*** Fuel Cells and Cell Phones ***
Fuel cells sells cell phones.
Message 16085378
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<PARK RIDGE, Ill. — Fuel cells inched closer to the consumer electronics market this week as a portable fuel cell developer unveiled a technology that it claims could vastly improve the performance of handheld cell phones and notebook computers.
The technology, which drew mixed reactions from industry experts and competitors, reportedly could provide a shot in the arm for the ailing cell phone market by boosting the average "talking time" from about three hours to about 20 hours.
Medis Technologies Ltd. (New York), which introduced the new technology at this week's Fuel Cell 2001 Asian Conference in Tokyo, also said that its product could boost a notebook computer's time between recharges to approximately 12 to 15 hours.
"This could take wireless to the next step," said Bill Hyler, an analyst for CIBC World Markets (New York). "They look like they have the best technology in the portable fuel cell space right now."
Medis executives said that in addition to longer charge times, its new technology will also recharge in seconds and will cost less to use than conventional batteries. The company announced that it will make its fuel cells available to OEMs by the beginning of 2003 and expects them to replace cell phone and laptop batteries by 2004 to 2005.
"Ultimately, every cell phone and every laptop will use fuel cells," said Robert K. Lifton, chairman and chief executive officer of Medis. "It's obvious: No one will be able to compete in that market unless they have a fuel cell." ... contd>
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What's especially nice is that they say they can use ethanol. Ethanol isn't as efficient as other fuels [in a fuel cell], but it's not toxic [in small quantities] unlike methanol which will kill people if they swallow 25 millilitres [interestingly, the antidote to methanol poisoning is to drink ethanol = whisky, gin and stuff].
Ethanol is easily available. Maybe Vodka would do as the fuel and that would be very convenient in a Siberian winter!
Fire up the Anita [TM] then:
Sip a little
Clean wounds, sterilize things.
Clean spectacles, screen and other stuff.
Use to light fires or directly as a small fire.
A camp light/flashlight could be included.
Cooling medium - like the cooling system in a car, with the vodka freely circulating by convection around the electronic gizzards and ASICs. Even GPRS might succeed with convection-cooled systems.
Pop it in the sleeping bag as a heater on a cold night.
Surf the internet [email, oil well logs, campfire porn, stock quotes, WirelessKnowledge Echo and Revolv, CashNow, SnapTrack, BREW and all that good stuff].
Phone home, listen to radio, take photos and email to base ...
Don't forget the Vegemite dispenser...
A couple of litres of multipurpose fuel is easily carried [or less for round town - a tiny hip flask would do] so the batteries would never run out. Somebody could go hiking in Brazilian forest for a year and not run out of fuel [provided they didn't drink it all or otherwise use it].
Mqurice |
