Nokia unveils pedal-powered phones THE world's top mobile phone maker Nokia today released details of four new cheap phone models and a battery charger powered by the energy generated from riding a bicycle.

The charger, which can be fitted into any Nokia phone with a 2mm charger jack, uses a dynamo to generate electricity from the movement of the wheels, Nokia said in a statement.

"Bicycles are the most widespread means of transport in many markets around the world, so this is just one more benefit to be gained from an activity people are already doing," Alex Lambeek, Vice President at Nokia, said in the statement.

The price of the charger kit, which also includes a holder for securing the phone to the bicycle, will vary according to market, but in countries like Kenya, where the product was introduced today, it would be around 15 euros ($22), a Nokia spokesman said.

To begin charging, a cyclist needs to travel around 6km/h, and while charging times will vary depending on battery model, a 10-minute journey at 10km/h produces around 28 minutes of talk time or 37 hours of standby time, the spokesman said.

The faster you ride, the more battery life you generate.

hmm, now if you ask me, 6km is a heck of a long way to ride in order to call someone. To be honest, I dont use my phone very often which I guess is odd considering my line of work (I am an Oil and Gas Telecom Commissioning Engineer), and when I do use my phone the person I am calling is usually a lot less than 6km away. Otherwise, due to my 'connections' I will use the VSAT hotline patched at my end to the PABX or if I am feeling lazy I will just use Skype. I know the Kenyans may not have access to the likes of Skype orother forms of VOIP, so how many of them will have access to $22?

Anyway, great idea I guess...

Is it just me ?

( I didn't understand any of the quote or what Tuky does for a living .........Told you I was getting old )

Is it just me ?

( I didn't understand any of the quote or what Tuky does for a living .........Told you I was getting old )

*It is just you mate - I thought Tuky's post was interesting and his job pretty obvious I personally wouldn't bother riding 6km to charge my mobile, easier to either forego the call or just pedal down to the local phone box and call from there.

Yes I agree you are getting Old And Fat or just OAF for short

CB

Told you in another thread you have to stop peaking when I'm in the shower !!!!!

Told you in another thread you have to stop peaking when I'm in the shower !!!!!

I definitely wouldn't be "peaking" while you are in the shower, wouldn't be peeking either. SHUDDER

CB

Told you in another thread you have to stop peaking when I'm in the shower !!!!!

I definitely wouldn't be "peaking" while you are in the shower, wouldn't be peeking either. SHUDDER

CB

Hiding one's blushes behind the old spelling bee eh !!

Peeking or peaking, you know what you're doing and you should stop before blindness sets in..............

Tucky - there's no need to actually cycle 6 km or so. You could attach the device to an exercise bike and pedal that. Keep it on the lower settings and the wheels will go faster, thus giving more power to the charger and less weight loss to you. Thus no need for the amber nectar to refresh you when you've finished your session. (The phone battery should be fully charged after a couple of hours rapid pedalling).

Or get your driver to ride round on a bike when you're in a meeting. Works quite well also.

Tucky - there's no need to actually cycle 6 km or so. You could attach the device to an exercise bike and pedal that. Keep it on the lower settings and the wheels will go faster, thus giving more power to the charger and less weight loss to you. Thus no need for the amber nectar to refresh you when you've finished your session. (The phone battery should be fully charged after a couple of hours rapid pedalling).

Or get your driver to ride round on a bike when you're in a meeting. Works quite well also.

I think if I was going to go for it I would need to employ a physical fitness trainer who would show me how to ride 6km on the exercise bike, then with the 1 bar of battery I would call the agent to say I am done.

Actually, we can joke about it all we want but in reality will this help those that it is aimed at?

Wasn't there an Englishman who started producing radios with some kind of piezzo hand rotational power source in the last few years? When I first saw the topis title I figured this is what Nokia had latched on to, rather than a 6km peddle like <deleted> charger.

HB, I am sure there is no reason why a hand charger with the right gearing couldn't do the same job for a fraction of the cost..

Now, how about those handfone bills?

I can see it now, the jungle drums beat, HB, Tuky is about to call you, Tuky is pedalling flat out and too exhausted to talk but says, HB, be on the look out for my smoke signals, I need to tell you something, it is urgent but my credit is about to run out.

Yes, well, when I'm working out of Warri or somewhere similar I find that the runner-with-cleft-stick is still the fastest and most reliable form of communication.

Although there was that time I had to send a message back to head office in Amsterdam regarding the broken turbine and my runner was found in a cafe with a different kind of stick in his gob. Stoned out of his head, and he'd only been on the road for thirty-seven days at that time ....

Ya gotta hand it to those Nokia techs inventing something which was commonplace on bicycles when I was a kid....dynamo powered lights.

Guess it explains why it took them so long to develop a 2 SIM phone.....busy on more challenging projects.

Hmmm, lemme see, it's a choice between riding my bicycle the 6 km over to my lovely ladies apartment and seeing her in person or riding somewhere else just so I can talk to her on the phone. What will it be.