Please install the flash player
Angus Kidman09 September 2008, 4:11 PM
HP has launched the Paris Hilton of notebooks — it grinds for 24 hours without stopping.
OK, we admit it, that was purile. But after years of notebook vendors making apparently totally invented claims about their battery life, it's hard to take them seriously.
Just weeks after Dell boasted about a 19-hour battery life for one of its notebook PCs, HP has upped the ante by designing a machine with a purported 24-hour battery run time. Without having tested these new ultra long-life notebooks, we're guessing you'll get 5-8 hours of battery life out of them in real use. That's still very impressive, so we just wish notebook makers wouldn't trot out such complete bollocks.
By tricking out its EliteBook 6930p with an ultra-high capacity battery, ditching conventional hard drive storage in favour of the newly-launched Intel X25-M solid-state drive and using an LED display, HP claims that the machine can run for 24 hours without stopping.
As anyone who has ever scrambled for the sole free power outlet in an airport will attest, decent battery life is often the most crucial element of notebook performance. At 2.1kg with a 14in screen, it's not as light or small as you might want for extended road warrior use, but those extra hours of power will doubtless be some compensation for your bruised shoulder.
Bumping up battery life has become a highly competitive field. Last month, Dell launched its E6400 model, which claims a 19 hour runtime using similar technical strategies and an optional nine-cell battery pack. "You might not be in one place for long enough to be able to charge your battery," CEO Michael Dell noted in a wise-oracle-like manner at the launch. "The AC charger may be one more thing that you can't fit in your bag. Digital nomads are looking for a charger-free workday. They don't want to rely on wired power for networks." You said it Mike; bring on the wireless chargers for notebooks.
The increasing use of solid-state storage, which consumes much less power than a conventional hard drive because of its lack of moving parts, has helped to extend battery life, although heat management is still a challenge.
The HP model will go on sale in October.