We've seen a few hand-cranked chargers out there, most notably as an accessory for the OLPC XO-1, but Sony's new CL-A2LAS is one of the more practical implementations. The new USB charger includes a 4,000mAh battery that requires three minutes of cranking to supply a minute of talk time or five minutes of manual labor for a minute of web browsing. The battery cell can also be charged up by plugging the unit into a wall outlet. Once powered up, the crank section or AC charging unit can be removed for easy access to a pair of USB ports. The Sony CP-A2LAS will be available in Japan starting June 20th for ¥8,000 (about $100).