Customer Reviews

70WH Universal Notebook Battery

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The APC model number is UPB70, so that is how I will refer to it here.

The UPB70 is thin and lightweight, about the size and heft of a National Geographic magazine. It is covered in a very pleasant-feeling non-skid coating, which is beneficial since the preferred usage is to sit your notebook on it. The back is slightly higher than the front, which helps with the typing angle.

Under my ultraportable 10.6" Sony Vaio TR1, the computer is smaller than the battery, so the battery sticks out about 1 inch on all sides. This is not a problem; the battery becomes like a carrying tray.

Under my 15.4" standard size Gateway MX6453, the computer is larger than the battery by about 1" on each side. This makes it awkward if you go to pick up the notebook/UPB70 system as one unit. It is best to use two hands.

This leads to one of my minor nitpicks with the system. It is unwieldly and a bit unsafe to move the system when a larger notebook is on top of the battery. The solution, though is simple: Use a couple of strips of Velcro! This way, you can pick up the notebook/battery system as one unit. Attach so the hard bristly side is on the UPB70 and the soft fuzzy side is on the underside of your notebook. The soft Velcro will be a non-scratch "foot" for your computer, when you are not using the UPB70 battery underneath.

The only other minor nitpick is that the power cable from the UPB70 to the notebook is about 18" too long (at least, when the notebook is right on top of the UPB70). But a cable tie will tame the cable so it is out of the way.

The UPB70 outputs 4 voltages: 15, 16, 19 and 20 volts. The included compatibility chart lists which one to use with your notebook. Note that if you change the voltage selection switch, you must press the round silver Status button on the UPB70 so the unit is reset for the new voltage.

The UPB70 comes with 8 different tip adapter sets. This is a definite plus since this allows you to fit it to many different notebooks. (Some other power systems come with only one tip set, so you would have to buy additional sets at around $10 each. This is both expensive and inconvenient if you have more than one notebook in the house or office.)

Not sure if it is compatible with your notebook? Visit APC's site and search for the product. [...].

Note that the UPB70 does NOT come with its own charger. You use the AC power supply that came with your notebook to charge the UPB70. (This is one reason for having the 8 tip sets. You select the correct type of tip that allows your power supply to plug into the UPB70.)

Helpful hint: If you use more than one notebook, make a label for the underside of the UPB70 that lists each notebook's name, voltage, and tip adapter set. Mine reads "Gateway 19v B/b, SonyTR 16v E/e". This way you don't have to travel with the compatibility chart; just look at the label.

You can keep the UPB70 attached to your notebook at all times if you want. Plugging in your power supply to the UPB70 will "pass-through" power to the notebook.

Indicator lights show the charge status in 4 increments (25-50-75-100%); this is very useful.

There is a handy USB connector so you can charge or run devices which need standard 5-volt USB power.

As for runtime, this can vary widely. It depends on your notebook's power draw. If you have an ultraportable that's designed for long battery life, the UPB70 could add up to 6 additional hours. But if you have a standard 15.4" business computer doing office-type work, the extra time could be 2-3 hours. A very rough guide for most people (those whose notebooks did not come with hulking-large 12-cell extended life battery packs!) is "whatever battery time you are getting now, double it."

If you need even more time, APC makes a 90 watt-hour version

In summary, I would highly recommend this product. It is especially useful if you own a number of notebooks, some of which are so old that their batteries don't hold a charge for very long. The UPB70 will give them "new life", and having all the tips makes it easy to switch between notebooks (just don't lose the tips!).

I had originally bought this to bring to Uganda, which is currently facing a power crisis. Usually, there will be a day with power--with sudden outages interspersed throughout--and the subsequent day will be without power. After a year of living like this, my laptop battery (for a Lenovo R40) conked out and I was in dire need of a replacement.

Instead of paying $150 to buy a new laptop-specific battery, I bought this universal battery--in the event that my laptop was stolen, I could use the battery for another laptop. Final price was $144, bought at Best Buy.

Battery does what it's supposed to. Lasts a bit longer than three hours, and can last a bit more if you lower the power settings on your laptop. Will last less when you are playing a DVD in your laptop. The weight is comparable to any laptop-specific battery.

Four stars are given instead of five because of its bulky design. If you don't place the battery underneath your laptop, its footprint is about as big as the laptop itself, and takes up that much more room on your desk.

A big plus are the LED indicator lights, telling you how much power you have left in the battery. Extremely helpful--especially since your computer can't gauge the power level for you.

If your laptop battery is of questionable quality--as Lenovo's are, then this is certainly recommended.

This battery comes with interchangeable tips to make it compatible with almost all laptops out there. Unfortunately, HP changed the power jack for the their newest laptops (dv2000 and dv6000)... APC doesn't have a jack adapters for these models... I bought the battery back when I had a dv5000 and was assured by the APC that they were going to keep producing new jacks as new laptops hit the market... I've called APC several times and they don't seem to have any plan to release an adapter for this laptop.

Thin enough to go under my laptop. Did find that the owners manual had the wrong connectors called out for the Pavillion V2555US. But going thru the ones supplied was able to find the correct ones. Have not used it enough to find out the full time it will supply. As someone has mentioned, the cables supplied are a bit long, but easily corrected with a wire wrap.

First off, I purchased this for an HP TX1000 tablet PC.
Upon first use, I encountered weird errors and a blinking light on the laptop.
"Plugged in, but not charging" or something like that.
You have to read the directions and plug thing in on the right order, else the battery and your laptop's battery fight to equalize each other, and the laptop gets no charge.
The compatibility list is garbage and completely out of date.
I used to limp through a class and a half with the 6 cell extended battery on my laptop. Now I can make the screen bright enough to really see, take notes, and browse the net between my two classes as well. I'm using the machine much more, and can make it much longer before even using the built in battery. I went on a trip and went unplugged for about 6 hours while watching episodes of Top Gear and paying my bills online. If wifi is off and I use my power saver settings, I estimate about 7 hours total for both batteries [vs maybe 3.5 without this pack].
Also, the grippy surface is great, and the typing angle is improved while using the battery pack. I find myself using it even while plugged in for this angle alone. Finally, the battery pack has almost exactly the same footprint as this 12.1" laptop. If you have a TX1000, get one of these.
PS: I was on the fence of either purchasing the new 8 cell battery from HP, or this unit. This unit can be used with most laptops, and does not require me to turn off the laptop to switch batteries. I only know I've depleted the unit and am running on my internal battery because I have configured the screen to dim a bit. To optimize your battery life, yuo should reconfigure your power plans [Laptop thinks it is plugged in when it is running off this unit]. I only really modified the balanced plan, since I still want power saver to save power [this lets me place directly on lap also, less heat], and high performance is still full throttle.

I hope, but have not verified, that this will also work with my gf's 17" Alienware monstrosity. I know that she would have to limit the power consumption, because this battery can not supply as much power as that thing can suck down.

I was SO excited when I found this product on here. I could not wait to use it when I traveled. I couldn't find anywhere in the product information the specific list of laptops that it would be compatible with but decided based on the description it would surely work with mine.
When I received it, it was a busy time of year for travel as well as preparation for the holidays and I just didn't have time to check it out. When I finally had time to open the package the first mistake I made was I threw the packaging away. Then, I discovered it wasn't compatible with my computer. No packaging & time expired, I could not return it.
I have friends that are missionaries, so I offered to donate it to them if it would work with any of their laptops - no, it wouldn't. My son purchased a laptop - nope - won't work with his either.
It has a pretty long list of products it's supposed to be compatible with, but who owns them??
So, now I'm stuck with a product that won't work with my laptop nor with anyone else's that I know. Can't return it. Expensive lesson learned here.
So needless to say, my rating is not based on product performance, but on the fact that not enough information is shown in their product description so that the consumer can make an intelligent, informed buying decision.

Its too large , heavy , I rather buy few extra battery . With today technology I expected better , not easy use , you got to be kind of techi to figure things out,

This was a very promising product. I was able to use my HP adapter to power it up. But, try as I could, when I connected it to my HP Pavillion laptop, it refused to power the laptop. I was on my way to travel on the road for 3 weeks and needed it. Instead, I opted for a car-based AC-Adapter. I would check the company to make sure your exact model is supported.

I bought this a couple of weeks ago at Amazon for $20 less, today more than I would have paid -- lucky me. It works like a charm. Provides about 3-4 hours of power for my laptop, which is not always convenient to a wall outlet. A few tips for use. *Will not charge independent of computer unless turned off. *Do not forget to turn power on at correct voltage. *After plugging to computer and turning on, do not forget to push the silver button to start power flow to the computer.

Simple, but necessary instructions.

The power indicator in the front might be better with 4 individual LEDs, but the 4-step strip works OK, you cannot misread it.

I read a review here that said it was not compatible with the HP dv2000 model notebook. I have this model and it does have the atachment included with the battery and works perfectly. He may have gotten a set before they added the atachement. I purchased my APC 70 battery at Best Buy for $100 as a open box return so I got a discount on it. I just got it and played with it a bit so I have not been able to test the battery life of it, but by the reveiws I think I will be happy. As long as I get at least 2 1/2-3 hours of internet use with it!!! Another plus that I feel I should mention is that this battery set also comes with an atachment that fits and powers my portable printer that I keep in my laptop bag. Its a Canon Pixma IP90v model printer. I set the APC 70 battery for 19v for my laptop and 16v for my printer. Works wonderfully with both so I couldnt be happier considering that I would pay over $100 for each battery for my portable printer and notebook that wouldnt last as long. Plus Im sure I can use it with other things as well as long as the atachment fits. It also has a 5v USB port as another plus. So all in all I am very happy!!!!