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Technology Stocks : VALENCE TECHNOLOGY (VLNC) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Javelyn Bjoli who wrote (2701)	4/21/1998 9:48:00 AM
From: DKR	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 27311

I found this in IBD this morning, sounds positive but at least one person thinks we are a year or two away: Laptop Users Face Battery Of Power Options Date: 4/21/98 Author: Thomas York These days, the worker on the go lugs as much stuff as the foot soldier charging into battle. All those laptops, printers, cell phones and digital cameras require batteries - lots of them. And America's civilian cavalry may need even heftier batteries as computer makers introduce more powerful laptops and gadgets like digital video disc players. ''Power consumption is going up, not down,'' said Ken Hawk, co-founder of 1-800-Batteries (http://www.1800Batteries.com), a retailer based in Reno, Nev. ''It's a real problem.'' The new laptops using Intel Corp.'s Pentium II 233-megahertz processor suck up a third more power than earlier designs, he says. But Hawk has good news for today's power-starved executive. Soon, the laptop itself could become the battery - or a big chunk of it. Hawk says lithium polymer batteries will start replacing familiar nickel-cadmium and nickel- metal-hydride batteries. Unfortunately, that's still a year or two away. But the good news is these new batteries can be molded to fit a wide variety of sizes and shapes. Imagine a laptop casing that doubles as a battery. Lithium polymer designs are lighter and deliver more power for longer periods than today's standards. For now, the nickel-based batteries remain the portable world's workhorses. You can charge them quickly, and they work well in extreme cold and heat. But they suffer from the so-called memory effect. If you don't discharge them completely between cycles, they won't hold a charge as long - a real problem on long airplane flights. That's why lithium ion batteries are growing more popular. These top-end batteries are forerunners to lithium polymer models. Lithium ion batteries don't suffer from memory effect and last twice as long between charges as nickel-based batteries. But lithium ion models are expensive, and don't last as long overall as nickel-based batteries. They have a life expectancy of about 400 charge and discharge cycles, compared with 700 for nickel cadmiums. David Byrne, president of Palo Alto, Calif.-based retailer Batteries Direct Inc. (http://www.batteriesdirect.com), says many of his customers balk at the cost of lithium ions -$250 or so apiece. Nickel-based batteries for laptops generally cost about $100. Lithium ion models are ''better, but only marginally better for the price,'' Byrne said. Given the steep prices for new batteries, it should come as no surprise that the rechargeable battery is popular. People in the industry estimate that sales of rechargeable batteries accounted for about $1 billion of the $6 billion U.S. battery market last year. And they say the percentage is growing fast. Between 725 million and 750 million rechargeable batteries were sold last year in the U.S., up 12% from '96, says Norman England, head of the Portable Rechargeable Battery Association, a trade group based in Atlanta. Leading the U.S. rechargeable battery industry are Japan-based Sanyo Electric Co. and the Panasonic unit of Japan's Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. They make them under a variety of makes and brands. The disposable battery field is dominated by the Energizer and Duracell brands. Still, getting the right replacement battery can be challenging. Unlike the disposable market, which features standard sizes like AA and AAA, rechargeable batteries come in hundreds of sizes. Laptop makers can't seem to agree to a standard. ''The battery is the last thing they think of,'' Byrne said. International Business Machines Corp.'s popular Thinkpad line of laptops uses a dozen different battery types and sizes, none interchangeable. Hawk has cataloged more than 7,000 kinds of batteries used in laptops and other devices. More and more users of portable devices are turning to battery packs that can power several devices at once. The packs feature 3/4-inch-thick lead-acid batteries about the length and width of a sheet of notebook paper. ''They're low tech, but they last up to seven hours (fully charged),'' Byrne said. ''We sell a lot of them.'' Changes being made by airlines are one reason you're likely to become less dependent on batteries. American, Delta and United all are installing power outlets suitable for laptops in business-and first-class sections of planes on international and cross-country domestic flights. Other airlines are expected to follow. Business travelers are clamoring for the outlets, Byrne said. Xtend Micro Products Inc. of Irvine, Calif. (http://www.xmpi.com), makes more than 200 models of adapters that can connect laptops to these inflight power sources. But battery makers don't like that trend. They warn that older batteries used in many portables could overheat and catch fire or vent poisonous fumes when laptops are plugged into these power sources. Airlines and federal authorities counter that safety devices built into their power ports will shut the power off before any fire starts. So you may be able to lose some of those battery worries when you take a flight in the future. (C) Copyright 1998 Investors Business Daily, Inc. Metadata: INTC MC IBM I/3675 I/3651 I/3573 E/IBD E/SN

To: Javelyn Bjoli who wrote (2701)	4/21/1998 1:02:00 PM
From: Dennis	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 27311

J.B.: Thanks for the update....seems the ol' roller coaster is back in business today. I think the IBD article, when referencing that the LP battery for lap tops is several years away, was talking about manufactures being able to make the lap top shells out of thLP battery materials...at least that's my read on it. Otherwise, we're sucking some wind here!!! Thanks again...I always find your posts to be very informative & helpfull.. Dennis