Samsung Working On Fuel-Cell Powered Cell Phones

An anonymous reader writes "BusinessWeek reports that Samsung plans to build prototype phones that will be powered by Direct Methanol Fuel Cells." From the article: "The deal also marks a huge vote of confidence in a little-known company. MTI Micro, which had sales of $8 million in 2005, is one of a handful of outfits seeking to bring hydrogen-based fuel-cell technology into more common use. Its Mobion fuel cells have already appeared in industrial handhelds from companies like Intermec, a unit of Unova, and have drawn the attention of military contractors developing devices that soldiers will use in the field. Under the deal, which lasts through the end of the second quarter of 2007, the two companies will jointly research the use of methanol-based fuel-cell technologies for use in cell phones. Any patents that come as the result of the research will be assigned to MTI."

Comments

Re:Excellent!

[Anonymous Coward]

Now I can keep talking while getting a tan, and not worry about the batteries running out. Goodbye geekdom on a cellphone, hello tanning while on a cell phone. I'll be doing the world good too - I'll be saving energy!

And when the methanol makes you go blind, you won't even have to wear sunglasses!

We are going to need

[JamesP]

A Cell fueled Cell phone using the Cell processor.

That would be cool!

Re:We are going to need

[End11]

Yeah, that would really sell.

Methanol

[Life700MB]

Aside from the typical 'good luck trying to get your methanol powered mobile or laptop into a plane', how long have been fuel cells in development?

They're the Duke Nukem Forever of the batteries!


--
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Good.

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm getting kind of tired of my old coal powered cell phone.

Re:Good.

[Dr. Cody]

I'm getting kind of tired of my old coal powered cell phone.

Don't knock coal--during WWII, which AC adapter supplies waning, Germany used coal and the Fischer-Tropsch process to power its cell phones up until the end of the War.

Of course this means...

[Billosaur]

...phone nuts will now be able to talk incessantly about their mother's bout of constipation, their lack of a love life, how crappy their company is, and so on, extending the suffering I must endure on the train. And I hear JetBlue is thinking of addign wireless access to their planes, so you could use them in flight. Brilliant!

I'll just nip off and shoot meself...

Re:As great as this technology is...

[Rick.C]

You're just paranoid.

My vision of future machines run amuck is a rusty R2 unit hanging out on a street corner with a cardboard sign reading "Will find prime numbers for methanol."