Power shortages are rapidly becoming the norm, with the threat of blackouts concerning many businesses countrywide. Alex Morse, Acer product Manager at Axiz, says an answer for many lies in the clever use of notebooks, as their immunity to power interruptions is invaluable.
Having a notebook can buy businesses up time when it counts most, as they run temporarily on battery power, preventing damage to, or loss of data due to a power failure.
Morse says there are plenty of things you can do to squeeze every last minute of power out of your notebook`s battery.
"It is important that you get know your notebook`s power-saving features so you don`t let the battery drain unnecessarily when you take your notebook away from power sources for long periods of time," says Morse.
"Judicious use of your notebook`s power-management software can translate into many minutes of extra computing time," explains Morse. "If your notebook comes with a power console applet that lets you create customised power profiles, use it to adjust the settings until you get the right mix of functions and battery life. If your notebook doesn`t have such a program supplied by the notebook vendor, use Windows` perfectly adequate Power Options utility in Control Panel called Power Management in Windows 98."
Acer delivers a complete range of products featuring its innovative Empowering Technology, which lets users quickly access frequently-used functions and settings, making them more productive and enhancing their lives.
"Users can accomplish common tasks and configurations through one simple touch of the `Empowering Key` and a quick 1-2-3 process," explains Morse. The Empowering Technology toolbar displays currently installed Empowering Technology utilities, which includes Acer ePower Management - a powerful and straightforward interface that allows users to select from four pre-configured power usage profiles, or to create their own customised profiles. It contains easy controls for enabling and disabling system features, creating battery alarms, and other useful settings.
A big notebook`s energy sink is its LCD screen. Reducing the screen`s brightness conserves battery life. Most notebooks have an easy-to-access keystroke sequence, function (Fn) key, or software utility for adjusting this variable. Remove PC Cards and USB or FireWire devices that you don`t need. If your PC has a built-in wireless card, turn it off or disable it when not in use.
Most PCs have Hibernate and Suspend modes that are easy to activate from the keyboard. Check your notebook`s documentation for its setting. Suspend (also called Stand By mode) typically holds your current information in RAM with a minimum of power, so the system comes back to life quickly. Hibernate writes everything to disk and shuts off, so it saves more power than Suspend, although it also makes reactivating your PC take longer. Still, awakening a hibernating system is much faster than cold-booting one that has been turned off.
To keep your notebook`s CPU from doing unnecessary work, shut down any hardware or software you don`t need. Check the icons in your system tray (on the bottom right near the clock); there`s a good chance you can shut most of these down, though they will likely restart the next time Windows loads.
Morse says Axiz will be launching a new range of Acer Core 2 Duo notebooks in September 2006, which are shipped with the new Intel technology. The Acer notebooks still focus on the four vectors of mobility: performance, better battery life, wireless connectivity and form factor.
"Speed (Ghz) is not the only factor; all of the other vectors need to be balanced to provide a superior mobile solution," concludes Morse.
For more information, please contact Axiz on (011) 237 7013 or visit www.axiz.com.
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Axiz provides technology intelligence and innovative thinking to its business partners when they buy the quality products Axiz provides from market leaders HP, Microsoft, Intel, Kingston, LG, Lexmark, Asus, Acer and Genius, as well as its own brand Axiz. It also carries a wide range of leading brand components and solutions. Axiz dynamically lives the Five Capitals Model of Sustainability and is a pioneer, innovator and leader in its sector through the implementation of its Ledibogo Programme and its Business Partner Development Programme, as well as other initiatives such as founding and supporting Inqolobane (the Employee Ownership Association Africa, www.eoaa.co.za) and Qhubeka (the Motive Power Movement, www.qhubeka.co.za). More information is available at www.axiz.com.
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