Super-tiny capacitors could enable a 'whole new realm' of ultra-efficient devices, maybe even handheld gaming PCs with more than 15 minutes of battery life

Stick "microcapacitors" onto to your list of future technologies that might just change the world. Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and UC Berkeley have announced a breakthrough in microcapacitor energy storage and power density (via SciTechDaily), smashing through earlier records.

In simple terms, there's a benefit in storing energy locally on-chip, which can save on power transfer between components. It just hasn't been practical before because the very...