The good news is that you do have options; the bad news is that the best (and safest) ones won't come cheap.

The most budget-friendly option (aside from dealing with your power cord for awhile) is to buy a lithium-ion battery that's just like the replacement Dell will eventually send you.

Though the lithium-ion chemistry has been acknowledged as potentially fire-prone for years—and is one of the alleged culprits behind the bad battery in your Dell—they're widely available for just about any model of laptop on the market. Keep in mind that internal battery replacement suppliers are trying to copy as closely as possible the voltage requirements and power density of your existing battery, to avoid problems.

Keep in mind, however, that Dell believes you should not use a third-party battery replacement. According to a FAQ on the company's web site, "Dell has a rigorous qualification process by which all Dell batteries are validated to ensure proper function, performance and safety," the company says.

"Some non-Dell batteries are available in the market with claims of compatibility with Dell systems. Dell cannot verify these claims, nor the safety of using them in a Dell system," Dell adds. "Dell strongly encourages our customers to use only Dell notebook batteries advertised as appropriate for their notebook model. Only Dell notebook batteries come with a 1-year warranty, are engineered for optimal safety and performance for Dell systems, and are supported by Dell technical support for the length of the warranty period."

Unfortunately, alternative battery technologies such as zinc-air and fuel cells remain on the horizon as far as commercially viable power technologies. For now, the tried and true is probably best.

Ordering a replacement battery online from companies like APC (www.apc.com) and Battery-Biz (www.battery-biz.com) is as easy as selecting your machine's manufacturer and model from drop-down menus and clicking "Add to Cart."

Keep in mind, however, that even though Dell is blaming its current recall on problems in the manufacturing process, lithium-ion chemistry, while generally safe, is still volatile, and accidents can happen. (Indeed, Hi-Capacity, the manufacturer that produces the lithium-ion batteries sold by Battery Biz, recalled about 10,000 units a few years back.) Plus, buying another lithium-ion battery will still set you back between $100 and $200, and waiting things out with Dell is free.