PCG-K15

Hi All,
I just purchased this Sony PCG-K15 a few days ago. The screen quality is awesome compared to others I've seen. It takes about a minute to boot up from a cold start, but thats not a problem for me. The wireless internet instantly recognized the connection which was awesome. It runs all the applications ok but I think more memory would help (512ram) increase performance.

So far the only real issue I have is the battery. It is gone in about 1.5 hours. I mostly use it for email, surfing, and school work. So I am mostly using it around the house. But this battery issue is a problem. I sure wish this thing would hold a longer charge. I was wondering is anyone else experiencing this? I was thinking about buying an extra battery. I thought maybe there is another battery out there that has extended life. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to get better battery performance?

Besides this issue with the battery I would be overall satisfied with this laptop.

 

Hi rhaeny,

When you say the battery lasts for just 1.5 hours, do you mean that you don't watch any DVDs, access the optical drive a lot, or use apps (or games) that constantly access the hard drive?

Those three things would dramatically drain your battery.

Did you strictly follow the instructions regarding the battery when you first began to use the machine?

You're supposed to fully charge a battery, then use it until basically nothing is left in it. And you should do this at least three times. If you don't do this when you first use the machine, then the battery won't be at its optimum.

As for getting another battery, did you get an accessories list in the box your machine came in?

You might also want to check out Sony's website.

 

The screen brightness setting will be a major factor on how efficient your battery is. If the screen brightness is up all the way you should seriously consider setting it to at least medium brightness when in battery mode (when on AC crank up the brightness of the screen). You can go to your power settings and set it so that the laptop automatically drops the brightness when you unplug the power cord.

in regards to M3's comment on the battery with fully charging it then running it down, this is a commonly held notion but in fact with todays Lithium Ion batteries your not going to accomplish anything by doing this. In older NiCad (Nickel Cadmium) batteries there was what's called a "memory" effect and you did need to play games with running the battery down then charging it up. In general, todays Li-Ion batteries don't need this treatment and their life-span averages 2-years before they need to be replaced regardless of the manner in which they're used (obviously if you run on batteries more often they'll not last as long, what I mean is that you can plug in, unplug as much as you want and the battery won't be adversely effected).

 

HEllo!!have you guys seen the Sony PCG-K115z??Is it the same??
I odnt know if buy this or te toshiba p10...what you guys think?
Thankz a lot!!
Great forum!

 

when I mentioned fully charging and discharging it, I was talking about the very first uses of the notebook. I remember reading somewhere in a manual that the manufacturer recommended fully charging and discharging the battery for the first few uses.

 

Adriano,

is that Sony model sold in the U.S.? if not, what country then?

 

Hi All,
Well I took the Sony back to Circuit City. I just couldn't deal with a laptop that wasn't even doing 1.5 hours on a battery. There were some other issues with it like it kept freezing up, not coming out of hibernation and extremely hot. So I walked around in CC and then came upon something I never thought I would buy. I got a compaq X1230US and I'm using it as I type now. It is really thin, a Centrino and has a 15.4 screen, 80 gig HD, 512 ram. I don't beleive it but this thing is great, and I've been getting 4.5 to 5 hours on a battery. The screen is no comparison what so ever to the sony but its working for me. Thanks for all the help.

 

Good luck with the Compaq, its a very nice model. As you said, screen isn't as nice as the Sony but you also gain hours of battery time and a better vid card. Hopefully this one meets your requirements and lasts for years of use. Enjoy! And make sure to post some sort of quick take on the HP board if you could.