Hoping to bring a final end to the era of the exploding notebook, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC in Germany are developing batteries without flammable materials.

The liquid electrolytes at the heart of traditional lithium-ion batteries can catch fire, but the Fraunhofer scientists say they've figured out a way to make them with a new, solid polymer that's inflammable, and, since it's solid, won't leak.

No, we're not a business magazine, but this story on Xconomy about how battery-developer A123 Systems jumped from a university lab into a potential powerhouse is pretty fascinating.

If you travel frequently, you’re probably lugging around a clunky array of backup batteries for all your wireless gizmos. Soon you’ll be able to lighten your load with Medis Technologies’s new nine-ounce disposable Power Pack. When your iPod dies mid-flight, you can plug it in for a full on-the-spot recharge. The 1.3-watt device will do this five times. It will also deliver five full charges for your digital camera or 20 hours of talk time for your cellphone before it’s spent.