We may not realize it but one of the most important factors holding back widespread use of wireless is very little attention being paid to research in improving batteries in future devices that will operate at higher network speeds and will use powerful processors and accessories. We call upon VCs and industry giants to divert a part of their preoccupation with wireless silicon and software towards this not-so-sexy area of product innovation. While hardware manufacturers are making progress in using power management techniques and chip manufacturers are doing their bit to solve the problem, progress as a result of this effort is often overtaken by the increased demand by faster processors and speeds. The result is that end users can see only marginal improvements in terms of the number of hours they can keep on running their wireless or mobile equipment without hurrying to get another battery or running around to recharge their batteries.

In this light, we are delighted to see some recent news about progress in this somewhat neglected area of our technology. We applaud Motorola to spearhead research in this area. But one company can not shoulder all the burden and benefits of this research. Also, only fuel cell is not the answer. We need to address fuel cell, solar batteries and faster conventional lithium batteries. We must move forward otherwise the weight of the batteries will be higher than that of the devices.

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