HP claims 24 hours on one notebook charge

Stephen Withers
Tuesday, 09 September 2008 03:59

Your IT - Home IT

As for the LED backlit display, such components are gradually moving into mainstream use. They provide a double environmental benefit: in addition to consuming less power, they also reduce the number and quantity of hazardous substances within a computer (traditional LCD panels use lamps containing mercury, a toxic heavy metal).

The Ultra Capacity Battery is already available at a cost of $US189. Until the arrival of the new hardware options, one charge of an Ultra Capacity Battery is said to be good for up to 17 hours and 15 minutes use of a 6930p.

The downside is that the battery weighs 1.77lb/0.8kg. Compared with 0.7lb/0.3kg for the standard battery, that's a fair increment, especially given current levels of interest in subnotebooks that weigh around a kilogram.

Another manufacturer that has gone down the low power route with LED displays and SSDs is Apple with its MacBook Air. In that case, the goal was to deliver a thin and light notebook (the company even left out the optical drive) rather than maximising the run time on a single charge, which requires a bulky and heavy battery.

HP officials point out that the nominal 24 hour battery life on an appropriately configured EliteBook 6930p is more than enough to see a business traveller through the world's longest scheduled airline flight which connects Newark Liberty and Singapore Changi in approximately 18 hours 40 minutes.

Exactly how HP's testing translates into real-world usage remains to be seen, but the ability to use a notebook longer between charges is a benefit even for those who don't take such long flights.