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I am a big fan of alternative ways to charge up gadgets like phones and mp3 players. While you can try as hard as you can to always make sure that your toy is charged, there are simply times when you forget to do it. This should not be a problem if you are staying within city limits – charging stations are practically everywhere. Either that or borrow a charger off of your colleague.

But what if you were to go out of town? I say bring a charger. Orange, a company known for alternative power sources, has a brilliant idea: the Orange Power Pump. (Do you smell that? Burning sarcasm…)

As I said earlier, I like the idea of having alternative power sources. I like it even better when they’re cool. The Orange Power Pump, unfortunately, does not impress me much. So how does it work?

This thing is basically a generator jammed into a small package. As a generator, naturally, it can create juice to power up gadgets or recharge batteries. Of course, generators need some sort of fuel to generate the power, right? And guess where the Power Pump gets its source? Your muscles, baby.

In order to work, you need to use your foot to make the turbine turn. It makes use of a standard air bed foot pump, so it shouldn’t be that hard. The thing is, that is the main reason I do not have an air bed. Why would anyone go to a place with absolutely no electricity at all, anyway?