Medis PowerPack for Stormy Days
Back in late May, I shared some information about the Medis 24 x 7 PowerPack, a fuel cell that charge a variety of electronic devices through the use of interchangeable tips. Last night I noticed an story on CNET’s Crave (”the gadget blog”) about a new application for the cell. It described an LED flashlight with an adapter to plug into a PowerPack that can operate for as long as six weeks on a single fuel cell.
That would have been a great item to have in my storm kit a couple of weeks ago when we lost power for more than 24 hours because of a line of thunderstorms that knocked out power for us and a few hundred thousand fellow residents of the Washington DC metro area. I am looking forward to trying it out for my next backpacking trip; the cell weighs less than the half dozen AA batteries that I normally carry for a 4 day trek.
For those of you who wonder how to keep your iPhone or iTouch operating when not close to a wall plug, the company recommends using the 2 watt power management cable. Wait a minute - 2 watts - that sounds like it might work for a device like the Cherry Pal that Michelle Bennett wrote about yesterday. Wonder how long it would work in that kind of service? Hmmm.
Disclosure: I have been following Medis for several years and own stock in the company. A long time ago, I worked as the General Manager in a small factory making simple plastic products. The virtual Medis factory tour in their facility in Galway, Ireland fascinates me.
Photo credit - Medis Technologies
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I too am eagerly awaiting the LED light - we’ve had two power-interrupting storms since Medis first disclosed their plans for this. I am also a shareholder. Regarding your comment about the 2-watt CherryPal, however, I don’t believe it would be applicable, for three reasons. The two-watt Power Management System due out in August is only meant to handle transitory peak demand at that level. You still need a monitor in addition to the CherryPal, a notorious energy hog. And to benefit from cloud computing, you need an internet connection, which has to be powered in some manner.
Be all that as it may, the PowerPack should be hitting at least some Best Buy and other store shelves this month - it will be interesting to see how it is actually priced, vs. the company’s suggested retail prices. At the SRP, Best Buy’s gross margins would be huge.
As you must also be aware, there is a huge short position in Medis; the stock price was driven way down of late in a futile attempt to block the company’s access to financing that will allow it to successfully move to commercial production and distribution. The company, however, recently raised $29MM in a stock and warrant sale, at a price above the current market price. The company now has approximately $55MM in cash, a partnership with Best Buy, and a prospective development partnership with HP in the works. Those who don’t buy at least a few shares at this price will be saying coulda, shoulda, woulda for years to come.