Thursday, July 15, 2010

Nokia Unveils Bike-Powered Cell Phone Chargers

Nokia has released a padal powered cell phone charger kit slated for developing nations where the power supply is limited, unreliable or expensive. The kit includes a bottle-dynamo, like the ones used to power a bike light, plus a cell phone holder that attaches to the handlebars. Nokia hopes to begin selling the kits by the end of 2010 for around 15 euros in countries that have a large bicycling population. These dynamos are great sources of renewable and human power and make it that much easier for people to want to choose biking as their main mode of transportation.

Nokia says that charging times will vary according to they cyclist as the phone, but riding for a mere 10 minutes about 6 mph (10 kph) will produce enough power for 28 minutes of talk time or 37 hours of atandby time. You can even go as slow as 4 mph and still rechange your phone, although it will certainly take longer to charge it. The device is designed for any phone with a 2 mm charger jack.

The first powered chargers will be made avaliable in Kenya for around 15 euros and then go on sale later this year worldwide. When they unveiled the charger, Nokia also showed off four new cell phones designed for developing nations where the electricity supply is limited. The handsets are designed to have a long battery life with six weeks worth of standby time.

3 comments:

  1. I think it's suitable for students in Salaya campus because most people in Salaya campus move to everywhere by bicycle and cell phone is the thing that importance.You can enjoy your drive and charge energy on your cell phone by yourself.

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  2. Very interesting indeed, very basic idea, as the dynamo concept has been there for a long time, I remember having a bicycle with a dynamo in order to power my front light. Good idea, can for sure work in Western Europe, as many people use bicycles for everyday transport. Also, good idea to start this project in Africa, could be done in Asia as well, I'm thinking of remote villages and such.

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  3. Think about a basic idea but has an impact to society.

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