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Malfunctioning batteries in portable computers and other devices such as cell phones have often led to recalls by leading makers

Another area that holds some promise is Vista's support for hybrid hard drives. These are traditional hard discs augmented by a significant amount of flash memory, which is less power-hungry than a standard hard drive. Samsung, which is building a hybrid hard drive, has said the feature gives notebook users an extra half hour of battery life.

There are backpacks with solar cells integrated in them as well. Voltaic Systems at CES introduced a 14-watt laptop bag with integrated HP Pavilion ZV5000 Battery, much more powerful than its current 4-watt version. It will cost $599 and be available in the spring.

But these are advantages, not disadvantages. A low-power laptop is like a lightweight car. A lighter car can use a smaller engine, brakes, and suspension without compromising performance. If the car gets heavier, the other components have to bulk up too. Similarly, reducing a laptop's power consumption saves weight in the machine itself and in its battery and power adapter.

The Foundation has given awards in the past for people who have developed space vehicles. The organization has nothing to do with the X Men or other comic book heroes. However, former X Prize winner Burt Rutan bears an uncanny resemblance to angry surperhero Wolverine in this photo.

Malfunctioning Battery for Pavilion ZV5000 in portable computers and other devices such as cell phones have often led to recalls by leading makers. Apple Computer recalled 128,000 batteries shipped with its PowerBook G4 and iBook G4 laptops earlier this year.

I turned my attention to the hard drive. I was unable to boot from my system CD, nor from a Windows installation DVD. I went so far as to order a replacement drive, but unfortunately, the notebook remained inert, even with a new drive in place.

This week Apple updated its MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops to include Intel's newest Penryn processors, with the Pro models also getting the multitouch track pad introduced on the MacBook Air earlier this year. Initially it looked like Apple had also updated the laptops' battery life expectations with lower numbers, despite the promise of power savings with Penryn. But as Dan Ackerman quickly pointed out, the apparent drop (from 5 hours to 4.5 hours on the 17-inch MacBook Pro) was the result of a change in how Apple reports battery life and not the battery life itself. Phew.

Micron has recently alerted all affected Gobook users about a manufacturing problem with an external battery, which is sold as an option with the computers. In rare instances, this battery short-circuits and overheats, causing "localized melting of the plastic casing of the ZV5200 Battery," according to one notice sent to users.

Ultimately, I needed the assistance of a PC professional to diagnose the problem. That doesn't mean you should throw in the towel when you experience technical difficulties with your laptop, though.