If I learned one thing last week, it’s that mobile battery technology isn’t going to get substantially better anytime soon.

1. January 17, 2012
batteryfast.co.uk
2012 Battery Pack Chargers
I
f I learned one thing last week, it’s that mobile tech. Sometimes we hear there could be an enti-
battery technology isn’t going to get substantially rely new way of powering our phones. Late last
better anytime soon. month, two patents applied for by Apple in late
2010 and early 2011 were published, revealing a
breakthrough in hydrogen fuel cell systems that
actually makes the technology feasible in mobile
devices. What’s more is the expected longevity of
the batteries might be measured in days and weeks
instead of hours and minutes.
I landed in Las Vegas last week with hopes of stum-
bling upon a booth that held the key to ending all
of our smartphone battery woes. I passed a couple
booths showing off solar panel cases and the typi-
cal Powermat booth, where they proclaimed the
wireless charging revolution is among us. (Yeah …
http://www.batteryfast.co.uk/battery-technology/2012-battery-pack-chargers-battery-technology/
right.) In truth, there was nothing awe-inspiring
or completely new that caught me off guard. And
Battery technology in our cell phones has taken unfortunately, there were no hydrogen fuel cell bat-
a major hit since the start of the boom a couple teries, or cells that measure life in terms of days or
years ago. Bigger, better, faster phones have led to weeks – not this year at least.
atrocious stamina in some of today’s best devices.
Even Apple’s pride and joy, the iPhone 4S, has suf-
fered from issues with the battery – albeit claimed
a software problem, the 4S’ battery simply is not as
good as its predecessor.
The only notable improvements in this area that
we’ve witnessed in recent years has been in the form
of “more efficient” components (read: multi-core
CPU architecture, OLED panels that power down
individual pixels that display black, etc.). These are
definitely welcome improvements, but they’re not
quite the same a simply improving the batteries
that power our devices in the first place.
Every couple weeks, it seems as if there is another
breakthrough in the standard Lithium-Ion battery
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2. January 17, 2012
batteryfast.co.uk
2012 Battery Pack Chargers
can actually remember to keep at least one of these
packs charged at any given time.
Don’t get me wrong, I love some packs – I’m a bit
of a battery hoarder. And the Powerbag is the new
love of my life. I’ve been carrying battery packs
galore for years now, and the new models are smal-
ler, slimmer and pack more juice than ever before.
However, nothing beats having a phone that simply
lasts for days on its own.
Back when the BlackBerry Cure 8330 was my main
device, it would last me around three days before
powering down. I carried a spare battery pack,
which wouldn’t even fully charge the Curve, in the
event I forgot to charge my phone one night, not to
help me make it through one day. And that’s the
big difference here.
It’s kind of disappointing that there were not real
improvements at this year’s CES. It doesn’t mean
http://www.batteryfast.co.uk/battery-technology/2012-battery-pack-chargers-battery-technology/
that we won’t see some kind of revolution or that
OEMs won’t start filling their phones with larger
cells, just for those juice whores. But you won’t catch
What there was plenty of, though, was battery packs me holding my breath for a significant breakthrough
and other mobile charging solutions. Companies – that we will see hit actual consumer devices – this
are at least finding ways for affected users to cope year. For all intents and purposes, 2012 will be yet
with less-than-stellar battery life. another year where spare and extended battery
packs will help us make it through the day.
At CES, companies were handing out battery packs
left and right, like they were candy. I think I ma- Related Articles:
naged to walk away with seven or eight different
battery-powered chargers in the end, and I didn’t
even get to spend a lot of time on the show floor. On
top of those, I also walked away with a Powerbag,
which is a backpack equipped with a replaceable
6,000mAh battery pack that can charge all of your
mobile devices. I also walked away with an Incipio
off GRID case, which packs an extra 1,450mAh into
a relatively slim iPhone case that can be used at
your disposal. It’s safe to say that I should never
have another dead smartphone again – assuming I
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