That way, when you have to replace your battery, or you need to get another one to upgrade, you know a little more about it, and you can sound like an intelligent person when you talk to those dudes at the computer shop.

Lets start off by looking at the different types of computer batteries.

1. Alkaline - This is one of the common batteries around but only few laptops used it and the flaw about alkaline batteries is that you cannot recharge them. You have to throw it once it goes flat. Odds are that your computer does not have an alkaline battery.

2. Lead Acid - One of the most commons usage for this type is for laptop computers. The lead acid is a good, long lasting battery, but there is a down side. The downside is that they are heavy, and of course, full of lead.

3. Lithium-Ion - This is the ideal type of battery you want for your laptop. The Lithium-Ion is a fast charging battery. This effect makes it good for users on the go (need not wait for a long time for the battery to get charged completely). You can give it quick bursts of charge inbetween airport stops, for example. It is also environment friendly as well.

4. Nickel-Cadium - Ni-Cd batteries are one of the oldest and best performance types of rechargeable batteries. They do have a major downside, however. After a long usage ( a few years), the battery will suffer from the dreaded memory effect. This means that the lifespan usage of the battery will deteriorate as time goes by. You may have had an electronic phone that over time couldn't hold the charge. This is from the down side effects of the Ni-Cd battery.

5. Nickel- Metal Hydride - Ni-MH batteries are considered to be the successor of the Ni-Cd batteries but unfortunately they suffer from the memory effect as well. The effect is not as bad as the Ni-Cd, but it still exists.

If you already have a laptop computer, then you are probably stuck with a type of battery already, and there isn't a whole lot you can do at this point, except replace as needed, or look to see if there are aftermarket batteries made from lithium-ion.

If you in the market for a new laptop, or even a used one, make sure that you look for and seek out a laptop with the lithium-ion. You will see an abbreviation on the computer that says LION, or Li-on in the computer specs. That should serve you well.