Whether out camping or waiting for the power to come back on during a storm, there are plenty of occasions where you might not be able to charge your cellphone reliably. But if you can get over the weirdness of it, this iPhone case with a built-in crank could be a handy last-minute savior.
The CrankCase for iPhone and CrankBox for other USB-powered devices are compact hand-powered generators that can trickle enough juice into your phone to make a call, send a text or check your location. Sure, you could use a solar panel or the hand crank on any emergency radio, but part of the fun of this is the look on people's faces when you pop the handle out of your phone's case and go to town. There have been other crank-cases, believe it or not but at least this one's handle doubles as a little kickstand to keep your device upright (it's also pretty cheap).
Supposedly, one minute of cranking will give 40 minutes of talk time, but your mileage (and wattage) may vary. You can pre-order one of the two accessories ($49 for the case, $29 for the standalone charger) over at Indiegogo.
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