Say hello to the nine hour battery

National Semiconductor and ARM are working together to develop power-efficient systems to extend the life of batteries by five times.

The technology uses chips that can automatically adjust the performance of the processor and power consumption. It could mean six to nine hours of battery life on a single charge.

"Consumers are demanding better performance and longer battery life from handheld devices," said Peter Henry, vice president for portable power products at National Semiconductor, in a statement.

"Every time you add a new capability, it takes more power and reduces the lifetime of your battery. The only way to give consumers what they want - more features and longer battery life - is to improve the management of power consumption in portable devices," he added.

The technology could let mobile phone makers reduce the battery's size and cut the size and cost of phones and will be available to mobile phone makers for testing in the second quarter of 2003, with a view to going on sale in 2004.