Medis 24-7 Power Pack fuel cell available online now, at Best Buy soon

Medis has been making promises about its portable fuel cell for the masses since way back in 2005, but it looks like it's now finally actually available online, and will soon be available at a Best Buy possibly near you (if it isn't already). $30 will get you the basic starter kit, which includes the PowerPack itself, a power cable, a standard mini USB connector, and connectors for LG, Palm Treo, and "New Nokia" phones. According to Medis, a single PowerPack will provide enough juice for about 30 hours of talk time, or 60 to 80 hours of playback from your MP3 player, after which you'll have to ditch (and recycle) the pack and get a replacement for $20. If that sounds like the solution you've been waiting for, you can hit up the link below and get your order in.

[BigD145 @ Aug 19th 2008 4:03PM]

This is why fuel cells are not the best alternative. At the prices you're paying for it and its replacements, you might as well go with a folding solar panel setup and backup battery.

[Kevin Farley @ Aug 19th 2008 4:53PM]

Great, another disposable power source, I'm with BigD145, go with something reusable with no waste, because that's all this thing is!

[BigD145 @ Aug 19th 2008 7:27PM]

Give me the ability to refill it myself and I'll look into the tech. Until then, I'll stick with NiMH batteries for portability.

[Alexander @ Aug 19th 2008 8:02PM]

I bet you lunch that within a HOURS, people have it apart and with a guide on how to refill it for like a dollar worth of materials.

[Zinger314 @ Aug 19th 2008 4:07PM]

This is the worst scam since styrofoam.

[Peter Green @ Aug 19th 2008 4:15PM]

Will TSA let you bring this on a airplane?

[kumbhani @ Aug 19th 2008 4:43PM]

For what it's worth, the material safety data sheet on the website claims up to 3 power packs are allowed in airplane cabins.

[Michael Witt @ Aug 19th 2008 4:09PM]

I read 'fuel cell' and immediately thought hydrogen, which would be really cool.

Then I realized it's just a big Cellboost, that also costs a helluva lot more. Why is this news?

[BigD145 @ Aug 19th 2008 4:28PM]

It is a fuel cell. You have to refill it.

[Anthony @ Aug 19th 2008 11:46PM]

Won't it be funny when someone cracks this open & sees a roll of AA's linking the inside (like that pack you find every now & then filled w/ hearing aid batteries). I'll stick w/ my AA tube & Nokia cable, thank you.

[Tilyou @ Aug 22nd 2008 5:04PM]

It's news because it is infinitely WORSE than Cellboost.

Cellboost = small & light
Medis = bulky

Cellboost = disposble
Medis = partly disposable (you keep the electronics) which, apart from being confusing, combines the worst of both (inconvenient, and still fills landfills with plastic and tiny but valuable amounts of Platinum)

Cellboost=powers a cell phone almost instantly. Has a model for Blackberries
Medis=cannot power a Blackberry. Charges very slowly (too slow to make an immediate call with a totally dead phone)

The worst part is you have to use the Medis slow clunky junk quickly. You must "activate" it for it to work, it quickly becomes weaker, and a few weeks later (whether used or not after activation) it's dead: a souvenir of a mistake.

But Medis is more than just a lousy product. It's a vaudeville comedy act, suckering investors since 1992. About which some hard facts here (yes, written by me. This company and its pumpers have irked me for years).

http://ragingbull.quote.com/mboard/boards.cgi?board=MDTL&read=360

Tilyou1

[George @ Aug 19th 2008 4:10PM]

Don't expect to take this with you on a plane.

[James Dinsmore @ Aug 19th 2008 4:38PM]

Actually, they have allegedly gotten approval from the TSA to allow you to bring up to three of these on a plane at the same time. Speaking from personal experience, last year I had the opportunity to visit the Celestica factory in Galway, Ireland where they put these things together, and was given one at the end of the tour. I was able to get it back to the US without any problems from Shannon Airport security, despite the fact that they took my travel size toothpaste because it was not in a ziploc bag. But as per all things TSA, your mileage will probably vary.

[ScOObyDoo @ Aug 19th 2008 5:03PM]

They have full DOT approval, and each unit contains the DOT permit number, plus it is clearly marked as "approved for carriage in aircraft".

[Wolfticket @ Aug 19th 2008 4:17PM]

This is a bit like the power equivalent of an inkjet printer.
Sell the device cheap and then charge through the nose for the consumables.

[BigD145 @ Aug 19th 2008 4:28PM]

Yes. It's also the equivalent of a car. You'll spend more on gas and oil and filters and belts and tires and _____ than the cost of the car itself within just a few years. It's what happens when you have to buy some sort "fuel" to keep tech doing what it's designed to do.

[Chris @ Aug 19th 2008 6:40PM]

Hence the main reason we aren't driving electric cars... too easy and cheap to maintain.

[Student Driver @ Aug 19th 2008 4:18PM]

Yeah, "fuel cell" is a bit of unfortunate wording. However, I bet "fool cell" wouldn't sell any, so there you go.

[greatsunjester @ Aug 19th 2008 4:46PM]

Sooooo....... by "Fuel Cell" they mean "Non-rechargeable battery pack". And if they manage to use the term "Green" somewhere on the package they really mean "Clogging up landfills or praying there is a recycler near".

[Sundog @ Aug 19th 2008 4:56PM]

I can just see the marketing meeting.

I was totally confused by this until I saw everyone else had the same reaction. Why on Earth would anyone buy this thing? Am I missing something?

[Sundog @ Aug 19th 2008 4:58PM]

Someone got the concept just spectacularly wrong, it seems to me. The idea of a "fuel cell" is that it will be cheap to run. As greatsunjester said, this is a nonrechargable battery pack on its way to a landfill near you.

[Xander @ Aug 19th 2008 5:09PM]

is this methanol based? i cant think of an advantage this has over... any other source of power

[KC @ Aug 19th 2008 7:28PM]

Apparently they use a "our proprietary Direct Liquid Fuel Cell (DLFC) technology. The underlying chemistry is a direct liquid borohydride technology". Read the FAQ: http://www.poweritanywhere.com/trouble_q&a.shtml#fuelcell

At 185g, it's not too bad an idea to pack one of these in the car or at home for emergency purposes.

[Jangis @ Aug 19th 2008 6:45PM]

You are all insane. Please tell me what new technology product has been first to market and has been cheap right from the start. I am sure when the first LCD tv came to market with a price tag of over $100,000 you were all on the message boards bashing that product as being too expensive and no one will ever buy one. Do you guys even think before you post, or just automatically start complaining and bashing? If you haven't noticed almost every new product to market always starts off expensive and over time the prices come down. Give this thing 5 years and see what it is like then, but by then it maybe a decent cheap product and I am sure you all will be on the message boards claiming you all knew this product would be a hit

[david @ Aug 19th 2008 7:27PM]

Woooshhh....

....goes the sound of the comments flying over your head.


This thing is no different than buying a big battery pack that can charge various devices. If they can provide a 'fuel cell' where I add my OWN fuel (water, methanol, etc) that will charge things, then replace the fuel as needed, then I'll be happy. Until then, I'll look past this thing and continue buying rechargeable batteries or regular batteries.

[Anthony @ Aug 19th 2008 11:49PM]

I don't see most people complaining because it's expensive. I see complaints because it's stupid. It's barely an improvement on existing tech. It's not like we're carrying star tacs around. Most people can make it from hotel to hotel w/o carrying a fuel cell around.

Stick this in a car & we can talk.

[Chris Taylor @ Sep 13th 2008 11:23PM]

Except that LCD had a compelling "PURPOSE" over existing technologies.

This fuel cell has NO compelling USE a 1amp cellphone battery will give you talk time over 6 hours in the right phone. I have even seen 8 hours talk time. SO lets amp it up to the 30 hours claimed using 6 hours. thats 5 times the capacity so its a 5amp battery

THAT YOU CAN ONLY USE ONE FRELLING TIME.

I can spend $20 on ebay and get 5 replacement batteries for my phone. Thats gives me the 30 hours this thing gets for the SAME PRICE but thats hot all folks. Wait till you hear the rest. I can use those 5 batteries OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN Hundreds of times!

NO its not $40 its not $30 its $20 on ebay right from china. Yes log into ebay today and YOU TOO can have this amazing deal.

or better get 2 "extended" life batteries and you will have MORE than 30 hours talk time (including the original battery) and have less to carry around. I have "external" charges for my batteries. I keep one at work one at home and even one in the car. If I ever have an "oops" I forgot to plug it in and charge it then it takes me less than 15 seconds to "swap" the dead battery for the already fully charged battery in the desktop charger. Total spent? $65 and thats because I went OEM on the batteries :-)

NOW if this thing would give me say 14 DAYS talk time and was capable of putting out more than 1watt of power on demand for $20 WELL then you might have something.

OH and whats the shelf life? if its measured in DECADES it might have a use in emergency kits and the sort.

[Rohan @ Aug 19th 2008 7:44PM]

Yes - but this isn't 5 years in the future, it's now, and right now this isn't a good product - so why not criticize it?

For what it's worth - this is a stupid product NOT because it's brand new early-stage tech, but because it's a dumb strategy.

1) The device is ugly, nobody wants to carry around an ugly dehumidifier, just to get extra talktime out of their elegant iPhone / Blackberry.

2) Quick price evaluation - 60 extra hours of play time on my Nano would be roughly 3 to 4 charges. So $20/3 and $4 amounts to roughly $5 to $7 per charge. Stupid.

3) Environmentally unfriendly business model. Not reusable? Fine. Stupid, but fine. At least they're recycling the units you send back to them right? It's not like it costs money, wastes resources, and consumes energy to transport packages back and forth to who knows where. Why on earth don't they just sell you a bottle of fuel?

[Rohan @ Aug 19th 2008 7:52PM]

Further - Has anyone seen the batteries inside a standard MP3 player? They're tiny.

If this "fuel cell" device is only going to charge a Nano 3 or 4 times over, why does it appear to be MANY times larger than 3 or 4 lithium Nano batteries?

And of course, the next logical question - who wants to bet that this device IS just 4 lithium batteries inside a bulky case, with a chunk of lead inside to make it feel more substantial? (I actually bought a cheap camera as a child that epoxied a lead weight inside the case to make it feel more valuable.

[Alexander @ Aug 19th 2008 8:06PM]

Can't wait for someone to refill it. :P

[Dr. Gorilla @ Aug 19th 2008 10:17PM]

There already IS a rechargeable device made by APC (www.apc.com) called the "mobile power pack" that gives about 55 hours for a cell phone. The Model I boughyt is UPB10, and it is not bogus as the fuel cell appears to be, and gives many recharges. I got it from APC during a promotional sale for about $55, but it probably costs over $70 now, and is definitelly worth it!!!

[Bill @ Aug 20th 2008 7:07AM]

I bought this several months ago.

It didn't work very well.

You plug it into your device and a green LED lights up to let you know the device is drawing power.

All the cellphones I tried phone would only charge for a few minutes before the light went out - you'd have to unplug and plug them back in to get the LED lit again.

Skip this and buy a portable battery pack instead.

[toyotaboy @ Aug 20th 2008 12:50PM]

If I can refill a butane lighter myself, why can't I refill this myself? This is like going back to mama bell where you can't install your own home phone without a union worker coming over.

[Tilyou1 @ Aug 25th 2008 11:55AM]

- Why can't you refill?

You can't fill it yourself because (1) there are two liquids -- fuel and electrolyte, and (2) before you can refill, you've got to get rid of the old liquids (and there's a bunch of both after the power pack is dead. Then (3) you'd have to replace both liquids.

How long the electrodes would last with refilling is unknown (consider how lousy the system works on the first fueling!) since eventually they wear down and limit refills. Even if you could refill it, you might get even less performance than the first time (and the first was already unacceptable).

Besides complexity, you've got the problem that the electrolyte is drano quality caustic -- look at the warning label that should be there (required by UL) and see (note also you shouldn't leave those beauties in a parked car, which can get hotter with the windows rolled up than the maximum safety temp in the warming).

Medis promised a refill version for the market in 2002 (at one point in 2001, Medis CEO Lifton claimed the deal was "on track") but it doesn't exist and it likely never will exist. Even if Medis could solve the problems with its 2 liquids system, the result would be the junk no one wants to buy now or ever.

All of which takes Medis FARrrrrr too seriously. It's a joke. It put out its junk to try to beat a securities rap or shareholder suit, should any make any headway. Hey, they can say -- we tried!

Yeah, like a movie that opens and closes the same week for tax purposes.

That's the only think that can explain how bad it is.

Tilyou1

[Trent @ Sep 12th 2008 11:43PM]

Tilyou1 -

"You can't fill it yourself because (1) there are two liquids -- fuel and electrolyte, and (2) before you can refill, you've got to get rid of the old liquids (and there's a bunch of both after the power pack is dead. Then (3) you'd have to replace both liquids."

You don't know anything about Fuel Cells and your comments indicate your ignorance on this matter. You should seriously consider discovering how the device actually works before comment on it. There is no Electrolyte in a fuel cell, there is fuel. Which is reformed to hydrogen and passed into the fuel cell where it reacts chemically with oxygen to form H2O (Water). The only liquids in this thing are the fuel, most likely an alcohol (they call it borohydride), and the waste product is WATER. There is NO reason you couldn't refill the thing with new fuel and drain the waste water. NONE, in fact you could drink it. In fact according to the FAQ the fuel capsule has to be squeezed into the system to start the thing working, having a drain plug for the waste product and inserting a new capsule would be a trivial addition and Fuel could be purchased for pennies. The problem is they've likely based their sales model on loosing money on the initial sale in hope people will pay $20 to have a $0.30 alcohol capsule inserted and the waste capsule removed at some service center.

[Tilyou1 @ Aug 22nd 2008 5:06PM]

What Medis offers is junk. Consider:

- the power output is trivial. The Medis half-brick won't even power a totall dead cell phone to quickly make a phone call (compare Cellboost, which at least really is disposable, and can let you make a cell phone call almost immediately). And it won't power a Blackberry at all. And it's not even disposable -- you have electronics that can't be recharged, and can't take off something off-the-shelf like an AA battery.

- there are MANY superior solutions for ipods -- I shouldn't need to tell you about them. Some run on AAA batteries, some on AA batteries, and some one Lithium-ion; and many if not most are rechargeable. Why buy something hugely more expensive, that works poorly and adds to landfills?

- The Medis junk needs to be "activiated" after which the power depletes quickly. After a few days it's so weak it's practically useless. After a few weeks, it's dead whether you used it, or not. Some hot technology, eh? There's already something much better: more compact, more powerful and rechargeable -- called a BATTERY pack.

And the price of the powerpack has been going UP from when it was first offered a year ago. Not all prices go down. The automated line to pump out those powerpacks was completed a year ago -- but so far Medis has reported NO revenue. No one wants their junk.

Then the story gets much worse... Medis looks not like a company with a lousy product. It looks like a ripe old scam. For more information, check here....

http://ragingbull.quote.com/mboard/boards.cgi?board=MDTL&read=360

Medis has a longgggggggg history of promising miracle products, and delivering nothing. Now that's changed: it's delivered junk. Some improvement! Ever hear of a company called "Webistics"?

Same thing.

Tilyou

[Aaron @ Oct 20th 2008 5:47AM]

Oil companies love selling fuels : $3.25 for something that costs less that $2.00 to make!
Inkjet printer companies love the ink cartridge system: $2 worth of ink for $20
Nail polish companies love to sell little bottles of paint 0.5oz for $0.05 worth or paint for $5 LOL
Cologne and Perfume often sells for $20-50 per liquid ounce-

What happened to the battery? Who killed the electric car? Whats with 12MPG in 2008? Am I missing something?

I get really pissed off every time I hear about fuel cells. Every unit of money spent on the develop fuel cells (fuel consuming batteries) is another unit of money diverted away from the further advancement of lithium ion, lithium polymer, lithium phosphate, nano-lithium, and other advanced battery technologies.

Did you notice that the battery life of your laptop still sucks! Most people are lucky to get 2 hours out of mid sized mid powered mid priced note book computer. How in the shit do we expect to build an electric car with current batteries that are supposed to last well over 100,000 miles- or 1000 charges at 100miles range.

Do you know how much it costs to charge a 1amp 3.7volt lithium battery? At $0.20 kwh, it costs well under $0.01- thats right less than 1 cent.

Let's see- 1cent worth of grid power or $20 for a cartridge? This is not going to take a genius to figure out!

What we really need is better batteries! Invest in state of the art battery technologies. Write to companies and demand longer run times on your mobile devices. Buy a few shares and tell share holder services what you think.

Investing in advanced batteries will translate to buying hybrid electric vehicles for most people- this kind of consumer choice will provide the battery industry with the kind of capital it needs to conduct the research and development they need to conduct so that consumers like you and I can have access to battery batteries.

Better batteries = longer talk and standby times on cell phones, longer play time on portable music players, longer operating time on notebook and netbook computers, better fuel economy in hybrid electric vehicles, faster to market time for (real/ practical) electric only vehicles.

Fuel cells = a waste of time, money, effort and research- they are nothing more than batteries that require a fuel- and guess who loves that idea? Oil companies do- they like anything situation where you are hopelessly dependant on a consumable commodity that they control! Fuel cell research for cars is just a way for auto-makers to claim they are doing something good- meanwhile they continue selling cars that get realy world averages of 12MPG. WTF ? Are people in this country in an ignorant or what?

I want to give two thumbs up to whoever pointed out that technology is expensive when it first comes out- I remember calling Royal Phillips Electronics to price check their $45,000 42inch plasma TV. I remember seeing a 1MB hard drive sell for $30,000. Cutting edge technology has edge cutting prices- but it has to do something inovative. This "fuel" battery is innovative- but it I am going to agree with all of the haters on this threat that $20, for 20watt hours of power is a steep price to pay. As for comparing it to a solar panel battery setup- I listen to my ipod at night time- when the sun is down- and I am on the go when I am hiking in the day- usually through a forested area- and solar is simply not practical- this fuel cell would be good for such an task- but batteries are even better- especially with respect to cost per unit of performance.

For all of the haters and shit talkers on this thread- I would like to post the following- After reading many threats where people went on and on telling others what a terrible idea the Toyota Prius is- these hate mongering morons failed to consider the following basic calculations. If you own a vehicle for its operation life- these numbers will make more sense- if you are the kind of person who gets a new car every couple of years- they you spend your money like a crazy idiot and nothing coherent will make sense- so for everyone else- enjoy.

Compare 200,000 Miles : Fuel Cost : A 12MPG SUV verses A 45MPG Prius

A 7000lb SUV that averages 12MPG (not uncommon in real world testing) over its life-
16,666 gallons of gas used @ $3 per gallon this $49,998 in fuel costs
158.3 Tons of Co2 released
More energy consumed in the production and distribution
More tire material consumed during its operation
More lubrication oil used during its operation
2.3 times more materials used in construction
3.75 times more CO2 released during it operation


A 3000lb Prius that averages 45MPG (very common in real world testing) over its life-
4,444 gallons of gas used @ $3 per gallon this = $13,332 in fuel costs
42.2 Tons of Co2 Released
Significantly less energy consumed in production and distribution (3000lbs vs 7000lbs)
Significantly less tire material consumed during its operation (much less than half)
Significantly less lubrication oil used during its operation (much less that half)
2.3 times less materials
3.75 times less CO2 released during it operation

So all of you who were shit talking the only practical car that consistently averages in the mid 40's, you can take these numbers and attempt to cram them in your incredibly deficient minds! Good luck!

As for shit talking technology in general- innovation and technology are the only things driving economy progress. All other economy growth is integrally dependant on technological innovation; advances in science and technology that give us more from less, more food from less land, more miles from few gallons, more cleaning from less soap, more function with less power- ect ect.....

Technology is where we will find the answers to the most difficult problems humanity is facing: Climate change, an energy crisis and an economic crisis. Technology and innovation is the future of medicine, the future of human experience, the future of daily operations, of information generation and transmission, of research and development, of music and art, of entertainment of all sorts, from sports to sex to relation and exercise, to intellectual expansion and intrapersonal growth, to connect people across lands, across cultures and across languages, it is ultimately science and technology that is moving us forward.

What we really need is better batteries- better consumer choices- more options- this fuel cell is just another option- let the market speak- if it goes over well then so be it- thats what the market demands. No one would be making 12MPG cars and trucks unless someone was buying them- it is ultimately you the consumer that decides where we go in the future- every dollar you spend directs our progress- decides what options we have- what kind of technologies we have- it is where you put your money that decides where society goes- for it is greed that is pervasive- the food of industrial progress- of economic growth- but it is ultimately energy that makes everything happen- so the money is really an abstraction of energy- and what we all thirst, what we all desire is the energy we need to manipulate the world around- to move ourselves and our things through space, to protect, cloth, feed and house eachother, it is energy that makes the world go round- and the sun is clearly the ultimate example of where we can harness that energy- to charge batteries, to run our computers, to drive our vehicles, to harvest our food, to print, recylce, produce, use and or in any other way do anything with anything- from chemical bonds to social bonds- everything requires energy!

Vote for renewable energy- vote for change- vote for someone who know what you now know about energy- that it is our future- that we need technology to improve the ways and means by which we harvest and supply energy- by which we distribute and utilize energy- for everything- for art- for science- for fun and for business- from the personal to the political, from the practical to the abstract- it takes energy for humans to do anything- so vote for the future of energy- for sustainable energy- for renewable energy- for natural- clean- abundant, solar- geothermal- wind and nuclear energy-

Stop the war by consumer less gas- the oil we import from other nations is funding the other side of the war on terror. The oil we import causes money- and energy to leave our economy- for every dollar of energy we export oil only gives us $0.70 back- oil is a net looser- it is not the future of anything except for accelerated climate change.

Put your money where your mouth is- and make it happen- make tomorrows technologies happen today- stop investing in old technology that’s covered in a vanity shield- that SUV is 1950's technology! That 2008 Prius is more advanced than any other vehicle you can buy! And it will save you a tone of money on gas!
That little spiral CFL is part of the answer-
Activating the power management functions on your computer is part of the answer-
Buying local is part of the answer-
Turning the lights off when you are not using them- Using dimmers and sensors- using common sense!
We need to hit the energy crisis from every perspective- and it all starts with you! Choose wisely- your choices are your future! Our choices now influence our options tomorrow!
Want more non-sense- vote for the same party we have in charge right now-
Want change- vote for the party who is not afraid to do the right thing! To tax those who can afford to be taxed in order to help those in hardships- those who have been taken advantage of by the rich- by the predatory lenders and banks and credit card companies- those who have been fooled by greed driven marketing sleaze bags- for everyone who suffers at the hands of those whom hold the ultimate advantage- wealth- wealth that they have been using to control our government- to control our current president- money they have been using to pervert democracy into betraying the greater interests of the majority for the sake of yielding an even greater advantage to the already highly advantaged wealthy- allowing them you make money with their money, and the cycle continues.
If we do not do something about this- then imported oil is going to suck our economy dry- it is going to make the rich richer, and everyone else will lose. I will loose , you will loose, everyone else will lose.
You know what trickles down from the rich when they make money- more favors for their friends- more ways for them to take advantage of the legal system- more ways for them to take advantage of everyone- to manipulate our legislative process in their favor- that’s what trickle down economics gives us- it gives us inflation and joy exportation, it gives us an oil habit, it gives us a corrupt government- a shitty economy and an unfair, inequitable, injustice for the majority. Trickle that down your fuel cell.

[Ellis B. @ Nov 23rd 2008 4:22PM]

It sounds to me as though all the negative reviewers have a personal axe to grind. When we had a 6.5 earthquake here there was no power with which to recharge cellphones. And no idea when we would have power, or any way to find out. We were using both our personal cellphones to contact family, check on neighbors (we live in the country), get news and veterinary advice, and respond to media inquiries. There was no way for us to get to the community hospital for almost an entire day (fortunately we didn't need to, but a neighbor was injured in the face by falling brick and we had to administer first aid). We were also using our camera to document damage.

You technogeeks can keep your big battery packs and hotel power outlets. I am ordering some Medis packs and refills as soon as I can. Whatever you may think of the company or product, I am grateful that finally someone has made a product like this available. And I am buying some as gifts for my sailing friends as well.