3. More Juice From Down Below - The Secondary Battery

The primary battery is located in the back of the case. As a result, there is only enough space for the rarely used VGA port, as well as the power cable.

The standard battery sits in the back of the notebook.

As a special feature, HP offers a secondary 58 Wh battery for the nc8230, costing $190. This can be "slung under" the case as needed. Combined with the 71 Wh primary battery, the notebook's running time can theoretically be extended by a full 80%.

HP's Common Travel Battery for the Compaq nc8230

We liked the fact that the retention mechanism can be operated with a single hand, while the other holds the notebook.

The secondary battery's contacts are protected from dust by a cover. The same is not true for the docking station connection, however.

We didn't like the battery's rigid metal retention hooks, however. When it is transported in the laptop bag, they can easily scratch other items near them.

Beware the hooks: rigid and quite sharp

More thought was put into the way in which the batteries are charged and drained; in particular, the decision to make the secondary battery always be used first and charged last. This strategy makes a lot more sense than the one Gateway's M460LXb uses. The Gateway machine always drains or charges whichever battery is first attached to the notebook. This can result in the uncomfortable situation of being on the road with an empty battery, if you decide to leave the (charged) secondary battery at home due to weight considerations and find the primary battery empty because it wasn't charged first.

The secondary battery of the Compaq nc8230 is always drained first and charged last.

The secondary battery comes with a charge indicator