If you’ve got tons of mobile devices but aren’t always around an outlet to charge them, you’re about to have a new alternative to extra batteries. Lilliputian Systems is set to release a portable USB charger for sale at Brookstone, but not just any portable charger. What’s so special about it? It runs on butane and can charge a phone 10-14 times before needing a refill.
This new fuel cell charger is one of the first of its kind to be effecient enough to be somewhat appealing. The cell itself is said to be about the size of a thick cellphone, while the butane cartridges it takes are around the size of cigarette lighters. Cells, which can be bought online or at Brookstone as well, are planned to cost about as much as a cup of Starbuck’s coffee, according to the company’s vice president of business development, Mouli Ramani.
There’s no word on the cost of the actual unit itself, but considering its going to be sold at Brookstone, you can bet it will be slightly more than you’d like to pay. The perks of the device seem nice, however, considering the amount of times a single cartridge can be used. Word on the street is that it will be safe to bring on planes as well.
Of course, other portable phone chargers have the advantage of not requiring butane cartridges, but they do require that you attach them to a wall for hours at some point or another. The butane cartridge option lets you stay on the go indefinitely. After a natural disaster, or the end of the world, which would you rather have? Solar chargers are also an alternative but what are you going to do after man’s hubris has blotted out the sky? Sure, butane charging is only one option of many, but it has its distinct advantages. It might be worth having in your bug-out box.
(Lilliputian Systems via Cnet)
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