Laptops.

[groucho]

If using at home is it best to use plugged in or use the internal battery, forgetting the inconveniences? Will the battery last longer if it's charged less?

[agent006]

Batteries don't really like being kept at full charge for long periods. I run mine down and then plug in rather than leave it plugged in.

[groucho]

agent006 said:

Batteries don't really like being kept at full charge for long periods. I run mine down and then plug in rather than leave it plugged in.

You keep it plugged in on a discharged battery?

[ThePassenger]

Do be honest, a modern battery really doesn't care that much about its charge state. LiOn packs will automagically loose around 10% of their capacity every 12 months regardless of how they are stored (as will LiPol, it's the trade off for no memory effect and more power output). Most laptops are intelligent enough to flip between using the battery and mains (every so often the charge light will come on and my Dell's power indicator says 95% charged) to keep the pack happy.

For maximum energy savings, run the laptop on mains, with the battery removed and tell Windows to use the maximum battery life power scheme.