Burt Parker - When is battery life going to get better on Tablet PCs?

Posted: May 20, 2004 at 11:18 AM

By: The Channel 9 Team

(1)

9,507 Views

5 Comments

Video format

Option selected may change based on video formats available and browser capability.

Auto

Use our suggested format for this video.

Smooth Streaming

Adaptive bitrate streaming - little buffering but lower video quality at times of low bandwidth. Silverlight 5 required

Progressive

Traditional buffered video format. Silverlight 5 required

HTML5

For browsers that support H.264 MP4 or WebM video playback such as:
IE9+, Firefox 4+, Chrome 5+, or Safari 4+.

Flash

For browsers that have the Adobe Flash Player plugin installed.

Today's Tablet PCs get about three hours of battery life. We wondered when, or if, that'll improve. Burt Parker works with OEMs on just this issue and his answers are encouraging.

Do you see a way to improve battery life?

Follow the Discussion

Follow
Oops, something didn't work.

Try again?

Sign In to be begin to follow these comments

What does this mean?
Following an item on Channel 9 allows you to watch for new content and comments that you are interested in. You need to be signed in to Channel 9 to use this feature.

Getting "follow" information

Stop following these comments

Start following these comments

What does this mean?
Following an item on Channel 9 allows you to watch for new content and comments that you are interested in and view them all on your notifications page.

Removing your "follow"

Setting up your "follow"

Did you know you can
sign up for email notifications?
- Subscribe to this comments

Frankie Fresh .NET Developer and so much more.

May 20, 2004 at 3:00 PM

That's great, but what about regular laptops?
sbc GW R/Me

May 20, 2004 at 3:08 PM

Fuel cells are probably the way to go. When in common use they will become cheap to run and environmentally friendly. You may even be able to fill them up with your car or even at home (if they can somehow get them to work with tapwater)
scobleizer I'm the video guy

May 20, 2004 at 3:43 PM

Tablet PCs are using the same technology as regular laptops, so they should have the same kinds of improvements. The Tablet PC uses a little bit more power because of the digitizer, though.
Hollasch

May 21, 2004 at 12:30 PM

Some more encouraging news on this front:

Japanese Joint Venture to Develop Super Capacitors
By Yoshiko Hara
EE Times
April 26, 2004 (7:00 PM EDT)

TOKYO — Four companies have agreed to form a joint venture company to promote an electric double-layer capacitor system. Also know as super, or ultra, capacitors, the next-generation electric charge capacitor could eventually replace nickel-metal-hydride and lithium-ion batteries in certain areas.

Remainder: http://eetimes.com/at/hpm/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleId=19201838
sbc GW R/Me

May 24, 2004 at 1:01 PM

Lets hope its environmentally friendly as well. I wonder what US companies are doing in terms of new battery technology?

There should be more things like the Centre for Alternative Technology in the UK. Technology and products based on what nature can provide, without causing pollution. The Eden Project is also interesting (not much to do with batteries in laptops/tablet PC's) but the technology and the site itself is very impressive (built on a disused clay pit that was infertile and flooded frequently). I would recommend anyone who can to go.