Getting the energy into the FreeCharge's battery is only half of the problem, however.

ECONOMIST: MONITOR

As with previous Freeplay products, the FreeCharge will initially be sold to consumers in America and Europe, but it is also intended for use in the developing world.

ECONOMIST: MONITOR

So Freeplay and Motorola have devised a range of plug-in pods that allow the FreeCharge base unit to talk to phones from different makers including Nokia and Ericsson as well as Motorola.

ECONOMIST: MONITOR