Windows 8 is a perfect match for the new
breed of touchscreen laptops thanks to its
touch-friendly interface.
This means you'll be using your mobile
device for longer than ever, and needing
to charge it more frequently too.
Improvements in internal design and
advances in technology mean modern
mobile devices are blessed with batteries
that can last the length of a working day
and beyond in moderate use, but if you're
still having to charge up more frequently
than you'd like, Windows 8 has lots of
settings and tools that can help make its
power go further
1. Check your battery life.
Windows 8 makes it easy to keep an eye
on your battery, no matter which part of
the OS you're using. The first place to
look is the Lock screen, which displays
your remaining charge along with the time
and date. If you're using the Start screen,
you can see the battery status by flicking
the right-hand side of the screen to
access the Charms bar. If you're on the
desktop, you can see it in the Taskbar.
2. Adjust screen brightness.
The screens of mobile devices use a lot of
power, so one quick way to prolong the
life of your battery is to turn the
brightness level of the screen down. To do
this, bring up the Charms bar and select
the 'Settings' charm. Click or touch
'Screen' and a draggable bar appears,
where you can quickly adjust the
brightness of the screen. This is also handy
if you're working in low light levels.
3. Adjust Center settings .
Windows Mobility Center is designed to
make it easy to change computer settings
when travelling, and is a great tool for
optimising Windows 8 devices. To get to
it, type Mobility into the Start screen and
select 'Settings'. Click on 'Windows
Mobility Center' to open up the program.
From here you can change a number of
settings that will help prolong your
device's battery life.
4. Mute the volume .
It might not be the most obvious thing to
do, but you can make a big difference to
the battery life of your laptop or tablet if
you lower - or, even better, completely
mute - the volume of its speakers when
you're not listening to music or watching a
video. This means that precious battery
power won't be used up powering the
speaker and pumping out sounds when you
don't need it to.
5. Change the power settings
The Windows Mobility Center lets you
change your laptop's power settings
quickly and easily. The default choices
are 'Balanced', 'Power saver' and 'High
performance'. 'Power saver' tweaks the
settings for a longer battery life, but at a
slight price when it comes to your device's
performance. The 'Balanced' plan lowers
performance only when you won't notice
the difference.
6. Advanced power settings
You can tweak the power settings by going
to the Start screen and typing in power.
Select 'Settings' and then 'Choose a power
plan'. Select the power plan you want to
edit, then select 'Change plan settings'.
You can then alter various settings, such
as how long it takes for the screen to dim
when not in use, or how long it takes for
the laptop to go to sleep.
7. Create your own power plan
From the Power Options window you
opened in step 6, you can also create a
new power plan to suit your specific
needs. Select 'Create a power plan' on the
left-hand side of the window, then select
a power plan to use as the basis of your
new one. Give your new plan a name, then
select 'Next'. Now you can adjust the
settings to your liking. Once you've
finished, click or tap 'Create'.
8. More advanced settings
You can access even more advanced
power settings if you're confident drilling
down further into Windows 8. From the
Power Options window, click or tap
'Change plan settings' next to a plan, then
select 'Change advanced power settings'.
From here you can change settings that
determine when to turn off your hard
drive, how USB ports are used and much
more.
9. Turn off wireless
If you're using your device away from a
wireless network, you can turn Wi-Fi off
to save your battery power - there's no
point in having your laptop hunt for a
network that isn't there. Bring up the
Charms bar in Windows 8 by swiping from
the right-hand side of the screen. Now
click 'Settings', then 'Change PC settings'.
Click or tap 'Wireless' and then change
'Wi-Fi' to 'Off'.
10. Enjoy a better battery life!
Now that you've followed these steps, you
should see a noticeable improvement in
your battery life. You don't need to do
each step to see a benefit, and be sensible
with them; having your Wi-Fi switched off
is inconvenient when you want to go
online, and a pitch-black screen will mean
fewer charges, but will lead to eye strain.
Find the right balance and you'll be happy.