Gizmodo: wind up

Thanko's New MP3 Player Is Cranky for Power

Kit Eaton — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 05:22:44 EDT

Thanko has gifted its new MP3 player with an additional power source: you. Much like Trevor Bayliss' crank-powered player, but nicer-looking, this new device will give you ten minutes of tunes for one minute of cranking— it's also got an LED flashlight which'll run for 50 minutes for the same effort. And if you're wrists aren't up to the job, it'll also charge via USB or AC power brick. The Cranking MP3 Player is screen-less, plays MP3 and WMA, has 1GB of storage, and will cost you just $60. [Akihabaranews]

Hand-Crank Lighting For African Homes

Sean Fallon — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 21:20:08 EDT

With all of the emphasis on saving energy and eco-friendliness these days, hand-crank technology has seen increased use in devices ranging from cellphone chargers to the OLPC. If the Freeplay Foundation's LifeLight Project has its way, this old school technology may soon be used to illuminate the homes of Africa's poor. According to estimates, as many as 500 million people in sub-Saharan Africa do not have access to electricity, resorting instead to kerosene lamps, battery powered lights, and wood fires to generate light. Prototypes are now being developed for future testing in Kenya, and designs have been drawn up for a base unit that would be used to recharge multiple detachable lights that can be distributed around the home. [BBC News]

Trevor Bayliss' Eco Player is One for Worthies

AddyDugdale — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 14:00:10 EDT

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]

Wind-Up LED Camp Light, The Perfect Apocalypse Appliance

Charlie White — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 22:30:00 EDT

Forget about hassling with solar power or batteries when there's no electricity any more (or on your next camping trip)—just wind up this LED camp light for a minute, and it lights up your post-apocalyptic world for 30 minutes. Wind it up all the way and it'll give you four hours of its brightest light or 48 hours' worth of its dimmer nightlight setting. And hey, it doesn't need much energy because it's using five LEDs instead of energy-sucking incandescent bulbs.

If you don't feel like winding it up you can plug it into your car's cigarette lighter, with a charge of the light's internal battery giving you eight hours of light. It even has a handy carrying handle that lets you hang it upside down in your tent. We're just hoping that its wind-up mechanism doesn't make that distracting ticking sound as it completes its energy cycle. [I Want One of Those]

Toy Fair 2007 Round Up: Stupid Moving Toys (Happy Meal Nostalgia FTW)

Matt Buchanan — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 08:00:33 EST

Actually, these remote-controlled hopping lederhosen aren't that stupid. Pressing the button on the knockwurst remote [insert dick joke here] sends them into a convulsion of bouncing and yodelling for about 15 seconds, after which they shut off automatically. Okay, maybe they are kind of stupid. Sadly, I don't any video for you.

Enjoy a few more "stupid moving toys" after the jump, so named because they don't really do anything but move around in a limited fashion.

After you give the Racing Nun a few runs on a table to wind her up, she speeds away to chase heretics. That's about it. I would've been more enthralled if she carried a ruler, kind of like the next toy, the Fighting Grandad.

Same concept as the Racing Nun—wind it up, send it off—but the Fighting Grandad swings his cane to beat down any young whippersnapper in his way.

Finally, we have the pole-dancing stripper, which spins around the pole while lights along the front flash on and off. So it's like being at a real strip show, except not at all. Be sure to add one to your favorite godchild's Christmas list! – Matt Buchanan

Toy Fair 2007 [Gizmodo]