Keep Your Cell Phone Powered Up Power solutions keep the gabbing going in out-of-the-way places.

It's simple physics: More cell phones and smartphones with more ways to communicate and manage information use more juice and need to be recharged more often. The very tool most responsible for our productivity on the go can't stray too far from a wall socket. Not to worry--there are several cheap and convenient ways to keep the conversation going even when your battery icon empties in a plane, train, automobile or out on the trail. All are tiny, portable and dirt-cheap.

The newest of the bunch, "24/7" Power Pack from Medis Technologies, is just now reaching retail outlets. The pager-size device plugs into your phone's recharge port and is a fuel cell using a chemical reaction to generate electricity--similar to the technology that pushes the space shuttle. Just one squeeze of the disposable $20 pack releases enough power to provide up to 30 hours of talk time.

The $8 Cellboost, meanwhile, is an add-on to the bottom of your phone using down-to-earth alkaline power. Cellboost comes in a variety of shapes designed to snuggle up to cell phones, smartphones, iPods, Sony PSPs or Nintendo DS devices. After an hour of use, you toss the matchbox-size battery pack and reach for another.