Battery calibration recommended by Apple, why no utility?

Like virtually all mobile computer manufacturers, Apple recommends that users calibrate their laptop batteries every few months, as Scott pointed out a couple of years ago. Unlike many manufacturers, however, Apple does not include a utility to automatically perform a calibration. Given Apple's uncanny ability to make things user-friendly, this seems like a bit of a glaring oversight. What are the benefits of calibration? Primarily the goal is to ensure that the microprocessor in your battery provides an accurate estimate of how much time you have left on the battery. Over time it can lose track of just how much juice your battery has in it, and calibration gives it a very accurate reading on the battery's health. Older battery technologies also benefited from a process called conditioning, which was typically performed the same way as a current battery's calibration process. In a nutshell, you fully charge the battery, fully discharge it, then fully charge it again. It's unclear whether modern lithium batteries gain anything in an actual capacity perspective from this process, or if it is simply a calibration of the microprocessor for the purpose of providing accurate time estimates.Continue reading Battery calibration recommended by Apple, why no utility?Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Review: Griffin PowerBlock Dual Universal AC Charger

For the last few years, Griffin Technology’s car and home iPod chargers have been some of the most popular accessories on the market; thanks to more favorable pricing, its PowerBlock series of home chargers have sometimes surpassed even Apple’s own USB chargers in sales. This year, Griffin has overhauled its entire lineup of car and home chargers, including two-charger combination packs, resulting in an array of options that may be a little…

Extended battery upgrade for MacBook Air (external)

QuickerTek has introduced an extended battery upgrade for Apple's MacBook Air, which it says offes six to ten hours of additional battery power -- for a total of 12-16 hours of battery life when used in conjunction with the (charged) internal battery. "Since the MacBook Air has a non-removeable battery, the typical user strategy of using multiple ...

FastMac wants to charge your spare MacBook battery

Section: Apple, Mac + Computers, LaptopsBatteries are essential for your MacBook or MacBook Pro, most of us charge them whenever near a power outlet by simply plugging them in. But there are those situations when you need a spare battery or even more than one spare. Mac laptop owners can now use FastMac’s universal laptop battery charger. Named “U-Charge”, the device can charge a virtually infinite list of Apple laptops – ranging from iBooks to MacBooks. The $69 universal charger includes a variety of different adaptors, for the different Apple laptops that it can power. The following Macs can be charged by the U-Charge: iBook G3 12-inch iBook G4 12-inch MacBook 13-inch MacBook Pro 15-inch MacBook Pro 17-inch PowerBook G3 Bronze (Lombard) PowerBook G3 Pismo PowerBook G4 12-inch PowerBook G4 15-inch PowerBook G4 17-inch Almost all of Apple’s notebook lineup for 5 years is there, with the exception of the MacBook Air, which does not have a removable battery. Unfortunately, it’s not available right now – but FastMac expects to ship these within the next 30 days. Via [Crave] Full Story » | Written by Stephen Chinnadorai for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Improve stability of some USB-based wireless adapters

I'm using a D-Link DWL-G122 in versions C1 (and own a version B1, a D-Link DWL-122, a Linksys@Home 54g USB, and a Belkin F5D6050 USB -- insert sarcasm here), and have worked with (too) many similar Ralink or Prism-based USB wi-fi adapters on OS X over the last four years or so. One issue I experienced (with all of these adapters) was when the adapter was either under heavy load, or (especially) when using Internet Sharing in OS X, the adapter would randomly disconnect from its wireless network and lose all communication with the driver/config software. To fix things, it would require an unplug/replug to resume operation. With many people reporting this on the net, and having tried every suggestion I could find, I have finally found the answer that has since worked solid for over three weeks (and over 150gb of transfer) now without a single disconnection with any of my adapters! Just for good measure, I tried (and failed) with these solutions: A wide selection of Ma...

Ask TUAW: Syncing from a portable to a desktop Mac, battery comparisons, Apple TV to NAS, iPhone SDK and more

In this episode of Ask TUAW we'll be looking at questions about syncing between a Mac portable and a Mac desktop (backing up and iTunes playlists), battery comparisons between manufacturers, sharing files from a NAS to an Apple TV, subtitles on an iPhone and much more.As always your suggestions are most welcome, and questions for next week should be left in the comments. When asking a question please include which machine you're running and which version of OS X, as certain answers will vary between different Macs and Tiger vs. Leopard, etc. (we'll assume you're running Leopard if you don't specify). And now, on to the questions!Continue reading Ask TUAW: Syncing from a portable to a desktop Mac, battery comparisons, Apple TV to NAS, iPhone SDK and moreRead | Permalink | Email this | Comments