System utility developer Utilitron has moved into the hardware field with PowerSwap, a simple, yet clever battery-powered device that allows PowerBook 140, 145, 160, 170, and 180 users to swap batteries without shutting down their computers. Even the lightest traveler should find PowerSwap plenty portable, since it is decidedly small at about the size of the 9 volt battery that powers it. According to Fred Hollander, Utilitron's president, the battery should last for about a year in normal use.
Normally you cannot swap batteries in the PowerBooks (excepting the 100 and the Duos, which have internal lithium battery backup) without shutting down the machine, thus erasing your RAM disk if you have one and generally disrupting your work. If you plug in a PowerSwap though, you can simply put the PowerBook to sleep, change the main battery, wake it up again, and continue working with a minimum of fuss.
PowerSwap lists for $39.95, and Utilitron has a special deal that ends at the end of October. Fred generously offered to extend the deal for TidBITS readers who see this article after the end of October, so you can get PowerSwap direct from Utilitron for $25 plus $5 shipping through 10-Nov-92 if you mention this article.
Utilitron -- 800/428-8766 -- 214/727-2329
Information from:
Fred Hollander -- 72077.3544@compuserve.com
Utilitron propaganda