Crank it up, dude - Motorola introduces windup charger for cell phones

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Posted 2:08PM on Monday, January 14, 2002

CHICAGO - The scenario is frustratingly familiar to cell phone users: Warning beeps, "My battery's going," silence. Who hasn't gotten disconnected? But hold the phone a minute -- a new retro innovation by Motorola Inc. may put an end to those sudden-death calls. 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. Ways to extend battery life have been intensely sought after for years. But is FreeCharge just another thing for geeks to lug around? Even Motorola product manager Gary Brandt acknowledges it's doubtful many heavy mobile-phone in the United States will carry it around in their briefcases or hip pockets. Rather, he says, FreeCharge is aimed at the recreational market -- boaters, campers, fishermen -- along with those who want to keep it handy for emergencies and peace of mind. It even contains a built-in flashlight. Demand could be stronger in Europe, he suggests, where consumers are more accustomed to carrying wireless devices around and less willing to risk missing calls. Brandt sees FreeCharge as a gift or novelty item. But he emphasizes it is a functional product that "really works," not just another gee-whiz gizmo aimed at making a splash. "This is not a gimmick," he says. "Market research shows a really good interest in it." After seeing the windup charger when it was introduced last week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, analyst Rob Enderle of the Giga Information Group agrees it should fare well. "It took Motorola getting it small enough before anyone would even think about it," Enderle says. "It's close enough that it will be successful. And it's not like you've got a lot of choice." For now, FreeCharge is compatible only with phones made by Schaumburg, Ill.-based Motorola, the world's second-biggest cell phone manufacturer. But by April it will adapt to phones made by rivals Nokia and Ericsson too, says Brandt, who was involved with its development at Motorola's wireless center in nearby Libertyville. While FreeCharge can't help wipe out the huge industry lead held by Nokia, it typifies Motorola's recent push to launch a comeback behind a slew of catchy new cell phones and related items. "In all our new accessories, we're trying to be more stylish and more exciting," Brandt says. "We don't want to be called the bland company any more."