NYT: Power Users, Ready for a Refill

[Janak Parekh]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/06/technology/circuits/06powe.html' target='_blank'>http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/06/t...its/06powe.html</a><br /><br /></div><i>"MIHOKO HAKATA, a freelance illustrator and recent art-school graduate, ducked into a coffee shop in Midtown Manhattan last week, desperate for a jolt of energy. She had work to do. But as she removed her materials from her backpack, it became clear that the energy she was seeking could not be found in a cup. She had a more pressing need: to find a power outlet for her laptop computer, whose battery had died. 'I realized they have this,' said Ms. Hakata, a 29-year-old Tokyo native, as her hand slipped beneath a table to deftly plug her I.B.M. ThinkPad into a wall socket."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/parekh-20050106-NYTPlugged.jpg" /><br /><br />This New York Times article (registration required) brings up the difficulty of managing a huge array of batteries, and how New Yorkers are compensating by ducking into coffehouses, restaurants, and similar establishments. Admittedly, I think I've plugged my laptop in once in a restaurant, but in general I've tried to avoid it -- if I have time to go out to a restaurant, I might as well enjoy it laptop-less. ;) I also keep my Smartphone and Pocket PC charged so as to avoid recharging them during the day. Do any of you do this?

[piperpilot]

I have two spare batteries for my H5455 and that usually does the trick for cross-country flights. Just tooling about town, however, I just keep one extra battery tucked inside the flap of my Vaja case.

[OSUKid7]

I've charged my laptop at airports before when traveling. Other than that though, I try to only use my laptop (or Pocket PC) for short amounts of time when I'm not home.

[Guttrhead]

There is this all night restaurant that a buddy of mine, who is a photographer, use to hang out at all the time. He would bring his laptop, plug in and be there for hours doing photo editing and stuff. He tried to convince the owner to install a wireless network, even offered to set it up, but no deal. He ended up buying a cellular internet plan and tethering. To get the best reception, he would stand up on the seat and clip the phone to the top of the blinds by the window. That booth became his office for awhile.

[Dave Beauvais]

On long trips I'll occasionally give my Bluetooth GPS a little extra juice during a fast food stop. I has no power level indicator to speak of, so I really have no idea how long the battery would last. It shows via an LED color change when it gets "low," but I won't know what "low" means in terms of runtime remaining. I do have a car power splitter which would allow me to power both my iPAQ and the GPS, but it has a short in it so I no longer use it.

I try to sit at a table in the restaurant with a power outlet on the wall under it so as not to draw too much attention. :)

[ucfgrad93]

I try not to recharge in public as well. I'm too afraid of some klutz triping over my recharging cord and damaging my device. I don't own a laptop, but do own a Palm T|3 and a cell phone. I have travel chargers for both, so if I'm running low, I just hook it up in my car.

[piperpilot]

I try not to recharge in public as well. I'm too afraid of some klutz triping over my recharging cord and damaging my device.

I'd be more concerned with the klutz suing me for negligently placing the cord where said klutz could trip over it. Of course, I'm a lawyer and unfortunately, my brain is trained to see liability wherever it lurks :wink:

[encece]

In the cincinnati airport, near smoking section in the center hub near the food court all the way by the windows....There is ONE outlet that is probably used for vacuuming or some maintenance.

It is the prime table to sit at if you know where it's at! :D

[Ed@Brighthand]

As long as you buy something, I doubt any restaurant would care. If you buy one of those wildly overpriced coffees at Starbuck's, I think you'd be justified in recharging every gadget you own.

[bjornkeizers]

I always charge my PDA and cellphone at home, but the laptop can be a bit of a problem yeah. At my university, almost every student has a laptop, but up until a year ago, there weren't enough outlets and sitting spaces to accomodate everyone.

Thankfully, they redesigned some of our work areas to put in some extra outlets, and now we have some extra work areas as well. It's great. The only downside is: our building and the one next to us is the only one with WiFi, so even if you find an outlet somewhere else, you won't have net access there.

[Lday]

I do field service and spend hours in my van. I have 5 12v power outlets, one of them dedicated to powering a 300 watt inverter, so I keep my laptop, E755 with TomTom GPS, a CD player (MP3 audiobooks), and cell hooked up any time I'm going to be driving for a while.

[ucfgrad93]

As long as you buy something, I doubt any restaurant would care. If you buy one of those wildly overpriced coffees at Starbuck's, I think you'd be justified in recharging every gadget you own.

I agree.

[ntractv]

As long as you buy something, I doubt any restaurant would care. If you buy one of those wildly overpriced coffees at Starbuck's, I think you'd be justified in recharging every gadget you own.

I agree.

I agree as well. If I pay $5 for a cup of coffee I don't see a problem using my adapter while I sit and surf and grab e-mails.

[ricksfiona]

As long as you buy something, I doubt any restaurant would care. If you buy one of those wildly overpriced coffees at Starbuck's, I think you'd be justified in recharging every gadget you own.

I agree.

I agree as well. If I pay $5 for a cup of coffee I don't see a problem using my adapter while I sit and surf and grab e-mails.

It depends on the amount of time you spend in the coffee shop If it's 15 to 30 minutes and there are only 1 - 2 people charging their systems, then maybe I don't have a real problem with using their electricals. Any more time, then you need to buy more than a cup of coffee. No way I can agree with someone justifying, taking a seat/table, using their wireless service, charging their computer for a couple of hours by purchasing a cup or two of coffee. No way. Expect higher prices if you keep that up.

Businesses, especially the smaller ones, calculate their revenue and profits based on their expenses. Electricity being one of them. With businesses, especially the smaller ones, every cent counts.

[ntractv]

As long as you buy something, I doubt any restaurant would care. If you buy one of those wildly overpriced coffees at Starbuck's, I think you'd be justified in recharging every gadget you own.

I agree.

I agree as well. If I pay $5 for a cup of coffee I don't see a problem using my adapter while I sit and surf and grab e-mails.

It depends on the amount of time you spend in the coffee shop If it's 15 to 30 minutes and there are only 1 - 2 people charging their systems, then maybe I don't have a real problem with using their electricals. Any more time, then you need to buy more than a cup of coffee. No way I can agree with someone justifying, taking a seat/table, using their wireless service, charging their computer for a couple of hours by purchasing a cup or two of coffee. No way. Expect higher prices if you keep that up.

Businesses, especially the smaller ones, calculate their revenue and profits based on their expenses. Electricity being one of them. With businesses, especially the smaller ones, every cent counts.

Max time for me would be 45 minutes at most in Borders while I patiently wait for my girlfriend to puruse around and I sip a smoothie or cappucino and a half hour while sitting in Starbucks. I think that is in reason. I'm not doing so much to charge rather than to use A/C power while using WiFi so as not to drain my battery.

[opus]

I'm always afraid I'm going to be tackled by Homeland Security, as I wander airport waiting areas scanning walls, pillars, and floors for open outlets

[OSUKid7]

I'm always afraid I'm going to be tackled by Homeland Security, as I wander airport waiting areas scanning walls, pillars, and floors for open outlets
:lol: haha...do that after you pass security. ;)