Cell Phone to Recharge with Radio Waves

I failed to charge my cell phone night before last and while on an important business call yesterday, it died. It was an hour before the battery took enough charge to let me use the phone. Aaaaarrggghh!

So I'm excited about Nokia's new prototype cell phone, which aims to harvest ambient radio waves and turn that energy into usable power.

In 2007, we reported on wireless recharging using "WiTricity," which uses neither radio waves nor laser beams but a phenomenon of resonation to transmit electricity short distances. A company has been formed to commercialize it, but its web site starts out with these words: "Imagine a future..."

So far, I find myself running out of power now, not in the future.

Other recharging schemes seem immediately practical, such as a tiny generator powered by your walking. Such schemes see humans as producing renewable energy.

Nokia says 3-5 years before the radio-wave-powered phones are on store shelves.