Have you ever notice that when you're travelling, more then 20% of your bags are filled with electronic gadgets? Hm... guess what runs these devices? Batteries of course. Well, if you haven't noticed it's time you do.

When u travel for even a couple of days, u'll be bringing at least 2 battery chargers. As for the newage, u'll be needing more then that : one for your cellphone, one for your laptop, an iPod, another for your digital camera, and hm...maybe another one for your video camera. As soon as u've noticed that, ur life is already attached with batteries and battery chargers.

These batteries are commonly all Lithium-Ion. The benifits is that they are lightweight, powerful, and low-maintenance. Comparatively they are more environmentally friendly then other choices. Yet they have one major drawback: a limited timespan. Li-ion are particularly susceptible to aging. Typically they can last for 2-3 years (counting begins as soon as on leaves the manufacturing line), whether it is used or not the batteries will go dead.

If you've been reading last few months of In-Tech, there's actually an article mentioning about Apple's iPod irreplaceable batteries which have caused a lot of fuss. For those who are intrested, can get the .mov from me. Most flashy gadgets don't have replacement batteries for older gadgets as the manufacturer's doesnt' feel the nessesity of coming out with one. Imagine this, if the cost of getting a new battery is half the price of a new gadget of the same model this present day, will you get a new one or just replace a battery? Besides, there's obsolescence. Many digital devices, namely digicam hav little or no abilty to upgrade. This means that u'll have to buy new devices every couple of years.

So what's next? How do u deal with your old gadgets? Throwing it away???

Till now, there isn't much that we can do to make batteries last longer. Some older battery technologies survived longer when users fully discharged before a fresh charge. That's not for li-ion; it makes lil diference if users let the batteries run down or keep their gadgets "topped off". A typical li-ion battery will survive 500 complete recharge cycles. This problem might eventually be solved by improved thecnology. But until then, it's been vexing that batteries is not keeping up with Moore's Law"

If this doesn't convince you, think of the humilation you'll feel when you have to call the hotel manager and ask for a room with more then 5 electrical outlets. So, before you buy and flashy device to impress your friends, think twice!!!

Tip #1: if you aren't goin to use that gadget for a long period, the best thing is to store it in a cool place with about 40% charge on it.

Tip #2: if your cellphone battery dies off. Try wrapping it up with a newspaper and put it in ur fridge for a couple of days. Then let it warm down itself to room temperature b4 a fresh charge. U'll find that ur cellphone can still be use.