By Vamien McKalin | May 12, 2012 04:13 PM EDT
It's been a long time since we've been hearing talks about Fuel Cell batteries and chargers for mobile devices. Now it seems the tech is ready for primetime and to make its way into the hands of willing consumers. Lilliputian Systems will be offering a portable fuel cell charger through retailer Brookstone. And as this charger promises to full charge your smartphone up 10 to 14 times before it runs out of juice, that is basically two weeks, call us excited.
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Brookstone will be the first retailer to carry Lilliputian portable fuel cell charger. It will also be marketed and sold under the Brookstone brand. The device, which has a USB power source, is the size of a thick smartphone, so while it won't play too well with your pocket, a little pouch would do just fine to carry the device around. Inside the charger are fluid filled cartridges which can be replaced after all the power is used up. The size of these things are similar to a cigarette lighter.
This is a huge step in fuel cell technology. However, we're guessing the charger won't be cheap. Lilliputian Systems and Brookstone didn't disclose the price tag consumers should expect to pay, but Mouli Ramani, vice president of business development at Lilliputian Systems stated that the refills will cost only a few bucks "about the same as coffee from Starbucks."
Folks who are interested in purchasing refills will be able to do so via Brookstone catalogs on the Internet, on in store. We can't wait for Lilliputian Systems to offer its fuel cell charger through other retailers, which would make for good competition and a cheaper device in the long run.
The device will only be able to charge smartphones with a USB charging port, so all the folks with a smartphone that only has the manufacturer's own proprietary charging port are out of luck. Maybe it's time to upgrade to a better phone, don't you think?
We love the idea of a portable fuel cell charger. However, how many smartphone consumers would see this as a good way to go? Many hardcore smartphone users walk around with extra batteries which have been charged beforehand. When a battery is drained, it is easier to pop in another than to fire up a charger. Then again, not everyone is interested in walking with extra batteries, for these people, Lilliputian Systems and Brookstone fuel cell charger could work wonders.
(reported by Vamien McKalin, edited by Dave Clark)
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