New software dramatically reduces existing smartphone charge times

[Justin Kahn]

Developers and manufacturers are constantly looking towards innovation in battery tech for mobile devices, just recently uBeam began prototyping wireless ultrasound charging. But now, a new piece of software is able to dramatically enhance the efficiency of charging on current gen hardware.

A new company called Qnovo is working on software that essentially analyzes and tweaks the incoming charge signal allowing for much faster charges than we are used to. It is also reported to increase the efficiency and life span of the batteries that are using it.

A device equipped with Qnovo's software is plugged into an adapter of sorts that fires of voltages to the phone or tablet which allows the system to keep track of things like the temperature of the battery as well a number of other bits of data. With this information, the adapter is able to feed power to the battery at a much more efficient rate, resulting in much faster charges.

Normally, increasing the flow of power to a battery can cause degradation, but with Qnovo's software constantly monitoring the connection, devices are not only charged much quicker than usual but in a way that is safe for the battery as well. According to the company, a charge time of about 15 minutes on a standard smartphone will bring about 1.5 hours of talk time, but under the same conditions Qnovo's system provides 6 hours.

While there is no clear indication as to which manufacturers are looking into the tech, Qnovo says devices using the software will appear as early as next year.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/57715-new-software-dramatically-reduces-existing-smartphone-charge-times.html

 

[Guest]

Software? what does this have to do with software?
you need proprietary charger and smartphone that supports it, something tells me it wont work without root and I don't think anyone will include this in OTA update

 

[Bl00dyMinded]

Software? what does this have to do with software?
you need proprietary charger and smartphone that supports it, something tells me it wont work without root and I don't think anyone will include this in OTA update

Actually you don't. If you know about electronics technology you can do it fine with the current charger. It even says it in the article that current hardware will support it. The software will monitor and control the amount of voltage your phone receives and in the amount of time it does it... Come on now...

 

[Guest]

Come on now fl21289... No need to talk down to people. This article does give the impression that hardware is required. If you didn't read the source article you'd have no clue there was a software-only solution. I do agree with the original commenter about updates though; even if it is technically possible I think it is very unlikely that any current device will be getting this.

I also think it is very unlikely new devices with the tech will live up to their claims, partly because manufacturers will want more of a safety margin for production than just testing in a lab. Nobody wants even 1 device in 5 million to go into thermal runaway and injure a user.

 

[Nima304]

If it can already provide a 400% faster charge time, and this is software, why not release now? You can't tell me it'll take "as early as next year" (which could mean December 2015, mind you) to test, QA, and release this software, even if you were doing unreasonably extensive tests.

 

[DelJo63]

Having built mobile radio systems, YES, it is possible to control the voltage applied and therefore change the charging current to a battery. If I can do that in hardware, then a software controlled charger is a snap. However, this is a great way to shorten the life of the battery. BTW: did anyone read of the LI battery failures on the 787 dreamliner? Guess what - - the over charging created thermal runaway and a fire.
OEM chargers did the same to several iPhones. I think I'll just stick with overnight charging and/or via the car adapter.

Just because you can, it doesn't mean you should OR that it's a bright idea,

Caveat Emptor

 

[p51d007]

Or you can do what I did, go for a mid-spec device, like the Huawei Mate2, that has a 3900mAH battery.
Big whoop, it doesn't have a 2k screen, KK or other unnecessary stuff. I don't play games, I don't watch movies on a smartphone. I use it as a phone, mp3 player, camera, web browsing, email, text to the tune of 1500 to 2000 minutes a month, maybe 50 photos a month, few hours a month of mp3 playing, lots of web browsing, couple hundred text and I get 2-3 days EASY on one charge. Unless a phone just a little taller but same thickness & width is out of your idea of a good phone, I love it!