You probably know about James Dyson. He’s a British guy who struggled to sell his bagless vacuum cleaner to the major manufacturers. After being told that the “bags make us money” and “you’re basically bonkers”, he went on to create a solid British brand, making products for Britain in a British factories with the help of British workers… only to then ship it all out to Malaysia.
Doah.
Anyway, when other manufacturers aren’t completely copying his Dyson Vacuum Cleaners (he lost the legal battle, despite all the patents, which is a bit nuts if you ask me), he’s making bladeless fans, heaters and those “OH MY GOOD GOD”-powerful hand dryers. You’ve used them. You must have. They’re in the toilets at Euston station (provided you pay the stupid 30p, which you never seem to have when your bladder is about to explode) and they give you an insight into how your hands will look when you’re 90 years old.
Woah, that was a rambling introduction. Where was I going with this? Oh yes, he’s investing a massive $15m in tech that could double your smartphone battery life. Now, despite my terrible jokes, I’d definitely be interested in doubling my battery life. That should mean it’ll last until dinner time at least (please, please, do NOT email me with the whole “it’s tea time, not dinner time” nonsense).
Dyson are to invest in a company called Sakti3 to develop a new generation of solid-state battery technology which will store twice as much energy.
Despite what we’ve seen during all the madness at Mobile World Congress, we’re still going to be cursing woeful battery life for quite a bit longer yet. Your choice is to either charge a lot, stick a fat battery on the back or carry around a battery pack. Oh yes, there is another option.. let your phone go flat, then not use it. Ooofff.. I can feel the panic through the screen at the mere thought of that one.
The Sakti3 solid-state technology will use solid lithium electrodes instead of a liquid mix of chemicals. I don’t know quite what that means, but it should double energy held in batteries and they’ll be cheaper to make too.
Founder and chief executive of Sakti3, Ann Marie Sastry, states that..
There is a great deal of knowledge and passion on both sides, and Dyson’s engineering team has the capability and the track record to scale up new ideas and make them a commercial reality.
Unless Dyson get into making smartphones, you’ll probably have to wait before this clever new battery magic gets into your phone, as Dyson will probably be sticking into their cordless vacuum cleaners first.
Via – The Guardian