From bogus@does.not.exist.com Tue Jul 20 23:03:03 2010 From: bogus@does.not.exist.com () Date: Tue, 20 Jul 2010 21:03:03 -0000 Subject: No subject Message-ID: tolerable for an appliance. Other Considerations As a selling feature, notebook manufacturers try to maximize battery life, that is, the amount of time their computers will run on a single charge. Since we keep the unit plugged in so much, battery life is not critical, but it?s still a good indicator of system efficiency. Within groups of similar computers, the longer the--battery life, the more efficient the computer is. This comparison works best if independently measured, but manufacturers? estimated time is usually a good rough estimate. Just remember that this measurement applies within a given category of processor, screen size, battery size, and peripherals. While it may seem good to keep the battery charged up, it is also good to let it cycle some. So don?t leave it plugged in all the time. Unplug it every once in a while, and let it discharge fully before charging again. If NiCd is used, the battery should be fully discharged routinely (several times a month) and then refilled. If the battery is NiMH or lithium technology, it isn?t as important to fully discharge the battery routinely, but it should be fully discharged once every month or two. Most modern notebooks use the NiMH or lithium ion batteries. Keyboards are also a concern with notebooks. The great portability of a 3+ pound (1.4+ kg) unit is somewhat offset by a slightly smaller keyboard, not to mention a few keys in somewhat different places. I find the tradeoff to be acceptable. You may not. The larger notebooks do have equivalent keyboards, but not exactly ergonomically correct ones. Another alternative is to buy a notebook with an auxiliary keyboard port. Then you can use a standard keyboard ordinarily used with a desktop unit. Most larger notebooks have similar ports for a mouse and monitor. Others have auxiliary ports in docking stations so a notebook can emulate a desktop computer. Of course, not everyone is in a position to part with more than US$2,000 to save some watt-hours. But it was worth it for us. The cost of adding more PVs and related equipment to have our desktop unit available full time would have exceeded what we spent. Almost any notebook computer, with the ability to handle similar tasks, is far preferable to a desktop system for energy conservation. As time goes on, more models will use the new energy-saving chip sets. Even the model we bought is now available as refurbished. (Usually they are returned within 30 days after purchase and like new.) I just saw one similar to ours for less than US$1,600. Although I was researching PCs, Apple?s latest notebooks are also quite frugal. I managed to get permission (not without a questioning look from the store manager) to measure one of the 600 MHz G3 iBooks, and it came in at around 20 watts. Dessert The rest of the changes to our computing scene may seem frivolous. Still, if we see the computer as an appliance, the handier the better. We added a D-Link wireless router (Model DI 713P, US$140, 7 watts) that gives us the ability to use the laptop almost anywhere in the house. It also connects the two computers together and provides good Internet security from hackers. (Incidentally, software can provide good protection also, but it?s not as good as the hardware solution in a router.) The setup of the router was very time consuming. I have read of others who have had an easier setup, and still others who have given up and returned the unit. So I have mixed feelings about it. Setting up a single computer would be easier, as would setting up with only a newer operating system. The manufacturers need to provide more information than we received. Usually I like to exhaust my own resources before calling tech support, but I still spent quite a few hours sorting things out with both the router tech support and my Internet service provider tech support. Energy-Sipping Computing Everything needs to be on switched outlets for efficiency, preferably surge protected outlets. On one switch, we have the fixed wireless radio and the router, which have no internal switches, and the printer, which does have an internal switch (usually turned off). The notebook computer is on another, and the desktop computer and scanner (usually turned off) on another. So we can handle almost any combination of computing needs without having unnecessary equipment sucking electricity. In spite of the less-than-satisfactory router experience, our new computer system has been a great convenience. After half a year of no computer availability in our off-grid home, we learned that our desktop computer was just too much of an energy hog to work for us in our limited-energy environment. Having cast about for a solution, I believe we found a good one with our 3 pound (1.4 kg) notebook computer. It draws only 15 to 18 watts when being used, and practically none when in standby. We no longer have to feel guilty when using a very important appliance. It is handy anywhere we are in the house, anytime we need it. And so far, we have run the generator hardly at all. Aloha. Access John Bertrand, PO Box 811, Holualoa, HI 96725 caber at kona.net Dell Computer Corporation, One Dell Way, Round Rock, TX 78682 ? 800-915-3355 or 512-338-4400 ? csd at dell.com ? www.dell.com ? Dell Latitude C-400 ? notebook computer Alvarion, Inc., 5858 Edison Pl., Carlsbad, CA 92008 ? 760-517-3100 ? Fax: 760-517-3200 ? sales-north.america at alvarion.com ? www.alvarion.com ? Breezenet Pro.11 radio D-Link U.S.A., 53 Discovery Dr., Irvine, CA 92618 ? 800-326-1688 ? Fax: 949-753-7033 ? sales at dlink.com www.dlink.com ? D-Link DI-713P wireless router Some Useful PC Computer Web Sites Major Notebook Manufacturers: www.dell.com ? www.gateway.com ? www.ibm.com ? www.micronpc.com ? www.sonystyle.com ? www.hp.com ? www.apple.com Networking Info: www.wown.com ? www.pcworld.com/features/article/0,aid,86935,tk,cxb,00.asp Internet Security Software: www.zonelabs.com ? Zonelabs? Zone Alarm is a free download; the Pro version costs US$40. The free version has been highly recommended and has been used by the author. The Pro version has more bells & whistles. Notebook Power Management: www.extremetech.com/article/0,3396,apn=2&s=1005&a=24385&ap=1,00.asp ? This is an article at the Extreme Tech site and may be available for a limited time. Evaluations & Comparisons: www.pcmagazine.com ? www.zdnet.com ? www.techtv.com ? www.pcworld.com ? www.practicallynetworked.com Shopping/Price Comparisons: www.pricewatch.com ? www.pricegrabber.com ? www.techbargains.com ? www.amazon.com ? www.cnet.com <<<<< -- Jesus Cea Avion _/_/ _/_/_/ _/_/_/ jcea at argo.es http://www.argo.es/~jcea/ _/_/ _/_/ _/_/ _/_/ _/_/ _/_/ _/_/ _/_/_/_/_/ PGP Key Available at KeyServ _/_/ _/_/ _/_/ _/_/ _/_/ "Things are not so easy" _/_/ _/_/ _/_/ _/_/ _/_/ _/_/ "My name is Dump, Core Dump" _/_/_/ _/_/_/ _/_/ _/_/ "El amor es poner tu felicidad en la felicidad de otro" - Leibniz