Anyone using an external battery? (e.g. batterygeek.net)

[lightweight]

Anyone using one, and if so, happily? I have a Lenovo X6 Extended Life Battery on order, and near as I can tell, the pros vs a second battery are:

1) "Docks" and attaches, so it's no extra luggage/wires/bulk.

2) Can charge without having to remove the laptop's main battery.

However, the Lenovo Extended Life Battery, at $170, offers 28 WH while the batterygeek.net BG 15-21-130, $200, gives 130 WH. 5 times the difference!
http://www.batterygeek.net/Batterygeek_ ... rygeek.htm

Flat/base models meant to fit under the laptop are also appealing, such as They Raymond Sarrio Company's Powerbase at $180 and 90 WH.
http://www.sarrio.com/sarrio/12voltlaptop.html

There are also DIY options, of course.

My concerns and questions are:
1) What's the likelyhood of attaching one of these batteries to the x61s without damaging either nor substantially increasing heat? Say with super strong velcro and spacers.

2) Do you find carrying an external battery any more practical than carrying a charger during a mobile workday?

3) If you have Lenovo's Extended Life Battery, would you buy it again or look for an alternative?

Thank you.

[lightweight]

`case anyone is interested:

1) Extended Life battery drains first. In Linux one can manipulate acpi's BAT1, which is nice.

2) Extended Life battery makes the x61s thinker and look oldschool. I do not know yet if this is a + or -.

3) The battery time is not long enough to remove the temptation for a third party external battery.

4) The size is effectively no different than a dock, in which case ultrabay slim batteries (despite their weak life) plus other ultrabay options appears to be the wiser choice.

A third party battery is the wiser choice to me. It's cost plus the bonus of having (effectively) a second charger is better value. Actually, it's performance/price blows the extended life battery away.

[j0rd]

good thread. good info. good links.

Thanks man.

[joester]

I'm working on an external battery to be placed in the bottom of the laptop bag. A 12V "cigarrette" type plug allows a dual use adapter to be used for power. Right now, I have about 24AH of power available and it remains unseen except for the wire coming from the laptop bag. This cell can also fit in a less fasionable fanny bag, and works great with my camera.

Ahh....I love R&D...

Joe

[lightweight]

Neat. DIY sure is tempting but I wouldn't want to deal with airport security with a DIY battery pack. 24 amp hours or watt hours? What kind of cells are you using? Why? Thanks!

[j0rd]

I run a nomadic web business myself. I've got 1 bag brimming with computers and electronics. The other is 100% clothes except for my Bose portable iPod speaker. I'm just waiting for the first security guy who stops me. I know it's bound to happen. So far, so good though. Knock on wood.