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It should be pretty easy to devise a hand crank generator and just give it a few cranks when you need more juice. I remember reading that Freeplay was going to sell such a device -- they talked about it in this Wired article, but the closest they've got on their web site is a hand-cranked mobile phone charger. Kind of a disappointment.

Tell that to Trevor baylis.

I've bought a couple of theose radios; one AM/FM, the other AM/FM/shortwave.

The generator starts to sound like it's grinding itself to metallic powder in fairly short order. I gave away one of them, so I don't know its fate now, but the AM/FM/shortwave one sits unused. It didn't take very long for whatever governs it so that the spring doesn't immediately unwind to break, so that if you wind it up, the knob turns at amazing speed, the mechanism sounds like you should do a bad imitation of Scotty and yell "She's gonna blow for sure, Captain!", and it unwinds itself in about one white-knuckled minute.

The radio circuitry is constrained by the power source and the need to not consume it quickly. No doubt ingle-conversion, poor image rejection. Analog dial that you can't tune with certainty, just like in the old days! The sound quality, though is very nice (which for SW means wide selectivity--ouch...).

I hasten to add that Freeplay has some far more sophisticated radio products these days, vide the Summit receiver.

Freeplay are a company that specialise in wind-up electronic toys including a mobile phone charger.

I have this radio, designed by Freeplay that has a wind-up charger and solar panel. Works on FM, MW, SW and LW with a 30 station memory. Its not bad, works well and with good sound quality. It also doesn't look dorky like some of their earlier models.

Freeplay are a company that specialise in wind-up electronic toys including a mobile phone charger.

I have this radio, designed by Freeplay that has a wind-up charger and solar panel. Works on FM, MW, SW and LW with a 30 station memory. Its not bad, works well and with good sound quality. It also doesn't look dorky like some of their earlier models.

They were originally developed, IIRC, with the intention of distributing them throughout third world countries, so that people would have access to news broadcasts.

I keep looking for one that has a weatherband radio integrated into it, which I like to have while camping.

Here is one example.

Also I have known them pack up in a long meeting.

Whilst you have to basicaly be plugged in all the time you use them they are not that mobile a solution.

I had been hoping that freeplay, who make the wind up radios would lauch something after an article I read some time ago where a laptop solution was hinted at. However nothing has come to market. Interestingly they have a mobile charger.

If it hasn't happened to inkjets, what does that mean? Incredibly effective price-fixing strategies in the inkjet industry?

It doesn't mean anything - inkjets can get away with their lock-in model since a cheap and easy substitute isn't widely available. I guess you could try ink from pens, but the nozzle on an inkjet is far more prone to blockage than something like a fountain pen nib.

I'm not sure refuelling from drinking alcohol will ever take off - all of the devices which are going to use fuel cells will also take mains power, and a much better emergency power source would be something like a hand-powered generator from freeplay.

Given that fuel cells are going to be a pretty niche item to start with, I doubt they're going to go to the extra expense of making them user-servicable and reusable rather than disposable.

Better still, get a wind-up radio such as the Freeplay ones. Then you don't need to worry about batteries, as you can run them off solar power if outdoors on a sunny day, or just wind them up every so often.
I've got one of the AM/FM models and it's quite good and saves having to get batteries. They also do shortwave models.

I would love to have one of those spring-powered radios but the fact is our 'first world' society is so fixed on CO2 production we can't get them here.

Of course they are available. For example, see wind up radio, here or any other link from google.

The nerd in me wants to know if you are winding a sping or direct charging....

correct links

Freeplay

and while the worldspace link is correct, we actually partner with the Worldspace Foundation, not the corporation

Worldspace Foundation

How about a solar or wind-up version for use in places that many miles away from the nearest electric socket or battery shop?

It's <URL:http://www.freeplay.net/newsite/product/fr eecharge.html>, actually.

In a word: physics

If physics can't compete, let's see how many people will want to generate their own energy anywhere by winding up their electronics!

I seccond the worry about lack of interesting things. The network will probably have about 30% of the total userbase online at any point that is not horribly large, and I don't know if children (esp. those in industrialized countires will find chatting to a limited userbase to be more interesting then IMing with thier RL friends on thier personal cell phones).

It's being done -- the Freeplay folks are working on a cellphone battery charger.

-- Michael Chermside

they'll need electricity to plug the computers tho

--Ender, Duke_of_URL

damn /. html strippers (with big b00bz!).

and DAMN /. for not allowing me to re-submit this with additions/corrections, claiming it was already posted.