Eee PC Super Battery

eeebat.jpgA quick review for our friends over at liliputing.com. I just received my 12000mAh battery from DealExtreme and I thought a few pics and comments were in order:

UPDATE: We do not recommend this battery at this time!

As you can see in the pics the battery does add some significant bulk and lift to my 1000HA (standard mouse included for size reference), but it almost doubles the capacity of the standard 6 cell battery – impressive since many netbooks come with only a 3 cell battery standard and 6 cells are the “extended life” batteries.  Also at $62 this battery is a deal considering that similar long life batteries can approach $200.

My fairly accurate scale supports the manufacturer’s weight claims as the new battery upped my Eee PC from 3.2 lbs to 3.75 lbs.  This is still lighter than most ultra portable notebooks but hefty for a netbook.  However, this combo will give you the most battery bang for your netbook buck as you can own the 1000HA (with 6 cell bat) and the super extended battery for under $500, which until recent holiday deals started dropping was cheaper than several netbooks with a 3 cell battery.

eeebat2.jpgMy initial thoughts on the supersized battery are as follows:  The increased typing incline is too much when the netbook is used on a table.  This is largely a personal preference but for me: while I can type with speed and accuracy at that tilt, I find it uncomfortable.  And wrist discomfort doesn’t jive well with “all day computing”. However, I tend to do most of my typing with my wireless keyboard/notebook/netbook in my lap.  Used this way the battery does not create an uncomfortable position as the battery (mostly) fits between my legs.

As for battery life, I will have to use the battery more to be able to determine the real life increase for the extended bat.

One other important note for would be DealExtreme shoppers: this battery is shipping from Hong Kong.  This was a detail that I didn’t realize until I went to check the package tracking as it’s not really mentioned (that I saw) on the site.  So realize that when you opt for the free shipping.  It took 13 calendar days for my new toy to arrive.

UPDATE 11/18: After getting less than expected results from Windows battery estimate for this super sized battery, I set about running some simple real world drainage tests. These tests confirmed XP’s estimates.  The “super” battery was at or below the capacity of the standard 6 cell battery.  Those results didn’t make any sense.  While I fully expected a real world result that was less than the manufacturer’s claimed 81% increase – I certainly expected a battery of twice the size and weight to have a significant level of added capacity.

Needing something else to prove or disprove these battery life numbers, I turned to Battery Eater Pro (which is a handy app, tho it could use a tad more documentation).  I ran their classic test (max power burn) as I was really more interested in a comparison of the two batteries than an artificial “real world use estimate”.  The classic test is also the fastest to run, since it is a worst case test. I then reran the tests in the hopes that perhaps cycling the big battery would help its capacity.  It did not.

The standard battery lasted 33% longer than the super extended battery in the stress tests.  This backs up the capacity estimates generated by Battery Eater’s battery “info” screen that had the standard bat at 10% more capacity than the extended bat:

Supersized Battery:
Manufacturer Claimed: 12000mAh
Battery Eater Estimate: 6946mAh

6 Cell Batt
Manufacturer Claimed: 6600mAh
Battery Eater Estimate: 7625mAh

Now it’s entirely possible our battery was defective and that these numbers are not generally true.  Once the the extended battery has been exchanged we’ll run more tests, but in the meantime: we can’t recommend anyone purchases this product.

UPDATE 11/22:  I am rapidly realizing my purchase from Deal Extreme was a mistake.  After asking for an exchange on their double capacity battery that doesn’t last as long as the standard battery, I got this response (four days later):

Sorry for the trouble.

Would you please login our website and scan the review and forum, which are written by our kind customers. Maybe you can find something useful for the defective item, maybe just the reason why it does not work.

Thanks a lot for your patience.

A) I did this (mainly for a “good faith effort” on my part) and found customer posts requesting verification that this or that battery fit this or that product.  Awesome. Truly helpful.

B) Exactly how could a forum post make my defective battery hold more of a charge?  If such a method exists – I should want to know to use it to increase the capacity of all my batteries.

UPDATE: 12/4/08

After much feet dragging DealExtreme gave me instructions to return the defective battery.  Sent out via UPS today.

UPDATE: 1/8/09

A month later, DealExtreme had neither shipped me a replacement battery nor refunded my money. $70 and several hours of my life: toast.

Do NOT do business with this company!

Science Searches For Life In Martian Ice

phoenix-lands-on-mars.jpgThe Phoenix successfully landed on Mars last night. Assuming there are no technical difficulties with the solar arrays, camera, and robotic arm – the search for ice can begin in earnest. Ice, or rather water, is important because it is necessary to sustain life. While scientists are “pretty confident” that water exists on mars… they haven’t actually found it yet. No, just evidence of water – ie markings in the surface that sure look like water made them.

There are also the ice caps on Mars – but we don’t know they’re made of ice. I know this is a tad confusing with way that many PhDs talk about space, but the truth is the most powerful telescope in the world can only give scant information about even our own planetary brothers and sisters. We can quickly learn so much more by actually being there – or at least getting a surrogate there for us. (The reasons many can speak with such with such certainty is that since no one else in the world has been there – who can tell them that they are wrong?)

Assuming that ice can be discovered in vast the 1/2 meter drilling reach of the robotic arm – 10 years of scientific conjecture will be vindicated. But that’s not the real mission of the Phoenix. The ice is also hoped to contain organic molecules (containing carbon, oxygen, hydrogen) as the cu de gra for proof of life on Mars.

Now I know I’ve lost a few people there: How does a trace bit of carbon in ice prove life roamed around on Mars? Because science holds that life was created out of a primordial soup (water, amino acids & such + energy) finding anything loosely resembling this soup elsewhere would

  1. prove life existed on Mars since evolution is inevitable given the right building blocks and enough time.
  2. prove life evolved on Earth since life existed on two planets in the same solar system which statistically means that life evolved on thousands (if not millions) of planets beyond Earth. Meaning life here is not special or unique as implied by the biblical account of creation.

Pretty important couple of molecules, eh?

E-Car Roundup

So as gas climbs to $4 and beyond, suddenly there seems to be a host of companies rushing to the rescue with their enviro-friendly car. So much so that I thought I would assemble them into one place for easy shopping. Interestingly many of these cars are not a friendly to your pocketbook as they are mother Earth.

Tesla Roadster – $109,000 telsa-roadster.jpg

  • Fully electric
  • 0-60 in 3.9 seconds
  • 125 mph (limited) top speed
  • 220 mile range
  • 2 seater

Tesla just opened a dealership in LA, but there is currently a 1000 vehicle waiting list since production was slowed due to transmission problems. Full production should be back up in December with the backlog cleared up by Spring.

Fisker Karma – $80,000 fisker-karma-electric-hybrid.jpg

  • Mostly electric
  • 0-6 in < 6 seconds
  • 125+ mph top speed
  • 50 mile electric only range
  • 100-650 mile hybrid mode range*
  • 4 seater
  • External speakers make sports car sounds when in electric mode

*The claims for both the range on gas and even the gas tank size are all over the place online. The lack of info regarding this on the company web site makes me believe the truth is on the low side of the speculation.

Preproduction models have been sold but regular production models won’t arrive until mid-2010.

Think City – $25,000 think-city.JPG

  • Fully electric
  • 65 mph top speed
  • 110 mile range
  • 4 seater

Goes on sale 2009 in the US

Green Vehicles Traic – $20,000 triac-rear-three-quarter.jpg

  • Fully electric
  • 80 mph top speed
  • 100 mile range
  • 2 Seater

Available “now” according to the company. Expect supplies to be limited until the company can get a full production line moving.

UPDATE: Green Vehicles are supposed to start shipping this July.

Toyota Prius 3rd Gen – $20-29,000 prius-ver3-concept.jpg

  • Hybrid
  • 160 HP (up 17 from 08)
  • 50-55 mpg
  • 0-60 in 12 seconds*
  • 99 mph top speed*
  • 4 seater

*08 Model specs

HTC Diamond – iPhone Killer?

This summer should be a hot time for slick phones. The 3G iPhone is due out – hopefully with some additional tweaks. Also the HTC Diamond is getting launched. The Diamond is the successor to the Touch – the closest a windows mobile phone could come to an iPhone.

With a much improved user interface, an accelerometer, and a size that will make iPhone owners jealous – things should get interesting. Below are some comparison shots.

diamondvsiphone2.jpg diamondvsiphone3.jpg

diamondvsiphone.jpg diamondvsiphone4.jpg