Whether you're talking on a cell phone, listening to tunes on a media player or typing on a notebook, it's a good bet that the device's battery won't last as long as you'd like. However, that will change over the next few years, as fuel cells designed to power mobile gear start to become common.

In particular, direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC) will deliver as much as 10 hours of power using a thimbleful of methanol -- that's two to three times the life of current laptop batteries. Better still, when a fuel cell runs out of power, you don't have to find an AC outlet and wait for a battery to recharge. Rather than taking the plug-and-wait approach, you'll either refill the tank from a larger canister or simply insert a new, full reservoir. You can run your mobile gear as long as you have methanol to satisfy the fuel cell's thirst.

For the past decade, fuel cells have seemed to be tantalizingly close to commercialization, but they never quite made it to market. Finally, they really do appear ready, with several major manufacturers of batteries, fuel cells and mobile devices saying that 2009 will be the start of the fuel-cell era.

This could change how we think about mobility, freeing us from the tyranny of short-lived batteries and the need to find an electric outlet. In other words: Road warriors, rejoice! You have nothing to lose but your batteries.

Here's the lowdown on this promising technology, how it will affect your mobile lifestyle and when you likely will be able to use it.

Bye-bye batteries

"The long-term vision is that anywhere people are using batteries today, they can be replaced by fuel cells," explains Peng Lim, chief executive officer at MTI Micro Fuel Cells Inc. Albany, N.Y.-based MTI is working on internal and external fuel cells for powering mobile gear.

"The transition to fuel cells has already started, although it won't happen overnight," says Sara Bradford, principal consultant for the energy and power systems group at market analyst firm Frost & Sullivan Ltd., noting that the first external fuel-cell power packs are just hitting the market.

For instance, the Medis 24-7 Power Pack can pump out up to 5.5 volts of pure, clean power. At $30, it should be good for about 30 hours of phone use, or double that for a media player. After that, a $20 refill tank is all you'll need -- that tank will last another 60 hours.

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