USBCELL batteries feature built-in USB plug

There seem to be so many goofy USB-enabled products these days that we barely even notice when a genuinely useful one nearly slaps us in the face, and such was the case with the new USBCELL, a AA battery whose positive terminal flips off to reveal a USB plug all ready to feed it some juice. As long as you bring your laptop everywhere, this solves the problem with most other rechargeable batteries: the fact that you need to carry around a separate charger with you wherever you go (unless you happen to travel with Thanko's NB-mate speaker / hub / power source), and if you forget to bring it, you're forced to shell out for more disposables -- negating the main reason you bought rechargeables in the first place. Although the AA NiMH models will be first to hit the market (about $24 for a two-pack), other batteries with built-in USB plugs are scheduled to be released in the near future, including 9V, AAA (with either a mini- or folding full-size USB attachment), C and D converter shells for the AAs, and even packs for cellphones, digital cameras, and other portable devices. The only downside we can see here is that certain people (including ourselves) already have eight devices fighting for seven available USB ports, so unless you're willing to spring for yet another hub, charging these at home could turn into somewhat of a hassle.

[Nith @ Sep 19th 2006 5:05PM]

Hey Ryan, unrelated to this article, but how can I change my password to somthing a little easier to remember or at least have my password saved so i dont have to enter it everytime (still love the idea though, instead of the e-mail confirmation)

[Varish @ Sep 19th 2006 3:09PM]

Great idea, any idea of the Battery life tho? :P

[Camp @ Sep 19th 2006 3:13PM]

I approve this invention.

[Mojo_Yugen @ Sep 19th 2006 3:15PM]

1300mah? Not exactly a powerhouse, but still a cool idea.

[Mojo_Yugen @ Sep 19th 2006 3:17PM]

also this:
-90%+ Charged after 5 Hours by powered USB
-Also rechargeable by approved NiMH charger at 250ma for 7 Hours

That's a pretty slow recharge time.

[will @ Sep 19th 2006 3:22PM]

brilliant idea!

[Justin @ Sep 19th 2006 3:25PM]

Looks nice, but how do you know when it is done charging? I don't see any lights there... Still a good idea.

[Nexus @ Sep 19th 2006 9:28PM]

yes i do hope there is some sort of indicator

[Scott @ Sep 19th 2006 3:25PM]

Great idea. I'll use them in my wireless mouse at work.

[Jawknee @ Sep 19th 2006 3:25PM]

Now that is one cool battery.

[Paul @ Sep 19th 2006 3:26PM]

My thoughts on this are:

What prevents over charging? I dont want my laptop getting any ideas from these batteries exploding.

1300 mah is not the longest, but I know that hunting for my battery charger while on vacation is a pain, so this could easily make up for this lack in convienence.

The time of charging is pretty typical of a battery and is not really a problem for me, I tend to leave my laptop on overnight with the screen down. Another thought on this is that slow charging tends to make your batteries last for more charges.

[Tony C @ Sep 19th 2006 3:33PM]

How do I know my USBCELL is charged, when charging in a USB port?

A small LED light at the USB plug end of each USBCELL indicates that it is charging. If the cell is already charged the LED should start flashing within 15-25 minutes and stop after a further 10 minutes of top-up charge. If the cell is less charged, the LED will stay on and the battery will continue charging until full charge is detected at which point the LED will flash for 10 minutes. If the USBCELL was fully discharged it will charge for 5 hours and then trickle charge for 90 minutes. When the LED switches off then the USBCELL is fully charged. Batteries get warm during charging, to a peak temperature when fully charged. It is therefore not recommended that you recharge batteries immediately after charging. Batteries should always be charged at room temperature.

http://www.usbcell.com/support/faqsection/5

[BeRoes3d @ Sep 19th 2006 3:35PM]

agreed, this would be useful for travel and it's not so expensive =o

[Tony C @ Sep 19th 2006 3:45PM]

The 9V one will be great for smoke alarms.

[-ardcore Canadian @ Sep 19th 2006 3:55PM]

A few downsides to this I guess since everyone else loves it. First the batteries? 1300mah? For someone who is considering this for a digital camera don't! Honestly, your camera would die very quickly. Most rechargable NI-NH batteries you buy in the store are in the run of 2200-2800mah and up. Secondly most laptops would allow you to charge maybe one or two batteries at a time... considering some cameras would need 4 batteries that is a long time. My current charger does a full charge of 2300 mah in 60 minutes for 4 batteries.

[Paul @ Sep 19th 2006 4:16PM]

I did a quick check on my rechargeable batteries, and here is what I gots:

Off Brand Chinese Import off Ebay: 2600mAh
Rayovac: 1800 mAh
Failsafe Dorcy: 1600 mAh
Energizer: 2000 mAh

So, yes, 1300 mAh is low and I probably would not recommend it for a digital camera, but for a wireless mouse it should be good.

[daniel @ Sep 19th 2006 4:01PM]

Weird but cool. Maybe they can make them one with a mini USB plug so I can use my RAZR charger.

[Bill @ Sep 19th 2006 4:12PM]

It would be nice if you could use it to power you usb devices ie. iPod in the event of a battery shortage

[Joseph @ Sep 19th 2006 4:18PM]

THIS is the future. Most practical advacement in batteries I've seen in a while.

[kOa7 @ Sep 19th 2006 4:27PM]

y'know, usb is one of the real successes of our era.. it is slowly but surely becoming ubiquitious.. all I can say is good riddance to proprietary connectors for i/o and charging, and having to carry around several incompatible accessories.

Cheers to usb!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjZQGRATlwA

[Nith @ Sep 19th 2006 4:40PM]

Awsome Idea. While I do not see a wide array for applications it is definetely nearly revolutionary in certain situations.

[Jerome @ Sep 19th 2006 4:57PM]

>90%+ Charged after 5 Hours by powered USB
>Also rechargeable by approved NiMH charger at 250ma for 7 Hours
>That's a pretty slow recharge time.

A computer USB give out 500mA! In theory that would be 3 hours to charge

1300mAh is good! 1/3 of the battery is cut off by the USB connector! Come on guys!
That is 1/3 less chemicals!

It is a brillant idea!

Jerome

[brian welch @ Sep 19th 2006 5:08PM]

@Nith

I think they mentioned in that first post that you can't change your pwd yet.. but you need to have that first password saved in your browser if you don't want to remember it.. On the other hand, you can just repeatedly "register" with the same email if you forget what the pwd is..

[Dale @ Sep 19th 2006 5:14PM]

I think this is a great idea, but I wonder if will sell?

[Kevin @ Sep 19th 2006 5:17PM]

hmm...

[Dario @ Sep 19th 2006 5:17PM]

this is a good idea... but how long will it take to recharge

[Mr. H @ Sep 19th 2006 5:17PM]

No need for expensive and bulky chargers either! The man who came up with this is a genius.

[Steve @ Sep 19th 2006 5:22PM]

Integrating the battery and the recharging mechanism is a major boon for the travellers amongst us and a fantastic bit of lateral thinking.

[@ Sep 19th 2006 5:25PM]

huh

[Eric @ Sep 19th 2006 5:37PM]

Sounds pretty slow.

[adam @ Sep 19th 2006 5:40PM]

how long till these things start exploding in a firey ball of battery goodness?

[AJ @ Sep 19th 2006 5:45PM]

I'll be totally honest....

I'll be picking this one up.

AKBlade13

[nVidiot @ Sep 19th 2006 5:53PM]

Is USB really all that great of a power source?

Just a question.. I was under the impression that USB couldn't handle all that much juice at once no matter what power supply was backing it.

[sheik124 @ Sep 19th 2006 6:18PM]

These seem silly

[Lee Gibson @ Sep 19th 2006 6:41PM]

Good thing there are lots of things that don't require all that much juice.

[Lincoln Jones @ Sep 19th 2006 7:03PM]

USB 1 or 2? :P

[William C Bonner @ Sep 19th 2006 7:31PM]

When are we going to be able to power our laptops via the USB Ports?

[jopari @ Sep 19th 2006 9:28PM]

eh, the only practical use would be in james bond type situations.

[Al @ Sep 19th 2006 10:00PM]

You know what this out be good for? The Wii. The controllers use AA batteries and the Wii has 2 USB ports in the back. Perfect.

[imrealldum @ Feb 20th 2008 7:13PM]

That's what I thought....usbcells don't fit the wii usb ports.

[Nizam Rahman @ Sep 19th 2006 10:57PM]

That's awesome. I'd buy a couple of those.

[Dylan @ Sep 19th 2006 11:06PM]

Hmm, would be nice if they'd add a female USB adapter on the other end for charging various devices while out on the town or doing what you would.

[B1gC72 @ Sep 20th 2006 1:26AM]

uh huh. pretty nifty. its kinda funny knowing how much time people waste making useless USB powered crap when they could be focusing on something more practicle and useful like this right here

[Adam @ Sep 20th 2006 10:36AM]

definitely cool! I agree w/ everyone saying the amount of power these put out is low, but that I'm sure will be improved on, and it is a great idea for those wireless products for your computer.

[Al @ Sep 20th 2006 7:05PM]

whats the need for that?

[A Boy Named Mole @ Sep 21st 2006 1:09AM]

awesome stuff

[jbstingray @ Sep 22nd 2006 5:09PM]

It would be cool if it could backcharge - like keep your laptop running for, oh, maybe 2 minutes.....

[Al @ Sep 25th 2006 4:37PM]

whats the need for that?

[moth @ Sep 27th 2006 5:55PM]

would this work with Apple's iPod wall charger?

[BradStar @ Dec 7th 2006 11:56PM]

How are there multiple highest ranked comments?