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Nokia: the Sun Can't Charge Your Phone

Posted by Soulskill on from the well-what-am-i-going-to-do-with-this-93M-mile-cord dept.

itwbennett writes "Nokia's research into solar-powered cell phones ended with a (barely audible) thud. Under the best of conditions researchers were able 'to harvest enough energy to keep the phone on standby mode but with a very restricted amount of talk time,' Nokia wrote in a blog post on Tuesday. Not surprisingly, the prototype phone, which had a solar panel on the back cover, performed better in Kenya than in other testing locations, like southern Sweden and the Arctic Circle."

4 of 290 comments (clear)

  1. Why did they think this would work? by TWX · · Score: 5, Insightful

    My phone resides in my pocket. Even if I left it on the dash of my car, the casing is only so large, even on my Galaxy S II. I don't see how even the most efficient of solar panels in the most effective of locations would provide enough power.

    It's noble of them to try, but at the moment I'm not surprised this was the outcome.

    --
    Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
    1. Re:Why did they think this would work? by bmuon · · Score: 5, Insightful

      No idea. Mechanical energy -motion and/or sound waves- seems a more likely source of power for a phone.

    2. Re:Why did they think this would work? by timholman · · Score: 5, Insightful

      My phone resides in my pocket. Even if I left it on the dash of my car, the casing is only so large, even on my Galaxy S II. I don't see how even the most efficient of solar panels in the most effective of locations would provide enough power.

      It's noble of them to try, but at the moment I'm not surprised this was the outcome.

      I don't doubt that Nokia's engineers did some quick calculations and told their managers that solar charging wouldn't be practical before this project even got started.

      And then the managers said: "It doesn't matter. It'll look great in a press release. The environmentalists will love it. Do it anyway."

    3. Re:Why did they think this would work? by Jarik+C-Bol · · Score: 5, Insightful

      the same way self winding watches work. Your arm is not a windmill either. In this case, a small magnet, in a tube, wrapped in a coil, such that when the user walks, the magnet slides from one end of the tube to the other, and back again. The real trick is to figure out how to arrange this little setup to maximize the number of times the process occurs, with minimal movement.

      --
      I've decided to Diversify my Holdings. I've divided my cash between my left and right pockets, instead of all in one.