Good news for users of smartphones and other portable devices constantly frustrated by batteries that don’t seem to last the day.  A new type of energy saving memory has been successfully developed that can extend your battery life from 5 to 10 times.

Typical memory works as an arrangement of “cells” that each save information as a binary value of “1” or “0” which requires some electricity.  The problem with this system is that the cells are arranged as a circuit which makes it necessary for the current to pass through every single cell every time information is processed. For most processes, this leads to a massive waste of electricity.

However, a research group at Tohoku University has found a way to only send electricity to the cells that are being processed.  When the cells that need writing are assigned, power is sent only to that sector leaving all the other cells dead. The researchers have accomplished this in one nanosecond.

This technology looks to be ready for commercial application very soon, and undoubtedly manufacturers are dying to get their hands on it. So if you’re planning to replace your mobile device, you may want to wait a bit.  It looks like we’re about to see some longer-living smartphones from here on.

Source: Yomiuri (Japanese)