# Transparent, liquid-filled mobile phone?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transparent-liquid-filled-mobile-phone/350531>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 30, 2006, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transparent-liquid-filled-mobile-phone/350531 "2006-03-30T12:38:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![gitfiddle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/898d66/32.png) [@gitfiddle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gitfiddle)\
**Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transparent-liquid-filled-mobile-phone/350531/1 "2006-03-30T12:38:04Z")

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I saw a quick news blip recently that showed a technology fair in Japan (I think) where they showed, among other things, a new mobile phone that is transparent and it is filled with liquid. I never needs to be recharged, etc. etc. Anyone knwo about this? I can’t find it on the web.

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**Author:** ![hammos1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ba8739/32.png) [@hammos1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hammos1)\
**Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transparent-liquid-filled-mobile-phone/350531/2 "2006-03-30T13:17:19Z")

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Sounds like a prototype [fuel cell](http://www.pcworld.com/resource/article/0,aid,121816,pg,1,RSS,RSS,00.asp) . This has been touted as the replacement technology for batteries in laptops, phones, etc. for a few years now.

While it’s true you would never ‘recharge’ such a phone (i.e. plug it into a wall socket) you would instead have to replace the liquid every few hours by plugging in a new cartridge full of methanol, or whatever.