Toshiba, Antig showcase methanol fuel cells
We'd really like to see fuel cells take off because, as we've whined before, we can't stand dealing with batteries. And we're psyched that at least two companies — Toshiba and Antig Technology — were showing off their latest methanol cells at CeBIT last week. Antig has actually come up with a cell that you can pop into the CD bay of your laptop (assuming you can get along without your optical drive), which they claim will be market-ready later this year. Toshiba, however, is still hedging on their long-delayed drive, saying that it won't be ready for commercial production until they've addressed size, weight and regulatory issues. We don't know what Antig has done to address these issues that Toshiba hasn't, but we'll be first in line to check out their cell when it launches. After all, given all the explosions and fires caused by conventional batteries, how much riskier can it be to power our laptop with a highly flammable, toxic and corrosive liquid fuel?
