Usually I find puns to be completely over-laughed at, but for some reason this was funny.

AA Meeting? is a post from: The Inquisitr

I always get a chuckle when techies go on and on about how great our mobile computing world is and my first reaction after choking back a laugh is to ask whether this great world is before or after they’ve had to charge their mobile batteries.

Truth is that as great as the whole idea of a mobile computing world is there are two things holding it back. The first is the carriers with their ridiculous fees and then there is your mobile device’s batteries – they suck.

Some researchers at the National University of Singapore’s Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Initiative (NUSNNI) may have found an alternative that won’t only revolutionize batteries but could also have a profound effect of the design of our mobile gadgets.

What they have done is discover a membrane that is made from a polystyrene-based polymer that is then placed between two flat plates of metal and when charged it can store the resulting energy at a rate of 2 farads per square centimeter. Not sure if that is good or not? Well standard capacitors can only manage to store up to 1 microfarad per square centimeter

Due in part to the membrane’s low fabrication costs, the cost of storing energy in it reportedly works out to 72 cents US per farad. According to the researchers, the cost for standard liquid electrolyte-based batteries is more like US$7 per farad. This in turn translates to an energy cost of 2.5 watt-hours per US dollar for lithium-ion batteries, whereas the membrane comes in at 10-20 watt-hours per dollar.

via GizMag

So not only can it store more energy but do it cheaper. Gotta like that but at this point the researcher are still looking into ways to commercialize their discovery so this isn’t something you’ll be seeing tomorrow.

Battery life sucks, new chargeable membrane looks to change all that is a post from: The Inquisitr

I realize that just about everyone and their brother is proclaiming how mobile computing, whether through our smartphones, laptops, or tablets is changing our world except there are two problems with that idyllic belief – the carriers and the joke we refer to as battery life.

There’s no need to go into the first choke hold on mobile growth but the second – battery life – is the one that more than anything else will dictate how persuasive mobile computing becomes. While we have been seeing some radical improvements in the length of time you can use a battery between recharges has been improving but that is because smartphone, laptop, and tablet manufacturers have been trying their damnedest to eek out every millisecond from a system that has changed very little in comparison to the rest of the technology that relies on them.

Thankfully we aren’t stuck with the battery companies being the ones researching new battery technology as evidenced by a research team at the University of Leeds that have invented a jelly battery that is not only cheaper than existing battery options but also lighter, safer, and more importantly – more powerful.

The Leeds-based researchers are promising that their jelly batteries are as safe as polymer batteries, perform like liquid-filled batteries, but are 10 to 20% the price of either.

The secret to their success lies in blending a rubber-like polymer with a conductive, liquid electrolyte into a thin, flexible film of gel that sits between the battery electrodes.

“The polymer gel looks like a solid film, but it actually contains about 70% liquid electrolyte,” explained the study’s lead author, Professor Ian Ward from the University of Leeds.

via BBC

One of side benefits of this new battery technology is that it can also be formed into shapes and can be exceedingly thin without losing any of its power output, which could have an interesting effect on over designing of things like smartphones and tablets at some point in the future.

Can we have a peanut butter and jelly battery please, but hold the peanut butter. is a post from: The Inquisitr

Sick and tired of replacing your devices rechargeable batteries after only a handful of recharges? Those days may soon be over if the devices in question run on Lithium-ion batteries and if you happen to buy Eamex batteries.

The Osaka, Japan company is claiming that their new batteries can last 20 years with regular use, the equivalent of 10,000 charges!

According to Electronista, the secret to the new battery is that under its current design it uses a “tin-coated resin design that stabilizes electrodes and prevents deterioration, unlike current tin designs which tend to deteriorate much more quickly.

The batteries will be out later this year, unfortunately we don’t have pricing at this time.

Lithium Ion Battery Claims 20 Year Lifecycle, 10 Thousand Charges is a post from: The Inquisitr

Okay, this is going to be interesting to watch and see what kind of blowback Panasonic is going to get over this. As of your next firmware update for your Panasonic digital still camera you won’t be able to use third party battery packs. From the press release

Panasonic Digital Still Cameras now include a technology that can identify a genuine Panasonic battery. For the protection of our customers Panasonic developed this technology after it was discovered that some aftermarket 3rd party batteries do not meet the rigid safety standards Panasonic uses.

Some of these aftermarket batteries are not equipped with internal protective devices to guard against overcharging, internal heating and short circuit. If these aftermarket battery packs were used, it could lead to an accident causing damage to your camera or personal injury.

Panasonic’s Digital Camera firmware has been updated on this website to detect these aftermarket 3rd party batteries so such serious safety issues can be avoided.

[ Warning ]
After this firmware update your Panasonic Digital Camera cannot be operated by 3rd party batteries (non genuine Panasonic batteries).

Let the erupting blogosphere commence …..

Panasonic says: Use our batteries or we brick your camera is a post from: The Inquisitr