Callpod Fuel Tank

Batteries can only take you so far. Three hours of talk time. Five hundred photos. Ten hours of music. No matter what the cap on your portable device, when you’re done, you’re done. And if you’re nowhere near an outlet, there’s not a whole lot you can do.

Callpod’s new Fueltank changes that scenario by offering charging, without the outlet. Just tap the mini USB port on its side with the right adapter for your device, and the sweet electro-crude begins flowing. Top it off, and you’re good to go again, whether it’s with a cell phone, headset, nav unit, PDA, MP3 player, or portable gaming system.

The Callpod Fuel Tank connected to a Bluetooth headset and Apple iPhone

Granted, there are no solar cells, portable generators, or fusion reactors inside. It’s really nothing but a bigger battery pack. But with seven times the capacity of most cell phone batteries, it should store more than enough juice to hold you over to the next outlet.

And Callpod has put some effort into the design, too. Pressing a button on the side lights up a strip of LEDs running down the middle that let you know just how much charge is left, and it includes two ports for simultaneously charging two different devices. While it’s a little chunky for a pocket, it weighs no more than two cell phones.

The Fueltank retails for $60, and includes a voucher for one free adapter to connect to the device of your choosing. Additional Callpod adapters (which also work with the company’s other charging products) can be had for $10 apiece. More information on the system can be found at Callpod’s Web site.