5 years ago... Mobile phones to run on alcohol

05.01.99: Manhattan Scientifics claims to have perfected the alcohol-powered mobile phone.

The New Mexico company has been working on a replacement for batteries using alcohol to provide power for mobile phones and other handheld devices.

Just before Christmas the company ran a mobile phone for 24 hours, making occasional calls, powered by a mixture of methanol and water - otherwise known as windscreen washer.

Chief fuel cell scientist, Robert Hockaday said in a statement: "We expect to complete a fully working prototype before mid-1999." The finished product will be smaller and lighter than existing mobile batteries.

05.01.03: Putting aside the fact that anybody who made an inappropriate phone call or sent a text message they regret while drunk of New Year's Eve will doubtless concur that mobile phones and alcohol should never mix, the search for alternative energy sources continues to this day.

Sweet-toothed bacteria called Rhodoferax ferrireducens were recently found to produce enough energy from the sugar molecules in a single lump of sugar to power a mobile phone for four days.

Then there have been companies who backed gas-powered laptops and further endorsements for mobile devices running on Methanol.

But whether any of these alternative power supplies will ever make it into the mainstream is unclear, though with a growing preference for more eco-friendly and safely disposable batteries the innovation is likely to continue to make inroads. Now we just need a major manufacturer to really sit up and take notice.