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by Robert McNicholas on July 21, 2015
The first day of summer has come and gone. Now, if only we could get our device batteries to hold a charge during the longest days of the year…
As I was scouring the Internet for interesting bits of tech news, I couldn’t help but notice a pattern among the things I was finding: wearable technology, long battery life, and wearables to boost battery life. Apparently, other people are also interested in (and possibly frustrated by) the fact that most of our smartphones can’t last as long as a summer day.
And, as summer road trips are just around the corner for most of us, there are some new ideas for a car-friendly Wi-Fi hotspot. Of course, you could use your iPhone, but that would just drain the battery.
And so it goes. Without further ado, here’s some summer-ready tech news!
Talk About Wearable Technology
A post from TechCrunch passed along a report that researchers from the University of Tokyo have found a way to print a wearable technology that you can actually, well, wear.
The process makes the connectors a bit more cloth-like, a bit more stretchy. A commercial application wasn't mentioned, but does this mean there will be SmartSweaters and IoT-ready T-shirts in our future?
Please Let This Be True, Part One
Speaking of wearables, is your Apple Watch going to sleep before you do? Like many smart devices, battery life has been a problem for these gadgets. No more, says a company called Reserve Strap. They're introducing a product called the Specialized Thermoset Elastometer Silicon Band, which is supposed to boost Apple Watch's battery life into the two-day range.
The upside? It's okay with Apple, and the band won't mess with your warranty. The downside? At nearly $250, it's taking your standard Apple Watch into TAG Heuer territory.
Read the full story on TechCrunch by clicking here.
Please Let This Be True, Part Two
As I'm not an Apple Watch owner, I was tempted to put this bit of news into the pretty-please-let-this-be-true category: According to Engadget, Samsung is creating a special battery that is denser (in a good way) and hardier than the ones currently reposing in our devices right now. This additional heft would make the batteries last longer – hurrah!
The downside to this one? It's not market-ready yet. So go plug in your phone before you forget.
Your Car as a Hotspot
I suppose if you really wanted to be Wi-Fi connected at all times, you could do what a friend of mine does: buy one of those hotspots from your favorite cell phone service and carry it around with you everywhere. If, on the other hand, you only want your car to be connected, you could read CNET's article about Vinli’s diagnostic-adapter-cum-4G-hotspot and learn how to do it.
Or, you know, just use your phone (as long as the battery holds out).
As always, you can turn to Techsperts Services – not just for information on tech news, but for practical help in getting your home or business up to speed.