Slowly dying...

So, I've got a Dell Insipron 8600...it's a handy thing that I've had for a year and a half now... quality laptop with wireless something or other that lets me browse the web and blog (of course) throughout almosthe entire house (not the very front room, but considering the palatial size of the Dusch manse, that's not really a surprise)...

But the little minx has become a little less stable of late...my battery life has begun to poop out on me from time to time...nothing horrible - it's not like I'm totally rooted to the power cable, but what I remember as being a battery life of around 2.5-3 hours is starting to be more in the 1-1.5 range...way shorter than it had been...which is starting the be a little concerning - making me think about buying a new battery - a $150 investment that I'm a little leery to make...

There are, of course, lists of ways to maxamize your battery's life, and I think I'll be trying some of those things, but I fear that the final solution will come with death of the current battery and the purchase of a new one...

Admittedly, I'm not entirely sure of how long my battery can last, but anecdotally I know it's getting shorter and shorter...and while I didn't exactly use battery life as the deciding factor in choosing a laptop, I do care about not being fully tethered...

Apparently, though, this may become a worry of the past if the 9-to-5 laptop shows up on the market...