Solving Battery Nightmares

Wouldn’t it be great if someone invented a laptop battery without all the usual problems? A battery that would last longer between charges. A battery that weighed significantly less. A battery that didn’t make you think twice about whether it might catch fire.

Someone has. It’s called an ultracapacitor. And, before you know it, versions will be available for your laptop, cell phone, and other electronics.

Ultracapacitors are based on completely different technology than batteries. I won’t bore you into a coma with the details, but imagine energy storage without heavy metals and acid. The bottom line is pretty impressive. They charge quickly, as fast as 90 seconds from empty to full. Ultracapacitors hold a charge indefinitely---as opposed to batteries that discharge slowly when they are not in use. Ultracaps (as cool people call them) are not made of any toxic substances, so they don’t create a landfill or recycling nightmare. Plus they are highly energy efficient and compact.

The first commercial product with an ultracapacitor hit the market in early 2009. I’d love to tell you it’s a great laptop, but instead it’s the Coleman Flashcell Screwdriver (which, it turns out, is not the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for your wife.) But, in the coming months and years we should see more and more products using ultracapacitors as power sources. So, as you shop for the latest and greatest electronics, check if there is a version with an ultracapacitor rather than a battery pack. It will make your new purchase that much sweeter.

Always charged up and ready to go,

Darrell Gray
Networkistics, Inc.
IT consulting and support services
925.249.9980
www.networkistics.com