Nokia goes with pedal power

MOBILE HANDSET MAKER Nokia has skidded to a halt in front of us, pulled a wheelie and shoved its bicycle-based mobile phone charging kit in our faces.

Today the firm said that its Nokia Bicycle Charger Kit will suit anyone that rides a bike, and then somehow managed to cram a mention of its Ovi Maps system into its annoucements, because, you know, when you ride a bike you have to know where you are going.

When the firm wasn't telling us about how cool its apps were it explained that the charging kit is made up of a cradle, a bottle dynamo and a phone holder, which taken together can add to a bike journey in ways that car owners have only dreamed about.

"Want to listen to music when cycling but worry that headphones block out road noise? With the Nokia Bicycle Charger Kit you can play music aloud to keep the motivation up on long or repetitive journeys," Nokia said in a statement. To which we reply, "Hey, guys, you aren't really selling this whole bike riding thing to us you know."

John Nichols, head of marketing at Nokia UK, added something suitably salesy to the firm's pitch, while also remembering that a press statement isn't a press statement unless you hurl something about the environment into the mix.

"The innovative Nokia Bicycle Charger Kit gives people even more freedom to use their Nokia handset without worrying about battery life. A growing number of people in the UK cycle for leisure, exercise or as a daily means of transport so this simple innovation is about convenience and getting the most out of your Nokia while you're on your bike. It's also the perfect piece of kit for those that care about the environment."

Whatever John. The only thing we really need to know is that the dynamo starts charging when the bike hits a speed of 6 km/h and stops at 50 km/h - presumably because it knows that Lance Armstrong has people to charge his phone for him.

The kit will be available before the end of the year in selected retailers, which we take to mean bike shops. µ