New Fuel Cell Technology to Possibly Power Pocket PCs at Some Point In the Future (Maybe)

[Pat Logsdon]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.engadget.com/entry/7932727738437927/' target='_blank'>http://www.engadget.com/entry/7932727738437927/</a><br /><br /></div><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/logsdon_20040620_fuelcell.jpg" /> <br /><br />You'll notice that my headline is a bit guarded, for several good reasons. While this both looks and sounds cool, it won't <i>actually</i> be available to consumers any time soon, <i>and</i> you'll need to buy methanol refills. It's also pretty bulky, but admittedly nothing like <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=26068&amp;start=0">Hitachi's "Hernia-O-Matic" fuel cell PDA.</a> For those of you who are more technically inclined, here's what the company says about how their technology works:<br /><br />"The Mobion™ technology architecture uses a proprietary approach which manages the water flow internal to the fuel cell with no pumping required. By eliminating the need for cumbersome water management “micro-plumbing”, Mobion™ technology can result in several key and distinct advantages for OEM system designers and end consumers, including: <br /><br />• Powerful – longer run times between charges <br />• Manufacturable – less system complexity, small and light enough for handheld devices <br />• Affordable – utilizes many existing, proven and highly available materials<br /><br />Oh, and here's another one of those little catch thingies (emphasis mine): <i>"[The MTI Mobion technology] represents a number of scientific breakthroughs that the Company <b>believes will ultimately</b> enable it to power portable devices 2 to 10 times longer than an equivalent size battery pack, while allowing for instant, cord-free re-charging."</i> I don't know about you, but my "Weasel Sense" is tingling. So while it's theoretically possible that their fuel cell could last 10 times longer than an equivalent battery, they're <i>not really sure.</i> In the same spirit of this statement, I'll make my own prediction: All PDAs will be powered by Moon Monkeys <i>at some point in time.</i> I feel comfortable making this statement because the kinetic energy of Moon Monkeys has yet to be accurately measured. <br /><br />Space simians aside, we HAVE been hearing about fuel cells for a while now, and this one DOES go the extra mile by showing something that integrates with an existing Pocket PC. Now that we've seen it, I think we need to ask if we're willing to go to a store to pick up a replacement/recharge cell. In my opinion, that's a step backward; I did that with my Casio E-10 5 years ago, thanks. What's your take? If you could get a fuel cell that lasts 10 times longer than your current Li-Ion battery, BUT you had to buy a replacement every few weeks, would you do it?

[Dermot81]

I hate things that have to be replaced.

Then I will always be thinking about conserving battery life so I don't have to go out and buy a new cell to replace it.

No thanks :(

[Jonathon Watkins]

...Moon Monkeys ...

:lol: Very good.

That's an interesting point about fuel cells I had not considred before. :?

Hmmm, I really like digital photography because I don't need to buy film. Ironic if the 'future' would be buying consumables for PDAs. I think we'll be hearing more about fuel cells in the future.......

[sundown]

Hmmm, well what if there were convenient methanol refill stations in airports and at Starbucks. It probably wouldn't take that big a blast of methanol to refill and maybe it could be quarter-fed. Drop a coin into a small refill station and bam, you have 4 more hours. That's not too bad. But if I have to go to the store and buy canisters, no thanks. Unless I could use the battery re-charger also.

[maximum360]

No thanks.

[Zack Mahdavi]

I truly believe that fuel cell technology will be the next big thing. Battery technology just can't keep up with the constantly increasing power that our devices today demand.

Yes, fuel cell technology will require "refills," and I think fuel cell technology will not catch on unless the batteries last SIGNIFICANTLY longer than existing batteries. Even 10 times longer isn't enough. What about a fuel cell battery that can power a laptop for a few months? Yes, it sounds absurd now, but I have a feeling that the technology will mature over the next couple years. Only then will buying refills be worth the extra expense, imo.

[Ryan Joseph]

I agree, Fuel Cells are the wave of the future. 8)

What about having refill ability at home? This would require tanks of flamable gas/liquid, but it might work. That way, we could drop our devices into the cradle and have the fuel topped off.

And I'm sure most of us had a device that ran on AA or AAA batteries at one time in the past. This isn't that different and if they last weeks, I could live with that.

[robshobs]

I think it will come down to the cost vs. the convenience. If I could get 10 times longer charge for my Ipaq 5555 (say around 30 hours) and the cost was reasonable (hmmm...$6?), I would use it. It would be especially useful on short business trips where I have limited access to power.

It would be best if it could start out as an add-on pack and thus allow the user to use both conventional batteries and extended power.

[foldedspace]

What, no miniature fission piles? You'd have weeny little grapite rods you could slide in and out to get that extra boost of power when you need it.

and you'd never lose it in the dark...

[Future Man]

I know fuel cells will have better applications than PPCs so I don't want to downplay their importance, I'd like to see less of a push for fuel cells to portable devices and more of a push towards things like OLED/LED display solutions. If we could minimize the draw needed for the display, I think battery life would become LESS of an issue. Just a parallel thought.

[Prevost]

What's your take? If you could get a fuel cell that lasts 10 times longer than your current Li-Ion battery, BUT you had to buy a replacement every few weeks, would you do it?
No.

One of the things having me tired of MS intellimouse is using unrechargeable batteries since it hogs two every 2 months or something.

I wonder, how many hours of "power use" current batteries give? Probably a spare battery is a better idea than the fuel cell, although "at some point in the future" we should be able to refuel our PDAs in a service station pump :mrgreen:

[nosmohtac]

I think it will come down to the cost vs. the convenience. If I could get 10 times longer charge for my Ipaq 5555 (say around 30 hours) and the cost was reasonable (hmmm...$6?), I would use it. It would be especially useful on short business trips where I have limited access to power.

It would be best if it could start out as an add-on pack and thus allow the user to use both conventional batteries and extended power.

My thoughts exactly. If the cost is not too steep, I could really see this as a viable option, provided that it had a user removeable li-ion battery for everyday use, and this would be an option for extended use or business trips.

I don't think too many people would be interested if you didn't provide them the option to use which ever one suited them the most. I mean, 10 times the use would be awesome, but I have seldom run into a power shortage using my 5550 on a daily basis.

[corphack]

I think they've made a critical mistake in using methanol. Had they used ethanol, I would have a valid business excuse for going to the local "watering hole" to "recharge my batteries" - in fact, I think I might eventually have to recharge my fuel-cell at least once a day, preferably durring "happy hour". :wink:

[Rob Alexander]

When I travel, battery life is an issue, but nothing that a spare battery doesn't solve. Two batteries is plenty to get me through a 14 hour flight. (Not to say it's running for the entire 14 hours, just that it's plenty for what I want to do.) In everyday life, my stock iPaq 2215 gives me all the battery life I need with a single battery. Synchronization is almost always the reason I drop it in the cradle, not a low battery.

So I'd have to say no, I wouldn't make that trade-off. Like others here, I do think that fuel cells have a huge role to play in our future, but this doesn't begin to be the application of it that I'm most interested in. Me, I'd like that GE fuel cell power plant for my home. It powers your home just like the regular eletricity service, but it's all self-contained. No power outages from frozen lines in the winter or trees falling across lines in storms. Now that's the trade I'd make for fuel cells.

[Kati Compton]

I like the idea of rechargeable better than disposable...