Product review – Solio Magnesium edition hybrid battery charger

by Scott Carmichael on

We’ve covered Solio before here on Gadling, so when they announced their most advanced charger ever, I just had to take it for a spin.

The new Solio Magnesium edition hybrid charger features a 3-panel solar charger. AC charging option and the ability to charge USB powered devices as well as any device covered by one of the thousands of options offered by the addition of iGo power tips.

The package comes very complete – the charger, an AC adapter with an assortment of international plugs, a female USB charging cable, an iGo charging cable, a bag full of iGo tips, a hemp carrying bag, and a pencil (more on the pencil later).

Before using the Solio, you bring its battery to 100% using the AC adapter, then when you are off the beaten path, and away from good old AC power, you give it a clear view of the sun, and it recharges itself. To charge your gadgets, you simply plug them into the miniUSB port on the side, using the female USB cable, or one of the included iGo tips. If none of the included tips fit your device, you can order the correct one from iGo.com.

So, how well does it work? I decided to use the Solio to keep my phone powered for a week, and it really did perform quite well.

On Sunday, I topped it up to 100% using the AC charger, and every night I’d charge my phone. In the morning, I placed it outside on a table. It was at that point I finally discovered what the pencil is for – it lifts the charger up to the right angle. Of course, had I actually sat down to read the manual, I would have known this all along.

Each night, I pressed the power button, and most nights, the green LED light would flash 5 times, an indication that the battery was back to 100%. Thanks to the power of the sun, I was keeping my phone going without any need for AC power.

The Solio magnesium edition is not cheap – at $169.95 I’d even say it is pretty expensive. But if you travel places where regular and reliable AC power is a luxury, it may be worth the money. The kit is very complete and once inside its carrying case, the entire package weighs just 9oz (265 grams), which is extremely light when you consider that includes the AC charger and an assortment of international plugs and power tips.

There are a couple of downsides to the Solio Magnesium Edition – to charge it, you need a lot of sun. The 2 times I had a cloudy day meant that the charger did not reach 100%, this isn’t a big issue if you travel to a nice sunny location, but don’t expect to generate a lot of power in places with less than decent weather.

Also, the device sometimes had a hard time powering my more hungry gadgets – an iPod or iPhone is just fine, but when I tried to top off my backup battery pack, nothing happened. The amount of power you can suck out of the Solio Magnesium edition is about 1800mAh, which is about enough for a 100% charge of an iPhone. If you completely drain the Solio, you’ll need at least 2-3 full sunny days to get it back to 100%.

The Solio Magnesium edition is available directly from Solio, or one of their retail partners.

Daily deal – Soldius 1 universal solar battery charger for $14.99

by Scott Carmichael on

My daily deal for today is for the Soldius 1 universal solar powered battery charger. This pocket sized solar charger comes with an assortment of universal power “tips” for charging many commonly used devices like the iPod, Blackberry smartphones and most Nokia, Motorola, SonyEricsson, Samsung and Siemens phones.

Included in the package is also a female USB power tip, so you can use almost any power cable that has a regular USB plug.

The device is currently on sale for just $14.99, but supplies are limited. The Soldius solar charger comes in black or white, but you don’t get to pick the color you are shipped.

To get a full charge for your device, you’ll need to be in direct sunlight, and it may take several hours to reach 100%, but at $15 you really do get a great little charger, and you won’t have to worry about charging it. Buy.com will even ship it for free.

Fresno Yosemite International Airport goes for solar

by Anna Brones on

The airplanes flying in and out of Fresno Yosemite International Airport might still be running on traditional fuel, but the airport itself will be saving $13 million in energy costs over the next 20 years thanks to solar power. Yesterday welcomed the dedication of the new solar array which will provide 40% of the day-to-day lighting, air conditioning, controls and towers of the airport.

Given that the Fresno airport is the gateway to the famed Yosemite National Park, taking steps to be more environmentally friendly makes sense. So if your looking to green your next trip to California, fly into Fresno and be happy that the airport lights are partly fueled by the outdoor sun.

[Via Treehugger]

Keep Your Gadgets Charged on the Beach

by Justin Glow on

Reware is selling what they call the “world’s first heavy-duty solar beach tote” called the Juice Bag. The tote has an ultra-thin solar panel built into the side which harnesses the power of the sun and converts it into juice for your cellphone, digital camera, sombrero, or other gadgets you may bring to the beach to ruin with sand. Unfortunately it will not charge your laptop, as the solar panel’s power ratings are too low to feed the juice a laptop requires. As a bonus, you can remove the solar panel from the side and use it independently from the bag.

$249 from Reware. [via]

Solio Lets You Charge Your Gadgets From the Sun…or The Socket

by Willy Volk on

Solio is a compact, lightweight device capable of charging all your handheld electronic gear — cell phones, Bluetooth headsets, smartphones, PDAs, MP3 players, portable gaming devices, digital cameras, GPS’, and almost everything under the sun — by the sun. Featuring a futuristic collapsible fan-blade design, simply spread out Solio’s blades, expose them to direct sunlight, and get charged.

Visiting an overcast destination? No problem. Solio is a “Hybrid” Charger, meaning it can accept power from either the sun or a wall socket. Plug it in, and charge your gear.

Skeptical of solar? According to the website, one hour of sun will power an iPod for about an hour or provide up to 25 minutes of talk time on most cell phones. In other words, the $99 Solio — available in white, gray, pink, and black — serves as either a convenient backcountry hiker accessory, or as a city-slicker emergency re-charger.