It may look like an over-priced flash drive at $23 but you have to give technology some allowance in making it happen. This solar cell USB key called the Sun Drive comes in various capacities (2.1G, 2.2G, 2.3G and 2.4G). As you would guess, it solicits its power from the sun (solar power) which should become an ideal alternative for mobile phone power (100 minutes of talk time) or as a power source for MP3 players (35 hours). It may seem bulky but this is because of the solar cell and the battery. Overall, this is should be a handy gadget, especially for the ones who have all kinds of gadgets on the go.

(Source) Oh Gizmo

Tags: 1g, 2G, 3G, 4G, Accessories, flash drive, gadgets, handy gadget, mobile phone, MP3 Players, Portable Devices, power source, solar cell, solar power, sun drive, talk time

The ReNu is a very intriguing way of charging an iPod or iPhone that uses solar power. Solar chargers for mobile devices are not unique, but this one has a sound deck with speakers, several optional bases, and even an LED desk lamp. Of course, the ReNu can use a wall outlet to charge your favorite Apple product if you desire. You should see the ReNu come January for about $199.

Source

Tags: Apple, Regen, Regen ReNu, ReNu, solar power, solar powered charger

Samsung hasn’t announced the Android-powered Bigfoot smartphone yet but it definitely unveiled a cheap handset, the E1107 aka “Crest Solar”. The phone will be available in India and it will be solar powered. Every hour of solar charging will offer you 5-10 minutes of talk time. It doesn’t seem like that much but it’s certainly good enough to make a few fast phone calls.

The phone will offer dual GSM (900/1800MHz), a 1.5-inch 65K CSTN screen, FM Radio, MP3 ringtones, torch, Fake Call (which is always useful) and a 800mAh battery. After India the phone will make it to Europe, Southeast Asia, Southwest Asia and Latin America. The expected price for the Crest Solar is $59 but you might get it for even less.
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Tags: Crest Solar, E1107, india, Mobile News, Portable Devices, Samsung, Samsung, solar power

The iPhone has been a multi-functional device for games, business apps and even videos. But now it seems to be adding another dimension towards its many uses as a monitoring device for homes that make use of solar energy.

There are homes now that make use of solar power as their main source of energy but the available power generated by these solar panels leaves a lot to be feted on. For one, knowing how much energy is available for use to power up the home is needed and until now, no competent means of measuring that was available.

SunPower Corp. thus unveils a solar power monitoring software that can be used via the iPhone/ iPod Touch. With this new app which is now available at the Apple App Store for free, home owners can now easily evaluate and see the efficiency of their solar cells, panels and system and see if they are functioning accordingly.

“With the SunPower Monitoring System, our customers can optimize their solar investment and save on energy expenses,” said Jan Soderstrom, vice president and chief marketing officer at SunPower Corp. “By monitoring their solar systems online, in-home or via their Apple mobile devices, these tools empower homeowners to track their systems anytime and from practically any location.”

(Source) Press

Tags: Apple, energy expenses, iPhone, iPhone, iPod Touch, main source, mobile devices, Mobile Software, monitoring software, monitoring system, solar cells, solar panels, solar power, solar systems, source of energy, sunpower corp, use of solar energy

A European technology company called iUnika has perfected a solar powered notebook, and this product is known as the GYY. With this device, don’t expect too much memory. Users will find about 128MB of RAM, plus a 64GB SSD drive. The CPU is 400MHz, and the operating system is some “proprietary version of Linux”.

The screen is a 8-inch WVGA with an 800 x 480 resolution. The iUnika GYY will become available in the European market in June for about 160 euros. If it does make its way to the United States, that price would probably translate to around $200.

Tags: European, GYY, iUnika, Laptops, notebook, solar power

Here is another charger alternative you can use for your gadgets that make use of a different type of energy. HYmini is a stylish, portable wind turbine that is amazingly versatile, saving up green electricity and dishing it out to 5V devices as required. It comes with a variety of connectors and can be mounted to your bike or your arm.

HYmini comes in your choice of green, black or white and includes a “1200 mAh built-in Lithium Ion Polymer rechargeable battery power bank”. The battery stores both wind-generated power and also solar power generated by miniSOLAR, a small self-contained solar panel included in the main HYmini package but also sold separately.

One notable drawback of the HYmini mentioned by GadgetReview’s testers is that it’s not compatible with either the iPod Shuffle or even worse, the iPhone. Non-Shuffle iPods are OK though, as they connect via the HYmini’s included USB connector. On the other hand, one commenter disputes this, stating the “iPhone is designed to switch from 12V to 5V power source for recharging when it is plugged to the computer/laptop.”

(Source) InvetorSpot

Tags: Accessories, battery power, Cell Phones, computer laptop, drawback, electricity, gadgets, iPhone, ipod shuffle, ipods, lithium, lithium ion polymer, Portable Devices, power source, rechargeable battery, solar panel, solar power, wind generated power, wind turbine

The Mitra, a stylish mini-PC that gets its power from the sun, is being targeted at people living in rural areas of India. This solar-powered mini-PC concept is intended to be used for online teaching, online medical help and online help for rural Indian farmers. Designed by Indian-based industrial designer Yogesh, the Mitra mini-PC has a small, clamshell-styled LCD display, a built-in LED projector, Wi-Fi connectivity and an onboard storage battery.

The mini-PC also performs as a portable energy-efficient notebook computer. Solar panels are fastened onto the body of the PC but in case of a rainy day, you can power the system using the hand crank. No word on when this device may become available.

Tags: hand crank, Laptops, pc, solar power

Prolonging the life of batteries of devices is a great boost to avoid additional costs for certain devices. But the actual practice of prolonging them is sometimes overlooked.

In fact, there is no real way of properly evaluating their state but with this new Solar Power Battery Charger Evaluation Boards from IXYS, battery life extensions are bound to improve.

These evaluation boards show how the ‘Solar Bit’ can be used to increase battery life, help design solar cell based products, provide customer convenience and reduce the disposal of batteries. The boards are designed to assist customers in understanding the features of the IXYS Solar Cells in the form of Solar Bits.

The Solar Power Battery Charger Evaluation Boards are as follows:

EVIX-CX3AA – Showcases three different IXYS components which are used to create a battery charger. This demonstrates an entirely ‘off-grid’ design which automatically disconnects the battery from the solar cells in low or no-light conditions thereby preventing inadvertent discharging with no additional circuitry required.

EVIX-10 – This highly configurable evaluation board provides 10 ‘Solar Bits’ which can be individually set to series or parallel configuration with the other cells. In addition, several EVIX-10 boards can be connected together, also in either parallel or series. This allows users to customize the configuration precisely to a specific need. Changes to the configuration take only seconds and are made via simple jumpers.

EVIX-USB – As USB devices become more prevalent, the use of the USB connection to charge batteries while away from a computer increases in value. The EVIX-USB demonstrates how the innovative design of the ‘Solar Bit’ can be used to create a simple USB charger. By utilizing the IXYS ‘Solar Bit’ in this application users can develop products that substantially extend the usable time for USB charged products while away from a computer and utilizing the power of the sun rather than an AC power source.

EVIX-LED – With the advent of several emerging technologies we are now able to provide completely battery-less power sources for remote applications. The EVIX-LED demonstrates how the IXYS ‘Solar Bit’, combined with super-capacitor technology, can be used to provide a burst of energy for a short period with a rapid recharge time. This solution is completely off-grid and does not require a battery. In this case it powers a bright LED for over one full second and recharges in full sun in just a few minutes. Designers now have the capability of using the IXYS ‘Solar Bit’ to provide battery-less solar power sources for applications requiring an intermittent burst of energy.

EVXOB17-12X1 – This simple evaluation board connects 10 IXOLAR ‘Solar Bits’ in series for general experimentation and use in a small footprint, as a Solar Panel to charge batteries, for portable devices, like MP3 players, cell phones, PDA’s, test instruments, portable medical devices, etc.

(Source) Press

Tags: Accessories, application users, battery charger, battery life, Cell Phones, disposal of batteries, evaluation board, evaluation boards, grid design, innovative design, power battery, solar cell, solar cells, solar power, usable time, usb connection

Charging mobile phones and gadgets can prove to be a problem, especially if you don’t know where to plug in. But thanks to Solar Arcadia’s iPhone Solar Charger which has been added to the innovative microgeneration products of GWS Technologies, an alternative has just been released to address this common issue.

“Solar Arcadia has come up with a tremendous product that lets consumers power their electronic devices with free, clean solar power,” said Michael Coskun, Vice President of GWS Technologies. “With over 13 million iPhones sold worldwide, this product has enormous market potential, and we are excited to be able to add the iPhone Solar Charger to our revenue stream.”

The iPhone Solar Charger makes use of natural or artificial light. It is sleek, highly functional, simple to operate and may also be used with an iTouch.

(Source) Press

Tags: arcadia, electronic devices, gadgets, iPhone, iphones, mobile phones, Portable Devices, solar charger, solar chargers, solar power