Startup SolidEnergy Systems sets to be the first company to start selling solid-state lithium batteries promising to provide twice the energy of conventional lithium-ion batteries without the risk of bursting into flames.
Lithium-ion batteries pack a powerful blend of capacity and long cycle life, but the use of a flammable liquid electrolyte (a dilute mixture of lithium salts) has lead to injuries, product recalls and flight bans. Solid-state batteries use an inert solid, such as plastic or ceramic, instead of the liquid electrolytes, making them safer and, thanks to support for a pure lithium anode, boast higher energy density.
However, while the technology is promising, solid-state lithium batteries have a problem-- the lithium anodes tend to grow "dendrites," whisker-like structures that can reach the cathode and short the battery. SolidEnergy claims to solve the issue through coating the pure lithium foil anode with a mixed polymer-ceramic electrolyte. In addition, the cathode gets another electrolyte, a paste of lithium salts solvent enough to conduct ions at room temperature.
The O-Free also include another Qualcomm technology with TrueWireless Stereo, a means for power management and connectivity. Thus, Oppo says the earbuds offer up to 4 hours of use on a single charge, with the charging/carrying case adding a further 12 hours of listening time.
The idea of a Microsoft dual-screen device has been around for years. In 2010, a group of Microsoft engineers lead by then Xbox lead J Allard pushed 
The legal disputes started in 2011, after the late Steve Jobs vowed to go "thermonuclear" on Android-based iPhone rivals. The ensuing Smartphone War involved every major industry player, but the harshest battles involved Samsung. Apple insisted the S. Korean giant "slavishly" copied the iPhone design, while at one point a Samsung lawyer described Apple as a "jihadist."
The recently announced Snapdragon 850 promises to bring smartphone-style features to laptops, such as always-on LTE or wifi connections ensuring users receive notifications and have data always synced while on the go. According to the reports the Snapdragon 1000 is an even more powerful laptop chip, one aimed to rival the likes of the Intel Y- and U-series Core processors with a power draw reaching 6.5W. In comparison, the Y- and U-series chips have a power draw of 4.5 and 15W respectively.
