(Credit:
Novothink)
The greening of homes and gadgets is a growing consumer trend, and many exhibitors will debut their eco-friendly products at CES 2010. Last week, we highlighted the Electronic Houskeeper and the PICOwatt, two devices that monitor in-home energy use. Today allows us to highlight the Surge, an iPhone and iPod Touch case with solar panels.
Solar chargers like Solio are chunky and need to be carried around. But the Surge solar case is sleek, ergonomic, and certified by Apple. Two hours of sun exposure power 30-60 minutes of talk time. The Surge features an LED battery-level indicator.
The charger is manufactured by Novothink, a company that vies to pair solar technology and portable devices. The California-based company is focused on creating solar chargers for devices in high demand, as the mission is to allow consumers to live off the grid easily.
The Surge may seem like a gimmick on the face of it, but it might be a perfect solution for Apple iPhone and iPod owners on the go. Emergency chargers are available, ... 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, ... Read more
Someone, please make it stop.
(Credit: Kittyhell.com)This cat has no shame.
She continues to haunt us with her incessant need to reproduce every consumer item in existence with her likeness on it. Our mistrust of the advancing Kitty empire on Crave is well-known, but we haven't brought it up in a while. Friends, it's time.
The cat is now trying to green-wash her cheap plastic empire, calling this solar-powered cell phone recharger "eco-friendly." Well now, throwing "solar-powered" into the description certainly sounds environmentally friendly. But wait. Apparently it's good for about 500 charges, then you're supposed to throw it away and buy a new one? That's sort of the opposite of eco-friendly.
Moving on, this next item is just inexplicable.
Hello Kitty DJ speakers
(Credit: ThinkGeek)Say hello to the Hello Kitty DJ Speaker. Here our evil feline friend finds herself ensconced in a plastic case, outfitted with headphones and a set of turntables. This is supposed to hook up to your iPod, MP3 or CD player, and ... Read more
Apple has taken a shine to using solar cells in its mobile devices.
A patent application, unearthered by MacRumors.com, describes technology to integrate solar cells into portable devices. The named inventors of the patent application are Apple employees, some of whom are iPod engineers.
Images from an Apple patent for solar cells in portable devices.
(Credit: U.S. Patent & Trademark Office)Using small solar panels to charge portable devices is nothing new; there are several such products already available. Apple appears to be trying to innovate in the integration of the solar cells into a portable device.
Rather than make a separate charger, Apple engineers have sought to package solar cells right into the device in an unobtrusive way. Electricity-generating cells could be placed underneath the device's display. Specifically, the patent application details the use of a semitransparent display with a solar cell placed underneath it.
Sandwiched together, the device's cover would have "at least one glass layer coupled to the solar-cell layer; and a ... Read more
(Credit:
IceTech)
Recently, I started to become fascinated with portable solar chargers/batteries. Something about being able to charge up my many gadgets anywhere the sun is shining appeals to me. (Of course, I'd have to actually remember all the necessary USB cables as well, but no matter.) It's not as if I'm some huge outdoorswoman, but my inherent paranoia about getting myself into a sticky and potentially lethal situation in the middle of nowhere gives me an appreciation for survival gadgetry. Clearly, I've lived in the city too long and watched/read one too many horror stories (see: The Ruins). Not that having my MP3 player fully charged is going to save my life, but at least I could perish to some death metal.
Last week, I got my hands on one of the many portable solar chargers to hit the market in recent years, the IceTech Solar i9005. In fact, this unit is also a battery, which can also be charged via the sun's rays. Here's the ... Read more
(Credit:
Strapya)
This is a switch. Usually the products from Japan's Strapya fall squarely under the category of novelty items, ranging from the silly to the, er, exotic. But it's finally come up with something practical: a mobile phone strap with a solar charger.
The solar cell can be charged up to 500 times, according to Tokyomango, and can use an AC adapter as a backup battery. It doesn't hold a candle to the drunken salaryman dangle, of course, but nothing really can.
After Christmas gifts were exchanged this season, I set out to get what I really wanted from Santa: a solar panel kit that could power up my household electronics.
Options for buying these things are growing fast (see photo gallery below). Solar chargers can be had from several suppliers that juice up cameras, digital music players, phones, or game machines. And at the Consumer Electronics Show, a few companies showed off solar chargers, in tune with the "green theme" of the conference.
I originally set out for a single charger for gadgets and batteries. As I surfed from one alternative energy site to the other, my imagination wandered: would it be possible to use a solar charger for my laptop? Would a solar charger noticeably cut down on my electricity costs, or would it just be a cool science experiment?
Well, my Christmas gift quest has ended, short of a solar-powered laptop. Instead, I found a suitable toy for my phone, batteries, and maybe a few other devices.
Charging up a laptop with a small ... Read more
(Credit:
Chip Chick)
'Tis the season for giving, all right. Just when we were whining about solar chargers being too big and bulky, Chip Chick comes along and posts an item on a solar mobile phone charger that's not only much smaller than others we've seen but could even pass as a fashion item.
True, chargers made by generic companies in China like this one aren't known for having the best track records. But given its manageable size (about 3 inches in diameter and 1 inch thick) and its price of $18.50--including adapters for various phones and MP3 players--we think this one might well be worth trying.
It's great that solar rechargers are starting to catch on, but we're not thrilled at the idea of carrying one that's 10 times the size of the phone it's supposed to power. Brunton's "SolarPort 4.4" isn't that big and won't give us a hernia (we hope), but it's still not as portable as we'd like.
(Credit:
Brunton)
The charger, which Red Ferret says is designed for handheld devices and nothing bigger, weighs 19 ounces and measures 9.3 by 6 inches and 1.5 inches thick. That would stow easily in a bag or maybe even a large purse, but it's still too bulky for a pocket unless you're Andre the Giant.
A smaller alternative is the Solio charger that's about as thick as the SolarPort but only 4.7 by 2.5 inches and weighing less than 6 ounces. (It's also cheaper--$79 vs. $110.) Given our spotty gym schedule, that seems a lot more doable.
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