YoGen charger uses yo-yo action to charge gadgets

I will readily admit that the thought of a charger for my gadgets that requires no plugging in to charge its internal battery or long waits while it sits in the sun for a charge is very appealing. The YoGen Handheld Charger promises just that by having the user pull on a rip cord to generate electricity.

If the thing piques your interest, you can grab your own YoGen online starting on November 15 or wait until Q2 2010 and pick one up in undisclosed retail locations. The internal generator of the charger promises to be powerful enough to generate sufficient charge levels for all sorts of gadgets from iPods to mobile phones, GPS units, cameras, and portable game systems.

The kinetic interface uses a built-in ripcord that the user pulls yo-yo style to generate the power. The thing I wonder about is exactly how long you would have to pull on the ripcord to generate enough power to play a song or make a phone call. Pricing is unknown at this time. The power is stored to a 650mAh internal battery and is put out via a miniUSB connector.