Laptop users could help save 200m tonnes of carbon each year

If laptop users were willing to pay an extra pound to upgrade their power supply units, the world could save more than 200m tonnes of carbon a year, according to a leading component supplier in Taiwan.

Delta Electronics, which makes more than half of the boxes at the end of the world’s power cables, wants consumers to be informed of the carbon and energy efficiency of its products so that they can make a choice about whether to pay extra for greener computers.

The current energy efficiency standard for switching power supplies on laptops is 87%, though many firms fit devices that fall well below this level.

Delta says its best equipment could reach 93% for about a pound or two more. It is not yet widely adopted because computer firms such as HP laptops and Dell are reluctant to pass on the cost to consumers.

“The point is, consumers never know the efficiency of their computers,” said Delta Electronics’ founder and chairman, Bruce Cheng. “We are serious in our efforts to reduce global warming by our unrelenting research into ever more energy efficient products.”

Booq laptop bags continue to lead from the front

Booq has released a new product for its line of computer protection – the Viper Rush.

The laptop bags are made from high-density molded foam which encases and protects the device, while integrated bumpers elevate the notebook and providing ventilation. The case is designed to be opened approximately 120 degrees, enabling users to work without having to remove it from the safety of the bag. Interior non-scratch neoprene pockets and compartments can be used for storing cables, phones, keys, pens, power adapters, or other accessories.

Viper Rush also includes a nylon shoulder strap and an internal divider which can be folded down to maximize space. The company’s Terralinq service pairs the accessory with a metal badge and serial number to assist with recovering missing bags. The case comes in both a medium size, which Macs up to 15 inches, and a large variant that holds 17-inch laptops.

New Dell laptop could be charged wirelessly

Dell are readying the new Latitude Z laptop for launch in late 2009 but rather than go for the touch-screen option like many of the other Windows 7 systems, they’ve come up with something a bit remarkable.

After losing a large chunk of the PC market share to the likes of HP laptops, Dell returned to the drawing board and have come up with the Dell Latitude Z business laptop featuring ‘advanced wireless capabilities’ and, potentially, ‘wireless charging’.

So you could soon be powering laptops without the need for a bulky plug, similar to the Touchstone accessory sold for the Palm Pre smartphone in the US.

No word on an official release date yet, but it’s expected in the next few weeks.

Laptop owners buying more laptop accessories

With the sales of notebook computers and laptops on the rise, the demand for ‘notebook and laptop essentials such as laptop bags, stands, mouse, has grown considerably.

Mouse-pointing devices are also seeing higher sales especially among users who prefer the feel of a mouse than a track pad.

This is followed closely by laptop bags, webcams and headsets.

Notebook stands are also seen to grow as more people buy notebook computers over desktops.

Citing an internal market study, Logitech Philippines Sales Manager, Aileen Chua said that 70 per cent of users surveyed have a laptop stand in their offices.

About 60 per cent of the 300 respondents use their notebooks between two and seven hours a day.
Also, all of the respondents have notebook stands, which are used to elevate laptop screens as well as for ergonomics.

“Some people use a laptop stand for comfort more than just cooling. It is more of a necessity to have a stand,” Chua said.

Other than stands, Chua said external speakers and USB hubs are also seeing strong sales from laptop owners.

Green battery tips for laptop users

Despite general battery care for laptops being readily available, there are many misconceptions which still exist often leaving people out of pocket and living with a lifeless laptop which is never any fun.

And with laptops moving into the office each and every day and many businesses are struggling to find top ways to keep their battery holding onto a longer life.

Paul Mah, Expert Tech Insight and Advice for Small Businesses at SMB Tech has come up with some new solutions to help you keep your laptop battery in good working condition.

Avoiding buying spare batteries

Many small to medium businesses who buy a large number of laptops are often tempted to purchase additional spare batteries in case they need it.

Paul Mah says there are two crucial reasons to why buying a second battery is a bad idea and the first is simply the fact that you will possibly never use it. The second scenario is slightly more crucial and an established fact about laptop batteries. “While not widely known, lithium-ion batteries start deteriorating the moment they leave the factory,” Mah said. “In fact, even if left unused at temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius, studies have shown that the maximum charge of a lithium battery can hold could drop as much as 35 per cent in just one year.
“So even if you are a heavy user and expect to wear down the original battery in a year, it would be better to buy a replacement battery only when you are ready to use it.”

Another way of reducing the lifespan of your battery laptop is by exposing it to excessive heat. For example, leaving your laptop sat in the summer heat in your car would be a definite no go.

Almost all of the new laptops, such as the Sony Vaio have well-designed heat ventilation so normal usage should not affect their lifespan.

Universal external battery to resuscitate our laptops when we’re on the move

We’ve all been there; we’re out of the office or travelling somewhere but whilst we can stock up on ridiculously-priced coffee to keep us going, our laptop fuel isn’t always so accessible. That’s why we’re delighted to hear of this new concept from LaptopBatteryExpress.

They’ve unveiled a new external battery that promises enough tips to work with almost 10,000 different laptops. The battery ships with seven different tips and will provide an additional three to four hours of life for your laptop.

The battery also has an external USB port for charging devices like your iPod or mobile phone. The battery has a charging voltage of 15V to 25V and can output DC 5.2V, 16V, and 19V with a total output power of 60W. Capacity for the battery is 6600mAh and it measures 9 x 4.9 x 0.59 inches and weighs 1.7 pounds. The battery will soon be available in the UK, priced at £99.

Lenovo announce battery recall that affects six Thinkpads

Lenovo have announced a recall on the laptop batteries for ThinkPad models, which often produce “irreparable damage” or “battery cannot be charged” error messages, or simply have unusually low capacity.

The issue affects models from Lenovo’s ThinkPad T60, T61, R60, R61, X60 and X61 ranges, though only certain batteries for those notebooks are said to be faulty.

A  diagnostic battery program is available on the company’s official website to check whether a user is affected and, if so, their eligibility for a replacement.

As of yet, there has been no announcement on how long a replacement will take to appear, nor how many affected laptops there may be, but Lenovo are insisting that the problem causes no safety issues to users.

Sony admits some Vaios may contain faulty Nvidia chips

A Sony spokesman has confirmed that some Vaio laptops feature faulty Nvidia graphics chips, which the graphics company believes could lead to overheating laptops and ultimately complete laptop failure.

The global electronics brand are the most recent addition to a growing list of PC makers implementing faulty Nvidia chips, including Apple, Dell and HP.

A Sony Vaio owner can detect if their model is affected if a laptop shows ‘distorted video, duplicate images or a blank screen due to failure of the Nvidia chip’, the company said.

Sony will cover the cost of repair. The PC maker is also providing an extended three-year warranty in addition to the standard 12-month warranty. No refunds for the laptops are being offered by Sony.

Some Sony laptop owners shafted by Windows 7’s ‘XP mode’

It appears that Sony Vaio laptop owners won’t be taking advantage of Windows 7’s capability to run old Windows XP applications and clamour has now begun for Sony to make a concrete a decision about enabling hardware processor virtualisation (VT technology) on its portables.

Sony currently disables VT technology supported by certain Intel processors on its laptops for ’security reasons’. The technology allows software like Virtual PC, VirtualBox and Parallels Desktop to run self-contained operating systems directly on the processor hardware rather than on a processor emulated in software. VT technology isn’t essential for such software, but it can help your laptop run far more smoothly.

The sting in the tail is that while Windows 7 won’t run all Windows XP applications, it will ship with ‘Windows XP Mode ’. This is basically a single-purpose PC virtualisation application for Windows XP — and it requires VT technology to be enabled. So, Sony laptop owners face a tough time if they upgrade to Windows 7.

Laptop and Blackberry replace latte and blueberry pancakes for breakfast

Technology has made us adapt lots of life’s habitual routines but for many people it has completely altered the once traditional rituals at the start of each day.

According to the New York Times, an increasing number of people are checking emails,  tweeting, logging in to Facebook and texting before they even grab breakfast. This is morning in the internet age.

After six to eight hours of online deprivation — also known as sleep — people are increasingly waking up and  pouncing on their mobiles and laptops, sometimes even before their legs have hit the floor.

“It used to be you woke up, went to the bathroom, maybe brushed your teeth and picked up the newspaper,” said Naomi S. Baron, a professor of linguistics at American University. “But what we do first now has changed dramatically. I’ll be the first to admit: the first thing I do is check my email.”