14 DAY TRIAL // Developer Taylor Marks has released (and recently updated) Battery Status, a menubar app that tells you details about the battery for each supported wireless device connected to your Mac.
Not only does Battery Status show what percent of the battery life is remaining, it also tells you when was the last time you replaced the battery, and even offers an estimate on when your batteries are going to run dry.
In version 1.3, warnings are presented whenever a battery is getting low and, for Mountain Lion users, through Notification Center.
You can configure warnings in the preferences to have them displayed when other devices on the network are about to have their batteries depleted, and Auto Launch is now handled through System Preferences.
This way the app remains compatible with OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, according to Marks. For users who are unfamiliar with System Preferences, instructions are provided in the preference window.
Also included in the updated version that hit the Mac App Store this week, an option to display a small green plus (+) symbol on the battery icon whenever the battery is plugged in has been added to the preferences.
Last, but not least, a system administrator can now override the app’s settings. The preference window holds instructions for this too.
In addition to its core functionality, Battery Status also offers easy access to some information on the internal battery for laptops, such as an estimate of how long the battery can last (even if it's still plugged in), or the number of charge cycles.
The program also has networking capabilities. Users can set up any number of Macs on their local home, school, or work network to share the statuses of their batteries with each other with two simple checkboxes – “Broadcast” and “Receive.”
With the Mountain Lion battery drainage fiasco, a tool like Battery Status is most welcome.
