E8020D battery?

Hi, I'm strongly considering an E8020D, but am really hung up on the bad battery life that I've read about in reviews. The numbers I'm getting are so far off what Fujitsu is claiming. Has the company switched to a new battery, or is it the same one?

Can someone tell me how much an extra battery would add in terms of weight? And if I'm understanding the description correctly, it would be impossible for me to have both an extra battery and a CD/DVD drive in at the same time, right?

Also, if anyone knows the answers to these questions, I would really appreciate it:

1. Who is the HD made by?
2. (general question) If I'd like to use the notebook for at least 4 years, how much RAM do you recommend getting? Also, why is 1 stick of 512 RAM so much more expensive than 2 sticks of 256 RAM? Are there performance differences?
3. Has anyone had their Fujitsu laptop for more than 5 years while using it every day? I'm just trying to gauge how long I can expect to use the computer.

Thanks a lot!

 

alot of the reviews has been based off of a preliminary version of the E8020D, since then I believed they've changed the bios so it doesn't use as much battery life. So far most people such as myself and some one else here have found it to be roughly 3 and a half hours. However the bay is modular and you can add in another battery if you want.

 

Yeah, I also have it (regular E8020) and was also worried initially about bad battery time reviews, but having used it for a few days now, 3 1/2 hrs seems reasonable with moderate usage. I also keep it at a very low brightness level (at 3 I think) and this of course helps a lot, while still being able to behold one beautiful screen. [ ]