Dell D620 + Sprint EvDO USB Modem = 15min

A while ago, I reviewed the blazingly fast Sprint EV-DO USB modem on this blog. Since then, I've always used it when I have my laptop connected to external power source. Today, I was trying to put away a little bit of work at the Four Carrots cafe inside the SOHO Bloomingdales (which is very cozy but lacks any visble electrical outlet). I turned off my Wifi and set my screen to less than half the brightness. After I plugged in the USB modem to start answering some emails, within 15 minutes, the computer screen just shut iself down and was completely drained of battery power.

I know my work-issued Dimension D620 is not the best in battery life but even with WiFi turned off and lowly lit screen can normally get me at least 90 minutes of usage. I can't believe how much power it takes to run USB 3G modems. Pretty crazy huh?