Motorola’s Bike Charger for Mobile Phones

Science & Technology (alternative energy)

The big news of the day might’ve been that Apple had finally taken the wraps off their iPhone, but the greener gossip was to be found in the Motorola camp. This communications giant was unveiling a more modest gadget, yet of immediate utility to umpteen million folk, in what are termed ‘emerging markets’. Their particular do-dad is a battery charger for mobile phones that is powered simply by riding a bicycle. Motorola’s CEO, Ed Zander rode a bike into his recent keynote speech to highlight the technology. He reckoned it would be of use to the multitudes of people needing communications, but still lacking in grid connected services. "Farmers in Senegal use the phone to monitor crop prices. Health workers in South Africa use their phones to locate records while dealing with patients," he said. And it seems that rural China is a prime market for Motorola, who suggested that in a country with 500 million commuting cyclists, there are also five million new mobile phone subscribers every month. India, Asia and Latin America are in their sights too. ::Motorola. Via Engadget, Textually, and Vancouver Sun.