Headline PH: Nokia launches bike-powered handset

HELSINKI – Want to talk more? Keep pedaling, says Nokia.

The world's largest mobile phone maker on Thursday launched four low-priced handsets and a recharger that can be connected to a bicycle's dynamo which charges when the wheels turn.
The bicycle charger kit and handsets — some with a standby battery time of up to six weeks, FM radio and flashlights — are aimed at users with limited access to electricity.
The new devices will be available during the second half of the year, priced at between euro30 and euro45 ($36-$55).
The bike kit has a charger, dynamo and a holder to secure the phone to the bicycle. The dynamo — a small electrical generator — uses the movement of the wheels to charge the handset through a standard 2mm charging jack used in most Nokia handsets.
It cuts off at speeds lower than 3 mph (5 kph) and higher than 30 kph (50 kph).
The price of the kit in emerging markets starts at euro15 ($18), and likely will cost more in other markets, Nokia said.
The cheapest of the new handsets — the Nokia C series — is the C1-00, expected to retail for around euro30 ($36). It is also the firm's first model with a 2-in-1 double SIM card solution.
"By simply holding down a key people are able to switch between SIM cards," vice president Alex Lambeek said. "This enables them to take advantage of reduced call rates, flexibility when traveling from one country to another or helps with sharing a phone within a family and still use their own SIM card."

By MATTI HUUHTANEN,
Associated Press Writer

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