i think the handcrank was an after-market product, created long after the OLPC project had realized that it wouldn't actually work.
or rather, what wouldn't have worked is a handcrank built into the devices, as the stresses would break it, whereas a handcrank mounted separately on a table, connected to the laptop by a cable, doesn't have that problem.
right, and there were several places that built foot powered chargers. actually, i remember thinking that whoever actually built that handcrank did it more for the novelty value than to actually solve a problem.
or rather, what wouldn't have worked is a handcrank built into the devices, as the stresses would break it, whereas a handcrank mounted separately on a table, connected to the laptop by a cable, doesn't have that problem.