As its name indicates, the USBCELL is simply a rechargeable battery (video) that finds its juice from your USB port. They remind you that it will easily latch onto any USB port, whether it's on a hub, a monitor, a gaming console (like the Xbox 360 depicted in some of their marketing literature), or your notebook. As a concept, I think this is brilliant. After all, with USBCELL (currently only available in AA format, though other sizes will be developed and sold at a later date) doesn't need the extra charger that standard NiMH batteries need.

While the USBCELL seems to be a good idea in theory, in practice, it seems to come up short. Whereas the batteries I use for my digital camera are 2500 mAh each (most people would opt for at least 2000 mAh for high-draw devices like cameras), each USBCELL can only hold onto 1300 mAh. That's pretty anemic, so I certainly hope that future offerings bump that capacity up a notch or three. If you're using these batteries for lower-draw devices (TV remotes, etc.), you should be fine though.

They say that just a few minutes of charging can provide several hours of use in "a wireless mouse, games console, dictaphone, presentation pointer, toy or camera." You'll get about 90% of the charge within 5 hours or so, with the final top-up taking another couple of hours as it trickle charges.

How can you tell when your battery is ready to go? Simple. Each USBCELL sports a small green LED right near the cap. This light has three modes: full on, indicating that the battery is charging; slow blinking, indicating that the final trickle charge is occurring; and completely off, saying that the battery is fully charged.

The only available package from Moixa Energy is one that contains two AA-sized USBCELLs. This two-pack retails for 12.99 GBP (including VAT), or about US$25.