Here’s one for all the road warriors out there, but this little device could also save the day when at home in the office. The SCI FI Tech blog says it’s almost summer, and you know what that means — rolling blackout season is here! Obviously having a light and the ability to communicate is vital to any business.

“Enter the ECO hand-cranked cell-phone charger. While other crank systems generate light, this useful device goes one further by not only providing up to 20 minutes of illumination from five LEDs, but can also power a cell phone for quick 2-8 minute calls. It’s small too, about the size of a regular flip phone, which means users have no reason to leave home without it.” Works with any Japanese cell phone from DoCoMo, Tu-ka, Vodafone, etc.

As often as I’m stuck in the middle of nowhere with a dead cell phone, I’d really like to have one of these as part of my road-warrior kit. Unfortunately for now, the ECO is only available in Japan, a country plagued with earthquakes and attacks from Gojira, making this a necessary piece of emergency gear. If it’s a success there, it’s bound to make its way to the U.S. soon.

In fact, a similar product–the SOS Cranking Charger–is already available here. It includes adapters for Nokia (all models), Motorola (V-Series), Sony-Ericsson (T-Series), Samsung (A-210/310 series). According to the Girlawhirl blog:

In a world moving towards a near complete dependency on cell phones. Simply use a little elbow grease to crank the pencil sharpener like handle for three minutes and an eco-minded, muscle-building, eight-minute charge is produced. It’s handy to keep at home in case of a power outage, a good item to put in her in-case-of-emergency duffle, and small enough to stash in a handbag or tote for travel. And when the cell phone adapter is unplugged, it also works like a tiny flashlight! 

Source: Stephen Schleicher. “Hand Crank for Cell Phones Lets You Call When You’re Powerless,” SCI FI Tech 03/26/07.

Related Post: “Billion Asia-Pacific Mobiles,” EBT Blog 04/05/07.

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