Sizzle or fizzle? Scientist weighs in on soda-fueled cell phone

All this blogosphere chatter about a cell phone powered by soda got us thinking: Genius or Mountain Dew-addled nonsense?

So WalletPop contacted a real scientist to break it down for us. His response in a minute.

First, the origins of this story. An item has been circulating about one Daizi Zheng developing a cell phone for Nokia that runs on soft drinks. It will supposedly be better for the environment. The charge will supposedly last four times longer than a regular lithium battery. And it can save you money.

So went the claims on Zheng's Web site, picked up by many online and print outlets. The so-called bio battery, Zheng explained, generates electricity from the sugar with enzymes as the catalyst. "It only needs a pack of sugary drink and it generates water and oxygen while the battery dies out," Zheng wrote.