Gizmodo
Trevor Baylis, the Brit who invented the wind-up radio 16 years ago, has applied his not inconsiderable brain to doing the same thing for MP3s and videos and come up with a 2GB Eco Player that will give you 40 minutes of music on just one minute of winding. And that's not all it can do.
There's a full-color 1.8-inch LCD screen, as well as FM radio and voice recorder, an LED flashlight function and it can even charge your phone in an emergency. And if you don't fancy running around with a crank, there's also an internal battery that you can charge via USB and get 20 hours' worth of juice.
While it's not exactly beautiful (the design of its buttons reminds me of those kitschy bow-tie tee-shirts) and it's a bit large, I can see the worthies of this world displaying it as a badge of their planet-hugginess.
Costing around $350—a lot more money than they spent on a website that can only be described as shonky—the Eco Player should be available at the end of this month. [Ethical Superstore via Shiny Shinyand British Eco]
Comments
shonky, eh? Like putting a gigantic pic at the top of a post that falls off the edge of the page?
As for the player, I think it's a great idea. Good for power outages, hurricanes or camping. I'm actually kind of surprised we're not seeing more of this type of stuff. Eco friendly, practical, interesting.
Big picture much?
Also, if they make it half as big, half as ugly, and half as costly, I'll buy.
As a resident of Miami, I think this is great, but the price is a bit steep. Still, I'd say it's worth the money and beats sitting in the heat and the dark staring at a wall.
I'm still surprised nobody seems to have made a wind-up iPod charger by now, seems like it would be pretty useful.
What's up with the line-in? If the source is powered, why would you push it through this thing? Maybe you can record from line in(?) You'd think also for a high resolution close up they would have at least wiped the grubby fingerprints off of it. Oooo is that a flashlight on top? Very nice. Might make a good survival radio thingy.
Why not just add a kinetic charger to the shuffle and call it a day? The only time people use them is when they're working out anyway.
I like the idea, not the price, There have been a few times where I've had to pace my listening because I'm just about out of juice,
@nutbastard
I thought the line in was a little odd as well..
I'm not sure I like the product, but I have to say that Trevor is a top bloke (sorry, I meant dude). His company helps aspiring gadget inventors get their products to market (without the humiliation of a TV show).
[www.trevorbaylisbrands.com]
Hats off to the man!
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