I was recently on vacation in Cape Cod and while out sightseeing, my daughter drained the battery on her Pink Blackberry Pearl. Imagine the horror. Thankfully, I had the Medis 24-7 Power Pack on me, so a catastrophe was narrowly averted.

In case of a real emergency, such as the earthquake we recently had here in Southern California, being able to charge your flashlight with a kit that's powered by one measly Medis fuel cell may be a lifesaver. Reportedly, the cell can provide enough power for the flashlight to be used for up to six weeks (though by then most of us will be out of food and water, but at least we'll have light).

A simple "squeeze, plug and go," this portable system has enough power to drive most handheld devices when the battery is nearly depleted - up to 30 hours of talk time for an average mobile phone or 60-80 hours of play time for an average MP3 player (including iPods). It works with most PDAs, smartphones, MP3 players, digital cameras and GPS devices. Check this page to see if your device is compatibile. (Medis is coming out with an iPhone cable in September with retail slated for October.)

After removing the safey tape, squeeze, then shake the fuel cell to activate it. Make sure to connect the cable to the Power Pack FIRST, then your device SECOND.

It's only $29.99 (at Power It Anywhere) which is a small price to pay to have emergency power, and the eco-friendly device is designed to be recycled.