Mobile phone batteries have improved notably in the last couple of years, however it still doesn’t mean that many can contend with a day of heavy usage without giving up the ghost. 

Leaps and bounds in terms of processors, screen and connectivity as regards battery efficiency now mean that our devices last longer than ever before. However, there are times when even the most powerful battery needs a mid-evening boost to last the remainder of the day.

Fortunately, there are plenty of boffins out there working on ingenious solutions to the battery issues we face every day. In turn, we’ve seen some pretty amazing devices come to the fore in the last year or so and we’re going to look at some of the awesome, crazy and cool ones on offer.

Plan V

Yes, it may sound like the title for a very bad tribute act or even the fourth last strategy in an emergency - however it’s not.  Plan V is an innovative charger that utilises the power of a typical 9V battery for a quick boost of power. 

The little plastic Plan V adaptor is one half USB and one half battery connector and provides around 4 hours more phone usage. Simply, attach the device to your phone and a 9V battery to Plan V and then just juice up.

Body Heat Battery

Even crazier are the experiments from Dr Gang Chen at MIT in the US. Chen has created a prototype for a battery that doesn’t even need to be plugged in. 

The self-powered device is able to generate power from low grade sources of heat, such as the human body. The device, which uses inexpensive materials harvest energy from the environment and converts it into electricity. Hypothetically this would mean that the heat generated by your body when your phone is in your pocket, could potentially charge the battery. The device could potentially deliver electricity at around 12% efficiency at temperatures between 20 and 60 degrees

Of course, the device is still in development, meaning it may take some time before we see it on the market. However, as a concept, it’s a quite exciting one. 

30 Second Charger

Imagine being able to charge your battery in 30 seconds – now that would be amazing. Well, it seems that a start up in Israel has developed a technique that allows a battery to be charged in just that time period. 

Storedot has revealed a nanotechnology based device that can charge a laptop, phone or tablet battery in under a minute rather than a few hours. The company showcased the device last year at Microsoft’s Think Next conference in Tel Aviv, demonstrating the super-fast charging tech on a Samsung Galaxy 4. 

Battery charging is changing for the better and we hope to soon see an end to the mid-afternoon dead battery, meaning you will never have to be apart from your phone. Either way make sure it’s insured with us from only £1.49 per month, get a quote today. 

*The information in this blog is designed to provide helpful information on the subjects discussed. Please seek a professional for expert advice as we can not be held responsible for any damages or negative consequences upon following this information.

The start of Mobile World Conference is always an exciting one for lovers of handsets and other tech and this year looks just as intriguing as any other, with a number of new devices rumoured. Of course, like all shows of this nature there’s a lot that we can predict beforehand – so let’s take a look.

Samsung

Revealed already, Samsung has showcased two new devices for the show. The South Korean manufacturer announced a new S6 and also a very exciting Edge version of the same phone with curved sides. We also expect to see a number of other new devices released at the show from Samsung.

HTC 

As expected HTC has shown us all a new flagship device - the HTC One M9. The new phone looks just as exciting as last year’s M8 and is revealed once more with a uni-body chassis. With 3GB of RAM and a Snapdragon 810 processor it’s no slouch, while the 5 inch screen is still as fantastic as ever. There’s a number of new additions, including new fitness related technology and an improved camera. The Taiwanese company also showcased a VR headset at the show too. 

Smartwatches

The smartwatch is to have its year in 2015 according to reports and it seems that so far this seems to be the case. Huawei, LG and a number of others have revealed smartwatches in the hope of upsetting the Apple cart. Huawei’s new watch has been acclaimed as the most attractive smart watch yet from a number of blogs and does certainly look like it’s going to be quite impressive. LG’s smartwatch is also an attractive looking prospect and comes with a whole array of heartrate sensors and other extras to keep geeks amused.

Fingerprint Sensor 2.0

Snapdragon Sense ID 3D Fingerprint technology is the latest item from the chipmaker at the show and is said to be the next generation of this fingerprint tech. The new ultrasonic based technology can scan through sweat, lotions and condensation – something previous incarnations have found to be problematic at times. The new tech is said to be vastly superior to anything currently out there – so we can’t wait to get hands-on. 

Midrange Microsoft

Even though Microsoft said it wouldn’t release a new top end device until Windows 10 comes out, it’s revealed a number of new devices at MWC and both run Windows 8.1. Microsoft has released the Lumia 640 to supersede the 635 and also the 640XL which comes with a larger 5.7inch display. Both phones will be upgradable to Windows 10.

Sony Reveals

Sony also showcased a mid-range device, the M4 Aqua which can be used in water at depths of up to 1.5m. Sony has also showcased a new tablet in the Z4 which will be the slimmest 10 inch tablet on the market and looks like a quite impressive device.

Needless to say there will be more intriguing reveals from MWC over the coming week and we’ll bring you all the latest in another blog after the show wraps up. 

*The information in this blog is designed to provide helpful information on the subjects discussed. Please seek a professional for expert advice as we can not be held responsible for any damages or negative consequences upon following this information.