Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!codas!karthur
From: karthur@codas.att.com (Kurt_R_Arthur)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Portable or laptop computers
Message-ID: <1566@codas.att.com>
Date: 14 Jan 88 19:43:55 GMT
References: <3413@mcdchg.UUCP>
Distribution: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Organization: AT&T, Altamonte Springs, FL
Lines: 37

In article <3413@mcdchg.UUCP> heiby@mcdchg.UUCP (Ron Heiby) writes:
> 
> Dana Freiburger (freiburg@pioneer.UUCP) writes:
>> I have recently purchased a Toshiba T1200, with has 1 3.5 floppy 
>> and a 20 meg hard disk.  Runs off the builtin battery for 2-3
>> hours at a time, but I use the (provided) AC adapter at home.
> 
> I was just looking at the data sheet on the T1200 and it says that
> the battery is good for 7 hours.  I'm planning on buying a laptop this
> spring/summer in the T1200 capability range, but battery life is
> important to me.  I'd like something at least 5 hours.  2-3 is a bit
> short for what I have in mind.  Does anyone know the straight story
> on battery life?  Does Dana have a bad battery or does the data sheet
> have a "typo"?  Also, is there a car adapter for the T1200?  The sheet
> I have doesn't mention one.

Battery life in the laptop world is very much a function of what the operator
is doing.  This is because a lot of disk access (especially fixed disks) and
backlighting the screen will dramatically shorten the amount of time you can
use your laptop.

If you turn off the backlighting, and never access the disk you will probably
get 7 hours.  If you turn on the backlighting and run very disk-intensive
activities (like compiles or database indexing or whatever), you will be
lucky to get 2 hours. 

I have no insight into your proposed application, but most places I would
want to compute at have current, so battery life is not critical (3 hours
or less is fine for me).

I have no imformation about a car adapter for the Toshiba.


Regards,

Kurt Arthur
Software Services of Florida, Inc.