How to get more laptop battery life - Shut down unnecessary programs - When you”re running your laptop on battery power, turn off devices and programs you don”t need. When not connected to a wireless hot spot, turn off the Wi-Fi hardware. If you access wireless networks with a PC Card, remove it when not connected. Listening to music via the CD-ROM drive and watching DVDs are also big battery drains.
Buy used or refurbished laptop -
The depreciation of a laptop value is so high, that after one year in the market, a laptop can easily lose half its value. So last years power user super laptop is now half price. And despite technology changes 1 year is not very long even so and that 1 year old is a serious powerhouse.
So if you are looking for a cheap laptop, look for one which is close to one year old. The main area to take care on is condition. By their nature laptops can get knocked about.
So how to make sure you get one in great condition?
Buy from power users or gamers.
Buying any electronic gadgets including laptops from hard core power users or gamers is a great strategy, why’s that?
Gamers or power users fall into the more money than sense or company buys it for them groups. They either want or need the latest and most powerful technology to run their games or power hungry applications and they don’t settle for second best.
They also have the tendency to chase after the latest technology. So after one year, they will be bored of what they have and will look to sell off their laptops so that they can buy a new one.
So where to find these great people who will sell you a laptop that’s brilliant for everything apart from CAD?!
- Friends who are gamers
- Scan through gaming forums and local gaming community - look for “for sale” sections
- eBay but be sure to only buy from sellers with good feedback with a solid returns policy.
- Local bulletin boards and classifieds - especially good if there are software companies around the area
- Craigslist.org is also well worth a look as it is by nature local.
How to get a cheap laptop - Buy cheap laptop with older technology - Rapid advance in technology makes it meaningless to buy the latest technology at a high price. When laptops with wireless capability first came to the market, a unit with this technology can cost up till US$2500. Now after just 2 years, you can get a relatively fast centrino laptop for less than US$1000