Your future smartphone's screen will hardly need any power
As you're likely all too aware, smartphone screens chew up a lot of power -- that's why turning down your brightness frequently does more to save energy than closing an app. If Bodle Technologies has its way, though, your display will be a virtual non-issue. It's developing a phase change material that uses virtually no power, but is still sharp, vivid and visible in bright sunlight. While a lot about the technology remains a secret, it revolves around sending electrical pulses to flexible, transparent layers.
The technology is still early, and Bodle isn't naming the (reportedly large) companies it's talking to about production. However, it could go a long way toward solving the battery woes of modern mobile tech. Your smartphone would be less likely to need a daily recharge, and your smartwatch could last a week on battery without relying on e-paper or other displays that sacrifice quality in the name of longevity. There's more, too: the discoverers promise "smart glazing" that lets windows block heat on a sunny day, or filter out certain kinds of light. Bodle's work may not ship for a long while, but it could be near-ubiquitous when it does.
