If you've ever been stuck with a dead battery in your car, you might wonder why you don't have an old-fashioned crank to start it like they used to supply with those old Model T Fords. A crank start was even supplied as recently as the mid 1940s on Volkswagens and, while it was a pain in the butt to use, it would still get you back on the road if you managed to drain your battery. Here in San Francisco, crank up radios are a part of many people's earthquake preparation kits. You don't want to rely on batteries when the big shaker comes along. Freeplay Energy Group and Motorola are putting this dated but valid technology to work by developing a wireless phone power source. The wind-up accessory is compatible with a variety of Motorola and other popular wireless phones and is expected to provide between 3-6 minutes of talk and several hours of standby time for each 45-second hand-cranking session. The new self-sufficient energy source is scheduled to become available in U.S. later this year. You may not be able to crank start your car, but you'll soon be able to crank start your phone to call a tow truck.