Remember back when cars needed cranks. Yeah, that was a bad idea. But even today, lawn mowers need a jump start. But do they use a crank? Heck no they don't. Pull strings are a much more efficient way of generating power.

So why do we keep seeing crank radios and crank laptops and crank flashlights. Why aren't there any pull string appliances out there. Well, there was, for a while, a pull-string power source that was going to be part of the One Laptop Per Child project. We're not sure if the pull-string technology is still part of  OPLC, but SquidLabs, who produced the original idea for the pull-string generator, has realized the potential and is going to be marketing it to, well, probably everyone.

One minute of pulling will give you 230 minutes of iPod shuffle time, one hour of lighting, 25 minutes of cell phone talking or 45 minutes of Nintendo DS. Now that's what I'm talkin' about! It may be a long time before we have solar panels packed onto phones, but a pocket sized pull-string generator that will save you from being stuck in the airport without your DS could only be a year away. Plus, you get a workout while you're doing it.

Via Engadget and OLPCNews