Jan/107
A Solar-Powered PC for 2010.
I’d love to get out an do another Solar Computing Tour in 2010 but I’ll have to plan it carefully. Our new baby is due in March so maybe I can pull a long weekend together in late August but we’ll have to see how things go.
It doesn’t stop me thinking about solar computing though and in this post I’m going to compare a set of devices and some technologies that will be important for the job of Solar PC 2010.
Before I do that I want to highlight a few things that really haven’t changed much in the last 3 years. It’s a sad story of minimal progress.
- Solar panels – NOTHING has changed. They’re still expensive and inefficient.
- Battery Tech – NOTHING has change. They are still expensive and use the same technology as before.
- Operating system choice – Nothing has really changed. If you want to work efficiently you need to choose the same OS as you use on the desktop. Mobile operating systems have come a long way but there are still too many potential roadblocks for the average productivity user. Windows 7 is nice but compared to XP it’s less efficient which in my book, makes it the best choice for efficient and productive mobile computing.
- Screen technology. Outdoor users are still fighting the sun with LED backlights although this is a great step forward from the CCFL backlighting I used in 2007. Transflective screens are coming in 2010 though. See below.
- Weather – Ah, there’s something that hasn’t changed much either! Still, constant chaos. (Thank goodness!)
May/080
Solar cells on Portable devices. Apple Patent.
MacRumors have just reported on a patent filed by Apple that shows how they see a possibility to integrate solar cells into the display panel.
Solar panels will have to get much more efficient and power-drain reduced down to the sub 5W range before this technique has legs for any form of general computing device. Screens are never used in direct sunlight and I’m sure that the LCD layer will reduce efficiency by a huge amount but considering that its one of the largest available areas on any portable device, it makes sense to start thinking about it for the future.
Jun/070
HiTechWealth Solar Mobile phone is encouraging.
To know that there’s a commercially available solar-powered mobile phone gives me a lot of inspiration and encouragement that one day in the near future we’ll be able to design UMPCs with infinite standby capability. You could have a panel and electronics that senses light levels and keeps the device in standby (or even turned on) when there’s enough ambient light. When the light levels drop below a threshold for a certain amount of time (based on remaining battery life perhaps), the device would drop into hibernation.
The mobile phone shown here is produced by HiTech Wealth and is available in China for $510. Full news story at SolSie.