OK, let’s think of all the ways you do this. There is some emerging technology that will convert motion into the power you need to charge up your batteries. Let’s see:

• Dancing.
• Walking the dog.
• Jogging or any form of exercise.
• And then of course we could steer off into the realm of the silly…

But we won’t do that. There’s a startup in Idaho, M2E Power that it is going to bring a cell-phone charger to market next year that convert six hours of movement into one hour of talk time. Doesn’t sound like much at the moment, but as Katie Fehrenbacher on GigaOm points out there are decided upsides to this in third world countries.

I can already sense some entrepreneur out there thinking of an after market add-on that shakes your device all night long to give it a charge up.

There is no doubt that all-day computing is peering around the corner.  The three questions about how fast it pops around the corner and jumps into our mobile tech lives relate to cost, appearance, and ease.  An Intel press release from 2004 provides a blast from the past, detailing how new industry standards and advancements set the goal of achieving eight-hour battery life by 2010.  With two years to go, there have been numerous advancements as we get closer to the goal of using our mobile devices without plugging into the wall.  Let's look at the remaining barriers to reaching an all-day battery.

The cost of long-life batteries:

You've heard how there may be battery shortages because a manufacturer in South Korea burned to the ground.  Despite any short-term problems this may have created, machines sold with longer battery life will always cost more than those with with less.  Just as a car with extra features may cost more than the generic model, a laptop with longer battery life can generate stronger revenues for the companies that sell them.  Here are a few choices on the market now and the difference between 3 hours and 5-8 hours of use:

Mobile devices have changed how and where we stay connected. The lifeline for all mobile devices lies within the battery. There have always been myths and half-truths regarding maximizing battery life and battery run time. Fran Hoffart, an applications engineer for Linear Technology Corporation, published an article that ran on EET Asia with some real-world suggestions for prolonging the life of your Li-Ion battery, and thus, maintaining maximum run time.

Steve “Chippy” Paine is running a poll at UMPCPortal asking the simple question, “What is the minimum battery life you consider to be suitable for an Ultra Mobile device in 2008?” I’m not suprised by the results. Over 85% want four hours or more. While this may be akin to asking who wants lower gas prices, the point is obviously clear.

I've been through a few airports and seen those rapid charging stations where you pay a few bucks for several minutes of juice.  The rapid charging station pictured was developed by SmartCarte and was found living inside the Las Vegas airport.  It offered various adapters to charge your favorite gadgets.  The cost was $3.00 for 30 minutes of charge, and it accepted major debt and credit cards.  All you have to do is plug in your device to the appropriate adapter, swipe your card, and watch the time pass as your device is brought back to life.  A small screen keeps track of how much your card is being charged while delivering power.

I've never suffered from an empty cell phone battery when traveling, but apparently there are many in need of a recharge.  A video from SmartCarte states that 70% of air travelers carry a cell phone, and the need to recharge batteries is on the rise.  They claim that the chargecarte unit is able to charge your PDA or cell phone in half the time of a regular charge, giving you 50% charge in 30 minutes.

Reasons I avoid charging stations:

• It's expensive.  The cost for electricity used to charge your device is multiple what you pay to charge in your own home.
• I don't feel safe letting my device hang out while charging; I'd have to stand guard the whole time.
• No guarantee that it will give me a quality charge. The charging station clearly states: Quality of the charge depends on the quality of your battery.
• It's possible to locate unused electrical sockets in seating areas.  There may not be a lot, but there are usually a few places to plug in for free.
• Not sure I feel comfortable giving my device the "rapid charge" described by SmartCarte.  I spent a lot of money on my devices, and having them get fried is my last desire.

Has anyone ever used a rapid charging station, or would you ever use one?  Share your experience.

The past week I had the opportunity to test the Soldius1 mp3 player and cell phone solar charger from mysoldius.  This device sells for 89.95 at mysoldius.com and is available in a variety of colors.  They have an excellent frequently asked questions section that might dispel some misconceptions about charging devices with the sun's power.  With the new trends to go green, I wanted to see if this device lives up to the hype of a green-tech lifestyle.

We all long for the day when we're able to use our devices more than 3-5 hours before a recharge, and MTI Micro is working to make that day arrive.  The MTI Micro Mobion Fuel Cell has successfully attained 2,700 hours of continuous operation.  MTI Micro is thinking fuel cell technology has a developing place in cell phones and will eventually replace lithium ion batteries.  According to the press release, a typical cell phone plan marketed to heavy users is around 3,000 minutes.  With a 3,000 minute contract, the typical use is only 1,200 hours.  Needless to say, the possibility of long-life devices is getting closer to being a reality.

"Our test results are a clear indication of the technical progress we have made on performance metrics including life, degradation, temperature, and humidity levels which are required to bring products to market in the consumer electronics industry. To our knowledge, there are no other published results that match ours," said Jim Prueitt, Vice President of Engineering and Operations at MTI Micro.

Learn more about how this technology works and the advantages.

Being mobile means you have the ability to be connected yet free enough not to be dependent on external power.  The fine folks at mysoldius have agreed to let me test and review their Soldius1  Universal Charger.  They describe the Soldius1 by saying that the unit is light, can fit in your pocket, and has the ability to charge your cell phone or mp3 player in 3-4 hours.  They have a plethora of supported devices, although you might need to purchase an adapter.  The Soldius1 is but one of a new wave of solar charging options to give your favorite gadgets a little juice.  Besides being green and saving a few pennies, solar chargers help you maintain your mobile independence.  I'd forecast that we'll see more of these devices hitting the market and even implemented into our gadgets.  The mysoldius company indicates that they are currently developing a solar-powered charger for laptops-- that'd be a great tool to have.

• Hypothesis:  The unit will fully charge my Motorola Q cell phone in 3 hours with full sunlight.

I'm excited to put this unit to the test and see how it lives up to its claims.  Leave your hypothesis or review suggestions in the comments.

Gizmodo has a post about saving battery life on your notebook when operating solely on battery power.  As others have discovered, Flash enabled websites often take up CPU and promote battery drain faster than less intensive and non-flash enabled sites.  In fact, it was rumored that Apple avoided using Flash on the iPhone for this reason, although it now appears Flash will be making its way to the iPhone.  A few people have managed to hack Flash onto the iPhone, and Adobe has it working in the lab.

For Firefox users, they recommend using Flashblock.  Safari users can use Safari Standard, while Internet Explorer users can use Toggle Flash.

Other commonly known tips to save battery life when operating a laptop on battery power:

• Reduce screen brightness to the lowest possible level that you are still comfortable.
• Turn off your audio output.
• Unless necessary, turn of Wi-Fi (this one really drains the juice).
• Avoid using CD/DVD drives.

Has anyone ever attempted to gain better battery life by turning off flash elements on different websites, and how great were your results? Provide your suggestions in the comments.