The goal of the Equobility system is to create efficient markets where the markets are underdeveloped or nonexistent and where the majority of people are living on less than $2 a day. Equobility seeks to use existing mobile phone technology and solar and bike pedal generated energy to connect users to the data needed to make informed marketplace decisions. Equobility's seamless transaction system allows users to access live market information, communicate with customers and vendors, locate business opportunities, transport goods and services and utilize mobile banking.

The mobile charger allows users to stay connected by providing them with a reliable and sustainable source of energy. This is particularly important in areas where electricity is scarce or non-existent. Equobility is a scalable, affordably designed product and service that fills an unmet need while greatly improving users‘ abilities to increase their incomes.

In his book, Out of Poverty, Paul Polak explains that "more and more people are beginning to realize that making it possible for very poor people to invest their own time and money in attractive, affordable opportunities to increase their income is the only realistic path out of poverty for most of them." Equobility is a product aiming to do just this, engaging new consumers to help them create more wealth while at the same, building a respected business that is financially, socially and environmentally sustaining in all of its operations -- in both the developing and developed marketplaces of the world.

_SMS Platform
Equobility is a platform that can be accessed by users via SMS, or text-based technology using a basic cell phone and low cost pay-as-you-go service. Through it they can send and receive messages to obtain information and connect with others.

A user sends a short text message to the Equobility server, a gateway server that collects, sorts and analyzes local information and pulls down pertinent information from a global data source like Google. The text may be intended to gain a wide variety of information, from today's price for African eggplant or tomorrow's weather forecasts, to finding someone interested in trading carpentry services for English tutoring or locating a particular car part. The initial text will contain keywords indicating the kind of information that the user wishes to obtain. The Equobility server will use these keywords to capture the pertinent information and return it to the user in the form of a short informative text message. Depending on the kind of information the user is seeking, he or she may use the message to look for additional data or to connect with others users in order to facilitate a transaction. The Equobility server can assist the user to communicate with users, obtain mapping information in order to determine locations and navigational routes, and facilitates cash-less financial transactions.

An ever-widening network of information that includes real time market information, weather conditions, technical training, and world events, Equobility captures the breadth of data on the Internet yet brings it down into an accessible form of a text message so that users anywhere can benefit from it. Equobility allows users to access necessary information that can help them make informed decisions and engage meaningfully in the transaction of good and services. It connects users with other buyers and sellers and helps them to negotiate prices and terms, access transportation services and utilize financial services in a manner that is quick, fair and efficient. Equobility encourages the development of efficient markets and creates real economic opportunities for individuals, families and whole communities in both developing and developed economies.

_Mobile Charger
The Equobility Mobile Charger is an object that holds and charges a mobile phone. Worn by the user, the goal of this product is to provide an affordable, convenient means for users to keep their phones charged at all times. The source of energy for the charger is a combination of solar and bike pedal generated power.

A small integrated solar panel absorbs energy from the sun‘s rays and a optional quick release cable connected to a bike dynamo on the back tire captures energy generated while a user pedals his/her bike. The Equobility Mobile Charger is comprised of a solar film panel powerful enough to charge one mobile phone and a phone holder that keeps the mobile firmly in place while it charges it. The Charger comes with a basic strap that feeds through the strap holes at each end to hold the charger unit to the body.

The charger also has a bright LED which serves as a indicator for the amount of energy being stored by the charger‘s battery. This LED also serves as a light source. It can be used to make users more visible to traffic while they are walking or biking or can be used at home as an additional source of light by which to cook or read.

The Equobility Mobile Charger can be worn around the waist, over the shoulder, around the head or hat. It can be customized with fabric or material to make it most appropriate for the location and culture within which it is being used. Women living in areas of the world where it is customary for them to wear long dresses without pockets or waistbands can benefit from the versatility of the Equobility Mobile Charger. Compared to a standard cell phone clip or holder, the Equobility charger can be worn several different ways. Traditional fabrics can be used to integrate the charger into the women's everyday wardrobe.

Men can wear the Equobility Mobile Charger around their waist attached to their belt, slung across the shoulder or along a hatband. This product is intended to be gender neutral. It can be customized to fit the needs and preferences of its wearers.

The Mobile Charger's ability to keep a phone charged without the need for a traditional energy source like an electrical outlet is crucial to the entire Equobility system. The intent of SMS platform is to provide users with a tool to access information that can help them conduct business and increase their standard of living. But access to this important information is irrelevant if users lack a consistent means of keeping their mobile phones charged. In many parts of the world, electricity is still non-existent or unreliable making it difficult to maintain a consistently charged phone. It is not uncommon for mobile phone users in developing areas of the world to travel several miles to pay someone to charge their phone. The Equobility Mobile Charger is an affordable, sustainable, consistent source of power that keeps users able to remain connected and in control of how they use this technology.

_Opportunities
Worldwide, there are more than 2.4 billion mobile phone users, with more than 1,000 new customers added every minute. Fifty-nine percent of who are living in developing countries (Eagle, 2005).

Mobile phones have made a tremendous impact in the developing world creating new opportunities that were difficult or impossible to imagine before the advent of this technology. Yet, millions of mobile phone users continue to struggle to meet their basic needs. So how can mobile technology be used to create more opportunity for increasing the standard of living and the overall quality of life for people living in developing economies?

By looking at the growth of mobile technology in the developing economies of the world, Equobility offers a solution and a business model allowing users to access technology and the information and connection it offers as a tool for increasing their standard of living.

_Conclusion
Equobility's unique platform combined with the Mobile Charger is a whole system designed to give users a set of tools that can significantly impact their lives and improve their livelihoods. The incentive for funders, producers and consumers to invest in Equobility is the huge potential for profit and social impact that can be made by engaging the 4 billion people living at the bottom of the economic pyramid. It no longer makes sense to think that wealthier nations can donate people out of poverty while overlooking the potential of the poor. There are 4 billion consumers yet to be engaged in the global marketplace. In essence, the incentives are built into the business model and the promise it holds for all those involved.

Equobility emulates a new kind of model. It proposes to operate in a developing economy in a way that is efficient, competitive and above all ethical while being profitable. It then can adapt and function just as successfully and ethically in the developed marketplace. Built into this model are the incentives of huge profit potential, based on the sheer volume of sales possible, and above all, of the ability to improve the lives of others in profound ways.

By creating a streamlined accessible system, Equobility allows users to access important information, connect to buyers and sellers, negotiate fair prices, navigate their towns and cities, transport efficiently and transact safely. The result is the creation of healthy economies that spur opportunity, increase income levels and improve the overall quality of life for people everywhere.