Ever since I saw the big wind-up emergency flashlight/radios, I've wondered why they couldn't add that little bit of functionality to something like an iPod, which despite promising better and better battery life with each generation, seems to flash its low battery warning every time I try to turn it on. The Trevor Baylis Eco Media Player finally addresses that need - it's a full function media player- with 2 GB of storage for music and video, plus an FM radio, in-line encoding from any media source (make mp3s out of old cassettes, for example), built-in LED torch light, speaker, . . . and it can charge your mobile phone, all while being powered by a few minuntes of winding the crank. There is a dual power system, so you can charge the lithium-ion battery through a USB port or through the wind-up mechanism. Every minute of winding gives you 40 minutes of audio play time. The battery's full capacity is for 20 hours of audio play. For recording music or playing video, that time would be shortened considerably, but a recharge is a hand-crank away. Even better, if your phone battery is running low, you can just attach an adaptor and crank that up too. The radio and torch provide extra insurance during an emergency.

The Eco player is great not just for emergencies but for frequent travelers, or just anyone (like, *cough cough* my husband) who tends to forget to regularly charge their phones.

The Eco player is about $254 from the Ethical Super Store.