Some months ago I reported on a promising battery technology that holds a charge MUCH longer than the typical NiMh cells we currently use.  The new cells were so good that they were sold fully charged and held that charge for about a year.

This contrasts with the cells we have been using. They lose about a half percent of power a day even just sitting there.

Now, finally, thanks to Duracell, they are widely available.  Throw some spare rechargeables in your camera bag or put them in some seldom used gadget and they still work weeks or months later. Hoo-Ray.

Part of Duracell's "Smart Power" lineup of products, these new cells also are offered with a sleek new line of fast chargers that can even be used via a car power (lighter) socket. And the chargers also work with any older NiMh cells you may have. 

But I guarantee you won't want to use them after you try the new Duracells. The confidence that the power is actually there in the Duracell line makes them irresistible!

At his time, there are some small trade offs to having longer storage life. The Duracell cells are only 2000 mA capacity, where other NiMh cells are often 2500 mA. That extra 500 mA translates to extra shooting time with a digital camera.  However, when this is offset by the fact that other other batteries are losing power each day, the playing field begins to level.

Duracell "Pre-Charged Rechargeables"  have a companion one-hour charger.  My earlier set of similar batteries indicated they should not be used with modern quick chargers, the ones that get the job done in 30 minutes or less.  This advice is probably good for the Duracells as well. 

Generally,  using ultra-fast chargers will decrease the useful life of any battery, as the excess heat puts a strain on the cell.  You need to balance the convenience of really fast charging with the expense of replacing batteries more often.  One hour is plenty fast for me!

When the capacity of the cells increase, I will cheer.  This usually happens as researchers tweak the formula. And 2000 mA ain't that bad for a cell that doesn't die slowly in storage!

I'll be adding more "Pre-Charged Rechargeables" to my arsenal of power, especially in my AAA cell gadgets that see less use and are always dead when I want to try them! 

Oh yes, one more thing: "Pre-Charged Rechargeables" have the same basic copper-top coloring as single use Duracells. There is green coloring added, but in a hurry you might mistake a rechargeable for single use and toss it!  I guess painting them day-glo orange was too much of a switch.

 More info at www.duracell.com