News

Looking forward to the ten-hour PC battery

Intel isn't abandoning its battle for the biggest, most powerful PC processors. But word on the streets is that the next IDF - Intel Developer Forum - in Munich, will see quite an emphasis on wireless technology and mobility.

Actually, the bits that are going to interest me most, will be the sessions on battery technology. That's included in the several mobile strands to the IDF, which include:-

Mobile Computing Industry Panel Extended Mobile PC Platform Battery Life Battery Technologies of the Future - The Smart Fuel Cell Mobile Processor Technology Explained Designing for Mobility - Intel's Mobility Enabling Program Wireless Integration and the Intelligent Roaming Vision

The battery session - the smart fuel cell - is probably optimistic. "Many improvements in processor technology, platform technologies and joint industry initiatives such as ACPI have brought about remarkable power consumption reduction to balance ever more powerful processing speeds. The battery's chemistry however, has remained relatively static over the last couple of years."

Yes; but can this change? Apparently: "This session looks at the latest breakthroughs and the potential for the next generation of mobile computing power in the shape of Fuel Cell Technology. These devices, even today - in their early stages of development, promise 10 or more hours of continuous use in a typical notebook PC." Speaker is Manfred Stefener (CEO of Smart Fuel Cells GmbH).

Full details on Intel's web site.