[ltp] Auxilliary external batteries

[Evan Leibovitch]

I'd like to know if anyone has had any experience in using (or even just
shopping for) one of the relatively new auxiliary battery systems out there.

These batteries are about 2lbs each and similar dimensions to laptops
(but thinner). They plug into the Thinkpad's power socket and the
computer thinks that it's running off the AC adaptor. Depending on make
or model, the units cost between $200 and $500 and claim to offer up to
an extra 12 hours of remote use.

The two brands I have seen so far are:

The Valence N-Charge system:
http://www.valence.com/ncharge.asp

The Electrovaya PowerPad:
http://www.electrovaya.com/

I'd like to be able to use my laptop for the duration of trans-Atlantic
flights without the battery going. These units seem like a good answer
to this problem, both systems support almost all Thinkpads, and I don't
imagine there are any Linux issues surrounding them.

Does anyone have any experiences with these units? Are there other
vendors in this field or other solutions that I don't know about? Any
assistance or suggestions are appreciated.

- Evan