Show Article with tag "batteries"

While smartphones, smart homes and even smart wearables are growing ever more advanced, they're still limited by power. The battery hasn't advanced in decades. But we're on the verge of a power revolution. Big technology and car companies are all too aware of the limitations of lithium-ion batteries. While chips and operating systems are becoming more efficient to save power we're still only looking at a day or two of use on a smartphone before having to recharge. While it may be some time before we get a week's life out of our phones, development is progressing well. We've collected all the best battery discoveries that could be with us […]

One of the most substantial changes Apple implemented in the new iOS and iPadOS 14 software updates a couple of weeks ago involves widget functionality. Once confined to the Today page, widgets can now be integrated directly into the Home Screen user experience; furthermore, those same widgets have become more advanced and interactive than they were in previous versions of iOS and iPadOS, but they’re still far from perfect. If you’re fortunate enough to have a jailbroken iOS or iPadOS 14 device at your disposal (currently only possible with the checkra1n jailbreak and an A9 or A9X handset at the time of this writing), then you may now take advantage […]

Battery technology might be working in the background on many of our devices, but it is essential to their functioning as well as that of electric cars and even solar panel systems. But, the current lithium-ion batteries do not carry a high amount of charge and are even a safety risk since they are prone to leaking. The alternative lies in solid-state batteries, which use solid-electrolytes instead of liquid electrolytes used in lithium-ion batteries. These batteries have been developed by John Goodenough, who was the co-inventor of the lithium-ion battery. “Cost, safety, energy density, rates of charge and discharge and cycle life are critical for battery-driven cars to be more […]

After the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco in 2016, Samsung seems to be once bitten, twice shy when it comes to batteries of its devices. The company is reportedly ditching its own subsidiary, Samsung SDI, instead sourcing the batteries for its upcoming smartphones from multiple suppliers. as we approach the Samsung Galaxy S8 launch, expected to take place in March or April 2017, the list of the rumored battery supplies keeps growing longer. In December, LG was reported to be the supplier of Galaxy S8 batteries, but on Feb. 3, reports spoke of Japanese manufacturer Murata as the supplier. And on Friday, reports emerged saying the South Korean company had opted […]

A small fire broke out at a Samsung SDI Co factory, a supplier of batteries for the recalled Galaxy Note 7 devices, Reuters reported Wednesday The incident at the Samsung Electronics Co affiliate's plant, located in the northern city of Tianjin in China, was caused by waste products including faulty Note 7 batteries, the company and local emergency officials told Reuters. The fire, which broke out in the part of the factory used for waste, was later put out. There were no casualties or major impact to the factory’s operations, with most of the factory continuing to normality, the company said. However, local fire officials said the fire was caused […]

  HP has found itself in a bit of a problem here after it was revealed that many of the company’s laptop batteries are prone to overheat, which in turn could cause a fire. HP has since decided to recall over 101,000 lithium-ion batteries, which is an expansion from the 41,000 recalled back in June of 2016. Known laptops affected are the HP ProBook, HP ENVY, Compaq Presario, and HP Pavilion that were sold between the month of March 2013, and October 2016. The Consumer Product Safety Commission is recommending owners of these devices to remove the battery and contact HP for a replacement. Bear in mind that a laptop […]

The Electric Vehicle (EV) industry is expanding, with more players joining in every quarter. With many tech companies, including Nvidia and Apple, investing in the auto industry, Samsung is putting its own horse in the race with its subsidiary Samsung SDI making batteries for electric vehicles. SDI announced its new batteries in Seoul on Monday. According to SDI, these high-energy density battery cells come with an integrated battery module and will be 10 percent lighter than existing EV batteries. These developments will allow the batteries to run 300 miles on a single. In addition to that, the batteries will be charged up to 80 percent within 20 minutes. Samsung’s claim […]

Though removable batteries in laptops are rarer and rarer these days, the upside is that more and more laptops, phones, and tablets are capable of being charged over a USB-C connection. Most universal power banks emerged as a result, as they were now able to capitalize on the ubiquity of the USB Type-C connection to be compatible with more devices. They weren’t always a great solution, though. My first powerbank was the 18,000 mAh/66 Wh Dell Power Companion, and I barely used it. It was heavier than my XPS 15’s power adapter which meant it greatly added a lot of weight to my kit, but the most frustrating thing was […]