SleepWell WiFi Technology Doubles Battery Life

If you think you shouldn't waste time in "old proven technologies" like WiFi, here's one more example of how even the most common things can often be improved - and using plain simple concepts.

A grad student in Duke University found a simple way to double the battery life of mobile devices by simply changing the way WiFi is used.

Have you ever felt that sometime you can use WiFi for a very long time with no noticeable impact in the battery life of your device, while other times it seems like it drains it in no time? Well, it actually happens.

The power your device uses depends on the number of WiFi hotspots and equipment around. In a high density neighborhood your device will have to "fight" with other devices using the WiFi networks, wasting a lot of power.

But, with this SleepWell technology, devices will be able to go to sleep while other devices are using the networks, until it's actually their time to transmit and receive data. (Keep in mind this happens hundreds or thousands of times per second, so, it's not as if you'll have to wait for a neighbor to finish a download! :)

Considering that battery life is currently the major issue preventing smartphones from becoming even more useful (an intensive user won't expect more than a day from their high-end smartphone - or even less), all help in this department is certainly appreciated!