What's this? Yes it is a 2600 mAh AA rechargeable battery! Capacity of rechargeable cells has been gradually creeping up with the popularity of (thirsty) digital cameras and flash recorders.
In Europe, sales of rechargeables are up 73% in volume over the last 12 months. Panasonic is claiming it has increased the capacity of the AA size cells by 10% over it rivals. In addition, the new and improved chargers keep up with the evolution towards increased battery capacity and a shorter charging cycle. I bought some 2500's in the US in June, but 2600 is indeed new. That extra capacity over the older 1800 mAh types is noticeable - also in wireless microphones. I notice that the new types of Ni-MH batteries hold their charge quite well too (i.e. a number of weeks).
One important fact too - the battery blister pack is easy to open. I have had to take some products back to the duty-free at Schiphol airport because I could NOT open the blister seal without a knife - guess what - not allowed in airports these days.
