Microsoft Support admitted that the company is currently investigating the problem. Until a solution is found, Surface owners are encouraged to look out for new Windows 10 updates and Surface firmware patches. Microsoft will want to solve this problem soon or risk hurting the image of the upcoming products it's set to launch at the Surface Event on Oct 2.
The good news is that if the battery problems stem from a software bug they should be fixable through another update — barring that it doesn't cause even more problems. No, we're not making this up. A patent filed by Microsoft in 2018 (via Windows Latest) describes how solar panels could be mounted to the Surface Pro's kickstand to extend battery life.
The patent references carrying cases that charge devices with solar energy but notes there is no such solution for when a laptop or tablet is in use. In the patent, Microsoft theorizes the use of solar panels on a Surface Pro, and maps out different ways it could be implemented.One photo shows a Surface Pro with an attached keyboard that is being charged by four solar panels mounted to the back of its kickstand. Another method described in the patent would charge the Surface device directly.
You wouldn't even need direct sunlight, as the solar panels appear to work with artificial lights. Better yet, the kickstand can be rotated so the panels aim directly at the source of light. Microsoft wouldn't be the first to use solar energy to charge a keyboard. Logitech's long-running K750 is a wireless solar keyboard that charges itself when there is light and stays powered for three months in total darkness.
Still, you shouldn't get too excited about the idea of never having to charge your Surface Pro. We see all sorts of strange patents filed by big tech companies and few of them see the light of day. Putting solar panels on a mass-production device is among the more audacious ideas we've heard of, so we wouldn't bet on a solar-powered Surface arriving anytime soon.
Microsoft would need to invest a lot of R&D to make solar a viable solution for increasing the battery life of a tablet or laptop. Along with added cost, solar panels could compromise the device's weight and appearance. We're hoping for some major changes to the next Surface device after the Surface Pro 7 failed to break new ground. We won't be saying the same thing later this year if Microsoft can somehow find a way to add solar tech to the Surface Pro 8.
The system's lid no longer closed properly, and its thickness at the top of the touchpad had grown from 0.4 inches to 0.8 inches. It ran fine, but something was clearly amiss, because the Flip's battery life had declined from more than 12 hours to less than 6.
More to the point, with the potential for lithium-ion batteries to explode or catch fire, continuing to use my Flip seemed dangerous. The bulging battery indicated that the power-generating chemical reaction wasn't running to completion which meant that there might be breaks in the membrane separating the positively charged side of the cell from the negatively portion, resulting in the buildup of gases inside the battery.
The good news is that if the battery problems stem from a software bug they should be fixable through another update — barring that it doesn't cause even more problems. No, we're not making this up. A patent filed by Microsoft in 2018 (via Windows Latest) describes how solar panels could be mounted to the Surface Pro's kickstand to extend battery life.
The patent references carrying cases that charge devices with solar energy but notes there is no such solution for when a laptop or tablet is in use. In the patent, Microsoft theorizes the use of solar panels on a Surface Pro, and maps out different ways it could be implemented.One photo shows a Surface Pro with an attached keyboard that is being charged by four solar panels mounted to the back of its kickstand. Another method described in the patent would charge the Surface device directly.
You wouldn't even need direct sunlight, as the solar panels appear to work with artificial lights. Better yet, the kickstand can be rotated so the panels aim directly at the source of light. Microsoft wouldn't be the first to use solar energy to charge a keyboard. Logitech's long-running K750 is a wireless solar keyboard that charges itself when there is light and stays powered for three months in total darkness.
Still, you shouldn't get too excited about the idea of never having to charge your Surface Pro. We see all sorts of strange patents filed by big tech companies and few of them see the light of day. Putting solar panels on a mass-production device is among the more audacious ideas we've heard of, so we wouldn't bet on a solar-powered Surface arriving anytime soon.
Microsoft would need to invest a lot of R&D to make solar a viable solution for increasing the battery life of a tablet or laptop. Along with added cost, solar panels could compromise the device's weight and appearance. We're hoping for some major changes to the next Surface device after the Surface Pro 7 failed to break new ground. We won't be saying the same thing later this year if Microsoft can somehow find a way to add solar tech to the Surface Pro 8.
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The system's lid no longer closed properly, and its thickness at the top of the touchpad had grown from 0.4 inches to 0.8 inches. It ran fine, but something was clearly amiss, because the Flip's battery life had declined from more than 12 hours to less than 6.
More to the point, with the potential for lithium-ion batteries to explode or catch fire, continuing to use my Flip seemed dangerous. The bulging battery indicated that the power-generating chemical reaction wasn't running to completion which meant that there might be breaks in the membrane separating the positively charged side of the cell from the negatively portion, resulting in the buildup of gases inside the battery.
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