XPAL Power, the company behind famous battery brands like Energizer and Powerskin have announced a new mobile phone at CES. The phone, known as the SpareOne is unique in the fact that it is powered by a single AA battery.
When I first heard of this, the first thing that came to my mind is the Olive FrvrOn. I hope you folks remember the handset marketed by Olive in India that came with the option of running on either a normal LI-iON battery OR a single AAA battery.
While the SpareOne might technically be not the first mobile phone that runs on a normal pencil battery, it definitely seems to be the first cellphone that ONLY runs on a single AA battery. Besides, the FrvrON ran on smaller AAA batteries. So yeah, XPAL’s claim that it is the only phone that runs on a single AA battery seems to be valid.
Anyway, while this is a far cry from being even relatively close to a smartphone this one seems to be a decent backup phone. It offers up to 10 hours of talk time, and if left unused can retain the battery charge for up to incredible 15 years should you be using an Energizer Ultimate Lithium AA battery. This battery is included with the phone which if we may add, is a good thing. As for the design, the phone is quite a looker with a totally whacky design. The phone supports Micro SIM cards only though.
The SpareOne is not your usual cellphone and has been designed to be used in a variety of special applications which includes emergencies. The phone comes with a built in flashlight (again, not a first) as well as a feature that lets it transmit its location using Cell ID. Oh, and lest we forget, the phone is a GSM handset and would come in different versions for the US and the Americas. And one more thing, there is no display on this one – which I think is not a really good idea. I mean, you should at least get to see what you are dialing, right? But then if they are really going to price this one dirt cheap, most people won’t complain.
Here’s a video on how to use the phone. Looks slick.
