Andrew Gruen,
Editorial Intern
August 1, 2006
You raced to catch your flight, but the weather's taken a turn for the worse, leaving you stuck at the gate for hours--and all the power outlets are taken by PSP- and iPod-toting kids. Will your laptop battery hold out? If you have one of these marathon machines, it just might. These notebooks provide roughly between six and eight hours of battery life, meaning you get more time running on battery than it takes to fly from New York to Los Angeles or to (literally) run a marathon.
CNET Labs does extensive testing on every laptop we review. For battery life, we measure how long a laptop with a fully charged battery is able to run typical productivity apps, such as Microsoft Office, McAfee VirusScan, and Adobe Photoshop. The tests conclude when the battery is drained. The longest-lasting notebook we've seen in the Labs is the Lenovo ThinkPad X60s. When configured with the high-capacity battery, its 8 hours, 16 minutes of life can get you through an entire workday. A Fujitsu Q2010 configured with an extended battery can last 7 hours, 38 minutes. The Dell Inspiron E1405 ran for 7 hours, 21 minutes; the Panasonic ToughBook 74 lasted 7 hours, 18 minutes; and the Lenovo ThinkPad R60 went for 6 hours, 25 minutes on a charge. The inexpensive HP Compaq nc2400 also performed well, clocking out after a lengthy 6 hours, 6 minutes. Check out the laptops below to find out which can give you the most time to work away from a wall outlet--whether work is crunching numbers in Excel on a cross-country flight or watching the original Star Wars trilogy at the park.- More Resources
- Laptops blog,
- Editors' top laptops,
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| Product name | ||
|---|---|---|
| Price | Check Prices | Check Prices |
| CNET editors' rating |
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| Average user rating | ||
| Review date | March 22, 2006 | May 15, 2006 |
| The Bottom Line | The first ultraportable to accommodate Intel's Core Duo processor, the ThinkPad X60s combines blazing performance and incredible battery life with a full feature set and a compact case. We like it. | Businesses seeking a sturdy, secure, portable workhorse should consider the ThinkPad R60. |
| Similar Products | Compare more products | Compare more products |
| Features | ||
| Networking | Network adapter - IEEE 802.11a - IEEE 802.11b - IEEE 802.11g | Network adapter - Ethernet - IEEE 802.11a - IEEE 802.11b - IEEE 802.11g - Fast Ethernet - Gigabit Ethernet |
| Graphics Controller | Intel GMA 950 | ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 - 128 MB |
| Optical Storage | CD-RW / DVD-ROM combo - Plug-in module | DVD?RW (?R DL) / DVD-RAM - Plug-in module |
| RAM | 512 MB (installed) / 4 GB (max) - DDR2 SDRAM - 667 MHz - PC2-5300 | 1 GB (installed) / 4 GB (max) - DDR2 SDRAM - 667 MHz - PC2-5300 |
| Cache Memory | 2 MB - L2 cache | 2 MB - L2 cache |
| Processor | Intel Core Duo L2400 / 1.66 GHz ( Dual-Core ) | Intel Core Duo T2500 / 2 GHz ( Dual-Core ) |
| Hard Drive | 80 GB - Serial ATA-150 - 5400 rpm | 100 GB - Serial ATA-150 - 7200 rpm |
| Display | 12.1 in TFT active matrix 1024 x 768 ( XGA ) - 24-bit (16.7 million colors) | 15 in TFT active matrix 1400 x 1050 ( SXGA+ ) - 24-bit (16.7 million colors) |
| Battery | Lithium ion | Lithium ion |
| Dimensions (WxDxH) | 10.6 in x 8.3 in x 1.1 in | 13.1 in x 10.6 in x 1.6 in |
| Weight | 3.5 lbs | 6.8 lbs |
| OS Provided | Microsoft Windows Vista Microsoft Windows XP Professional | Microsoft Windows Vista Microsoft Windows XP Professional |
| Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications |
| Buying choices | ||
