[comp.sys.laptops] Is your battery REALLY necessary? - Responses

trevorc@uwovax.uwo.ca (04/08/90)

Some weeks ago I posted an item questioning the amount of use that
"laptoppers" get from their batteries in the sense that, providing
a power source is nearby, and based on my own experience, the 
batteries are largely redundant.

Seems I was wrong - certainly not a first for that!

I received 12 replies to that posting.  Only ten of them actually
addressed the issue of battery use.  A couple were more concerned
with the technicalities of whether the battery could be removed or
not.

The other 10 respondents were all unanimous in their opinion that 
they would be lost without a battery.  These "toppers" all use their
systems when they are on the move - car, train, plane and bus.  
Several admitted that the weight of the life and weight of the
batteries was a consideration when the purchase was made and so
the Tosh 1000 and Z88 got high scores for protability.

In summary - from the replies I received - laptop systems are
frequently moved and the hassles of unplugging and plugging
back in are a nuisance most would prefer to avoid so the
batteries are a must.  In places where power is unreliable
they provide an excellent UPS.-- 

Trevor Cradduck,                |  Phone: (519) 667-6574     
Department of Nuclear Medicine, |  FAX: (519) 667-6734
Victoria Hospital,              |  E-mail:
University of Western Ontario,  |  BITNET:   TREVORC@UWOVAX.BITNET
LONDON,  Ontario,               |  INTERNET: TREVORC@UWOVAX.UWO.CA
Canada,  N6A 4G5                |  UUCP:     TREVORC@RIA.UWO.CA