Pittsburgh Ventures

I wrote recently about the rise of what I call agile hardware and this is a trend and industry that continue to fascinate me.  I am always on the lookout for startups and investments in this nascent industry.

One of the most fascinating aspects of agile hardware are the set of hardware accessories that work with the new mobile devices that are increasingly everywhere.  Apps have changed the way we live our lives, but they only interact with us to the extent that that the mobile device allows – they are constrained to the world of bits.  Agile hardware in the form of new accessories has the ability to interface those bits in new ways and turn them into atoms, our physical reality.

This is my second post that is being completely composed on my mobile device – using my DroidX and the WordPress app available in the Android Market.  It has almost all the functionality that I get from my laptop and the browser.

The biggest problem I run into doing these mobile posts is with my battery life – it seems to be a real drain on my battery and that is tough when you are on the road.

I would love to see some tackle the problem of battery life – and my instinct is that it has come from agile hardware.  Whether it involves harvesting ambient energy (radio wave skimming or physical motion conversion come to mind) or some other wireless power option, I think we need some thoughtleadership in this space.  I know I am not the only one with this problem – there is a big and growing market of people looking for solutions here.  Backup batteries just don’t cut the cake.

Entrepreneurs abhor a market vacuum – and I will be on the lookout for innovation in this area.