Konarka's solar panel on a Neuber mailbag.
(Credit: Neuber)Konarka Technologies announced this week its Power Plastic flexible solar panels are going to be being used in carrier bags and possibly shade structures in the Middle East and Africa.
The company made a deal to supply its solar panels to German-based carrier manufacturer Neuber for bags that can double as chargers for small electronics like cell phones, digital cameras, and media players. Neuber is currently selling the so-called Energy Sun Bags at around 118 euros ($175) on the Neuber Web site.
Konarka's flexible solar panels in Neuber's range of mailbags are not the first instance of backpacks going solar, but they certainly are one of the first we've noticed in the growing trend in recent months of reasonably-priced solar bags coming on to the consumer market.
While not yet at the product stage, Konarka also announced this week it's partnering with Enviromena Power Systems, a solar project developer in the Middle East and North Africa whose clients include Abu Dhabi's planned green community Masdar City.
The plan is to integrate Konarka's flexible solar panels into shade structures.
Shade structures, tents, and awnings are already used ubiquitously for shade. It makes sense to find a double use for them as a solar panels to provide a recharge for cell phones or iPods.
As it does with most trends, Samsung is pursuing eco-friendly cell phones with vigor. It already gave us the Samsung Reclaim, and now we finally have a chance to review the Samsung Blue Earth. Like the Reclaim, the Blue Earth's shell is made from recycled materials--specifically, plastic water bottles--but it goes a giant step further with solar panels on its rear face. The solar panels actually work and can charge the phone in a pinch.
The Blue Earth is also free of harmful materials like polyvinyl chloride, and you can minimize battery use by adjusting the display settings. Outside of being green, the Blue Earth offers a functional feature set, but its small touch screen hampers its usability and there was static during calls. Check out our Blue Earth review for a more detailed look.
In honor of our special guest, Micky Hoogendijk, we cover gadgets with an international flare. You might think that a show as classy as this one might not include any questionable content. You would be wrong.
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EPISODE 158
Giorgio Armani extends designer touch to new mobile
Samsung Blue Earth sees light in Sweden
http://dvice.com/archives/2009/10/lgs-pop-touchsc.php
Dolce Gusto single-cup coffee maker is a beautiful thing
... Read more
Mascotte's messenger bag prototype
(Credit: Mascotte)G24 Innovations has shipped its first flexible solar panels, which are destined for the outside of backpacks and other bags, the company said Wednesday.
The U.K. company's dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) are thin-film photovoltaics that can be manufactured in flexible rolls relatively cheaply. It is a material the U.S. Air Force has been looking into for use in its unmanned aerial vehicles for longer endurance.
G24's DSSC cells, which are designed to create electricity from indoor light as well as outdoor sunlight, will be put into commercial use by the manufacturer Mascotte Industrial Associates.
Solar backpack, duffel
(Credit: G24 Innovations)The Hong Kong-based company is integrating the DSSC panels into a line of backpacks, duffel bags, e-book covers, camera bags, and messenger bags that can then be tapped to recharge items like cell phones or cameras.
Mascotte plans to display its solar bags at this week's Hong Kong Electronics Fair, and the products could be available to consumers as soon as December, according to the company. Mascotte has already filled its Web site with photos of potential products.
While Mascotte won't be the first to offer solar recharging in a backpack and while it hasn't released its price list yet, the company's use of DSSC cells may make it the first to offer a bag at a reasonable price to the masses. In 2006, Tumi offered a limited edition PowerPack, which cost almost $700. In mid-2007, the Mana Solar Claw offered a $230 solar backpack cover.
Sanyo's Eneloop Portable Solar panel can charge mobile devices on the go.
(Credit: Sanyo)If you plan on walking through the desert with a cell phone anytime soon, you might want to check in with Sanyo before you leave.
Its new Eneloop Portable Solar panels can charge portable devices through a USB connection. They're also relatively compact and a cinch to tote.
Sanyo's stylish Eneloop line of energy products includes a popular brand of rechargeable batteries and a lamp that doubles as a flashlight. Last time we posted about Sanyo's solar panels, they were chic but clunky. The new book-size, business-slick Portable Solar comes in sets of one or two panels (weighing about 8 or 15 ounces), with a handy hook to hang in a window.
(Credit:
Sanyo)
Sounds great, especially if you're keen on saving energy and the environment.
But you'll also have to carry the Eneloop Mobile Booster (2.5 ounces) because it contains the lithium ion battery that stores the solar energy. You then connect your cell phone, gaming device, or whatever to the Booster.
You might also have to lug your laptop to charge the Booster if the weather doesn't cooperate. Though it takes 1.5 days to 3 days to fully charge the Booster, an hour's worth of sunshine is enough to power 20 or 40 minutes of talk time on a cell phone, which is fine for an emergency according to Sanyo. It depends on the number of panels you have and, of course, sunshine.
The included mesh bag at the back of the panel can hold the Booster, as well as a cell phone or other device.
The Portable Solar panels go on sale August 10 in Japan with no specified price from Sanyo, though Crunchgear says it will cost $90 for the single-panel unit and $150 for the double-panel one.
Energizer's SP2000 solar charger.
(Credit: Energizer)Through a partnership with XPAL Power, Energizer has expanded its Energi to Go line of portable battery packs in a big way. The newly branded chargers run the gamut from an iPhone 3G/3G S battery sleeve to a couple of solar chargers to a larger lithium ion charger that can juice up to three devices at once, including a laptop.
Most of the chargers include cell tips for various makes and models of cell phones, and you can get free new tips online as future phones come out.
Many of the battery packs are available already under the XPAL brand, but the new packaging should be appearing very soon in stores.
Here's a look at the line and check out the slideshow above: ... Read more
Samsung first announced its eco-friendly Blue Earth phone at the Barcelona-based Mobile World Congress in February. It's been awhile since the announcement, but we finally got to spend a little personal time with the solar-powered handset here at CommunicAsia 2009 in Singapore.
Get ready for some frantic hand action in our, well, hands-on video. Fret not, we were just testing to see how many calories we've burned.
(Source: Crave Asia)
(Credit:
Samsung)
If you're an outdoorsy type, you might never have to worry about your phone running out of juice again.
Samsung announced Wednesday its first solar-powered GSM mobile phone, the E1107, also known by the catchier name Crest Solar. The phone is a dual-band GSM (900MHz and 1800MHz) and can be charged anywhere the sun is shining.
The phone is about the same shape and size as most regular compact cell phones, but with one big difference: on the back it has a solar panel that's capable of providing enough juice for about 5 to 10 minutes of talk time for each hour of charging.
Of course, this depends on how sunny it is. ... Read more
(Credit:
KDDI)
Sunbathers in Japan will have another beach- or pool-friendly keitai (phone) to carry around this summer. Simply known as the Solar Phone SH002, a 10-minute exposure to direct sunlight will yield one minute of talktime or two hours of standby.
Of course, the mileage you get is dependent on factors like the intensity of solar radiation and cloud cover. But you should be able to juice up the battery to 80 percent of its capacity if left outdoors long enough. There's even a Flash animation app that tells you how fast your phone is charging with a growing number of animals onscreen as the radiation gets more intense.
The SH002--available only from KDDI in Japan starting May 29--is waterproof as well. In other words, you won't have to worry if the handset takes an accidental dive. Also interesting are the sports-related applications. You can configure a health and fitness program tailored to your lifestyle, learn to play golf on 2,300 preset courses, and check the number of calories you've burned. Too bad this doesn't measure the UVs you're soaking up even as it's charging up.
(Source: Crave Asia via Akihabara News)
Do you need power for your cell phone, MP3 player, digital camera, and other portable gadgets? Our friend Mr. Sun has an endless supply (well, not endless--5 billion years and kaput!). What you need is a way to harness those rays and turn them into energy you can use.
GoldenGadgets has just such a harness: the Portable Hybrid Solar Charger, currently on sale for $19.99--shipping will run you about $5.
What makes it a "hybrid" charger? Simple: It can draw energy from the sun (8-10 hours buys you a full charge--bad news for those of us who live in Michigan, where we're lucky to get 8-10 minutes of sun. Hey-oh!) or from a USB source like your PC, which does the job in about 4 hours.
The charger comes with a generous assortment of tips: BlackBerry, Motorola, Nokia, Mini-USB, USB, and iPod/iPhone. (Unless my eyes deceive me, there's also one for Palm, though the product listing doesn't mention it.)
Speaking of which, the product listing doesn't specifically mention iPhone 3G compatibility, either; however, one of the user reviews claims it works fine. (The demo video up top shows an iPhone getting charged, but it looks like a first-generation model.)
Sure, you can get an iPhone battery pack for as little as $6.99, but that powers one device and one device only. This eco-friendly charger can juice just about everything in your carry-on bag. Until someone invents a teeny little windmill, it'll have to do.
