That bike-mounted cell phone recharger that Motorola CEO Ed Zander announced a couple of days ago at Consumer Electronics Show (CES) isn't the first one to pedal down the road.
A Sweden-based company named Ikon Global Ltd. marketed a cell phone battery recharger named Pedal & Power up until a year or so ago, but has now apparently dropped off the face of the Internet.
The invention by Kieron Loy received write-ups in TreeHugger, Wireless Business and Technology, Engadget, and BikeBiz (back in September 2000) and other pubs.
Like Zander at the Las Vegas show on Monday (see CES: Bicycle as decoration or function), Loy touted the bicycle charger's ability to the broaden cell phone market to developing countries with little electricity infrastructure.
Reviewers said the original Pedal & Power device consisted of three basic parts — a dynamo that attached to the wheel, a charger unit that sat in front of the seat and a univeral cellphone holder on the handlebars. The cellphone would be connected to the charger through a cigarette lighter adapter. Users had to supply their own adapter because Loy couldn't make a universal one for all phones.
When Wireless Business and Technology wrote up a review about Pedal & Power, it also mentioned that a hand-operated cell phone charger developed by Freeplay Energy Group that was developed in partnership in Motorola.
Now it looks like Motorola will be developing the bike-operated charger for its MotoFone F3 to be sold in India, China, and elsewhere.
More pictures about Pedal & Power and a write-up at the Modern Outpost website.
While using the bike-mounted recharger to broaden cellphone markets in developing countries, it also makes good sense here at home. Only about 5% of the electricity consumer by a cellphone recharger is used on the battery. The rest is wasted if the charger remains plugged into the socket.
In the meantime, consider using a solar charger. Soldius makes ones that's compatible with many Sony-Ericcson, Nokia, Siemens, Samsung, and Motorola models.
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