Long lasting smartphone batteries soon

NEW YORK: A new era of smart batteries is near us, where the source of charging would be solar power, TV set or even Wi-Fi at your home.

Although it would take some years to hit the market, Apple is looking into ways to fit its smartwatch's screen with a solar charging layer. This would charge the battery when the gadget is worn in sunlight, said a report in New York Times.

The race among key players like Apple, Google and Samsung is on to find alternatives to the traditional battery and to discover ways to make battery power last longer.

Traditional batteries still run on decades-old lithium-ion concoction. Latest products rely more on energy-efficient processors and software algorithms to save power than on the battery itself, the report added.

For its wristwatch, Apple has been testing a method to charge the battery wirelessly with magnetic induction. A similar technology is already used in some Nokia smartphones where a phone is placed on a charging plate. An electrical current creates a magnetic field which creates voltage that powers the phone.

The Apple iWatch is expected to have a curved glass screen with solar charging layer which would give power to the device in daylight, the report added.