Computing devices use batteries that can be monitored by a battery meter, indicating when to charge or replace the battery. The meter can show percentage or time remaining, and warn when the battery is low. Additional battery measurement programs can provide more information.
Many computing devices can be powered by a battery or be plugged in, while others are designed to run off the battery and be periodically recharged. Batteries are used in laptops, smartphones, mp3 players and tablets. A battery meter, which can be part of the operating system or an add-on utility application, allows the user to quickly and easily learn the battery status to decide when charging is needed, troubleshoot when some features are using too much battery power or determine that the battery needs to be replaced with a new one. To avoid confusion, it’s important to know that outside of computing, the term battery meter is used for devices that monitor the charge and voltage level for 12-volt vehicle batteries.
The battery meter can be displayed on the screen or in the toolbar on Apple® devices or in the system tray on Windows® devices, or both on the screen and in the tray. Depending on the device, a user may be able to choose whether to show the icon only or the icon and a percentage indicating what percentage of full battery power is left or the estimated usage time remaining. While the percentage is absolute, the time remaining will vary, depending on how heavily the device is used. For example, watching movies will drain the battery faster than listening to music with the screen off or using a word processing program.
The battery meter is green on many devices while the battery is in the safe zone. The battery meter will typically include a warning indicator when the battery is running low to allow the user to save time and plug in the device to begin charging. This warning is indicated by symbols or color changes, which vary with the device, but may be yellow or red, as opposed to the usual green color. Device manufacturers offer recommendations on their websites for preference settings that can help keep your battery life as long as possible. Turning on screen dimming is a common tip, for example.
Additional battery measurement programs, which are platform specific, can be freeware or paid. Sometimes freeware is a lite version of a paid program, allowing the user to get a taste of the program’s value. A special battery meter application can provide more information than what the operating system offers, such as calculating the full battery life or identifying the charge rate.
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