Ever used a crank radio? You really have to keep cranking. Hopefully the finger powered laptop that Australian researchers at RMIT won't conk out as easily as those d
Their research revolves around the use of piezoelectric film coatings that can convert mechanical energy into electricity. Similar to the way electric cigarette lighters use piezoelectric crystals to create a flame, with a thin enough film built into laptops, powering it with mechanical button presses could be a possibility in the future.
Though these aren't nearly on shelves yet, It seems like a pretty neat idea. Just be prepared to hit "command S" often. Stop to sip your coffee and your finger-powered device may slurp down your document.
There is, however, a solar powered charger ready to solve your beach outlet hunt — for your iPad, that is. Voltaic's new Spark tablet case will get you an hour of video playback for every hour of direct sunlight, "coming to 10 hours for a complete charge." It charges through USB, so you can charge just about anything on its 39-watt hour battery.