CHICAGO -- There soon may be a new option to power your portable electronics -- a tiny fuel cell.

Toshiba has developed the world's smallest fuel cell -- about the size of a thumb. The device combines hydrogen and oxygen to create electricity, the same principle that provided electric power for the Apollo moon missions.

The tiny fuel could power a digital music player for about 20 hours.

Toshiba's Sean Collins says larger fuel cells for laptop computers will provide portable power for the longest flights. He says a fuel cell-powered laptop could run for 10 hours on a single charge.

Collins adds that fuel cells are recharged almost instantly, by plugging a methanol cartridge into the device -- much in the same way a butane lighter is refilled.

Collins says fuel cell-powered laptops should be available by the end of the year, with other portable fuel cell devices coming in 2005.

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