Japanese chips-to-computers giant NEC said it has developed a small fuel cell that will dramatically improve the battery life of notebook computers.
The fuel cell, which NEC (NIPNY) will test-market within two years, would let notebooks operate for 40 consecutive hours, or around 10 times the life of regular lithium-ion batteries, a company spokesman said. NEC will test a notebook computer having a built-in fuel-cell battery with a life of five hours.
NEC is locked in fierce competition with rivals such as Toshiba and others that are rushing to bring fuel-cell technology for notebooks to the mass market. Toshiba plans to release a methanol-powered fuel-cell laptop in 2004 that will provide five hours of battery life.
Fuel cells, which take in hydrogen and oxygen and turn them into electricity, do not need recharging like regular batteries. They require a refill of fuel such as hydrogen gas or liquid methanol in order to keep operating.
- - -
Chip row goes to WTO: South Korea filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization over U.S. claims that Seoul had offered subsidies to troubled Hynix Semiconductor, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said.
It said Seoul would have 60 days of talks with the U.S. over the issue and if these fail, a WTO panel would be set up to rule on the case within nine months. The Commerce Department recently slapped a final import duty of 45 percent on the South Korean memory chipmaker to offset alleged subsidies by Seoul. This was down from a preliminary ruling for a 57 percent duty.
Hynix, which is losing money, could still escape the duties if the International Trade Commission concludes that Micron Technology (MU), the U.S. petitioner for the action, has not been hurt by subsidized competition from South Korea.
- - -
Silence doesn't come cheap: Noise-canceling headsets have become a hot gadget for frequent flyers and others longing for the sounds of silence and willing to pay $300 or more for the pleasure.
Bose, Sennheiser Electronic, Jensen International and Sony (SNE) all sell noise-canceling headsets that use an amplifier to zero out bothersome noise by emitting sound waves opposite to the waves produced by such things as jet engines or crying babies.
The technology behind such earphones is not new. Bose released its first acoustic noise-canceling headphones for pilots in 1989. Since then, factory and construction workers have used the technology.
American Airlines offers the newest version to first-class and business-class travelers on some flights. Bose also sells the headsets through its in-flight magazines. A less-expensive model that uses noise-cancellation is the Sennheiser PXC 250, which can be found for around $130.
- - -
Telemarketers be gone: Americans continued to register for the federal government's do-not-call list — apparently without difficulty — as they rushed to block unwanted telemarketing calls beginning Oct. 1.
The FTC launched the registry shortly after midnight Friday and the initial public response was strong, with the website initially logging about 1,000 hits each second. By late Friday, 735,000 phone numbers had been registered.
Some consumers reported having to log onto the website two or three times before getting through, while others got through on the first try. Once connected, the process takes just a few seconds.
Other consumers called the toll-free number at 1-888-382-1222, available only in states west of the Mississippi River. To ensure the system can handle the volume of calls, the number will not operate nationwide until July 7. Consumers calling the toll-free number must call from the telephone number they want registered.
- - -
Dean's Internet campaign rakes it in: Expanding his already active use of the Internet, Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean is mounting an online campaign, "Adopting Iowans," to make a force of his backers across the country in Iowa's leadoff precinct caucuses.
Dean has sought to use the Internet to build backing among nontraditional backers and to raise money. He is expected to report some success when contribution reports are filed next week with the FTC. Campaign sources said as much as $500,000 a day has been flowing into the campaign.
Dean has used his site on the Internet as a tool to organize grass-roots monthly, face-to-face meetings of backers nationwide. His site lets users find the nearest meeting by supplying a ZIP code and an e-mail address. The next step, Dean's campaign manager said, is to get those volunteers involved in Iowa, where personal contact and organizing prowess are key to success.
- - -
Compiled by Kari L. Dean. Reuters and AP contributed to this report.
