Brighthand: Three More Technologies That Could Profoundly Change Handhelds

[Pat Logsdon]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.brighthand.com/article/Three_Hot_Technologies_Part_5' target='_blank'>http://www.brighthand.com/article/T...nologies_Part_5</a><br /><br /></div>Brighthand has just posted another addition to their series of upcoming technologies with the potential to revolutionize handhelds. The technologies covered in this article are:<br /><br /><b>Nano-batteries</b>: "These are made by stacking polymer electrolytes with special materials. Each battery's anode is made of a lithium-nickel-cobalt material, while the cathode end is nanometer-scaled graphite sheets." The goal of these batteries is to power a mobile phone for a month. ITRI Materials Research Lab has set a goal to "have one out within five years that can run for 100 days." 8O<br /><br /><b>Thin-Air Displays</b>: "The Heliodisplay projects an image into the thin air, just like in all those science fiction movies. And it functions as a touch screen, too. It's possible to reach in and move things around on the 2D display." I02 Technology "currently has two proof-of-concept prototypes. One has a 42-inch (105 cm) image; the second has a 15-inch (38 cm) image which functions as a touch screen." It won't fit in your pocket yet though - the hardware is still "bigger than a slide projector".<br /><br /><b>Fluid Lenses</b>: "Philips' FluidFocus system mimics the action of the human eye using a fluid lens that alters its focal length by changing its shape. This lens is made up of two non-mixing fluids of different optical properties. One of these is an electrically conducting aqueous solution, and the other is an electrically non-conducting oil. The shape of the lens is adjusted by applying an electric field across the water-repellent coating such that it becomes less water-repellent. By increasing the applied electric field, the surface of the initially convex lens can be made completely flat or even concave."<br /><br />Of the three, I think the nano-batteries have the most potential. If the battery has enough juice to power a mobile phone for 100 days, it should be possible to pack a good number of power-hungry goodies into a Pocket PC and still get decent battery life. Heck, give me a WEEK and I'll be happy! 50gb HDD, anyone? :mrgreen:

[foebea]

Better yet, once they get the bugs out of the Thin-Air Displays and get them to a more reasonable size, then you could throw one of those into a ppc with a 100 day nanbat, and you just might get a Settings page included into Windows Mobile 2008 for selecting screensize. 3.5inch screen, 35 inch screen, 350 inch screen, whatever. Just be sure to bring an extra battery if large screen is used constantly. Bless you Nicola! (Tesla, of course) :mrgreen:

Maybe if we get one of the gear sites to open up preorders on these types of items it might push the idea to manufacturers. :lol:

[Ainvar]

Those technologies sound good but how about a battery that can last a day of normal to heavy use wihtout the user having to be paranoid if his/her battery is going to die if they wanna listen to that one more mp3 or read 20 more pages in there book before turning the wifi on to sync with there outlook/notes/exchange server to see if they have an email. Then dont forget you need to time to read all those emails and reply to them just before it is time to watch that movie you just ripped from the new dvd that was released the day before on your trip home. But there was an accident and the bus is stuck in traffic and you are knowing just knowing your battery is about to die. This is where the battery that can last a whole day of actual real world use would come in handy. Not some test they have in a lab that meets the normal let me check my schedule 5 times a day then it goes on the charger user.


Ok I am done ranting. I see articles about all these cool technolgies 5-20 years away. How about some now technologies. Specially in the battery area. I have an awesome spc e200 phone but unless I charge it constantly through the day I would not be able to use 1/10 of the features it offers due to such a weak battery. Today's technolgy is limited to how far the power/charger cable can reach from the wall outlet or usb plug of the computer it is attached to.

[Zack Mahdavi]

Ainvar, I agree with you. Battery technology is by far the biggest problem we are facing now. The problem is that chemistry isn't keeping up with electrical engineering industry. :)

There was recently a Wired article that commented on this problem. The author said that we should create a "second moore's law" that addresses battery issues. Manufacturers should set goals to increase battery life by "50% each year," or something like that.

There's a lot of promising battery technology that should be available in the near future. One of these is fuel cells. So hang in there and keep charging every few hours! Good stuff is coming soon...

[farnold]

Ok I am done ranting. I see articles about all these cool technolgies 5-20 years away. How about some now technologies.
Mate, I couldn't agree more. How often do we have to read about these cool developments that will be available in only a few years time... all just stories that people who are payed by the amount of words they write put together to have something to make a living... and by manufacturers who are so happy to sell us their oldest tricks again and again...
What I want in this area is truth first. Yeah, have a look on the specs of your PocketPC. What does it say about battery life? And what do you really get out of it? Ah, right, I have to switch the backlight off and stopp all programs to get anywehere near your results - very realistic scenario... And the worst part of it - we all find that absolutely normal...
Industry, do me a favour: first fulfill what you promisse today before you continue dreaming about a future you fail to reach for the past 20 years... and you writers: point out what they fail to deliver today before you write about this brave new world...

[pivaska]

Another vote for NOWlogies instead of YEARlogoies. I still haven't seen a standard car that can run forever on a tank of gas, still haven't really seen a fuel cell that is worth its weight.

Give me something with months instead of years. Like the new OS :roll:

[Pat Logsdon]

How often do we have to read about these cool developments that will be available in only a few years time...
Let's put this into perspective. Processor speed (electronics) have increased exponentially in recent years, per Moore's Law. With increased processor speed comes increased power requirements. The major gains that you see in processor speed comes primarily from shrinkage - the same basic components shrunk to smaller and smaller sizes so more of them can fit in a fixed area.

Chemistry has more obvious boundaries than chip design. The components are also much more volatile, and safety has to be taken into consideration. Li-Ion batteries contain built-in safety features that prevent them from exploding, and it took researchers about 20 years to make the technology usable and safe. Chips don't have the same problem. :mrgreen:

Personally, I'm pretty pleased that I'm using a Li-Ion battery in my 4150 rather than a NiMH battery, which was the best thing available a few years ago. A Li-Ion battery provides ~30-40% more power than a NiMH battery of the same capacity.

all just stories that people who are payed by the amount of words they write put together to have something to make a living...
You don't think people are actually working on fuel cells, or nano batteries? Car companies and technology companies are pouring billions of dollars of research into fuel cells alone. As far as the "stories" - are you referring to me? I don't know about Ed, but I certainly don't get paid. :wink:

What I want in this area is truth first. Yeah, have a look on the specs of your PocketPC. What does it say about battery life? And what do you really get out of it? Ah, right, I have to switch the backlight off and stopp all programs to get anywehere near your results - very realistic scenario... And the worst part of it - we all find that absolutely normal...
I agree with you. Manufacturers should be more realistic with their battery life claims.

Industry, do me a favour: first fulfill what you promisse today before you continue dreaming about a future you fail to reach for the past 20 years...
I don't know...I think industry does a pretty fair job of getting things done. I certainly couldn't put a computer or phone in my pocket 20 years ago. I AM still waiting for my flying car and Moon Vacation, though. :mrgreen:

and you writers: point out what they fail to deliver today before you write about this brave new world...
Try a search for "ActiveSync" and "Bluetooth". I think you'll find that we do our fair share of complaining. :D

[Pat Logsdon]

I still haven't seen a standard car that can run forever on a tank of gas, still haven't really seen a fuel cell that is worth its weight.
I think this is partially a matter of perception. How long is "forever"? Volkswagen makes very nice diesel engines that consistently get ~40mpg. Europeans buy cars with them, but Americans still seem to think of diesel engines as smoke-belching monstrosities. Thus, they don't buy them. As far as fuel cells go, the Toyota Prius uses a few of them in conjunction with a small gasoline engine. It gets about 50mpg. 8)

[Ed@Brighthand]

I see articles about all these cool technolgies 5-20 years away. How about some now technologies. Specially in the battery area.
While Pat mentioned the ITRI's Materials Research Laboratories long-term goal, my article also said that Taiwanese engineers believe they will soon have a battery capable of powering a mobile phone for a month. Several Taiwanese companies are already testing this new type of battery, and they should be on the market in the near future.

Considering the article that was the source of my information was written a few months ago, I'm hoping we'll hear some announcements before the end of this year.

You might want to check out the full article (www.brighthand.com/article/Three_Hot_Technologies_Part_5), there's plenty of info that didn't make into into Pat's summary.

[Ainvar]

It is a good article and it shows some good technology for the years coming up. But I think there needs to be some type of good portable power source for now. Fuel cells are close but about some out in the mainstream for the public to use?

[ChrisMcClure]

How long is "forever"? Volkswagen makes very nice diesel engines that consistently get ~40mpg.

Audi make an Aluminium body diesel car that can to about 70mpg. Most diesel cars made today are almost as quiet and clean as petrol ones.

I did read a little while ago that one of the major Technology companies (cannot remember which) was close to bringing a new storage medium to market which could store something like 10 Terra Bytes per square inch. Now that is somthing I could realy go for! Every movie and CD I own on something the size of a stamp.

Chris M

[Ainvar]

How long is "forever"? Volkswagen makes very nice diesel engines that consistently get ~40mpg.

Audi make an Aluminium body diesel car that can to about 70mpg. Most diesel cars made today are almost as quiet and clean as petrol ones.

I did read a little while ago that one of the major Technology companies (cannot remember which) was close to bringing a new storage medium to market which could store something like 10 Terra Bytes per square inch. Now that is somthing I could realy go for! Every movie and CD I own on something the size of a stamp.

Chris M

If it is the green cube that uses a flat beam, I remember reading about that also, some crazy looking guy that looks to be related to the painter that died a while back who painted happy little trees. I thought that technology would be so cool since it is a solid state storage medium that has almost unlimited storage capacity due to the angle and degree the laser is reading/writing from the media.

I think we are on the same thought process here....

[Perry Reed]

This may be a dumb question, but what's the purpose of or benefit from the fluid lenses?

[possmann]

Increase battery life now! :lol:

but I gotta admit that thin-air display is kinda cool. I hope they keep on pushing hard for better LCD - or heck - OLED screens to we can really start to make these devices thin :wink:

[Pat Logsdon]

This may be a dumb question, but what's the purpose of or benefit from the fluid lenses?
Built in cameras! The fluid lenses are in a short tube, and "the shape of the lens is adjusted by applying an electric field across the water-repellent coating such that it becomes less water-repellent -- a process called "electrowetting" that results from an electrically induced change in surface-tension. As a result, the aqueous solution begins to cling to the sidewalls of the tube, altering the curvature between the two fluids and hence the focal length of the lens. By increasing the applied electric field, the surface of the initially convex lens can be made completely flat or even concave."

This means we can have fairly powerful cameras with decent zoom with no mechanical parts. 8)

[Perry Reed]

This means we can have fairly powerful cameras with decent zoom with no mechanical parts. 8)

Ahhh... that would be cool.

[yslee]

Europeans buy cars with them, but Americans still seem to think of diesel engines as smoke-belching monstrosities.

And buy fuel-guzzeling SUV monstrosities instead.

Speaking of diesel, I like the new BMW 330cd.. 0-60 in 7s, 410Nm of torque, 204bhp, and 40mpg.

I don't think the cameras from the fluid lens technologies will be that great. 2 element designs are very limited, even if you can change the properties of the lenses themselves.