<p>Im going to be in engineering. are there power outlets in pretty much every classroom and all over the libraries, or should I purchase a larger, bulkier, more expensive extended battery for my new laptop?</p>
<p>I don’t know about engineering buildings but all the big lecture classrooms I’ve been in have plenty of outlets, many with one on each seat. The library also has plenty.</p>
<p>library for sure, classes are touch and go. Your battery will last atleast 1.5 hours… which is plenty for 2 classes. One of those will have an outlet</p>
<p>ull be fine</p>
<p>It depends on which engineering discipline. EE and CS majors spend a lot of time in Duncan Hall – where there are outlets on nearly every pillar and wall in the hallways. A few of the larger lecture halls across campus have power available for each seat.</p>
<p>An extended or second (normal) battery might be useful, but I’d recommend waiting until you determine what your usage pattern would be. Back in '04/'05, I was dragging my tablet to three classes a day and the battery was <em>just</em> able to handle that with WiFi disabled and the screen dimmed to the lowest usable level. Current laptops are more energy efficient than my old tablet so they should last 3-4 classes on a single charge, easy.</p>
<p>If you can resist IM, e-mail, and the Web during class and turn off bluetooth and WiFi, your battery will last longer. Turn the screen brightness down – it’s one of the largest power suckers in the entire device. Set your processor to go into low power or “slow” mode when on battery; you don’t need a full 2GHz of number-crunching speed to take notes. You may also find that the computer is next to useless in some of your courses. It may be difficult to keep pace, regardless of your WPM, if a professor’s lectures are formula or diagram heavy. (Not an issue if you have a tablet that allows free-form sketches alongside your typed notes.)</p>
<p>i still dont think it is worth it. They are heavy and expensive. No one I know really has a special battery. Some have the one that sticks out a little bit, but most laptops are standard and we all get along fine</p>
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<p>I’m not sure what the “it” is in your first statement, but I think we’re saying the same thing. Worth is, of course, dependent upon individual needs.</p>
<p>it being the extra battery. My laptops normally give me 4 or so hours with everything normal (except my netbook that gives me 2.5 :() and thats enough to make it thru deathblock as well, because at least one of the clasrooms has easy access to power</p>
<p>If anything, buy a second charger. I have one docked in my room and one for the road</p>
<p>Don’t spend extra money on an extended battery. A lot of my friends are engineers and this isn’t even a question they focus on. There will be plenty of outlets for you to use.</p>