Tokyo Friendfinder
Some of us dinosaurs may just remember a few early mobile phones that were capable on running on regular batteries – they were mostly very low-spec handsets with rechargeable cells that could be swapped out in a pinch for a few minutes of talk time at most.
Perhaps with an eye on those halcyon days of simple tech (or Sony’s grape-powered battery maybe), Sanyo has come up with a prototype phone that intentionally runs on a single AA battery and which can stretch to five hours of talk time or 250 hours on standby.
The battery in question has to be Sanyo’s highly successful Eneloop cell, of course, but the phone operates on the public PHS network run by Willcom. The choice of partner is the key to the phone’s longevity, as PHS has far lower power demands than GSM or other phone technologies.
Although the prototype has no screen and looks a lot like an air freshener (check out the gallery on Keitai Watch), we’re assured it actually does work as advertised. If AA-powered phones ever do return to the shelves, we’re pretty sure they’ll be a hit with retirees and all-night stop-outs alike.
(Crossposted to Tech.co.uk)
Hire us to write for you, consult on Japan tech and more.Click here and let us know what you need and maybe follow us on Twitter for all sorts of Japan adventuring.
12:48 AM 
Mark Hiratsuka •
Permalink
R&D | Wireless 
Tagged with:
batteries
eneloop
sanyo
willcom
Add a comment | More DWT | Get a cool job in Japan! | Follow us on Twitter
Share this story online:
Or try the world's biggest matchmaking site:
Japanese gadgets from Tokyo Zakka! — Perfect gifts for your nerdiest friends back home!
Next entry: Battery day: Cheapo MP3 player runs for a year on half a dozen AAAs
Previous entry: Origins of anime before Tetsuwan Atom
