Well, this is another mobile invention that - while undoubtedly useful - is unlikely to be hitting the shops without some serious redesigning.
The Solar Powered Necktie has been designed by Iowa State University as a way of charging mobile devices while on the move. It is made from a special photovoltaic fabric which is apparently a bit too thick to properly tie in a knot - don’t worry, I’m sure they will iron that out (arf, arf).
As demonstrated by the glamorous model in the photo, the tie has a little pocket for holding your mobile while it is being charged. I have to say that if I were on the Dragon’s Den panel at this point I would be worried about heavier phones clunking fellow tube passengers in the face if I turned around a bit too quickly.
Still, nice to see scientists are still hard at work on the mobile juice problem. I can’t help thinking it would just be easier to stick the photocells on the actual phone, though.
Rejoice! It’s been reported that Standford University researchers have apparently managed to make rechargeable batteries store up to ten times more power than existing batteries – using nano-technology.
They used silicon nanowires in batteries for portable devices like mobile phones, which could, potentially enable a mobile battery to last 60 days on standby – rather than the current standard of around six.
Here’s the science bit… Standard Li-ion batteries’ storage power is limited by the amount of lithium stored in a battery’s anode (usually made of carbon). The anode is made of silicon it can retain more lithium, hence more power. The downside? Silicon destroys a battery’s performance and hence its long-term life-cycle.
Still with us? Well, the Standford peeps got round this by using expandable nanotechnology wires one-thousandth the thickness of a paper sheet in the anode, meaning they don’t fracture so easily (like normal silicon would). Hence better battery life. It’s probably simpler than it sounds.
Anyway, a patent’s been filed but manufacturing of the batteries won’t start until later this year. But just think – batteries lasting two months per charge! You’ll be able to go on holiday and not have to panic when you get to the airport and realise you’ve left your charger at home. Awesome!
“Funny, I could have sworn that was fully charged this morning..”
We’ve all been there - you pull out your phone to make a call, only to find that all your lovely ‘leccy has drained away. Not only are you unable to tell the world that you are on the train, you will have to charge your phone when you get in and the environment will take another beating.
One common cause is running an app that takes more than its fair share of battery power, either by being poorly written, or by over-using certain components like the vibrator.
It’s not ideal - so Nokia has released Energy Profiler to try and sort things out. Although it is intended for developers to streamline their new apps, there is nothing to stop us mere mortals from loading it up and using it to find out which shareware Tetris clone is killing the planet. One Nokia developer is asking users to email Nokia and ask them to release a more consumer-focused version of the app via Nokia Beta Labs.
Nokia Energy Profiler runs on S60 3rd Edition phones with Feature Pack 1.
It’s no surprise that when a device is as hyped as the iPhone, there’ll be a bunch of companies looking to piggyback on its publicity with their own opportunistic press releases.
So, to Exradia, which makes replaceable batteries for mobile phones incorporating a special circuit, which claims to block nasty radiation from frying your brain.
The company issued a statement on Friday expressing its disappointment that Apple hasn’t made the iPhone’s battery replaceable, saying it was “surprised Apple has chosen to ignore this potential health issue” and that “there is currently no scientific evidence that clearly demonstrates mobile devices are safe”.
Nice bit of scaremongering there, but given the excitement around the iPhone launch, it seems the warning is likely to fall on deaf ears. And no, they’re not deaf because they’ve been irradiated. Not yet, anyway.
(via The Register)
