If you're in the market for a laptop that will last you from LA to New York, or longer, the Air's not for you. This week I discuss four other portables with batteries that probably won't run out of juice before you do.
By the way, if you're not in the market for a new laptop, you can buy external battery packs to keep you going. The is a good option. It's about US$116 and up online; go to for pricing.
Lenovo ThinkPad X200
This ultraportable offers superb battery life. We tested the ThinkPad X200 with a nine-cell battery option--and got nearly nine hours of use from a single charge. The battery added less than a pound to the computer, bringing the total weight to only 3.7 pounds. Upgrading from the standard four-cell battery to the nine-cell adds $50 to your system's overall costs. Go to the for our detailed review, plus pricing.
Dell Latitude E6400
Dell claims its can run for up to 19 hours, but only if you configure the notebook with the following: an optional nine-cell battery (a $69 upgrade to the standard six-cell battery); $300 optional add-on battery; and a solid-state drive (currently it's a 128GB option that adds about $309 to the laptop's).
Right off the bat, you're adding $678 to this system's cost to get the 19 hours Dell promises. Is it worth it? Read the before you decide. Granted, you have to take online customer feedback with a chunk of salt. But some of the comments (like "This is the worst thing [I've] ever seen from Dell," or "large and heavy") might give you pause.
HP EliteBook 6930p
According to HP, this business notebook can run for . You must to get the full 24 hours, though at the moment there's no additional charge for that. Also, you must buy the 12-cell ultra-capacity battery ($189), which reportedly lasts about 10 hours longer than the standard battery. You have to use this battery in tandem with a six-cell battery, which comes with the notebook.
HP says to get the 24-hour charge, your EliteBook 6930p must also have an as its main storage--which adds $574. That's a total of $763 added to the system's $850 price tag.
Asus Eee PC1000HE
If you're on a budget, the Asus Eee PC1000HE netbook might be the way to go; I've seen it online for and . Asus claims the netbook can run for up to 9.5 hours on one charge. That's far above the average netbook, which usually lasts only about 2 to 3 hours per charge.
The Wrap Up
If you frequently fly on long-haul international flights without acess to a power port, the HP or Dell machines might be worth considering. Otherwise, your best bets are either the ThinkPad X200 or, if money's tight, the Asus Eee PC1000HE.
And if you're a Mac fan, consider the new 17-inch MacBook Pro. Its battery, which isn't user-removable, is said to last up to 8 hours on a single charge. .
Mobile Computing News, Reviews, & Tips
Great Tech Bargains: Did you know you can buy a refurbished MacBook Air from Apple.com for $999--a far cry from the $1799 you'd pay for a similarly configured new model? Learn more money-saving tips in Rick Broida's "."
All About Netbooks: If you're tempted to take the plunge, give Darren Gladstone's "" a read. Darren gives you the back story on how netbooks have evolved, plus a look at six new and notable netbooks and more.
The Ideal Ultraportable: What would the perfect portable computer look like? For starters, it would feature a built-in Pico projector, dual portrait screens, the ability to use any 3G wireless service we want, and a slide-away, detachable Bluetooth keyboard. A few of our wish-list features have been announced by major computer makers, such as Asus. Check out Danny Allen's "" feature for a look at our dream machine.
Contributing Editor James A. Martin offers tools, tips, and product recommendations to help you make the most of computing on the go. Martin is also author of the . Sign up to to you each week.
Suggestion Box
Is there a particularly cool mobile computing product or service I've missed? Got a spare story idea in your back pocket? . However, I regret that I'm unable to respond to tech-support questions, due to the volume of e-mail I receive.