Nokia launched a quartet of basic cellphones for the developing world in Nairobi today, but the most interesting new offering is a peripheral device. The Finnish firm's Bicycle Charger Kit consists of a little bottle dynamo that you attach to the wheel of your bicycle to power up your phone as you pedal away. It comes with a phone holder that attaches to the handlebars using a hi-tech system composed of an elastic band and a plastic bag, in case of rain. Its price (in Kenya) is a little over $18 bucks, and it's a wonder that no other phone manufacturer has thought of this before.
Maybe that's because Nokia is the dumbphone ruler of the world. While other companies push ahead in the smartphone market, Nokia is concentrating on keeping less wealthy nations connected. And in parts of the world where access to electricity is limited, or unavailable, this Nokia kit is golden. Can you see the charging stations in villages miles out in the African bush, staffed by a bunch of kids on stationary bikes, cycling away to charge people's cellphones?
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1 comments:
I could have used a phone charger on my latest trail trip down the GAP / C & O Canal trails. Does the charger work w/ iPhones?
November 14, 2010 at 7:38 PMSince I produce trail maps and guides, I use the GPS function on my phone the entire ride (all day). That is a real juice hog. Even with a spare wrap-around battery attached, I sometimes don't make it without running out of power.
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