A spec bump and a size bump for a laptop should be the easiest story in the world to tell. For example: Microsoft's Surface Book 2 has new processors, new graphics cards, slightly tweaked designs, and is now also available with a new 15-inch screen. Simple.

Forget to tell crematory staff about grandpa’s pacemaker? He may go out with a bang.

The Consumer Technology Association estimated that residents of the United States bought 183 million smartphones in 2016. There are already as many TVs in this country as there are people. That’s a lot of electronics, and these numbers are just going up. On balance, all this technology is probably making our lives better. But there’s a downside, too: The stuff often malfunctions. Unlike the 30-year-old mixer on your kitchen counter that refuses to die, new technology—especially the smart devices with fancy, embedded electronics—breaks more quickly.

The batteries we use every day may soon become cheaper, smaller and lighter. Researchers in the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin have discovered a family of anode materials that can double the charge capacity of lithium-ion battery anodes. This means that the batteries that we use in everything from cellphones to large-scale energy storage systems could be more efficient in the future.

Researchers have successfully incorporated washable, stretchable and breathable electronic circuits into fabric, opening up new possibilities for smart textiles and wearable electronics. The circuits were made with cheap, safe and environmentally friendly inks, and printed using conventional inkjet printing techniques. 

Kohler is smartening nearly every fixture in the bathroom, starting with the new Alexa-enabled Verdera Voice Lighted Mirror.

Samsung Electronics will take the wrap off a 5G telecommunication modem chip prototype for smartphones within this year. A change is expected in the modem chip market led by Qualcomm. It is said that Qualcomm has the most advanced company in the development of 5G modem chips. Recently, latecomer Intel is closely trailing Qualcomm. There is also a prospect that Samsung Electronics will form a three-runner race. Samsung Electronics is reportedly planning to significantly reduce its reliance on US telecom modem chips for 5G smartphones.

Jonathan Claussen and the nanoengineers in his research group continue to find new ways to use graphene printing technology. They're now treating printed graphene with lasers to create electronic circuits that repel water. That could lead to washable electronics.

A bill that would make it easier to fix your electronics is rapidly hurtling through the Washington state legislature. The bill’s ascent is fueled by Apple’s iPhone-throttling controversy, which has placed a renewed focus on the fact that our electronics have become increasingly difficult to repair.

Researchers demonstrated a new memristor technology that can store up to 128 discernible memory states per switch, almost four times more than previously reported.

A radio signal tells the components to vaporize.

LG will introduce a redesigned flagship phone in June, codenamed Judy, reports Venture Beat. LG has previously said it would depart from its predictable smartphone launch cycle, with this June rumor marking a notable change. LG traditionally launches its G-series phones in the first half of the year, followed by its V-series in the second half.

Current EV batteries could be charged much quicker, researchers say.

The Redmi Note 5 Pro has an 18:9 screen, an all-new dual camera at the back with portrait mode, a 20MP selfie camera with LED flash, and is the first phone in the world to be powered by the Snapdragon 636. This is the phone to beat in 2018.

Whatever their physiological effects, the most immediate threat of these nicotine-delivery devices comes from a battery problem called thermal runaway

A rechargeable battery that works at –70° C could be used in some of the coldest places on Earth or other planets.

The Guide to Greener Electronics is an analysis of what 17 of the world’s leading consumer electronics companies are doing to address their environmental impacts, and where Greenpeace thinks work still needs to be done.

Batteries die at the most inconvenient times. Cellphones go dark during important conversations because a battery hasn't been recharged. Or the automotive industry revs up with excitement for a new battery-powered vehicle, but it needs frequent recharging. Or yardwork is delayed because the battery for your string trimmer is dead.

Louis Vuitton made a $370 luggage tracker to go with your your $4,300 suitcase

Engineers at the University of California, Riverside, have demonstrated prototype devices made of an exotic material that can conduct a current density 50 times greater than conventional copper interconnect technology. Current density is the amount of electrical current per cross-sectional area at a given point.