SELLAFIELD, UK - A British company has invented an unconventional laptop battery that may change the dynamics of portable computing forever.

Shephard Electric has been working on the problem of laptop power for more than eight years. George Shephard - founder of the company - began investigating the idea of nuclear power for laptops in the mid 1990s.

"We were faced with tremendous obstacles" he explains, "but we have worked hard to uncover a usable device small enough and safe enough fit a laptop. For years we could use nuclear power to run test machines, but risked major burns while doing so. It's taken all the ingenuity we had to work out a balance between safety and convenience."

Problems with reactionary distrust of nuclear power still remain a problem for the small six person company, but Shephard believes this issue can be overcome with time and clearly demonstrable advantages over conventional battery technology.

A normal battery is a chemical reaction that can go two ways. In one direction it uses electricity and stores it in the chemistry of a Lithium Ion (LiIon) or Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) cell. This is the charging phase. In the other direction, the chemical reaction reverses and electricity is supplied to the device it is attached to, becoming usable power.

"Very little has changed in chemical battery technology." Shephard explains. "Advancements in battery technology are currently little more than small steps in refining currently well understood processes. Chemical batteries are just near the end of their life, we can't really push them any further."

Chemical batteries also have a major safety disadvantage, being made from extremely reactive substances that can cause personal injury as proven recently. In December a Dutch woman suffered 2nd degree burns to her legs and buttocks after a cell phone battery started smoking and ignited in her pocket.

Shephard Electric looks to change this with the introduction of their device, a small half inch thin box they have named XCell-N.

XCell-N is a nuclear powered laptop battery that can provide between seven and eight thousand times the life of a normal laptop battery - that's more than three and a half years worth of continuous power.

Through the use of small amounts of a radioactive material encased in a solid safe shell, the XCell-N can provide more power in a continuous run than a single conventional battery can provide in a lifetime - and it doesn't have to be recharged.

Shephard explains the advantages. "You buy an XCell-N, and you forget about it. That's all there is to it. We have worked with leading computer manufacturers and have a wide range of adaptors for different machines. I've been using a first generation XCell-N in my PowerBook, and have never taken it out. The machine is now eight months old, has not been turned off and has never been plugged into electrical power since new."

While XCell-N has obvious advantages in the area of time between battery replacements, Shephard advises there are some minor disadvantages. "Due to government regulations, use of a laptop powered by XCell-N is prohibited in airports, government offices, schools, hospitals, public transport, hotels, residential areas or within 12 miles of food preparation areas.". XCell-N also weighs substantially more than a regular laptop battery, coming in at 7 kilograms (15.4 lbs).

While Shephard says they are committed to safety, he does not recommend close exposure to an XCell-N powered laptop for more than 20 minutes a day.

"We believe these are small issues, and we can overcome them in time. For now we'd like the public to put aside their existing distrust of nuclear power and use our product for what it is - an exciting innovative new approach to powering portable devices"