Cell phone battery may soon be the talk of the town. (methanol fuel cell being developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory)

A new power source for cellular phones, portable computers, and other portable electronic devices promises to deliver power up to 50 times longer than standard nickel-cadmium (NiCd) batteries.

Following a long-time dream of electrochemists to create electric power from hydrocarbon fuel, Los Alamos National Laboratory physicist Bob Hockaday has engineered the prototype of a miniature methanol fuel cell in his basement lab. Financial backing has been arranged to develop a manufacturing prototype. The battery., which he calls the Micro-Fuel Cell, is similar in size and price but just half the weight of conventional batteries. It is expected to have a major impact on the $1 billion a year portable-phone battery market. The new product could be on …