I’m honestly not sure where to start with this one. Yes, I could throw in a large amount of potato-puns, but to be honest I’m trying to pick myself up after seeing the picture associated with this story. The idea and PR stunt itself is a great one. Use apples and potatoes to charge a Nokia Lumia 930 wirelessly. That’s brilliant, surely?
Well yes, yes it is. But this “charging project”, which sits outside the Westfield shopping centre, is 20 feet wide and 8 feet high. That, I’m sure you’ll agree, is massive..
Microsoft and Carphone Warehouse are behind this and have worked with Caleb Charland, an artist and “science enthusiast” to create this artistic charging installation. They say, and I quote…
The trouble with all this, at least in my head, is that 800 apples and potatoes are needed to charge .. one phone. That’s a great PR stunt, but it’s not exactly practical is it? Just imagine the smell off this thing in a few days for a start. It’s going to whiff something rotten, and parking it on your drive is going to prove problematic too.
Anyway, there’s a video..
Outside Westfield shopping centre, Shepherd’s Bush, Microsoft and Carphone Warehouse unveiled a combined charging project – an enormous 20ft wide and 8ft high installation featuring a phenomenal amount of fruit and vegetables, which, amazingly, is able to wirelessly charge a brand new Lumia 930 device.
Microsoft and Carphone Warehouse teamed up with Caleb Charland, a science enthusiast and artist, to create the magnificent charging art piece. Inspired by the school science project, where an electrical current is generated using a potato, Caleb created ‘Back To Light’ his latest body of work. Caleb has now applied this method to create the Lumia organic charger using 800 apples and potatoes.
Thomas Messett, Head of Digital Marketing and Advocacy for Europe Microsoft Devices said, “Following the success of our lightning experiment that took place in 2013, we were keen to explore another way that we could harness natural energy and charge the brand new Lumia 930 device. We have an obligation to ensure we are always looking for new energy-efficient ways to improve the performance of our products and we’re proud to have done that with wireless charging on the Lumia 930 and some of our other Lumia products.”
Caleb says, “I am so proud to be part of this great charging project. The utter simplicity of this electrical phenomenon has endlessly fascinated me. Many people have had the experience of drawing power from fruit in the classroom, and it never ceases to inspire the imagination of all ages. I have never worked with anything on this scale before, and it was a challenge. By creating this large organic charger to power a Lumia 930 device, this work speaks to a common curiosity we all have for how the world works, as well as a global concern for the future of Earth’s energy sources.”
For those looking for a slightly more convenient wireless charging option might want to head over to Carphone Warehouse where the 20MP, 5-inch HD screen Lumia 930, which runs the latest Windows Phone 8.1 software, comes with a wireless charger completely free, and an additional free wireless charger is available until 31st July.
