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DoCoMo Will Launch Fuel-Cell Mobile Phones By 2005

Posted by timothy on from the sooner-rather-than-later dept.

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."

4 of 170 comments (clear)

  1. On Man! Carry a can of lighter fluid like stuff? by Jackson · · Score: 4, Interesting

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

    How may days / hours do I get on a "can"?

    Jackson

  2. Is it not dangerous ? by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I had an accident with my bicycle the other day : I landed on my trusted Alcatel cell phone and it splintered into a million pieces. I hate to think what would have happened if the phone contained flamable liquid or gas under pressure.

    Then again, I also landed on $.50 my gas lighter, which was in the same pocket as my busted phone : *it* decided against breaking apart and cracked one of my ribs instead. So I guess the fuel cell phone has a chance to be safe, but still ...

    Also, doesn't such a device emit CO2 and/or water in the process of generating electricity ? where do the exausts go ?

    --
    "A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
  3. What about taking it on a plane? by Esion+Modnar · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Don't they screen for flammable containers, especially under pressure?

    On a related note (gee-wizz tech that has drawbacks), those new PDA's and cell phones with builtin cameras: you can't take those into secure or otherwise classified facilities. Something to think about if your travels take you thither.

    --

    They say the first thing to go is your penis. Well, it's either that or your brain. I forget which...
  4. A better solution by Burz · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Instead of carrying around an ultra-expensive fuel cell outfit, try this instead:

    1) Get a small AA or AAA battery pack with the same voltage rating and power connector as your phone

    2) Fill it with Titanium-Alkaline or Lithium photo cells (very high-capacity compared to recharables)

    3) Keep this on hand for backup power just like you would the tech-fetishist hydrogen tank. If after 6-36 months you run low on backup power, just buy more batteries at any nearby store that sells cameras, etc. If you noramlly keep your internal battery charged, then the external cells could last you for years!

    Savvy people have done this with camcorders, phones , PDAs and even laptops for years. You can even get AA/AAA packs shaped like the mfg.'s rechargable units that fit right onto your device.