December 13, 2006 3:55 AM PST
If your cell phone's batteries die and you're nowhere near a source of electrical power, one option is the IST SideWinder charger, which relies on muscle power to generate DC current. While our colleagues' review gave it only a 5.3 of 10 rating because it took so much cranking for it to work, we figure it's better than nothing. Charge 2 Go is a similar option that runs mobile devices off of AA batteries. If you're in a vehicle, an inverter that transforms 12-volt direct current to alternating current could come in very handy; it's available for about $40 at Target and other stores.
Photo by CNET Reviews
