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We see improvements in all areas of tech each and every day, but the trickiest problem to tackle by far is that of the battery. Battery technology of today just isn’t keeping up with these fast iterations in tech, and while companies have resorted to fast charging technologies to make up for it, Google seemingly isn’t satisfied with that.
The company is reportedly exploring improved battery technology in the comfy confines of their X Labs department, according to the Wall Street Journal. Details from the report are scarce, though we do know the team is comprised of four engineers, including a former Apple expert on battery technology.
While we all simply want better batteries in our smartphones, Google’s end-game is to develop the technology for life-enhancing industries which are still growing such as robotics, medical accessories and driver-less vehicles.
As it stands, any improvement to battery technology will be good for anything that has anything to do with portable electronics, so we’re sure everyone the world over will be rooting Google on to see if they can make significant progress in a much lacking area. Fingers crossed that the brilliant minds at the Googleplex can come up with anything of substance.
Lovely news. This is what I want to hear. Not “bigger battery”. Can’t wait to see what they can come up with. We need a breakthrough in this!! I need my telescopes to be able to survive in space so I can know what’s out there.
Word on the street is there’s a planned telescope to be launched in 2018.
If they get something good together and implement this in their nexus devices first they could dominate the game fast!
It would be an excellent strategy and I hope that is what they do.
I would hope they would share the tech as there are far more important industries that could truly benefit from this. Cars, medical, and 3rd world countries just to name a few. I think blocking the technology from these fields just to “dominate the game fast” would be negligent and not really something that goes along with Googles goals as a company.
They have never cared about nexus sales, its purely about providing a platform for developers to have a common mindset in the direction google wants android to go.
Hopefully they share it with everyone except apple. Those greedy patent trolls deserve no help.
Google will help them though most likely, they aren’t a very exclusive company with it comes to tech and software advances. Most of their apps and soon Android Wear are available in the iTunes store.
I’m not saying that they should keep the technology for themselves but debut the new tech with their nexus product line
For one thing, the way apps consume battery power needs to be explored. Also, I would look at the way iOS consumes battery as opposed to Android. Lastly, I would optimize the device with the software.
that’s the most generic statement I have read in a while. Software efficiency has always been an issue and has constantly been improved upon. The issue here is the battery tech… Batteries haven’t changed much at all over the years, slight improvements here and there MAYBE but nothing like the rate at which we use them. The same problem exists in the car industry and is why we don’t have any AMAZING electric cars… they don’t charge as fast as a refill of gas, they don’t run as long (certainly not on a per weight ratio). They are very cumbersome and not near as energy dense as other technologies.
If energy density could be increased then we would really start to see amazing things with batteries. week long battery life may once again be a thing, electric cars could easily out pace gas by running for 1000 miles without needing a recharge… etc.
This would be great the only drawback from Apple my buddy turned to iOS because of battery life. He works outside so doesn’t have access to charger at all times so he needs his phone to last all night with calls, text and data. Made him get the nexus 6 and went back to iPhone plus ?
I hear the Note has great battery life, as does my Oneplus One. And with Samsung he could have gotten an extended battery back, so there were alternatives.
Apple isn’t that great on battery life once you start pushing it more. I think he just wanted iOS and Apple.
Agreed everyone I know with an iPhone, especially the younger folk, are needing to charge their phone several times a day.
I was just going to say this. My fiance’s sister had an iPhone and isn’t seen without a charger, along with the majority of my iPhone using coworkers. While me and my fiance unplug our HTC m8 in the morning and plug it in at night. And I would consider myself a fairly heavy user.
Yeah I have the note 4 and I usually get almost 2 days with about 6 hours of screen on time from just one battery. Plus I carry an extra battery with me while I’m out for a while and if my battery dies it takes like 30 seconds to swap out for the fresh one.
I’m sure he did at the end he got used to it he said he got bored of Android. That was when I was like really ios has looked the same from the beginning can’t do anything to the main screen except folders. I’ve never had a iphone for a long period of time but my ipad lasts days without charge and I play game of war. Which on my android phone sucks the life out of it if I’m playing it heavy I’ll be needing a charge alot sooner then I like.
Well it all depends on use. Plus you’re comparing two varying items, tablets have bigger batteries and less radios. My Android tablet last days also while gaming on my commute every day, while my phone can only last two days at most.
Not true because even on my android tablets the battery will run up. I have to charge those pretty much every day or every other. The ipad same use if not more because I use two accounts on the ipad I get 2 to 3 days plus it doesn’t make the device hot like on the Android tablets and even phone.
YMMV. I’m not denying what you’re saying, but you obviously don’t like differing opinions.
All my Android tablets have been great on battery life, meanwhile my little cousin watching YouTube and playing games on his iPad has to be attached to a wall charger.
What works for some, doesn’t work for others and everyone’s use is different. Take into account variance on apps and the data is even more convoluted.
So you made him get the Nexus6, and he still went back to the iPhone 6+ ? Why ? The Nexus6 has a better battery life than the Iphone 6+
Can’t wait to see
Hopefully it’s something like the aluminum batteries that Stanford University is currently working on. http://blog.gsmarena.com/scientists-make-breakthrough-aluminum-batteries/
Yes great advancement but MAJOR issue is they’re only 2 volts.. That has to be addressed before smartphone use.. Need about 3.7v..2 won’t work
Series.
I think this is great news, but I still think we are far away from producing much more efficient batteries. Our jump to lithion ion batteries was a bigger leap than we could have hoped for…
If they can greatly improve batter degradation before anything else that would be great. Most batteries in our devices we can’t remove and replace any longer. Once that thing is dead you’re forced to turn in your phone just to replace a battery. That’s not efficient.
The manufacturers are looking for any excuse to get you to buy a new device earlier. So far their battery designs and technology are working as designed.
Apple has had a class action suit over it. That was the intent behind their design to make the device burn out after a year so they could sell an “upgrade”
I upgrade a lot so while that doesn’t personally effect me it still bothers me.
Read about Stanford’s aluminum-ion battery. I can give you cliff notes: it charges in 1 minute, is flexible, won’t catch fire, and lasts over 7500 cycles (Li-ion is 1000 cycles before degradation).
But, it can only supply 2V, not the 3.7V we need in phones. So, it’s unfortunately not usable today. But, it’s promising as aluminum is far cheaper than lithium.
There’s been plenty of lab breakthroughs over the past few years, but they just take forever to commercialise.
I’ve been waiting (the world has been waiting) for a MAJOR battery tech breakthrough for a long time.. It’s the one thing in technology the last decade or two that has not had the same type of advancements like everything else… It’s holding back devices, cars, etc.. Cant wait for small (reasonable size) batteries that hold MUCH more energy.. Quickly (reasonable) chargeable. Last a good amount of time, cycles and don’t cost a fortune..
How about we stop making super ultra thin devices and add higher capacity batteries for more battery life? I am more then ok carrying around a half inch to an inch worth of phone.
I agree there.. Everyone is just trying to go thinner and thinner.. We can live with moderately thicker products.. And then batteries will be much larger inside.. And they’ll still look and feel great.. It’s getting out of hand with this “thinnest” race.. A super thin phone should just be special editions, etc and not for every phone..
This is why we have the bendgate issue popping up everywhere now the devices are getting too thin for their own good
Follow others and start working at home and get paid and the end of every week… By completing simple jobs you get online… I do this 3hr every day, four days every week and I earn 1000 dollar each week…
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#droidturbosupremacy
Look at the S6! So it’s a good looking phone… but with a mediocre battery life. Why don’t they just thicken the phone just a hair so the camera doesn’t jut out? Then you have a major workhorse of a phone!
My issues with the S6 is lack of removable battery and no MSD slot. I am taking a wait and see approach to the Note 5 since I currently have a Note 3 and the Note 4 was not a big upgrade over the Note 3 for me.
yup, and get an xperia z3 for long battery life…
Project Volta was a failure.
why so binary in your reply?
does something either have to pass or fail? every step is a step closer to a better product, Volta was not a failure, it worked in some small ways and the knowledge gained from it will assist further development.
Are you trying to compare a software solution to a hardware solution? Two things that has nothing to do with each other?
No this just seemed semi-relevent for me to complain about project Volta.
I’ve read hundreds of so-called battery breakthroughs over the last 20+ years and very few make it to mass production at right pricepoint. Hopefully Google can find one that can actually work in mass production at same price or less than today’s batteries.