JAQ charger is socket-free thanks to water and salt PowerCard

Swedish knowhow at the Mobile World Congress is being talked up, in the form of the pocket-sized fuel charger JAQ—"green" power is always interesting and the spotlight is what the company behind JAQ, myFC, can bring to the table for trouble-free smartphone and tablet charging.

The company was founded in 2005, a spinoff from the Swedish Royal Institute of Technology, and it is known for its tech expertise in micro fuel cells.

This is a hydrogen fuel cell smartphone charger—no electricity needed. No socket required. Looking at JAQ, phoneArena.com said, "The best thing about the Jaq is that it doesn't need a power plug to produce energy, which could become incredibly useful for long stays in places where electrical current is not readily available. Instead, the charger creates electricity through a chemical reaction."

The components to make this thing work are the charger and the PowerCard which is inserted into the JAQ charger. Then you connect this to your phone. JAQ is compatible with Android, iOS, Windows phones and tablets.

One PowerCard gives one charge (1800 mAh per card). Once your charge is complete, you remove the single-use PowerCard and throw it away. Since the card and its fuel are made from recycled materials—water and salt—the card can be disposed of as regular waste.''

Does that sound enough to charge all smartphones? According to phoneArena.com, 1,800 mAh is "barely enough to charge the Apple iPhone 6s once, and only about half a charge for phablets such as the Huawei Nexus 6P but the beautiful thing about the Jaq is that the user can keep sliding in new cartridges and get new batches of current."

The company "imagines customers carrying up to 20 Jaq cards with them when traveling," said phoneArena.com, "which would be enough to ensure that your smartphone stays fueled for two or three weeks without the need of a power plug."

There is no date yet for when this would be available. They are presently using a "pre-booking" model for JAQ. That means if you sign up you are not obligated to buy the thing, but you do have a good place in line when shipping occurs.

MENAS Herald reported last month that myFC and telecommunications service provider du of the United Arab Emirates signed an agreement for the UAE launch of the fuel cell charger in Q2 2016.

As for pricing, myFC is moving with a monthly subscription model. The plan is that customers will pay about $5 per month for a constant supply of cards. The company site said about $5 for 24 months. They are inviting people to "sign up now and get extra PowerCards for free as a limited time offer.

The company said the charger is safe for air travel, having been designed to comply with international air safety regulations.