DoCoMo Will Launch Fuel-Cell Mobile Phones By 2005

prostoalex writes "Japan's major telecom provider NTT DoCoMo plans to use fuel cells for its 3G phones. 'Users of cellphones with a fuel-cell battery would carry a cigarette lighter-type fuel container to refuel the battery', says Reuters."

Comments

Hype & Buzzword

[Anonymous Coward]

This is entirely motivated by hype and the desire to use a buzzword.

Isn't it far easier and cheaper to just to plug the phone in occasionally and carry a spare battery if you have to?

Energy storage in fuel cells is actually quite expensive, especially compared to electricity. The main advantage is far longer battery life. But for phones, which last for days anyway, why?

Re:Hype & Buzzword

[spydir31]

Another benefit is that the consumer now needs to regulary pay for the fuel,
thus creating a constant source of income for the companies

Re:Hype & Buzzword

[badasscat]

Isn't it far easier and cheaper to just to plug the phone in occasionally and carry a spare battery if you have to?

In a word, no. Have you ever looked at the prices for cel phone batteries? They're generally only slightly less than the cost of the phone itself. For my $99 phone, a spare battery is $80. Some batteries are even more expensive than that.

And having to plug the phone in occasionally? Do you understand the concept of a mobile phone? How are you going to plug in a phone on your average train, plane, or automobile? (If you can do it, you generally need yet another special attachment, such as a cigarette lighter adapter. This basically defeats your point, which is that it's simpler just to plug in once in a while. It isn't.)

Energy storage in fuel cells is actually quite expensive, especially compared to electricity. The main advantage is far longer battery life. But for phones, which last for days anyway, why?

I suppose it's pointless to tell a Slashdot reader to RTFA. Battery life on 3G phones is not very long - this is their main drawback and the reason why adoption rates have been low. Lots of people have been saying it's going to take a major breakthrough in battery technology to really improve the situation for small, high-tech devices like 3G phones and even current laptop computers - fuel cell technology is that breakthrough. Eventually, we'll all be using fuel cells for our portable devices. May take 20 years for the switchover to be complete, but it'll happen. It has to, given how power-hungry we've become.

Re:Hype & Buzzword

[gad_zuki!]

>. For my $99 phone, a spare battery is $80. Some batteries are even more expensive than that.

That's standard cell phone pricing. They subsidize the cost of the phone with contacts, promotions with manufacturers, etc and also heavily mark-up accessories like batterys, cases, etc. Worse, you usually have to buy accessories retail so there's another mark-up.

Don't think this kind of pricing will magically go away. They're still going to mark-up to whatever the market can bear. Currently, what protections do we have the cells phone companies and laptop companies won't mark-up their fuel cell carts? None. There isn't some standard cartridge they're going to use, so it'll probably end up just like the inkjet market - cheap to get in, but not so cheap to continue. The ink may cost only a few pennies, but the pricing scheme will determine what we really pay.

There are third generation wireless devices out there and the battery power isn't bad at all. My Sidekick uses GPRS all day and I can almost get two days worth of use out of it.

Personally, I don't think they should design past 18 hours per charge. That's a whole waking day and people might as well get into the habit or recharging every night or have an extra battery handy if they want 3G tech.

Re:On Man! Carry a can of lighter fluid like stuff

[nfotxn]

Hmmmm. I am kinda of taken back at the thought of carrying a can of flammable (I assume) stuff to recharge my phone?

Um, ever used matches or a lighter?

Not that dangerous

[xtal]

People forget that the lithium ion cells they use all the time - cell phones, notebooks - can cause real injury if they go ary, too. There's a large energy density in those cells, and large energy densities mean capability for disaster. Overcharging, shorting, physically deforming, any number of things could cause a charged lithium ion cell to catch fire or explode.

If you'd carry a lighter with you, they're certainly going to be no more dangerous. Likely a good deal safer, even.