In a throwback to the days of the gramophone and the hand-cranked phone box, Motorola is introducing a new windup charger for mobile handsets that should make it easier to stay in touch — or harder to get away from it all, depending on your point of view. Developed with London-based Freeplay Energy Group, maker of windup radios and flashlights, the FreeCharge is designed to keep dying phone batteries going even when you’re not near a power outlet. Cranking its handle for about 45 seconds provides four or five minutes of talk time and several hours of standby time. The 11½-ounce handheld device, roughly twice the weight of the average cell phone, consists of a small generator unit which can be connected to your phone via a plug-in module. FreeCharge ships to retailers in March and will cost about $65.
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