This blog has previously discussed the evolution of mobile electronic devices and the need for innovative thermal management technologies. Simply put, as products like smartphones and tablets become more powerful, they generate more heat that needs to be controlled in order for them to operate efficiently.
What is just as important, although typically gets less attention from the average consumer, is battery technology. When someone buys a new Android phone or Windows tablet, one of the first things they want to know is what kind of battery life they will get out of it. How long can they play Angry Birds before it's time for a charge? What they don't often realize is the cutting-edge nature of the techniques used to build these power sources.
Sony recently announced that it will launch a new line of thin, external batteries later this fall that will be able to provide additional power to portable electronic devices. According to an IDG News Service report, one of the new Sony battery models has a capacity of 7,000 mAh. By comparison, the iPhone battery has a 1,440 mAh capacity.
"The smartphone market is growing, so the battery market is also growing accordingly," said Sony spokesman Jin Tomihari.
Whether internal or external, the emphasis in today's markets is on small, lightweight and thin batteries. In order to accomplish this, manufacturers have to approach joining dissimilar metals and the bonding of battery terminals from unique perspectives. The goal is to work as efficiently as possible with a very small amount of real estate.
Without the leaps forward in their design over the last decade, mobile phones would do little more than perform the function they are probably least used for today – making calls.