A faster robotic ball, a phone battery you charge: quirkiest Berlin IFA gadgets

A PHONE battery you can charge with elbow grease, a telephoto lens for an Apple iPhone and more at the Berlin IFA.

Stanmore Marshall Picture: Supplied

A PHONE battery you can charge with elbow grease, a telephoto lens for an Apple iPhone, a faster, smarter robotic ball, and a keyboard to turn your mini tablet into a computer will be some of the things on show at the IFA technology exhibition in Germany today.

In a sneak preview of one of the world's largest technology shows, a grab bag of gadget makers showed off the wares they hope to entice consumers to buy in the lead-up to Christmas. One of the many unusual hopefuls included Eton's Soulra BoostTurnbine 4000, a hand-cranked portable battery that lets users wind it up for a power boost. A spokesman said a full charge would take as long as three or four hours of continuous cranking, but just a vigorous one or two minutes would deliver enough battery for "an emergency call or one more photo". Other innovative gadgets included Olloclip's new telephoto lens for the Apple iPhone 5. The clip-on zoom lens lets users magnify objects twice over, and also features a polarising lens on its other side for use in bright environments. Robotic ball makers also chose the day before IFA to officially launch their remade Sphero 2.0 ball that now moves faster - seven feet per second, up from two feet per second - and features brighter illumination and better driving from an accompanying app. Marshall, a company known for its quad box speakers, produced something more suited for the home than Spinal Tap in the Stanmore Bluetooth speaker. The Stanmore, with its gold piping, vinyl case and mesh, looks like a guitar amp but can be hooked up to any smartphone wirelessly or with a standard 3.5mm cord. Zagg also showed off a series of new cases that turn miniature tablets into tiny laptops. The Folio Case Cover for iPad Mini and Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 encase both tablets and feature a fully formed keyboard, with seven hues of backlighting, that turn the tablets into mini workstations. The keyboard cases are expected to go on sale at Dick Smith stores later this year. ###