Productive Emerging Technology, Part 2

When you do have to rely on a portable device to keep you productive, one of the biggest challenges is keeping it charged up. Struggling with batteries can be frustrating and, if you don´t manage it well, you can find yourself with a useless device right when you need it most. Here are three upcoming products that take different approaches to solving the problem of batteries that die when you need them most: Boston Power Lithium ion batteries — Despite all of the emerging technologies, the Lithium ion battery is still the one that most reliably powers devices from laptops to phones. If you rely on them, though, you know that they never charge as fast as you need them to or hold power as long as you would like. Boston Power has come up with an interesting new battery which charges completely in just an hour, or 80 percent of the way in half an hour. It also lasts three times as long as a typical Lithium ion battery. This is a nice improvement until the next big thing comes along. Samsung fuel cell — Speaking of the next big thing. The fuel cell has long been promised to be the solution that will quickly make standard batteries seem hopelessly obsolete. We still haven´t seen a reliable and practical product for the consumer market, though. Samsung may change that soon. They are promising that, by the end of the year, they will have a new fuel cell available which will be able to power a laptop for an entire month without plugging it in or recharging it. Imagine the possibilities that that would open up for people who value mobility. WildCharge — Regardless of the type of device you are using, charging can be a headache. You need to find the charger, make sure you have the right adapter, and find a plug to plug it into. This can be especially challenging when you are trying to charge several batteries at once. Those problems are a thing of the past with the Wild Charge. It´s a metal tray that you could go right inside your door or on your desk. You just have to set your device right on it and, through some kind of crazy magic, the battery gets charged. You don´t have to plug it in or connect anything. Instead of leaving your phone on the coffee table when you aren´t using it you could put it on the WildCharge and you would never run out of power. Check in Friday for the third and final installment of this series.