What would you do without them? Seriously, if every single battery of every single type were suddenly zapped out of every single thing that it operated, what would any of us do?

When you do something processor intensive, plug in the charger. Not only because this usually triggers a higher performance setting and give you more horse power to play with, but because when the battery is discharged at maximum rate it's more probable to overheat, and heat is a great enemy of Lithium-Ion.

Why is this important? If you have a relatively new PC the only problem you will get are error messages relating to the clock on start up. No big deal. If your PC is older then a low battery could be a nightmare. I had a PC which once li ion stock every few months refused to boot. Rather than take the PC in for repair or start replacing parts myself the first thing I did was look at the BIOS settings. It was soon obvious that the BIOS settings were corrupt (wrong bus speed). I put a volt meter on the battery and sure enough it was reading 2.2 volts.

Li-ion Batteries last longer and charge quickly. A Li-ion battery and a quick charger make it possible to work all day with a cordless drill without stopping.

While most beginners will opt to Lithium battery stocks play it safe by getting a ready-made boat that can be used right out of the box others might be a little more adventurous preferring to get a kit for DIY assembly. The latter may seem like hard work but there's a certain satisfaction in knowing you've built your boat from scratch. Parts can also be replaced with better alternatives during construction for a truly unique masterpiece.

ONickel Metal Hydride (NiMh) - Popular battery about 1-2 years ago. They are lighter than Nickel Cadmium batteries, but heavier than Lithium mines Ontario batteries. These should be cycled once in a while for optimum performance.

Battery memory affect is the length of time a battery will work before it needs recharged. The battery 'learns' such period of time through how you use it. If you repeatedly use your laptop for one hour and then charge it, its battery will learn to stay strong for only one hour. Using a Lithium battery and using it until it is almost dead and then recharging it will greatly increase the period of time that the battery will stay strong. Please make sure to read the manufacturer owners manual to also find out more about the battery life.

Using these easy tips to keep the battery in the best condition won't do wonders, but will let you use it to the maximum number of recharges. Ever wondered why some laptops keep their maximum capacity for 3-4 years, while others dive under an hour of runtime in one? This is why.