Early testers are finding Vista laptops get less battery life than the same machines running Windows XP. As with past versions, users can choose to maximize battery life at the expense of performance, maximize performance or opt for a balanced approach.
To maximize battery life, Microsoft recommends using the Vista Basic theme, which turns off fancy graphics, such as the Flip3D navigation\r\nfeature shown here.
This window pops up when you click to check the battery’s level in Vista, and gives you the choice of changing settings.
Bill Detwiler is the Editor for Technical Content and Ecosystem at Celonis. He is the former Editor in Chief of TechRepublic and previous host of TechRepublic's Dynamic Developer podcast and Cracking Open, CNET and TechRepublic's popular online show. Previously, Bill was an IT manager in the social research and energy industries. He has bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Louisville, where he has also lectured on computer crime and crime prevention.
