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If you desperately need to call someone, a dead cell phone battery isn't just inconvenient: It can leave you feeling shipwrecked. You can buy a second battery, but the typical rechargeable battery is relatively expensive and slowly loses its charge while stored.

One affordable solution: the tiny, $30 Instant Power Charger from Electric Fuel. About half the size of a cassette tape box, this 3.6-ounce cartridge connects to your cell phone's power plug and delivers instant energy. A start-up kit contains an Instant Power Cartridge and a connection cable for your specific model of cell phone. Kits for Motorola and Nokia models are now available. Electric Fuel also plans to offer units for other models.

As soon as you plug the Instant Power Charger in, you can make calls while your cell phone's dead battery begins recharging. I connected a shipping copy to my Nokia 5160i, and it worked as advertised, recharging my phone in just 2 hours. And again as advertised, it fully recharged my phone three times before running out of juice.

Unlike other rechargers, Electric Fuel's battery uses zinc-oxygen technology. As a result, it produces no power until you take it out of its airtight bag and expose it to the atmosphere. Between uses, store it in the bag to shut down its power-generating process. The company says that the battery will retain its charging power for up to two years while sitting in the unopened bag, if temperature extremes are avoided, and for at least six months after being opened, then resealed; obviously, though, I could not test these claims.

The cartridges that generate the Power Charger's juice are not rechargeable; you should dispose of them properly when they're exhausted. Replacement cartridges cost $15 each. The company also offers a disposable, $17, long-life, nonrechargeable fuel cell that replaces a cell phone's battery.

SUMMARY

Instant Power Charger PRO: Small and lightweight, provides instant cell phone power. CON: Not rechargeable, must be properly disposed of when dead. VALUE: Cheap enough to keep several stashed for emergencies. List price: kit $30, replacement cartridge $15 Electric Fuel 888/996-4440 www.electric-fuel.com

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