Nokia's €15 bike charger will abide

We've been seeing dynamo-powered gadget bicycle chargers for, well, ever. But it's good to see a company with the global reach of Nokia getting into the action with a €15ish kit all its own. Nokia says that a 10 minute bike ride at 6mph (10kph) will produce enough power for 28 minutes of talk time or 37 hours of standby. The kit, primarily intended for developing markets, ships globally before the end of the year with a handlebar mount, dynamo, and 2-mm charger jack. But there's nothing stopping you from picking up a micro USB adapter (at your own cost) and using the charger with Nokia's smarter (and more power hungry) handsets like the N97, N900 and forthcoming N8** -- any micro USB handset really, regardless of vendor. Coupled with Nokia's free turn-by-turn guided Ovi Maps, the kit could be quit handy when navigating the countryside on a long weekend bike ride, or for navigating within cities, like, oh we don't know, Amsterdam.

** Nokia N8 can be charged over 2mm or micro USB connectors, fancy.

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Cycle power; Nokia launches new Nokia Bicycle Charger Kit to power Ovi Maps

03 June 2010: Today Nokia launches a Nokia Bicycle Charger Kit which captures free and eco-friendly energy from bicycling to power your Nokia mobile on the move. Great for use with Ovi Maps, the Nokia Bicycle Charger Kit will ensure that you will never be caught out when navigating through unfamiliar locations. The kit consists of Nokia Bicycle Charger DC-14, Nokia Phone Holder for Bicycle CR-124, and a Bottle Dynamo.

Users will get free and efficient charging from cycling as the dynamo starts charging when a bicycle speed of 6 km/h is reached and stops at 50 km/h, matching the efficiency of a normal charger when the bike is traveling at 12kmh. The charger can be fitted onto any Nokia handset with a 2mm charger jack, such as the Nokia E72 or Nokia X6.

Want to listen to music when cycling but worry that headphones block out road noise? With the Nokia Bicycle Charger Kit you can play music aloud to keep the motivation up on long or repetitive journeys.

John Nichols, Head of Marketing, Nokia UK commented: "The innovative Nokia Bicycle Charger Kit gives people even more freedom to use their Nokia handset without worrying about battery life.

"A growing number of people in the UK cycle for leisure, exercise or as a daily means of transport so this simple innovation is about convenience and getting the most out of your Nokia while you're on your bike. It's also the perfect piece of kit for those that care about the environment."

The kit will be available before the end of the year in selected retailers and Nokia online and branded retail.

[pankomputerek Posted Jun 3rd 2010 9:25AM]

Hang on a sec..
You can use your phone and drive a bike but you can't use your phone while driving a car...

[A25i Posted Jun 3rd 2010 10:42AM]

@pankomputerek
Really? You need an explanation of this?
Ok, When not paying attention in a car using a phone to text someone about something, not paying attention you crash into a bus full of children on their way to school. Imagine the severity.
Now, you on your bike, crash into the same bus while looking at your phone. Any damage done, is done to you... the moron who thinks driving around and looking down at a gps is OK to do. Not the kids in the bus.
If you want to injure yourself, go for it. but dont take others with you. And unfortunately when it comes to cells and driving, most of the time, you take someone with you. And that is unacceptable. If you want to ride your bike off a cliff reading the gps data on your phone, then by all means, natural selection. Ride over.

[genomax Posted Jun 3rd 2010 9:32AM]

People used to use similar dynamos in India to power bike lights. Nokia has adopted this for phone charging. I remember old days when the bike light would glow brighter if you were pedaling faster ..

[fourthletter Posted Jun 3rd 2010 9:55AM]

The main seems to have completely overlooked whether or not this can be used with non-Nokia devices !
Can i use this with my HTC Hero ?

[A25i Posted Jun 3rd 2010 10:35AM]

The next time I find myself in Amsterdam, THE last thing I want/am going to do is go for a bike ride. I could barely crawl most of the time there.

[TheSideEffect Posted Jun 3rd 2010 11:01AM]

Forget cell phones, someone should rig that thing to charge an EV

[Sepirioth Posted Jun 3rd 2010 12:10PM]

THIS is the kind of green crap I like seeing. I would totaly get it if they made it for other phones (iPhone in my case)

[1q2w3e4r Posted Jun 3rd 2010 6:19PM]

I'm so gonna put this on my Cervelo aero frame ... hahaha it's gonna look so gay but hey that gps is a hungry best and i often run out of battery towards end of a long ride.

[Jeffery Lebowski Posted Jun 3rd 2010 11:38PM]

The Dude abides.