Although we spend most of our time writing about the latest smartphones and tablets here at Phones Review, sometimes we like to take a look at developments in technology and what might be possible for the future. Today we have news on a super-thin battery being developed by NEC for use with flexible screens.

On the face of it this sounds pretty impressive but in fact we wonder if its potential use is questionable. However, read on for more information and you may want to tell us what you think about the development. This ultraslim battery is being developed with the possibility of it being used in credit cards or flexible displays, according to NEC.

The company calls it the ORB (organic radical battery) and amazingly its claimed it will be able to be printed on circuit boards that are only 0.3mm thick. This thinness would mean it could be used in bendy displays that have already been shown in some concept designs. The early stages of development were announced back in 2005 so the super-thin battery has been some years in the making and so far a prototype battery has been made measuring 3cm square and 0.3mm thick, providing 3mAh, apparently adequate to update a small screen around 2000 times with one charge.

Tech Radar explains that as well as the benefits of their thinness, another advantage of ORB’s is that they avoid using the toxic metals usual in most batteries and instead use a reaction of salts within a polymer gel. The charge cycle life of the prototype battery that has been produced is said to be similar to that of most smartphone lithium batteries. It’s certainly an interesting development and research undertaken by NEC suggests that it’s possible that ORB’s could eventually accomplish a higher energy density than traditional rechargeable batteries and the significance of this would be even slimmer devices. An article on The Register also says that NEC hopes to start production of the new batteries in 2013.

What we have to consider is that the cutting-edge technology of mobile devices demands heavy use of the battery and we wonder if one charge from this new line of battery technology could provide enough power for the average smartphone user? With that in mind we’d like to hear your thoughts on NEC’s latest battery technology so why not send your comments to share what you think.