Product Reviews

Even the best notebook battery doesn't last forever, so APC has created its Universal Notebook Battery. Similar in size to an A5 diary, it works externally. It comes with a set of adaptors and a voltage selector, so you can use it with almost any notebook. A full compatibility list is available on the website, but we had trouble finding one in our labs.

We eventually got it to work with an Acer notebook. Without the battery it scored 169 minutes in our battery test and with the battery connected it lasted 320 minutes. Almost doubling the battery life is good, but an external battery makes a notebook difficult to use on the move. It's also expensive, costing around £100 more than a spare battery.