Mobile computing may be the great equalizer for people in the developing world, but access to affordable, reliable energy to power mobile devices is not a trivial matter. Nokia today introduced a bicycle dynamo that charges your mobile phone when you pedal.
Go for a bike ride and then spend the evening reading and publishing to Facebook Zero, which is now free of data charges as well? It’s not hard to picture millions of people doing exactly that. When power becomes easy and free, all kinds of new uses of mobile devices make more sense. Nokia sold 35% of all mobile phones in the world in the first quarter of 2010.
The company says that a ten minute bike ride will power 28 minutes worth of talking time. The kit will cost about 15, around $18.
Nokia also unveiled a phone that can switch between multiple SIM cards with the push of a button, making it easier for families to share phones but maintain different contact lists.
They say that freedom of the press belongs to those who can afford to own one. It turns out that millions of people already had one in their pocket and now it’s powered by bike.
