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TechSpot RSSDownload of the Week
Download of the Week: Power Plan Assistant for Windows 7
Microsoft has made energy efficiency a key design element of Windows 7. By default, the operating system is now smarter than previous releases about what devices to turn on and when. It also includes fairly detailed power management options and offers three power plans out of the box to help end users extend battery life or reduce energy consumption in certain scenarios.
Power Plan Assistant for Windows 7 makes use of these features and adds some extra functionality to make things even easier for you. Among them is the ability to automatically change power plans based on the active power source. For example, a notebook can use High Performance settings when plugged-in, switch to Balanced when it is running on battery, and change to Power Saver mode when battery level falls below 40%.
Users can create custom plans and manually switch between them via an icon in the taskbar notification area that changes in accordance with an active power plan. There are also a few other handy features like the ability to instantly power off the display or customize the notification icon's appearance and behavior.
The software is "donationware" but your free copy expires every week so you are forced to download a new version in order to continue using it. Those who really like Power Plan Assistant and use it often make a voluntary donation in exchange for a serial number to permanently disable the expiration date check.
Power Plan Assistant for Windows 7 makes use of these features and adds some extra functionality to make things even easier for you. Among them is the ability to automatically change power plans based on the active power source. For example, a notebook can use High Performance settings when plugged-in, switch to Balanced when it is running on battery, and change to Power Saver mode when battery level falls below 40%.
Users can create custom plans and manually switch between them via an icon in the taskbar notification area that changes in accordance with an active power plan. There are also a few other handy features like the ability to instantly power off the display or customize the notification icon's appearance and behavior.
The software is "donationware" but your free copy expires every week so you are forced to download a new version in order to continue using it. Those who really like Power Plan Assistant and use it often make a voluntary donation in exchange for a serial number to permanently disable the expiration date check.
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User Comments (6)
Post a comment| Kibaruk on November 19, 2009 3:49 PM | This is not that huge, I tried it and it's more annoying
than anything. I would put however GMAbooster as a download
of the month. Power saver plan in windows 7 is a big ripoff, it doesn't give more time (At least on my netbook) at all. |
| Matthew on November 19, 2009 4:18 PM | Thanks for the suggestion Kibaruk, though we actually ran GMABooster as our download of the week in early September. [link] |
| Kibaruk on November 19, 2009 5:10 PM | Indeed, that's how I downloaded and loved it
 Still, maybe there are some new feats in the Power Plan Assistant, will take a second look. |
| Rick on November 20, 2009 2:10 AM | Power saver plan in windows 7 is a big ripoff, it
doesn't give more time (At least on my netbook) at all.
I know it may not *seem* as though it is saving
power, but this isn't quantum physics... Power saver =
dimmer LCD, slower CPU and some other tweaks.
There's no question power saver conserves battery power, but the difference between 2 hours and 2 hours + 30 minutes is pretty difficult to determine without some proper benchmarking. |
| Kibaruk on November 20, 2009 6:46 AM | I mean ripoff because it gives 10 minutes at most, not half
an hour. I remember having a toshiba that let me play with cooling system, processing at way too many levels, light dimming and wireless signal power. Why can't netbooks behave like that =/ |
| Guest on November 20, 2009 8:45 AM | I think Google's Engery Saver app (for google desktop) does a great job of a useful, but better then default power plan. |
