What You Need to Know About the Best Digital Camera Batteries

Almost all cameras operate using power from batteries. Aside from getting the best digital in town, photographers should also hunt for the best features. Having good power in hand will ensure that your photography sessions wouldn't be cut shortly because of your lack of power supply.

When looking for good batteries, you should always consider the type of camera you are using. Although most cameras are compatible with rechargeables, there are still those that are only compatible with Nickel-Cadmium types To ensure your safety, better read the power supply label of your digital before looking for power cells.

Digital cameras, nowadays, are compact and light as they are designed for traveling. The batteries you should buy for your cameras must also be travel-friendly. If you are out for a several hours of taking pictures, it is best that you carry a back-up. Having an extra pair of rechargeables will enable you to fully enjoy your photo shooting. An extra pair will also allow you to make use of your camera's features without worrying about power supply.

If the model your using would permit, it is best to settle for rechargeables. Some critics in the industry consider rechargeables as the best batteries. Although they are considered to be more expensive, rechargeables last longer than their regular counterparts.

Photographers who often travel are usually packed with a trusted battery charger. battery chargers have different features. Some models will allow you to recharge a set of batteries while others can recharge two sets. If you are usually on the rush, it is better to choose chargers that can recharge quicker. However, the said kind of charger is usually more expensive.

Never buy batteries and chargers from unknown brand. As these items are connected to electricity, it is best to be safe. Purchase batteries and chargers from stores that have established reputation.

If you want to save on power, better try using your battery wisely. If you can get by without a camera's flash, then better turn it off. Regularly turn off your LCD monitor when not in use. Use your AC power when transferring or uploading pictures to your computer. Following these simple measures will surely extend the life of your battery.

Power Wheels Battery Charger - Do Not Buy the Wrong One

For those parents that have already bought a Fisher Price Power Wheels vehicle, at some point you may need to or may want to buy a replacement battery charger. However, unfortunately, not all Power Wheels battery charger accessories are made the same, have the same level of quality, same features or more importantly are not universally compatible with your specific vehicle's battery.

By buying the wrong charger you risk the all too common problems of the battery charger simply not working, causing damage to your battery or not providing the same level of useful features that you could have had for probably the same price. So the two minutes or so to glance over this quick help guide hopefully will save you a lot of additional hassle, wasted time, prevent unnecessary battery damage and you may just end up saving a bit of money along the way.

Power Wheels Battery Charger Compatibility

Basically you need to match the specific battery that you have in your particular vehicle with a compatible battery charger.

This mainly applies to those of you that have a 6 volt battery powered vehicle, as there are currently three types of 6 volt batteries available (green, blue and red) and each of them has a different capacity ranging from 4 amps/hour to 9.5 amps/hour. The easiest way to deal with this is to check the color of your battery and then check the specific battery charger Power Wheels spec before you buy to ensure that it is compatible.

If your vehicle has a single 12 volt battery, then things are a little easier, as there is currently only one white with grey top 12v battery available. Be aware that some Advanced Series Power Wheels vehicles that are 12 volts, actually run on two 6 volt red batteries, so the 6v compatibility check, as detailed above, should be carried out.

Increasing, there seems to be third part battery chargers appearing on the market that are more universally suitable for charging a wider model range of Fisher Price batteries, so these could be an option. In general parents stick to the official Fisher Price battery chargers for brand loyalty and reliability reasons perhaps as well as the fact that the branded battery charger seems to be the most available.

Fast Charge Capability

One of the greatest nuisances for parents and more so for the kids that own a Power Wheels vehicle, is the inevitable continual and extended charging periods that are needed. For those very organized types that anticipate their child's next day Power Wheels adventures and usage and put the battery on charge overnight this is not really an issue.

For the majority of parents that are not so well organized and often face an impatient child that must use their uncharged vehicle and use it now, you may want to consider buying one of the rechargers that allow for a fast charge.

Broadly speaking, although specs do vary, the fast charge capable Power Wheels battery chargers will charge the battery to 80% capacity in two hours, which represents a considerable improvement. However, you should note that for battery longevity, it is recommended that a full charge be completed every other time. Nevertheless, this is a really handy and useful feature to look for on a new charger that usually doesn't increase the price of the actual charger anyway.

LED Indicator Lights

Power Wheels batteries are lead acid types and are very susceptible to damage, depleting charge capacity and failure if not charged correctly. Any number of factors could compromise the effectiveness and usefulness of the battery, especially overcharging and undercharging.

Power Wheels battery chargers are available that take the guess work out of much of the damage causing mistakes by simply including some simple LED lights on it to indicate certain events. Lights warn you when the battery is fully charged, partly charged, fully depleted or your battery is now faulty. Handy really and usually at no extra cost.

Digital Camera Battery Tips

Digital camera batteries are the main line between you taking pictures of your loved ones, and you, thinking how great it would be if you had some power to your camera. They offer energy to your camera so that you can snap all the great moments you are taking part of, so you can share them once again some time later on. However some digital camera batteries last longer than other and they are of the same model. This is explained by the way in which they are used and this is the article where we talk about some of the main tips, which will help prologue the overall lifespan of your digital camera batteries.

If you are using several sets of batteries, then you are a very smart man. You have two separate batteries and you have charged them to the max. You are using only one of them until is has been completely depleted of energy, and then you switch to the other. It' s all good so far, however there is a tip which will get you even further. You should switch the batteries between one another, even before they are depleted. If a battery is completely drained, it will take much longer to charge later on. If you switch the batteries, while they still have juice, then the charging process later on will take not even half of the normal time. You save time, and you save energy. It will help you take pictures for a longer time.

Playback is another feature which can seriously limit your batteries lifetime. By playback, I am talking about the process of viewing your pictures and videos, after they have just been made. If you spend 30 minutes taking pictures and another 30 minutes looking back on your handy work, then you batteries will act as if you have been taking pictures for an entire hour. Use the playback option of the digital camera a lot less than you normally do, and you will see for yourself, how your battery life will improve.

A last tip is the on/off switch. If you turn your camera on and off tens of times per day, that will eventually drain your batteries completely. Each start up and shut down consumes energy, and this energy will come from your batteries. This is how you will wonder, why are you using the digital camera charger so often, when you haven't been taking any pictures. If you keep all these tips in mind, you batteries should last you a bit linger than they have so far.

Never Buy A Canon Powershot A570IS - Review

Even one of the best selling digital cameras online, can be a real lemon for the uninformed consumer. Before you get overwhelmed with all the glowing online testimonials for the Canon Powershot A570IS, you need to remember a few things. First of all, remember that the world wide web is the biggest marketplace since the dawn of humankind, and practically everyone is trying to sell you something. Secondly, reviews written by consumers who have already bought the A570IS, have already convinced themselves that they did the right thing by buying the camera. Very few of them would ever admit to making a dumb decision, and throwing their money away. It's just human nature. So, with all that in mind, let's critically examine, all the reasons why you shouldn't touch the Powershot A570IS by Canon with a ten foot pole.

Batteries are the scourge of this age of gadgets, and the Powershot A570IS is one of the major offenders. This thing chews through batteries like crazy. Customers have been reporting problems with the A570IS draining batteries after taking as few as 20 pictures. Canon claims you should be able to get about 130 pictures with regular alkaline batteries. It seems pretty much impossible these days, to get a camera under $300 with a decent rechargeable battery pack. Batteries are becoming the printer cartridges of the camera world. The first thing most salesman in camera shops try to up sell you on these days is rechargeable batteries and a recharger. You can of course, turn the display screen off, and only take pictures with the viewfinder to save battery life. Some customers I've heard from even take the batteries out of the camera when not using it, as the camera will drain batteries just sitting there. While these practices may help, they're also a bit of a nuisance for the customer.

Another major drawback of this camera is the long delay time between taking pictures. You may have to wait as long as ten seconds in between pictures while the flash recharges. This can of course lead to missing a lot of great pictures. How often does the first picture you take turn out perfectly? Often the subject moves, or someone / something gets in the way, or the lighting isn't quite right. Being able to click the shutter a number of times in succession, greatly increases your chances of getting that perfect shot. While the A570IS has a lot of great features, Canon seems to have greatly under designed the amount of battery power required to run the camera.

Other consumer problems reported include:

- Screen is very difficult to see in daylight.

- Viewfinder is not always accurate.

- Face recognition feature is flawed and works about 20% of the time.

- Camera tends to take a softer (blurry?) studio portrait type image.

- Comes with a SD memory card, that's too small to be practical and needs to be upgraded.

Duracell Pre Charged Rechargeable Nimh Batteries Combo Review

Duracell have been manufacturing high quality batteries since the 1920's and have developed a reputation as the world's leading battery manufacturer.

The Duracell Pre Charged Rechargeable Nimh Batteries Combo is a compact battery charger, which is ideal for high drain appliances. The specific model of this charger is the Duracell CEF14NC. Duracell have made a couple of enhancements over their previous value charger; these include a universal voltage input and the ability to charge up to 4 triple A cells.

Features of the Duracell Pre Charged Rechargeable Nimh Batteries Combo

Charges up to 4 triple A cells
Accepts a universal AC input of 100-240v
Duracell Pre-Charged batteries can retain power for up to 1 year when not in use
Supplied with 8 Pre-Charged batteries (4 AA and 4 triple A batteries)
Ideal for use with high drain appliances

Charging

A plus point is that you can charge up to 4 triple A cells at once, unlike with many other chargers which can only charge 2 triple A cells at a time.

Batteries can only be charged in pairs or sets of fours, which is rather disappointing because you can't charge only 1 or 3 batteries if you have an appliance which requires batteries in odd numbers.

Another disadvantage is that the charger only stops charging when the combined voltage of the 2 batteries is sufficient enough. This means that if you are charging 1 empty battery with one which is either full or almost full then one of the cells will be overcharged which is detriment to the length of the batteries life.

Charging Times

The charging times are reasonable. It takes about 6 hours to charge 2 AA batteries, which are empty. The charging current differs depending on the type of the battery which is being charged. AA cells are charged at 360mA and triple A cells are charged at 180mA.

Universal AC input

Accepting a universal voltage input of 110-220 volts, this is ideal for use as a travel charger. There are no adapters or cords, the charger plugs straight into the wall so packing the charger away for storage is very easy.

Supplied with 8 Pre-Charged batteries

Duracell have included 8 pre-charged batteries in the combo package. The battery types are 4 AA and 4 triple A. As they are pre-charged, you have the convenience of being able to use them right out of the package.

The supplied batteries have a very good lifespan, even with high drain appliances you get about 10 hours usage from the triple A cells.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the Duracell Pre Charged Rechargeable Nimh Batteries Combo is a good deal. The charger is portable, well built and comes supplied with 8 quality long life batteries.

On the downside, the fact that it only charges batteries in either pairs or fours could be off putting if you have appliances which require an odd numbers of cells. Also, there is a possibility of batteries becoming overcharged unless you only charge cells together which have similar amounts of power in them.

If most of your appliances accept cells in pairs, then this is a good buy, but if you want more advanced features such as individual cell monitoring to charge batteries singularly or in odd numbers then I recommend a charger such as the Sony Cycle Energy BCG34HRE4KN.

La Crosse Technology BC-700 Alpha Power Battery Charger Review

The La Crosse Technology BC-700 Alpha Power battery Charger is one that has an impressive history of a long and useful life as a battery charger.

Most chargers signal the end of the charging period with an LED light. That is sufficient in most cases, but this charger goes well beyond that and shows you the actual mAh (one-thousandth of an ampere-hour) on a LCD panel. The benefit here is that you know exactly how much of a charge has been installed in your battery.

This charger goes up to 700mAh as its maximum rate which is somewhat slower than its big brother the BC-9009, but there is also a benefit to the slower rate. In fact, the reality is that a slower rate can be a good thing. You do not necessarily want a fast charge, since the faster the charge the more heat is generated and, as we know, heat is one of the big enemies of batteries and it can shorten the overall life even more than exposure to cold.

Another excellent feature of this recharger is that you can mix or match Double A or Triple A sized batteries for charging in the four available charging slots. Many rechargers require you to charge batteries in matched pairs which can be awkward and inconvenient if your toys, games or flashlight uses an odd number of batteries. In that case, it is sometimes necessary to charge more batteries than necessary just to get the job done and that's not what you are looking for.

The BC-700 Alpha is small and light weight which makes it easily portable and convenient to store. It is also a good choice for taking on trips when battery charging will be needed. For international use, it uses different voltages, up to 240V, so you can keep it in your travel bag as well. If you are looking for a reliable little charger that you can use to recharge Double A and Triple A batteries, you need to look no further than the La Crosse Technology BC-700 Alpha Power Battery Charger.

Laptop of the Month - Asus UL30A-X5 Ultra-Thin 13.3-Inch Laptop (12hrs Battery Life, Windows 7)

After reviewing desktops and laptops for so many years, I am still in awe how the PC world manages to shock me every now and then with an outstanding PC or laptop model. A majority of PC users use their laptops for simple computing tasks like surfing the web, word processing, checking their emails and running some light applications. The Asus UL30A-X5 laptop aims to provide the best specs possible for this group of users.

First of all, it is worth mentioning that the Asus UL30A-X5 laptop is extremely portable, weighing just 3.74 pounds and measuring just 0.98 of an inch in thickness. To up the ante in portability, it also comes with an astounding battery life. The batteries on this model can last up to 12.5 hours on a single charge, which is more than a whole day's work! Regardless of everything else, its long battery life is a good enough of a reason on its own for me to get one of these laptops for myself.

To streamline the performance of this laptop, the Asus UL30A-X5 runs on a 1.3Ghz Intel Core 2 processor. It also comes with 4GB of RAM and a big 500GB hard drive. This set of powerful specs will prove to be more than sufficient for the average laptop user. Other great features include a HD display screen, high quality Altec Lansing speakers and a HDMI output. This new model runs on Windows 7 Home Premium. Currently, this model is selling for around $679 each. If you are looking for an ultra-portable and stylish laptop with a set of powerful specs, the Asus UL30A-X5 13.3-inch laptop is the way to go!

Top Rated Motorcycle Battery Chargers Online

Whenever I go out and set to look for something, I have found that if I don't know a lot about the particular item, I'm going to be lost. Take battery chargers for example. When you started your search, you were probably thinking, "There's probably only a handful to choose from!" Well, what I soon found out is that there are 100s. There are so many brands, features, cases, and so much more. How the heck can I make a choice?

Well, to make it easier for you, I did a little research online and came up with what I thought was the perfect battery charger. Instead of taking all your precious time and looking for something, you can take my advice and make the search a lot easier.

#1 Look for features: There are some cool chargers out there. There are some that automatically cut off, as well as ones that have a LED light when it's done charging. When you overcharge a battery, you can do more harm than good sometime. These batteries are well worth it.

#2 Never pay more than $60: From my searching online, all the chargers online are less than $60. The best of the best is even $50. What you're going to want to do is check out your local store. If your local store is more than that, get it online!.

#3 Get something that lasts: There are a lot of reviews out there but the best brand in my opinion hands down is the Battery Tender brand. I looked at about 4-5 of their products and had found that they have superior reviews. Those with great reviews on line usually are worth the price.

With that being said, these are my top rated brands as listed below. I conducted this list by simply looking at other retailers online. I listed to the people to see what they like the best.

Battery Tender 021-0128
Battery Tender 021-0123
Waterproof BT 800 12v
Optimate 3+ Charger
Schumacher SE-1 Trickle Charger

Craftsman 12 Volt NEXTEC Multi-Tool Model 09-17438 Review

I bought the Craftsman 12-Volt NEXTEC Multi-Tool two months ago to test out and review.

Nextec Multi-Tool

I used the circular saw blade to trim a 1 X 6 out in the yard. I used the flush blade to cut the bottom of a door jamb so I could install tile in the bathroom. I used the carbide blade to clean out the grout so I could replace a 6 X 6 tile that I put in wrong. I used the scraper blade to remove some double sided tape so I could put in a new door weather seal. I used the sanding pad to sand a leg on an adirondack chair before I painted it. I used the rasp to change the angle on a chair leg brace.

I did all this without dragging out a cord, a sander, an angle grinder, a wood file, a putty knife, a circular saw or a hammer and chisel. I did all of these tasks easily and in a lot less time than it would normally take. I did all these tasks with just one tool!

There are a lot of similar multi-tools on the market. The Craftsman Multi-Tool is not the first and it is not the best, but it is the best value at only $99. And it's cordless! It is similar to the Bosch PS-50, Fein Multimaster, and Dremel Multi-Max. The Craftsman multi-tool is like the others and is even compatible with the Fein accessories but it's a lithium-ion cordless multi-tool for only $99 (The Dremel Multi-Max is corded for $99). And as a bonus, like the Fein Multimaster, it comes with an integrated dust bypass vacuum adapter so you can hook it up to your shop vac or dust collection system.

I don't consider the Craftsman Multi-tool as a heavy-duty tool. In fact the tool will get hot around the battery area if you use it on too large a task (3 to 4 batteries in a row.) It is just a great tool for those special small to medium jobs around the house that I have all the time. It is a great "around the house" tool. If you need a tool like this to work for you all day long or have a large project like scraping an entire house before painting you really should buy a heavier tool like the Fein Multi-Master.

NEXTEC Multi-Tool Features:

The Craftsman 12-Volt NEXTEC Multi-Tool comes in a handy carrying case along with a 30 minute quick charger and six attachments. The Multi-Tool is powered by a 12-volt Lithium-Ion battery.

Some of the key features of this tool are:

15000 OPM/ 2.8 oscillation angle
LED work light
includes 6 accessories (blades and sanders)
Soft-grip Handle
Compact Ergonomic design
Integrated dust bypass with vacuum adapter
Powerful, compact motor
Secure accessory mount
Powered by 12 Volt Lithium-Ion battery
30-minute quick charger with LED charge indicator:

Quickly charges the battery and features a charge indicator that visually indicates the charging status.

Compact ergonomic design: ultra compact for use in tight spaces Lithium-Ion Power: Lighter weight, better performance and longer shelf life.

Weight: 1.8 lbs with battery Accessories I recommend buying an extra battery.

If you already own an Craftsman Auto Hammer or any of the NEXTEC Line you already have a spare. You can order spare battery and blades through ToolBoxHero (see link below)

Final Thoughts:

The Craftsman 12-Volt NEXTEC Multi-Tool performed very well when using it the way it's meant to be used. This tool is not a replacement for the heavy-duty plug in versions like the Fein Multimaster. It is a great cordless multi-tool that will work very well around the house. The price really makes the Craftsman Multi-Tool shine!

La Crosse Technology BC-700 Alpha Power Battery Charger Review

The La Crosse Technology BC-700 Alpha Power battery Charger is one that has an impressive history of a long and useful life as a battery charger.

Most chargers signal the end of the charging period with an LED light. That is sufficient in most cases, but this charger goes well beyond that and shows you the actual mAh (one-thousandth of an ampere-hour) on a LCD panel. The benefit here is that you know exactly how much of a charge has been installed in your battery.

This charger goes up to 700mAh as its maximum rate which is somewhat slower than its big brother the BC-9009, but there is also a benefit to the slower rate. In fact, the reality is that a slower rate can be a good thing. You do not necessarily want a fast charge, since the faster the charge the more heat is generated and, as we know, heat is one of the big enemies of batteries and it can shorten the overall life even more than exposure to cold.

Another excellent feature of this recharger is that you can mix or match Double A or Triple A sized batteries for charging in the four available charging slots. Many rechargers require you to charge batteries in matched pairs which can be awkward and inconvenient if your toys, games or flashlight uses an odd number of batteries. In that case, it is sometimes necessary to charge more batteries than necessary just to get the job done and that's not what you are looking for.

The BC-700 Alpha is small and light weight which makes it easily portable and convenient to store. It is also a good choice for taking on trips when battery charging will be needed. For international use, it uses different voltages, up to 240V, so you can keep it in your travel bag as well. If you are looking for a reliable little charger that you can use to recharge Double A and Triple A batteries, you need to look no further than the La Crosse Technology BC-700 Alpha Power Battery Charger.

Cordless Drills Review - Don't Spend a Dime Before Reading This

Reading cordless drill reviews can be EXTREMELY helpful to help make the difficult task of finding the right machine easier. Here are 4 guidelines to help you find the best:

#1) What size do you need?

If you're just an "around the house" handyman and don't need dot be cutting through metal or steel, your choices are obviously going to be different than for a construction worker.

Many make the mistake of overspending because of their ego-they want the BIGGEST and BADDEST one out there.

But smaller drills have many advantages-they are less expensive, they are more nimble and they fit into spaces a large machine wouldn't.

Sure you sacrifice some power-but as long as you get a 12-14.4v you won't have to worry about power being an issue.

#2) Lithium ion vs NiCad?

You are going t be hearing a lot about these 2 batteries so I'll save you the time-lithium ion are HANDS DOWN the best.

Sure you might save a few bucks with the NiCad-but they aren't going to last as long... they aren't as powerful... and they are even worse for the environment.

But do NOT forget:

Make sure to recharge it BEFORE it gets down to the very end-if you don't the life of the battery will be SEVERELY reduced.

#3) Do NOT just focus on volts!

People make this mistake al the time. but actually many times 12 volt models are stronger and last longer than 18 volts.

#4) Balance is KEY

When they are not weighted properly they are very difficult to maneuver. I would STRONGLY recommend testing anything out at the store first even if you plan on buying online.

Conclusion

I would strongly recommend you focus on at least 12-15 volts for smaller projects... anything smaller is not strong enough for most jobs. Focus on these 5 issues when reading cordless drill reviews and you will find the best machine shortly.

Li-Ion BPS9 Sony Vaio Battery Review

If you are a Sony VAIO user, there is really no question about your preference for quality. Now, it is time to rest assured about Sony VAIO accessories such as the Sony VAIO BPS9 battery that comes with the most competitive price in the market. Moreover, every Sony VAIO BPS9 battery has a warranty period of 1 year.

You get the same performance spending up to 70% less than the actual market price charged by Sony. That is really an offer that requires no bargain at all. For example, instead of paying $89.99, you pay only $66.99. That is a huge $23 saving without compromising the sheer quality of Sony BPS9 battery. The Li-Ion Sony BPS9 silver battery offers you some heavy duty specifications. VGN-NR Series batteries have the power capacity of 5200 mAh. These 6 premium quality cell, 11.1v batteries have a run time of 2 to 3 hours. However, the back-up time mostly depends on how you use your Sony Vaio laptop.

There is another important factor that is sometimes considered to be the most important of any laptop battery features - the warranty. Fortunately, every Sony BPS9 laptop battery comes with a full 1 year warranty. However, some laptop battery sellers do not provide warranty. There are even others who do not honor their warranty. This kind of harassment is unlikely with a Sony BPS9 battery.

How to Make Li-Ion Sony BPS9 Battery Last Longer:

Before you use the battery for the first time, charge the battery to its full capacity. Next, completely exhaust the charge until the laptop hibernates or shuts down automatically. Repeat this charging-exhausting process two or three more times.
It is necessary that you completely exhaust the battery once a month. First, disconnect the laptop from the AC adapter. Completely drain out the battery until the laptop automatically shuts down or goes to the hibernate mode. Then connect the laptop's AC adapter. Repeating this process once a month will help the battery get its full cycle.
AC adapters must be plugged in when working with DVD, video or graphic editing and other power consuming tasks.
Maximum does not always mean the optimum. So, it is better to adjust the display brightness that best suits your eyes. Moreover, configuring screen savers and the sleep mode properly will surely save battery power.

Affordability and durability are the two most important factors of laptop battery performance. It is unnecessary to search for any other option when there is a sure 70% saving with a great 12 month warranty.