Charge Me Up

By Jeninne Lee--St. John

On the go and out of juice? Four new mobile-phone chargers can help you get back in touch:

SIDEWINDER Off in the woods with no battery bars but plenty of reception? This hand-crank unit, developed by Montana-based IST, generates six minutes of talk time for two minutes' manual winding.

CELLBOOST A battery plugs into the phone for 60 minutes of power. The drawback: must be chucked after use.

COGIB Three French airports, FNAC and other retailers, and France Telecom shops have recently introduced this phone booth for the 21st century. Created by France-based Galea Technologies, Cogib is a kiosk with compartments for four phones or PDAs. Pay a euro, pick a plug, and lock in the device for a full charge in 20 minutes. The Cogib is already in Dubai International Airport, and Galea has its sights set on the rest of Europe and the U.S.

POWER POD Made by Earhugger in Utah, it charges any phone with the power source most convenient: a computer USB port, a car cigarette lighter, a 9-volt battery or a wall plug. --By Jeninne Lee--St. John