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HP Introduces New Technology to Save Mobile Battery Life

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the batmax-beware dept.

fenimor writes "HP researchers have developed new technology to save battery life on mobile devices. Targeting one of the main culprits of battery consumption -- the display -- they've developed an energy-aware solution that dims parts of the screen that aren't in use. Display battery life lasts from two to 11 times longer, depending on what the user is doing."

11 of 225 comments (clear)

  1. HP innovation! by BWJones · · Score: 4, Insightful


    Now, this is the kind of thinking and research development that I would expect from HP! This technology combined with optimizations in the OS like Quartz could be a real boost to the way we interact with our portable devices, allowing for progressive dynamic layering of items that are important to view. Shoot, one could even link it into search engines to render only what is relevant for display.

    Now if they could just put a little innovation into their calculators again....

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    1. Re:HP innovation! by iowannaski · · Score: 4, Insightful

      While it would be incredibly cool if this technology could be used with PC LCD monitors, don't get too excited yet.

      LCD screens generally rely on a single backlight for illumination. Swithing to multiple backlights is certainly possible, but don't expect to be able to control power consumption on a pixel by pixelbasis anytime soon.

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      i forget
  2. Self Defeating by AKAImBatman · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Watch a typical Windows user sometime. What's the first thing they do to whatever application they open?

    If you said "Maximize it!", then you're right! Sadly, this ends up being self-defeating. :-/

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    Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
    1. Re:Self Defeating by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I don't understand, what's wrong with maximizing a window such that it should be associated with the evil world of Windows? What's not to like about using as much of the screen as possible so you can see as much of what you're working on as possible? Does the stereotypical Linux user configure their WM so as to remove the maximize button, or something?

    2. Re:Self Defeating by browngb · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I have two 19" monitors running dual display, because I decided I needed more desktop. Turns out I just have one app maximized to both monitors at once all the time, in stead of 60 small windows. The reason for it is pretty simple, I don't want to continually be scrolling. It's just much more comfortable to have everything laid out in front of me. If I need access to something else, Alt+Tab is just a click away.

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  3. in other news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    battery life of your cell phone can be extended by

    TURNING THE FUCKING PHONE OFF

  4. OLEDs by stryck9 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Maybe if they put some money in OLED research, they wouldn't need to worry about backlights at all.

  5. Well, but how really useful is this? by kompiluj · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I don't know - is this a useful technique or just another trick? When the salesman tells you that laptop runs 6 hrs. on system battery, but only if you don't touch it - how useful is this for you?
    Reminds me of other fallacies: the gigahertz myth, the LCD display reaction-time. myth

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    You can defy gravity... for a short time
  6. Stupid question, but... by Junior+J.+Junior+III · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If this is really so important, why not switch to white text on black background for mobile devices? This would maximize the amount of dim pixels.

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    You see? You see? Your stupid minds! Stupid! Stupid!
  7. DVDs by twelvemonkeys · · Score: 3, Insightful

    hmm... and how does this help me watch more DVDs on long flights?

  8. OLEDs, STN, laptops and other silliness by neurocutie · · Score: 3, Insightful
    While their efforts are all well and good, there doesn't sound like there is much substance there when you here that one of the ideas is to resort to an blinking LED when an email arrives.

    1) Clearly moving quickly to a display technology that emits light efficiently ONLY WHERE YOU WANT IT, like OLEDs, is much smarter than the current backlit architecture, where you blast an array of FILTERS (devices design to THROW AWAY LIGHT) with a bright uniform backlight. The current LCD technology is about as stupid as it gets when it comes to energy efficiency.

    2) I am constantly amazed that no laptop company has yet make a laptop with EXCHANGEABLE displays. There are times, in the dark, where you want a bright color display, BUT there are other times when you would be much happier with a passive/reflective/no backlight display, which, by the way, is far more energy efficient. If I'm working outside, for example, writing a paper or whatever, I really would be happier with a simple STN reflective, LOW POWER, NO BACKLIGHT, perhaps even monochrome LCD (the type on those old Palm V's would be perfect: very high contrast, very low power). So why not have a laptop that you can simply plug in different display screens, depending on your anticipated usage ? I would venture to guess that a standard modern laptop with a TFT and a battery life of 3 hours, would last 6+ hours using a passive STN display.

    The fact is that in most daily human environments other than in a movie theater, it is expected that there will be sufficient lighting to read magazines, write postcards, etc, etc. So laptop displays need to take advantage of this, rather than the current (stupid) brute force method of trying to drown out the environmental lighting with a light-producing display.