One of the biggest disadvantages with using battery powered products is that batteries have a limited lifespan. Expanding a battery’s lifespan is an area in which manufacturers of laptops, hybrid cars, and cell phones are constantly working on.

The Argonne National Laboratory recently announced that they have come up with a new way to develop lithium-ion batteries. With their latest discovery, Argonne is able to increase the battery capacity in lithium-ion batteries by up to 30%

Currently these batteries have many markets cornered, among them the laptop computer industry. In contrast with its previous counterparts, these laptop batteries tend to be more reliable as well as lighter. However, they also have a downside. Lithium-ion batteries tend to overheat and last about 750 charges, (which means your battery will last about 3years).

The new material used by Argonne would allow these batteries to be charged up to 1,500 times. This is a significant increase from 750. They accomplished this increase by creating a new compound within the battery that acts as a stabilizer.

Today’s laptop batteries use cobalt oxide electrodes. Using this electrode is the main cause for excessive heating. In order to combat the overheating issues as well as increase storage capabilities Argonne used manganese oxide.

Manganese oxide acts as a stabilizing force for a laptop battery because it contains more inactive materials that help balance out the electrochemically active ones.

This technology seems to be ideal for laptops and shows promise for cell phone use, but not quite so great for the hybrid car industry. However, Argonne is looking to expand their current capabilities to create a better power source for hybrid vehicles. In Argonne’s efforts to market this new battery they have made an agreement with Japanese company Toda Kogya.

The following statement was released by Gary Henriksen, Manager of the Electrochemical Energy Storage Department at Argonne, regarding this new deal: “Our agreement with Toda Kogyo is an important step toward bringing to market key advanced lithium-ion battery technologies that are being developed here at Argonne with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy.” He also continued to say, “The technologies being licensed will enhance the performance, life and inherent safety of lithium-ion cells compared to those that employ the cobalt-based cathode technology that has dominated the market since the introduction of lithium-ion batteries in 1990.”

The Toda Kogyo Company has been around since 1823. It is the world’s leading manufacturer of iron oxide particles. Their designs for using these particles as well as their ability to manufacture new technologies will help bring these new laptop batteries to the world market.

Currently, there is no word on how long it will take them to implement this discovery in laptops.

Last month LG Chem, South Korea’s second largest battery manufacturer, caught fire. It is estimated that this fire will trigger a large price increase on laptop battery.

The price increase will affect companies like Dell, HP, and Asus. These companies purchase most of their battery supplies from LG Chem. In total the shortfall of batteries that is likely to ensue could affect up to 40% of shipments from Taiwan.

Dell would not discuss how much prices will rise; however Dell’s spokesman Jess Blackburn was quoted as saying, “the industry is experiencing battery supply constraints because of these problems. Therefore, pricing is being impacted by current availability. But we are working with our partners throughout our supply chain to reduce the impact on our customers.”

Extra battery pack purchases may also be affected by the battery shortage. Larger battery retailers may be limiting the amount of batteries consumers can purchase.

Currently, LG Chem thinks it will be able to get its factory back to full production in two to three months. In the mean time, it will be up to other third-party battery manufacturing companies to increase production to meet the needs of the consumer.

At Priority Electronics, the fire will have little effect on our laptop battery prices. We do not purchase from LG Chem. We have other companies that produce quality laptop batteries for us. Our laptop battery prices are competitive and we offer a one year warranty. In this battery shortage think Priority Electronics as your fully stocked source for batteries

Each year, over three billion dry cell batteries are sold throughout the United States. What happens to each one of those batteries when they run out of juice? Well, that’s something that each of us needs to work on. While the recycling of laptop batteries is becoming more and more common by the day, we still have a long way to go. Here we’ve answered three very important questions that exist when it comes to the recycling of batteries.

WHY do I need to recycle old laptop batteries?
According to Adria Vasil’s book Ecoholic- 50% to 70% of heavy metals found in landfills come from our everyday batteries. That’s 50% to 70%! Because batteries disposed of in municipal landfills and trash incinerators can disperse significant amounts of heavy metals and other toxic substances into the air and water, battery waste prevention and recycling strategies are essential.

Laptop batteries make up a significant part of that 50% to 70% of heavy metals in landfills. And while most manufacturers are taking great steps in producing new types of eco-friendly batteries, it’s important to remember that laptop batteries and computer batteries should never, ever be thrown in the trash.

HOW should I recycle my laptop batteries?
It’s safe to say that most people are beginning to recognize how important it is to recycle laptop batteries and keep them out of our landfills. The easy part about all of this is that you really don’t have to much when it’s time to discard a used up laptop battery. In fact, all you have to do is contact your local recycling facility for more information on how to dispose of your used computer batteries properly.

WHERE should I recycle my laptop batteries?
As we mentioned in the previous section, you can contact your local recycling facility for more information on how and where to go about recycling your old laptop batteries. If you’re not sure just who or where your *local recycling facility is, you can try using the tools put together by Earth911.com or Call2Recycle US. These will show you where the nearest recycling center is, and they can help you from there. You also have the option of sending old laptop batteries directly to Atbatt if you would like. Take a look at the Battery Disposal Guide for more information on how to go about doing so. How to Prepare Batteries for Recycling.

Awareness surrounding the importance of recycling old laptop batteries is definitely on the rise. In the last 15 years, Call2Recyle alone has collected over 50 million pounds of batteries overall. There’s still a lot of work to be done however, and it’s on each person to make sure their old batteries are properly discarded.

It is a known fact that computer keyboard and mice are home to more germs on average than toilet seats. Why that is the case? Two things come together here to build this fatal combo. First, toilets are cleaned more often than computer keyboards or mice on average. I have seen my fair share of keyboards that have not been cleaned once, and things like smoking or eating while working usually turn a brand new keyboard into something that you would not want to sit on, if it were a toilet.

The second factor that plays a role is that keyboards are often used by several users. This is especially true in work places without fixed seating order, public locations like Internet cafes or libraries, and maybe even at home when a family shares a computer system.

What you can do about it? Cleaning comes to mind of course, but you can also prevent your keyboard from getting dirtier by making sure you do not eat at your workplace, especially not if you eat something with your hands, and to wash or sanitize your hands regularly, especially after using them for other activities.

I usually come up with the idea to clean my keyboard or mouse when I’m working on a computer which does not work out that well for obvious reasons. Since it is necessary to give the keyboard and mouse a thorough cleaning, it usually interferes with what is going on on the system at that time.

On some systems, it is possible to simply disconnect the mouse or keyboard from the PC but if the connectors are not easily reachable, it may not be an optimal solution on all systems.

Software like Keyboard and Mouse Cleaner, or the previously reviewed Toddler Keys, add another option. You can use those programs to lock the keyboard and mouse so that accidental clicks and taps do not have any effect on the computer.

To use the portable software simply download and unpack it to your system. Once done, run the program, set a cleaning time in seconds, and click on the clean button to start the cleaning.

Once done, keyboard and mouse input are locked so that you can clean them thoroughly.