New Eneloop Pro and Plus announced in Japan

Eneloop fans in Japan will be jumping through loops as Sanyo of House Panasonic has announced two new Eneloop battery lines, the Pro line, with a more pro-looking black finish, and the Plus line, which includes overheating protection ideal for toys and such. The Pro will have a 2400mah capacity (25% more than existing models) and will come out in July. A matching Pro charger will come out in September. The Plus line in scheduled for a December 2011 release. In Japan!

Sanyo is also launching a 2-slot wireless charging case that can charge two AA or AAA Eneloops in about three hours, and new Pros in almost four hours. Panasonic-proper will release a (general purpose) chargepad in June.

At the moment these appear to be Japan-only, but one can hope that eventually they will become available elsewhere as well. The press release is coming out of the Sanyo brand, not the Panasonic mothership.

Lots of details in the press release, summaries at Akibahara, Electronista, /Gear, and Arianna Gadget.