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| CES 2018: Longer-lasting gadgets showcased | CES 2018: Longer-lasting gadgets showcased |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Spare a thought for the attendees of the CES tech show who decided to briefly leave their phones in charging towers. | Spare a thought for the attendees of the CES tech show who decided to briefly leave their phones in charging towers. |
| The devices got locked inside when a power cut plunged the exhibition hall into darkness. | The devices got locked inside when a power cut plunged the exhibition hall into darkness. |
| Having to constantly keep personal devices charged is a nuisance we are all, by now, familiar with - even device-makers are frustrated. | |
| During Huawei's press conference, the firm's chief executive acknowledged that battery life was among the top complaints customers make about smartphones. | During Huawei's press conference, the firm's chief executive acknowledged that battery life was among the top complaints customers make about smartphones. |
| He went on to explain that this is why Huawei's new Mate 10 Pro included a bigger battery than many rivals - at 4,000 milliamp-hour (mAh) capacity. | He went on to explain that this is why Huawei's new Mate 10 Pro included a bigger battery than many rivals - at 4,000 milliamp-hour (mAh) capacity. |
| Seeing the world's largest consumer electronics trade show briefly hobbled by a blackout perhaps makes gadgets with especially long battery life seem all the more appealing. | Seeing the world's largest consumer electronics trade show briefly hobbled by a blackout perhaps makes gadgets with especially long battery life seem all the more appealing. |
| If so, a new flurry of devices at CES this year are offering to outlast their power-hungry brethren. | If so, a new flurry of devices at CES this year are offering to outlast their power-hungry brethren. |
| Take Lenovo's Miix 630 tablet, a two-in-one that comes with a keyboard. | Take Lenovo's Miix 630 tablet, a two-in-one that comes with a keyboard. |
| It is meant to last up to 20 hours on a single charge thanks to is power-efficient Qualcomm processor, a chip initially designed for mobile devices. | It is meant to last up to 20 hours on a single charge thanks to is power-efficient Qualcomm processor, a chip initially designed for mobile devices. |
| That claim from Lenovo hasn't yet been tested, but it's a tantalising promise of a more battery-confident future. | That claim from Lenovo hasn't yet been tested, but it's a tantalising promise of a more battery-confident future. |
| Qualcomm has been working on improving efficiency in the various components that it provides to the makers of consumer gadgets. | |
| At the company's press conference this week, one executive said that the firm's new Bluetooth system-on-chip slashed power usage by 65%. | |
| As a result, wireless headphones could last nearly three times as long on a single charge, he suggested. | |
| More from CES: | |
| Another firm making similar advancements, this time for chips used in so-called internet-of-things devices, is Sigma Designs. | |
| It announced that its latest series of processors, the Z-Wave 700 line, could allow things like wi-fi connected sensors embedded in furniture and walls to last 10 years on one coin cell battery. | |
| Powering through CES | Powering through CES |
| If there's anywhere that tests the lifespan of a battery-powered device, it's CES itself. | If there's anywhere that tests the lifespan of a battery-powered device, it's CES itself. |
| There's often a race to plug in at the few available charging points and visitors to the tech show often find themselves texting last minute rendez-vous details to colleagues as their phones die. | There's often a race to plug in at the few available charging points and visitors to the tech show often find themselves texting last minute rendez-vous details to colleagues as their phones die. |
| BBC Click's Lara Lewington says keeping her phone charged up has been "a nightmare". | BBC Click's Lara Lewington says keeping her phone charged up has been "a nightmare". |
| "It's in a case which should give it two full charges but inevitably something goes wrong," she explains. | "It's in a case which should give it two full charges but inevitably something goes wrong," she explains. |
| "I'm constantly using the internet so that's draining the battery. | "I'm constantly using the internet so that's draining the battery. |
| "When you're busy running around a chaotic place trying to get loads done, you're struggling to power your phone so you get paranoid about using it." | "When you're busy running around a chaotic place trying to get loads done, you're struggling to power your phone so you get paranoid about using it." |
| If only gadgets had as much energy as CES attendees. | If only gadgets had as much energy as CES attendees. |
| For Ben Wood, an analyst at CCS Insight, the irony of all this is that while battery life may be improving in some gadgets, the batteries themselves aren't. | |
| "To make things last longer you design around [the battery], you design processors or screens that draw less power," he explained. | "To make things last longer you design around [the battery], you design processors or screens that draw less power," he explained. |
| He added that PC makers such as Lenovo and HP were drawing inspiration from smartphones when thinking about how to make tablets and laptops less power-hungry. | He added that PC makers such as Lenovo and HP were drawing inspiration from smartphones when thinking about how to make tablets and laptops less power-hungry. |
| Smartphones, of course, have for the last 10 years or so been pushed to the limit in terms of efficiency since they must rely on relatively small and flat onboard batteries. | Smartphones, of course, have for the last 10 years or so been pushed to the limit in terms of efficiency since they must rely on relatively small and flat onboard batteries. |
| For anyone seriously concerned about running out of juice, the latest portable battery packs for recharging devices away from mains supplies were on display at CES this year too. | For anyone seriously concerned about running out of juice, the latest portable battery packs for recharging devices away from mains supplies were on display at CES this year too. |
| They included a giant one from Duracell comprising a large acid battery. | They included a giant one from Duracell comprising a large acid battery. |
| Tech news site Gizmodo, which spotted the device on the show floor, calculated that it could recharge an iPhone X more than 48 times. | Tech news site Gizmodo, which spotted the device on the show floor, calculated that it could recharge an iPhone X more than 48 times. |
| Finally, PC gaming hardware specialist Razer has come up with an interesting way of powering their new wireless mouse - take the battery out entirely. | Finally, PC gaming hardware specialist Razer has come up with an interesting way of powering their new wireless mouse - take the battery out entirely. |
| It is exhibiting a wired mouse mat that generates a magnetic field, which powers electronics inside the Mamba mouse directly. | It is exhibiting a wired mouse mat that generates a magnetic field, which powers electronics inside the Mamba mouse directly. |
| "While other companies have attempted to do wireless charging for mice, they have been unable to achieve true wireless power as their mice still need a battery to be charged," said chief executive Min-Liang Tan. | "While other companies have attempted to do wireless charging for mice, they have been unable to achieve true wireless power as their mice still need a battery to be charged," said chief executive Min-Liang Tan. |
| No wonder Razer is proud of itself - tech firms are desperate to free us from the chore of regularly re-charging batteries because they know it could result in a far greater appreciation of their products, according to Ben Wood. | No wonder Razer is proud of itself - tech firms are desperate to free us from the chore of regularly re-charging batteries because they know it could result in a far greater appreciation of their products, according to Ben Wood. |
| "This is the Holy Grail," he said. | "This is the Holy Grail," he said. |
| "There's this constant race to see who can optimise the power consumption while at the same time deliver new capabilities." | "There's this constant race to see who can optimise the power consumption while at the same time deliver new capabilities." |
| Follow the BBC team at CES via this Twitter list | Follow the BBC team at CES via this Twitter list |