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Adoption of long-lasting and renewable fuel cells for powering mobile devices will start to accelerate significantly in 2006, according to a study released Thursday by market research firm NanoMarkets. The study claimed that sales of the fuel cells will reach $1.6 billion by 2010. The growth will be spurred by the fact that mobile devices are becoming more sophisticated and require ever-more power, according to the study. This problem has actually slowed down release of new mobile devices. The study noted, for instance, that Nokia recently cancelled release of a new smartphone because its power requirements were too high. Another reason that fuel cells will succeed is that, initially, they''ll be usable in conjunction with older-style batteries, not instead of those batteries. That "complementarity" means either hybrid batteries that use both technologies or the ability to use fuel cells to recharge traditional batteries, the research firm said in a statement. The study also noted that the growth of fuel cells is being encouraged by industry heavy hitters such as IBM, Sanyo, Motorola, Samsung and Sony. Also, the report noted that fuel cell technology has advanced far enough that it is now practical for the marketplace. (() | 
