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Music Festivals, PhoneCams & Wind Power Will Rock This Summer

Posted On: 15 June 2007 By: Jay Oatway Filed Under: Beating a Different Drum | Culture Wars | No Strings | Power Struggle | Toys For Geeks

With summer comes the weekend music festival. And while many weekend concert goers partake in the tradition of erecting a Tent City, this form of random camping has never been able to offer any electricity to power the single most important piece of kit you must have (if you are under 30): the mobile phone. Until now.

Those of us who are a bit older probably flinch a bit at the idea of mobiles when recollecting on camping at festivals. But consider this: it keeps you from losing your friends, it allows you to send pictures and video of the various performances straight to Flickr or YouTube, and it runs on a tiny little battery (there’s always a catch). With heavy use, the battery won’t last you through the first day.

But at this year’s Glastonbury music fest (June 22-24), wind power will electrify the Tent City–and empower the "Always On" mobile generation. [via RegHardware]

Orange today launched a prototype wind-powered charger capable of delivering a constant supply of green juice despite "the unpredictable English climate". How? The turbine charges a battery, and it’s from that power pack that the phone’s own battery is charged.

It is, of course, a variation of one on humanity’s oldest devices, the windmill, though this time kitted out in suitable, sponsor-friendly colour. The windmil weighs a mere 150g - let’s hope it’s capable of being anchored against strong gusts - and is compact enough to be tucked into a rucksack.

The future is being bootlegged.

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