Exasperated laptop users caught without a power supply could find themselves
reaching for a foot pump. Five minutes of pumping on a device called the
StepCharger will generate enough electrical power to run a laptop for 20
minutes. It can provide up to 6 watts at 18 volts DC, and will also work for
mobile phones, digital cameras and video cameras, says its maker US-based
AladdinPower. The $150 pump is about the size of a paperback book.
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