Intel-Led Group Seeks Longer Battery LifeIntel-Led Group Seeks Longer Battery Life

Intel is forcing the issue of battery development. Unwilling to leave it to traditional battery makers to develop longer-lasting power supplies, the chipmaker has formed the Mobile PC Extended Battery Life Working Group. The name sounds grandiose, but Dell Computer, Fujitsu, Microsoft, and Toshiba are among the effort's backers.

Intel says the mobile computing's mainstay battery--the lithium-ion cell--is lagging other wireless developments. The group is considering fuel cells and other alternatives that let people "cut the AC cord," says Intel mobile VP Anand Chandrasekher.

Intel says the group is working toward a battery that lets people work on devices for an entire day on a single charge. The group will also address regulatory and environmental issues related to batteries. It hopes to produce usable technologies by 2004.