Tiny phone chargers that you slide onto your keyring, store on your belt buckle or snap onto the spokes of your bike can help feed your addiction to technology when wall chargers aren’t available. Since most of us can’t go ten minutes without using our phones, staying juiced up is crucial. These 12 offbeat and innovative portable cell phone chargers use everything from kinetic energy to boiling water to make sure you’re never cut off from your emergency contacts and all of your favorite apps.

World’s Smallest Emergency Phone Charger

Shaped like a gasoline can, the tiniest cell phone charger yet fits easily onto your key ring and provides an extra 20-30 minutes of talk time or a few hours of standby time per charge. It plugs directly into your phone and can hold its own charge for 1-3 months between uses.

Siva Cycle: Pedal Power Charger

A compact gadget snaps onto any bicycle within minutes to harness the kinetic energy you create while you ride. You can either plug your phone or any other USB-powered device directly into it, or store the energy in a detachable battery pack. The creators envision it as the perfect solution for bike commuters who miss out on the phone-charging time that other commuters get in the car.

Belt Buckle Phone Charger

An ordinary-looking belt buckle pops off and plugs into the wall to charge your cell phone. The Volt Buckle eliminates the problem of being unable to carry a charger without a purse or bag of some sort, keeping it as compact as possible. A hook on the belt ensures that your pants stay up while your phone is charging.

Flame Stower: Charging with Fire

Going a step beyond solar power, the Flame Stower is a portable phone charger designed with campers and hikers in mind. One end of the charger is placed in a campfire, and the other connected to your cell phone. Any flame source will do, so you can also use BBQ grills or candles.

Next Page - Click Below to Read More:
Juice To Go 13 Ultra Portable Phone Charger Designs

Photos of products with codes that can be scanned by smart phones transform cramped spaces like the walls of subway stations into virtual retail stores, saving space and potentially adding function to disused city spots. PayPal is among the main companies pioneering quick and easy virtual shopping with QR codes plastered on billboards and ad spaces. Online grocery service Peapod already has virtual shelves on subway and commuter train platforms in Philadelphia.

The concept is simple: you download an app to your smart phone, scan the codes of the products you want to purchase, and enter your payment information. The goods you buy are then delivered to the location of your choice. The process is streamlined when payment info is saved – just scan and confirm.

While brick-and-mortar stores with physical products won’t disappear completely, since there are plenty of times we just want to grab something and run, this concept could help meet the evolving needs of both customers and the cities they live in. Virtual retail stores could go up on the outside of abandoned buildings, or give use to areas that are under transition.

Experts have predicted that shopping will change more in the next three years than it has in the past twenty, with more and more people choosing the convenience of mobile shopping and self-checkout. PayPal has expanded a portion of its ‘Shop and Pay on the Go’ services by adding QR codes to the exterior of physical stores, for those times when you need something and the store is closed. Another service, ‘PayPal Here’, enables customers to check in with their phones, grab their items and pay for them virtually without having to pull out cash or a credit card.

Quick, when was the mobile phone invented? If you thought it was the 1980s, when businessmen lugged them around in giant briefcases, think again. The earliest version of a mobile phone was first created in 1946, evolving into ultra-durable, shock-proof, vacuum-tubed contraptions that mounted to car dashboards by the 1960s.

According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, mobile radio-based phone systems started in the early 1900’s in the form of ship to shore radio, and some police cars had them by 1921. In 1946, the first “mobile radiophone service” allowing calls from fixed to mobile telephones became available in St. Louis, and by 1964 there were 1.5 million mobile phone users in the United States.

Radio expert Geoff Fors has exhaustively detailed the history of these phones with a website that chronicles their progress from the 1940s through the ’90s. In the ’40s, radio phones had massive transmitter cabinets and receiver cabinets that had to be mounted in the trunk of the car, with a cable that ran under the carpet to a ‘control head’ on the dash.

Motorola and General Electric stepped in during the 1950s to streamline the equipment, making it smaller and lighter in weight (but still gigantic by today’s standards, of course!) In the ’60s, Motorola’s TLD-1000 was fittingly used in the opening scenes of the James Bond film Live and Let Die.

See lots more images including brochures, advertisements and photographs and read all the details about these dino phones at Fors’ website.

Eager to endow Apple’s mass-produced modern marvel with some timeless personality? Retro iPhone accessories give your cutting-edge cellular communicator old-fashioned style to complement its right here, right now functionality.

iPhone Cassette Tape Case

(image via: Zedomax)

Camouflaging your iPhone as a classic C90 cassette tape isn’t just a shout out to your Eighties roots, it’s also a cool way to turn off potential thieves. The case fits neatly into a faux cassette tape box which doubles as a stylish stand.

Film Noir iPhone Dock

(images via: iRetrophone and iRetrophone)

Eh, what’s up, iPhone dock? A number of retro iPhone docks copy the old-time look of tabletop telephones, with the mobile phone typically sitting right where the dial used to be. Some models include a fully functional handset that hangs off your belt when you’re out shadowing the Fat Man.

(image via: Geeky Gadgets)

Considering how often iPhone owners use their docks it’s no surprise said owners are looking for a little more style. The model above would look smashing on any desktop, ideally set beside a statue of The Maltese Falcon.

Macintosh iPhone Case

(image via: Graphic Cupcake)

Are you an iPhone owner with a soft spot for the 1989 beige Apple Macintosh sporting the rainbow Apple logo? If so, hopefully you’ve discovered the lovingly designed and crafted Apple-inspired iPhone cases offered by Schreer Delights. Latecomers should be advised that Schreer recently withdrew their Apple-inspired cases, possibly influenced by the Cupertino corp’s eager legal beavers.

Horn Amplifier Hands-Free iPhone Stand

(images via: Deal 2 Day)

Pre-war oldsters used to assist their hearing via the use of ear trumpets. Post-war hipsters are doing much the same, only instead of their ears they’re amplifying their iPhones with cute, colorful Horn Amplifiers that beg to be seen AND heard.

(images via: Geek Alerts and Geeky Gadgets)

In the hierarchy of horns, the Megaphone is king. Big, bold and beautiful, Megaphones are the Swiss Alpenhorns of the iPhone amplifying world and they look great with or without an actual iPhone riding up top.

Tomko Transceiver for iPhone

(images via: Strapya World)

The Tomko Transceiver for iPhone evokes the glory days of CB radios but eschews the Bandits, Bears and bad records by C.W. McCall. The device combines the best features of hands-free communication while sparing users from having to wear a Bluetooth device in their ear.

Yubz Handset

(images via: Future Looks and Mightypop)

The Yubz Handset was one of the first hand-held accessory mobile phone receivers to hit the market and they’re available in a wide range of colors and patterns.

(image via: Mac Life)

Using a Yubz Handset isn’t only about making a fashion statement, however. The old-style handset offers exceptional hand and ear comfort for long conversations and by keeping the phone distant from the user’s head, any concerns over possible microwave radiation are effectively allayed.

Leica Rangefinder iPhone Case

(image via: iPhone Savior)

One might say Leica is the iPhone of cameras: a paradigm of ergonomics, functionality and quality. Now Gizmon conjures up the mystique and magic of the legendary Leica Rangefinder with a high-functional, multipart iPhone case. The Gizmon iCA Military Edition case is no one trick pony – a real shutter release button mounted on top blurs the line between phone and camera.

iPhone Microphone Speaker

(images via: Yanko Design)

If David Letterman can sport a huge retro microphone on his desk, why can’t you do the same for your iPhone? Actually you can, or to be more accurate you can have a speaker that looks like a big honking metal mic perched on top of your iPhone. Choose from gold or silver tone to match your personal degree of bling.

(image via: Andrea Galante)

No batteries are required; instead the design boasts a built-in rechargeable Lithium Ion battery that draws its juice from your laptop or desktop computer via a USB connector. Fully charged, the speaker will play for up to six hours.

Moderne TV iPhone Amplifier

(image via: Schreer Delights)

Those hulking home console stereo systems from the fabulous Fifties were the polar opposite of today’s light, portable and much more powerful mobile phones and music players. That’s why this miniaturized version of the old wooden wonder from Schreer Delights is such a kick as an iPhone amplifier. It was either that, or design an iPhone as big as a coffee table.

Retro Brick iPhone Case

(images via: Lazybone and ClickShop)

Mobile phones have come a long way since their brick-like ancestors wowed consumers back in the 1970s… imagine what those consumers would think of the latest model iPhone? They’d be even more amazed by today’s consumers modifying their sleek iPhones with clunky, boxy, brick-like cases.

(image via: ThumbsUp!)

Why go back when the future’s where it’s at? Maybe those old-style cellphones had some advantages that have been lost along the way, such as being too big to lose? Or perhaps their owners are actually time travelers… hey, if you had to live through the Disco Era you’d want to escape too!

(image via: My Trendy Phone)

Are retrofuturistic iPhone accessories like these really veiled critiques of Apple’s much-praised but rather Plain Jane corporate style? Do stereotypically smug iPhone owners secretly crave a side-order of non-Jobsian personality with their mass-produced main course? Make of it what you will, but it just might be that Apple’s ubiquitous presence in today’s society has sparked nostalgia for times when the Apple in your pocket was destined for your teacher’s desk.

Classic static telephone booths are slowly fading from the urban landscape but talking on the phone has never been more popular. These 12 concept mobile phone telephone booths attempt to recapture the personal isolation those old public phones provided while enhancing the experience of conversing in the city.

Portable Cellular Phone Booth

(image via: Nick Rodrigues)

No discussion of portable cellular phone booths would be complete without the Portable Cellular Phone Booth, a one-off “sculpture” crafted from stainless steel, aluminum and polycarbonate. Though it dates from 2002, Rodrigues’ art object perfectly captures that pivotal moment in societal history when mobile phones began to nose landlines out of the picture.

(images via: Gawker and Nick Rodrigues)

Measuring 16″ X 24″ X 36″, the device collapses down to flat-pack dimensions and can be worn on the user’s back much like a backpack or rucksack, only harder and heavier. When a call comes in, simply unfold and insert one’s head – and try to ignore the amused, bemused and confused stares of onlookers.

Silence Chair

(images via: SilenceChair.com and Sensory Impact)

The Silence Chair from Finnish designer Antti Evävaara offers mobile phone users a comfortable personal space within which to chat. At the same time, the chair’s safety glass side panels ensure the sound of the conversation doesn’t intrude upon others.

(image via: Masty Wizdom)

Available in up to 67 different colors spread across a range of 6 different styles, the Silence Chair is designed for use in airports, lobbies, lounges, meeting rooms and libraries – the latter is the scene of the image above. Note the sticker on the side glass indicating the suggested use as a cell phone communication station.

Hush Cone

(image via: Design Buzz)

The Hush Cone, designed by Miles Thornley of Brown Kiwi, re-imagines the classic outdoor public phone booth for 21st century modes of mobile communication. While dispensing with the pricey wiring and the landline phone of old, the organically shaped fiberglass booth maintains the sense of visual and acoustic privacy that mobile phone users often find missing in urban environs.

The Cell Atlantic CellBooth

(images via: JennyLC)

The Cell Atlantic CellBooth (the name is a throwback to the good old days of Bell Labs) from artist Jenny L Chowdhury takes Nick Rodrigues’ personal phone booth concept and lightens it up a little. Like Rodrigues’ blocky booth, the Cell Atlantic CellBooth is worn knocked-down on one’s back but easily unfolds when a call needs to be made or taken.

(images via: JennyLC)

The insta-booth employs so-called “Third World Samsonite”, that plaid, stiff & shiny pseudo-fabric usually seen lining wheeled pushcarts sold from dollar stores. The fabric is light, tough and resists water in case the user’s caught outdoors in stormy weather.

The Veasyble

(images via: 2Modern)

Phone booth meets fashion? The Veasyble (with the emphasis on the “easy”) designed by Gloria Pizzilli, Arianna Petrakis, Ilaria Pacini and Adele Bacci appears to be an attempt to make the accordion cool again, assuming the accordion was ever cool that is. Combine it with Pac-Man and you’ve got a polyethylene, paper and fabric isolation chamber than can be shared by two in a pinch… ouch!

Prooff PhoneBox

(images via: Mathieu Gabiot and Contemporan)

You can knock down the traditional wall of telephone booths lining the walls of busy train stations, airports and the like but travelers still need a place to make their mobile phone calls. Enter Mathieu Gabiot’s Prooff PhoneBox, a truncated version of the old-style full length booth that serves basically the same purpose: providing a sound-sheltered environment where one can hear and be heard.

(image via: Apres Furniture)

Described by its makers as an “Acoustic Mobile Phone Booth”, the Prooff PhoneBox can be mounted singly or in ranks depending on the site and situation. It economical design focuses on the small space around the caller’s head: that’s where the speaking and listening goes on, after all.

Pentaphone Isolation Space

(images via: DesignBoom)

Austrian designer Robert Stadler conceived the Pentaphone as a vertically adjustable isolation space that doubles as an intriguing piece of indoor furniture. Crafted from stained and varnished wood panels lined with acoustically absorbent foam, the Pentaphone may look more than a little sci-fi but why not? It’s hard to get any quieter than being in outer space.

Corniche des Chapeaux

(images via: Benedetto Bufalino and Textualy.org)

Is it a stretch to call Corniche des Chapeaux a mobile phone booth? Perhaps, but let’s just keep it under our oversized hats, shall we? This collaboration between artist/designers Benedetto Bufalino and Victor Vieillard saw a series of colorful hats line the waterfront of Marseille, France, in June of 2007.

(images via: Benedetto Bufalino and Ma-Buse)

Besides serving as cozy, convenient spaces for mobile phone communication, the hats functioned as sunshades during the day and reading spaces by night thanks to integrated lighting.

The Mobile Phone Booth

(images via: Design Quarters News)

Designer Alain Gilles has come up with the Mobile Phone Booth, a wall-mounted personal space similar in many ways to the Prooff PhoneBox. The Mobile Phone Booth is larger, however, and includes an integral inner shelf to rest one’s communication device of choice… or one’s arm.

CellZone Cell Phone Booth

(images via: Softpedia)

The CellZone “Bring Your Own Phone” Cell Phone Booth from Salemi Industries looks a lot like the traditional telephone booth it’s meant to replace. Coincidence? We think not – and neither does US Cellular, who’ve seen fit to install a few CellZones (renamed “Chatter Box”) at US Cellular Stadium… where else?

(images via: UMass and Softpedia)

The cylindrical, transparent-doored booths look a little like those message capsules used in pneumatic tube delivery systems but not to fear: you won’t end up like a Futurama character should you step inside one. On the contrary, you’ll stay put but your mobile phone messages will do the traveling for you.

PARCS Phone Booth

(images via: Archiproducts)

The PARCS Phone Booth is a mobile office partition designed by PearsonLloyd. Functioning as an acoustically and visually shielded private space within public areas, the PARCS Phone Booth creates a head-to-toe sonic cocoon that offers silence to both the user and those who work nearby.

The Cone of Silence

http://www.healthcare-informatics.com/blogs/gwen/its-time-get-smart-and-remove-cone-silence

Designers of mobile phone booths have shown they’re long on creativity but short on practicality – a forgivable foible, as the concept of creating space for mobile conversations is mainly untested in the real world… or is it? The classic 1960s spy comedy Get Smart featured the Cone of Silence, an awkward and ineffective acrylic double-bubble affair meant to conceal top-secret conversations between Maxwell Smart and the Chief of CONTROL.

(images via: Alistair Cockburn, Tiki Lounge & Bar and TV Acres)

The flawed device was also available in a portable version for two and the “Umbrella of Silence” for groups. An idea ahead of its time? Perhaps, and not the show’s only one… Agent 86’s preferred mode of mobile communication was his shoe. “Smart phone” indeed.