It is becoming much clearer that battery power is a significant issue. Devices require much more pull to account for their now heavier ability to multi-task and greater processors. As such, the race is on to try and find ways in which technology can, not only offer users better battery life, but do so while maintaining a cooler running system and all housed within a thinner and lighter device. Not the easiest task really, but this is where companies are investing in research. For instance, Fujitsu recently unveiled their latest take on how to keep a mobile phone device running cool with their recently developed loop heat pipes.
Well, in terms of the actual batteries, the news emerging out of Korea is that researchers are developing a new lithium-ion battery. Different to the current offerings, this one is significantly thinner than what is available and this is due to the redesigning of how traditional lithium-ion batteries are produced. In the past, these have typically consisted of a more stacking nature where the components are stacked upon each other. Therefore resulting in a thicker battery. On the current model, the anodes and cathodes are arranged in a more linear manner, which results in a much thinner battery. Not to mention, the linear arrangement also allows for a much greater degree of flexibility than what is seen with the traditionally-stacked batteries. Another interesting, part of the research is that the current battery offering also allows for wireless charging, which is becoming increasingly popular in smartphones at the moment.
Of course, you should not expect to see such batteries in smartphones any time soon. The batteries are still largely in development and their initial use is not designed for smartphones or portable devices, but instead will be used in the likes of smartcards and skin sensors. That said, this does highlight how the technology trend at the moment does suggest devices are going to focus more heavily on being lighter, more flexible and hopefully powered enough to offer users decent daily battery life. Are you happy to sacrifice battery life for size and weight? Or would you prefer to have a device with a heavier battery but one enough to keep you powered all day on one charge? Let us know.