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It may not be much in terms of fancy features, but this new mobile phone may come in pretty handy in a disaster or other emergency.

 

The new SpareOne phone, which debuted at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, can run on a single AA lithium battery with a shelf life of up to 15 years.

But with no LCD screen, there won't be any way to send SMS text messages.
 

 

"Smart patented power engineering allows users to use the most widely available and inexpensive battery, a regular AA. Imagine the possibilities to be non-dependent from an AC outlet," it said on its website (www.SpareOnePhone.com).

 

It also boasted of an emergency talk time of up to 10 hours, as well as dedicated preset buttons for easy or auto-dialing.

 

The phone was touted for emergencies where charging is not an option.

 

According to the SpareOne website, the phone was the product of a collaboration among inventor Alan Cymberknoh, artist Xavier Ferre, Christian Scheder, and Douglas.

 

A separate article on Engadget said SpareOne is also a super-cheap dual-band phone that can transmit its location alongside its call ID.

 

Engadget said the phone may be bundled with an Energizer AA battery and a microSIM for $49.99 at some point this quarter.

 

"One potential drawback: Hopefully you won't forget to pay the wireless bill for a phone you use every decade or so," PC World added. — TJD, GMA News