Batteries–they're everywhere. These small, portable devices are the source of strength and success behind many pieces of technology we take for granted. But do batteries receive the attention they deserve?
Batteries are much like insurance. We give them very little thought until something goes wrong. Suddenly, they become one of the most important things in our busy lives when our laptop, cell phone or iPod goes dark.
While they may be silent partners in our success, batteries require care and attention, just like the devices they power. Here are some tips to avoid that feeling of powerlessness and get the most of these powerful technology allies.

Read and follow instructions. I don't like to do it any more than the next guy, but reading instructions is actually important if you plan to get the most out of your batteries. Properly preparing your batteries for use has lasting effects. Failure to give them what they need can permanently impact their long-term effectiveness.
Fully charge and discharge your batteries. Have you ever connected your cell phone to its charger and then forgot about it for a day or so? Don't. Batteries have a memory. Partially charging or overcharging significantly reduces their performance.According to Paul Klatt, a quality assurance engineer for Batteries Plus, a Hartland, Wis., commercial-battery distributor, “Leaving the batteries, at least those types associated with these [portable] devices, on charge for endless periods will reduce the overall life of the battery.” Battery chargers cycle down when the battery is fully charged, and continuous charging creates heat buildup that eventually causes premature battery failure.The moral of the story? Remove the device from its charger right after the battery has had time to fully charge.
Rotate your batteries. “Use it or lose it” also applies to batteries. If you have backup batteries, rotate them periodically to make sure they stay in shape and will be available when needed.
This is particularly true if you have battery-powered devices for emergency situations. Allowing a flashlight or laptop to be idle for extended periods may mean it will not give you what you need when you really need it.
Pay for quality. When you are tempted to think “it's only a battery,” remember that the device the battery is powering is a business tool you rely on. Save money somewhere else.
Cheaper versions of quality batteries often cut corners, reducing the life and performance of the battery. Invest in a name brand with a proven track record.
Invest time to clean your battery contacts. A clean battery is a productive battery. Take a few minutes every few months–depending on how often you rely on batter power–to clean the metal contacts in the battery compartment with a cloth moistened with rubbing alcohol. When contacts are clean, they transfer power much more efficiently from your battery to your device.
Turn off your Bluetooth. Bluetooth is cool and convenient. It is also a power hog. Turn it off when it is not in use.
Adjust the brightness of your screen. If your device uses a screen to display information, reduce the brightness of the screen when relying on batteries. A brighter screen draws significantly more power. This advice applies to any battery-powered device. But if you are relying on the portability of your laptop, it can draw a lot more power, and have their own unique needs. Here are some additional tips.
Be aware of what draws the most power. It's pretty obvious that using the DVD player on a plane uses a lot of power. But did you know that every time you hear that familiar “whirring” sound when you save a document, your battery takes a significant hit? Depending on what you are working on, also turn off the “Auto Save” option in your applications. Manually choosing when you save will give you much more battery time.

All functions are not created equal. Take time to learn how your laptop uses power and how you can use that power wisely.

Use power-saving options. If you are on Windows XP, click on “Power Options” in the control panel to take advantage of built-in power saving options for your laptop. This reduces consumption and increases performance.
Avoid extreme temperatures. When you are traveling, it is easy to find that the temperature has changed dramatically from one airport to another. Batteries are not complex technologies. They work on a simple chemical reaction. Severe temperatures can interfere with this chemical process, reducing the power in your battery.
Whenever possible, use and charge your batteries at room temperature. Extreme temperatures can have potentially extreme effects. Did you read the caution in the instructions that a lithium battery have the potential to explode if not handled correctly?
Add more RAM. Your hard drive is like your old filing cabinet. The larger the file cabinet, the more things you can store there. RAM is like your desktop. The larger your desk, the more things you do at one time without getting confused.More RAM means that your battery has to work less to manage what you are working on. Without the additional RAM, your system relies on virtual memory that uses your hard drive and is much less efficient.
When possible, limit the number of applications you have open at one time. Just because you are able to have multiple applications open at the same time does not mean that it is a good idea. The more applications you have open at once, the more power you draw from your battery.
Optimize your screen. Most laptops allow you to optimize your screen. When relying on battery power, select the lowest level available. The increased power is more than worth any temporary inconvenience.
Access data off your hard drive, not a CD or DVD. Portable devices make it easy to carry your information world with you. Whenever possible, move files over to your hard drive to modify, and then move them back to the CD/DVD if needed. While hard drives do draw power, using both the hard drive and CD/DVD drive uses much more power.
Opt to not show graphics. Applications like Word offer the option to show graphics or not. Graphics increase the size of a file, thus increasing the amount of power needed to run the application.
When possible, avoid displaying or working with graphics when relying on your batteries.
Hibernate rather than stand-by. While stand-by uses less power, it still uses much more power than hibernating. If your laptop has the ability to hibernate, use it rather than just standing by. This mode saves your laptop's state as is, then shuts down the device. It may take a minute longer to come back up, but you will definitely extend the life of your battery. On long flights, this can mean the difference between a productive journey and hours of lost opportunities.

As our world becomes more mobile and wired for 24-7 connection to technology, batteries become more and more important to how we live and work. Following some simple best practices will help to make sure you get the most out of these technological marvels. Tom Baker is the solutions coach for Advanced Automation's Solutions agencies. For the past 17 years, Advanced Automation has offered agency consulting services to address a variety of management and agency development issues. Contact Baker at questions@advancedautomation-inc.com.

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