Nanotech Brings Battery Life Extender for Mobiles

An anonymous user writes "Using latest nanotechnology research, BatMax developed the first cellphone battery life booster that extends the mobile phone battery life and reduces charging time. BatMax is based on the IonXR, a new exclusively developed nanoceramic material, resulting from years of laboratory research. BatMax foil slows down the loss of capacity of Ni-CD, Ni-MH, Li-Ion and Li-Polymer batteries and thus provides improved battery performance. BatMax is a small (1.14 x 1.92 in) rectangular sticker which is installed on the mobile phone battery. Users just need to attach BatMax to the battery or the cellphone. They claim users will notice a battery life improvement after 5 to 10 charging cycles."

Comments

Cool!

[JiffyJeff]

Hopefully this will work with my antenna extender sticker!

Re:Cool!

[D. Taylor]

Hmm..

I just noticed something even more odd about the copyright date -- it says "Copyright 2003 BetaMax Corporation", yet on the "About Us" page it states:

Founded in January 2004 in USA, BatMax Corporation was formed to identify, develop, manufacture and market innovative high quality wireless communications and computer products.

So, it's Copyright 2003 to a corporation founded in 2004. They've obviously invented time-travelling (copyright) stickers too.

Re:Cool!

[Doc Ruby]

My antenna extender sticker worked. Verizon's crappy signal would often fluctuate right around the minimum threshold of reception in my house, often dropping calls every minute or so. After applying the sticker, the signal meter was unchanged, but calls were dropped much more rarely - only once a week or so. The sticker seemed to improve the reception just enough to keep it above the threshold to maintain carrier.

This battery sticker, though, seems less likely. The sticker was working on the signal in the space around the phone, where the sticker actually had an electromagnetic interaction. How this passive component affects activity in a circuit in which it is not connected, sounds more like a scam.

Re:Cool!

[billh]

I just want to second Doc Ruby before he gets called an idiot. My sticker also worked, at least for one thing. I had a Sprint phone that would drop calls when I was walking up an internal stairway in my house. Every time. With the sticker added, the calls did not drop.

It had no other effect that I noticed.

Re:Cool!

[cyclist1200]

I'm excited. Now I have stickers that magically extend my batteries' lives, as well as stickers that magically de-toxify my car's gasoline!

I wonder if the "nanoceramic" uses "holographic frequencies" too...

Re:Cool!

[Doc Ruby]

Thanks for the backup. On Slashdot, just being right, and specifying firsthand evidence, doesn't quell the calls of "idiot" - nerd a priori logic is more powerful than truth. Neither does backup, but it feels better :).

BTW, to keep it all scientific: I stuck the booster onto a battery. When I used my spare battery, without the sticker, the calls would drop again in my house, so it wasn't just a coincidental Verizon signal boost from their cells at the same time as my sticker installation.

Re:Cool!

[xwin]

This company is based in Florida where most of the scam and spammers are based. It has no address and no phone number on the website. The only payment they accept is "paypal". It smells really bad if you ask me.
Product extends laptop battery "talking time" according to the website. They also developing DSL version of a sticker. Sticking it on your DSL modem increases your download speed 30%!!!

Where do I sign up?

Far greater energy potential for micro-nukes

[antivoid]

Kickass. Now we can talk on our phones for longer times, so that the phone companies can make more money out of us. I still think a better idea would be to create a more efficient power source, such as those small mini-reactors that use leftover waste from nuclear power plants. Those have a far greater energy potential...

Re:Far greater energy potential for micro-nukes

[Kplusplus]

Yes, having more obnoxiously long and loud phone calls in public in exchange for a small growth on your face from radiation exposure. Sounds about right.

Hurry before someone patents it.

right thats it!

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm putting speed holes in my car.

Re:right thats it!

[skurk]

I have speed holes on my car too, although my friends call them as "rust".

Re:right thats it!

[shawb]

NO No No... that's "Stage 2 oxidation based weight reduction system." (IIOBWRS).

Haux?

[HateBreeder]

A battery Sticker? You need to wait 5 to 10 charge cycles to notice anything? somehow this sounds like snake oil to me...

Re:Haux?

[DNS-and-BIND]

This had the stink of bullshit on it from the moment I read the first sentence.

Slashdot has sunk to a new low. And I really mean that...though the effect of saying that around here seems slight as people overuse the phrase.

Re:Haux?

[Lonewolf666]

IAAEE, and the claims look more than suspicious. let's look at them point for point:

Absorb the electromagnetic waves generated from the battery.
A battery does not generate waves. It might create a small magnetic field when current is drawn from the battery (like any cable does when it carries an electrical current).
Anyway, why is that field harmful and needs to be absorbed? Pure FUD, apart from the point that I sincerely doubt some "ceramic nanomaterial" is suitable for absorbing magnetic fields.

Generate a flow of negative ions.
Even if we ignore for a moment that generation ions takes energy (where is the power supply?), what is this good for?

Interact with the battery's internal electrolyte and ions.
Unlikely, batteries have air-and watertight cases. How would the thingy act through that barrier? No explanation is given.

Bottom line:
This is most likely a case of fraud. And Cowboy Neal INAEE (Is not an electrical engineer) either, otherwise he would not have posted this story in the first place.

Re:Haux?

[harrkev]

The flow of negative ions is good for purifying the air. Just like those purifiers at Sharper Image. But, why keep those good ions trapped inside the battery compartment?

But, IAAEE (I am an electrical engineer). I have a MSEE. Complete BS.

I must admit that /. is slipping by posting nonsense such as this.

Cowby Neal: would you like to buy a bridge?

Re:Haux?

[wheany]

I Agree With This Post.

This story is just embarassing.

Re:Haux?

[harrkev]

Master of Science, Electrical Engineering -- one step up from a bachelors degree.

Re:Haux?

[Xoder]

Any device that uses or produces electricity produces electromagnetic waves. Otherwise known as EMF and EMI.

Except that this device works at DC, so there's no EM waves (which would require a frequency greater than the 0 Hz of DC). There would be a (small) magnetic field.

Also they never said that they were bad and need to be absorbed. The material reflects the waves back into the battery at a different frequency to increase battery preformance. That is why the IonX material is sandwiched between 2 layers of silcon and produces a small negitve charge.

If they can make a passive device that can change the frequency of incoming EM waves, they're wasting their money on cell phone batteries.

And I am an Electrical Engineer.

Do you believe in sea monkeys?

[Oscaro]

I don't.

Hmmm...

[richard-parker]

I note the following:

1. A technical description that sounds like dialog on Star Trek Voyager.
2. No phone number anywhere on the batmax.com site.
3. The terms & conditions instruct you to send returns to an incomplete address:
4. 
   
   BatMax Corporation
   Miami FL
   USA
   
   
5. They used an anonymous domain proxy service to register their domain:

6. <whois://batmax.com>
   Registrant:
   Domains by Proxy, Inc.
   15111 N Hayden Rd., Suite 160
   PMB353
   Scottsdale, Arizona 85260
   United States
   ...

Come to your own conclusions.

Re:Hmmm...

[Anonymous Coward]

5. ???

6. Profit!

Re:Hmmm...

[teddaman]

From Florida Division of Corporations search... BATMAX CORPORATION PRINCIPAL ADDRESS 2665 S. BAYSHORE DRIVE SUITE 703 MIAMI FL 33133 Registered Agent Name & Address WORLD CORPORATE SERVICES, INC. 2665 S. BAYSHORE DRIVE SUITE 703 MIAMI FL 33133

Snake oil

[Blue Ray]

How on earth will applying a sticker to the plastic battery packaging do anything to the properties of the cell's discharge, recharge, memory effect and emotional intelligence? (I *might* have made that last one up)

I reckon it uses that little known electrochemical property, the "placebo effect"

Hockus-pockus, goggle-de-gook and mumbo-jumbo.

Apparently it'll do the dishes too!

Re:Snake oil

[archeopterix]

How on earth will applying a sticker to the plastic battery packaging do anything to the properties of the cell's discharge, recharge, memory effect and emotional intelligence? (I *might* have made that last one up)

Simple -

BatMax contains permeable material, which is able to directly affect the molecule level inside the battery and BatMax reintegrates the uncharged particles into the electrical circuit.

BatMax reduces electrical loss by optimizing the ions transfers between the battery cells and maintaining a stable voltage.

It probably also proactively optimizes business flow to maximize your return on investment using the newest state-of-the-art XML over HTTP via TCP/IP technology.

Re:Snake oil

[Walt Dismal]

In a 2002 clinical test, I applied BatMax IonXR stickers to all surfaces (dorsal, ventral, anterior, posterior) of my grandmother. Laboratory results were the following: 1) her life was extended by 25 years 2) she bakes pies 36% faster 3) the room generally smells much better, though that might be because she has stopped eating dog food, 4) Grandpa says sex with her is a totally new experience.

Works for Cars Too!

[DingerX]

Just check the streets of any major city: applying stickers to cars has been shown to improve perceived performance. Why not the same for mobile phones?

Re:Works for Cars Too!

[stupid_is]

In similar news, the New Scientist has recently published research that shows the wearing of tin-foil hats drastically improves brain performance after about a week (apparently the hat needs a few sleep cycles to bed-in before the improvements kick in). Senior researcher Professor Hugh Rhynal explains:

"The use of the tin-foil hat provides two benefits to the user. The first is to provide an isolation chamber for the brains activity, reflecting any stray thoughts back into the brain cavity where they can be reused efficiently.

Secondly, and potentially more significantly, govenerment and corporate spy-rays are completely blocked, thus allowing the individual the freedom to think truly enlightening thoughts."

When quizzed on the latency of the effects on the brain, Hugh explained:

"Basically, it is a matter of time for the brain to get used to using these new resources without the controlling influence of government and the international lizard cartel. It needs the time to notice that it can do these new things."

As a bootnote to the story, it is pointed out that Hugh is currently under investigation by the feds for potential DMCA violations for the brain.

April 1st or inexcusable advertising plug ?

[gorim]

You be the judge. This sounds like something in the realm of the fake cell-phone antenna extenders.

Stick a sticker on a battery to extend its life ? Someone needs to get a life.

Re:April 1st or inexcusable advertising plug ?

[koi88]

Stick a sticker on a battery to extend its life ? Someone needs to get a life.

Hmmm... If enough people belive this, someone will make a living.

Re:April 1st or inexcusable advertising plug ?

[pe1rxq]

Actually cell-phone antenna extenders are more credible than this. This is nonsense.
Improving an antenna could actually work by placing elements at the right place. Although using a random sticker on a random place which is in no way matched to the actuall antenna won't work.

Jeroen

Hmm.. sounds... convincing

[wa5ter]

I wonder if this thing will speed up the cold fusion generator I am using to run my water polymerisation machine..

Same bullshit, different buzzwords.

[jcr]

I see the snake-oil purveyors are updating their vocabulary.

For the record: there is nothing you can stick on the outside of a battery to improve its performance.

-jcr

Re:Same bullshit, different buzzwords.

[monkey_jam]

what about another battery?

I call junk science!

[ZiZ]

This smacks of junk science and hoop-la to me. According to what I'm picking up from the webpage, it's a sticker which magically permeates your battery, removes the bad ions, and generates new, good ions for the battery instead. Oh, and it does windows, too. (Seriously! Well, ok, battery separators, but it claims to scrub them clean.)

I wonder...If I stick one on my fuel line, will it work like the double-your-gas-mileage gasoline ion chargers?

Re:I call junk science!

[gl4ss]

*I wonder...If I stick one on my fuel line, will it work like the double-your-gas-mileage gasoline ion chargers?*

no, but you'll get maybe enough attention so you'll get those 10 referrees.

What a load of pseudo-scientific bullshit

[BobTheLawyer]

"nanoceramic material extracted from a natural stone"? How stupid do you have to be to believe this kind of thing?

Their claim that the material "has been tested and documented by several prestigious institutions, laboratories and universities" is as laughable as it is vague.

Re:What a load of pseudo-scientific bullshit

[Savage-Rabbit]

"nanoceramic material extracted from a natural stone"? How stupid do you have to be to believe this kind of thing?


Quite stupid actually, it is common knowledge among chemists that you get better results when extracting nanoceramic materials for stick on battery enhancers from supernatrural stone.

Re:What a load of pseudo-scientific bullshit

[foxtrot]

"nanoceramic material extracted from a natural stone"? How stupid do you have to be to believe this kind of thing?

Sounds to me like the answer to this poll actually is CowboyNeal.

-JDF

Right, and I have a bridge I'd like to sell you.

[citanon]

When did slashdot become free advertisement for quakery and fraud? I am a material scientist and I have never heard of anything you could stick on to a battery that would extend its life. Legitimate companies would never spend research dollars commercializing a product whose effects are so small that they show up "after 5 to 10 charging cycles." At any rate, the term "nanoceramic" should tip off the savy reader. How would a piece of any material improve the internal operation of a battery? Are they claiming that this magical sticker will change the material characteristics of the battery components themselves? Give me a break!

Nicotine patch for batteries?

[Masa]

Oh come on! This is just stupid. Fuck, if this really works then I'm going to stick on of these to my forehead. Should boost my brain and result better performance with my projects.

Re:why are we ...

[Apatharch]

I'm sure the "anonymous user" who submitted the story is entirely unaffiliated with the which produces these rather implausible items.

holy astroturfing batman!

[circletimessquare]

it's just like getting spam, but on slashdot's frontpage instead

April April, as the Germans say

[Zog The Undeniable]

Sorry, CowboyNeal, you're at least 2 months early with this one.

Re:Right, and I have a bridge I'd like to sell you

[citanon]

Further reading of the BatMax website reveals that this magical technology works by releasing electrons with a wavelength of 5 to 10 microns. Which is total bullshit. Five to 10 microns is the length of fifty-thousand atoms. You will NEVER get an electron with wavelength that big emitted from anything, ever. At any rate, no electron could cross the electrically INSULATING battery case. Otherwise, you've got more problems than just a useless sticker on your battery. What we have here is just that, a useless sticker.

Re:help?

[eclectro]

can anyone think of something commonplace, that at the time seemed like total utter snake-oil lubed bullshit?

"They will welcome us."

100% Snake Oil

[timholman]

BatMax is designed to separate gullible people from their money, plain and simple. Consider the so-called "technical description" at http://www.batmax.com/technology-features.php:

"(1) The nanoceramic material is extracted from a natural stone and depending on the version, layered between 2 protective silicon foils or on 1 or 2 sides of a conductive sheet.

The magical stuff it's made of is "extracted" from "natural stone". Hey, if it's natural, it must be good, right? These guys are selling pieces of rock with adhesive.

The wavelength of the electron released from BatMax is around 3-40 microns, and is considered to be within almost the same range with the oscillation frequency of molecules inside the battery. These molecules are able to raise their oscillation energy and electricity generation by receiving electron wavelength from BatMax.

This is absolutely meaningless technobabble. "Receiving electron wavelength"? A previous poster is right, these guys have been watching too much Star Trek.

BatMax unblocks and regulates the flow of ions by generating an electro-magnetic cavity and oscillation frequency with negative ions emission. The ionization generated by BatMax has been mesured as a level reaching 30 times the value (7 - 8.000 Ions/cm3) of the ambiant air ionization (2 - 300 Ions/cm3). By the ions production, BatMax improves the electrodes oxidization.

So somehow, using the same principle as an air purifier, the BatMax magically provides "negative ions" (without any electrical contact to the battery, of course) and makes any battery work better. 100% complete hogwash.

I salute the BatMax promoters for their audacity at selling rocks as high tech accessories, and I can only pity those who shell out hard-earned money for them.

What they said and what they forgot to say...

[hashwolf]

What they said...
The foil and the material are designed to: Absorb the electromagnetic waves generated from the battery.
Generate a flow of negative ions.
Interact with the battery's internal electrolyte and ions.

What they forgot to say...
THROUGH the battery's plastic case!

Oh come on give me a break... are they saying that the sticker operates on the battery's internal structure/chemistry through IMPERMEABLE PLASTIC?

Maybe if the sticker was coated in nanotech enhanced snake oil that would have worked, but with ceramic it's a tough call.

Re:Why can't I believe this works?

[wertarbyte]

IANAP (I am not a physicist) but this sounds really strange. I mean, it's a sticker.

No, it's just bullshit. It sounds like something they try to sell old people on a "Kaffefahrt" (There is no english term for it), a free afternoon trip where goods are sold to the passengers. Magnetic anti-rheumatism devices etc.

But it's all explained on their site!

[KontinMonet]

BatMax unblocks and regulates the flow of ions by generating an electro-magnetic cavity and oscillation frequency with negative ions emission. The ionization generated by BatMax has been mesured [sic] as a level reaching 30 times the value (7 - 8.000 Ions/cm3) of the ambiant [sic] air ionization (2 - 300 Ions/cm3). By the ions production, BatMax improves the electrodes oxidization.

I'll take two bridges please...

This really works!

[l0ungeb0y]

After modding my nano-ceramic sticker with a nano-trans-plasma-inducer I bought off eBay, I was able to achieve cold-fusion! I now have perpetual battery life and after whistling into my cell, unlimited anytime minutes and free long distance for life!

If only they can create a penis enlarging ring-tone like the breast enlarging one they made for those babes in Tokyo, I'll be the shizla!

How on earth?

[PhunkySchtuff]

How on earth did this blatant advertisment make it to the front page?
How on earth can this thing even work?
From http://www.batmax.com/technology-features.php The foil and the material are designed to:

• Absorb the electromagnetic waves generated from the battery.
• Generate a flow of negative ions.
• Interact with the battery's internal electrolyte and ions.

OK, so it's outside the battery, insulated by the plastic case of the battery, yet it can still interact with the internal electrolyte and ions? Plus it generates a flow of negative ions... all by itslef?
*COUGH*bullshit*COUGH!*
kai

will it double my hard disk space?

[rich42]

Slashdotted: Using some neat tricks with Ghost / Fdisk can double your hard disk space.

Slashdotted: Shutting down your mail server for 3 days can stop most spam.

Slashdotted: LCD screens have a latency measured in 100's of milliseconds.

Slashdotted: Putting a sticker on the back of your cell-phone that uses "nano-tech" can extract more life from the batteries.

CowBoyNeal: You are an idiot.

Re:Blah

[Anonymous Coward]

I use BatMax technology on the Bat-Phone and in the Batcave, and it helps me extend my crime-fighting!

extend your cellphones by 5 to 10 inches

[enoraM]

with a herbal nanotech sticker.
Also increases the volume of - oh, that makes sense

Re:Right, and I have a bridge I'd like to sell you

[octal666]

Are they claiming that this magical sticker will change the material characteristics of the battery components themselves?

Actually, what they are claiming is:
The foil and the material are designed to:
Absorb the electromagnetic waves generated from the battery.
Generate a flow of negative ions.
Interact with the battery's internal electrolyte and ions.

Which makes absolute no sense :)

Perhaps..

[The Creator]

"Please push."

Re:Can advertisers still purchase stories on Slash

[onion2k]

They always have. Its just now Slashdot is so desperate for cash they're actually accepting the stories.

I don't think Slashdot is going to last much longer if this sort of thing continues.

Eric reads between the lines

[Eric Giguere]

It sure sounds like those "parabolic" TV antennas guaranteed to boost your reception after just a few viewings, doesn't it? Not to be cynical, but:

Using latest nanotechnology research, (we read an issue of Wired)
BatMax developed the first cellphone battery life booster that extends the mobile phone battery life (which is why we call it a "battery life booster")
and reduces charging time. BatMax is based on the IonXR, a new exclusively developed nanoceramic material, (we grind ceramic tiles into a fine dust)
resulting from years of laboratory research (it was hard to grind them small enough).
BatMax foil slows down the loss of capacity of Ni-CD, Ni-MH, Li-Ion and Li-Polymer batteries (we guarantee it works the same on all of these)
and thus provides improved battery performance (not to be redundant again).
BatMax is a small (1.14 x 1.92 in) rectangular sticker (we sandwich the dust between some sticky aluminum foil)
which is installed on the mobile phone battery (the hard part was keeping it really thin).
Users just need to attach BatMax to the battery or the cellphone (where they'll quickly forget about it once the cover's back on).
They claim users will notice a battery life improvement after 5 to 10 charging cycles (by then the placebo effect should kick in).

Eric
The Vioxx recall and spam reduction

Re:Eric reads between the lines

[Anonymous Coward]

They claim users will notice a battery life improvement after 5 to 10 charging cycles (by then the placebo effect should kick in).
Placebo effect not required. Most rechargeable batteries have a break in period before they reach their maximum capacity anyway. Anyone gullible enough to believe this crap in the first place (CowboyNeal) will have no problem believing BatMax made the battery do something it would have done anyway.

I wouldn't be surprised to see a "for best results, use BatMax with a new battery" suggestion in their manual flyer somewhere.

Re:Eric reads between the lines

[Anonymous Coward]

Nice call, see clip from http://www.batmax.com/faq.php

8 - Can I use BatMax with a fresh new battery ?
Yes, the performance is improved and the battery will be able to maintain its entire capacity for a longer time.
The ideal situation is to use BatMax with a fresh new battery.

Snake oil / CowboyNeal

[slavemowgli]

CowboyNeal just lost a big amount of my respect after posting that. Sure, it's slashdot, and not only stories that survive close scrutiny are posted here, but this really screams "SNAKE OIL" just as much as your average penis enlargement spam, so... did he even *read* the submission before posting (and frontpaging) it?

In related news...

[slavemowgli]

In related news, BatMax just announced that they hired CowboyNeal as the new head of their PR department.

Tinfoil hats, everybody! (* special offer *)

[lptp]

To even further improve the effectivity of the BatMax and even increase the range of your mobiles, my company will offer a special nanotech tinfoil.
Prices are from only $1 per square foot!

If the product doesn't have the desired effect, you can return it to SKM&C, Netherlands....

Credit card payments are, of course, welcome.
Refunds at our discretion ;-)

You sir, are a moron.

[sjanes71]

Fire the person who approved this story. There's a clear reason why the submitter was anonymous: this product is complete bullsh*t.

Re:You sir, are a moron.

[sjanes71]

Oh, CowboyNeal approved it?

Can he take a really long vacation?

As a subscriber I find this fucking disgraceful

[Kris_J]

I literally paid money to see this crap on the front page. Time for the Cowboy to go back on the "don't show me these editor's stories on the front page" list. What a bloody joke.

Any relation to http://www.batterylife.de/

[10537]

These people seem to be selling something remarkably similar.

So, a sticker is going to extend battery life, eh?

[MikeLip]

And it does this *without making any electrical contact to the battery*! That's what the instructions say - do not cover battery contacts. Works by osmosis! Wow. The likelihood of this being anything other than yet another internet scam and about the same as Idi Amin impregnating Jessica Simpson.

4:47 Friday 28 January 2005

[droleary]

I declare this the moment Slashdot officially jumped the shark. Honestly, if this story doesn't get updated, pulled, or at least shuffled off to the humor section, I'm canning CowboyNeal stories in my preferences. Pulling any more crap report/editing like this (including the increasingly annoying Engadget related blog linking shit) only means I'll eventually ditch this site completely.

Re:4:47 Friday 28 January 2005

[avsed]

I agree. I've been a lurker since the earliest days of Slashdot. The increasing frequency of duplicated stories, and shoddy (possibly non-existant) fact checking mark a team resting on their past fame. This "story" really does take the award for blatant stupidity however; CowboyNeal, can you please do some basic fact checking? You work with technology and the claim that a sticker can increase battery life doesn't set alarm bells ringing? Are you insane?

D.

Re:4:47 Friday 28 January 2005

[Tim C]

shoddy (possibly non-existant) fact checking

I refer you to the FAQ - there is *no* editorial fact-checking performed here.

Re:4:47 Friday 28 January 2005

[meadowsp]

Happened years ago, it's a bit more of a car-wreck nowadays.

Re:Why can't I believe this works?

[hairykrishna]

I have degrees in both physics and material science. I am 99.99% certain that there is no way this sticker is doing anything.

Fraud Alert!

[quarkscat]

Short of re-designing the battery internally,
this faus device isn't worth $00.02. Apparently,
the "inventor" ran out of "perpetual motion
machine" and "cold fusion" marks, hence the new
"invention".

The poster used far too many buzz words and far
too little science to make any valid case --

"Nothing to see here. Move on ..."

Re:Fraud Alert!

[aurispector]

These guys might as well be selling the secret carburator that gives 100 mpg to a big block V-8, you know the one that the oil companies don't want you to know about!

Definitely a scam. This should have been posted under "humor".

Perfect capacitor!

[elgatozorbas]

The nanoceramic material is extracted from a natural stone and depending on the version, layered between 2 protective silicon foils or on 1 or 2 sides of a conductive sheet.

They have made a great capacitor. Actually, if the stone would be very thin, or had micropores (like this one) they could indeed solve a lot of the current battery problem. Unfortunately they use it in a perfectly wrong way.

Antenna boosters

[willCode4Beer.com]

This reminds me of the antenna boosters that were being sold a while back. They always had a claim of being used by the military and showed a HMMWV with one on the antenna. Even funnier was seeing cellphones with the stupid big balls on the antennas.
I always laughed at those. Yes the Army put balls on the antennas, so they won't poke anybody in the eye.

Guys like these make Star Trek science sound good.

Their "building"

[pmazer]

The picture of their building was obviously taken from this site.

Did anyone else...

[Nighttime]

... check to see if this story was submitted by Roland Piquepaille?

What would happen if....

[Anonymous Coward]

You stick BATMAX IonXR onto CowboyNeal's head?

Would the nanoceramic 5-30 micron electron-releasing sticker excite the brain neurons so that only real stories get posted to /.? Worth a try...

Re:Why can't I believe this works?

[wheany]

It sticks.

Hey mod's

[Angostura]

How about adding Update: This is clearly a snake-oil scam, sorry for posting it.

I have a question

[Tropaios]

If the company was founded in 2004 as per their website, why areall the pages on their website copyright 2003?

Re:Pseudoscience

[Goaway]

So, when are we going to get an apology from the editors for posting an ad for an obvious scam?

No, I kid, I kid.

Re:Why can't I believe this works?

[Aardpig]

"Kaffefahrt" literally transfers to "coffee trip"

And there was I, thinking it meant the bout of troublesome flatulence I get after my morning espresso...

Re:Started the company in 2004

[Odin's Raven]

Does this make sense as well, that they've spent years researching this but their company only started in 2004?

Yes, it makes sense, but they were hoping nobody would notice the apparent incongruity. See, they also invented a time machine, and have been using it extensively to reduce perceived development time for IonXR. If it weren't for that, we'd have to wait another 10 years before IonXR was available to the public. But they don't want to announce the time machine's existence until they work out the problem with periodic instabilities in the quantum flux ion regeneration matrix that are induced by harmonic interference arising from pico-mesons in the nano-photonic resonance substructure.

It's about the ION's people!

[jim5272]

I mean really, ION's are supernatural in nature, hell I have a hair drier that uses them why not a "Uber Battery Improver" - gonna get copyright on that, so don't even try! -.

People will try anything, I mean anything. The worst part is when you tell your cousin she's an idiot for paying someone $50 to install a Transistor on the backplate of her watch to "Amplify the good energy flowing through her body", she gets all huffy and calls you on the carpet for your sacrilegious hate speech.

I'm off to invent a self producing ION injection headband for joggers. And if any of you /.'ers complain, I will sue you for hate crimes against the all mighty ION.

Re:Cynical Cynic

[shawb]

Does it just insulate the battery?

No... it just pads the manufacturer's waller.

Suggested "Update" text:

[Anonymous Coward]

This writeup should be deleted or at least have an Update: This technology is complete bullshit. Do not buy it or do anything but laugh at it.

My suggestion: Update from CowboyNeal: Sorry for the bogus story, I don't really have time to read Slashdot submissions what with all the ordering of penis enlargement kits and discount Rolexes I have to do. But I'm currently in negotiations with deposed Nigerian officials that I can't go into detail about because they requested discretion but it should net us enough to hire more editors. I thought it would go faster but you wouldn't believe the red tape involved!

Where is my Pyramid Hat

[StillNeedMoreCoffee]

It was here just a minute ago.

A Scam by any other name...

[Bequita]

Okay, this sounds suspiciously like those holographic stickers (the MPT Smogbuster Fuel Disk) that claims to improve gas mileage (for the low, low price of 299 per sticker!).

http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~33~2 67 0224,00.html#121

PT Barnum was right.

More bullshit from slashdot

[g0at]

but what's more astonishing, Roland Piquepaille didn't submit this one! Remarkable.

-b

Yes, Workable product? Yet to be determined, but f

[nietsch]

It sounds entirely possible to a lot of other nutcases like you. Guess what, they are marketing it to you!
In other times this would be known as quackery. This is what happens if you let merketeers work unguarded by sane people.

DIY for cheaper - RYP nanotech

[illest503]

If you buy from BatMax (na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na, BATMAX!) you are getting ripped off. I've got my own nanotechnology battery extender, and it was easy to make!

Ingredients:
-200 grit sandpaper (made with natural stone)
-aluminum foil (made of "nano-molecules" of Al)
-glue stick (the kind astronauts use in the office)

Instructions:
1. Slap all that crap together however you like.
2. Apply to battery.
3. Brag your ass off!

I'm getting 80-100 more hours out of my cellphone battery, easy. I put my homemade stickers on BOTH sides of my battery for uber performance.

Re:Tests from france

[douglask]

Note, they SELL this item off that page (click on the round boutique link in the upper right.)

As they financially gain from promoting this product, their review is less than worthless: It's most likely intentionally misleading.

Cheers!

Re:Right, and I have a bridge I'd like to sell you

[Celandine]

Five to 10 microns is the length of fifty-thousand atoms. You will NEVER get an electron with wavelength that big emitted from anything, ever.

Sure you will: it just needs a speed of about 100 m/s. Google for `de Broglie wavelength'.

Not that this isn't total bullshit; just not for that reason.

*BEEP* *BEEP*

[Rupy]

There goes my bullshit detector

Who's behind BatMax

[Animats]

Anonymous businesses are illegal in many states, but they're usually not as anonymous as they'd like to be.

Whois is "Domains by Proxy", so that's not immediately helpful.

BatMax, Inc. is a valid Florida corporation, but their mail drop is "WORLD CORPORATE SERVICES, INC., 2665 S. BAYSHORE DRIVE, SUITE 703, MIAMI FL 33133". Again, not too helpful.

The USPTO shows a trademark for BatMax: "BatMax Corporation, Suite # 3A, 9250 West Bay Harbor Drive, Bay Harbor Islands, FLORIDA 33154". That's a condo in Colony Bay Harbor Condos. It's a small residential building, and doesn't look anything like the "picture of BatMax skyscraper headquarters" on their web site. The building pictured on the web site is Espirito Santo Plaza in Miami, which is still under construction although partially occupied.

From a BatMax press release, we get a name: Alain Aisenberg, and a phone number, (305) 865-1400.

We find Alain Aisenberg talking about BatMax on an MIT mailing list.. There, he gives his cell phone number.

A public records search finds that name in Miami, and gives us enough information to run a background check.

But I'll stop there.

Re:Who's behind BatMax

[xfmr_expert]

This schmuck also has a BS patent on a "modular computer user interface system" which appears to be nothing more than a numeric keypad that attaches to the computer. There's also portable telephone with simplified operation and Kid Phone You ought to read the MIT mailing list post too. In there he claims that this little patch increases computer speed to. This is absolute "As seen on TV" bullshit fraud. I'm amazed that the editors posted such blatant crap, and even more amazed they left it up without even a comment.

IT'S A JOKE

[SparafucileMan]

Fellows--there's no place to actually purchase the things off of the main page. For all anyone knows this is just a joke rather than fraud.

and if you stick it to your head....

[Wilk4]

... and if you stick it to your forehead, it'll actually make you smarter!

You see, it absorbs all the dumb thoughts that go around in your brain, preventing the crystallization of the pituitary gland, and raising your resulting IQ to 248!

sheesh, they have pretty pictures so they obviously spent well on webdesign and marketing and so forth to look legitimate, but a magical sticker that just goes on the outside of batteries to make them work better doesn't pass the 'thinking-about-it-for-more-than-2-seconds' test.

Gotta like their FAQ: "Why don't the handset and battery manufacturers include BatMax's technology in their products ? Answer: Because, at the moment, the integration process and material costs can adversely affect the end user price, but discussions with cellphone and computer manufacturers are actually in process. Actually, several manufacturers and cellular carriers are planning to distribute BatMax as a branded accessory." --- of course the real reason is that battery manufactuers realize this is complete garbage...

... of course, if you stick it to your genitals, it solves all your recharge problems there too... ;-)

Why OSDN should fire Slashdot's editors

[Arkaein]

Seriously, between crap like this and dupes is there any wonder why hardly anyone who reads Slashdot actually subscribers?

I read Slashdot every day. If there was ever any website I should pay for just to read it's probably this one. But I just can't. Other than bandwidth the group that actually runs Slashdot contributes so little to it it's almost laughable.

The code is from the dark ages (HTML 3.2? C'mon!), the search sucks, they willfully blast small websites out of existence (if only temporarily). Unless they've changed the terms they use the idiotic model of selling page views instead of monthly/yearly deals for subscriptions. Most of all, they never listen to any of the numerous suggestions that have been made to improve the site.

I can only wonder how much money Slashdot has lost since they started selling subscriptions because of this total disregard for the people that actually read and contribute to the site. If any editors actaully read this post (doubtful, Jaime is about the only one who actually reads anything here) wake up and take a look around. Decent management should have fired the lot of you a long time ago for keeping Slashdot from ever rising above the level of mediocrity.

Why?

[Grendel Drago]

But I'll stop there.

Great Gauss, why? If astroturfers got horribly burned by some *cough* anonymous people with l33ter skills than mine, perhaps they'd stop trying to peddle their crap to us. It's like spam---one in ten thousand Slashdot readers will buy this crap, but that makes it well worth Alain Aisenberg's time.

The only way to make it stop is to make it not worth Aisenberg's time.

If the editors won't do something about it, perhaps some of the readers should.

--grendel drago