Wednesday, 2 March 2011

Sony Laptop Battery

Sony is a giant in the consumer electronics market. Its products are known for their high quality, top designs and durability. Sony laptops have the same pedigree as other members of the product family. With Sony’s wide reach in electronics, the company can assure the quality of the components of its products since it manufactures most of these. Your Sony laptop battery is in all likelihood one of such high quality component made by Sony. Apart from one or two local recalls, Sony laptop batteries are sturdy, reliable and efficient.

On average, a Sony laptop battery should stay in good condition for at least 2 years before its performance will steeply or steadily fall. This is not a flaw in design or manufacture. It is simply the way the lifetimes of batteries go. All batteries die in time. Considering that the battery powering your Sony laptop works and is recharged every day, it is really a technological marvel that such a light and small package can last that long and keep up with the growing needs of mobile computing.

Of the battery types and technologies out there, your Sony laptop battery is most likely a Lithium Ion battery.  Lithium Ion batteries are the most popular laptop batteries today, having taken over from Nickel-based batteries such as Nickel Cadmium and Nickel Metal Hydride batteries. Nickel-based batteries are usually heavier than Lithium Ion batteries.

Other advantages of Lithium Ion batteries, the like of which is your Sony laptop battery, include a high energy density (the highest when compared with other battery technologies), lack of a memory effect which affects Nickel batteries (this effect is evidenced by the charging cycle being affected by the memory of the last discharging cycle), design flexibility (including coming in all sizes and shapes, the very ability which makes it possible to have different battery sizes and capacities for all kinds of Sony laptops).

For all the above, the Lithium Ion making up your Sony laptop battery can meet the laptop’s power draw for mobile computing needs while retaining a slim, lightweight profile. Unlike, Nickel-based batteries, you do not need to fully discharge the battery before recharging it.

When looking to replace your Sony laptop battery, the first thing to look out for is the original battery’s parts number. This is because only a replacement battery with the same number can make a perfect fit for the battery compartment as well as provide the same capacity and voltage as the original battery. It is, therefore, important that you know that there are different kinds of Lithium Ion Sony laptop batteries and that some of these may look similar to your old battery yet not be the same.

There are other considerations to make when buying a replacement battery for your Sony laptop. One very important one is the number of cells in the replacement battery. The higher the number of cells in the battery, the bigger the capacity and the longer it will last per charge. A 3-cell Sony laptop battery will not last as long as an 8-cell battery. However, doubling the number of cells in a battery does not necessarily translate to double the time it will take to discharge. In addition, you can buy a replacement battery with more cells than what came with the original battery as long as the new battery is compatible with your Sony laptop.

You can always buy your replacement Sony laptop battery at the local electronics shop. However, for a cheap and high quality battery, head to a reputable online store dedicated to selling batteries. There are a lot of these online, selling batteries from different manufacturers and for different gadgets. Sony laptops are popular enough that you can find their batteries at any of these online stores.

Be careful while you shop that you are visiting a real online store. Look for signs of safe and secure shopping as well as customer care service, warranties, support and read the return policy statement.

Most of these online stores regularly conduct sales and promos. Those are the best times to buy a cheap replacement battery for your laptop. Lastly, note that laptop batteries are smart, incorporating technologies that allow your computer to see and correctly calibrate them. For this, make sure the seller can provide or point you where you can download a BIOS update for the replacement Sony laptop battery you are purchasing.

No comments: