subject: Innovative Technologies To Recharge Your Cell Phone [print this page] Almost everyday cell phone news reports a number of new mobile phones being unveiled with new features which require more powerful processors where battery life is always a challenge. One major complaint from cell phone end users is battery life. The more powerful the cellular phone, the shorter the battery life. Also, as the battery ages, the batter life goes down.
Another problem is if you are out and about and dont have your cell phone charger or is close to an electrical outlet, your cell phone will die. If you can access an electrical outlet, you have to wait several minutes (about a half hour) to get decent charge. This can certainly be a problem.
Mechanical Energy
There are a few companies looking at new technologies to make recharging your cellphone faster and easier. One company named InStep NanoPower has developed a low-priced simple high-power energy harvester to convert mechanical energy via walking into electrical power (nearly 20 watts). This power is enough to extend battery time of any cellular phone.
Researchers at Simon Frasier University (SFU) in British Columbia has also designed a wearable device that generates energy from walking and claims to transform the way we charge portable battery-powered devices.
Solar Energy
If you are ever stranded outside in the sun, it is easy to use solar power to recharge your cell phone. There are devices already on the market for purchase that uses solar energy to recharge your cell phone. The solar panels are small enough to attach to your cell phone so when you are outside the phone is being charged. These devices can recharge your cell phone, even if its completely dead. A full charge using solar energy usually takes 6 to 10 hours for most phones. One such company is SolDesign Lab who designed a Solar Pump Charging Station.
Portable Energy
There are several portable chargers on the market that you can travel with, incase you are not close to a charging station. One such device is the Turbocell Charger which uses AA batteries to recharge your phones lithium battery up to 2 hours of extra talk time. These devices should only be used as backups incase you find yourself in a situation where you have no access to an electrical outlet.
Wind Energy
Orange, a U. K. based telecommunications firm, in 2007 announced plans to launch the Orange Mobile Wind Charger to recharge portable electronic devices outdoors such as wireless phones.
The Mobile Wind Charger is a mini turbine that connects to the top of a tent and stores power in a control box that you can plug into your mobile phone. The unit is designed for use outdoors and takes about 24 hours to entirely recharge the average cellular phone with winds of 12 mph.
