Digital Trends – Thereâs nothing worse than having your cell phone die before youâre able to charge it. Finally, scientists seem to be doing something about it. Last week, we reported about a new substance that could triple the life of lithium-ion batteries. About that same time, another story broke that we (I) failed to report in a timely manner. The Register reports that a Duke University researcher named Justin Manweiler has figured out another way to double mobile gadget battery life (yes, double) by better managing Wi-Fi signal searching.