Curious about batteries

Bloggie...

This is more of a tech question than a computer question.  It is related to  batteries?  I have been trying to find a rechargable battery that will work on par with regular alkaline batteries and maintain affordability.  I came across Juice batteries online and tried them out only to find that they meet those needs.  My question is...do you think that the rechargable battery market will flourish with the increase in high energy consumption gadgets (pda's, mp3 players, digital cameras, etc...)?
Thanks,
Curious in Canton, MI

Dear Curious:

Like you I use rechargeables whenever I can. But one of the most interesting new technologies in the reusable portable power market are fuel cells.
Two years ago, NEC brought out a fuel cell, powered by a half pint of methanol, which ran 5 hours between refills. At the time the company promised that "within two years" models would be available offering 40 hours of life between charges.

A year later all NEC could offer was 10 hours of life on a fuel cell charge-up, with an underpowered machine.
Last week NEC was pushing what it called an Organic Radical Battery (ORB) and an H-P spokesman was quoted as saying fuel cells are "nowhere near prime time" for consumer products.
Yet-another workshop on the technology took place this past month.
Those of us who want to go cross country with our laptops are left with high-priced batteries, like the Energizer e2, that release their charge more slowly than conventional batteries, but are still based on chemical technologies. Target is selling a 6 volt version for digital cameras at $11/each. The AA versions are available in 4-packs from $15-20 per pack. (The package is pictured to the right, from C|Net.)

Bottom line? There's still some research to do, but we are getting close to some breakthroughs. And with folks like you on the demand side, there's plenty of incentive out there for people to make those breakthroughs.

Bloggie