The concept of a 24/7 networked society has come a bit closer to reality with NEC's announcement of a thin (0.012-inch thick), rechargeable battery that can be embedded in cards or clothes. For example, this could lead to people walking through ticket booths and having their tickets scanned without having to take them out of their pockets. (It'll be interesting to see if airlines and major commuter entities would be in support of this technology due to the likely extra security measures that have to be taken.)

In addition, NEC foresees the battery, which does not contain any harmful metals such as mercury, lead, or calcium, being used in applications including electronic paper to tags that trace retail goods in real-time.

Basically, it won't be long before all of us become walking batteries and the phrase "getting my batteries recharged" takes on a whole other meaning.