Articlia.com

At the start, the fuel cell will only be available in Japan.
A substitute for batteries that make use of methanol and water to boost gadgets is to go on sale in Japan.

This fuel is prepared by electronics giant Toshiba. The Dynario fuel cell is now on sale and will only be available in a partial product run of 3000 units.

Toshiba claimed that the unit, which costs 29,800 yen (£195), can triple the battery life of transportable gadgets for example cell phones and music players.

Toshiba said in case their prototypes of fuel cells proved to be in high demand then they’ll definitely think of manufacturing more units.

Anyone who makes the purchase of a Dynario will also have to pick up the tab for the methanol fuel to keep it running. A set of five refills will probably cost 3,150 yen (£21).

Toshiba said the cell was set to recharge gadgets almost 20 seconds after it was fuelled with methanol. It was predicted that each fill up creates an adequate amount of power to fuel two mobile phones. Power is carried by means of a USB cable.

The Dynario has a lithium ion battery onboard to stock up power that is being produced. The hand-sized unit weighs almost 280g when unfilled.

Toshiba said it would be only available through its internet store, known as Shop 1048, and will begin the shipping of units to clients by 29 October on wards.

The company has been working on fuel cells since the 1990s but has in a weak position from placing its prototypes on store shelves by now. Fuel cells from other companies, including Medis Technologies in the US and SFC in Germany, have been available for some time.