You know every time I begin to process my thoughts for a podcast about recharging our electronic devices I'm exposed to something so new I have trouble getting my mind around it.  Here we go again.  On my last hike I carried a crank handle generator that could recharge any item who could be charged from a car's 12 volt power outlet.  It worked just fine but it could wear a little on the arm while charging!  Imagine the ability to charge your electronics while you walk?  No solar panels or direct sunlight.  No package of spare batteries.  No running a crank-handle generator either.  Just walk.  We're doing that anyway aren't we!

Check out the Personal Energy Generator.  I copied some interesting information from their web site:

The nPower™ PEG provides you with never-ending communication, entertainment, & security! With the nPower™ PEG, you create power for charging your cell phone or iPod. Just place the lightweight nPower™ PEG in your backpack, briefcase, handbag, or attach the gadget to your hip, and you’ll create energy any time you need it. The PEG works when you are in motion so you do not have to worry about being near a power outlet or running out of a phone charge while on the go ever again.

The up and down movement from your walking or running creates kinetic energy. The nPower™ PEG transfers this energy in the form of electrical power to your handheld mobile electronic devices through a standard USB 2.0 connector. The nPower™ PEG charges handheld mobile electronic devices at the same rate as a wall charger which means an 80% charge is reached with just an hour of walking throughout the day. nPower™ is a green technology that literally allows you to create renewable energy by walking, thus reducing your personal carbon footprint. The nPower™ PEG is also a completely recyclable product.

Sole inventor and entrepreneur Aaron Lemieux conceptualized the nPower™ technology while hiking on the Appalachian Trail. Aaron wanted to supply reliable power to his handheld electronics without having to carry the extra weight of hazardous disposable batteries. Aaron set out to devise a means of converting kinetic energy (which he had an excess of) to electrical energy (which he needed), and nPower™ is the result.

nPower™ technology is scalable and provides a range of product opportunities from small, implantable bioelectrical generators, to human-motion powered generators, to large commercial scale Wave Energy Converters. nPower™ is not just a device-making technology, it is an industry-making technology

Product Specs:

• Size: 9” tall, Top & Bottom Cylinders: 1” circumference, Center Cylinder: 1.5” circumference
• Weight: 9 oz.
• Power Generation: 4 Watts
• Outputs: USB 2.0 standard
• Connects to your handheld devices with convenient, interchangeable adapters
• Charges handheld mobile electronic devices at the same rate as a wall charger which means an 80% charge is reached with just an hour of walking throughout the day
• Free from radio or electronic interference
• No replacement parts necessary-ever
• 1 year limited warranty