[NCLUG] Laptop Battery Care

[J. Paul Reed]

Hey all:

I just bought a shiny new Dell Laptop that came with a lithium ion battery.

I've done some Google searches on laptop battery care, and the only info
I've really been able to find (amidst all the laptop battery ads, even in
the results) was that lithium ion batteries supposedly don't have the
"memory" problem that older NiCad batteries had.

I've also searched Dell's site, and it's been woefully unhelpful (thanks,
Dell!)

My question is this: does anyone have any battery care hints? I don't plan
to travel *much* with my laptop, so should I take the battery out and leave
it uncharged for the months when I'm just using my laptop on the couch
(where, thankfully, AC plugs exist); should I leave the laptop battery in
the laptop, and allow it to constantly charge, even though I'm not using
it? Should I constantly go through a cycle of fully charging, and then
discharging, even though I could have it plugged in?

In other words, what are some good laptop battery care rules of thumb for a
lithium ion battery?  I know answers will differ for NiCad (and the next
generation...  lithium-cadmium batteries, was it?), since those battery
technologies were supposedly more fragile than lithium ion (supposedly) is.

Any help/hints/tips would be appreciated. TIA.

Later,
Paul
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   J. Paul Reed               preed at sigkill.com || web.sigkill.com/preed
   It's amazing what a little brain damage will do for your credibility.
                                              -- Leonard Shelby, Memento