Vodafone, Google Come Together To Extend Smartwatch Battery Life

Vodafone Group Plc VOD collaborated with Alphabet Inc GOOG GOOGL Google to extend the battery life of a smartwatch, Reuters reports. 

They look to reduce the "chatter" between the device and the network, which significantly drained its energy than screen brightness and other settings targeted by low power modes.

Vodafone developed an API (application programming interface) enabling apps and operating systems, like Android's Wear OS, to reconfigure their network communication.

They emphasized the importance of battery life for wearables, like smartwatches and other devices behind their collaboration. They tested changes like making the watch connect to the network intermittently instead of constantly and releasing the channel through which it was transmitting more quickly, Vodafone director Santiago Tenorio said.

Given the small battery size in smartwatches, changing these parameters could extend the life of the device "very significantly," Tenorio said. The API could save users enough power to last until the end of a long run, he said.

The tech derived from Vodafone's 2017 project with elite runner Kenenisa Bekele to break the two-hour marathon barrier.

The amount of data transmitted by sensors in the attempt exhausted a smartwatch battery in less than an hour, Tenorio said. Vodafone disclosed that the technology could be available in Wear OS in the coming months with "many more" wearables partners interested in the API.

Google's Pixel Watch battery claimed to power the accessory for a day on a single charge. Samsung Electronics Co, Ltd's SSNLF 40mm Galaxy Watch 4 promises 40 hours of longevity on a single charge. However, reports suggested that the battery lasts only for a day. 

Apple, Inc AAPL Watch's battery charge lasts 18 hours when accounting for a one-hour workout. However, users claimed longer endurance than promised.

Price Action: VOD shares traded lower by 0.13% at $15.42 on the last check Thursday.

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