I am looking to buy a new battery for my Early 2011 15" macbook pro. My current one is saying service. Where other than apple can I pick one up for a decent price and what are the specs I should be looking for.
I wouldn't trust or recommend any non-Apple battery, due to the number of problems reported with "knockoff" batteries. Also, there is no assurance that knockoff batteries have the same charging technology that Apple uses, involving the battery, the MagSafe adapter and the Mac's logic board.
The link below should answer most, if not all, of your battery/charging questions. If you haven't already done so, I highly recommend you take the time to read it.