Low power smartphone OS

Description

I've had this idea for some time now. If a smartphone were populated with low-power components, and an E-ink display, the energy consumption could really be stretched out. The goal would be to have something that, even when being used, could last a week at minimum.

Think about those old hand-held LCD games. They didn't have much to them, but one or two AA batteries could power them for months of use.

If we could build a phone that utilized the lowest power components, and work out a new OS from the ground up for that device, long life could be achieved. Instead, most energy efficient smartphones we have today, are not very efficient. They all use some sort of high resolution color LCD (or LED screen) that drains most of the battery life. An E-ink display with a toggle for the backlight would really save battery life.
Depending on the thickness of the device, it could even have a 9V battery connector embedded on the back for a little extra juice if no power is available.

Discussions

greenaum wrote 09/02/2015 at 11:51

Yup, the memory LCDs seem to have all the advantages of e-ink with none of the disadvantages. Better refresh rate, and only needs powering at all when you're updating the display.

Also I dunno that E-ink touchscreens are possible, the one on my ebook uses a grid of LEDs / photosensors to detect touch. The Sharp LCD is mostly ordinary LCD, I'd guess that you can get them with resistive touchscreens already fitted.

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j0z0r pwn4tr0n wrote 03/28/2015 at 01:38

This is an awesome idea, and I think it is the future of devices. Once Moore's law tops out, people are going to look at other ways to improve the experience, and baterry life is a high priority. I would love to have a smartphone that would last for days on a single charge, and I'm also in love with e-ink displays!

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Klaus wrote 03/13/2015 at 15:01

I really like e-ink screens and would opt for something similar. Good idea

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suicidal.banana wrote 03/12/2015 at 15:37

Nice idea, though i would suggest also looking at other types of screens, e-ink are pretty rad, but they all have pretty medicore refresh rates, and if you play your cards right you can still save alot of energy on the screen even if its not a e-ink screen.

For example, OLED screens take less power then your average LCD, and if you start avoiding overuse of the 'color' white you can save quite alot of power.

All of the above assumes that you will want to show some animations or maybe even watch a video, if you dont, then e-ink will actually be your best bet.

Keep us posted, interesting stuff!

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PointyOintment wrote 05/13/2015 at 15:15

Sharp Memory LCD would be another option.

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Low power smartphone OS

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