They sound like something out of a Philip K. Dick novel—super-small batteries powered by viruses, and wireless chargers that can top off all portable objects within their vicinity. But someday, they could change the way we power our cell phones, laptops, BlackBerries, and portable DVD players.

The ubiquitous lithium-ion battery has helped make our love affair with pocket-size objects possible. And while lithium-ions are certainly thinner, lighter, and longer lasting than the double-A’s that weighed down our Walkmans, it’s no secret that the technology behind them is far from perfect.

In addition to losing their ability to charge over time, the batteries are prone to overheating and expensive to replace. They can also explode when subject to rough treatment. On the whole the batteries have gotten sleeker and more durable, but their basic technology has remained essentially the same since commercial versions emerged in the early 1990s. In part, that’s because makers have stayed focused on initial capacity—how much power a battery has at first—as opposed to addressing other problems. “It’s lovely if a battery runs four hours when you buy it,” says Christina Lampe-Onnerud, founder and C.E.O. of Boston Power, a company that is trying to build cleaner, longer-lasting lithium-ion batteries. “But after a few months, it runs only two hours.”

In short, there’s plenty of room for improvement, as well as enormous existing and future markets for innovations: 2.9 billion people worldwide rely on battery-powered cell phones alone, according to Robert Rosenberg of Insight Research Group in Summit, New Jersey.

The list of alternative power possibilities is long and surprising—even without taking into account all the wacky ideas reminiscent of the potato-powered clocks of our youth. Fuel cells have captured the imaginations of the government and investors, and fuel cell companies poured $796 million into R&D in 2005, according to the 2006 Worldwide Fuel Cell Industry Survey. Other firms have come up with some positively retro solutions that would allow consumers to charge expensive lithium-ion batteries with those cheap, disposable double-A’s; in contrast, there are a few cutting-edge innovations on the horizon, including virus-powered batteries and wireless chargers. But the only thing consumers want to know is when these new technologies will be ready for their iPods.

One of the most promising technologies is fuel cells, which are potentially more energy-efficient and longer lasting than lithium-ion batteries. Scientists have been experimenting with them since the 19th century. Fuel cells generate power by triggering a chemical reaction between a fuel—such as hydrogen, alcohol, or even sugar—and oxygen or another gas to produce an electrical current. Most of the early work on fuel cells was geared toward developing larger devices to power cars and homes, but with the explosion in portable consumer electronics in the late 1990s, fuel cell companies began to focus on smaller forms as well. Numerous firms, including MTI Micro in New York, Jadoo Power in California, Smart Fuel Cell in Germany, and INI Power Systems in North Carolina, are hoping to power personal electronics using methanol, ethanol, or hydrogen.

Methanol (used in antifreeze) is the fuel of choice for MTI Micro, because it’s readily available and its only by-products are carbon dioxide, water, and heat. The fact that methanol fuel cartridges have been approved by the International Civil Aviation Organization for use on board planes enhances their commercial appeal. Angela Rossi, spokeswoman for MTI Micro, estimates that fuel-cell-powered phones will be on the market in a few years. The company has already developed a prototype as part of a partnership with Samsung. But Sara Bradford, an industry analyst who’s covered the market since 2000 for research firm Frost and Sullivan, believes that forecast is unrealistic. She predicts that portable chargers for consumer electronics could be on the market by the year 2010, but that it will probably be 10 years or more before we see fuel cells that can be put directly into our gadgets.

In the meantime, there are those in the industry who expect lithium-ions to be around for a while. Lampe-Onnerud points to Boston Power’s first product, the Sonata, slated to appear in select H.P. laptops this summer. Boston Power claims that the Sonata will be able to consistently power to full capacity for three years, the average lifespan of a laptop computer. In contrast, today’s lithium-ion batteries lose their ability to charge to capacity from the moment they’re made. The company’s Sonata battery charges more quickly, won’t overheat, and doesn’t contain heavy metals.

While Boston Power’s concept could catch on in the next few years, scientists at the nearby Massachusetts Institute of Technology are working on potentially revolutionary technologies with a longer timeline. In April 2006, a group led by professors Angela Belcher, Yet-Ming Chiang and Paula Hammond demonstrated that very small batteries—the prototype resembled a simple bit of film—could be made from microscopic viruses. The viruses, engineered to incorporate inorganic materials such as cobalt oxide and gold, form extremely thin wires that have the capacity to become a very dense power source. The team will continue to work on different types of virus-created prototypes over the next couple of years, but eventually this kind of small battery may be used in hearing aids and smart phone cards. Belcher’s goal is that tomorrow’s batteries will be synthesized biologically and completely biodegradable.

Also at M.I.T., physics professor Marin Soljacic and his colleague, Aristeidis Karalis, have been working on ways to charge batteries for personal electronics using “resonant” waves. Soljacic’s system emits waves that can be picked up only by devices designed to recognize them. The charger would have a limited range, but it would ideally enable one power source to charge all the battery-powered objects in a room. You’d never have to plug that phone in again.

Though the wireless charging method wouldn’t fly with fuel cells, which are charged by popping in a cartridge or refilling an existing one, it could be a step toward making life with handheld accessories all but hassle-free. And, after all, wasn’t that the point of having all these gadgets in the first place?