The statment that "What we know about batteries today is pretty much what we knew about batteries back when ENIAC was invented," is pretty offensive to anyone working in the field. Battery technology has come a long way, as evidenced later in the same article "most modern electronics use lithium-ion or the more advanced lithium-ion polymer." Please try not to make insulting statements.

what else offends you? Trees? When the wind blows to hard? The sun? Does the sun offend you?

It offends him, and yet it's basically true. Not much progress has been made in the power output from batteries relative to other technological fields.

I guess no one remembers early cell phones (think Zach from Saved by the Bell) with a battery the size of a salami. Battery technology has come a long way but agreeably, not as far as some other technologies. I guess one could also argue that airplanes aren't much different, or cars or computers. They all still just fly, move on the ground, or use transistors. But saying that to someone who works for Boeing or IBM might cause a bit of friction. Also, I don't work in the field and am not personally offended. The real point of the post was to attempt not to say "the author doesn't know what he is talking about," (already plenty of those) or to at least put it gently. I guess the subtle approach failed. cheers