noob question

Hi everyone...

I have an s12 with via nano that will mostly, if not only, be used for grad school. I will be lugging it around from class to class for note-taking and file viewing, then for homework and research thereafter... so mostly word processing, viewing pdf files, and some internet.

My question is, when not in use (i.e., when I close the screen/lid and put in my backpack/bag/briefcase and during my commute), should I put my s12 on standby, hibernate, or shut down? Which would be best for system and 6-cell battery?

What about when I am done for the day (overnight)?

Sorry if this question has been asked before. I realize it's a fairly common question, but most of the answers I've found do not refer to my situation/student use. Thanks all!

 

Answer is --depends.

If you're going to go from having it off to having it on again in five minutes or less, standby is fine. Longer than that, I'd go with hibernate. At night, I'd just shut it down.

 

Thanks!

I have between 10 minutes to an hour between classes, then an hour commute. Is it harmful at all to have it on standby if I'm lugging it around? How about during my commute (driving, not train/subway)?

 

It isn't harmful --it just concerns your battery life.

Full on = most power usage (more when doing computationally-intensive tasks)
Standby = less power usage
Hibernation = little or no usage (depends on hardware)
Power off = no usage

My recommendations are meant to give you as much battery life as possible. Having the unit on standby won't harm it; it just may cause you to not have enough power for all-day use.