Microsoft to sell fuel cells?
- From: lkgeo1 <lkgeo1@xxxxxxx>
- Date: 17 Apr 2007 04:12:56 -0700
Microsoft to sell fuel cells?
Need a light and a couple of songs? Microsoft might have the thing for
you.
By Michael Kanellos
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Published: April 16, 2007, 2:55 PM PDT
TalkBack E-mail Print del.icio.us Digg this
Someday soon, there could be a gas-powered music player.
Medis Technologies has started shipping its 24-7 fuel cells for
portable devices. The first customer is Microsoft, which will brand
the fuel cells under its own name, according to Medis.
The fuel cells from Medis create electricity by putting liquid
methanol in contact with oxygen and a membrane. Catalysts inside the
membrane, usually platinum, then strip an electron from the methanol.
The electron gets used to power a portable device. Byproducts include
water and carbon dioxide.
Toshiba, Samsung, MIT Micro Fuel Cells and PolyFuel also have all been
working to bring fuel cells for portable electronics to market. Liquid
fuel is fairly efficient, and a filled fuel cell can keep devices
running, manufacturers say, for a longer time than a single battery
charge. (Methanol fuel cells were also used in curling irons in the
'90s). Many times, however, manufacturers have delayed the release of
their fuel cells because of performance issues and skepticism among
consumers.
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Refilling fuel cells has also been an issue. Most manufacturers say
they plan to sell cartridges at stores filled with methanol that can
be inserted into the fuel cell, sort of like putting an ink cartridge
into a fountain pen. Terrorism doesn't help either. The FAA earlier
approved bringing some types of methanol fuel cells on planes, but
that was before the ban on liquids in the cabin.
Although fuel cells can substitute for batteries, most manufacturers
say they plan to use fuel cells to supplement batteries inside
consumer electronic devices.
It's unclear how Microsoft plans to integrate fuel cells into its
product line or whether the company is just buying fuel cells to test
them out. Zune, however, is a likely candidate. MP3 players do not
consume inordinate amounts of power and can operate independently on
fuel cells. Fuel cell phone prototypes also exist. Fuel cells for
running larger devices, such as laptops, can require additional
components such as pumps.
Microsoft could not be reached at press time, but Medis was very up
front that the software giant was a customer.
"This is an historic moment for our company," Robert K. Lifton, CEO of
Medis, said in a prepared statement. "It marks the first commercial
sales of our 24-7 Power Pack product and indeed, the first commercial
sales in quantities of any consumer fuel cell product. We are pleased
to be able to serve Microsoft as our first customer."
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