We recently talked about, “Nature vs. Technology” and how it’s surprising in today’s age that there are still places in American where cell phone reception is hard to come by.
This is troubling because a large percentage of our population rely on the internet to work. And more so, with the advances in mobile technology many of us work from our smart phones as much as our laptop or desktop. So WiFi networks are critical.
But that’s yesterday’s topic…
Today I wanted to get into another problem we face with modern cell phone technology – and that’s the battery.
We’ve all been there. It takes hours to charge your cell phone, yet seemingly minutes to drain the battery – the more apps we download and videos we watch the faster our smart phones want back in the charger.
This is a big selling point when looking at different phones.
Be it your iPhone or Galaxy or LG. All have their battery selling points and add-ons. Like Galaxy’s wireless rapid charger for instance, or LGs Quick Reload Battery.
But at the end of the day most batteries are created equal. An interesting article by DigitalTrends.com rates the 30 best mobile battery chargers. But one thing you’ll notice is no matter how good the battery is, or the charger is… it still takes hours to charge… and still losses battery life quickly if you’re using your smart phone regularly.
But imagine a smartphone you’d only have to plug in once a week for the same amount of usage that you use today?
Imagine 150 hours of web browsing, texting, calling, email checking, social media checking power – on one charge?
While we’re not quite there just yet… there are a couple companies working on some pretty exciting stuff coming on the market in the next year or two that could revolutionize the cell phone market.
StoreDot
Over the past couple years there’s been a ton of interest in an Israeli-based startup called StoreDot. You’ve probably seen their video (view here)…
Wow. A battery that can charge in 30 seconds!!? Not so fast—don’t run to the store and get one just yet. While their video proves that their technology is real – it’s not quite consumer ready. We want things small and mobile, even wireless. So we’re not going to be lugging around some huge charger.
But still… really cool. And really soon they could find their way into the market.
So what do they do…
They have developed a technology (and I’ll leave the tech speak to the guys in white coats) that can power your battery up to 200 times faster – that means a charge in 30 seconds – that’s their top end model.
More practically is their 50-amp “X20” model that charges your phone 20 times faster than today’s models. That means instead of hours it takes 6 minutes to charge!
While this is super cool, they now need phone manufacturers to implement their technology into their phones. This will take some time… but StoreDot CEO, Doron Myersdorf, believe his technology will be in the retail market next year.
And others believe in him – they already have $66 million in funding from smart phone makers.
Qnovo
Another startup based in California is going about battery technology in a different way. Like the old saying goes, “you don’t have to reinvent the wheel, just make it turn faster.” Well, Qnovo, instead of designing new battery technology – they’re making existing technology work better.
According to the company’s website,
“By augmenting battery chemistry with unique battery performance management software, Qnovo enhances consumer mobility with faster charging, increased daily runtime and longer battery lifespan.”
Who wouldn’t want that!
That means the company is using chemistry and software technology that can help charge a phone’s battery in a third of the normal time.
Their technology also increases the battery’s charge – up to 2 days charge.
And their technology can help lithium ion batteries hold up for more charging cycles, which is important because each charge degrades their abilities.
And they already have some big fans…
Intel says,
“Battery life is the biggest frustration for mobile consumers. Qnovo has developed technology to make today’s battery perform better. We look forward to improving the experience of our shared customers.”
Battery technology hasn’t changed much in the 200 plus years it’s been around – but with innovative companies like Qnovo and StoreDot – it’s really evolving at a much faster pace.
While we’re not quite at the point where we can plug in a cell phone for 5 minutes and have it hold a charge for 5 days, entrepreneurs and scientists are working hard at getting us there.
With a solid collaboration between cell phone makers, (on both the hardware and software side) and these innovative battery companies, I think in the next couple of years we’ll be moving towards infinitely better batteries with longer charges.
And this doesn’t stop with cell phones… there’s a lot of interest in cars and other applications where batteries are critical.
But we’ll save that topic for another time.
Right now I’ve got to run… my battery is about to die.
Regards,
Ethan Warrick
Editor
Wealth Authority
