Battery boosters

[Mikeyswen79]

Hey y'all,

I'm on the verge of getting an 11" MBA, which I think will be fantastic except that the battery life is admittedly low.

I was wondering what battery boosters are available to ease that situation? I am in class from 9:30 to 4:30 some days and so a battery booster might be a worthwhile investment for me.

 

[onthecouchagain]

Outlet with the charger? Some class rooms have outlets you can sit near... or charge during breaks?

You should consider the 13". It's almost just as portable, offers a bigger screen to work with, and 2 additional hours of promised battery life. Keep it on minimal brightness and some smart power consumption configs and it could last you. It'll certainly last longer than the 11".

 

[roccobladr]

turn off wifi when not in use (shouldnt be browsing forums when prof is lecturing anyway!)...turn off backlit keyboard (you should have plenty of light in class!)...turn down backlight of screen (even at the minimum its still plenty useable)...keep bluetooth off (unless if using of course)

 

[iphonsteve4ajob]

I think you should be able to last. You're not going to be using it for 7hrs straight right? I would think 30min here, and hour there, sleep in between, would last you the whole day.

 

[brand]

Not sure if it's worth posting but when I saw the thread title of "Battery Boosters" I got an image of a MacBook Air with jumper cables attached to it.

 

[sloan47]

Well, there is the "HyperJuice" external battery. They are expensive and somewhat complicated to set up but it's a solution.

http://www.hypershop.com/HyperJuice-External-Battery-for-MacBook-iPad-iPhone-USB-s/91.htm

 

[Young Spade]

Just turn off the stuff you aren't using and quit the applications you aren't running. Isn't much more than that. common sense things, you know.

But there isn't some magic "battery booster"; just do the aforementioned things and you'll save 30 or so extra minutes; as a college student, that sub 5 hour battery was the reason I went for the MBP.

 

[sloan47]

And I just read you're considering going for the 11". If battery is a concern I'd just go for the 13". I easily get 6 continuous hours on a charge and it easily lasts me the entire day.

Edit: And it's not *that* much larger than the 11". I personally think it's just as portable.

 

[Mikeyswen79]

Thanks guys. All great tips!

I was mostly shooting for suggestions of external peripherals that can be plugged in and boost battery life. I saw the one suggested here, but I'm wondering if there's any other options out there? I'm real lost when it comes to this.

As for MBP suggestions: it's tempting, but with the glare-prone screen and the HDD, I'm not so sure it's worth it for me at this time. Maybe.

 

[darngooddesign]

Hey y'all,

I'm on the verge of getting an 11" MBA, which I think will be fantastic except that the battery life is admittedly low.

I was wondering what battery boosters are available to ease that situation? I am in class from 9:30 to 4:30 some days and so a battery booster might be a worthwhile investment for me.

The best battery booster in the 13".

 

[Fernandez21]

Thanks guys. All great tips!

I was mostly shooting for suggestions of external peripherals that can be plugged in and boost battery life. I saw the one suggested here, but I'm wondering if there's any other options out there? I'm real lost when it comes to this.

As for MBP suggestions: it's tempting, but with the glare-prone screen and the HDD, I'm not so sure it's worth it for me at this time. Maybe.

Are you going to be using the air strait through those 7hrs? If not, it should last you the day using it on and off. I leave my house at 7:30am and use my air on and off through the day and still have around 2 more hours of use once I get home at 6-7pm. If you are going to use it for 7hrs. strait, than the battery pack the above poster suggested would probably be your best bet. Also you can take the charger with you (it's about the size of an ipad charger, it's really small) or you can try the 13", but even then you would be pushing it with 7hrs strait usage.

 

[Young Spade]

Thanks guys. All great tips!

I was mostly shooting for suggestions of external peripherals that can be plugged in and boost battery life. I saw the one suggested here, but I'm wondering if there's any other options out there? I'm real lost when it comes to this.

As for MBP suggestions: it's tempting, but with the glare-prone screen and the HDD, I'm not so sure it's worth it for me at this time. Maybe.

Screen doesn't really have that bad of a glare; I've used mine all day from inside classrooms with direct light, the library with a 10 foot window at my side, and pulling it out in various places to check my schedule.

At no point did the brightness go over 50 percent.

 

[alecgold]

if it is just for typewriter use, it is possible to get near/over 7 hours with the 11". just turn everything off and start writing.
It did work for me.