New Fuel Cell Will Power Your Smartphone For Two Weeks

I love my iPhone but I have charging the damned thing all of the time. It’s a power hungry little beast, as my wife’s LG Optimus Android handset. Back when I still used a Blackberry, a charge would last all day, but with the touchscreen, apps and the constant temptation to suft the net whenever I am out off the office my my smartphone, I run out of juice several times a day. Now, a new class of device, called a fuel cell, promises to help those of use suffering from first-world problems such as this to cope.

Fuel Cells, “devices that converts the chemical energy from a fuel into electricity through a chemical reaction with oxygen or another oxidizing agent,” according to Wikipedia, promise a greater energy density than lithium ion batteries and can be used in external charger packs to top off your smartphone when it runs low away from an outlet. The only catch? You have to fill it with fuel occasionally, in lieu of plugging it into your wall socket.

Ever think you would have to gas up your smartphone, or your Macbook?

A new fuel cell developed by Lilliputian Systems for gadget store Brookstone, promises to provide up to two weeks of recharges for your phone before needing a refill, and according to the manufacturer, is “approved for use on aircraft.”

After filling the new charger with lighter fluid, you will get up to fourteen full charges out of it and will only cost a few dollars to refill once empty. This is not a replacement for regular wall charging, but an ingenious and long lasting solution for a problem most of us whose work frequently takes us away from our desks often face.

While a final price has yet to be determined, Brookstone stores will begin carrying the handy little smartphone helper before the end of the year.