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Battery life: Sony and Panasonic hold technology back from phones

The lithium-ion battery revolutionised portable electronics - but there's always someone who needs more - more power, longer life, less degradation. Both Sony and Panasonic have announced substantial improvements for batteries.

According to a report in Wireless News Factor, however, the companies are keeping the technology proprietary.

The two chemicals that make lithium-ion batteries work are graphite (negative terminal) and lithium cobaltite (positive terminal) and Sony and Matsushita (Panasonic parent) are using new formulae, says the report.

Sony says it replaced graphite with a mixture of tin, cobalt, and carbon for its "hybrid" battery, but this, says the report "is being rolled out exclusively in the company's new DVD Handycam camcorders. Mike Kahn, a Sony senior product manager, said the new materials stuff more ions into a cell, extending the life of the battery by 20 percent in normal conditions. The hybrid outperforms standard batteries in cold weather by 30 percent, and recharges faster," the report states.

Panasonic says it's doing its research in collaboration with Intel, and it isn't revealing what chemical it is using - but it replaces the cobaltite.

tags: battery, battery life, mobile, Sony, lithium-ion