Stinkpads to run on methane Blig Burp

By Nick Farrell: Tuesday 12 April 2005, 07:31


FOR ELEVEN YEARS now we have dubbed Big Blue’s notebooks ‘Think Pads’ Stinkpads.
As usual, all stories come true in the end because now it seems IBM and Sanyo have decided to run the Stinkpads on a methane fuel system, sans sulphur.
The pair have issued a statement saying they think that a micro direct methanol fuel-cell system could supply up to eight hours of power per cartridge.
Methane, claims the Wikkans is a gas created by the breakdown of organic waste. The thought of it powering a computer has already probably crossed the minds of anyone who has seen Mel Brooks’ kinematic venture, Blazing Saddles.
Big Blue said that the system could enable PCs to run continuously through constant power generation while a conventional battery could be used as an auxiliary power unit. Baked beans non compris.
The downside of the Stinkpads is that the hybrid battery system will weigh quite a lot in avoirdupois terms, but they will work better in an office, presumably where there is better ventilation.
Sanyo and IBM said they are unsure when they will be able to drop the first one into the market.
That's what Reuters reckons, anyroad.