Tiny fuel cell promises 14 hours of phone video

(Credit: Sony)

Granted it's still in prototype stage, but Sony's latest micro-sized hybrid fuel cell nevertheless offers a sneak peek at what to expect of batteries in mobile devices in coming years.

The tiny fuel cell measures roughly 2 x 1.2 inches, thanks to its combination of a lithium polymer battery, fuel cell, and control circuit, with methanol as the fuel, according to Tech-On Nikkei. A pump regulates the fuel supply to cater to the device's power needs.

Sony says one-third of an ounce of methanol can provide almost 14 hours of 1seg TV viewing on mobile phones, which is pretty impressive. (1seg is a digital audio-video broadcasting technology used for mobile devices such as cell phones and the PlayStation Portable in Japan.)

But given how slowly fuel cell-powered devices are trickling into the market, we reckon it'll be some time before a commercial version of Sony's hybrid fuel cell is even introduced.

(Source: Crave Asia)