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BATTERY TECHNOLOGY ISN’T going to improve anytime soon so manufacturers are looking at ways to charge batteries faster as a way of overcoming this.
The likes of Samsung have integrated fast charging into their smartphones, but Chinese company Huawei has taken it a step further by developing a prototype battery that can recharge in minutes.
The two prototypes included both a lower and higher capacity battery. The lower capacity battery, 600mAh it charged a dead battery from 0% by 68% in the space of two minutes.
The 3,000mAh version, which is closer to the type of batteries used in modern smartphones, was able to reach a charge of 48% in five minutes.
The caveat is it requires a special kind of battery and charger to work. The battery must be taken out of the phone instead of being charged directly through it.
Huawei says it uses heteroatoms – atoms that aren’t carbon or hydrogen – to increase charging speeds without compromising the battery’s lifespan. The company didn’t say if it had any plans to bring this to market.
Other companies have been working towards fast charging or power-saving modes as a way of making up for short battery life. The likes of Android have introduced features like ‘Doze’ which saves battery life when a phone is not being used.
In March, Samsung announced its premium smartphones, the S6 and S6 Edge, claimed it could give users up to four hours of battery in just ten minutes of charging. It moved away from the removable battery format it used in previous devices, using a built-in version to accommodate wireless charging instead.
Last year, an Israeli startup called StoreDot developed a charger that could cut it down to 30 minutes. At the time, it said it had plans to bring the product into mass production in late 2016.
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What fee? I’ve never paid and I’ve used it for a few years.
It was free for the first few years but then they added the charge for new users so anyone who got it before the fee was introduced didn’t have to pay it
Ah. Thanks for that.
Yeah they were always extending my free period. I’ve been using them for quite a few years
They would ask some people for a euro after first year but if you didn’t pay I don’t think they cut you off. People were worth more to them as an active user
With so many free messaging sites why on earth would they expect you to pay anything!
Sounds like someone’s boardroom idea just went up in smoke
Because of all the other free messaging sites on earth, the one you’re using is only any good if all or most of your contacts are also using it. Otherwise you’re on your own.
Fairly simple. Tell your friends to download it. Can’t see anyone saying no. Whats another app on your phone.
I’d say they would all be downloading another chat app fairly sharpish once the current one was going to start charging you
Like others have said above, I was originally warned that I’d be paying after the first year, but never actually got charged. But I don’t think it was ever actually about charging for the service.
What it did was it created a potential revenue stream, which customers had acknowledged, thereby proving revenue potential and increasing the value of the company in terms of price:revenue
A persistently waived fee is actually quite smart in this regard.
Nice Ronan I like it.
It woulda been a euro a year ya tight fisted get!
“will instead focus on connecting businesses with users.” sounds like intrusive advertising in my book. Looks like telegram will be taking over then.
WeChat does exactly this in China. I’ve always wondered why no one does that here. I don’t want to download apps for each and every company I might ever use, only to use 99% of them only once a year or less.
I never paid a fee either, didn’t even know it was a paid app!
How’ya lunchbox?
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