Comments on: Don't Use Batteries; Just Say ''Fill 'er Up''

One from wayyyyyy back was something called "bubble memory" it would be 1/100th cost of silicon memory chips. Where is it?

Holographic memory? home atomic generators? clothes that display graphics? disposable clothing? the list is endless.

I want to see a real product with this methane power before I get too excited.

Not that it is not fun to dream, but keep in mind dreaming is what we do when we are asleep.

Power worries me most as my weakspot when it comes to my business management plan in an extreme event such as a

Batteries, even li-ion ones, have about reached their max potential and something better needs to be found. I'd like a T665C but I won't buy something that only runs for 2 hours without needing a charge. If someone could find a way to power it for 20 hours (which this fuel cell tech promises), it would be much more useful. Everyone who had an old Palm Pilot or even IIIx and who remembers changing the AAAs every couple of months knows how great it is to not have to worry about power.

As wireless HotSyncing and networking become more prevalent, long lasting power supplies are going to become critical. Charging my m515 isn't a big deal because I have to put it in my cradle every day to update AvantGo. Why bother with wireless HotSync if I still have to frequently charge the PDA in the cradle? And 802.11 won't catch on with handhelds until it will go for more than a couple hours without totally draining the handheld's batteries. If a fuel cell can handle this, sign me up.

If this catches on for electronics, like cell phones, PDAs, GameBoys, MP3 players and so one, you'll eventually be able to buy a standard sized methanol cartridge at a convenience store, like you buy AAAs now. They could even be the size of AAAs.

I don't know if this company will succeed. But at least they are trying, not clinging to the past and ridiculing people who are trying to improve the future.

Dude, what rock have you been under for the last couple of years ?
We got fuelcell based cars & buses driving around here in Europe !
Geesh.

BRUCE

Alex

Popular Science does this every so often.

>>>
One from wayyyyyy back was something called "bubble memory" it would be 1/100th cost of silicon memory chips. Where is it?
<<<

Bubble memory works fine -- we don't see it because someone thought of something better: Flash memory.

>>>Holographic memory?

These exist; they are used primarily for image storage and pattern matching in specialized applications. Currently, the setup is a bit big and delicate (and pricey) for PDAs.

>>>Atomic home atomic generators?

There are obvious reasons these aren't available for homes! However, hand-sized atomic power plants are commonly used on space probes, and other remote instrument packages where other power sources are impractical.

>>>clothes that display graphics?

Coming, but not yet generally available...

>>>disposable clothing?

Ever heard of Tyvek? (sp?) (Think FedEx envelopes) This is commonly used in disposable lab clothing and haz-mat suits. (It's also a great vapor-barrier in house building applications.)

>>>the list is endless.

It is, but I think we more than make up for it with the sucess of the "sucesses:"

Think of the laser -- when it was invented, it was called "a solution without a problem;" we know now that the laser is one of our most useful and versitile inventions.

>>>
I want to see a real product with this methane power before I get too excited.
<<<

These exist. For one thing, there are 10kw home power fuel-cells in limited production today. These are about the same size as a 10kw gas generators, but virtually silent. There does not seem to be any technical barrier to using these any more (now that membrane-based methods for extracting the hydrogen from conventional fuels exists -- this is the key enabling technology for "micro" fuel cells, by the way).

Most of the ideas that "seem" to be failures have either been eclipsed by better technology, or they have been found to practical for only certain applications. Just because a technology has been superceded or used in a different (maybe less visible) way does not mean it is a failure.

-Brett

I'm not sure about that -- my understanding is that a hydrogen / oxygen fuel cell burns hydrogen and oxygen to produce energy, and creates water as a waste product. Filling such a fuel cell with water would be like trying to run a steam engine with wood ashes.

Other articles on MTI's fuel cells:
http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?j44584757

http://199.97.97.16/contWriter/cnd7/2002/08/09/cndin/0463-0026-pat_nytimes.html

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News Editor

Palm, Handspring, and ESPECIALLY Sony should take a hint and design their future PDA's to have removable batteries. If Pocket PC can have it then there is no reason that a Palm can't have it.

Like in the Handera 330?

Hehehe, he said expansion slut....

hmmm, and the great thing is it will fit in two suitcases making it easy to take with you.

Have you seen Ted Williams around the water cooler at work? Oops! Sorry, I forgot. You can't have a water cooler at work because it's 26 degrees Farenheit and a battery technology hasn't been developed to keep the water in the water cooler from freezing.

It’s the middle of summer (at least in the northern hemisphere it is). Unless you work in Antartica, at 26 degrees Fahrenheit isn’t your lab climate controlled? ;)