8 Hour Laptop Battery Due in 2006

The need to change a laptop battery every few hours may soon be an annoyance of the past. Intel and Matsushita, the maker of Panasonic brand products, are jointly developing technology that would produce laptop batteries with 8 hours of power per charge.

To be finished by next April, the battery is based on lithium-ion technology that can store up to 30 percent more power and has a lower end-of-discharge voltage, which means it can run longer before needing a recharge. The battery would work with current power-saving techniques used by Intel in order to extend its usable life.