We’ve been hearing for a long long long long loooooooong time now about how fuel cells are going to be the batteries of the future, since they’re instantly rechargeable with a shot of booze. But like so many promises (::cough:: ::cough::) they haven’t quite materialized yet. Toshiba, though, has just released an actual fuel cell charger in Japan. Unlike the Medis fuel cell charger that we reviewed back in February, Toshiba’s Dynario charger can be topped of with concentrated methanol, which is the whole point of fuel cells… You can just keep refilling them. In about 20 seconds, 50 mL of methanol reacts with oxygen in the air to charge a battery in the device with enough juice to recharge two mobile phones via USB.

As cool as the Dynario is, it’s still very much a first stab at commercializing this kind of technology, nowhere near Samsung’s fantastical 160 hour laptop fuel cell. Only 3000 Dynario units are for sale, and so far, they’re only available in Japan… Toshiba will see how well they work out before committing to further distribution. If you want one, you can find them online at Toshiba’s Shop1048 for $328, plus another $34 for 5 cartridges. Is the neatness worth the cost and inefficiency? No, but for the sake of the technology, I hope these sell like hotcakes. Hotcakes filled with concentrated alcohol. Mmmmmm…

[ Press Release ] VIA [ Engadget ]

By Jonathan Kimak

So Medis has been promising a portable fuel cell charger for years. Now it’s finally available online and will soon be seen in stores like Best Buy.

The Power Pack is a fuel cell that can be used to charge your electronics anywhere and at anytime. The Starter pack comes with a fuel cell and all the adapters required to charge the batteries for laptops, cell phones and mp3 players. The fuel cell is good for 30 hours of talking or 60-80 hours of mp3 player use.

The cells are disposable(or recyclable if you like) and you can buy replacement packs that contain just the fuel cell.

$29.99 for the Starter kit and $19.99 for the replacement packs.

[ Medis Power Pack ] VIA [ Engadget ]