(Credit: Sony Japan)

How would you power a smartphone or other USB without a power outlet? Sony has an answer.

One possible solution to resurrect a dead phone resides in Sony's latest portable CycleEnergy USB charger, with a built-in hand crank, due out in Japan on 20 June for 8000 yen (AU$100).

The modular charger (the CP-A2LAKS) features a dual-port unit capable of charging two USB-equipped devices and a built-in 4000mAh battery, chargeable via AC power.

A Sony press release stated that the large battery capacity within it can deliver enough power to charge a smartphone twice, with an additional reference noting that it would take about two hours to give the Xperia Acro HD smartphone a full charge.

As for charging from hand-crank power, don't expect any miraculous numbers; it takes about three minutes of cranking for one minute of call time, and five minutes of cranking for one minute of web surfing. Those seeking a full charge would need to crank for many hours. But in a disaster scenario, where power no longer exists, that doesn't sound so bad.

Via CNET News.com