Microsoft Announces InstaLoad Battery Tech
Sometimes the smallest technological developments make a big difference.
It's not a big deal, but it is annoying. You check the little positive and negative markings on the battery cover (if they're there at all) and then you put them in the wrong way around anyway. Sure, taking them out and switching them around isn't going to make you late for your lunch date, but it's something you'd like to avoid if at all possible.
Thanks to Microsoft, it is. Microsoft recently debuted a new technology called InstaLoad, which involves doubling the number of contacts in the battery compartment. By including a set of positive and negative contacts at both ends of the compartment (instead of a single positive contact at one end and a single negative contact at the other end), Microsoft has enabled users to cram batteries in any way they like. This should come in particularly handy when changing batteries in the dark.
Microsoft is licensing the technology out to any and all third-party device suppliers and already counts Duracell on its list of licensees. If companies want to license the technology for accessibility products aimed at people with vision or learning disabilities, Microsoft is willing to license the technology royalty-free.
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Jane McEntegart is a writer, editor, and marketing communications professional with 17 years of experience in the technology industry. She has written about a wide range of technology topics, including smartphones, tablets, and game consoles. Her articles have been published in Tom's Guide, Tom's Hardware, MobileSyrup, and Edge Up.
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rmmil978 Simple tech that'll probably turn more of a profit for them in the long term than the Xbox 360.Reply -
IFLATLINEI Designed for the same people who need those directions on shampoo bottles.Reply
fortehluls - Really? Was this supposed to be funny? -
dj1001 it really good of them to license it out for free.Reply
this is something people will really appreciate. -
tntom You could do the same by using a bridge rectifier. I've done it many times on small circuits which could be harmed by reverse voltage. Just use 4 diodes with a low voltage drop.Reply