MSR MIOX Purifier: Table Salt + 9V Battery = Germ-Free Water?

Stumbled across a bookmarked Forbes.com
article from last year on a new water purifier developed with DARPA technology. Here's the gist from Forbes:

"The MSR MIOX Purifier (check it out at Amazon) uses electricity to convert table salt into a disinfectant that can render many toxins and [pathogens] as powerful as E. coli and Cryptosporidium harmless.

"The device uses a camera battery to provide the electricity and is designed to be easy to use. Pour a small amount of water into the purifier, shake it up, then press a button on the outside of the device. The process that takes place inside the purifier uses electrolysis to created a mixed-oxidant solution. Pour this solution into a canteen or other container of impure water--and within 30 minutes that water will be safe to drink, though it may take longer if the water is infected with stronger organisms. Purity indicator strips are included to show that the water is safe after the wait period.

"The system weighs less than 4 ounces and is about the size of a magic marker or small flashlight. It can treat about 50 liters of water with one salt pellet and 200 liters on one set of batteries. It meets the standards of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency which requires that 99.9% of all viruses be inactivated."

Has anyone bought one of these things? Sounds like just the right gadget for graduation or summer trips -- or for anyone living in towns with questionable water systems! I sure could've used one of these the day I drank an innocent-looking glass o' water in a little Vermont diner -- and ended up with some serious Giardia....