in a car or exposed to direct sunlight for an extended period of time.
  4. If your laptop will run without the battery installed, remove it when you know your laptop will be plugged into direct power for a long period of time.
  5. Don’t buy a backup battery. You can buy a backup if you think you’ll need it, but be wary of keeping a battery on the shelf while you wait for the original to die. Ideally, you’ll want to buy a battery that was recently manufactured. If you do have a spare, consider rotating it in with the original so they both have a chance to be used. When not in use, store the batteries in a cool, dry place.

Tagclouds:extend laptop battery life,Dell xps m1330 battery,Dell latitude e6400 battery,vostro 1510 battery

source:http://batteryfast.com/battery-wiki/

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Tips for Choose the Best Laptop Computer

Tagclouds:Best Laptop Computer,best laptop batteries,hp pavilion dv4 battery,Presario cq60 Battery

A laptop is the central piece of equipment for mobile computing. Gone are the days when you needed to stay at home behind your bulky PC just to draft that research paper, or stay a little late in the office so you could finish that report due the next day. With a laptop, you have an all around office and entertainment device you can bring anywhere you go. Still, not all laptops are made the same, and choosing the laptop best suited to your needs is important.

1. Assess your budget.

We have to become smart spenders to weather these tough economic times. Working around a budget will guarantee that you don’t end up slashing a big chunk off your savings or emergency money.

2. Decide how you will use your laptop.

If you’re a student who’ll probably be using a laptop to play audio and video files aside from the occasional school paper, then a DVD writer will be a good consideration, so you will be able to record all those mp3s and videos onto DVDs. If you’re a photographer who’ll be using the laptop not just for storage but for client presentations as well, then investing in a large memory capacity and good graphics card is the way to go.

3. Deciding on the hardware.

There are numerous aspects to be considered when looking for a quality laptop. Processor memory of at least 2GHz is a relatively fast processor speed, so choose a laptop with this feature. Additionally, the Random Access Memory (RAM) should be at the 512 MB minimum so that your laptop can do multiple tasks without hanging. Hard disk space should be at least 100 MB with 7200 rpm speed. Good quality graphics and sound cards have to be included for multimedia playing. USB and DVD drives should be there for transferring and saving data. The idea is to look for something that has enough flexibility and that isn’t necessarily the latest model.

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4. Canvass.

Do a little window shopping or comparison shopping on the Internet. Computer stores may have standardized prices, but others may offer promos such as free flash disks or other peripheral devices.

Laptops have a tendency to be outdated quickly from the time they are released to the consumer market. This is why choosing the features that you will need the most is the smartest way to go, so you don’t end up replacing your laptop for a newer and more capable model. The ‘best’ laptop is one that is most suited to your mobile computing needs.

source:http://blog.batteryfast.com

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Tips for buy a new laptop battery

The primary advantage of a laptop is that it allows the user to bring her computer with her wherever she goes, possibly bringing Internet access as well. However, as computers become more compact and faster, one thing seems to stay constant. The computer will more than likely outlast the laptop battery that powers it. If the battery dies, then the computer isn’t as useful, because it will need to be plugged in at all times in order to function. The way to solve this is to purchase a new battery for the laptop.

Instructions

1 Look at the bottom of your laptop and write down the laptop’s model number and brand. Then remove the battery from its slot and write down the model number of the battery itself and the type such as lithium-ion or nickel metal hydride. The documents that came with the computer, such as the invoice, warranty card or information document, might provide other useful information such as an order number and/or customer number and proof and time of purchase.

2 Check the website of the company that made your computer. If your Dell latitude d610 battery died before its time, or is still under warranty, you might be able to get a new battery free direct from the manufacturer. If you can’t order it online, locate the company’s customer service phone number and call.

3 Go to the store from which you purchased the computer. Tell the store clerk the information about the computer and see if the store sells replacement batteries. If you purchased an extended warranty plan, it might cover a replacement laptop battery.

4 Go to a computer service business with the information about your computer. The clerk or technician might be able to locate one for you or have them in stock.

5 Stores that specialize in electronic services or batteries such as Radio Shack, Batteries Plus or Interstate Batteries might have your laptop battery as well. You can also find some battery companies online.

The battery in a laptop, will usually last anywhere from 18 to 36 months. This span is the expected life of a battery with no extra steps taken by the user. But if you take a little extra time and care of your power source, you might be able to extend the life of your laptop battery or at the very least, improve the performance of the day to day life of about battery.

1 If you are not going to use the laptop for several days, take the inspiron 6400 battery out of the computer.

2 Keep the laptop and the battery in a comfortable temperature. Exposure to high heat or extreme cold can damage the battery; not to mention the laptop.

3 Once a month, allow the battery to drain completely. Make sure you have saved all your work and leave no programs open while draining the battery.

4 Be sure to have the power adapter plugged into a surge protector, not just a wall outlet.

5 Do not constantly leave the power adapter plugged in. When the adapter is plugged in, the laptop battery is constantly being charged. This is taxing on the battery’s life span.

source:http://blog.batteryfast.com/

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How Does A Barcode Scanner Work by batteryfast.com

Tagclouds:barcode scanners,Barcode Scanner Battery,Dell wr050 battery,vgp-bps2b battery

CCD barcode scanners compete with laser scanners in point of sale and similar applications of the like. The CCD barcode scanners typically have the advantage over laser scanners in several applications. CCD scanners have no moving parts which make the CCD scanners less prone to failure. The laser scanners have oscillating mirrors which are subject to wear and mechanical failure, unlike CCD scanners. CCD scanners use LEDs for light illumination and last about ten times as long as laser light diodes.

Lasers typically have a warning label associated with direct viewing and safety precautions need to be taken. Because CCD scanners do not use lasers, there are no precautions that need to be taken for a safe viewing distance. The CCD scanners have scan rates of 45 scans per second or faster, which is comparable in speed to the laser scanners. CCD scanners are also much lighter and less expensive than laser scanners.

Laser scanners also exhibit some advantages over CCD scanners. Laser scanners have a more powerful light emission which means they can be used further from the barcode. The laser scanners have a greater depth of field or operating range. For this reason, the laser barcode scanners are good when used by a particularly untrained worker. The laser scanners, depending on the model, can be operated several feet away from the barcode, while the CCD scanner needs to be within several inches in order to work effectively. Laser scanners can read longer bar codes than CCD scanners. CCD units are usually limited to a barcode length of three or four inches.

The interfaces for CCD scanners have caused confusion between buyer and user. The keyboard wedge interface is the most common for CCD scanners. After the scanner has read a code, the scanner copies the keyboard.

A CCD scanner uses an array of hundreds of tiny light sensors lined up in a row in the head of the sensor. We have all seen a CCD scanner at the supermarket. The CCD reader is extremely sensitive and small because of the hundreds of sensors. A voltage pattern commensurate with the pattern in the bar code is created in the reader by measuring voltages across each sensor in a row. The most important difference to remember when using a CCD scanner is that it is measuring ambient light versus the use of a laser.

There are wireless barcode scanners which are wireless and operate on the same frequency as wireless Internet. The 802.11 radio frequency allows the freedom of the person using the scanner to move around and still have the functionality of having a cordless scanner. The downside to having a cordless scanner is the fact that you are limited to the battery life of the scanner. The scanner must be charged after a shift or the next worker must wait for the scanner to be available for usage. The cordless scanners tap into usually a USB port on the computer. The barcode scanner works in conjunction with the keyboard to emulate keyboard key strokes given to the computer, but are actually sent from the wireless scanner.

source:http://blog.batteryfast.com

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Windows battery monitoring apps

Tags:Windows battery monitoring apps,lenovo thinkpad w701 battery,toshiba pa3285u-3bas battery,dell 5520 battery

Since day one, nothing has annoyed laptop users more than the power consumption that they use and the lack of supply that manufacturers have come up with. Immediately after purchasing your laptop, you typically get 3-4 hours of battery life from the supplied battery if you are lucky.

Over the course of a few months, the life slowly dwindles down more and more until you reach the end. Typically at the end of the warranty, one year, you’re forced to fork out another $100, purchase another battery, and go through the whole process again.

Along with the lack of life of your battery, you get the bonus of the boring and useless Windows battery meter that has been included with Windows. It would be nice to maybe have some additional information, or a more accurate calculation of your remaining battery life.

So again, with every Windows application, there is almost always an alternative and I have come up with a couple Windows laptop battery meter replacements to change the included battery icon.

BatteryBar

BatteryBar is a simple laptop battery meter that resides in your task bar and is constantly monitoring the battery in your laptop. It not only gives you the estimated remaining time, but it is continually tracking historical data, and is able to calculate the amount of wear you are putting on it. The free version includes everything you need, but there is also a Pro version, which adds certain alerts and additional modifications.

Power Meter Plus

If you’d prefer not to eat up any additional real estate on your taskbar, Power Meter Plus might be the other replacement that you’d lean towards. This application sits displayed on your screen, only when your laptop is running off of battery power.

With full power, the power meter sits completely invisible and as the life decreases, the meter becomes more and more prominent. The meter should never get in the way of your work because as you hover your mouse over it, it moves to the left, right, bottom or top of your screen.

When you plug the laptop back in, a message streaks across your screen to let you know that you are running off of A/C again.

laptop battery meter

If you’re happy with the provided Windows battery meter, then I would bet that you are in the minority because although it does get the job done, it makes it difficult to know exactly when you are about to ‘die’. You usually end up with the inevitable ‘Going to Stand By…’ message.

Try each of these out as a replacement, and I highly doubt you’ll be disappointed. Neither of them eat up a lot of resources and are just another couple more great Windows replacements, in the long line of this category.

Know of any other Windows battery monitoring apps? How accurate do you think these are?

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6 tips for better iPhone 4S battery life

Apple [AAPL] will soon patch those widely-reported iPhone 4S battery life bugs. Meanwhile, here’s six tips to help most smartphone owners achieve better battery life from their mobile devices.

Switch off your Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi’s great, but only when you’re on a network, otherwise that Wi-Fi radio’s just sucking out your power every time it looks around for a network. It stands to reason that if you switch Wi-Fi off when you aren’t using it you’ll get better battery life from your device.

You can switch off Wi-Fi in Settings inside your iPhone. Settings>Wi-Fi>Toggle on-off switch to “off”.

While you’re at it, you might as well switch off your Bluetooth, too, unless you’re using it. You can disable this in Settings>General>Bluetooth.

Reduce screen brightness
A bright screen is a power-hungry screen. If you want to get more battery life from your device then reducing that brightness will inevitably extend battery life. Enter Settings>Brightness. Set the scrollable brightness level to a setting you can handle and disable Auto-Brightness if you want to stop the iPhone automatically adjusting your display brightness.

[ABOVE: If you want a visual guide, try this one.]

Give Push the push
Push Notification is fantastic if you want to be kept up-to-date with incoming messages, but if you’re out on the road without the ability to recharge your iPhone, you should switch these notifications off.

To do so, go to Settings>Notifications and set Notifications to Off. Don’t worry — you won’t lose any incoming data, you’ll just have to launch the relevant application to see it.

If you have a push email account such as Yahoo! or Exchange then you can disable it to preserve battery life. Go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars > Fetch New Data and set Push to Off.

Know your name, not your location
Location services quietly consume battery life. True, if you are in a new place and need a map and local advice, it helps to have location services switched on. Otherwise, you can disable location services, as follows: Settings > General > Location Services or use location services only when needed.

Take the data diet
When battery life becomes the priority, do you really need to check your mail and other data as frequently? The more often an application fetches data the faster your battery may drain.

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© Battery Care Tips
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