A notebook computer (or laptop) without a good battery life is effectively a compact desktop computer. Portability is the mainstay of notebooks. Without that ability to be moved around and not need to be plugged in constantly, the prices asked for notebooks would be unjustified. If you’ve made the leap into notebook ownership, then it’s in your best interest to get the most battery life for as long as possible.
Some people don’t realize that rechargeable batteries will naturally deteriorate with time, and most don’t really know what sorts of usage habits are best for maintaining a battery’s charge over time. Rule number one from BatteryUniversity.com is the following:
"Do not leave a notebook battery connected to the computer when the battery is fully charged and the computer is plugged into the wall (not using battery power to run currently)."
The heat dissipating from the computer can have the greatest negative impact on a battery’s life. If you are going to be in one place for a while and are plugged into the wall, disconnect your battery once it is fully charged.
Additionally, depending on the type of battery (Lithium Ion is the most popular rechargeable currently) certain charging patterns are better than others. For LiON batteries, charging regularly rather than when fully depleted is preferred as these battery types do not have a “memory” factor to worry about. Find out what type of battery you have and do a little research to learn what practices are best for keeping it alive for as long as possible.