The 45,000 attendants at the recent Virgin Festival (hosted by Virgin Mobile) had an alternative source of power to charge their cell phones: the sun. Kyocera Wireless sponsored a booth full of Virgin Angels, all powered by the Solio Universal Hybird Charger. The Solio device won the “Best of Show” award at the 2005 MacWorld Expo, and is considered an environmentally-friendly alternative for cell-phone users.

You can also use it charge your iPod, digital camera, or any other portable device with this. This device charges from pure sunlight, and can charge in the same time as most wall chargers. The general rule is that one hour of sunshine charging equals one hour of play time, and it can also hold its charge in a lithium battery for a year.

The device comes in a kit which includes a Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, and Mini-USB connector tips. It also has an interchangeable Tip System cable, a female USB cable, 12V Universal Adapter, and window suction cup (presumably so you can stick this on a window on a sunny day, I guess). It runs about $99.95 at the Solio Store site.