Disclosure: I own stock in Medis Technologies. I occasionally adjust my holdings as the price increases and decreases. I promise not to trade in this stock for at least 2 weeks after posting this comment.
One of my biggest frustrations as a frequent traveler and admitted geek is the search for accessible power for my portable devices. For various reasons, when I travel I often have two laptop bags full of gear that works for between 2 and 5 hours without recharging. After that, the gear changes from useful tools and toys to dead bricks that need toting until I can find a plug.
I cannot tell you how many times I have had to park myself on an uncomfortable and rather dirty airport floor in order to sit close enough to the column mounted electrical plugs seemingly placed only for the convenience of the cleaning crew and their vacuum cleaners. I was once a hero because I happened to have a three plug outlet in my bag on a trip with a significant flight delay. Two additional people were able to get their power fix at a time – that plug ended up helping at least a half a dozen people ease their traveling frustration while we were waiting for the plane to finally depart.
Okay – that was a rather long introduction in explanation of why I am so excited about Medis Technologies and their 24-7 Power Pack product. I cannot wait until they are available on the market – currently scheduled for the second half of 2007.
The Power Pack is a disposable fuel cell that uses some unique technology to allow it to store 3-10 times as much energy per unit mass as lithium ion batteries. A single power pack weighing less than 180 grams can provide enough energy to allow up to 80 hours of listening on a hard drive based iPod or 30 hours of talk time on a cell phone. Through the use of a power management system and a collection of inexpensive tips, the Power Pack can charge at least 30 different devices with more options to come.
The company has plans to develop larger systems that will charge laptops and may even develop a stand-by fuel cell for home use.
If you want to learn more about the company, visit www.medistechnologies.com. If you want to learn more specifics about the 24-7 Power Pack, you can see a presentation that was provided to a group of investment professionals at Piper Jaffray’s second annual conference discussing alternative energy opportunities. Here is a link to that presentation:
http://www.medistechnologies.com/news.php?op=a&id=58
This product definitely fills a personal need and I am rather proud that I have helped its development in a small way by continuing to purchase the stock as it has climbed and fallen over the past 4-5 years. There have been a lot of naysayers and short sellers, but the technology makes sense to me and the organization that is doing the development seems to have all of the right attributes to make the vision a reality.
Please remember my disclaimer – I have a bias that makes me really want this company and its product to succeed in a big way.
Additional information: In case you happen to be fascinated by machinery, check out this video of the Medis Power Pack production line that is in its final stages of testing before being disassembled and sent to its permanent location in Ireland. http://www.feehan.com/medis07/prodline.html
