Make Your Batteries Last Longer

Perhaps the most important advantage that a Windows CE computer has over a standard laptop is battery life. Whereas most laptops will struggle to last 2 hours, a Windows CE Handheld PC can run for 7 to 12 hours, and even the smaller Pocket PC system can now run for 6 hours between charges.

However, for many people 6 hours just isn't enough. The new Pocket PCs are packed with productivity and entertainment applications. People want all-day action ­ listening to music, reading books, downloading and reading their e-mail or browsing the Web. Under these situations, most devices will not live up their best-case battery life estimates. It's just physics: it's difficult to cram a lot of energy into a small space.

This situation is forever improving. Modern battery technologies like Lithium-Ion and Lithium-Polymer offer higher capacities, and the industry continues to develop more energy-efficient CPUs and screens. Still, the size of Windows Powered devices limits the size (and capacity) of the batteries that power them. You still need to put some attention on conserving battery life. Here are a few tricks that might help.

Conserve power when using I/O cards

PC, CompactFlash or Smart memory cards draw very little power from Windows Powered devices. You can probably slip one in the card slot and not worry about it. However, the same cannot be said for "I/O" (Input/Output) cards. Modem, LAN adapt-ers, Mobile phone adapters, VGA adapters and Wireless transceivers come in PC and (sometimes) Compact card formats. They can drain your batteries quickly. Minimize your time connected and always remember to remove the I/O card when you've finished using it. Although not always possible, if you can, you should connect your Windows Powered device to its AC adapter when using an I/O card. It's also important that you pick your cards carefully. Cards designed specifically for Windows CE ­ such as cards from Socket and Pretec ­ usually draw less power than their Windows 98/NT/2000 counterparts. Check the specifications, it can make all the difference!

The Pretec Modem Compact/Flash Card shown here is one of many I/O cards that can be used with Windows Powered devices. They can drain battery power, so use them sparingly and always remove them from the card slot when not in use.

Tip: Use the right software driver -­ If you are using a rather exotic card, such as IBM's Microdrive (a miniature rotating disk hard drive the size of a CompactFlash card) make sure you are using the correct "driver." A driver is a small software utility that "teaches" the computer how to communicate with a particular device. Windows Powered devices come with generic drivers built in, and the Microdrive seems to work fine with them, but it's worth noting that IBM has developed a special driver that may boost performance, available from their website (www.storage.ibm.com/techsup/hddtech/mddwnld.htm).

The fact is, whenever you do any kind of I/O, including synchronizing with your desktop PC via a serial, USB or infrared connection, you use a lot of power. Don't leave your Pocket PC connected to your PC for long periods of time without also connecting it to its AC power adapter.

Raise your "power" consciousness